: The Resurrected Corpse - Qiao Ye

The Demon King's Invitation

[Category: Dream Invitation]

[Quality: White, Standard]

[Description: An invitation sent by the Demon King, addressed to you.]

[Content: "Come see me one last time. —Little Painter"]

Indeed, as the Dream Maiden said, there were no specific requirements on this invitation.

Only Qiao Ye himself needs to go.

"By the way, how many days have I actually been in this dream?"

Qiao Ye asked, "There must be something wrong with my memory; I'm missing a piece of my memory."

"This is not a big problem."

The Dream Maiden said, "After you settle your dream, all the influences you received will be automatically cleared."

Does the dream process have a settlement?

This was the first time Qiao Ye had taken the initiative to settle accounts; previously, tasks were always completed automatically.

"Start settlement."

As soon as he finished speaking, system notifications began to appear—

[Settling rewards for the Dreamland side quest...]

[Unlock the extraordinary class: Demon.]

[Reward: Constitution +1, Spirit +1, Charisma +1.]

[Gain basic class perks: Demon King's Blessing (LV1), Battle-hardened Body (LV1), Malice Sense (LV1), Fear Aura (LV1).]

[Gain basic job skills: Whisper of the Heart (LV1), Demonic Incarnation (LV1), Pain Removal (LV1), Gates of Hell (LV1).]

[Special Reward: By confronting the Demon King who was not yet fully awakened, and by instinctively catching up with him even after time was warped, your initial affinity with the 'Demon' class has been greatly increased, and your Spirituality has increased by 1.]

[Serpent School Swordsmanship level upgraded to LV3 (352/5000)]

【"Demon Slayer!" level upgraded to LV3 (352/5000)】

[Special Bond Detected: A Fate Link Has Been Established with the 'Incompletely Awakened Demon King' - Initial Connection]

[Note: Thirty years from now, when the war is about to end, he will remember today, and he will remember you.]

In an instant, countless images flashed before Qiao Ye's eyes.

He remembered.

He recalled the little painter transforming into the Demon King before him, and his fierce battle with his retinue.

I also recalled the final scene of time distortion.

"So that's how it is."

After sorting through the information in his mind, Qiao Ye finally understood why the little painter reacted that way at the end.

He probably really imagined a lot.

Holding the invitation to the dream world, Qiao Ye fell into thought.

According to the Dream Servant, once used, he will enter the highest level of dream.

The level of danger is self-evident.

But the rewards will be much greater than those of ordinary dreams.

Worth a try!

"Can I use this invitation now?" Qiao Ye asked.

"cannot."

The Dream Maiden replied quickly, "Today's [Dream Master] talent has already been triggered, and we cannot open a new dream for you."

"You can only use the invitation the next time you enter the dream."

That works too.

Qiao Ye had already guessed this answer.

It's about time to get back to reality.

Before leaving the dream, Qiao Ye opened the character panel.

After several dreams, the panel has changed dramatically—

Character Status Panel

Name: Qiao Ye

Age: 17

[Talent: Lord of Dreams]

[Character Attributes:]

[Physical Fitness: 8 (You are a superhuman among ordinary people)]

Strength: 5 (Can basically win in an arm wrestling match)

Agility: 6 (Capable of performing various delicate movements)

[Spirit: 8 (You possess an iron will)]

[Charm: 5 (Strangers will look at you more often)]

[Spirituality: 3 (Still far from God, but not close to humanity either)]

[Extraordinary Professions: Witcher, Necromancer, Demon]

[Professional Skills: Darkvision (LV1), Toxin/Disease Resistance (LV1), Mysticism (LV2), Demon Hunter Knowledge (LV2), Second Sight (LV1), Affinity for the Dead (LV1), Corpse Whisperer (LV1), Demon Lord's Blessing (LV1), Battle-hardened Body (LV1), Malice Sense (LV1), Fear Aura (LV1)]

[Professional Skills: Serpent School Swordsmanship (LV3), Basic Alchemy (LV1), Prison Great Seal (LV2), Demon Hunter Slash! (LV3), Astral Projection (LV1), Spirit World Wandering (LV1), Corpse Manipulation (LV2), Heart-Slicing Whisper (LV1), Demon Transformation (LV1), Pain Removal (LV1), Gates of Hell (LV1)]

[General Skills: Occlumency (LV1), Huan Pizi's Demand for a Title (LV1), Talking to the Dead (LV2)]

Currently, Qiao Ye's highest-level skills are [Serpent School Swordsmanship] and [Demon Hunter Slash!]

Following closely behind are [Occult Knowledge], [Demon Hunting Knowledge], [Great Prison Seal], [Corpse Manipulation], and [Communication with the Dead].

I don't know if it will be enough.

With that thought in mind, Qiao Ye left the pure white space.

……

When I woke up, the night was already over.

The sky outside was still that blood-red color.

"You're awake? How did you sleep?"

Sienna jumped off the windowsill.

"It's so-so, at least she's in much better shape."

"We're going into Dracula's Castle today."

Sienna's eyes held a hint of barely perceptible worry.

That was, after all, an unknown territory, and no one knew what awaited them.

Qiao Ye didn't say anything.

He decided to broaden Sienna's horizons.

Looking down at his hands, Qiao Ye had a sudden thought.

Black mist surged from his palm.

It's very faint and thin.

【Demon Transformation (LV1)】

[Rank: E-level skill]

[Effect: Can be used by consuming a demon soul, permanently granting an object the corresponding 'Demonic Body' state, granting it the appearance, feats, and skills of the consumed soul.]

[Condition: LV1 transformation can only consume E-rank demon souls.]

[Note: Welcome to the top of the ecosystem. —Little Painter]

Consuming one soul is equivalent to permanently gaining a transformation form.

No matter how you look at it, it's not a loss.

Moreover, Qiao Ye doesn't lack E-level demon souls at all right now.

He has a total of 54.

Although they are all [resurrected corpses].

Choosing to consume one's soul caused the black mist to thicken instantly.

It spread from the palms to the arms, to the shoulders, to the whole body.

Qiao Ye's skin began to turn gray, his joints became stiff, his eye sockets sunken, and his pupils turned a cloudy white.

This unexpected turn of events left Sienna completely dumbfounded.

She suddenly jumped up, her hair standing on end.

"take it easy."

Qiao Ye spoke, his voice hoarse and sluggish.

"it's me."

Sienna stared at him for three seconds before her hair slowly slumped down.

"Qiao Ye?"

She still couldn't quite believe it. "How did you do that? How did you become like this?"

It's exactly the same as the resurrected zombie they dealt with last night!

"Of course, it's the Witcher's ability."

Qiao Ye looked down at his grayish-white hands, his nails were black and had some rotten edges.

Haven't you heard of it?

"To hunt demons, you must first become a demon."

Sienna paused for a moment.

She had never heard such a thing before.

Could it be that Qiao Ye made it up himself?

"So, are you... dead or alive now?"

"have no idea."

Qiao Ye grinned, a smile that looked particularly eerie on the resurrected corpse's face.

"Anyway, it can move."

He walked up to Sienna and suddenly raised his hand to press down on Sienna's head.

"Let me help you change too."

The black mist surged out again, spreading from Qiao Ye to Sienna.

Sienna instinctively wanted to dodge, but she held back.

She believed that Qiao Ye would not harm her.

After the fog dissipated, Sienna's form completely changed—

Its fur turned grayish-white, and its once glossy hair became dry, like a dead cat that had just been dug out of the ground.

The membrane of the dragon wings on its back had turned dark gray, with holes and a putrid smell.

The dragon horns haven't changed much, except that the color has darkened a bit.

"How do I look?" Sienna asked nervously.

"It's like I've been dead for three months."

Qiao Ye said.

"But coincidentally, in the eyes of the demon, we are just two harmless resurrected corpses."