Chapter 128: Total Annihilation Crisis

Chapter 128: Team Wipe Crisis

[Ding, you have been cursed.]

Zhang Yuanqing heard the Spirit Realm notification in his ear.

A curse? Didn't I just accidentally drink Pan Jinsen's cat hair... he thought with grim humor.

He instinctively tried to use a skill, only to discover he had lost all abilities, along with his connection to the item bar.

After turning into a cat, all capabilities had vanished.

A curse—this should be the power of a Witchcraft Master profession... Yin-Yang Town is a team confrontation instance, so having evil profession elements makes sense... but when was I cursed? I didn't sense it at all.

The tea? No, the Queen and Li Chunfeng didn't drink water.

Thinking this, he looked at his six companions. The Fire Virtue Star Lord cat had puffed up on the spot. Chi Ou and the orange cat Li Chunfeng had transformed into looked around frantically, shrieking nonstop, seemingly not yet recovered from the terror of becoming cats.

Li Li Yuan Shang Cao examined her own body with wonder. Though her eyes held gravity, she didn't seem averse to the cat transformation.

The Queen cat crouched on the ground, scattered clothes and shoes beside her. Two silver rings hung on her pointed ears, and she kept scratching at them with her paws, meowing anxiously.

Her earrings are artifacts? Seems unusable. So even taking out artifacts in advance results in the same "sealing," Zhang Yuanqing thought, then looked at Guan Ya.

Guan Ya's cat was the calmest. When the Old Woman shouted "My son," she had already stepped back silently on four paws.

"My son, come out. Mother brought you two pretty girls—finally women to relieve your boredom. You just couldn't control your lust, that's why you've fallen to this state..."

"These two girls have fair skin and tender flesh, very beautiful. My son, what are you waiting for?"

The Old Woman's voice was aged and raspy, calling out again and again like a soul-summoning chant.

"Squeak~"

On the other side of the courtyard, the tightly shut door opened. Everyone—no, every cat—immediately craned their necks to look.

Through the open door crack, they could see: in the center of the room, two wooden stools supported a coffin. The coffin was painted a bloody red. Red threads lay scattered in disorder on the floor, along with a purple talisman.

The red threads and talisman were what bound the thing inside the coffin. When she entered the room just now, she released the bindings... As a Scout, Guan Ya's cat immediately deduced this detail.

"Scritch, scritch~"

From inside the coffin came the sound of fingernails scratching against wood—chilling and terrifying.

Immediately after, the coffin lid sprang open, rolling off with a "clang" to the floor.

An ugly male face emerged. Its features leaned feline, yet it was undeniably a human face—exceptionally hideous and horrifying.

Even more terrifying: as he climbed out of the coffin, the cats saw clearly—this was a large cat that had been skinned alive. Blood-red flesh lay naked and exposed to the air.

The big cat was about a meter long. A blood-red tail swayed gently behind it, tipped with a bone spur.

Its face was savage, eyes flashing with bloodlust and lecherous ferocity.

Zhang Yuanqing's spine turned cold. He felt a threat originating from his very genes, unconsciously arching his back and barrowing his teeth, letting out a hissing sound.

The other companions made the exact same reaction.

The big cat moved with light steps, its ferocious gaze locking onto the seven fellow cats in the hall.

Zhang Yuanqing said, "Meow meow meow... (We've triggered a plot event; we must kill this monster cat to leave)."

The six companions stared at him blankly.

Though they had turned into cats, they could not understand cat language.

Just then, Guan Ya, who had been keeping her eyes fixed on the blood-red giant cat, let out a clear, ringing meow, a warning: "Meow meow (Watch out)."

In the next instant, that blood-soaked giant cat transformed into a crimson blur and pounced, lunging at the seemingly frailest of them all, Li Chunfeng.

Li Chunfeng displayed the agility befitting a cat, his tail stiffening as he darted to the side like a loosed arrow.

But the giant cat was faster still; it swiftly caught up, and with a single pounce and bite, clamped its jaws around Li Chunfeng's neck, throwing its head back and shaking violently.

Li Chunfeng let out a shrill, miserable scream.

The black cat, avatar of the Fire Virtue Star Lord, shrieked in a high pitch and leaped up, pouncing to bite the giant cat.

*Crack!*

A tail studded with bone spurs lashed out like a whip, sending the black cat flying; he hit the ground convulsing.

The disparity in strength was too vast; before this giant cat, the whole clowder was as weak as mice.

Seeing Li Chunfeng about to have his neck snapped, Zhang Yuanqing darted out, evading the attack range of the giant cat's tail, and threw himself forward in a leap.

He landed on the giant cat's neck, fangs bared, and sank his teeth deep into its ear.

"Awoo~"

The giant cat howled in pain, its fangs loosening; Li Chunfeng fell away, the fur on his neck stained crimson with blood. Terrified, he scrambled to the side.

By the time he reached the wall, the adrenaline faded, and he collapsed powerlessly on the ground, his gaze gradually glazing over as he let out a low, mournful whine.

Just one round, and a team member was already at death's door.

The giant cat shook its head twice, failing to dislodge Zhang Yuanqing; it immediately lowered its skull, raised its paw, extended razor-sharp claws, and raked down viciously.

A bloody gash instantly appeared on Zhang Yuanqing's back, crimson blood welling forth.

He had no choice but to release his bite, dropping from the giant cat's head, fleeing on all fours like the wind.

The giant cat's ear was a bloody mess; enraged, it gave chase to Zhang Yuanqing, when suddenly its tail throbbed with pain—Chi Ou had bitten down on it.

"Awoo~"

The giant cat whipped around, snapping at Chi Ou's neck, but this was a chubby orange cat, thick-skinned and tough-fleshed; its sharp teeth failed to pierce the hide immediately.

The giant cat threw its head back, shaking violently once more.

In that very instant, Zhang Yuanqing killed his way back, pouncing onto the giant cat's back, while the Queen Cat and Guan Ya's cat attacked from the left, and the Fire Virtue Star Lord and Li Li Yuan Shang Cao struck from the right.

The cats swarmed as one; they had no way out. This man-faced giant cat had nearly killed Li Chunfeng in a single exchange; any hesitation or retreat now would spell a total party wipe.

The man-faced giant cat, the fat orange cat clamped in its jaws, reared up on its hind legs; its pads sprang open, claws extending, left and right paws pressing down separately, pinning the Queen Cat and Li Li Yuan Shang Cao beneath them.

Then its tail lashed out.

*Crack!*

Zhang Yuanqing, having leaped high, was like a tennis ball smashed violently against the wall.

He slumped to the ground, blood bubbling from mouth and nose, several holes puncturing his chest and abdomen, gurgling crimson.

Guan Ya, unscathed, raked her claws across the Human-Faced Cat, scoring bloody grooves. Meanwhile, Huo De Xingjun clamped his jaws onto the beast's abdomen, tearing off a chunk of flesh.

The Human-Faced Cat shrieked miserably, its body whipping around, the tail lashing out and sending the black cat flying. Then it lunged at Guan Ya, jaws snapping.

But Guan Ya, tail cocked, retreated with sharp agility, narrowly evading its fangs.

Forced to withdraw its head, the Human-Faced Cat spat out the half-dead Fat Orange Cat, clamped down on Li Li Yuan Shang Cao—pinned beneath its right paw—and with a violent shake of its head, *crack*, snapped Li Li Yuan Shang Cao's neck.

That single *crack* tightened the hearts of every cat present.

The Human-Faced Cat casually flung Li Li Yuan Shang Cao aside.

Li Li Yuan Shang Cao lay limp on the ground, limbs twitching, abdomen heaving violently; he had but minutes to live.

Zhang Yuanqing, sprawled against the wall, felt his heart sink to the bottom of a valley.

Li Chunfeng was now gasping more than breathing; with his neck broken, Li Li Yuan Shang Cao would likely die even faster. Huo De Xingjun, struck twice by bone spurs, was grievously wounded and combat-ineffective.

And his own condition was much the same.

Right now, only Guan Ya and the Queen remained uninjured, but the latter was pinned beneath a paw. The only one who could fight was Guan Ya.

This was the trajectory of a total party wipe.

After snapping Li Li Yuan Shang Cao's neck, the Human-Faced Cat did not press the attack on Guan Ya. Instead, it lowered its head, sniffing incessantly at the Queen Cat, nostrils flaring.

What is it doing... a bad feeling surged in Zhang Yuanqing's heart.

The next second, the premonition came true. As the Human-Faced Cat sniffed lightly, a deep crimson organ emerged from the swollen sheath at its lower abdomen. This revolting Human-Faced Cat was in heat.

The Queen Cat seemed to sense something; she struggled violently, letting out a piercing shriek.

The black cat, Huo De Xingjun, struggled to rise, but blood loss and pain kept him down; he could only voice angry, helpless yowls.

At that moment, Granny Wang, watching from the courtyard below, laughed:

"Little girl, don't resist. My son has been stuck in this ghost place for many years; he is very lonely. Do a good deed, let my son relieve his boredom. He won't kill you. These people all have to die, but you don't have to."

The Queen shrieked miserably, her eyes revealing helplessness and despair.

Guan Ya arched her back, poised to pounce.

The Human-Faced Cat bared its teeth at her, a threatening sound rumbling in its throat, while simultaneously arching its back, hindquarters moving toward the Queen.

Guan Ya feinted a pounce; the Human-Faced Cat froze instantly, baring its teeth at her once more.

A standoff ensued.

Guan Ya's gaze flicked repeatedly toward Zhang Yuanqing. If she charged now, the Queen's fate might simply transfer to her.

The Human-Faced Cat's size, speed, and strength were, for the current them, insurmountable.

She's stalling for time, waiting for me to think of something? Zhang Yuanqing understood Guan Ya's intent; his thoughts raced, but for a moment, no way to break the deadlock surfaced.

Artifacts cannot be used; otherwise, the Demon-Subduing Pestle's purification could break the curse.

Close-quarters combat held no hope of victory either.

The Spirit Realm prompt displayed no curse duration, meaning this curse had no time limit; it would persist indefinitely.

Think of a way, think of a way…

His heart was frantic with anxiety, yet the more anxious he grew, the more his mind drew a blank.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing saw Li Chunfeng, hovering on the brink of death by the opposite wall, laboriously turn his head, lift his chin, and gesture for him to look at the cat corpse suspended from the roof beam.

A cat corpse?

Inspiration struck like lightning, cleaving into Zhang Yuanqing’s mind.

What was the source of the curse? The strategy guide for Yin-Yang Town made no mention of a cat-transformation curse, and it didn't originate from the descendants of the Yin-Yang Wanderer as Granny Wang claimed.

What was the medium? Teammates who hadn't drunk the tea had also turned into cats, so it wasn't the tea.

It was the cat corpse hanging from the beam?!

Gritting his teeth against pain and exhaustion, Zhang Yuanqing scrambled to his feet and lunged for the support pillar with clumsy haste. Claws unsheathed from his paw pads as he struggled up the pillar toward the roof beam.

Granny Wang’s face changed drastically down in the courtyard. She screamed, "My son! Quick, quick, kill him…"

The human-faced cat raised its head, locking eyes with the climbing Zhang Yuanqing. It immediately dismissed the Queen, gave a light kick, and leapt onto the pillar, rapidly closing the distance.

"Shit (Fuck)!"

Zhang Yuanqing’s scalp tingled. The crisis of death sent his adrenaline spiking. He threw himself into a leap.

The instant he launched, the human-faced cat took his former position.

Mid-air, Zhang Yuanqing spread his limbs wide. His claws hooked, by the barest margin, onto the body of a flayed cat corpse, arresting his fall.

He scrambled swiftly up the cat corpse, jaws gaping to reveal sharp teeth. With a *snap*, he bit through the hemp rope.

Both cats plummeted together.

As the cat corpse fell, some unseen formation seemed to shatter. A yin-cold wind whipped through the parlor.

"Awoo~"

The human-faced cat on the pillar crashed down, writhing in agony. Its human face rapidly feline-ized, transforming into a thoroughbred monster cat.

What little reason remained in its pupils was replaced by madness and bloodlust.

Dense bone spurs erupted from its flesh and blood.

In mere seconds, it became more hideous, more terrifying.

It rose slowly, shook its head, and let out a low, guttural growl from its throat.

Granny Wang’s face paled. She stumbled forward, trembling: "My son! Quick, quick, back into the coffin…"

The human-faced cat—no, the hideous monster cat—heard the sound and whipped its head around. It pounced on Granny Wang, sinking sharp teeth into its mother’s neck.

*Crunch!*

Cervical vertebrae snapped. Bright red blood gushed forth.

The great cat's paw pinned Granny Wang's body down, gnawing at it with abandon.

Granny Wang's limbs convulsed violently, and soon she stirred no more.

At that very moment, Zhang Yuanqing heard his own bones crackling and popping; the cat fur retracted into his pores, and the paw pads gradually transformed back into human palms.

Guan Ya snatched up her clothes and ran; twisting her head, she saw Queen Cat curled on the ground, still shaken, so she dragged her clothes forward and slapped Queen Cat across the face.

Only then did Queen Cat snap awake; sensing her body returning to normal, she immediately grabbed her clothes and followed Guan Ya across the courtyard, rushing into the room.

It was finally over... Zhang Yuanqing reluctantly chased the retreating backs of his two female teammates with his eyes.

Ten-odd seconds later, his limbs shifted, fingers and toes emerging distinctly, and he returned to human form.

The curse had receded!

Li Chunfeng by the wall, Lili Yuanshangcao by the courtyard, and Huode Xingjun by the table—all reverted to human forms, stark naked.

Yet their injuries had not healed; they still hovered at death's door.

"Whimper..."

The great cat sensed the change behind it, turned its blood-smeared maw, and beheld Zhang Yuanqing rising to his feet.

It instantly bared its teeth, its snowy fangs stained crimson with blood, dangling strips of flesh.

The great cat abandoned Granny Wang's corpse and lunged forward like a lingering shadow.

Looking at it now, it seemed pathetically weak... Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward, clamping his hand around the cat's throat, while his other hand summoned the Bloodthirsty Blade.

But just as he prepared to drive the Bloodthirsty Blade into the monster cat's skull, he suddenly recalled the Demon Lord's words—if I can resist both beauty and slaughter, perhaps I can trigger a hidden quest...

Beauty he could understand, but what did resisting slaughter mean?

Could one even avoid slaughter in a dungeon like this?

It certainly didn't refer to the slaughter of Lawful and Chaotic alignments; otherwise the Demon Lord wouldn't have survived, couldn't have cleared the Yin-Yang Town mission.

No slaughter... could it mean not killing the monsters within the dungeon?

Zhang Yuanqing hoisted the monster up and slammed it viciously onto the ground.

The monster fell instantly silent, its chest heaving, slipping into a semi-comatose state.

At that moment, Guan Ya and Queen Cat emerged from the room fully dressed; the two glanced at Zhang Yuanqing's naked body before looking away, and Guan Ya strode quickly toward Li Chunfeng.

She crouched beside the dying Li Chunfeng, a syringe now in her hand, filled with a pale golden liquid.

Guan Ya plunged the syringe into Li Chunfeng's jugular, injecting half the golden fluid, then divided the remaining half between Huode Xingjun and the one who ate lotus root.

"Why aren't you saving him?"

Zhang Yuanqing looked toward Lili Yuanshangcao.

The wood-demon youth groaned, opened his eyes, sat up, and said: "I don't need it; I have a recovery skill. Wood demons automatically trigger Revival when near death, once per day."

He twisted his neck, producing cracking sounds: "I revived ages ago; sorry, I was playing dead just now."

At this, Li Chunfeng, Huode Xingjun, and the lotus-root eater all rose to their feet.

“Essence of Life, you actually have Essence of Life. Even diluted, this is a strategic resource of the Five Elements Alliance.” Li Chunfeng said gratefully, “Many thanks, many thanks.”

This woman’s standing in the official ranks was likely not low.

“Close call. Nearly died. So this is an A-rank instance? Just how hard is S-rank?” Huo De Xingjun hadn’t thought that far ahead, cursing under his breath before turning to thank Guan Ya:

“I owe you my life. I’ll repay you.”

Guan Ya swept her gaze over the room full of naked men, smiling faintly, “Aren’t you going to hurry up and get dressed? What’s so glorious about a bunch of caterpillars flapping in the breeze?”

“……”

Once the others had dressed, the Queen let out a soft breath and approached Zhang Yuanqing, whispering:

“Thank you. If you hadn’t broken the curse, I truly dare not imagine what I would have just endured.”

Just don’t develop a psychological shadow toward men… Zhang Yuanqing didn’t claim credit, saying:

“It was Li Chunfeng’s hint.”

Li Chunfeng said, “The medium of the curse was the cat corpses. They formed a curse array. I realized it long ago, but unfortunately, you were all busy dealing with that monster; no one paid attention. By the way, why are you keeping it? Kill it.”

“Keeping it for now. I want to run an experiment.” Zhang Yuanqing scanned the group. “So far, I haven’t received a Lingjing prompt. How about you all?”

His teammates shook their heads one after another.

“Looks like there won’t be a prompt. This kind of instance is the most troublesome.” Zhang Yuanqing sighed.

Guan Ya fished a doll out of her pocket. “We found this in the room just now.”

The doll was woven of straw, crude workmanship, its body bristling with fine needles. A slip of paper was pasted on its front, bearing the words:

“Xu Xiuer”

Xu Xiuer… Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment. “In the first S-rank Lingjing I experienced, the instance information had to be deduced and decrypted by the Walkers themselves. This Yin-Yang Town appears to be the same.

“Fortunately, the information Granny Wang gave is sufficient. Let’s review. But first, I’ll use it for an experiment.”

With that, he hoisted the half-dead large cat and walked toward the room.

What’s he up to? The crowd exchanged bewildered glances and hurried after him.

…