Chapter 160: Powerful Night Wanderer

Chapter 160 The Powerful Night Wanderer

The instant gunshots rang out, the guests in the hall threw their hands over their heads and crouched low, while women screamed, the scene descending into utter chaos.

After Zhang Yuanqing shouted "Leave the casino," the panic-stricken guests and women rushed for the casino doors without a second thought, fleeing the trouble.

Zhang Yuanqing’s crowd-clearing effect was remarkably effective.

They really came, and there’s even a Night Wanderer among them!

Qing Song and Seven Blades felt their hearts tighten. Both the Bewitching Fiend and the Night Wanderer were peak-tier classes; at the same level, setting aside artifacts, the gap in individual combat power between ordinary classes and peak classes was vast.

Three against two. Although they held the numerical advantage, their chances of victory were slim.

Kagura glanced at her teammates and said coolly, "Don't panic. This is our home turf. The trump card I brought from the clan is more than enough to deal with them."

At those words, Qing Song and Seven Blades relaxed visibly, their confidence returning.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing’s gaze swept past the panicked crowd and landed on the gambling table by the window. He recognized Master Wu, with the mole on his cheek, and the three Spirit Realm Walkers at a single glance.

He had to take them down as fast as possible... Zhang Yuanqing swung his muzzle around, aiming at that Musician.

Among the three, the Musician had the poorest physical constitution, leaned toward support, and could launch effective mental attacks targeting spiritual bodies, posing the greatest threat to a Night Wanderer.

Just then, Zhang Yuanqing saw a half-naked woman with a terrified face suddenly pull a dagger from her skirt, her features twisting ferociously as she lunged at him.

Hmm? Though surprised, Zhang Yuanqing’s reaction wasn't slow; a knife-hand strike knocked the attacker unconscious.

But more attackers appeared. A fleeing guest suddenly drew a handgun from his waist and pulled the trigger at Zhang Yuanqing.

A woman in a low-cut evening gown snapped open a folding knife, gripping it with both hands as she crashed into Kou Beiyue.

Further away, several men in shirts grabbed shotguns hidden beneath the slot machines and, without a word, unleashed a hail of bullets at the two intruders.

The sudden turn of events caught Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue off guard, forcing them to halt their charge toward the gambling table and their shooting, dodging the danger emerging from within the crowd.

Kou Beiyue kicked the woman away, then swung her saber, knocking two bullets out of the air. *Ding, ding*—sparks flew as the rounds embedded themselves in the wall and ceiling.

They planted killers among the guests? Zhang Yuanqing dropped low and dove sideways, avoiding the gunfire. He was about to shoot dead those ordinary killers when he noticed their expressions were wrong.

Those twisted, hateful faces, those eyes burning with the desire to flay him and Kou Beiyue alive—it was deeply abnormal...

The Musician? Zhang Yuanqing’s mind rapidly flipped through the Musician class skills, locking onto one—Hypnosis!

The core skill of a Level 3 Musician!

They had hypnotized the casino guests, using ordinary people as pawns, trying to make them hesitate to harm innocents and force them into a passive beating. And if they resisted fiercely, killing ordinary people would deduct Merit Points; of course, the Musician would lose them too—killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred losses to oneself...

Zhang Yuanqing swiftly analyzed the enemy's vicious intent.

Seeing the two intruders disrupted by the pre-arranged scheme, the yellow-haired Kagura revealed a complacent, shallow smile. The short, stocky Seven Blades let out a hey, immediately whipping his arm to hurl a fireball; simultaneously, towering flames erupted over his body.

The scorching fireball landed beside Zhang Yuanqing and suddenly expanded. Seven Blades’ figure leaped from the flames, *pa*—his right fist thrust out like a spear.

On the other side, the fair, androgynous youth with yellow hair pressed a hand to his lips and blew a slow, rhythmic lullaby.

The melody was lingering and gentle, like a mother softly humming a nursery rhyme, bringing an overwhelming drowsiness, a peace originating from the depths of the soul.

Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue’s pupils were slightly dull, caught between waking and sleeping.

The seamless coordination of a Level 3 Musician and a Level 3 Pyromancer instantly plunged Zhang Yuanqing into a desperate situation.

A vicious straight punch pierced Zhang Yuanqing’s chest; his body shattered like a phantom.

It was merely an illusion woven by a Bewitching Art—the Seven Blades had fallen prey to the bewitchment the moment they leaped from the flames.

Zhang Yuanqing’s true body appeared several meters away, a blade in one hand, the other resting on his lower back, pressing the first button on the Cat King Speaker.

He was going to control the field!

The next second, deafening drumbeats erupted from the speaker, reverberating through the hall—dull, heavy, majestic, echoing beat after beat.

The Musician’s Lullaby was instantly suppressed.

The guests who hadn't managed to flee collapsed to the ground one by one, trembling violently, including the hypnotized assassins. As for his teammate Kou Beiyue, and the three Spirit Realm Walkers who were his enemies, they felt only a suffocating tightness in their chests, an inexplicable surge of fear and oppression rising from the depths of their hearts, a desperate urge to flee this place.

Amidst his exclusive background track, Zhang Yuanqing raised his muzzle, pulling the trigger at the Seven Blades several meters away.

On the other side, the Horse-Faced Youth’s face turned ruthless. He raised his palms and slammed them hard against his ears, rupturing his eardrums. The oppressive, terrifying drumbeats vanished instantly; the world fell utterly silent.

The Horse-Faced Youth seized a rattan whip and lashed it viciously at the enemy raising his gun.

Bang! Bang!

The rattan whip struck the enemy’s arm; the muzzle jerked, and the bullets slammed into the wall behind the Seven Blades, leaving two deep, cratered holes.

The Horse-Faced Youth flicked his wrist; the rattan whip hooked a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. With a light swing, he swooped toward Zhang Yuanqing like an ape.

Blue veins throbbed on the Seven Blades’ forehead. Enduring the discomfort caused by the drumbeats, he took a heavy stride forward. Scorching flames erupted from his palm, condensing into a long blade radiating intense heat.

Transmuting Fire into Weapon!

The long blade swept upward from below, slashing at Zhang Yuanqing’s chest and abdomen, denying him any chance to fire.

Zhang Yuanqing sidestepped, avoiding the flaming blade. The searing heat grazed past him, and he smelled the singed scent of his own eyelashes and hair.

"Bang!"

He crossed his arms over his chest, blocking the Horse-Faced Youth’s flying kick, staggering backward.

And at this moment, affected by the Lullaby and the drumbeats, Kou Beiyue reacted a beat too slow, failing to arrive in support.

No way, with *this* level of skill, how do you have the nerve to say you're on par with Li Xianzong? Li Xianzong is way stronger than you... Zhang Yuanqing caught sight of his teammate trapped in mental exhaustion from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but roast him internally.

Over at the gambling table, the Musician changed his hand seal, mimicking a microphone, covering his mouth. A beatbox segment rang out live; dull drumbeats poured from his tightly covered mouth.

He was mimicking the Cat King Speaker’s drumbeats, but unlike the former’s intimidation, the Musician’s drumbeats carried the power to inspire and rally.

The Seven Blades and Qingsong’s breathing suddenly grew rapid, their faces flushed. The two seemed to have taken stimulants; their auras swelled significantly.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The Horse-Faced Youth swung the rattan whip, lashing out again and again, cracking floor tiles, smashing machines, forcing Zhang Yuanqing into a wretched, desperate dodge.

Meanwhile, relying on the Pyromancer’s ferocity, the Seven Blades pressed into close quarters. Fists wreathed in flames struck out heavily, dense as rain, giving the enemy no chance to adjust his state and counterattack.

The two coordinated, one providing support, firmly suppressing the Level 3 Night Wanderer.

Zhang Yuanqing let out a cold huff, tanking a punch from the Fire Master head-on to wrest a fleeting moment of respite, then threw back his head and loosed a long, piercing howl.

A ray of hazy moonlight pierced through the architecture, spilling down to gild him in a thin veil of lunar radiance.

Zhang Yuanqing’s pupils churned with inky darkness, swallowing the whites of his eyes; his temperament shifted, turning noble and eerily sinister.

Howling Moon!

In the same breath, his right hand reached behind him, pressing the second button on the Cat King speaker.

The suona’s wail erupted instantly—shrill, soaring, each note a lament, each note a scream.

Zhang Yuanqing’s frame swelled a full size, muscles knotting into hard ridges, blue veins bursting against his skin.

Night, Howling Moon, and the suona—threefold empowerment drove his aura to a terrifying zenith.

*Crack!*

The Fire Master’s second fist followed close behind, a vicious, insidious hammer blow aimed at the temple. Firelight detonated with a *bang*; blood seeped from Zhang Yuanqing’s seven orifices—a punch sufficient to scatter brains.

Zhang Yuanqing did not budge an inch. He split his lips, revealing a cruel grin.

Seven Blades felt a chill pierce his heart and retreated decisively.

Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward with his right foot, closing the distance with even greater speed. His right hand formed a claw, clamping around Seven Blades’ throat, dragging him a short distance before slamming him down with ruthless force.

*Crunch!*

Seven Blades’ back shattered the floor tiles.

Zhang Yuanqing pinned him with a single knee on the chest, straightened his spine, raised his fist high, and drove it down with brutal force.

Amidst the dull thuds of impact came the sickening crunch of facial bones, nasal cartilage, and shattering teeth; Seven Blades’ legs jerked in a violent spasm.

*Slap, slap, slap…*

Qingsong’s face darkened. His vine whip lashed out again and again, tearing through clothing, ripping open gruesome wounds where flesh split.

But these wounds knitted closed within two seconds.

Witnessing this, the Shen Yue at the gambling table immediately shifted the melody, once more playing a lullaby, attempting to soothe the enemy’s battle lust.

Suddenly, he saw the previously dazed youth crouch low, gripping a saber, advancing silently and swiftly like a tiger on the hunt.

Shen Yue broke off the "performance" instantly, rolling away on the spot.

*Crash!*

The gambling table was smashed to splinters by the savage youth’s kick.

Hearing the *crunch* of splintering wood behind him, Shen Yue broke into a cold sweat. With a Musician’s meager close-quarters ability, facing a same-level Bewitching Demon meant life or death within ten moves.

*Thud, thud, thud…* The dull impacts came one after another. Shen Yue turned at the sound, only to see that frenzied Night Wanderer raining heavy fists upon Seven Blades’ face, smashing shattered skull, pounding out a mess of red and white pulp.

Seven Blades’ legs convulsed, his head a ruin of blood and flesh.

Dead just like that? A Level Three Fire Master, dead just like that? Shen Yue’s face turned ugly, struck by a violent shock. Without hesitation, he fished out the pendant at his chest—a deep blue gemstone, inside which fine electric serpents writhed.

Two fingers pinched lightly. The gemstone detonated with a *bang*.

At this moment, Kou Beiyue had already struck from behind, the military spike thrusting accurately toward the back of the heart.

*Zzt...*

Electric serpents, blinding and fierce, danced in the air, arcing off the military saber, arcing off Kou Beiyue himself. His body stiffened abruptly, every strand of his short hair standing on end.

Kagura whirled around, a lightning whip condensing in her palm, lashing out with all her might.

Crimson runes flared to life in Kou Beiyue’s pupils.

Kagura’s expression fell into a dull stupor.

Kou Beiyue kicked off with both legs, lunging forward to drive the saber home.

Just as the blade was about to pierce the enemy’s chest, Kagura suddenly dissolved into a blinding bolt of lightning, "splitting" toward the distance, reappearing six meters away. The long lightning whip, late but inevitable, cracked down.

Kou Beiyue nimbly threw himself to the side.

*Crackle!*

The lightning whip slammed into the ground with a crisp, explosive report.

Kagura’s body floated upward, hair standing on end, a lightning brand seared between her brows, like a Thunder God descended to the mortal realm.

She swung the whip with cold indifference, forcing Kou Beiyue to roll and leap, dodging in wretched disarray, like a tamer toying with a savage beast that refused to be broken.

"Hmph!" Kagura spoke coldly, "A mere Level 3 Bewitching Fiend, daring to trespass into the dragon’s pool and tiger’s den—who gave you the gall!"

The one-time artifact she had just crushed came from a certain foreign class. That class possessed a singular ability, yet wielded killing arts that struck terror into the hearts of all other classes—Thunder!

At the same time, that singularity was its price. After using the artifact, her skills as a Minstrel could no longer be activated.

This one-time artifact was of the Saint stage, with a duration of fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes—enough to kill two Level 3 Walkers, or hold out until Chiyue An arrived.

She had originally cherished this artifact, thinking to never use it if possible. Who knew this little brat would actually hire a Level 3 Night Wanderer for aid, his strength terrifying beyond measure. In less than three minutes of combat, he had killed seven Sabers.

She then turned her gaze to Zhang Yuanqing, pronouncing with the authority of heaven: "You must die as well."

Kou Beiyue’s face darkened. Though he had never seen such a method of manipulating lightning, that terrifying pressure and formidable lethality left little doubt—this was the power of a Saint.

He had originally thought that with himself, a Bewitching Fiend, plus Yuan Ting the Night Wanderer, flattening the mere Queqiao Tower would be a foregone conclusion.

Who knew the enemy possessed such a trump card.

Failed again. Every operation ends in failure. I am truly cursed... He felt both frustrated and furious, believing fate itself was conspiring against him.

Why does Heaven repeatedly favor the wicked?

Kou Beiyue snapped his gaze toward "Yuan Ting," using his eyes to ask if he should retreat, only to discover to his astonishment that this Night Wanderer of the Taiyi Sect was not the least bit flustered, his face the picture of calm.

"Oh, a trump card is played!" Zhang Yuanqing kicked the corpse at his feet aside, his eyes pitch-black as ink, speaking blandly: "Then I can go all out with peace of mind."

"Just you?" Kagura hovered in mid-air, a cold laugh escaping her lips.

Zhang Yuanqing ignored her. Under the watch of the three, he bit down on the Willow Blade, donned the Thug’s Gauntlets, produced the black-rimmed glasses, took out the Demon-Subduing Pestle and the Straw Doll, summoned the Red Dancing Shoes, and finally, beneath the three dumbstruck gazes, shook open a black Daoist robe embroidered with raging flames and rippling waves.

Is there truly such a wealthy man in this world?!

A walking treasury?

Kou Beiyue stood dumbstruck, while Qingsong and Kagura, witnessing this scene, both felt the urge to curse.

"One minute to finish you is more than enough!"

Zhang Yuanqing flung the Yin-Yang Daoist robe into the air.

The Daoist robe unfurled in midair; the Taiji diagram on its back began to rotate slowly, rippling with translucent streams of water, spewing forth scorching flames. Water and fire balanced each other, forming a massive millstone that covered a radius of thirty meters.

And Zhang Yuanqing’s body vanished along with it.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

Kou Beiyue’s position was terribly unlucky; he happened to be shrouded by the fire array, his hem bursting into raging flames.

He grimaced and slapped them out, his skin rapidly scalding red, blistering up. Even the physique of a Bewitching Demon was like this; the Wood Demon fared even worse, rolling and shrieking miserably in the fierce fire, trying to smash through the window and flee.

Hum!

An invisible wall of air blocked him.

Can't escape? Kagura’s brow arched, his smug mood plummeting, yet he remained unflustered. This one-time artifact gave him ample confidence; as long as he held out for fifteen minutes, Chiyue An would surely arrive.

"Trifling tricks." Kagura looked down upon the Water-Fire Grand Array, speaking coldly.

"Whether they are trifling tricks, you’ll find out soon enough." From within the illusory water streams, a figure condensed from water emerged, a spear in one hand, a saber in the other, black-rimmed glasses still perched on its face.

"This blondie is too arrogant, I'm pissed." From the flames on the other side, a figure composed of fire slowly rose, speaking with violent irritation.

The Fire Avatar wore gauntlets, gripping the Subduing Demon Pestle and a straw effigy.

The Water Avatar ignored the Fire Avatar, gently lifting its palm.

Illusory water streams wrapped around the guests still trapped in the hall, including Master Wu, sweeping them into the water array.

By comparison, water was gentler; the illusory streams wouldn't cause suffocation, ordinary people could survive.

But in the fire array, in mere moments, these people would be burned to cinders.

Once the Water Avatar finished all this, the Fire Avatar impatiently brandished the straw effigy, letting the crudely made, ugly puppet’s face morph into Kagura’s likeness.

The Fire Avatar pinched the effigy’s head between two fingers and squeezed hard.

High in the air, Kagura let out a miserable shriek, his face shrouded in a mass of black qi. His eyes brimmed with endless fury and madness, reason corroded by depravity, reduced to a savage beast ruled by emotion, charging recklessly at the Fire Avatar.

The Water Avatar, borrowing the Seer’s Eye, predicted his trajectory and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang!

The bullets missed. Relying on instinct, Kagura transformed into a bolt of lightning, cleaving toward the Fire Avatar, dodging the bullets from behind while the lightning struck the Fire Avatar.

The figure composed of fire brought its fists together in its palm.

Boom!

Its body was scattered by the lightning, exploding into a shower of dazzling firelight.

Kagura faced the explosion head-on, and as a Musician, lightning did not fortify his physique; he was blasted into critical condition on the spot.

"Bang. Bang."

The Water Avatar fired decisively, laying down a barrage of covering fire.

*Sizzle...* Kagura’s body dissolved into current, causing the bullets to miss once more.

It was a speed Zhang Yuanqing had never witnessed before; even with his mind plunged into chaos, acting purely on instinct, the enemy had still evaded both his shots.

The Red Dancing Shoes’ target was the Horse-Faced Youth. At this moment, she was delivering stomps of exquisite cruelty, driving her heel into him again and again. Qing Song, already burned to the brink of death, saw his screams fade from shrill to weak, clinging to life only by the Wood Demon’s regenerative ability.

"Hey, you son of a bitch Kou Beiyue, got a way to deal heavy damage to this guy?" The Fire Avatar re-coalesced, snapping irritably.

Before Kou Beiyue could reply, the Fire Avatar cursed, "Useless main body, all talk. At this speed, there's no killing him in a minute."

Kou Beiyue said, "Blood. I need his blood."

"Easy enough!"

The Water Avatar stomped a foot down; the Taiji fish on the back of his Yin-Yang Daoist robe spun, the Water-Fire Grand Array shifting positions. Illusory torrents surged in layered waves, enveloping Kagura.

Water is formless, yet possesses substance. Trapped in the water array, there was no dodging; speed mattered not.

The Water Avatar snapped his fingers. A streak of illusory water washed over Kagura’s body, stripping away the blood seared by flames.

Guided by the Water Avatar, the blood drifted toward Kou Beiyue.

Kou Beiyue extended a palm to receive it, his other hand pulling a bronze statuette from his inventory—hideous of visage, gripping a short blade.

He smeared the blood onto the statuette, set it upon the ground, dropped to his knees, and kowtowed heavily.

The bronze statuette’s eyes flared with a bloody light; the miniature blade chopped down.

Far away, Kagura let out a sudden, miserable shriek. His chest burst into a mist of blood, a terrifying, bone-deep wound cleaving open.

That single strike had crippled him entirely.

Seizing the opening, the Water Avatar fired without hesitation. Bullets sank into Kagura’s body one by one, punching gaping holes.

Kagura’s body crashed down, the lightning rune on his forehead extinguishing.

He was dead.

The Water Avatar turned to the Fire Avatar, voice cold as ice:

"Idiot. Don't just watch the show. That Wood Demon isn't dead yet."

"Oh, right!" The Fire Avatar snapped to attention, summoning the Xuanhe Flame Blade. He strode forward, decapitating the Horse-Faced Youth with a single slash.

The neck wound was charred black, not a single drop of blood spilled.

Seeing this, the Water and Fire Avatars dissipated without a backward glance, the illusory water and scorching flames returning to the Daoist robe.

Zhang Yuanqing’s form manifested, catching the robe, stowing the artifacts—save for the Red Dancing Shoes—back into his inventory one by one.

"D-done... it's over..."

Kou Beiyue, covered head to toe in burns, stared blankly at Zhang Yuanqing.

Too strong, absurdly so—just which Taiyi Sect elder’s scion is this Yuan Ting?

What ordinary Spirit Realm Walker possesses such staggering wealth?

"Don't waste time. Bring Master Wu here." Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a long, turbid breath; the rage pent up in his chest all night finally found a sliver of release.

"And you?" Kou Beiyue countered.

"Cut the crap!" Zhang Yuanqing glared at him.

I haven't the time—I still have to suffer through a dance-off... he mocked himself inwardly.

"Right, right..."

Kou Beiyue’s gaze swept over the unconscious crowd, accurately pinpointing Master Wu.

He strode over in great strides.

Right then, layers upon layers of flame surged in from the window, shattering the glass; the firelight exploded with a bang, coalescing into a man in a white suit.

Chi Yue'an has arrived!

Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue’s faces darkened, their eyes flashing with nothing but killing intent and fury.

...