"I never expected such a bizarre ability. Truly, the vast world is full of wonders," Kent couldn't help but exclaim.
"Moreover, the Flame Phantom Ghosts can evolve on their own. Although they start off at a very low rank, their growth potential is terrifying. They can evolve all the way up to the Heavenly Tier, far surpassing other monsters. Even more importantly, the Flame Phantom Ghosts are social creatures," Kent explained.
He glanced again at the attribute panel, his attention caught by the word "Weakness."
"Weakness: Though the Flame Phantom Ghosts are immortal, they have a fatal weak point: their spine. It's said that their soul resides within the spine. As long as the spine remains intact, their consciousness won't dissipate and can regenerate their body through super healing."
"I see... In that case, there's nothing to fear," Kent relaxed. He had initially worried that these creatures might not have any weaknesses, which would make them nearly impossible to defeat without turning them into minced meat—too time-consuming and easy to let them escape.
"Garfield, Bajie, and Wukong, follow my orders. Attack only their spine. Don't bother with the rest of their body."
After contacting his three beasts telepathically, Kent took out a bow and a set of arrows made from enchanted Demon Iron, a Grade-A weapon with incredible destructive power.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Thanks to the memory gemstone, Kent's spiral archery skills had reached mastery, allowing him to shoot three arrows almost in the blink of an eye.
The arrows sliced through the air, creating an intimidating force as they approached the three targeted Flame Phantom Ghosts. The speed of the arrows disturbed the air around them.
The three Flame Phantom Ghosts were taken aback. How could this human see through their invisibility? Damn it.
Two of them couldn't react in time and were pierced through by the arrows, falling from the sky. Their green blood oozed out, giving off a strong, foul odor. As they descended, a large, agile cat pounced and pierced through one of the ghosts' spines, silencing it with a sharp, sudden scream.
Another Flame Phantom Ghost dodged just in time, but when it revealed itself, its entire body was pierced by an invisible sword, leaving a hole through its spine.
The sword then revealed itself as an indistinct shadow resembling Kent, which slowly faded away and re-entered invisibility.
This shadow was, of course, Bajie, the Light-Eating Shadow Beast. As Bajie's level had increased, so had its abilities—Light-Eating, Shadow Theft, and Piercing—making him increasingly proficient in their use.
While the Flame Phantom Ghosts' invisibility worked by manipulating the surrounding light using fire-based power, Bajie's invisibility was of a much higher level. He consumed all the light that touched him, becoming like a black hole, leaving no trace behind. Unlike the ghosts, Bajie could move and attack freely while invisible.
In an instant, the three Flame Phantom Ghosts died, causing immediate panic. The remaining dozen or so Flame Phantom Ghosts revealed themselves. If the enemy had a method to see through their invisibility, then continuing to hide would only invite more trouble.
"Urrr~" The largest and strongest of the Flame Phantom Ghosts, at the low Heavenly Tier and level 50, let out a harsh, grating sound, causing annoyance in the air.
The group of Flame Phantom Ghosts leaped onto a large tree branch, clustering together and waving their fire blades in all directions. They dared not move recklessly, for they knew there was an invisible being near them, and above them, a large cat with the terrifying presence of a cat king.
When they swung their fire blades, they cut the air with blazing energy, releasing sword-like beams that forced Bajie back over a hundred meters.
Kent remained unfazed and continued shooting arrows, even though he knew the enemy would intercept them just before impact.
His archery skills were impressive enough to kill a monster over forty levels away, but the arrows either missed or were blocked by the level 50 Flame Phantom Ghosts.
Realizing his arrows wouldn't be enough, Kent quickly stowed the bow and retrieved a small missile launcher from his storage ring. He scanned the surroundings with his fiery eyes with golden pupils to make sure no other Flame Phantom Ghosts were hiding nearby. Once assured, he aimed the missile launcher at the group of enemies.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, a missile shot out, leaving a trail of fire behind as it rushed toward the Flame Phantom Ghosts.
The creatures reacted with shock, quickly scattering in all directions.
But the missile flew with incredible speed, and about half of the smaller, level 30-odd Flame Phantom Ghosts couldn't escape in time. They were obliterated, torn into pieces, their remains falling to the ground in a gruesome display.
"How are they still alive?" Kent muttered in disbelief. Among the dismembered remains, a severely wounded Flame Phantom Ghost, missing limbs and with a gaping hole in its chest, was still crawling on the ground. It was badly injured, yet still moving.
"The system wasn't lying. Only destroying their spine can fully kill them."
Kent shot a wind blade, severing the spine of the remaining ghost. Immediately, it stopped moving.
Kent launched another missile, killing two more Flame Phantom Ghosts. By this point, the leader of the group, the level 50 Heavenly Tier ghost, finally lost its composure. Realizing it was no match for Kent, it turned and fled.
Without their formation, the scattered remaining Flame Phantom Ghosts were quickly dealt with by Garfield, who darted in and out, picking them off one by one.
"Garfield, Bajie, go after that one. Don't let it escape!" Kent's face grew serious. He knew that the Flame Phantom Ghosts were social and intelligent creatures. The group they had encountered was only a small part of the larger swarm. If one managed to escape, they would face great danger in the Changguo Mountain Range.
Garfield and Bajie immediately pursued the fleeing ghost, while Kent and Wukong jumped up to the Changguo Tree. They gathered all the Origin Fruits, both ripe and unripe.
"Try one," Kent handed Wukong an Origin Fruit.
Wukong eagerly grabbed the fruit, bit into it, and swallowed it in two quick bites. A dense energy flooded his body, warming him from the inside out.
"How does it feel?" Kent asked eagerly, before slapping his forehead. What was he asking? Just look at how much experience it gave him.
"Wah~ One little Origin Fruit gave Wukong 9,500 experience points! That's such a great deal!"
The Origin Fruits had been forcefully taken from the Flame Phantom Ghosts.
Wukong chirped happily and immediately stretched out his hand, asking Kent for more.
Kent, of course, complied. He was almost hoping Wukong would eat so much that he'd evolve right away.