The hidden quest is complete? Just as I suspected, the final step was to kill the Mage.
The staff must be the reward. Kill the boss, grab the Item—this is a test of the team's endurance. My physical condition is terrible; my stamina has plummeted.
Yin-Yang Robe, unclaimed? Where do I claim it? Right, the river. In that instant, a flurry of thoughts raced through Zhang Yuanqing's mind.
But there was no time for contemplation. Li Xianzong, the closest to the staff, had already lunged for the powerful Item.
This move sent adrenaline surging through the Orderly Faction members.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out from afar. Li Xianzong, who had been bending down to retrieve the staff, threw himself to the ground a split second before a bullet tore through the spot where he had been standing, leaving a gaping crater.
He had been tracking the sniper's movements and anticipated the attack.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing, propelled by the Red Dancing Shoes, surged forward to the staff and snatched it up.
"Primordial!" the Queen shouted.
Zhang Yuanqing froze, only to realize his hand was empty. The staff had vanished—no, it had never been picked up at all.
Picking up the staff had been an illusion. He had fallen victim to Illusion magic.
Puff! Puff!
The Ratman's cheeks puffed out as he fired two emerald-green poison darts from his slender bamboo tube.
Without Zhang Yuanqing's control, the Red Dancing Shoes automatically spun him around, turning him away from the darts, which grazed past him.
The young man with the missing left ear darted forward like an arrow, lunging for the Staff of Decay lying silently on the ground.
As he neared the staff, two circular rings shot out, ensnaring his torso and legs.
Thud! The momentum carried the young man forward, sending him sprawling face-first into the ground.
Bang!
Guan Ya's bullet struck the young man's head with deadly accuracy, splattering bone and flesh. The Witchcraft Master was killed instantly.
The three remaining Evil Class members, including Li Xianzong, felt a chill run down their spines.
At that moment, the Huode Star General flicked his wrist, hurling a flaming spear that landed precisely beside the staff. He himself was enveloped in flames, materializing within the fiery aura of the spear.
The Huode Star General swiftly bent down to retrieve the staff.
As his comrade leaned over, Guan Ya and Li Chunfeng each locked onto an enemy, firing their weapons to provide cover.
Well done! Zhang Yuanqing's face lit up with delight. He stepped onto the Red Dancing Shoes and glided toward the Huode Star General, ensuring he secured the staff without interference.
Controlling the staff meant controlling the initiative.
A wooden box materialized in Li Xianzong's palm. With a click, the lid sprang open, and in the next instant, a dense mist blanketed the square, obscuring all vision.
He hadn't used this Item against the Mage earlier because the Mage possessed special sensory abilities that rendered the mist ineffective. Instead, it would have blinded his own Orderly Faction allies, leaving them vulnerable to the Mage's indiscriminate attacks.
Guan Ya and Li Chunfeng's fingers froze, forcing them to cease their covering fire.
Under the dense mist, their vision was completely obstructed, making it too risky to continue firing. They risked accidentally wounding or killing their teammates.
The enemy had effectively countered their ranged attacks.
Though the Huode Star General's vision was obscured by the mist, he relied on instinct, reaching for the staff at his feet.
Pfft! Pfft!
The mist rippled as two emerald-green poison needles pierced through the ethereal veil, striking the Huode Star General in the chest.
Using the mist as cover, Li Xianzong closed in like a phantom. His butterfly knife flashed through the air, aiming straight for the Huode Star General's throat.
Clang!
Zhang Yuanqing, wearing his Red Dancing Shoes, arrived just in time. He raised his Yanagiba blade, deflecting the butterfly knife's strike. Sparks flew as the two blades clashed against the Blade of Bloodlust.
Zhang Yuanqing seized Huode Star General by the shoulder and hurled him backward, shouting, "Huode has been poisoned!"
As he yelled, he kicked the Staff of Decay far away.
Huode Star General's massive frame flew through the air for over ten meters, landing outside the dense fog's perimeter.
The Wood Spirit Youth swiftly dragged the Fire Master away, first shoving several Antidote Pills into his mouth, then applying sandalwood powder to the tiny wounds where the poisoned needles had pierced his chest.
This could only neutralize the toxins temporarily; whether the Fire Master would survive remained uncertain.
As for continuing the fight, that was out of the question.
Grass on the Plain quickly assessed the remaining forces. The Evil Class still had three members, while their side was down to just the Captain and the Queen. Moreover, the dense fog gave the enemy a distinct advantage.
Worry flickered in his eyes.
Li Xianzong listened to the Staff of Decay clattering as it rolled away, calculating its distance while grinning.
"What a coincidence! Just like that day at Pingtai Hospital, with the same dense fog. How did I beat you then? Need a reminder?"
Zhang Yuanqing remained expressionless. "Might it be you who'll be begging for mercy today?"
"Oh? After not seeing you for over a week, you've advanced to Tier 3 and acquired a Rule Item? Or do you think that Red Veil still poses a threat to me?"
His words implied he possessed an Item capable of countering the Ghost Bride. Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank.
The Red Veil was his trump card, reserved for enemies he couldn't defeat through conventional means. If it were countered, he would lose a crucial means of turning the tide.
The dense fog obscured Guan Ya and Li Chunfeng's vision, preventing them from firing their weapons. Though Zhang Yuanqing had the Red Dancing Shoes, he had less than three minutes remaining. Defeating Li Xianzong within the fog-shrouded battlefield seemed nearly impossible.
The Queen might die, Zhang Yuanqing thought, rapidly assessing the situation. After analyzing the situation, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anxiety.
Just then, a maniacal laugh erupted nearby. The Ratman's triumphant cackle echoed through the fog: "I got it! I got the staff!"
Zhang Yuanqing's expression darkened.
Li Xianzong's lips curled into a smirk. "Impressive. Such rapid progress in just a week. Your talent makes me envious. That's why you must die today. What are you waiting for? Curse them!"
He hadn't been idle during their confrontation. While stalling Primordial Heavenly Venerable, he had subtly signaled his companion, revealing the staff's location and using the fog to guide him to it.
The Ratman cackled grotesquely, raising the staff high and shouting:
"Li Xianzong, this is a Divine Artifact. You have no idea how powerful it is!"
Suddenly, the dense mist ahead violently trembled. In the next instant, a long leg transformed into a whip, lashing out viciously toward his head.
The Ratman immediately retracted his staff and slammed it against the whistling, whip-like leg.
Crack!
The staff and leg rebounded in opposite directions. The Ratman staggered, while the leg's owner skillfully spun, dissipating the recoil and immediately unleashing another whip-like kick.
Having never encountered such a ferocious attack, the Ratman was struck across the face by the "whip," sending him flying in a dizzying arc. His staff clattered to the ground.
Who had arrived?
Li Xianzong and Zhang Yuanqing froze in surprise.
Then Zhang Yuanqing heard Guan Ya's voice: "Primordial, I can't see anything. If you're still alive, make a sound."
"How did you get here?" Zhang Yuanqing thought, his heart soaring with joy. Without hesitation, he slammed his fists together, creating an explosive shockwave like a high-yield grenade.
The entire mist violently shook, dispersed by the blast and flames, briefly clearing a limited field of vision.
At last, he could see the figures present and their actions.
Centered around the fallen staff, the nearest figure was the dazed Ratman. Behind him stood the Long-legged old driver, the bloody wound on her calf already healed.
She used her last half-tube of Life Elixir? In a pinch, the Veteran Driver always comes through. But why didn't she bring her rifle? Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept elsewhere, to the other end of the staff, near the edge of the plaza. There, the Crew-cut man crouched low, ready to pounce and snatch the staff.
Opposite him, their own Queen was also sneaking forward, her movements furtive as she followed the sound of the falling staff.
The two factions exchanged wary glances before simultaneously charging toward the staff.
The battle for the staff had already turned bloody.
The Ratman was the first to sit up, spitting venomous needles at Guan Ya behind him.
As a Scout, Guan Ya had anticipated this move. She swiftly dodged, the needles grazing her side, but lost her initial advantage.
This was why she avoided close combat with a rifle. If she'd been holding one, she might not have evaded the poison.
The Item she carried had a side effect that brought misfortune to its user, and Li Chunfeng's Explosive Pistol would similarly cause her to lose her composure.
The Ratman scrambled toward the staff, but as he reached out, two metal rings clanged against the dark staff, sending it skidding far beyond his grasp.
Thud, thud, thud. The Crew-cut man lunged for the staff, snapping his fingers to cast an Illusion, making his enemies believe he was still standing in his original spot.
Just as he was about to grasp the staff, a deep, resonant drumbeat suddenly pierced his mind.
Boom... boom... boom...
The thunderous drumbeats reverberated, piercing the ears of everyone present. Their minds reeled, instinctively overwhelmed by fear, panic, and terror.
The drumbeats from the Cat King Speaker!
This was an incredibly powerful support Item, but Zhang Yuanqing rarely used it. The drumbeats were an area-of-effect attack, and only the Master was immune—neither allies nor enemies were spared.
Used carelessly, it could protect enemies while devastating teammates.
But now, there was no time for such considerations.
The crew-cut man's mind swam, and he instinctively wanted to kneel in worship or turn and flee.
However, as an Illusion Master, he possessed exceptional mental resilience. He quickly recovered, letting out a piercing shriek.
The shriek instantly snapped everyone back to their senses.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing lunged forward, his knee slamming viciously into the crew-cut man's chest.
Thud!
The Illusion Master was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the earthen wall behind him, sending dust cascading down.
Clutching his chest, he crumpled to the ground, unable to rise.
Zhang Yuanqing had no time for a finishing blow or to retrieve the staff. Through the Eye of Insight, he saw Li Xianzong silently closing in, his leg muscles coiled like springs, power surging from his core to the tips of his toes.
Crack!
The vicious upward kick exploded with a thunderous sound. Zhang Yuanqing leaned back, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Ignoring the momentum of his backward lean, he rotated mid-air as if needing no wind-up, slicing toward Li Xianzong's carotid artery with the Blade of Bloodlust.
Even with Li Xianzong's extensive close-combat experience, he had never seen such a maneuver. He immediately arched his spine, twisting his body in the opposite direction while launching a powerful kick at his opponent.
As he moved, two crimson patterns flared in Li Xianzong's pupils.
Zhang Yuanqing's mind jolted, going momentarily blank.
Seeing this, Li Xianzong's lips curled into a savage grin. As a martial arts master, he already foresaw the Primordial Heavenly Venerable's fate.
Suddenly, still dazed, Zhang Yuanqing retreated with uncanny speed, narrowly evading the brutal kick.
Crack!
Li Xianzong's knee snapped forward, his airborne side kick striking only air.
Impossible! Li Xianzong's expression darkened as he sensed a whooshing sound behind him.
Guan Ya had arrived. The Veteran Driver, using her left leg as a pivot and bending her knee slightly, violently whipped her right leg toward Li Xianzong's head.
Zhang Yuanqing heard a distinct crack—Li Xianzong's neck had snapped.
The Seductive Demon's head twisted at an unnatural angle before flying off like a sandbag.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing and the Queen erupted in joyous relief. Guan Ya's kick had all but secured their victory.
Tap-tap-tap. Zhang Yuanqing, wearing the Red Dancing Shoes, darted toward Li Xianzong, intent on delivering the final blow to eliminate this formidable foe.
He refrained from using the Demon Subduing Pestle's Purification ability, partly because of the Red Dancing Shoes and partly to paralyze Li Xianzong, creating an opening for Guan Ya.
The Ratman panicked, raising his bamboo tube and unleashing a rapid series of pfft-pfft-pfft sounds, firing six poisoned needles in quick succession.
Under the Red Dancing Shoes' control, Zhang Yuanqing spun, leaped, and nimbly evaded every attack.
Li Xianzong, his head lolling at an unnatural angle, glared with crimson eyes burning with savage malice. He slammed his arms together, and a thick mist surged forth, enveloping his body.
Guan Ya sprinted forward to deliver the final blow, only to find Li Xianzong had vanished from his original position.
"Ah!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed from deep within the mist.
"Damn it!" Zhang Yuanqing exclaimed, instantly realizing what had happened.
Cornered, Li Xianzong made a desperate gamble, killing the crew-cut man. The Seductive Demon, fueled by blood, went berserk.
"Just as I thought," Li Xianzong sighed contentedly from within the dense fog. "Only slaughter brings me true pleasure. Only slaughter makes me invincible."
"That bastard..." Guan Ya's delicate features darkened.
Suddenly, she sensed movement in the fog ahead, as if an enemy were approaching. In the next instant, a swift, powerful straight punch hurtled toward her.
Guan Ya had already retreated, crossing her arms defensively.
Bang!
Agony shot through her arms as she staggered backward, nearly losing her balance.
"Primordial, his strength has recovered to at least eighty percent!" Guan Ya snapped, forcing herself to steady her stance. She swept her long leg forward in a horizontal kick.
The fog trembled violently, but nothing was there.
A fierce gust of wind struck from her side. Guan Ya tensed, retracting her leg and pivoting to meet the attack with a punch.
Crack!
Fist met fist, and she heard the sickening snap of her finger bones breaking. Tears nearly welled in her eyes from the pain.
Against such overwhelming strength, her combat skills couldn't compensate for the disparity. Moreover, the dense fog obscured her vision, leaving her at a severe disadvantage.
No chance of victory.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted, the shockwave carrying flames that dispersed the dense fog.
Guan Ya caught a glimpse of Li Xianzong lunging toward her from the corner of her eye.
In this desperate situation, she didn't retreat but charged forward, dodging the thrust of his blade and colliding with Li Xianzong's chest. The impact only made the Seductive Demon stagger slightly, failing to dislodge him.
Damn it! Guan Ya, a martial arts master, felt her heart sink.
Li Xianzong grinned savagely, clamping his arm around Guan Ya's neck and drawing his butterfly knife across her slender, snow-white throat.
"Li Xianzong!!"
Zhang Yuanqing's face twisted into a ferocious snarl.
As the butterfly knife neared Guan Ya's throat, it suddenly froze. A whip of water had coiled around Li Xianzong's wrist.
The other end of the whip was held by the Queen.
The earlier explosion had cleared a small patch of fog, allowing her to see the situation.
Zhang Yuanqing pressed the second button on the Cat King Speaker. Instantly, the piercing, soaring notes of a suona horn erupted, each wail piercing through metal and shattering stone.
Zhang Yuanqing's eyes were bloodshot, his muscles instantly bulking up, and veins bulging beneath his skin like an enraged bull injected with steroids.
The Cat King Speaker's suona music briefly restored him to his peak condition, despite his weakened state.
The suona's negative effects were severe—a double-edged sword that risked crippling him before he could kill his enemy. He only used it in life-or-death situations.
Tap-tap-tap!
Wearing the Red Dancing Shoes, he moved with unprecedented speed, leaving afterimages in his wake as he lunged at Li Xianzong, his Yanagiba blade aimed at the man's temple.
Li Xianzong, his wrist entangled by the "whip," shoved Guan Ya forcefully toward Zhang Yuanqing.
As expected, Zhang Yuanqing retracted his blade to catch her.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Xianzong broke free from the whip and sprang forward. "You want to play for keeps? Come on!"
"Come on!"
Zhang Yuanqing punched Li Xianzong flying.
Then, grabbing Guan Ya, he fled toward the edge of the plaza.
"You think you can escape?" Li Xianzong landed lightly, unscathed, and smirked, ready to pursue. But suddenly, the Ratman shrieked, "Li Xianzong, something's running off with the Staff of Decay!"
Li Xianzong's heart jolted. He immediately abandoned his pursuit, turning to follow the sound and sensing the movement of the dense fog.
In his perception, the Staff of Decay had floated into the air, one end tilting upward while the other dragged along the ground, sliding away rapidly.
"A spectral entity?"
He snorted coldly, chasing after the staff while retrieving a circular plastic needle case and withdrawing a slender, dark needle.
The needle radiated a fierce, malevolent yin energy.
The fleeing staff froze abruptly, clattering to the ground. The spectral entity dragging it seemed to have been frightened away.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanqing immediately sensed Little Goofball's terror—a terror that threatened to erupt into tears.
That bastard Li Xianzong really prepared an Item to counter powerful spectral entities. Zhang Yuanqing's last shred of hope vanished, solidifying his resolve to escape.
His escape was merely a diversion. His true goal was to manipulate Little Goofball into retrieving the staff, testing whether Li Xianzong possessed any means to counter spectral entities.
If the man was bluffing, Zhang Yuanqing would have used the Red Veil without hesitation.
Unfortunately, after their clash at Pingtai Hospital, Li Xianzong had witnessed the Ghost Bride's power firsthand and secretly prepared countermeasures.
Fuck, we'll have to gamble on a hidden item. Zhang Yuanqing unlocked the second form of the Red Dancing Shoes and ordered the pursuit of Li Xianzong. Without looking back, he grabbed Guan Ya and charged out of the plaza.
As they fled the plaza, the Queen followed, her face pale and her eyes betraying a flicker of despair.
"Are we giving up?"
"How can we fight? What do we have to fight with?" Guan Ya replied with a bitter laugh.
She glanced at Primordial, his muscles bulging and his face flushed. This was clearly a temporary power-up, one that couldn't last. Once the effect wore off, his condition would likely be dire.
The Queen bit her lip tightly.
Their conversation reached the ears of Grass on the Plain and Li Chunfeng, who had just arrived. The light in their eyes dimmed, replaced by a look of despair.
Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand. "Shut up and listen. Immediately gather the Huode Star General and Chi Ou. Take the waterways back to our agreed-upon strategy point. Queen, can you carry us?"
The Queen nodded listlessly. "You mean we'll fight a guerrilla war, using the vast instance space to harass them?"
Li Chunfeng frowned. This tactic was a desperate last stand, but they had no other choice. They would cling to life for as long as they could.
"Enough talk. Move now," Zhang Yuanqing urged.
He remembered that Li Xianzong possessed an Item capable of unleashing curses. The Red Dancing Shoes wouldn't be restrained for long, and every second counted.
He kept the existence of the hidden Item secret from his teammates. Since its properties remained unknown, he couldn't be sure if it possessed offensive power. If it turned out to be a purely utility Item, his teammates' morale would collapse, shattering any hope of guerrilla warfare.
Yes, if the hidden Item couldn't turn the tide, he would resort to guerrilla tactics against Li Xianzong.
Immediately, Grass on the Plain hoisted the Fire Master onto his back, Li Chunfeng carried Chi Ou, and the group plunged into the river.
The icy, clear water surged around them. The Queen moved through the water with the agility of a fish, manipulating four turbulent currents to propel her teammates swiftly forward, back toward their entry point.
Li Xianzong bent down to retrieve his staff, then knelt before the Red Dancing Shoes, bowing his head in supplication.
In an instant, the pristine Dancing Shoes became stained with a layer of decay, their attack frequency and stomping force diminished.
Tch, the Magic Robe only suppresses it? This Item possesses power at the Saint Stage! These Red Dancing Shoes must be an extraordinary artifact. Once I kill the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, they'll be mine! Li Xianzong withdrew his fervent gaze and turned his attention to the Staff of Decay's information:
[ Name: Staff of Decay ]
[ Type: Weapon ]
[ Function: Curse ]
[ Description: The weapon of the Poison Valley Lord. Every three years, the Lord would slaughter thousands of lives, gathering their blood into a pool to nourish this weapon. One day, the Yin-Yang Wanderer learned of the Lord's crimes, traveled to Poison Valley, ended his wicked life, and claimed this Item. ]
[ Note 1: Activating the gem at the staff's apex unleashes a curse upon all living beings within a fifty-meter radius. ]
[ Note 2: The staff can curse targets who harm the wielder, repaying tooth for tooth and blood for blood. ]
[ Note 3: When you wield this staff, you owe it a thousand lives. ]
"What a powerful Item! With this, I could hold my own even against a Saint-Tier level 5 opponent, let alone someone in the Transcendent Phase. As for the Grand Slaughter Instance, who else but me? I'll become the highest-scoring player in the Instance!" Li Xianzong's pupils contracted, his eyes gleaming with manic glee.
The Grand Slaughter Instance had a scoring leaderboard. While many Spirit Realm Walkers successfully advanced each year, the real attention was focused on the top ten scorers.
Any Spirit Realm Walker who cracked the top ten was destined to become a powerhouse in the Saint Stage. The Four Young Masters of the Five Elements Alliance, for example, were all top-ten contenders.
Ordinary Deacons, on the other hand, were Saints who remained outside the leaderboard's ranks.
However, the price for this Item was terrifying. Li Xianzong suppressed his elation and frowned.
The moment he used this Item, he would be obligated to pay a debt of one thousand human lives within three years. With Merit Points as a constraint, how many Merit Points would one thousand lives cost?
Ten thousand!
Even if he started doing good deeds non-stop right now, he doubted he could accumulate that many Merit Points in time.
Could he gift it to someone else before the three-year deadline? No, that would be too easy. A high-level Item like this wouldn't have such a glaring loophole.
The Ratman beside him chuckled wickedly. "I told you, Boss, this Item is absolutely insane! Those two babes were gorgeous. Can I cut their tendons and have some fun with them?"
As he spoke, the Ratman licked his lips, his small eyes gleaming with lust and greed.
Li Xianzong, elated by obtaining the supreme Item, grinned through the pain of the Red Dancing Shoes' relentless stomping. "Sure! I don't care if you want to play with the men too."
"Then let's hurry after them!" the Ratman urged. "Those little brats think they can play guerrilla warfare with us? Ha! They're dreaming."
After surfacing twice to catch his breath, Zhang Yuanqing peered through the murky water, filled with suspended particles, and spotted a coffin ahead.
He immediately patted the Queen's shapely rear and pointed at the coffin, signaling her to approach.
The Queen glanced back, her expression puzzled. She had thoroughly searched this area before, even blowing away the silt to examine the riverbed. When had this coffin appeared?
Unaware of the hidden quest and Little Goofball's Treasure Hunting Skill, she had initially been baffled by Primordial Heavenly Venerable's insistence on searching this stretch of water.
Now, she suddenly understood.
But how had he known about this in advance? And what was inside the coffin?
The Queen swayed her hips, moving with the agility of a fish as she led the group to a stop before the coffin.
She pointed upward, signaling them to ascend.
Zhang Yuanqing and the others paddled upward, propelled by the current, and gently leaped onto the shore.
Zhang Yuanqing staggered to his feet, his face ashen and his expression conveying the exhaustion of a dying flame.
The relentless, high-intensity combat—the Demon Subduing Pestle's Purification, the gauntlets' explosions, and the Cat King Speaker's suona blasts—had nearly drained him of all strength. He had only avoided collapsing thanks to the Nightwalker's robust vitality.
No sooner had he steadied himself than a whoosh erupted behind him. A massive surge of water propelled the coffin to the surface and onto the shore.
The Queen immediately sprang out of the water. Unlike the dripping Guan Ya, not a single drop clung to her body.
"What is this?" Li Chunfeng leaned closer to the coffin, examining it closely. It was a wooden coffin nearly two meters long, its black lacquer peeling and waterlogged, showing no unusual features.
"Now's not the time for scavenging. Escaping with our lives is what matters," Grass on the Plain urged.
He then noticed Li Chunfeng, Guan Ya, and the Queen all staring at Zhang Yuanqing with thoughtful expressions.
Zhang Yuanqing finally spoke, his voice weak:
"It's a hidden quest. Whether we can turn the tide depends on what we get."
Hearing this, the four others present were visibly shaken, a surge of desperate hope flooding their faces.
He'd been holding back this trump card all along?
The Queen's breathing quickened. "Open it! Let's see what's inside."
Li Chunfeng eagerly reached out to push the coffin lid, but no matter how hard he strained, it wouldn't budge. He turned anxiously to Zhang Yuanqing.
"It won't open! What do we do?!"
"Maybe the conditions haven't been met yet. What's the hidden quest?" Guan Ya asked, her expression urgent as she also turned to Zhang Yuanqing.
Every second counted. Li Xianzong could catch up at any moment and freeze their hearts with a single strike of his Staff of Decay.
Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing retrieved a round white jade pendant from his Inventory and placed it on the coffin lid.
The ordinary-looking jade emitted a soft white glow that enveloped the coffin, then vanished.
Zhang Yuanqing, his hand cramping from exhaustion, pressed down on the lid and tried again. This time, it slid open effortlessly.
All eyes snapped to the coffin's interior.