Chapter 247: Leaderboard Changes

Chapter 247: Leaderboard Changes

Through the lush shrubbery, Zhang Yuanqing saw, twenty-odd meters ahead, two groups of people in a standoff.

One group consisted of a young man and woman, plus a humanoid monster.

The young man wore a tank top, his figure tall and sturdy, a sharp dagger in hand; the woman's features were bewitching, her fingertips pinching a small, exquisite brass mirror.

As for that monster, its body was covered in black chitin, knees bent backward, two antennae on its forehead, and elytra unique to insects on its back.

Resembling an upright-walking cockroach-man.

At this moment, it stared at the opposing girl with a face full of lecherous smiles, saying:

"The Gu I fused has a powerful reproductive urge. This island nation's little lass is truly handsome. I believe in a moment, it will be an ultimate enjoyment."

The dagger-wielding youth, pupils dark red, spoke coldly:

"I think slicing off her pretty head would be the ultimate enjoyment."

The girl pinned by those two gazes—one lustful, one bloodthirsty—wore a JK uniform: sailor-collared white blouse, black plaid miniskirt, black plaid necktie, square-toed leather shoes, black over-knee socks.

Behind her, two young men leaned against tree trunks, faces cyan, lips pale.

What is this, high school girl uniform temptation... Zhang Yuanqing looked this island nation girl up and down repeatedly, yet paid little mind to her beautiful, pure face.

Asano Ryo gripped her island nation katana with both hands, pursing her lips. Her sword-holding hand was steady as Mount Tai, like a seasoned swordsman, but her taut expression betrayed her inner tension.

The blade in Asano Ryo's hand came from the contemporary master swordsmith of the island nation, Fujiwara Shinichi.

The blade's name: Hakuaku. Blade length 71cm. The steel bore natural ice-crystal patterns. Abilities: "Armor Break," "Frost." Any struck by this blade would have cold qi enter their body, blood coagulate—mildly causing sluggish movement, severely freezing to death.

Legend says when this blade was born, all things within dozens of meters were frozen solid.

Its forge-master, the Saint-realm scholar Fujiwara Shinichi, sighed that Hakuaku was among his most satisfying works in recent years, possessing Transcendent-realm peak quality.

Then he turned around and sold it for five hundred million island nation coins to Asano Ryo's father.

For the island nation, with its scarce Spirit Realm Walkers, a Transcendent-peak divine blade was indeed an invincible god-weapon.

But at this moment, such a divine weapon could not give Asano Ryo the slightest sense of security.

Her two companions behind her had carelessly triggered the opposing Gu-master's trap, poisoned by Gu toxins, unable to fight for a short time. Asano Ryo, one of the zaibatsu heirs, suppressed the toxins in her body thanks to her artifacts.

But precisely because of this, she had no choice but to face three people alone.

Before entering the Killing Instance, Asano Ryo's elders had warned her a thousand times: mainland Spirit Realm Walkers were numerous—official, rogue cultivators, evil organizations, a mixed bag. The Killing Instance difficulty was Hell Mode.

Asano Ryo, outstanding among her peers, entered the Killing Instance with a cautious, vigilant mindset, never careless. But she never imagined that barely an hour into the instance, she would face a life-or-death crisis.

Worse still, island nation Spirit Realm Walkers were few; she could hardly obtain aid.

Six people, thirteen and a half points total... Zhang Yuanqing held his position, continuing to observe, while silently summoning Blood Rose, having her approach this way.

After a dozen seconds of stalemate, the woman holding the copper mirror seemed to seize an opportunity, suddenly raising the mirror to shine upon Asano Ryo.

Simultaneously, the cockroach-man and the dark-pupiled youth attacked from left and right, pincering the foreign girl.

Asano Ryo's pupils instantly glazed over. She stood frozen in place, fallen into an illusion.

From her skirt pocket drifted two exquisitely cut paper hounds.

Tss~

The two paper hounds self-ignited; the spreading cyan smoke billowed, transmuting into two massive dogs two meters in length, lunging with bared fangs and dancing claws at the enemies attacking from left and right.

Shikigami!

An ancient art passed down in the island nation, a method for commanding spirits; lost since the modern era, until the emergence of Spirit Realm Walkers, until the Night Wanderers appeared in the island nation, only then was this sorcery redeveloped.

The two canine spirits were of too low a rank; they merely stalled the enemy for a moment before dissolving into a gloomy wind.

But that brief, fierce skirmish was precisely the condition to break the illusion. Asano Ryo’s dull pupils regained their luster; she spun on her heel without hesitation, abandoning her two companions, and fled in the opposite direction.

At the sight, the elytra on the Cockroach Man’s back split open; internal membranous wings, fully two men tall, unfurled. With a buzz, a gale rose, and he launched skyward, giving chase to the island nation girl.

Meanwhile, the bewitching woman and the youth seemed to cede the prey to him. They approached the two young men leaning against the tree, each selecting a target, striking to finish them off, gaining three points.

The dense trees formed a barrier, unfavorable for flight, yet the Cockroach Man, relying on keen speed, wove and drifted between the trunks. Within a dozen breaths, he had caught his quarry.

Asano Ryo, sprinting wildly, suddenly slammed on the brakes; her little skirt, driven by inertia, flared violently, like a lovely lotus leaf.

She executed a "Returning Horse Spear," thrusting the Ice Soul backward behind her.

Her timing was exquisitely precise—just as the enemy was nearly upon her, she delivered a vicious counter-thrust.

At that moment, the Witch-Guu Master was like a motorcycle speeding at full throttle; faced with a sudden obstacle, evasion was utterly impossible.

The blade, etched with frost-crystal patterns, cleanly pierced the enemy.

But in the next instant, the Cockroach Man shattered like a phantom.

Merely a decoy woven from illusion.

*Buzz! Buzz!*

The sound of beating wings came from above, accompanied by a gale rivaling helicopter rotors.

A black shadow plummeted from the heavens; pitch-black bone claws stabbed toward the girl’s back.

A savage, ferocious light flickered in the Cockroach Man’s eyes.

To him, half-dead or cold in death—both could vent his desire; he would not stay his hand merely because he lusted after the girl’s body.

*Splash~*

The claws successfully pierced the girl’s back, yet stirred only clear flowing water. Half of Asano Ryo’s body turned to water, rendering her immune to physical damage.

A Water Ghost.

Having tanked the killing blow passively, Asano Ryo shifted her footwork, darting several steps to the left to create distance. Then, a flash of resolve crossed her eyes; she swung her blade, cleaving at a small arbor at her side.

*Crack~* The bucket-thick arbor snapped instantly, toppling slowly with no small commotion.

Asano Ryo’s willow brows shot up; she cried out in a clear, sharp voice:

"If we die, we die together!"

As her words fell, within the impenetrable primeval forest, a violent gale suddenly howled.

Dense, tangled branches danced in the gale, like tree demons baring fangs and brandishing claws; the surrounding trees seemed to have come alive.

No, they had truly come alive.

Behind Asano Ryo, a towering arbor slowly pushed a human face from its trunk. The face opened its eyes, its eyeballs rolling with a *gululu* sound, fixing a grim stare on Asano Ryo, muttering:

"Eat you, eat you~"

At the same time, human faces emerged one after another from the surrounding trunks—twelve faces in total. They stared at the four living people present, emitting a neat, synchronized murmur:

"Eat you all, eat you all~"

*Crack!*

A vine sprouting green leaves lashed down at Asano Ryo’s crown, only to be severed by a single stroke of her blade.

The fair web of Asano Ryo’s thumb and forefinger instantly split open, blood flowing freely.

More vines, like whips, like tentacles, lashed down from all directions; simultaneously, thick roots burst through the soft, rotting soil, coiling toward the four living souls.

In an instant, the lush, verdant primeval forest transformed into a forbidden zone brimming with lethal intent at every step.

The four Spirit Realm Walkers tumbled to dodge the lashes at one moment, leaped to evade the entanglements the next—harried, perilous at every turn. And whenever they showed signs of breaking the encirclement, they suffered a frenzied counterattack from the tree demons.

Asano Ryo had it easiest; the Water Ghost’s passive skill shouldered part of the burden for her.

Alas, the Water Ghost was merely at the Supernatural tier; it could only turn parts of its body to "water," so it could only share the pressure, not allow her to use it to blast out of the tree demons' siege.

Using the "Precautions" to perish together with the enemy? Clever, but how was she so certain these tree demons would attack everyone present indiscriminately? She must have experimented before, or suffered a similar ordeal…

Watching from afar, Zhang Yuanqing still did not act, waiting silently.

*Smack!*

The frailest of them, the bewitching woman, caught a vine on her shoulder in a moment of carelessness; her clothes tore instantly, flesh laid bare.

Her body faltered, and she stumbled forward in a panic.

An opening!

Zhang Yuanqing finally seized the moment. Invisible, he surged forward, reaching the bewitching woman’s side, summoning the Bursting Pistol and squeezing the trigger.

Roots erupting from the earth and vines lashing from every direction masked the telltale shaking of bushes and other unavoidable noises caused by Zhang Yuanqing’s movements.

*Bang bang bang…*

The woman looked as if struck by a heavy club from above; her head snapped back slightly, her hair flying up.

The bullet blew off her skull, spraying red and white matter in all directions.

【Ding! You have killed an Illusionist, gaining 6 points.】

On the other side, a surging tide of Yin energy flooded before the Cockroach Man. The two antennae on his forehead twitched, as if receiving some signal.

Immediately after, he saw a female ghost clad in a magnificent bridal gown, veiled by a "Double Happiness" bridal headdress, walking slowly from within Yin energy thick as black mist.

The instant the bridal ghost’s reflection hit his eyes, a chill crawled up the Cockroach Man’s spine—not a psychological chill, but a substantive, physical cold. Right then, he discovered he had lost dominion over his own body; his limbs stiffened, no longer his own.

His right hand slowly rose, fingers pressed together, lifting to his temple, like a military salute.

Only a Night Wanderer could see the bridal-robed female ghost clinging to his back, her pale, delicate fingers clamped tight around his wrist.

In the next second, five fingers tipped with razor-sharp claws drove viciously into his temple.

The Cockroach Man’s amber vertical pupils dilated instantly, then glazed over; his body crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud.

[Ding! You have slain a Witchcraft Master. Gained 3 Points.]

Having eliminated the illusionist with the weakest constitution, Zhang Yuanqing summoned the Red Dancing Shoes, activating their second form. Dim crimson light intertwined and danced, wrapping around his feet.

*Tap tap tap...* Amidst the sky-covering, earth-blanketing lashes, he weaved and darted as if through an uninhabited realm, sprinting toward the dagger-wielding youth.

Watching his two companions die without the slightest power to resist, the youth clicked his tongue. He knew this was a case of the snipe and the clam grappling, only for the fisherman to profit; the urge to retreat sprouted instantly in his heart.

A bloody light flared in his eyes, manifesting two twisted, bizarre runes.

The pursuing enemy’s expression froze into dullness in an instant.

Idiot, just wait to be whipped to death by the vines... The youth leaped up, dodging the entangling tree roots, then sidestepped a vine’s lash, fleeing toward the outside of the encirclement.

*Tap tap tap...*

Yet the footsteps behind him did not cease.

The youth froze, unable to resist twisting his head back. His eyes bulged round, as if he had seen a ghost.

That despicable ambusher had clearly been hit by the Bewitchment, his face slack and dull, yet his agility remained undiminished. He avoided the attacks of vines and tree roots with graceful, beautiful posture.

This... Seeing the distance between them closing, the youth could only suppress the bewilderment in his heart and the annoyed "Holy shit," immediately accelerating to rush to the edge of this dangerous zone.

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, followed by a total loss of bodily control. His limbs refused to obey, leaving him standing rigidly in place.

I've been possessed... The youth instantly realized his predicament.

He gathered his spirit, condensed his will, attempting to expel the possessing spirit and reclaim dominion over his body... *Crack.* A vine whipped over, striking the back of his head, splitting the scalp open; fresh blood dripped down along his hair.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!*

More and more vines lashed the youth’s chest, back, waist, and head, whipping him into a bloodied man.

Zhang Yuanqing’s spirit returned to its vessel. He raised the muzzle and, before the youth could die, put a bullet through the back of his skull, ending his life.

[Ding! You have slain a Bewitching Yaoguai. Gained 6 Points.]

Not far away, Asano Ryo, witnessing this scene, stood dumbstruck, nearly forgetting to dodge the vines' attacks.

Three Evil-class professionals, dead just like that? The whole process took less than a minute? Who is he? Taichi Gate’s Zhao Cheng Huang? Or the recently risen Yuan Shi Tian Zun of the Five Elements Alliance?

Or perhaps, some other young expert from Taichi Gate?

Asano Ryo’s heart pounded wildly, shock and fear intertwined.

Not bad. A sudden increase of 15 points. It seems the correct way for Lawful classes to farm points is to let Evil classes kill their own camp’s Walkers first, then jump out to "eliminate traitors and purge evil"... Zhang Yuanqing swung the muzzle around, aiming at a nearby Tree Yaoguai and squeezing the trigger.

The bullet blasted a deep crater in the trunk, blowing that hideous face to bits.

Crimson blood flowed from within the trunk. That face’s expression froze, losing its spirituality, becoming no different from a common wood carving. But soon, another human face bulged out from the other side of the trunk, roaring in fury:

"Eat you, eat you~"

Vines and tree trunks lunged toward Zhang Yuanqing.

It seemed the only way to deal with the wood yaos was to chop the trees down or burn them... Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing abandoned the idea of continuing to shoot, but he didn't summon the Yin-Yang Robe to incinerate the tree yaos either.

He had no intention of killing these tree yaos for points.

This instance was strange; contradictory prompts had appeared. The signboard warned against using fire and blades, yet the mountaineer had hinted at setting the mountain ablaze.

Based on his experience, this should be a faction choice.

Burn the mountain, and that was the Mountaineer's faction.

Abide by the precautions, and that was choosing this great mountain.

According to the Spirit Realm's introduction, choosing the Lost City—that is, the Mountaineer faction—should be the wise move, but Zhang Yuanqing felt he shouldn't be picking a faction this early.

So he'd rather forfeit the points.

With his strength, there was no need to risk himself for points; let the evil classes do that, and he'd reap the harvest later.

Once he figured it out, Zhang Yuanqing projected his spirit body again. Simultaneously, he issued a command for the Red Dancing Shoes to rush his physical body out of the tree yao encirclement, while his spirit body drifted toward the several corpses, stripping away the lingering soul remnants from the flesh, wrapping them in Ultimate Yin power, and carrying them out of this dangerous zone.

"Save me, save me, please don't go, save me..."

Asakusa No's pure, delicate face was etched with anxiety, her eyes brimming with pleading.

As an islander, the proper way for you to beg for help isn't to bow and say: Arigato, gomennasai... Zhang Yuanqing's spirit body glanced at her, drifting away unhurriedly.

He'd wait for this girl to die, then come back and collect the remnant soul.

He soon found his physical body in the distance. His spirit returned to its vessel. After dancing a dance with the Red Dancing Shoes, Zhang Yuanqing opened the leaderboard.

[1: A Yi, Witchcraft Gu Master, Level 3, 89 Points]

[2: Zhao Chenghuang, Night Wanderer, Level 3, 80 Points]

[3: Wei Wo Du Zun, Water Ghost, Level 3, 75 Points]

[4: Sun Miaomiao, Night Wanderer, Level 3, 73 Points]

[5: Jiu Lou Yu: Scout, Level 3, 68 Points]

[6: Jiang Jingwei, Fire Master, Level 3, 60 Points]

[7: Wo Ming You Wo Bu You Tian, Illusionist, Level 3, 55 Points]

[8: Yuan Ting, Night Wanderer, Level 3, 50 Points]

[9: Tian Xia Jie Bai, Gu Huo Zhi Yao, Level 3, 44 Points]

[10: Bai Hu Wan Sui, Scout, Level 3, 40 Points]

"These guys, if there really is a faction choice, they've damn well all picked the Lost City faction. Not killing tree yaos, just killing people... there's no way they could rack up scores this high."

Zhang Yuanqing checked the subsequent list, finding his own ranking.

[22: Yuan Shi Tian Zun, Night Wanderer, Level 3, 20 Points]

He habitually glanced at Guan Ya's ranking:

【70: Guan Ya, Scout, Level 3, 6 Points】

As long as she’s alive, that’s what matters. No idea where she is, though. Sigh. Hope we find her soon… Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, then suddenly noticed the entry below Guan Ya:

【71: Tianxia Guihuo, Pyromancer, Level 3, 5 Points】

"This guy…"

Without a doubt, Tianxia Guihuo had most likely uncovered some clue; otherwise, with his strength, there was no way he’d only be ranked 71st.

"I only spotted the contradiction through talking to the mountaineers. Who knows what method Tianxia Guihuo used. Zhao Chenghuang has a fiercely competitive streak—if his goal is to surpass Ah Yi, he wouldn't bother worrying about such things. Sun Miaomiao and Yuan Ting are the same… As for Jingwei, she probably didn't think that far ahead. Hmph. I need to find her as soon as possible, too…"

"As for Evil classes, they likely don't care about faction alignment. Even if they sensed a contradiction, they wouldn't give a damn. Just farm the points. Points are all that matter…"

Zhang Yuanqing mused silently, eyes closing as he quietly devoured the five souls within him.

He wanted to see what intelligence these people had gathered inside the instance, especially the *Precautions*.

By his estimation, assembling all the *Precautions* should allow him to deduce something from them—perhaps even grope his way toward the outer layer's main questline and figure out if there truly were two distinct factions.

Five remnant souls melted into pure soul force, surging into his sea of consciousness like a flash flood, scouring Zhang Yuanqing’s very will.

Fragments of memory flashed by like a revolving lantern.

Zhang Yuanqing’s face drained white. He felt the tearing agony of his soul. His self-identity as "Zhang Yuanqing" wavered beneath the scouring of memories that did not belong to him.

…