C6 Kill the Headless Paladin

The sky was a blanket of gray, visibility reduced to less than 50 meters. It had been three days since Ye Kong encountered another soul. In the vast expanse of the Northern Kingdom, one couldn't help but feel the sting of solitude.

Suddenly, he spotted movement ahead and approached with excitement. But just then, two dark figures were swiftly on his tail. "You've got to be kidding me! What rotten luck," he muttered.

Ye Kong's eyes widened in horror as he realized the two weeping figures at the city wall's base had become ghouls. Preferring not to tangle with the undead, he transformed into a flurry of snowflakes.

The ghouls closed in, sniffing around, but detected no anomalies. They then turned their pursuit towards the crowd ahead.

A diminutive figure within the crowd perked up his ears, glancing back. "Huh, Brother Wang, Brother Lee, you made it," he called out, oblivious to the fact that they had fled at the first sign of the Darkling Spectre and were clueless about the aftermath.

Hearing the voice, the ghouls halted, their deep blue eyes glowing with a sinister green hue. "Damn it, run!" bellowed a burly man with black hair, bolting into action.

The realization hit the smaller man like a ton of bricks. These weren't Brother Wang and Brother Lee; they were ghouls, the formidable warriors of the Darkling Spectre's army.

Soong Xueming's legs shook uncontrollably as the ghouls bore down on him. In a frenzy, he cried out, "Help, somebody save me!" But everyone else was too preoccupied with their own escape to heed his plea.

The ghouls overtook him, baring their vicious fangs. In a wild panic, Soong Xueming grabbed his short knife and stabbed wildly. The blade punctured the ghoul's flesh, and blue blood trickled down its edge.

As the ghoul's eyes lost their eerie glow, its body disintegrated into ash. Soong Xueming, clutching the knife, wiped the sweat from his brow. Overcome with relief, he exclaimed, "Stop running, everyone! I've vanquished the ghoul!"

At the sound of his voice, the scattered crowd paused, then cautiously drew near. Where the ghoul once stood, only a dark smudge of powder remained on the ground.

Upon witnessing the scene, the burly Han let loose a string of curses, "Damn, ghouls are that weak? Gave me quite the scare."

He then strode over to Soong Xueming and demanded, "Let me see your short knife."

Without hesitation, Soong Xueming passed it to him.

"I just went at them like this, one knife per ghoul, and took them all down," he boasted with a rush of excitement.

"Hmm, not bad at all," the big man remarked, securing the short knife at his waist.

Soong Xueming protested, "Hey, that's my knife."

"I know. We'll trade," the big man said, dismissing any need for agreement as he tossed his own knife to Soong Xueming.

He couldn't help but feel smug about the swap.

Rumors had it that the quality of such knives was questionable, and their effectiveness against Darkling Spectres was uncertain.

But Soong Xueming's knife was battle-tested, quality assured.

Ye Kong watched the exchange silently, thinking to himself, "This fool's heading for trouble."

He chose not to reveal himself just yet, opting to stay hidden.

The Divine Script, the Illusory, truly was invaluable, rendering him unbeatable among his peers.

Not even a Martial Cultivator at their peak could penetrate his illusion.

"Eh, isn't that our captain? How did he turn into a Headless Knight?"

The big man eyed the newly arrived Headless Knight without a hint of panic.

If Soong Xueming could handle two ghouls, a single Headless Knight wouldn't be a problem for him.

With a commanding wave of his arm, he declared, "Stand back, I've got this. He was full of hot air in life, let's see him learn his lesson in death."

In this group, the big man's strength was second only to the captain's before his demise.

His word was law, and no one dared object.

Puffed up with pride, he thought, "Once I slay the Headless Knight, the captaincy is mine. Anyone who defies me will get what's coming to them."

Knife in hand, he executed his movement technique and in the blink of an eye, positioned himself behind the Headless Knight.

One, two, three...

After a flurry of seven or eight stabs, he exclaimed with excitement, "Let's see if you're still so full of yourself. You're nothing but a weakling."

He began to doubt.

Could it all be just rumors? Maybe the Northern Kingdom wasn't as perilous as they said!

Soong Xueming gazed at the Headless Knight's corpse, which hadn't vanished.

Feeling uneasy, he cautioned, "Be careful, he might not be dead yet."

"Not dead? Impossible, I've already stabbed his heart..."

Before he could finish, a Crystal Longsword materialized in the Headless Knight's hands.

With a swift thrust, it pierced straight through the center of his forehead.

The large man fell, lifeless.

"Ah!" Another agonized scream echoed.

The Headless Knight had torn another victim to shreds.

Panic set in among the group.

Ye Kong, hidden in the shadows, couldn't stand idly by any longer.

He emerged, brandishing a short knife.

"Listen up," he declared, "our weapons can slay Darkling Spectres, and ghouls are even less of a challenge. But due to the scarcity of Darklight Powder, each knife only has five uses."

He charged at the Headless Knight as he spoke.

His blade met the Knight's Crystal Longsword in a clash, the icy force encasing his hand in frost.

"He's powerful. Everyone, attack together!" Ye Kong rallied the group.

But to his dismay, he saw that the others merely encircled the foe, hesitant to engage.

"What's the matter? Are you just going to stand there and watch?"

"Ye, you've been keeping your skills a secret!"

"You're a Martial Cultivator? Since when did you advance to the Middle Period?"

"Exactly. If you've got a strategy for these ghouls, then step up and show us what you've got. Give us a lesson."

Ye Kong was at a loss for words. His kindness was misplaced; these people didn't deserve his aid.

Realizing he couldn't rely on them, Ye Kong was forced to dig deep and draw upon every skill he possessed.

The fight with the Headless Knight was fierce.

In life, the Knight was a Fighter, and in death, bolstered by the Crystal Longsword, he had lost little of his strength.

Ye Kong used the Divine Script, the Illusory, to create distractions, managing to just hold his ground.

As the battle raged on in a tense stalemate, another pitiful scream resounded from behind.

The two individuals recently slain by the knight had transformed into ghouls.

They erupted with violence, annihilating the pair.

The Headless Knight unleashed his formidable power, delivering a mighty slash.

Ye Kong's knife was knocked from his grasp, and he was sent flying.

A man in the crowd's eyes sparkled with opportunity. He dashed forward and snatched the short knife from the ground.

"Hey, that's my knife!" Ye Kong yelled.

"No, it's mine now."

The man grabbed the knife and fled.

However, the Headless Knight didn't pursue Ye Kong.

Instead, he turned and chased after the thief.

A scream soon echoed through the air.

Freed from Ye Kong's interference, the Headless Knight rampaged unchecked, his slaughter uncontained.

More horrifying still was that those who fell to his Crystal Longsword quickly rose as ghouls, joining his ranks.

The conflict escalated in brutality.

Ye Kong attempted various transformations, but the Headless Knight anticipated his every move.

As the death toll rose, Ye Kong's urgency grew.

He knew he must defeat the Headless Knight quickly; otherwise, the ghoul army would swell beyond control.

Eventually, no one would survive.

He morphed into a silent, watchful snowflake, biding his time.

He prepared for a decisive, lethal strike.

Soon, his chance arrived.

The Crystal Longsword impaled someone's left shoulder.

The victim clutched the blade desperately.

The Headless Knight struggled to free his sword, but to no avail.

This was the moment Ye Kong had been waiting for.

He reverted to his true form and lunged with his knife.

The knight reacted, grabbing the knife with his left hand.

Ye Kong had anticipated this.

With lightning-fast reflexes, he gripped the short knife and drove it through the Headless Knight's heart from behind.