271: Chapter 270 My talent is [Heavenly Secrets]...

"The footsteps are overlapping, and something is following me?"

"Should I ignore it and keep moving, or turn back and kill it... regardless of which choice I make, I might trigger a death rule. In that case..."

In a flash of thought, Chu Xuan didn't look back. Controlling the Slashes within his body, he instantly released thirty of them.

They weren't just aimed behind him; they erupted outward in all directions with himself as the center.

Accompanied by a clear, ringing sound, the Black Flame covered the sharp beams as they shot out in every direction, followed by a series of booms.

First, the stair railing beside him was reduced to fragments and dust.

Next was the wall at his side. After part of the wallpaper was sliced through by the sharp beams, flesh covered in wounds was revealed underneath.

Even the step Chu Xuan was standing on was the same, turning into fleshy tissue that pulsed as if it were alive.

Accompanied by shrill screams, the Black Flame blazed in all directions, instantly incinerating the flesh and leaving behind only a mottled wall.

[Your spirituality value +225]

The System reward appeared, but the screaming behind him continued. Chu Xuan whipped his head around and saw a blood-colored figure, looking as if it had been fished out of a pool of blood, rapidly melting into the floor below.

This blood-colored figure had no facial features. The steps beneath its feet had turned into flesh. By the time Chu Xuan turned around, more than half of its body had already merged into the floor, as if it were trying to escape.

"Slash!"

Chu Xuan suddenly pointed forward. He didn't use the Slashes stored in his body with 10 spirituality value each; instead, he directly consumed 30 spirituality value to condense a new Slash.

This was the strongest Slash he could release now that All-Cutting Slash had reached Rank 3. Upon its instant appearance, it condensed into an almost visible physical form, a full meter in length.

Chu Xuan was no longer stingy with the layer of Black Flame covering it either, deducting 5 spirituality value for it.

As soon as this Slash appeared, it closed in on the blood shadow at a speed far exceeding the previous ones, cleaving it and the fleshy steps beneath it in half.

As flesh splattered everywhere, engulfed in Black Flame, Chu Xuan received a System notification.

[You have slain the Strange Stairwell. 1,800 points of spiritual essence remain in this body's flesh; 600 points have been fed back to you.]

[Current spirituality value: 1345]

"Strange Stairwell?"

Chu Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Logically, the Slashes he had released earlier should have been enough to reduce this passage to ruins.

Yet now, as the fleshy tissues were burned away by the Fire of Nirvana, only a few light Slash marks remained on the concrete layer beneath the mottled wallpaper.

"The main structure can't be destroyed..."

Chu Xuan took a deep breath. Though he had gained much this time, it made him even more cautious.

According to the spirituality value feedback, this Strange Stairwell was roughly equivalent to a top-tier B-rank Ghost. Based on previous experience, if he had violated a death rule, his health points would likely have been emptied instantly.

If even a stairwell could turn into a Strange Creatures, then what kind of terrifying existence was the source of this inpatient department?

—System, max out my stamina.

Having made a net profit of over 1,000 spirituality value, Chu Xuan immediately exchanged them for 27 attribute points, raising his stamina to 117 and thereby increasing his maximum health points by 30.

[Current health points: 690]

Without rushing to move, Chu Xuan spent 310 of his remaining 1,075 spirituality value to replenish the Slashes in his body to 50.

Releasing Slashes over a wide area consumed more spirituality value, but it was highly practical and effective. No matter where the enemy was, an indiscriminate attack had a very high hit rate.

Chu Xuan continued downstairs. When there was only one step left, he paused again.

In front of him, there seemed to be a thin film, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, blocking his path.

With a thought, Chu Xuan didn't act rashly. Instead, he sent out a Slash wrapped in the Fire of Nirvana to probe ahead.

The Slash penetrated the film without resistance. The film vanished instantly like ordinary soapy water. The wall behind it was also struck, causing a layer of wallpaper to fall and leaving a clearly visible mark.

[Your spirituality value +30]

At the same time, as if a barrier had disappeared, the sounds Chu Xuan could hear increased. What caught his attention most was that someone seemed to be calling his name.

"Chu Xuan!"

"Chu Xuan!"

"..."

It wasn't just one person's voice; it sounded like many people shouting in unison. However, it wasn't in this stairwell, but in another one on the eighth floor.

When he had passed the fire safety diagram on the ninth floor, Chu Xuan had given it a brief glance.

The inpatient department of this private hospital called "Saint Liana" had 28 floors in total, and the two fire exits were about 20 meters apart.

Amidst the shouting, there were also hurried and chaotic footsteps, rapidly approaching.

Clang!

The fire door was pushed open.

Two men of average build stood outside, each holding a blood-stained iron rod, shouting loudly into the stairwell: "Chu..."

The words stopped abruptly as their faces filled with terror, both staring at Chu Xuan standing near the doorway.

In their eyes, the current Chu Xuan was dressed in rags, covered in blood, with multiple unhealed, hideous wounds that looked like he'd been subjected to the death of a thousand cuts.

Especially the demon-subduing pestle he held tightly in his hand, which was emitting pulses of dark, gloomy light.

To these two, Chu Xuan's current appearance was no different from a malevolent ghost.

[Your spirituality value -1]

[Name: Li Tengfei]

Type: Human

Rank: 1

health points: 54/60

stamina: 6

Strength: 6

agility: 5

spirit: 5

spirituality value: 3

Comprehensive Strength Assessment: D-]

Chu Xuan activated his Eye of Insight, instantly seeing through one person's background and confirming there was nothing abnormal. Then he looked at the other and found him to be human as well.

The moment these two saw Chu Xuan, they were first startled, then stood frozen, staring fixedly at him.

They appeared calm on the surface, but their trembling legs and fearful eyes betrayed the panic in their hearts.

As if held back by misgivings, they didn't dare to move at all.

"Are you looking for me?"

The silence didn't last long before it was broken by Chu Xuan's calm voice. The two were stunned for a moment, then their faces filled with wild joy.

"You are Chu Xuan?"

"Are you really Chu Xuan?"

Their eyes instantly turned red, and tears of excitement flowed down.

"We finally found you!"

They both turned back toward the corridor and shouted, "We found Chu Xuan! Everyone, come over here!"

Another series of footsteps rang out, and then Chu Xuan saw a total of over ten people running over quickly. There were men, women, young and old, but the one leading them at the front was actually a boy who looked only eleven or twelve years old.

The boy was covered in blood, tightly clutching a blood-stained scalpel. There were wounds on his face and body that looked like they had been torn by sharp claws, and his clear eyes held a hint of coldness.

Beside this boy, Chu Xuan also saw a middle-aged man holding a long saber and wearing the standard trench coat of the Night Watchers.

"Are you really Chu Xuan?"

The middle-aged man stared at Chu Xuan warily and asked, "Do you have any way to prove you're Chu Xuan? Or, do you have any way to prove you're still human?"

"Uncle Xiao, there's no need for proof. He is Chu Xuan!"

The boy ran quickly to Chu Xuan, his expression incredibly excited. "Chu Xuan, my name is Lin Jie. You might be a bit confused right now, but I don't have time to explain much. I know the way out, but I must have your help!"

Chu Xuan's brow twitched slightly.

"There are only ten minutes left! If we don't get out within ten minutes, we'll likely all die here."

Lin Jie said excitedly, "Please, you must believe me. My Talent is [Heavenly Secrets]. I can sense things related to me in the dark, especially matters of life and death. I can receive guidance from them and see some blurred images..."