Abundant Martial Arts Virtue
Chapter 347 - 308: Shadow Followers!

Chapter 347: Chapter 308: Shadow Followers!

Wu Xiaode had not felt such a dilemma for quite some time.

Three skills.

All were excellent.

The Dragon Curse was simply a killing machine.

Curse the target, then cut oneself, and the battle would be over.

Resurrection was not bad either.

Shadow Followers was an even more secretive skill, quite mysterious and intriguing.

Which should he choose?

Wu Xiaode thought it over and asked,

"What are the limitations and requirements for using and learning these three skills?"

Rows of small ice crystal letters bubbled up from the Book of the Dead:

"1. The counterpart must be completely voluntary to serve as your Shadow Servant;"

"2. Resurrection is a Divine Skill and will consume your Merit;"

"3. Studying the Dragon Curse will consume a great deal of Soul Power and will inevitably connect you with the Dragon Clan, with unpredictable fortunes and disasters."

Reading this, Wu Xiaode fell silent once again.

He wanted to learn every skill and couldn’t bear to part with any!

Only one skill out of the three had a connection with his Silent Demon Mist, and it could provide even more capabilities.

Initially, he actually wanted to upgrade the Silent Demon Mist.

But he really wanted to learn Dragon Curse.

Wait.

Stay calm.

Wu Xiaode closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down.

He mustn’t let power cloud his judgment.

Firstly—

What was his goal?

In three days, Long Aotian and other divine beings would gain 50 points of Soul Power, all converging upon the world to destroy all humans.

He had to stop that from happening.

Among the three skills, which one would bring him closer to that goal?

Shadow Followers was just a follower.

Resurrection... those resurrected were weak and incapable of fighting.

The Dragon King’s Curse required a lot of Soul Power; how many times could he use it?

That wouldn’t do.

Think again.

Which ability could synergize better with him?

Wu Xiaode stood there, lost in thought for a few moments.

Eliminate Resurrection.

Because in the battle between divine beings and all creatures, there’s no time to resurrect someone.

In that decisive battle, the only thing to do was to win, not to resurrect a person who would surely become weakened.

One eliminated.

Two remained.

The Dragon King Curse could be useful.

Shadow Followers could give new abilities to the Demon Mist.

What did that mean?

Wu Xiaode’s thoughts flickered as he pondered deeply. Suddenly, he thought of something:

"Book of the Dead, let me have another look at the abilities I sought from the Law Divine Beast."

The pages turned.

The thirteenth page of the Book of the Dead revealed the relevant records.

As Wu Xiaode read on, slowly, a sense of hope rose in his heart.

Yes, sometimes the combination of skills was indeed magical.

He made a swift decision,

"I choose the Demon Mist Skill: Shadow Followers."

Immediately, invisible forces burst forth from all directions, penetrating his body, and a brand new hidden skill formed in his mind:

Shadow Followers!

The next instant.

Everything around dissipated.

Wu Xiaode found himself back inside the palace, still standing at the center of the grand council hall.

No one was around.

The Emperor had gone to awaken Soul Power with Satan and the cold beauty.

Zhao Zhibing had taken Zhao Junyu to familiarize with their abilities.

Xia Huilan and Xia Ni had gone to research new Mecha technologies.

Elder Qian had gone to meet his daughter with his new girlfriend.

Li Kunlun, after performing "Reality" too many times, was now gorging himself.

So, at least one person was free.

Wu Xiaode took out his phone and dialed a number.

A familiar voice came from the earpiece:

"Little Wu, what’s up?"

—The Storm Mage, Xiao Baihong.

His combat strength was quite impressive, but his awakening time wasn’t very long.

If given sufficient time, he could certainly reach 50 points of Soul Power!

"Let’s meet on the bridge outside Rainbow Street, I have something very important."

Wu Xiaode said.

"Ah? Okay," Xiao Baihong responded with some surprise, yet agreed.

Ten minutes later.

On the bridge.

Xiao Baihong was squatting on the railing, squinting at the silent river beneath.

Wu Xiaode came down, squatting beside him.

Together, they gazed at the river.

"You got here pretty fast," Xiao Baihong commented.

"What’s your take on the divine beings matter that’s happening in three days?" Wu Xiaode inquired.

"I’m a Magician, confident I won’t lose to anyone in a battle, but to increase my Soul Power to 50 points in three days..."

Xiao Baihong sighed, shook his head, and continued, "I don’t think it’s feasible."

"Don’t you think this is just like life?" Wu Xiaode said.

"Life?" Xiao Baihong asked curiously.

"Yeah, us ordinary guys, we can’t all have such good luck, to be prepared for everything and to have help with everything. Often, it’s only at the last minute that we know if we’ll be lucky or doomed," Wu Xiaode said.

Xiao Baihong, gazing at the moonlit water below, said softly, "What are you trying to say, kid?"

"Congratulations, now you have me as a good helper—come on, extend your hand here and press it down," Wu Xiaode said.

He pointed at the hovering Book of the Dead.

Even though Xiao Baihong couldn’t see it, as long as he followed Wu Xiaode’s instructions, success was certain.

"What is this for?" Xiao Baihong lifted his hand, hesitating.

"Become my follower and gain my power," Wu Xiaode said earnestly.

"Do I also need to carry your shoes for you? Dream on," Xiao Baihong curled his lip and withdrew his hand.

"Buddy, this is a chance to save the world!" Wu Xiaode glared at him.

"You don’t even eat tripe and pig liver, we are not cut from the same cloth, we can’t mix," Xiao Baihong said.

"You don’t eat coriander either—wait, what we eat isn’t important, right?" Wu Xiaode spread his hands.

"Not important? Okay, then, come have supper with me later, we’ll each have a bowl of tripe noodles," Xiao Baihong said with a sarcastic tone.

Wu Xiaode was absolutely furious.

This guy, at such a crucial moment, was actually letting him down.

How could food be compared with the safety of the entire world!

It’s just eating animal offal, come on, let’s hurt each other!

He scoffed and said sternly:

"Eating tripe is nothing, if you’ve got guts add some coriander too. I can down a bowl in one go, let’s see if you dare to eat."

"Underestimating me? Let’s go, let’s try!" Xiao Baihong stood up.

"Let’s try then!" Wu Xiaode also stood up.

Seven or eight minutes later.

At a late-night food stall.

Two bowls full of tripe and coriander noodles were served, placed in front of them.

Wu Xiaode stared at the heaping tripe.

Xiao Baihong looked at the green coriander.

A moment of silence.

"Eat, you."

They echoed each other.

The two gazed at one another, neither moving their chopsticks.

Wu Xiaode sighed, feeling like he might have made things too complicated.

Saving the world, such a noble and heroic task, and he’s here competing in pettiness with this guy?

It’s beneath him.

He put down his chopsticks.

Xiao Baihong also showed a reflective expression.

Little Wu came to him surely needing help, yet as a comrade in the same trench, he was making things difficult for him with a bowl of noodles full of offal.

It wasn’t right.

He too put down his chopsticks.

Not a bite was eaten, by either of them.

They looked at each other.

"Elder Xiao, the situation is actually like this."

Wu Xiaode cleared his throat and explained the whole story.

Xiao Baihong had a sudden realization.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

He complained and stretched out his hand, placing it on the invisible Book of the Dead, saying:

"Are you confident?"

"A little, you were the first person I thought of. We can do an experiment together," Wu Xiaode said.

"...If only it’s true, but why do I feel you are not that reliable?" Xiao Baihong said skeptically.

"This skill can only be cast willingly, if you don’t want to become stronger, just say it, I’ll look for someone else," Wu Xiaode got up to leave.

"Wait a minute! Let me do it!" Xiao Baihong quickly held him back.

"Hmph."

Wu Xiaode had an expression of disdain.

He also extended his hand, resting it on the Book of the Dead without moving.

The pages of the book revealed lines of ice crystal small print:

"Would you like to take Storm Mage Xiao Baihong as your first Shadow Follower?"

"Yes," Wu Xiaode said.

In an instant, with a ’bang,’ a soft sound was heard.

Xiao Baihong turned into a card and gently landed on the Book of the Dead.

Even Wu Xiaode was startled at this moment.

"So-called Shadow Followers, does it mean to turn the other party into a card?"

He picked up the card and looked at it.

Xiao Baihong was standing in the center of the card, his hands swirling with invisible wind, his expression as if deep in thought.

Lines of ice crystal small print emerged below the card:

"You have obtained a Shadow Follower:"

"Storm Mage, Xiao Baihong."

"Now you can share a certain power with him; note, only one ability can be bestowed."

Without hesitation, Wu Xiaode said, "Bestow upon him the power: Bright Ghost."

"Granted."

"In a near-death state, Xiao Baihong will enter the Death World and turn into a Bright Ghost."

"Your Shadow Follower has gained power, and in return, your Silent Demon Mist will gain a special ability:"

"Illusion."

"Description: Any target attacking you has a certain chance of falling into the illusionary realm created by the Demon Mist."

Having read through in a glance, Wu Xiaode couldn’t wait any longer and threw the card out directly.

Bang!

Xiao Baihong appeared in front of him.

"What just happened?" he asked, completely clueless.

"You don’t know?"

"I don’t."

"Listen up, now you need to be on the brink of death, and then you can go to the Death World."

"But why?"

"Go to the Death World and come back; then you will become a true Escapee—you will no longer be bound by this prison of sin and no longer belong to it!" Wu Xiaode said.

Seriously speaking, this was exactly the method of escape that Satan and the others had been dreaming of!

"What’s the benefit?" Xiao Baihong asked, bewildered.

Wu Xiaode grinned and said, "Weren’t you just worrying about not having time to get stronger?"

"Yeah," Xiao Baihong said.

Wu Xiaode, evidently in a good mood, patted him on the shoulder and said:

"—I’m going to smuggle you to the Ancient Era, where you can train for as long as you want."

He looked towards the Book of the Dead.

The Book of the Dead conveniently turned to page thirteen.

A skill prominently appeared on the page:

"Trans-Epoch Abduction."

"This is a cross-temporal Summoning Skill, but it requires the other party’s consent, and it cannot be any entity from the prison of sin."

"—A gift from a Divine Beast of Law."