"I... I think I heard Yuanshi Tianzun! Well, someone claiming to be Yuanshi Tianzun. What did he say?"
Someone among the Five Elements Alliance members called out in surprise and joy.
"Yuanshi Tianzun?" Jiang Jingwei's ears twitched. She stood on tiptoe, craning her neck toward the sound, her face lighting up. "What's that guy saying? Is he coming to help us fight the boss too?"
Carried from afar, the sound had grown muffled and distorted by the time it reached their ears.
Moreover, with the surrounding tree demons and the Tree King having awakened, the cacophony made it even harder to hear clearly.
Yet, discovering that it was the "long-missing" Yuanshi Tianzun, the official Spirit Realm walkers rallied, as if they had found their leader.
"What is he saying?"
"Did anyone catch that?"
Among the unaffiliated walkers, several asked while straining to hear.
Although getting distracted at a moment like this was profoundly unwise, anything related to Yuanshi Tianzun commanded subconscious attention.
The evil classes were no different. Several Witch Doctors pricked up their ears, relying on the heightened hearing gained from Gu Transformation to catch the distant noise.
The shouting echoed once more:
"I am Yuanshi Tianzun! All official walkers, assemble here!"
This time, most of them heard it clearly.
Rallying official walkers? Rallying them now? Everyone froze.
The first to panic were the evil classes. If the official walkers left, they would be stuck facing the Tree King alongside a motley crew of unaffiliated walkers.
The mortality rate would skyrocket.
The official walkers were noticeably stronger than the unaffiliated ones. Right now, for instance, if not for the Earth Monsters erecting earthen barriers to deflect the Tree King's strikes, none of them would even have had the luxury to pause and listen.
They immediately began stirring up discord with snide remarks:
"Could that guy have run into a mountain ghost or the Monkey King? Can't handle it, so he's crying for help?"
"Didn't show up when we were fighting the Tree King, but now he wants a rescue? You better think this through—the Tree King has only one life left, and its attacks have clearly weakened. If we work together to bring it down now, we can all rake in points!"
"Exactly! He didn't lift a finger to help raid the boss, and the moment he's in danger, he calls for backup. What a great Yuanshi Tianzun! Treating everyone in the Five Elements Alliance like fools—no, like meat shields!"
These divisive, provocative words proved quite infectious, and official walkers unfamiliar with Yuanshi Tianzun immediately showed hesitation.
Just then, one of the unaffiliated walkers spared a glance at the leaderboard, their eyes suddenly going wide as they yelled, "Yuanshi Tianzun is first on the leaderboard!"
The crowd froze. Faces shifted in shock as everyone hastily opened the leaderboard.
Sure enough, A-Yi, who had been sitting at the top with 110 points, had dropped to second place.
Yuanshi Tianzun's score was now 140 points.
When they had begun their assault on the Tree King, he had been sitting outside the top dozens with a mere 20 points. In just a short span, his score had soared by 120 points!
How had he done it?
"Thi—" Nothing Is Taboo, whose flip-flops were already ruined, experienced a sudden shift in expression. "Yuanshi Tianzun completed a side quest?"
His words provoked an uproar.
Racking up points by killing tree demons was impossible—there was no way Yuanshi Tianzun could have killed that many in such a short window, and the Tree King wasn't dead. The only possible source of so many points was the reward for completing a side quest.
The logic was simple. Anyone daring to enter the killing trial might not be a genius, but they were certainly no fools, and they grasped it immediately.
"So raiding the boss really was the wrong path! There is another way into the second stage, and Yuanshi Tianzun cracked it!"
"Between the orthodox and evil factions, with so many prodigies, Yuanshi Tianzun is the only one who cracked it. Turns out the official faction wasn't just bragging—this is what clearing two S-rank trials looks like. A true walkthrough genius!"
"No wonder he stayed quiet all this time. He was preparing something big! He truly lives up to his name!"
Low murmurs broke out among the unaffiliated walkers.
Meanwhile, the evil classes wore strange expressions—a mix of shock, fury, frustration, and rising glee.
Because now that Yuanshi Tianzun had found the correct method, they could imitate it and enter the central region at minimal cost.
Experts like Nothing Is Taboo, My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven's, and Only I Am Supreme wore grave, stunned expressions. For the first time, they felt the gap between themselves and Yuanshi Tianzun.
Even Zhao Chenghuang hadn't given them that kind of impression, strong though he was.
In A-Yi's hollow eyes, an unusual ripple stirred for the very first time.
Over on the official side, the Five Elements Alliance members began breathing heavily, wild joy spreading across their faces.
Yuanshi Tianzun was truly Yuanshi Tianzun. He had not let them down!
Seeing his points remain stagnant earlier, the official walkers had grown increasingly anxious. Even though they knew his capabilities well from watching the arena tournament, what if he had performed below par?
Fortunately, he hadn't disappointed. The heavy weight in their chests vanished, replaced by soaring confidence and delight.
In those few short seconds, everyone's emotions went through immense swings, but Jiang Jingwei didn't bother overthinking. A radiant smile bloomed across her face.
"Yuanshi Tianzun is calling us over!"
Waving her small hand to rally her companions, she didn't hesitate for a moment. With nimble footwork, she dodged a descending vine and darted into the dense woods toward the sound.
Seeing this, the Fire Specialists of the Five Elements Alliance followed suit. On one hand, their bodies moved faster than their brains; on the other, the upper echelons of the Scarlet Fire Gang had personally instructed them before entering the killing trial to protect Jiang Jingwei whenever possible.
The Taiyi Sect group, led by Zhao Chenghuang, didn't move immediately, remaining vigilant toward the evil faction.
Once the Five Elements Alliance group had put enough distance between them, all eight vanished simultaneously into Astral Travel, pursuing the Five Elements Alliance walkers from different directions.
"Let's go! We should move too and follow the official group!"
"We belong to orthodox classes—we're upstanding citizens! Yuanshi Tianzun will teach us how to pass. Quick, move!"
The unaffiliated orthodox walkers scattered in a rush.
Watching this, the evil classes felt a surge of desperation, itching to follow. Curiously, however, top seeds like A-Yi, along with formidable unaffiliated walkers like Only I Am Supreme, showed no intention whatsoever of pursuing the orthodox faction.
Without those heavyweights leading the charge, pursuing recklessly would be suicide.
Deep in the woods, World Returns to Fire, who had been resting against a tree trunk, twitched his ears as he caught the distant call.
Straightening his back, he sprang up from the ground and said excitedly, "Let's go meet up with Yuanshi Tianzun. He knows how to enter the second stage!"
Having just checked the leaderboard, Tone-Deaf rose with equal excitement. "I knew he could do it."
Having both suffered at Yuanshi Tianzun's hands in previous trials, neither ever doubted his intellect. Deciphering the clearing conditions was only a matter of time; patience was all that was needed.
World Returns to Fire had already dashed some distance ahead. Once Tone-Deaf caught up, he chuckled.
"Even if our points are low, safety comes first. Before entering the killing trial, my supervising Deacon gave me a tip: survival is paramount. You only have one life, but there are twenty-four spots for Saint.
"We don't need to vie for first, or even the top ten. All we need is to secure one of those twenty-four spots."
Finishing, he noticed Tone-Deaf gazing back toward the Tree King, and frowned, pressing, "That's advice from a senior. Are you listening?"
Tone-Deaf withdrew his gaze and laughed. "Your supervising Deacon definitely isn't a Fire Specialist. If he were, he would've said: *Just bash their skulls in, and run if you can't win.*"
World Returns to Fire shook his head, solemnly correcting him, "No, you're wrong!
"He'd say: *If you can't win, call for backup and bash their skulls in again!*"
Tone-Deaf blinked, then burst into laughter. "Good thing this is a trial and it's just the two of us. If any other Fire Specialist heard that, you'd be a dead man."
*He's Yuanshi Tianzun... He really is Yuanshi Tianzun...*
The voluptuous, charming Peony Fairy gazed at the young man beside her, her lovely eyes reflecting surprise, bewilderment, and ultimately relief.
There were only so many Night Wanderers in this trial, and one this adept at deciphering trials could only be Yuanshi Tianzun.
She had suspected it earlier, but his yin corpse differed from the one used in the arena tournament, and Transcendent-stage Night Wanderers were never wealthy enough to casually swap out powerful yin corpses.
That had left her unsure and hesitant to jump to conclusions.
Now that he had voiced his identity himself, Peony Fairy could finally confirm it: Wang Tai was Yuanshi Tianzun!
*To think that right after entering the trial, I ran into Yuanshi Tianzun—the very Yuanshi Tianzun those little vixens pine over... and well, whom I've pined over too...* Peony Fairy could hear her own heart thumping wildly.
Every breath of air suddenly felt tinged with heat and flirtatious tension.
She even felt a twinge of regret that she had kept her distance and hadn't made anything happen between them along the way...
"Ahhh!"
Asano Ryo squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet like an anime heroine, her face flushed red.
"You're Yuanshi Tianzun! No wonder you're an ally of justice! I actually met Yuanshi Tianzun! If I make it out of the killing trial alive, I'm going to tell my family, I'm going to tell my master!"
*Look at you, getting thrilled like a country bumpkin hitting the big city...* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled internally. Noticing Peony Fairy's peculiar gaze, he raised an eyebrow, threw her a wink, and chuckled. "Surprised? Shocked? Well, Peony, are you still planning to fawn over me? Where do you want to start licking?"
Peony Fairy suddenly felt thrown off balance.
Zhang Yuanqing removed the Disguise Ring, reverting to his original face.
Now that he had revealed his identity, there was no point wearing Wang Tai's face.
*Sigh. I originally wanted to play the pig to eat the tiger and quietly sniff out the pawns of the Dark Night Rose, but plans never keep up with changes...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly.
Looking at his handsome young face, Peony Fairy finally felt everything made sense.
After all, the Yuanshi Tianzun who had repeatedly pulled down people's pants in the arena tournament had looked exactly like this.
"Yuanshi Tianzun!"
A girl's clear, bright shout shattered the silence.
The dense foliage ahead rustled, and a red-haired girl burst through the trees.
Behind her emerged more and more official walkers: Crossing-River Pawn, Long Live the White Tiger, The Little Match Boy, Niulanshan Little Fairy, None of Your Business, Gege... eighteen in all.
In the battle against the Tree King, the official faction had lost a total of seven people.
Shortly afterward, Zhao Chenghuang and the Taiyi Sect members arrived, followed by Tone-Deaf and World Returns to Fire.
Seeing that no evil classes had tagged along, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, a full-blown battle would have erupted right here.
Jiang Jingwei chattered excitedly, "How did your points put you in first place? Did you really make it into the second stage? What counts as fulfilling the condition..."
Her questions were the very ones on everyone's minds, especially the condition for advancing.
Anticipating eyes locked onto Zhang Yuanqing.
Then, they watched him raise a tree branch in his hand, clustered with strands of red berries. "Eat one berry, and you can enter the central forest."
Hearing the answer, the official walkers froze.
*That simple?*
"Looks delicious." Jiang Jingwei hopped in front of him, staring at the bright red fruit and swallowing hard.
Zhang Yuanqing plucked a longan-sized berry and handed it to her.
She popped it into her mouth and swallowed it almost without chewing. "I didn't even taste it."
Just as the words left her mouth, she let out a comfortable hum. A rosy flush rose on her youthful, collagen-rich face, followed by a soft hissing as wisps of illusory black smoke rose from her body.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, she crossed past the noticeboard and stepped smoothly into the central forest.
At that sight, all doubt vanished. People clamored for berries.
Filled with wonder and anticipation, they swallowed the red berries and dashed toward the noticeboard.
They crossed into the second stage effortlessly, encountering no invisible barrier, and received system notifications confirming an increase of twenty points each.
"We're in! We're really in!"
"The berries even heal injuries and restore stamina?"
"One of the rules on the noticeboards I saw said wild berries could be eaten, but along the way I only saw brightly colored berries and mushrooms, so I didn't dare touch them."
The official walkers previously had only partial information, but after trading notes and assessing the situation, their thoughts cleared up.
Choosing the Lost City faction meant the bottleneck lay in raiding bosses.
Choosing the Mountain God faction meant navigating asymmetric information, not violating the rules, gathering all the warnings, and deducing the correct path.
The trial was fair; each side had its own challenges.
Zhao Chenghuang took a berry from Zhang Yuanqing's hand and swallowed it. Feeling a warm current sweep through his limbs and his stamina rapidly returning, he exhaled slowly.
His earlier fierce fight with Only I Am Supreme had drained his stamina drastically; the berry remedied his exhaustion, allowing him to enter the second stage in peak condition.
"Thank you!" Zhao Chenghuang nodded.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "The unaffiliated orthodox walkers are on their way. What are your plans?"
*Oho, wonders never cease. The crown prince of the Taiyi Sect is actually making small talk with me...* Zhang Yuanqing didn't have to ponder long; he had already considered this. "This is a faction confrontation trial. The more allies, the better. Of course we let them in. But only the orthodox classes. If any evil classes show up, kill them on sight."
Zhao Chenghuang nodded with satisfaction. "My thoughts exactly."
By now, almost all the surviving official walkers were gathered, but Guan Ya was nowhere to be seen. Zhang Yuanqing grew anxious. Looking around urgently, he asked, "Where is Guan Ya? Has anyone seen her? Jingwei, do you know?"
Guan Ya's ID was still on the leaderboard, meaning she was alive, but she hadn't arrived with the official group. She had to be trapped in trouble.
Night had fallen, the active hours of the mountain ghosts. Since the mountain ghosts belonged to the Lost City faction, time was running short. Every second he lingered in the outer zone increased the risk of being caught by that boss.
Jiang Jingwei shook her head. "I haven't seen Sister Guan Ya."
Just then, Crossing-River Pawn, clad in camouflage trousers, spoke in a deep voice, "When we were fighting the Tree King earlier, someone was supporting us with a sniper rifle. The marksmanship was astonishingly precise—almost certainly a Scout."
He pointed southwest. "The trajectory came from over there."
*As expected of a Scout—incredible observation skills.* Overjoyed, Zhang Yuanqing called out, "Thanks! Wait here, or feel free to explore the central region on your own. Zhao Chenghuang, I'll leave handling the unaffiliated orthodox walkers to you. I'll be right back."
Without waiting for a response, he darted into the dense woods and vanished in an instant.
"Why aren't we chasing them? They're all gone! Are we supposed to face the Monkey King, the Tree King, and whatever mountain ghosts on our own?"
A Witch Doctor glared at the top seeds, shouting furiously.
"Aren't you guys supposed to be geniuses? Aren't you top ten? Yet not one of you figured out the clearing method, and you've all been stomped beneath Yuanshi Tianzun's feet!"
The evil classes vented their frustrations with hostile clamor.
Facing the questions and abuse from walkers of their own faction, My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven's brushed a strand of hair aside and turned to look at Only I Am Supreme, laughing softly. "Why aren't you and those other unaffiliated orthodox walkers following them?"
Only I Am Supreme replied coldly, "This trial has two factions. The Lost City faction requires raiding the bosses. I believe this path offers greater rewards."
Nothing Is Taboo asked, "Three bosses won't be easy to handle."
Only I Am Supreme glanced at him. "One of my rules states: *If you encounter a mountain ghost, seek help from the monkeys.* Clearly, the mountain ghosts belong to the Lost City faction. All we have to do is follow the mountain ghost and raid the bosses."
Nothing Is Taboo swept his gaze across the shouting evil walkers and snapped, "Understood now?"
Guan Ya was in deep trouble.
Upon hearing Yuanshi's call, she had been the first to pack up her rifle and retreat, bolting toward the sound without a second thought to rendezvous with the kid.
Unfortunately, she had stepped right into a trap laid by the evil classes—a row of wooden spikes buried in the dirt and masked with dead leaves, nearly impossible to spot.
Though the spikes were hard, given the mushy soil, they shouldn't have pierced the thick soles of military boots.
Yet pierce them they did, and the spikes were coated with poison.
Worse still, as the Tree King awakened, the tree demons in the woods revived as well, and there were twenty of them clustered around her.
Her luck was so rotten it felt as if the Goddess of Misfortune had cursed her.
Guan Ya knew, however, that this wasn't the fault of the Goddess of Misfortune; it was that damn rifle.
The rifle gifted by Fu Qingyang was called the "Fearless Rifle." It possessed ultimate destructive power—even an Earth Monster specialized in defense would be wounded by a single shot. Emptying an entire magazine would make even Earth God bite the dust.
Yet it carried a drawback: for half an hour after use, the wielder would be dogged by bad luck.
*Smack! Smack! Smack!*
Vines and branches lashed against her like a torrential storm, deflected only by a thin crust of earth.
Guan Ya sat slumped on the ground wearing a clay mask, passively enduring the frenzied whipping of the tree demons.
She had used a Wood Demon item to neutralize the poison and heal her punctured foot, but to ward off the lethal thrashing of the vines, she had been forced to activate an Earth Monster item.
While it saved her from immediate death, the mask carried two drawbacks: first, complete immobility; second, being compelled to answer every question truthfully without lying—an honest fool.
The latter hardly mattered right now, but the former robbed her of any ability to flee.
The situation was dire. Items had limits; the mask couldn't hold out much longer and could shatter at any second under such a concentrated barrage.
Without its protection, a Scout—ill-suited for defense—could never survive the onslaught of so many tree demons. Her Insight skill couldn't save her either. When a Scout stepped into a rainstorm, they would still get soaked; perceiving the trajectory of every raindrop wouldn't change a thing.
*Crack!*
Speak of the devil. A faint fracture sounded from the mask over her face.
Even a wealthy heiress like Guan Ya couldn't help mentally swearing: *Fuck!* Just her rotten luck!
*Smack! Smack! Smack!*
The incessant whipping echoed as cracks spread across the mask, threatening to collapse entirely.
Despair flooded Guan Ya's heart.
Just then, a voice of relief tinged with playful mockery floated from nearby:
"Huh, Sister Guan Ya? No wonder I couldn't find you. Turns out you're over here playing masochist! You should've told me sooner—I'd gladly adjust my kinks for you."
Even for someone of Guan Ya's wealthy, well-traveled background, her heart couldn't help fluttering at that moment.
When you were facing a crisis, when you were in utter despair, having someone show up and say, *Sister Guan Ya, so you like playing masochist...*
...was genuinely heartwarming and moving.
Guan Ya pursed her lips, wanting to banter back in their familiar style, but the words that slipped out became a tearful explanation: "My rifle lowers my luck! I'm not playing masochist—I'm just cursed with rotten luck!"
Such was the drawback of the mask.
Zhang Yuanqing blinked. "Since ancient times, Lancers have had Rank E Luck?"
Guan Ya cried in exasperation, "You're still making anime references?! Hurry up and save me!"
"Right, right!" Assuming Sister Guan Ya was traumatized into a sudden personality shift, Zhang Yuanqing wasted no more time. He summoned the Bloodthirsty Blade and sent his spirit out of his body. Enveloping the weapon, his spirit body darted and spun through the air, shearing through vine after vine.
He didn't dare use fire, as that would violate the rules.
Similarly, he refrained from slaying the tree demons, choosing only to sever their vines.
Severed vine segments plummeted, cleanly sliced. The tree demons let out screeching wails and retracted their stumps.
Soon, an open clearing formed around Guan Ya. The pressure abruptly plummeted, and the remaining tree roots could no longer threaten a Scout equipped with Insight.
She immediately took off the mask and stowed it into her inventory. Sidestepping and leaping laterally, she nimbly dodged the writhing roots, broke out of the danger zone, and regrouped with Zhang Yuanqing.
Both breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Yuanqing spoke rapidly, "I've already found the way into the second stage. No time to lose—let's head there right away. By the way, Sister Guan Ya, why hadn't you shown your face this whole time? Were you hiding?"
Running side by side with him, Guan Ya blurted out instinctively, "Right after entering the trial, I ran into a Bewitching Demon who tried to grope me with lecherous eyes. I blasted him with one shot. While my shooting and martial arts are strong, my experience percentage is too low. Against one evil walker I can hold my own, but against two, I'm dead meat.
"So I simply hid to wait and see how things developed. Sigh, if I'd known the killing trial was this dangerous, I wouldn't have signed up. I could be lounging in the office right now, enjoying the air conditioning and binge-watching TV dramas."
She wore a look of deep chagrin.
*What's wrong with this woman?* Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized her with a bizarre look, almost suspecting this Guan Ya was someone disguised in a human skin.
The normal Guan Ya would have giggled and said:
*I'm a woman, so of course I don't move.*
...running him over with filthy jokes.
"Sister Guan Ya, act normal. Did those vines whip your brain silly?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
Guan Ya blurted out automatically, "My brain wasn't whipped. I blocked everything with my item. If you mean how I'm speaking—well, the mask's drawback compels me to answer every question truthfully without lying."
Zhang Yuanqing reached sudden enlightenment.
By now, dusk was settling in, leaving only a stubborn streak of azure twilight in the sky. After running for a while, no mountain ghosts had appeared.
*Mountain ghosts belong to the Lost City faction, and Guan Ya belongs to the Lost City faction too. Could not running into a mountain ghost be because Guan Ya's luck is so terrible?* Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help speculating.
*Because her luck is so bad, the mountain ghost didn't even show up to help her?*
Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanqing actually relaxed and stopped in his tracks.
Guan Ya halted as well, frowning. "What's wrong?"
Hardly had she asked when she saw Yuanshi bring out three items: a rattan armor vest, a pair of bracers, and a pair of greaves.
"This is an item set lent to me by the official faction. It's a low-grade set, but for the Transcendent stage, it's the cream of the crop," Zhang Yuanqing said. "Sister Guan Ya, I want you to have it. It will help you maximize your close-combat advantage. I have other trump cards, so this set would only be icing on the cake for me."
As he spoke, he looked steadily into Guan Ya's eyes, his expression earnest and tone sincere.
*For me...* Guan Ya was stunned. In disbelief, she stared blankly into Yuanshi's eyes.
His gaze was clear and genuine, seemingly holding an intoxicating warmth.
Her heart skipped a beat. Averting her gaze, she lowered her head, picked up the set, and put it on absentmindedly.
Once she finished equipping it and inspected the item's attributes, however, she discovered the horrifying drawback...
"Why didn't you mention this earlier?!"
Guan Ya's eyes went wide.
Zhang Yuanqing looked entirely bewildered. "Mention what?"
*About going into heat! Why didn't you mention such a major drawback?!* Guan Ya drew a deep breath. She meant to say "nothing," but what tumbled out of her mouth was:
"About going into heat! Why didn't you mention such a major drawback?!"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded in understanding. "I believe that in the face of the killing trial, any drawback is trivial."
Guan Ya was struck speechless.
*If that's the case, I'll have to keep it on the whole time. Either I clear the trial, or I die here—I can never take it off...* She took another deep breath, pretending nothing was amiss.
Just then, Zhang Yuanqing's "innocent" voice sounded beside her:
"Sister Guan Ya, where do you live?"
"No. 291 Xinmen Road, Tianchen Apartments, Unit 302 on the third floor..." Guan Ya answered reflexively.
Guan Ya: "..."
The two soon arrived at the noticeboard marking the central forest, encountering no further mishaps along the way.
Most of the Five Elements Alliance members remained where they were, while the Taiyi Sect Night Wanderers and the unaffiliated walkers were nowhere in sight, presumably having headed deep into the central region to explore.
Zhang Yuanqing halted before the noticeboard, only then taking out the red berry he had prepared for Guan Ya.
The reason he hadn't dared give it to her earlier was the fear that changing her faction while burdened with bad luck might trigger a mountain ghost attack.
Once Guan Ya ate the red berry, the two stepped past the noticeboard.
A mission notification chimed in Zhang Yuanqing's ears:
[Ding! Allies of the same faction detected. Form a team? Team size must be no fewer than 15 members and no more than 24.]
[Ding! You may send a team invite by reciting an ally's Spirit Realm ID.]
[Ding! Side quest refreshing... Please form a team...]
Chapter 252