Chapter 248: Prelude

Chapter 248: Prelude

Zhang Yuanqing pressed his hand against his throbbing forehead, reining in his swirling emotions. Through a series of deep breaths, he resisted the wash of chaotic, discordant wills crashing against his mind. In the process, his facial expressions inevitably contorted, shifting rapidly through joy, anger, sorrow, and delight.

A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and silently exhaled a breath.

"I’ve pretty much figured out my current limit..."

For Spirit Realm walkers of the same stage with an experience value below fifty percent, his limit for a single sitting was devouring five individuals, with an absolute maximum limit of ten.

Exceeding ten would inevitably cause his psyche to collapse and splinter, giving rise to a second personality or a drastic alteration of his disposition, rendering him unrecognizable to himself.

It was worth noting that these five dead ghosts had boosted Zhang Yuanqing's experience by six percent. The Illusionist accounted for two percent, while the other four contributed one percent each.

"My current experience is at sixty-four percent. If I had the Demon-Subduing Pestle, I could devour indefinitely. Given the law that the higher the experience value, the slower the progress, I would probably need to devour the spiritual bodies of eighty more competitors to push my experience above ninety percent... But the total number of participants in this instance is only one hundred and eighty-three. Achieving that would be harder than breaking the Female Marshal’s record..."

Zhang Yuanqing cast aside the thought of farming experience and began to extract and synthesize the information gleaned from the remnant souls.

Most of the warnings they possessed were repetitive, but Zhang Yuanqing still managed to unearth three new pieces of advice.

The Illusionist:

[4: The forest is perilous; please do not consume vibrantly colored fungi and fruits.]

The Bewitching Demon:

[5: During long journeys, if you feel unwell, you may pluck wild fruits to satisfy your hunger.]

The Fire Mage:

[4: After dark, beware of the mountain ghosts.]

"Now even the warnings on the signboards are contradicting themselves... The outer region doesn't seem quite that simple. Though nearly two hours have passed, I hasn't encountered any major danger..."

"Beware of mountain ghosts after dark. The outer region must be traversed within five hours, by which time night won't have fallen yet. Logically speaking, this particular warning should have appeared on the signboards leading to the central zone..."

Zhang Yuanqing fell into deep thought.

Based on the available information, he formulated the following deductions regarding the mechanics of the outer region:

First, the warnings on the signboards belonged to hidden quests; one could choose to investigate them, but it was not mandatory.

Second, the warnings on the signboards related to the mechanics of the central forest. Deciphering the mysteries within these warnings would grant a certain advantage upon entering the central forest.

"That island nation schoolgirl should be dead by now. I’ll go collect her remnant soul and see what her warnings were."

Zhang Yuanqing brushed aside the vines hanging before his eyes and retraced his steps.

He threaded through the dense, towering trees, circumvented thickets of shrubbery, and stepped over the soft, rotting soil as he returned to the "battlefield."

To his surprise, the young girl was not yet dead. Though she was bloodied from the lashing vines, her back webbed with lacerations of split skin and torn flesh, she had tenaciously shielded her vital organs, barely clinging to life amidst the dense barrage of strikes.

Zhang Yuanqing’s gaze swept over the girl’s body. The vines had shredded her clothes, exposing large swathes of fair skin across her back, and the straps of her undergarments had also been torn apart.

Just as Zhang Yuanqing was considering whether to possess a spiritual body to finish her off or simply wait for her to exhaust her strength and die under the siege of the tree demons, the girl spotted him. Rolling to evade a striking vine, she turned her head and cried out for help.

"Save me, please save me."

Her eyes lit up, her face flushing with joy, under the assumption that this Night Walker from the mainland had come to rescue her.

Zhang Yuanqing stood beside the tree, playing the role of Fu Qingyang, his expression cold:

"Why should I save you?"

Apart from Annie and Mr. Bill, he had never met any other foreign Walkers, so he didn't mind striking up a conversation to gather intelligence.

Upon hearing this, Asano Ryo visibly froze for a moment:

"We're both Lawful alignment, allies of justice. Isn't helping each other only natural?"

What the hell, allies of justice? Who told you Lawful equals justice? Are you too naive, or do you think I'm too naive... Zhang Yuanqing drew his Burst Pistol:

"Wrong answer. Prepare to meet death!"

Asano Ryo stared blankly, seemingly not expecting that her perfectly normal answer would yield such a result. Lawful alignment means mutual aid, means allies of justice, right?

This was the education she'd received since childhood, the environment she'd grown up in, the concepts instilled in her.

A few seconds later, she reacted, her delicate face flushing red, her fine brows furrowing:

"I understand now. You're a Fallen One, an evil Fallen One! Go ahead and shoot. I'll never seek your help again. When I die, righteous people will avenge me.

"Entering a Killing Instance, I've long since made peace with shattering like jade."

What is she talking about... Zhang Yuanqing had originally intended to use the opportunity to coerce her, extort benefits, probe for intelligence, extract the bulletin board information, and so on. He never expected that beneath the pure and beautiful exterior of this female high school student beat a heart of unyielding steel, preferring death to submission.

Then I'll forcibly extract the information!

Zhang Yuanqing maintained his aiming stance, watching the girl driven to desperation by vines and branches, and asked:

"I can save you, but you must answer a few questions... What is your name!"

If the island nation girl still maintained her chaste martyr act, Zhang Yuanqing wouldn't shoot, but he would stand by and watch her die.

Although he had shown no mercy when killing three Evil professionals, acting decisively, killing a Lawful professional gave Zhang Yuanqing psychological barriers.

Because among Lawful professionals, good people were still the majority.

Killing a bad person caused at most discomfort, no overwhelming guilt. But mistakenly killing a good person—any normal person with a conscience would carry a knot in their heart, unable to cross that moral hurdle.

"My name is Asano Ryo!"

The girl called out quite cooperatively.

Hey hey, where's your backbone as an ally of justice... Zhang Yuanqing asked:

"State the precautions you know, the ones on the bulletin board."

The girl didn't hesitate, once again following her heart's will, answering quite cooperatively:

"One: Do not bring fire sources, knives, or dangerous items up the mountain. Two: Do not make loud noises in the mountains... Four: Beware of animals, especially monkeys. Five: If you encounter a mountain ghost, you can seek help from monkeys."

Beware of animals, but if you encounter a mountain ghost, seek help from monkeys? This precaution is interesting... Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a few seconds, then asked:

"Did you cut down a tree earlier?"

"It wasn't me who cut it. It was my companion. He accidentally cut a tree, and several tree demons appeared around us. Fortunately there weren't many at the time, so we escaped." Asano Ryo glanced toward the two corpses in the distance and said:

"They were companions I met after entering the instance. Mainlanders. When they heard I was from the island nation, they were very enthusiastic, saying we should all help each other, that they were all allies of justice."

They're all just lusting after your body, aren't they... Zhang Yuanqing groused inwardly.

Through their back-and-forth questioning, he gained a preliminary understanding of Asano Ryo's family background.

Asano Ryo hailed from the Asano clan, an island nation zaibatsu; the Asano clan counted as half a Spirit Realm aristocratic family—every generation or two, a few Spirit Realm Walkers would emerge.

Asano Ryo was one of only three Spirit Realm Walkers in this generation; her master was the vice-captain of the island nation's official Spirit Realm Walker organization, the Chidori Group, a Level 5 Saint.

Due to her outstanding talent and this connection, she was highly valued by the clan elders and exceptionally promoted as one of the Asano clan's heirs.

Worth mentioning, the power backing the Asano clan was the overseas "Divine Punishment" organization, the world's strongest Lawful-aligned faction.

Additionally, Zhang Yuanqing figured out the structure of the island nation's Spirit Realm Walkers—the island nation had no rogue cultivators.

On one hand, the number of Spirit Realm Walkers was truly scarce, innate conditions insufficient; on the other, the land area was small, population dense, and the zaibatsu's grip on society strong enough that any rogue cultivator appearing would be immediately discovered and absorbed into an organization.

Therefore, the island nation had only one government-affiliated organization—the Chidori Group.

And a scattering of half-Spirit Realm aristocratic families.

Indeed, no sizable organization had formed; compared to the Five Elements Alliance, let alone the three great evil organizations, the Chidori Group was merely a small club... Zhang Yuanqing had the measure of it now.

Crack!

A vine whipped Asano Ryo's lower abdomen; she groaned dully, clutching her stomach, face deathly pale, and said weakly:

"Pl-please, keep your promise!"

Already exhausted to the point of being unable to use her passive? Zhang Yuanqing raised a brow, leaned against the tree trunk, activated Night Roam, and his spirit body commanded the Bloodthirsty Blade to shoot out with a howl.

"Pfft pfft pfft~"

The snow-bright willow blades traced sinuous silver threads, severing the vines and tree roots lashing toward Asano Ryo, carving out an escape route for her.

Seeing this, Asano Ryo suppressed her pain and weakness, unleashing potential born of desperation, and under the cover of the Bloodthirsty Blade, successfully broke free of the tree demon's encirclement.

"Thud~"

She fell heavily onto the tree base covered in rotting leaves, gasping in great gulps.

Her clothes were already tattered, revealing her pale little belly and delicate navel, but the crisscrossing wounds tearing flesh laid bare turned what should have been a scene full of seductive allure into something rather miserable.

Asano Ryo's chest heaved violently, her heart hammering under overload, her body greedily gulping oxygen; she no longer had the strength to spare for the exposure of her charms.

Only when her breathing had initially steadied did she remember she was, after all, a fairly famous beautiful young woman, whose looks and body held a fatal attraction for young men.

She abruptly held her breath, pressed a hand to her chest, and warily scanned her surroundings.

At that moment, a garment floated over, landing on her face.

Moments later, movement stirred in the nearby bushes, and that Night Roamer—plain of feature but possessing a cold, lofty bearing—walked out.

"Put on your clothes, come with me!"

Zhang Yuanqing said coldly.

"Y-you... what else do you want..." Asano Ryo realized she had been captured; this mainland Night Roamer had no intention of letting her go.

Zhang Yuanqing's tone was cold:

"You're a beautiful girl, and beautiful girls always get discounts, special treatment. I won't hurt you."

Just as Asano Ryo let out a breath of relief, she heard him add:

"From now on, you are my jungle guide dog!

What guide dog? Clearly just cannon fodder... Asano Ryo's face froze.

...

Crimson blood trickled down the tree trunks, seeping into the black soil, the scent of blood permeating the windless depths of the jungle.

The battle had just ended; a group of men sat sprawled on the ground, panting heavily, recovering their strength.

"So killing these tree demons can trigger the Berserk ability too."

"Yeah, this wave netted us 10 points. Not a bad haul."

"Three hours left on the time limit. No rush to head to the forest's center, right? Let's hunt more tree demons and mountain monkeys, rack up enough points."

"We can kill those Order-class guys too. By the way, Banwu Jinji, I know there's a Monkey King in the outer layer. Let's hunt it together. With Ah Yi and you, plus us, that's twelve people total. We could even kill a Saint."

Several rough men chattered on incessantly, simultaneously turning their gazes toward the two standing leaders.

Banwu Jinji, the Bewitching Demon, approximately twenty-six years old, possessed regular features and sharp brow peaks; a fierce aura rushed at one's face, yet his attire clashed utterly with that ferocity.

A black T-shirt, floral boxers, flip-flops.

He looked less like he was here for a perilous adventure and more like he was on vacation.

Ah Yi, by contrast, cut the figure of a handsome youth, his gaze hollow, exuding indifference, like a robot—or perhaps... a beast devoid of emotion.

The two groups had joined forces an hour ago; after a brief consultation, they devised a plan to hunt tree demons for points, continuing until now.

Everyone's score had risen by at least 10 points; the harvest was bountiful.

"Banwu Jinji, what are you spacing out for?"

Seeing Banwu Jinji remain silent, a burly man asked with dissatisfaction.

"I'm watching Yuan Shi Tian Zun's score." Banwu Jinji, lost in his daze, replied.

At those words, everyone's hearts skipped a beat; they hurriedly opened the leaderboard.

Then they collectively breathed a sigh of relief:

"Hah, thought Yuan Shi Tian Zun's score had suddenly skyrocketed, shooting to rank one."

"Still just 20 points, huh? Even dropped a spot, down to 23rd."

"Our Ah Yi's already at 100 points. This Yuan Shi Tian Zun—is his reputation empty? Didn't the Five Elements Alliance hype him as a genius at clearing instances?"

"Hahaha, heard Elder Thousand-Face singing his praises to the heavens at the Summit. Thought the kid was something else. Turns out, throw him into a slaughter instance, and his true caliber shows immediately."

"Mule or horse, you've got to take it out for a run to know."

The crowd roared with laughter.

Banwu Jinji frowned:

"So, you think Yuanshi Tianzun’s low ranking is justified? You think his battle record is just hot air? Can a record made of hot air beat Zhao Chenghuang?"

A string of questions brought the crowd's laughter to a screeching halt.

They wiped the smiles from their faces, staring at Bai Wu Jinji in stunned silence.

...

Deep in the forest, a youth carrying twin blades walked alone.

His gaze fixed on the void before him, his focus slightly unfocused—he was checking the leaderboard.

"Something’s off. Yuanshi Tianzun’s ranking can’t be this low. Did he run into trouble, or is he deliberately not collecting points?"

This was who knew how many times Jiu Lou Yu had opened the leaderboard.

At first, he hadn't paid Yuanshi Tianzun any mind, but as time passed, and he discovered collecting points wasn't difficult, he was shocked to find Yuanshi Tianzun’s ranking had barely budged.

Ten-odd minutes ago, it had spiked once, but that was it.

It was a highly irrational situation.

"Just what is this guy plotting?"

...

In a relatively open mountain hollow, Sun Miaomiao, the Maoshan Sorcerer, and Yuan Ting stood on moss-covered green rocks, looking down at the battle in the hollow.

Behind them stood their Yin Corpses.

Surging water flooded the hollow, forming a small lake.

On a rock protruding from the water sat Zhao Chenghuang, his face hideous after his ghostly transformation. White frost spread from the soles of his feet, forming a sheet of thin ice at the rock's edge.

His opponent lurked beneath the water.

—The number one on the Loose Cultivator Rankings, "Wei Wo Du Zun."

Sun Miaomiao frowned. "That artifact of his is indeed extraordinary. He can create a home field for a Water Ghost anytime, anywhere. Ranking first isn't an empty reputation."

The Maoshan Sorcerer beside him smiled.

"But water cannot affect spirit bodies. With a sufficiently powerful Spirit Servant, one can counter him. Zhao Chenghuang should be able to kill him."

Before entering the dungeon, the Night Parade Gods of the Taiyi Sect had swapped Spirit Servants, then quickly gathered together using the telepathic link between servant and master.

Minutes ago, they had encountered the lone wolf "Wei Wo Du Zun." That guy was arrogance incarnate, actually thinking he could hunt down four Night Parade Gods single-handedly.

Zhao Chenghuang was delighted at the sight of prey. He sent Sun Miaomiao and the other two away, choosing to face the enemy alone.

Seeing that victory wouldn't be decided quickly, Sun Miaomiao looked at the distracted Yuan Ting and complained,

"Yuan Ting, this is a Slaughter Dungeon, you know? You're always spacing out. Did the training camp fry your brain?"

Yuan Ting looked pained.

"Where is Yuanshi Tianzun? Where is Yuanshi Tianzun..."

The Maoshan Sorcerer and Sun Miaomiao exchanged a glance, lowering their voices:

"This guy's gone completely mad."

"Sigh, after all, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable owes him a blood debt!" Sun Miaomiao finished speaking, her brows furrowing:

"But then again, why is the Primordial Heavenly Venerable's score so low?"

The Maoshan Sorcerer shook his head: "Perhaps he's run into some trouble."

His tone carried a distinct note of schadenfreude.

Sun Miaomiao didn't respond; her large, rolling eyes dropped, fixing on the rock at her toes, as she mused inwardly:

Given the Primordial Heavenly Venerable's abilities, if he actively collected points, he'd be at least top three; impossible to lag this far behind. Is it intentional? Has he discovered something... I really want to find him and ask...

But with him delaying point accumulation, the Five Elements Alliance members are probably frantic with worry by now.

...

Beneath a certain giant pine, "My Fate Is Up To Me" tilted her head, gazing at the two figures ten-odd meters away, her green tresses cascading like a waterfall, and said:

"I encountered a mountain climber; from our conversation, I discovered two factions hidden in this forest.

"But from the notices you provided, one can analyze that the notice boards also contradict each other. So, the notice boards themselves are actually divided into factions? But that makes no sense."

The two figures ten-odd meters away were none other than the robust Tianxia Guihuo and the effeminate-looking Yinmi.

They had just fought a bout, with no clear victor; at Tianxia Guihuo's proposal, they shook hands, made peace, and sat down to exchange intelligence.

Truly intelligent people won't be led by faction ideology; even if in different camps, absent mortal contradictions, appropriate cooperation is the act of a wise man.

Tianxia Guihuo said blandly:

"First, we cannot be certain that the contradictions in the notices given by the boards are genuine contradictions. Second, contradictions appearing on the boards do not mean the boards themselves are divided into factions."

"My Fate Is Up To Me" pondered for a few seconds, then smiled charmingly and said:

"Makes sense!

"I suspect the Primordial Heavenly Venerable hesitated for this very reason, but we realized it too late; we've already made our choice."

Tianxia Guihuo sneered:

"That's you lot, not me!"

...

Asano Ryo explored forward cautiously, walking exceptionally slowly.

The Night Wanderer behind her kept urging: "Walk faster, you won't die."

Their purpose this trip was to find the notice board in the forest's depths.

"If you won't die, why don't you walk in front, you bastard..." Asano Ryo weakly cursed in her heart.

Behind her, besides the young Night Wanderer, there was a tall, voluptuous auntie; and a big sister with an exquisite, flawless face.

Upon seeing the Night Wanderer had companions, Asano Ryo abandoned any thought of escape.

Staying docile might keep her alive; fleeing would likely see her hunted down by the three, a dead end, where even giving it her all would be useless.

“Wang Tai, is that really your name?” Asano Ryo asked as she walked.

“How come I didn't see you on the leaderboard?”

She had been searching for Wang Tai’s name on the leaderboard, but to no avail.

This girl seems to lack emotional intelligence… Zhang Yuanqing remarked coolly:

“What’s it to you?”

Wang Tai was an alias; he believed the Peony Fairy had long since seen through it. But a mature woman was a mature woman—she had rolled and collided in the great dye vat of society, possessing ample experience and wit.

All along the way, she had never once mentioned the matter of Wang Tai’s absence from the leaderboard.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't care that his alias had been pierced; he had altered his features, stowed away the artifacts used in the arena matches, and his displayed personality mimicked Fu Qingyang. Most critically, his Yin Corpse had been swapped.

It was impossible for the Peony Fairy to lock onto his identity through imagination and guesswork alone.

Just as they walked, the Peony Fairy suddenly let out a soft “Huh,” her expression turning ugly.

Zhang Yuanqing turned his head and asked:

“Is something wrong?”

The Peony Fairy shook her head, speaking with a hint of unease:

“I just feel something’s off. Not that we’re off, but Yuan Shi Tianzun… his ranking is too low…

“He must have run into trouble. He’s a crucial pillar for us official Walkers; absolutely nothing must happen to him.”

It had only been two hours since they entered the dungeon. Yuan Shi Tianzun, on whom high hopes rested, had already been left behind by Zhao Chenghuang, the Evil Professionals, and the rogue independent cultivators.

Anxiety inevitably gnawed at the Peony Fairy’s heart.

…