Chapter 3: Breaking the Deadlock

Magical treasure, weapons, and equipment attribute enhancement: Not yet developed

Four disasters resistance: Not yet developed

(Between Heaven and Earth, there are thunder calamities, burning fires, Freezing Winters, and poison damages, four major disasters. Whenever a disaster accumulates, corresponding damage will be suffered.)

Li Ping'an quickly glanced at the description of Divine Skills:

Secluded Cave, in this state, one can see the length of human lifespans and the ghosts floating between Heaven and Earth.

In the same stage of Cultivation, one can see the other person's Cultivation and attributes. When Cultivated to a more profound level, one can even communicate with gods, ghosts, and immortals.

Expel Spirits, when employing Secluded Cave, mobilizes one's own notions of gods and Divine Sense, etc., thereby being able to contact or even control the ghosts drifting between Heaven and Earth. When Cultivated to a more profound level, one can even use one's own will to command gods and immortals.

Can Cultivation also take a shortcut?

But... this speed is too slow!

Li Ping'an carefully analyzed and found that the main reason for the slow increase in Cultivation by reading Taoist scriptures is the inability to comprehend these obscure texts clearly!

Comprehension is crucial for a cultivator!

Those who comprehend can quickly penetrate the principles of heaven and earth and the natural laws with the help of Taoist scriptures, thereby achieving Dao and Becoming Immortal.

But those who cannot comprehend will, throughout their lives, even if they cultivate until a hundred years old, end up just a handful of dust, a dream unfulfilled.

Knowing that further reading would only waste time without comprehension, although Li Ping'an's cultivation was just at the initial peeks of the doorway, he considered himself a cultivator who had stepped into the Taoist sect!

"Human-Headed Dog Demon, I'm coming for you!"

Li Ping'an, with a nervous heart, re-entered the game.

The scene of near-death appeared again, the Human-Headed Dog Demon's Buddhist Blade was about to chop at Li Ping'an's neck.

"Secluded Cave!"

Li Ping'an immediately used the Divine Skill: Secluded Cave, his eyes suddenly emitted a faint purple glow, and he instantly saw the Human-Headed Dog Demon's cultivation: first-tier demon cultivation, the same stage as his current cultivation.

He even saw six ghosts floating beside the Human-Headed Dog Demon, and his heart leaped, immediately thinking of a way to escape!

"Expel Spirits!"

Li Ping'an used the second Divine Skill: Expel Spirits. Relying on his strong will, he controlled five ghosts to attack the Human-Headed Dog Demon, one of them grabbing the Buddhist Blade being swung down at him.

"Huh?"

The befuddled Human-Headed Dog Demon's attack speed immediately slowed, as if something on its body was continuously squeezing it, releasing Li Ping'an to raise its hand to strike.

After escaping from the hands of the Human-Headed Dog Demon, Li Ping'an frantically ran towards the back door of the dilapidated temple, but after a few steps, he realized that the dark rear of the dilapidated temple was blocked by a huge boulder.

"Damn!"

Li Ping'an could only turn back and prepare to rush out of the main door, but the Human-Headed Dog Demon, though restrained by the ghosts controlled by Li Ping'an, was exactly blocking Li Ping'an's way out.

"What should I do now?"

Although Li Ping'an had gained a temporary chance to live under the protection of the two Divine Skills, he could see that the six ghosts could not cause real harm to the Human-Headed Dog Demon!

Watching the Human-Headed Dog Demon wildly swinging and chopping its Buddhist Blade in place, Li Ping'an was also momentarily at a loss, but fortunately, his survival time was continuously increasing.

"Why did it suddenly stop attacking you?"

A woman's questioning voice came from the cage where the Flying Sword had previously appeared.

"I don't know!"

Li Ping'an was unsure whether the woman in the cage was friend or foe, so he dared not reveal his bottom line.

Ao!

The Human-Headed Dog Demon, harassed by the six ghosts for a long time, suddenly went berserk, opening its huge mouth wide, and a swirling current appeared in the middle of its mouth as it violently sucked in.

"Dammit!"

Li Ping'an exclaimed!

Although the Human-Headed Dog Demon couldn't see ghosts, being a demon close to assuming human form, it had ingested all six spirits that were suppressing it.

Seeing the dire situation, Li Ping'an was about to make a run for it but could only back away. However, the speed of the Human-Headed Dog Demon was too fast, and before Li Ping'an could even lift his leg, the demon had instantly closed the five-meter gap between them.

The Human-Headed Dog Demon grabbed Li Ping'an's trembling shoulders with its left claw and raised the Buddhist Blade with its right, sneering arrogantly:

"Kid, I've been a demon for over a hundred years, the Demon King of Dog Head Peak; and here you are, trying to fool me with tricks suitable for children..."

"These Divine Skills are no use against the Human-Headed Dog Demon, I need to exchange for weapons, equipment!"

Li Ping'an used what little survival time he had left for one last gamble!

[The exchange mall is now open, please, Destined One, make your exchanges!]

Immediately after, a dizzying array of weapons and equipment appeared before him: weapons, storage gourds, crowns, armors, armguards, and leg armor.

The weapons and equipment were categorized by color indicating their quality: white for ordinary quality, green for good quality, blue for superior quality, purple for special quality, and gold for immortal quality.

Equipment and weapons of the same quality had set effects, and killing demons of various sizes would also result in the drop of different quality equipment.

The higher the quality of the weapons and equipment one wished to exchange for, the longer the survival time required.

Li Ping'an suddenly understood the full use of the Attribute Template.

But now, he only had enough survival time left to exchange for one storage gourd and three pieces of Hundred Plays series white ordinary quality equipment.

"Forget it, surviving is what matters most right now!"

Using the survival time he had saved last and just now, Li Ping'an exchanged for a storage gourd, Hundred Plays Wrist Guards (defense+15), Hundred Plays Breastplate (defense+30), and Hundred Plays Steel Rod (strength +45, critical hit rate +5%, comes with Hundred Plays Stick Technique)!

As soon as he acquired the three pieces of equipment, Li Ping'an's Attribute Template underwent another change:

Cultivation: Qi Gathering Realm 1%

Divine Skills: communicate with spirits, expel spirits

Spell: Hundred Plays Stick Technique (0/500)

Survival time left: 1 second (not enough to exchange for anything)

Strength: 50, Mana: 0, Defense: 50, Charm: 5, Luck: 5

Critical hit rate: 5%, critical hit combo: 0%, damage bonus: 0%, damage reduction: 0%

Four disasters resistance:

Cold Immunity: 0%, Fire Immunity: 0%, Poison Immunity: 0%, Lightning Immunity: 0%

All this happened in a fraction of a millisecond, and in the hands of the Human-Headed Dog Demon, Li Ping'an felt as fragile as a raw egg, ready to crack at the slightest pressure.

It didn't want to destroy him too quickly, strongly restraining itself, mastering the critical point before bursting its prey.

It wanted to savor to the maximum the fear and desperation of a dying mortal, thus avenging the insult of being fooled and played.

Finally, as it prepared for the climactic moment of slaughter, the body of the Human-Headed Dog Demon trembled wildly due to excitement:

"Mortal, I will use your flesh to heal my wounds!"

The force of the dog's claw showed a momentary relaxation, a prelude to a stronger grip.

The furiously angry Human-Headed Dog Demon was about to crush Li Ping'an's shoulders and chop off his head when, in the next second, it noticed new weapons and equipment on Li Ping'an's body!

The Human-Headed Dog Demon gripped the Hundred Plays Arm Guard protecting Li Ping'an, feeling like it had grabbed a rock instead of the previous sensation of squeezing an egg, and no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't crush the arm guard!