Huang Mao didn’t know that Han Wu had previously abused the Deceiver’s Cord and even tried to split it into several strands. Furious that his gourd had been shattered and that the Deceiver’s Cord refused to act, Huang Mao knew he needed another plan.

He quickly dove into the white mist to find another way to get back to them, but Han Wu wouldn’t let him escape easily. He threw the Explosive Locust Blade at the spot where Huang Mao had disappeared.

The fiery explosion engulfed the area, and the heat cleared the surrounding mist. Han Wu finally caught a glimpse of Huang Mao’s true form. He looked humanoid and was covered in yellow fur. This was his monster form, where his melee attacks were devastating. However, part of his fur had been scorched by the blast.

Enraged, Huang Mao wanted to tear Han Wu apart. He took pride in his fur, and Han Wu’s attack felt like disfigurement. Still, he remained rational enough to recognize Han Wu’s strength. He had a feeling that a direct confrontation would be a mistake, so he retreated into the mist.

A moment later, Han Wu’s Explosive Locust Blade reformed, but Huang Mao was gone, and the mist was gathering itself again.

Han Wu decided to wake Qin Shuang before dealing with anything else.

Qin Shuang gradually regained consciousness. Thankfully, she was unharmed and had only fainted. When she learned that the culprit was a weasel, like Huang Si, her anger flared. He had been following them everywhere, and she swore to skin him alive if she got her hands on it.

First, they had to deal with the mist. Han Wu considered his options and decided to use his maze-exploring method. He summoned his Glutton Locusts through the Gluttonswarm Ring. The locusts heeded his commands and positioned themselves at one-meter intervals. With one locust per meter, they could relay information in real time. Even with the mist obscuring their vision, Han Wu could still navigate the area.

Through the locusts, Han Wu discovered that Huang Mao was still trying to ambush them. He circled nearby, waiting for a chance to kill them.

Han Wu smiled. From experience, he knew that the best hunter appeared as prey. To Huang Mao, he was the predator, and Han Wu was the prey. Without Huang Mao knowing, Han Wu could see him, and now the roles had reversed.

Han Wu took out four Small Locust Blades. Under his control, they silently hovered around Huang Mao.

Just as Huang Mao prepared to attack, the Small Locust Blades attacked first. They shot forward, splitting into eighty-four Small Locust Blades that struck from every direction. The barrage pierced Huang Mao.

Han Wu approached it, but before closing in, he threw an Explosive Locust Blade as a precaution. The blast cleared the mist and revealed Huang Mao sprawled on the ground, snarling in his own pool of blood, his animalistic nature laid bare.

“Lady Huang will never let you go!” he shrieked.

Han Wu frowned. “Then tell her to find me.”

He then controlled the Small Locust Blade to decapitate Huang Mao. He died and reverted to a charred weasel. Even in that form, his body was larger than a human’s. No one knew what he had consumed to grow so large. After his death, he dropped several Divine Weapons, including shards of the broken gourd, the Deceiver’s Cord, the compass, and a comb.

Han Wu collected and examined them. The gourd was a special Divine Weapon with a specific activation condition. It could only absorb those who responded to the user. Once inside, the victim would lose consciousness. If too much time passed while being unconscious, the victim would starve to death. However, its value had dropped drastically due to the damage.

The Deceiver’s Cord required no introduction. Han Wu had obtained it once again, though this time it remained quiet.

Han Wu showed no mercy. He split it into three parts, reducing it from a 2-Star God-grade Divine Weapon to a Divine-grade one. It lost its sentience, and its effects were dramatically reduced. Still, this was much better for the two since it was more obedient.

The compass was something amazing, a sentient 4-Star God-grade Divine Weapon with a special activation condition. However, it refused to submit to Han Wu, no matter how he threatened it.

Coincidentally, the Locust Soul Orb had advanced to the Divine grade and could house another soul. He decided to bind Huang Mao’s soul and use the compass as its anchor. With this arrangement, the compass had no choice but to obey him.

Although the method was convoluted, he had obtained a powerful Divine Weapon, which pleased him. He named the third soul Ah Mao.

As for the fourth Divine Weapon, it was a comb. Han Wu picked it up with high expectations, only to be stunned. It was a 1-Star God-grade Divine Weapon, but it was extremely useless. Its sole effect was to enhance the hair or fur it combed, making it more luxurious. It also required a special activation condition.

Han Wu regarded its creator as a crazy idiot. After all, someone had used valuable materials to craft something so useless.

After Qin Shuang learned of its effect, she wanted to use it. She washed the comb, then used it on her hair. The strands became softer, thicker, and noticeably more lustrous despite their black color. The change elevated her presence.

Han Wu stared, mouth agape, at the result. He reconsidered its value and saw it as a miraculous item for beautifying hair. Who could resist having a head full of soft, lustrous hair?

After storing the Divine Weapons, Han Wu noticed that the mist lingered. He was alarmed, as it likely meant that a second foe remained. Thankfully, he no longer needed to search blindly.

“Ah Mao, find your companion,” he ordered the new soul.

Ah Mao grasped the compass, which pointed in one direction. As a precaution, Han Wu summoned his Glutton Locusts to scout ahead. They walked for 300 meters and spotted a monster similar in stature to Ah Mao. He was the second weasel working alongside Huang Mao.

He was busy plucking feathers from a wild chicken, unaware that his companion had been killed. He also failed to notice Han Wu’s presence. Nearby, a small jade bottle was continuously releasing white mist.

“A bad comrade is worse than a good enemy. That glutton probably can’t do much to us right now. Might as well kill and loot it,” Han Wu murmured.

His four Small Locust Blades shot toward Huang Pi. At the last moment, they split into eighty-four copies and forcefully stabbed Huang Pi. Then something unexpected happened.

The Small Locust Blades, which had been effective all this time, lost all durability the moment they touched Huang Pi and shattered.

“Who’s trying to attack me with a knife? It’s useless!” Huang Pi finally reacted. He could see through the mist and could easily locate Han Wu. “You are ambushing me? I’ll grind you into paste.”

Huang Pi grew larger, and his fur bristled like iron needles. A shimmering golden glow spread across his skin, forming what looked like searing golden armor.

Han Wu realized that this was what had allowed Huang Pi to withstand his Small Locust Blades.