Chapter 0566: Sugar Coated Hawthorns
The area they were in was completely unperturbed by the intense battle just a street away. People were still hustling and bustling.
Li Luo, Lu Ming, Sun Dasheng, and Zhu Xuan hurriedly rushed forward.
Behind them, berserk resonant energy continued to buffet the structures in the area they had left behind, but the illusionary people continued to strut around amongst themselves as though nothing had happened. They continued to chatter in excitement and seemed completely at peace.
However, this odd juxtaposition of things only kept Li Luo and his squad on their toes.
Still, there was nothing they could do about it. The anchor point was their objective, and that was their priority.
Once they arrived, they could quickly set up the cleansing dew, which would help purify the area. Although the purification process would not be complete, it would still cover the street they were on and reduce the danger they were in.
“Russet Rock City is truly a land of danger. We had so many people in the beginning, but all that’s left are four.” Lu Ming frowned. At this moment, a large Other appeared before them, causing her to pause.
Their numbers allowed them to complement and reinforce each other, which gave them the minimum ability needed to traverse these streets.
“The strongest Others are being distracted by the squad leaders. So we should be safe, right?” Zhu Xuan whimpered.
Sun Dasheng waved his steel staff excitedly as his gaze filled with a rising urge to battle. “Perfect! Can’t wait for them to pop up so I have a reason to smash them into pulp!”
Li Luo’s mouth twitched upon hearing this. Sun Dasheng was just like Qin Zhulu. The only thing on his mind was battle. Were all beast resonance users just like beasts? A slight shudder went down his back when he remembered that his third resonance would likely be a dragon resonance… Would he turn into a degenerate beast as well? Hopefully, he wouldn’t turn into a complete meathead.
Ah… that would truly be a problem. Suddenly, he snapped out of his daze and his expression froze at the sight before him.
“Selling sugar-coated hawthorns! Tasty and sweet, a delectable treat!” A shrill voice cried out from within the cacophony of noise. So many things were happening, yet this specific cry seemed to permeate into Li Luo’s very bones, as though someone was whispering into his ear.
Glancing around, he also noticed that the other three seemed equally spooked by what they had heard.
“We need to be more cautious,” Li Luo reminded them.
They continued to move onwards without hesitation, but the hawking did not stop no matter how far they traveled. A couple minutes later, the crowd in front of them suddenly began to separate, and a stooped figure holding a stick of hawthorns appeared before the four.
Upon closer inspection, it was a pale-looking granny with a mouth full of black teeth… and she was looking right at them. “Sugar-coated hawthorns, sugar-coated hawthorns! Tasty and sweet, it’s my delectable treeeeeat!”
The four did not hesitate to muster up resonant power, planning to directly dispose of this nuisance in one go.
At the cusp of launching their attack, the voice of the granny once again repeating her sales pitch caused the four to lose focus. Eventually, even their resonant power dissipated.
In a daze, the four were enticed by the sugar-coated hawthorns in the granny’s hand. The allure of the hawthorns was too much, and the group nodded in tandem.
The granny grinned, separating a skewer of hawthorns for each one of them.
Li Luo tentatively reached over to pick up one of the treats. His expression was strange, as though he was struggling internally. Deep down, his heart had this overbearing craving for the sugar-coated hawthorns before him. He really wanted to taste the delectable sweetness brought by this delicious snack.
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Yet at the same time, a tiny voice within him started to scream at him, giving birth to a tiny hint of resistance towards this temptation.
As his internal psyche continued to resist, the hawthorns had quietly moved into his mouth.
Right at the moment he was to bite down on the snack, a cold wisp of breath entered his body from his wrist, instantly sobering him up.
The source was the light jewel Jiang Qing’e had very luckily passed to him after the situation at Thunderpeal Mountain.
Unfortunately the jewel shattered immediately after that, transmitting a strand of light resonant energy that allowed him to regain a sense of clarity.
Awakening from his stupor, Li Luo stared at the sugar-coated hawthorn in his hand, and what he saw made his pupils shrink.
How was this a tasty treat? He could finally see it for what it was: a skewer of shriveled eyeballs! In fact, they were covered in a black liquid that excreted a horrifying stench. Li Luo’s hand trembled as he hastily disposed of the “snack.”
Taking stock of his situation, he hurriedly turned towards Lu Ming and the rest, and a look of panic filled his face. They all held vacant gazes and were all on the cusp of eating the nightmarish nibble…
“Wake up!” Li Luo yelled, resonant power infused into his thunderous cry and traveled straight into his friends’ ears. With the aid of resonant power, the rest were jolted awake, and they quickly came to their senses. In similar fashion, they essentially jumped in fright upon seeing the sugar-coated hawthorns for what they really were…
The shriveled eyeballs seemed to be staring into their souls, attempting to influence them with their grievances and resentment.
In fact, the very first eyeball on each stick was just about to be stuffed into their respective mouths!
“Ugh!”
Lu Ming’s expression turned a pasty white as she screamed, quickly flinging the skewer away. This close shave had thoroughly frightened and infuriated her, causing her to retch and feel grossed out.
“Damn it! This is the GROSSEST THING EVER.” Sun Dasheng exclaimed as he stomped down on the skewer he had thrown onto the ground.
His killing intent surged into the skies as he channeled his wild resonant power into his steel staff. Following which, he smashed it with all his might so fast that even a sonic boom could be heard, right at the old granny’s chest!
Bang!
The opponent attempted to retreat, but the staff was too quick, slamming heavily into her. But the strange thing was that the creepy smile on her face could not be concealed.
“Is my snack delicious?” she cried out once again with her toothy, black smile.
Li Luo, Lu Ming, and Sun Dasheng had expressions full of gloom upon hearing those words again. They quickly circulated resonant power throughout their bodies, protecting themselves against any external influences.
Crack!
At this point, they suddenly heard a subtle chewing sound coming from behind them. Quickly reacting to the source, they turned around.
The scene they saw left them dumbfounded.
Just several meters away, Zhu Xuan was calmly stuffing his face with the “hawthorns” with a vacuous look on his face. A trail of black juice leaked out from the side of his mouth as he enjoyed himself…
