Chapter 204 Chapter204-Rescue?
The agony of having one's limbs crushed was hardly bearable for any ordinary person.
In an instant, the man woke from his unconscious state, his face contorting grotesquely due to the intense pain, presenting a truly horrifying sight.
However, upon seeing Howard, the fear in his heart overpowered his physical pain.
"You... you are... what..."
His voice was broken and intermittent, his body convulsing, struggling to form a complete sentence.
Observing this, Howard's brow furrowed slightly. He quickly took out a potion that restored HP and poured it into the man's mouth.
As his HP partially recovered, the man still felt pain, but his body wasn't as weak. He was able to speak.
Howard spoke coldly, "What is this place? Tell me everything you know!"
In any world, a being who had reached above level 50 would not be a fool.
The man paused, then realization dawned, his pupils shrinking in shock as he exclaimed, "You are a thief from another plane?!"
Being called a thief made Howard inwardly flinch.
He flipped his wrist, and a dagger appeared in his hand.
However, before Howard could act, the man suddenly bit down hard, blood gushing from his mouth.
Biting off one's tongue wouldn't lead to immediate death, but it certainly prevented any further extraction of information.
Watching the man even manage a sinister smile, Howard could no longer restrain himself.
He brandished the dagger and swiftly slit the man's throat.
[ Ding! Congratulations awakened Howard, for successfully killing an Extraplanar creature, you have been awarded 50,000 experience points! ]
The system's notification confirmed the death of the man before Howard, but his brow furrowed slightly.
Too ruthless!
Upon realizing that he was from another plane, the man had bitten off his tongue.
If the people of this plane were all this resolute, Howard doubted he could extract any information about the Obscured Celestial Realm from them.
But without understanding the Obscured Celestial Realm, even with a similar appearance and abilities, surviving in this world would be challenging.
Howard couldn't just remain in the wilderness forever, avoiding all contact, could he?
How would he then return to the Azure Sphere?
Wait for Daniel, Wales, and the others to rescue him?
What if they couldn't find the Obscured Celestial Realm? Would that be the end for him?
Howard would not entrust his life to others.
"Continue capturing people; I refuse to believe they are all this determined! If it comes to it, I'll feign amnesia and go where people are. With my age and strength, they're unlikely to kill me on sight. Maybe, I can deceive them!"
Narrowing his eyes, Howard had two plans in mind, but the second was riskier.
He decided to first try the initial approach.
Capturing people was not a difficult task.
After all, Howard's Spirit Veil Skill was exceptional, and with the special enhancements of the Obscured Celestial Realm, he was confident he could remain undetected by anyone below level 90.
Should he encounter a warrior of that caliber, he would have to adapt as the situation demanded!
After burning the man's body, Howard once again cast the Spirit Veil Skill, entering an invisible state.
To avoid encountering too many people, Howard ventured deeper.
As expected, most of the people he came across were alone.
He followed the same routine: tracking them to secluded corners, stunning them with a set of skills, discarding their Storage Bags and Space Rings, and then carrying them away.
Regrettably, no matter the plane, humans always displayed utmost unity when facing external threats.
After capturing seven individuals in succession, not a single one yielded.
Some bit their tongues, others smashed their heads against the ground, and some even shattered their own heart meridians!
Witnessing this, even Howard couldn't help but sigh.
Humans were indeed a peculiar race.
In internal conflicts, they were fiercely ruthless, even capable of killing their own kin.
But when facing external enemies, they were willing to sacrifice their lives for strangers.
It was just like when he was escorting Shelley Chan back to Crimson Dragon City; those who pursued them fought fiercely.
Yet, against Extraplanar creatures, they would have even sacrificed themselves to protect Howard or Shelley Chan.
Truly, a race hard to judge!
"It seems I must find other ways to slowly gather information about the Obscured Celestial Realm."
"On the surface, I look exactly like them, and even the differences in talents and skills are not significant. I shouldn't remain invisible; it would seem too deliberate!"
Having made up his mind, Howard promptly stowed away anything on him that bore the mark or scent of the Azure Sphere.
He also donned the Death Mask and boldly revealed his form.
Surprisingly, in this state, Howard encountered several people, none of whom noticed anything amiss.
However, Howard didn't let his guard down.
While his appearance and aura might not raise suspicions at a glance, any interaction could easily give him away.
Therefore, he maintained a cold demeanor, radiating an aura that discouraged strangers from approaching.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop!"
After an indeterminate amount of time, the sudden sound of galloping hooves reached his ears.
Hearing the urgent noise, Howard's first instinct was to evade.
The number of approaching riders seemed significant, and he worried about encountering a large group.
Before Howard could move aside, a deafening roar of a tiger, mixed with battle cries, echoed through the air.
"A battle?" Howard paused, then quickly made a decision, heading straight towards the source of the commotion.
The more chaotic the scene, the less likely Howard's appearance would draw attention.
He couldn't keep wandering alone in the wilderness forever; he needed to find a way to blend into the Obscured Celestial Realm!
Drawing closer, Howard leaped onto a tall tree and peered through the gaps in the foliage.
He saw a group of about thirty people being attacked by a pack of fierce tigers.
The number of tigers was astonishing, easily over a hundred.
The leader of the pack was a massive tiger with a pair of wings on its back.
With each flap of its wings, the tiger could soar into the air, greatly increasing its speed.
Each pounce was lethal, tearing apart a person and spilling blood all over the ground.
What was more remarkable was the intelligence of these tigers.
Their initial target wasn't the people, but rather their warhorses.
After several charges, all the warhorses were killed, leaving only about fifteen people huddled together, back to back, desperately fending off the tigers' assaults.
"These monsters must be around level 60. The leader, that Winged Tiger, must be at least level 70 to possess such intelligence."
"I can't risk it, better retreat!"
As Howard was about to leave, his ears caught a voice: "Miss, it's our fault. We carelessly provoked the Winged Tiger pack. We will give our lives to create a path for you. Please tell the lord we're sorry we can no longer accompany him in battle!"
"Form up!"
Hearing this, Howard paused in his tracks.
The daughter of a city lord?
If that was her status, could saving her grant him direct access to one of the cities in the Obscured Celestial Realm and perhaps even a new identity?
With this thought, Howard refocused his attention on the battlefield.
He could clearly see the soldiers had formed a War Formation, using their flesh and blood to shield a young girl.
A faint red mist emerged from their bodies, quickly coalescing into the form of a leopard, roaring towards the sky.
However, to the tigers, this spectral leopard posed no real threat.
The leader, the Winged Tiger King, let out a low growl, and nearly a hundred Winged Tigers pounced forward.
They swung their sharp claws relentlessly at the phantom leopard.
Even though the phantom was formed of malevolent energy, it couldn't withstand the onslaught of so many tigers.
It lasted only about ten breaths before being torn apart by their claws.
Fortunately, the War Formation Magic wasn't that simple.
The dozen soldiers roared in unison, thrusting their spears forward in an instant.
They created a formidable shockwave that pushed back the hundred Winged Tigers, momentarily holding them at bay.
Seizing this opportunity, the young girl hurriedly attempted to flee.
Unfortunately, the Winged Tiger King had been watching her closely.
Seeing her trying to escape, it flapped its wings and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, swiftly bypassing the soldiers' War Formation to pursue the girl.
Its terrifying claws reached out, aiming directly at the girl's back.
If the claw struck her, she would undoubtedly meet her end.
"Miss!"
"Not good, stop the Winged Tiger King!"
The soldiers were equally shocked and quickly prepared to launch a second attack.
However, before they could regroup and gather their malevolent energy again, the Winged Tiger King in the sky suddenly turned its head.
Its mouth opened wide, emitting a flickering light that quickly transformed into a beam, shooting ferociously towards the soldiers.
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed as the beam of light pierced through the newly formed spectral leopard, which the soldiers had barely managed to conjure.
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