Chapter Forty-Five: The Mysterious Giant Pumpkin Head

After swallowing Wang Hui, the giant pumpkin shook its head in satisfaction. Yet before it could bask in triumph, its expression twisted with discomfort, and in the next instant, it spat Wang Hui out.

“What’s going on? Why do you possess such terrifying curse power? What have you been through?”

Wang Hui tumbled to the ground, still dazed. He’d just made peace with the idea of becoming an uncanny creature, only for things to take this turn.

“Curse power? Could it be the mark that doll put on me?” The realization dawned on Wang Hui at once.

He hadn’t expected the doll to be so powerful—a force even this giant pumpkin feared. The thought sent chills through him. If he didn’t become an uncanny creature, it was certain death.

“Hurry up and tell me! How did you acquire this curse?” The massive pumpkin head floated before him, its hollow eyes fixed on him, and inside them, the Taoist Master Qingyang lay unconscious.

“I... I don’t know!” He couldn’t say. The instinct came from the mark itself—no matter what, he wouldn’t reveal Feng Tianlin’s involvement, not even on pain of death. Feng Tianlin had ordered this silence.

“So you won’t talk? I’ll show you the true meaning of pain!” The pumpkin head’s words barely faded when the uncanny beings behind it surged forward with twisted grins, swarming over him and attacking mercilessly.

He wanted to fight back, but an invisible force pinned him down. His C-rank strength was useless here; even D-rank would be a struggle.

The uncanny creatures didn’t kill him outright. Instead, they tormented him relentlessly, wringing every drop of pain from his suffering.

“I... I want to tell you, but I can’t!” Wang Hui was on the verge of tears. Suddenly, dying seemed better than enduring this torture.

The pumpkin head sensed he wasn’t pretending. Something capable of placing such a curse must be extraordinary, and it made sense that he couldn’t talk about it. Growing impatient, the pumpkin spoke up.

“That’s enough. Your master’s about done. Let him finish you off himself.”

At its command, the uncanny creatures parted, and a withered figure burst from the pumpkin head—a monstrous version of Taoist Master Qingyang.

“Master... you...” Wang Hui gazed at the man once his mentor, now shrouded in the aura of the uncanny, and words failed him.

But the figure before him was no longer his master, but a creature of pure monstrosity.

The uncanny form of Taoist Master Qingyang showed no hesitation. Reaching out, he struck Wang Hui, his hand plunging deep into Wang Hui’s abdomen. There was no emotion on his face—only a trace of bloodlust.

“Don’t kill him too quickly. Let him savor the might of an uncanny being,” ordered the pumpkin head.

It seemed Qingyang was following orders, for he began to rake his claws slowly across Wang Hui’s skin, prolonging his agony.

Wang Hui’s body was covered in wounds, but the pain in his heart was greater—the master who had cherished him, who had always called him a genius, now reduced to this...

His eyelids grew heavy; blood loss was dragging him toward unconsciousness. Yet just then, the nightmare mark in his mind stirred.

The doll—it’s that doll! He’s nearby!

He could sense it.

At the same time, the pumpkin head sensed something was amiss. “How did an uncanny creature get in here?”

He could feel several uncanny beings breaking in, though none high-level. To enter this place, one had to leave their essence behind—could such low-level creatures understand that?

Indeed, entry to this demonic domain wasn’t about inscribing another’s name, but about leaving your own essence on this tree at a certain time. The students sucked in from Second High were those who tried to inscribe others’ names—a form of poetic justice.

Before he could ponder further, a boisterous voice rang out: “Ha! Who knew there was such a marvelous place in the world? This is amazing!”

The voice belonged to a doll—a fearsome one—accompanied by a little girl, a teddy bear, and a ghostly woman. It was none other than Feng Tianlin’s group.

Feng Tianlin had planned only to rescue his human servant from a B-rank uncanny, but upon entering this space, he found his own power greatly enhanced—enough to utterly overwhelm the B-rank creature.

Feng Tianlin’s fighting style relied on skills, but his weakness had always been low energy reserves. Here, the environment amplified his powers, meaning his growth dwarfed everyone else’s.

“What’s this? A D-rank uncanny who can speak so fluently? How is that possible?” The pumpkin head stared at Feng Tianlin, curiosity burning in its gaze.

Feng Tianlin ignored him, teleporting to Wang Hui’s side. With a casual slap, he sent Qingyang flying, then helped Wang Hui up and faced the pumpkin head.

“You’ve got guts, pumpkin. Daring to lay a hand on my people?”

The pumpkin head was baffled. “You’re an uncanny being, yet you help a human? Wait—you’re the one who cursed him!”

Feng Tianlin didn’t answer, only glared at him. “You touched my people. There must be an accounting today.”

The pumpkin head sneered. “And what do you want?”

“To annihilate you.” Feng Tianlin’s tone was calm, but deadly.

The pumpkin head snorted in contempt. “A D-rank uncanny? If you can defeat me—if you can destroy the Pumpkin Giant—I’ll devour this uncanny domain on the spot!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Feng Tianlin vanished from below, a chilling presence suddenly at the pumpkin’s side. The pumpkin head tried to defend itself, but it was already too late.

“Frozen Frost!”

A fierce cold enveloped the pumpkin head, freezing it completely, even its aura. Deprived of power, it crashed to the ground, shattering to pieces.

The surrounding uncanny creatures went berserk, eyes blood-red as they attacked Long Mengting’s group. But they were no easy prey—a furious melee erupted.

Explosions rocked the field, blowing uncanny creatures to bits; massive arms smashed others flat; six new vengeful spirits appeared, hurling black mist at the monsters until none remained.

Feng Tianlin noticed that the uncanny creature he’d knocked away before had crawled back to Wang Hui’s side, poised to finish him off.

In an instant, Feng Tianlin teleported over, kicking the monster away again, prepared to deliver the final blow—when Wang Hui stopped him.

“Wait! Don’t kill him. I want to do it myself.”

Feng Tianlin turned, surprised. What’s wrong with my human servant? Does he really have to kill this uncanny himself?

Thankfully, Wang Hui explained in time: “That giant pumpkin can turn living people into uncanny creatures. This one—he’s my master. I want to end it myself.”

Feng Tianlin understood. No wonder all the uncanny creatures here were humanoid. Now it all made sense.