The instant gunfire rang out, the patrons inside the hall crouched with their heads in their hands while women shrieked, plunging the scene into absolute chaos.
After Zhang Yuanqing roared, "Get out of the casino!", the panicked patrons and women bolted for the main entrance without a second thought, desperate to flee this den of trouble.
Zhang Yuanqing's attempt to clear the floor worked wonders.
*They really came—and he's even got a Night Wanderer companion!*
Qingsong and Seven Knives felt their hearts sink. Both Bewitching Demons and Night Wanderers were classes at the pinnacle of combat strength. At the same level, setting aside items and comparing individual combat prowess alone, the gap between an ordinary class and a peak class was immense.
Three against two. Though they held the numerical advantage, their odds of winning were slim.
Shenle glanced at his teammates and said indifferently, "Don't panic. This is our home turf. The trump card I brought from my clan is more than enough to deal with them."
Hearing that, Qingsong and Seven Knives visibly relaxed, their confidence restored.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept past the scrambling crowd toward the gaming table by the window. At a glance, he recognized Master Wu with the mole on his cheek, along with three Spirit Realm walkers.
*I need to take them down as fast as possible...* Zhang Yuanqing shifted his aim, locking onto the Musician.
Of the three, the Musician had the weakest physical constitution and leaned toward support, yet he could launch effective mental attacks against spirit bodies—making him the greatest threat to a Night Wanderer.
Just then, Zhang Yuanqing noticed a half-naked woman wearing a terrified expression suddenly draw a dagger from under her skirt, lunging viciously at him.
*Hm?* Though surprised, Zhang Yuanqing reacted swiftly, chopping down with the edge of his hand to knock her out cold.
Yet even more attackers emerged. A patron who had been fleeing abruptly pulled a handgun from his waistband and pulled the trigger on Zhang Yuanqing.
A woman in a low-cut gown flicked open a folding knife, gripping it in both hands as she hurled herself toward Kou Beiyue.
Further off, several men in button-down shirts seized shotguns concealed beneath the slot machines, opening fire on the two intruders without a word.
This sudden turn of events caught Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue completely off guard. They were forced to halt their charge toward the gaming table and abort their shots to dodge the threats erupting from the crowd.
Kou Beiyue kicked the woman away, then swung his bayonet to deflect two incoming rounds. With two crisp clangs, sparks showered everywhere as the slugs buried themselves into the walls and ceiling.
*Did they plant assassins among the patrons?* Zhang Yuanqing ducked and lunged sideways to evade the barrage. Just as he was about to gun down those ordinary killers, he noticed something off about their expressions.
Those twisted, hateful faces, and the murderous glares that looked ready to skin and flay him and Kou Beiyue alive, were completely abnormal...
*A Musician?* The skills of the Musician class flashed rapidly through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, locking onto one in particular—Hypnosis!
The core skill of a Level 3 Musician!
*They hypnotized the casino patrons and turned ordinary people into weapons, trying to tie our hands and leave us taking hits passively. If we fight back fiercely and kill ordinary people, we'll lose Morality Points. Of course, the Musician loses points too—a mutual-destruction play that hurts both sides...*
Zhang Yuanqing swiftly deduced his opponent's vicious scheme.
Seeing the two enemies thrown off rhythm by his prearranged ploy, the yellow-haired Shenle flashed a smug smile. Seven Knives, short and stocky, let out a sneering chuckle and whipped his arm forward, hurling a fireball. Simultaneously, blazing flames flared high across his body.
The scorching fireball landed beside Zhang Yuanqing and suddenly expanded. Seven Knives' figure leaped out of the blaze, thrusting his right fist out like a spear with a sharp crack.
On the other side, the yellow-haired, delicate and feminine youth brought his hand to his lips and whistled a soothing, rhythmic lullaby.
The melody was gentle and melodic, like a mother softly humming a ballad, inducing an overpowering drowsiness and a sense of deep inner peace.
Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue's pupils dulled slightly, hovering on the brink of sleep.
The seamless coordination between a Level 3 Musician and a Level 3 Fire Master instantly plunged Zhang Yuanqing into grave danger.
The savage straight punch drove into Zhang Yuanqing's chest, but his figure shattered like an illusion.
It was merely a phantom woven by Charm; the moment Seven Knives had leaped from the flames, he had already fallen under its sway.
Zhang Yuanqing's true self appeared several meters away. With a blade in one hand, his other hand reached behind his waist and pressed the first button on the Cat King Speaker.
He was taking control of the field!
In the next second, deafening drumbeats boomed from the speaker, reverberating throughout the hall—dull, heavy, and majestic, resounding beat after beat.
Shenle's lullaby was instantly drowned out.
The patrons who had not managed to flee dropped to the floor one after another, trembling violently, including the hypnotized attackers. Meanwhile, his ally Kou Beiyue and the three enemy Spirit Realm walkers felt their chests tighten as an inexplicable dread and oppression surged in their hearts, leaving them desperate to flee this place.
Against his exclusive background music, Zhang Yuanqing raised his gun toward Seven Knives several meters away and pulled the trigger.
Across the room, the horse-faced youth's face twisted with ferocity. Raising both palms, he slapped hard against his ears, rupturing his eardrums. The oppressive, terrifying drums vanished instantly, leaving the world completely silent.
The horse-faced youth seized a vine whip and lashed it violently toward the enemy raising the gun.
*Bang! Bang!*
The whip struck the enemy's arm, jerking the muzzle aside. The bullets slammed into the wall behind Seven Knives, leaving two deep, fractured craters.
With a flick of his wrist, the horse-faced youth hooked the vine whip onto a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, swinging toward Zhang Yuanqing like an ape.
Veins bulged on Seven Knives' forehead. Forcing down the discomfort inflicted by the drums, he took a heavy step forward with his right foot. Scorching fire erupted from his palm, condensing into a searing broadsword.
Forming weapons from fire!
The blade slashed upward from below toward Zhang Yuanqing's chest and abdomen, giving him no opening to shoot.
Zhang Yuanqing dodged sideways past the fiery blade. As the blistering flames cleaved down inches away, he caught the acrid stench of his own singed eyelashes and hair.
*Thud!*
Crossing his arms before his chest, he blocked a flying kick from the horse-faced youth and stumbled backward.
At that moment, Kou Beiyue, hindered by the lingering effects of the lullaby and drumbeats, was a beat too slow to provide support.
*Come on, with skills like that, how did you have the nerve to claim you were on par with Li Xianzong? Li Xianzong was way stronger than you!* Catching sight of his struggling ally from the corner of his eye, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Over by the gambling table, Shenle changed his hand gesture, cupping his mouth to mimic a microphone and launching into a beatbox routine, muffled drum sounds issuing from his covered mouth.
He was imitating the Cat King Speaker's drums, but unlike the speaker's intimidating aura, Shenle's beatboxing carried an inspiring, morale-boosting power.
Seven Knives and Qingsong's breaths turned ragged and their faces flushed red. As if injected with stimulants, their auras surged significantly.
*Snap, snap, snap!*
The horse-faced youth cracked his vine whip repeatedly, fracturing the floor tiles, smashing the slot machines, and forcing Zhang Yuanqing to dodge frantically.
Meanwhile, Seven Knives relied on the sheer violence of a Fire Master to stay close. His flaming fists struck with heavy, relentless blows like falling rain, giving his enemy no room to recover and counterattack.
Two fighters in sync plus one in support firmly suppressed the Level 3 Night Wanderer.
Zhang Yuanqing gave a cold snort. Bracing himself to take a direct punch from the Fire Master, he seized that brief breathing room, threw his head back, and let out a long howl.
A hazy beam of moonlight penetrated the building, showering down upon him and coating him in a soft lunar radiance.
Blackness surged in Zhang Yuanqing's pupils, submerging the whites of his eyes, and his aura turned noble yet sinister.
Howl to the Moon!
Next, he reached behind him with his right hand and pressed the second button on the Cat King Speaker.
The shrill, mournful, and soaring wails of a suona immediately rang out.
Zhang Yuanqing's frame suddenly swelled a size larger, muscles bulging into defined ridges and veins throbbing fiercely.
The night, Howl to the Moon, and the suona—boosted by all three, his aura escalated to a truly terrifying level.
*Crack!*
The Fire Master's second punch followed closely, slamming maliciously into Zhang Yuanqing's temple. Fire detonated with a boom. Blood seeped from Zhang Yuanqing's facial orifices—it was a blow forceful enough to scramble someone's brains.
Yet Zhang Yuanqing didn't budge an inch. Pulling his lips back, he revealed a brutal grin.
Seven Knives' heart plummeted, and he backed away decisively.
Zhang Yuanqing stomped his right foot, closing the gap at even greater speed. His right hand curled into a claw, clamping onto Seven Knives' throat. He drove him forward across a short distance, then slammed him down with brutal force.
*Crack!*
Seven Knives' back smashed into the floor tiles, shattering them.
Zhang Yuanqing pinned a knee against his chest, straightened his back, raised his fist high, and brought it down hard.
Amid the muffled impact came the sickening crunch of facial bones, nasal bone, and teeth shattering. Seven Knives' legs gave a violent jerk.
*Snap, snap, snap!*
Qingsong's face turned pale. He lashed his vine whip again and again across the enemy's body, tearing through his clothes and ripping open ghastly, flesh-splitting gashes.
Yet within two seconds, those wounds healed completely.
Seeing this, Shenle by the gambling table switched tunes at once, whistling the lullaby again to soothe the enemy's fighting will.
Suddenly, he saw the previously dazed youth hunched over, holding a bayonet, creeping swiftly and silently toward him like a tiger on the hunt.
Shenle broke off his whistling and rolled across the ground.
*Crash!*
The gambling table was splintered beneath the ferocious youth's kick.
Hearing the shattering crash behind him, Shenle broke into a cold sweat. Given a Musician's close-combat ability, a fight against a Bewitching Demon of the same level would be decided in less than ten moves.
*Thud, thud, thud...* Muffled thuds landed one after another. Shenle looked over at the sound, only to see the ferocious Night Wanderer pummeling Seven Knives' face with heavy fists—smashing the skull to pieces and churning out a gory mess of red and white flesh.
Seven Knives' legs twitched in spasms, his head a mangled heap of gore.
Dead just like that? A Level 3 Fire Master, dead just like that? Shenle's face turned unsightly, deeply shaken. Without hesitation, he fished out the pendant at his chest—a deep blue gem with fine arcs of lightning dancing within.
Pinching it between two fingers, the gem shattered with a pop.
By then, Kou Beiyue had already closed in from behind, driving his bayonet straight toward Shenle's back.
*Zzzzt...*
Blinding arcs of lightning crackled through the air, leaping onto the blade and Kou Beiyue's body. His frame stiffened abruptly, and his short hair stood on end.
Shenle spun around, condensing a whip of lightning in his palm and lashing it out with all his might.
Crimson runes flared in Kou Beiyue's pupils.
Shenle's expression went blank.
Kou Beiyue sprang off both legs, lunging forward to thrust the bayonet.
Just as the blade was about to pierce the enemy's chest, Shenle suddenly transformed into a dazzling bolt of lightning, streaking away to reappear six meters off. The long lightning whip lashed down, late but devastating.
Kou Beiyue leaped agilely to the side.
*Crack!*
The lightning whip cracked crisply against the floor.
Shenle levitated into the air, his hair standing on end, a lightning mark branded between his brows like a god of thunder descended to the mortal world.
He swung his whip with cold detachment, forcing Kou Beiyue to roll and leap, dodging in utter disarray like an untamed beast toyed with by a beast tamer.
"Hmph!" Shenle sneered. "A mere Level 3 Bewitching Demon dares barge into the dragon's pool and tiger's den? Who gave you the guts!"
The disposable item he had just crushed originated from a certain overseas class. That class had single-faceted abilities, but possessed an offensive art that struck terror into all other classes—lightning!
At the same time, this singular focus was its drawback: after using the item, his skills as a Musician could no longer be used.
The consumable item was of the Saint stage, lasting for fifteen minutes.
Fifteen minutes was more than enough to kill two Level 3 walkers, or hold out until Chi Yue'an arrived.
He had originally cherished this item, hoping not to waste it unless necessary. Who could have foreseen this little bastard bringing along a Level 3 Night Wanderer of such terrifying power, one who had killed Seven Knives within three minutes of fighting?
He then turned toward Zhang Yuanqing and proclaimed imperiously, "You will die, too."
Kou Beiyue's expression was grim. Though he had never seen lightning manipulation like this before, given the terrifying pressure and lethal destructiveness, it was not hard to deduce that this belonged to the power of a Saint.
He had assumed that a Bewitching Demon and a Night Wanderer like "Yuan Ting" would easily sweep Bronze Sparrow Tower without any hitches.
Who could have guessed the enemy had a trump card like this?
*Failed again. Every single operation fails. Why am I so cursed...* Filled with frustration and fury, he felt as if fate itself were constantly conspiring against him.
Why did the heavens always favor the wicked?
Kou Beiyue whipped his head toward "Yuan Ting," asking with his eyes whether they should retreat, only to discover in shock that this Taiyi Sect Night Wanderer showed not the slightest panic, appearing completely composed.
"Oh, brought out your trump card, did you?" Zhang Yuanqing kicked the corpse at his feet aside. His eyes as dark as ink, he said nonchalantly, "Then I can go all out without holding back."
"Just you?" Hovering in midair, Shenle sneered.
Zhang Yuanqing paid him no heed. Under the gaze of the three, he clamped the yanagiba between his teeth, donned the Ruffian Boxing Gloves, brought out his black-rimmed glasses, produced the Demon-Subduing Pestle and the straw doll, summoned the red dancing shoes, and finally, beneath their stunned stares, shook open a black Daoist robe embroidered with blazing flames and water ripples.
*Could anyone in the world be this filthy rich?!*
*Is he a walking treasury?*
Kou Beiyue was dumbfounded, while Qingsong and Shenle both felt the urge to curse his ancestors.
"Finishing you within a minute will be more than enough!"
Zhang Yuanqing tossed the Yinyang Robe into the air.
The robe unfolded in midair, the Taiji fish on its back slowly revolving to ripple with translucent currents of water and spew blazing fire. Water and fire counterbalanced each other, forming a massive millstone that spanned a thirty-meter radius.
And with that, Zhang Yuanqing's body vanished.
*Whoosh, whoosh...*
Kou Beiyue was situated quite unluckily, caught right inside the fire formation, and the hems of his clothes caught fire.
Baring his teeth, he patted out the flames, his skin quickly scalding red and blistering. If even the physique of a Bewitching Demon was scorched like this, the Wood Demon suffered far worse. Rolling in the blaze with shrill screams, Qingsong tried to smash through the window to escape.
*Hum!*
An invisible wall of qi blocked his path.
*Can't escape?* Shenle's brow twitched, his earlier smugness dampening. Even so, he remained composed. This consumable item gave him ample confidence; as long as he held out for fifteen minutes, Chi Yue'an would arrive no matter what.
"Tricks and petty parlour magic," Shenle declared coldly, looking down at the grand formation of water and fire.
"Whether it's petty tricks or not, you'll find out shortly." From within the illusory water currents, a figure formed of water emerged. In one hand he held a gun, in the other a blade, and the black-rimmed glasses rested upon his face.
"This blondie's pretty cocky. I'm pissed." From the flames on the other side, a figure made of fire slowly materialized, speaking with hot temper.
The fire clone wore the boxing gloves and gripped the Demon-Subduing Pestle and the straw doll.
Ignoring the fire clone, the water clone gently raised his palm.
The illusory currents swept up the patrons who had not yet fled the hall, including Master Wu, swirling them into the water formation.
By comparison, water was much gentler; the illusory currents did not cause suffocation, allowing mortals to survive.
Inside the fire formation, on the other hand, they would have been roasted to cinders in moments.
Once the water clone finished this, the fire clone eagerly brought out the straw doll, causing the crude, ugly effigy's face to morph into Shenle's likeness.
Pinching the straw doll's head between two fingers, the fire clone exerted sudden force.
In midair, Shenle shrieked as black qi enveloped his face. His eyes were flooded with boundless rage and madness, his sanity corrupted by degradation. Reduced to a savage beast ruled by raw impulse, he threw himself headlong at the fire clone.
With the Eye of the Insightful, the water clone anticipated his trajectory and squeezed the trigger.
*Bang! Bang!*
The shots missed. Relying on pure instinct, Shenle transformed into a bolt of lightning and struck toward the fire clone. Dodging the bullets from behind, the lightning blasted into the clone.
The figure of flame slammed his fists together.
*Boom!*
His body was shattered by the lightning, bursting into a brilliant flare of fire.
Shenle took the brunt of the detonation. As a Musician, the lightning did not augment his physical constitution, leaving him gravely wounded on the spot.
*Bang, bang!*
The water clone opened fire decisively, laying down covering fire.
*Zzzzt...* Shenle's body turned to electrical current, evading the gunfire once more.
This was a level of speed Zhang Yuanqing had never witnessed. Even with the man's mind in chaos, driven solely by instinct, he had still managed to dodge two volleys.
The target pursued by the red dancing shoes was the horse-faced youth. Right now, they were delivering a series of brutal stomps, kicking down mercilessly upon him over and over. Already severely burned, Qingsong's screams turned from shrill cries to feeble whimpers beneath the violent stomping, barely clinging to life thanks to a Wood Demon's regenerative powers.
"Hey, Kou Beiyue, you son of a bitch, got any way to cripple this bastard?" The fire clone reconstituted, barking irritably.
Without waiting for Kou Beiyue's reply, the fire clone cursed, "My dumbass true body only knows how to talk big. With this guy's speed, there's no way in hell we can kill him in one minute!"
Kou Beiyue replied, "Blood! I need his blood!"
"Easy enough!"
The water clone stomped his foot. The Taiji fish on the back of the Yinyang Robe rotated, swapping the positions of the water and fire formations. Layers of surging, illusory currents rushed over, enveloping Shenle.
Water had no fixed form, yet it had substance. Inside the water formation, there was nowhere to hide, rendering even blistering speed useless.
The water clone snapped his fingers, and a tendril of illusory water swept across Shenle's body, drawing out blood mixed with scorched flesh.
Under the water clone's guidance, the bloody water flew toward Kou Beiyue.
Kou Beiyue reached out and caught it in his palm, while his other hand retrieved a ferocious bronze figurine wielding a short blade from his inventory.
He smeared the bloody water across the figurine, set it on the ground, dropped to both knees, and kowtowed heavily.
Crimson light flared in the bronze figurine's eyes as its miniature blade slashed downward.
In the distance, Shenle screamed in agony as a mist of blood erupted from his chest, exposing a horrifying wound that cut to the bone.
This single strike completely crippled him.
Seizing the opening, the water clone decisively followed up with his gun, driving bullet after bullet into Shenle's body and blasting gaping holes through him.
Shenle's body collapsed with a thud, the lightning rune between his brows extinguishing.
He was dead.
The water clone turned toward the fire clone and said coldly, "Idiot, stop standing there watching the show. That Wood Demon isn't dead yet."
"Oh, right!" The fire clone snapped back to his senses at once. Summoning a brilliant blade of flame, he strode forward and cleaved off the horse-faced youth's head in a single stroke.
The neck wound was charred black; not a single drop of blood spilled out.
Seeing their task complete, the water clone and fire clone dispersed without lingering, the illusory currents and searing fire returning to the Daoist robe.
Zhang Yuanqing's body materialized. Catching the robe, he returned every item back to his inventory one by one, save for the red dancing shoes.
"It's... it's over?"
Covered in burn marks, Kou Beiyue stared blankly at Zhang Yuanqing.
Too strong. Ridiculously strong. Just whose scion was this "Yuan Ting" among the Taiyi Sect's Elders?
How could any ordinary Spirit Realm walker possess such outrageous wealth and gear?
"Don't waste time. Bring Master Wu over," Zhang Yuanqing said, slowly exhaling a turbid breath. The anger stifled in his chest all evening had finally found a bit of release.
"What about you?" Kou Beiyue asked.
"Quit the chatter!" Zhang Yuanqing glared at him.
*I don't have time because I've got to do an awkward dance...* he mocked himself inwardly.
"O-Okay..."
Scanning the unconscious crowd, Kou Beiyue accurately located Master Wu.
He strode over.
Just then, surging waves of flame swept in through the window, smashing through the glass. The fire detonated with a bang, coalescing into a man dressed in a white suit.
Chi Yue'an had arrived!
Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue's expressions darkened, their eyes flashing with killing intent and wrath.
Chapter 160