Weird Survival: I can devour thousands of talents

Chapter 225 224: Don’t order!
Ling Xiao stood on the edge of an ancient city.

As night falls, moonlight sprinkles on the winding streets like water.

He is a young explorer with sharp eyes and a brave heart.

His goal is to explore the unknown and find the secrets hidden in the corners of the world.

A few days ago, he received a mysterious letter with his name written in an ancient font on the envelope.

The letter contained only one sentence: "If you crave adventure, Nightmare on Elm Street is waiting for you."

Ling Xiao's desire to explore the unknown has never been extinguished, and this letter is like a spark that ignites the fire in his heart.

He passed through the hustle and bustle of the city and came to a forgotten street, deserted and filled with the occasional hooting of owls and the rustling of leaves.

At the end of the street, an ancient iron gate stood half-closed, covered in strange runes. Ling Xiao took a deep breath, pushed open the iron gate, and stepped into Nightmare on Elm Street.

As soon as he stepped onto Nightmare on Elm Street, Ling Xiao felt a chilling chill sweep over him. The streetlights on both sides of the street flickered with an eerie, dim light, as if telling endless secrets.

He looked around warily, the Red Flame Sword in his hand glowing red, ready to respond to any danger that might arise. Suddenly, the muffled sound of horse hooves echoed in the silent night sky.

Ling Xiao turned and saw an ancient carriage slowly approaching. The wheels creaked on the cobblestones, each sound pounding his nerves. The driver's silhouette was blurry, only his dark green eyes flickered in the darkness.

He said in a hoarse and low voice, "Sir, where are you going?" Ling Xiao looked at him warily, he knew that this was no ordinary coachman.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, the coachman suddenly showed a ferocious smile. His originally blurry body became solid, and the whip in his hand turned into a poisonous snake, attacking Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao quickly drew the Red Flame Sword from his waist. The sword emitted a blazing light and collided with the coachman's poisonous snake whip, making a "sizzling" sound.

While resisting, he looked for opportunities to counterattack.

The coachman's poisonous snake whip was as flexible as a living thing, constantly changing direction, trying to find Ling Xiao's weakness.

Ling Xiao's swordsmanship was agile and swift. He used the high temperature of the Red Flame Sword to repel every attack of the Poisonous Snake Whip.

He noticed that the coachman's eyes were flashing with an evil light, and he seemed to be controlling the poisonous whip.

So, he decided to attack the coachman's eyes first. After Ling Xiao skillfully deflected a venomous snake whip attack, he suddenly leaped high, and the Red Flame Sword drew a flaming arc, pointing directly at the coachman's eyes.

The coachman let out a shrill scream, and the venomous whip instantly lost control, dissipating into a cloud of black mist. The coachman's body also began to disintegrate, eventually turning into nothingness.

From his black mist floated out an ancient copper coin, engraved with mysterious runes.

Ling Xiao picked up the copper coin and was secretly happy. This might be the first reward.

He put the copper coin in his arms and continued walking along Nightmare on Elm Street.

The streets seemed to become increasingly gloomy, and with every step I took, I could feel an invisible pressure.

Ling Xiao continued to move forward, and the houses on both sides of the street gradually became dilapidated, as if they had been forgotten by time.

He came to an abandoned courtyard overgrown with weeds and a dry well in the middle.

Suddenly, a low roar echoed from the depths of the courtyard, instantly tightening Ling Xiao's nerves. He gripped the Scarlet Flame Sword tightly and slowly walked towards the source of the sound.

In the corner of the courtyard, a giant dream-eating tapir emerged from the shadows, its body huge and bloated, its mouth gaping and its teeth sharp as knives.

The eyes of the dream-eating tapir are like burning charcoal, emitting an evil aura.

The dream-eating tapir opened its bloody mouth and pounced towards Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao quickly leaped back, chanting a spell to summon his guardian spirit - a golden phoenix.

The phoenix flapped its wings and flew high, emitting blazing flames to attack the dream-eating tapir.

The Dream-Eating Tapir was struck by the flames and howled in pain, but it quickly recovered and grew even larger. Its skin became as hard as iron, and the flames seemed unable to cause much damage to it.

Ling Xiao realized that he had to find the Dream-Eating Tapir's weakness. He carefully observed the Dream-Eating Tapir's movements and found that every time it attacked, its abdomen would reveal a slight flaw.

Ling Xiao's heart moved, perhaps that was its weak point.

He ordered the Phoenix to continue to restrain the Dream-Eating Tapir, while he took the opportunity to rush towards its abdomen. The Dream-Eating Tapir seemed to sense Ling Xiao's intentions, and it let out a deafening roar and suddenly pounced towards Ling Xiao.

At the critical moment, Ling Xiao used the high temperature of the Red Flame Sword to instantly transform into a flaming meteor, passing through the belly of the dream-eating tapir.

The dream-eating tapir let out a shrill scream, and its body began to disintegrate and turn into nothingness.

Where it dissipated, an ancient mirror appeared in the courtyard, with the words "Guardian of Dreams" engraved on the mirror.

Ling Xiao reached out and touched the mirror, which emitted a soft light that enveloped him. He felt a powerful force surge into his body. This was the power of the Dream-Eating Tapir, which he successfully absorbed.

His body became lighter, as if he had the power to control his dreams. He took the mirror into his arms and continued walking along Nightmare on Elm Street. He knew that this was just the beginning and more challenges were waiting for him.

Ling Xiao passed through a desolate ruin and arrived at the middle of Nightmare on Elm Street. The buildings here were even more dilapidated, as if they would collapse at any time.

He walked forward cautiously, when suddenly, a strange laugh rang in his ears. He looked around, but saw nothing. The laughter was getting closer and closer, as if it was right behind him.

Ling Xiao turned around, only to see an empty street. He realized this might be an attack by some invisible creature. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed past him, and Ling Xiao felt a chill.

He reacted quickly, and the Red Flame Sword drew a flaming arc, slashing towards the black shadow. However, the black shadow disappeared in an instant, as if it had never existed.

Ling Xiao knew he had encountered a shadow demon, a type of monster capable of becoming invisible and skilled in sneak attacks and assassinations.

He had to be careful, otherwise he could die at any moment. He took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and tried to perceive everything around him.

Although the shadow demon was invisible, its presence still lingered. Ling Xiao used the perception of the guardian phoenix to lock onto the shadow demon's location. The shadow demon attacked again, this time aiming for Ling Xiao's back.

However, Ling Xiao was already prepared. He turned abruptly, and with the Red Flame Sword, blazing with flames, he fiercely slashed at the Shadow Demon. The Shadow Demon let out a scream as the flames struck its body, instantly revealing its true form.

Ling Xiao took the opportunity to launch an attack, and the Red Flame Sword pierced into the shadow demon's body like a flash of lightning.

The shadow demon's body began to disintegrate, dissolving into nothingness. From within, an ancient talisman floated out, inscribed with the words "invisibility." Ling Xiao picked it up, secretly delighted. Perhaps this was the shadow demon's power, allowing him to be more agile in battle.

He put the talisman into his arms and continued walking along Nightmare on Elm Street. The street seemed to become more gloomy, and with every step he took, he could feel an invisible pressure.

Ling Xiao passed through a desolate ruin and came to the middle of Nightmare on Elm Street.

Ling Xiao continued walking along Ghost Street. The houses on both sides of the street became increasingly dilapidated, as if they would collapse at any moment. He walked cautiously, the Red Flame Sword in his hand emitting a faint light, illuminating the road ahead.

Suddenly, he stopped and saw a huge bronze mirror on the street ahead. The surface of the mirror emitted a strange light.

"Welcome to the Mirror Realm, brave one."

A cold voice came from the mirror, with a familiar yet unfamiliar rhythm in the voice, as if it came from another self.

Ling Xiao looked at the mirror warily. His reflection was clearly visible in the mirror, but it was not an ordinary reflection.

The Ling Xiao in the mirror looked exactly like him, even his eyes were the same, except that there was a cold light flashing in the eyes of the Ling Xiao in the mirror.

"Who are you?" Ling Xiao asked loudly. "I am your mirror image,"

Ling Xiao in the mirror replied in the same voice as him, "I am another self deep within you. Your fears, your hesitations, your weaknesses are all condensed in me."

Ling Xiao's heart sank, he knew this was an unusual battle.

The power of the mirror projection comes from his own weakness, and only by overcoming the fear in his heart can he truly defeat it.

"You can't defeat me," Ling Xiao in the mirror sneered, "because you can't defeat yourself." Ling Xiao gripped the Red Flame Sword tightly, he knew this was a difficult battle.

He took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and prepared to face the challenge. Ling Xiao in the mirror suddenly moved, and his movements were exactly the same as Ling Xiao's, as if there was some kind of mysterious connection between them.

Ling Xiao swung his sword to attack, and Ling Xiao in the mirror also swung his sword at the same time. The two swords collided in the air, making a crisp sound.

"You can't defeat me," Ling Xiao in the mirror sneered again, "because I know all your moves." Ling Xiao was shocked, he realized that the mirror projection could predict his every move.

He had to find a way to break this cycle of prediction. He quickly retreated, trying to create distance, but Ling Xiao in the mirror followed closely behind him, his movements not slowing down at all.

Ling Xiao knew that he couldn't rely on conventional combat techniques and had to find the weakness of the mirror projection. He began to observe Ling Xiao in the mirror, trying to find a flaw.

Suddenly, he noticed that although Ling Xiao in the mirror was moving in unison with him, there was a hint of confusion in his eyes. Ling Xiao realized that while the mirror projection could replicate his movements, it didn't truly understand his intentions.

"I understand," Ling Xiao whispered to himself.
"You are just a projection of me. You cannot understand my heart." He quickly adjusted his strategy, no longer relying on conventional attacks, but began to utilize the environment and his own wisdom.

He noticed a loose slab of stone in the street, and he deliberately directed the mirror projection there.

Ling Xiao in the mirror followed closely behind. When he stepped on the loose stone slab, it suddenly collapsed, and the mirror projection lost balance and fell to the ground.

Ling Xiao seized the opportunity and rushed forward quickly. The Red Flame Sword, with blazing flames, stabbed fiercely at the mirror projection.

The mirror projection screamed, and his body began to disintegrate into nothingness.

At the moment of collapse, a trace of fear flashed in the eyes of the mirror projection, as if it also realized that it was just a projection. "You defeated me," the voice of the mirror projection echoed in the air.

"But you must remember that your real enemy is yourself." As the voice faded, the light in the mirror gradually dimmed and finally disappeared into the air.

Ling Xiao stood there, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew this battle wasn't just against the mirror image, but also a battle with his own heart. He sheathed the Scarlet Flame Sword and continued down Nightmare Street.

His heart was filled with confidence because he knew that as long as he could overcome the fear in his heart, nothing could stop him.

When the shadow of the mirror projection completely dissipated into the air, the night sky of Nightmare on Elm Street seemed to soften. Ling Xiao stood before the bronze mirror that once reflected his deepest fears, breathing slightly.

His heartbeat gradually calmed down, and an unprecedented sense of peace came over him.

At this moment, faint ripples suddenly appeared on the surface of the mirror, as if a stone had been thrown into the water.

The ripples gradually spread, eventually converging into a ball of light emitting a soft glow. The ball of light slowly drifted towards Ling Xiao and stopped in front of him.

"This is your reward, brave man."

A gentle and mysterious voice sounded in Ling Xiao's mind, as if it came from some ancient existence.

"You have conquered your fear and proven your courage and wisdom." The ball of light gradually solidified in Ling Xiao's hand, eventually transforming into an exquisite badge. The main body of the badge was a small mirror, its surface smooth as water, its edge inlaid with a circle of pale blue gems, emitting a faint glow.

In the very center of the mirror, a complex rune was engraved, resembling the shape of an "∞" or a twisted "heart." Ling Xiao examined the badge carefully, his heart filled with curiosity.

He could feel a powerful force contained in the badge, but this force was not as hot and direct as the Scarlet Flame Sword, but a deeper and more restrained force.

"This badge is called 'Mirror Image Heart'," the mysterious voice sounded again, "and it represents your knowledge and understanding of yourself.

It will give you greater strength and help you face yourself better in future adventures." Ling Xiao gently placed the badge in his palm, feeling its warmth.

He could feel a subtle connection between the badge and his soul, as if it had become a part of him.

The power of the "Mirror Image Heart" gradually merged into Ling Xiao's body, and he felt a warm power flowing in his body.

This power is different from the fiery heat of the Red Flame Sword. It is a softer and more inclusive power.

It seemed to be able to see into his heart and give him courage and wisdom.

"This badge is not only a reward, but also a guide." The mysterious voice continued,

“It will help you better understand yourself and be more prepared to face future challenges.”

Ling Xiao raised his head and looked at the bronze mirror. The light in the mirror had completely disappeared, but it still stood there quietly, as if waiting for the next brave explorer.

(End of this chapter)