Two things had been misunderstood: first, the monster formed from the fusion of the evil cultivator's physical body and obsession was not on the same side as the Mountain Ghost faction.
Second, the Mountain Ghost faction's quest was not necessarily to stop the Mountain God faction from obtaining the Heart of the Forest.
The second point was deduced from the first. Considering game balance, the Lost City was the Mountain Ghost faction's home turf, giving them the advantage.
Under that premise, the monster should have been allied with them.
Yet now, Justice Lies in the Blade had clearly died at the monster's hands. From this, one could infer that the Mountain Ghost faction had a quest similar to the Mountain God faction's—to obtain something from the monster!
Zhang Yuanqing shared his deduction with his companions.
Crossing-River Pawn propped his chin with two fingers and analyzed, "Could the Mountain Ghost faction's quest also be to obtain the Heart of the Forest? A race between the two teams to see who kills the evil cultivator first?"
Zhao Chenghuang shook his head. "It wouldn't be that simple. If both sides were competing for the Heart of the Forest, the quest description wouldn't need to be so complicated. World Returns to Fire, what do you think?"
World Returns to Fire had a grave expression. "Our quest is to acquire the Hearts of the Forest and reinforce the seal. Since they are the opposing faction, thinking boldly, could their quest be to complete the sacrificial ritual and summon that supreme entity in the blood pool?
"And based on the fact that the monster attacked them, we can deduce that the Mountain Ghost faction also needs to obtain something from it—something that corresponds to the Heart of the Forest and can complete the sacrificial ritual."
The Little Match Boy was startled and retorted loudly, "Impossible! If the thing from the mural descends, we'll definitely die. That isn't something we can fight against at all."
World Returns to Fire sneered. "You make it sound as if the Mountain Ghost faction will survive if we get the Hearts of the Forest and reinforce the seal. The Lost City is the final stage with the highest difficulty. Do you think there won't be any rewards once we complete the reinforcement?
"Whatever the reward is, it will definitely match the thing in the blood pool—maybe the Mountain God Staff. How many from the Mountain Ghost faction do you think would survive then?"
The Little Match Boy was struck dumb.
Guan Ya stood gracefully, a large-caliber pistol in her right hand hanging naturally beside her slender waist, her left hand resting on her hip as she analyzed, "The deceased was killed almost instantly, and he wasn't alone. To kill a capable powerhouse amidst all the experts of the Mountain Ghost faction means this monster's strength is genuinely Level 4.
"If we want to hunt it down, we must mentally prepare ourselves to sacrifice half our people—and we still have to deal with the Mountain Ghost faction."
As a qualified Scout, gathering intelligence and analyzing the situation were essential skills.
The Maoshan Daoist chimed in, "We could divert the trouble and let the Mountain Ghost faction deal with it."
Guan Ya chuckled, "What a clever young lad. The Mountain Ghost faction is thinking the exact same thing."
How could the Maoshan Daoist not hear the sarcasm in her voice? He gave a cold snort, chose not to respond, and turned to Zhao Chenghuang, asking, "Then what should we do now?"
As soon as his voice fell, a resounding bang answered his question.
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw the tall, voluptuous mixed-race beauty raise her gun, having just shot dead a wild deer over ten meters away.
***
Somewhere in the city, inside an abandoned factory building covered in creeping vines.
Twenty-one people, including Nothing Is Taboo, A-Yi, and Only I Am Supreme, stood pressed against the walls, holding their breath and focusing their minds. Each was like a startled bird, warily listening to the sounds outside.
A closer look revealed that their colors differed from the surrounding scenery; the hues on their bodies were extremely muted, as though draped in a dark veil.
After a long while, Nothing Is Taboo let out a breath and said, "Good, that damn thing didn't pursue us."
Dropout Fish asked, "Then can I withdraw the prop?"
Nothing Is Taboo shook his head repeatedly. "No! We've already been marked by that monster. A Bewitching Demon's mark is very difficult to remove, and at least none of us possesses the means. The moment you take down the prop, it will instantly sense us."
Not long ago, they had suffered an ambush by the monster. Justice Lies in the Blade was killed on the spot without even a chance to fight back.
The members of the Mountain Ghost faction were terrified out of their wits and immediately retreated, yet the monster locked onto them and gave relentless chase.
In the end, Dropout Fish retrieved a prop called the Night Walker Cloak and draped it over everyone, finally throwing off the monster's pursuit.
This prop originated from the Night Walker class and possessed the ability to conceal auras, equivalent to the Night Walk skill of a Night Walker.
However, the cost was that they could not move.
Kou Beiyue said discontentedly, "Are we supposed to stay draped under this prop forever? We have to think of something."
The lackey beside him chuckled and said, "No rush. As long as we stay hidden, that equals victory.
"If the monster can't find us, it will naturally go look for the Mountain God faction. We can just sit back and watch the tigers fight. Right now, keep your eyes on the leaderboard and wait for the slaughter feast to begin."
Hongwei said, "Even though that's a good plan, I still feel uneasy. The Mountain God faction has geniuses like Yuanshi Tianzun and Zhao Chenghuang."
All Under Heaven Is White snorted. "You're just typical—scared out of your wits by Yuanshi Tianzun."
***
"What are you doing?"
The Maoshan Daoist glared at Guan Ya and snapped, "Do you think we're too safe? What if you attract the monster?"
The Mountain Ghost faction had just lost a member nearby, meaning the monster was very likely in the vicinity.
The long-legged veteran driver smiled teasingly. "What am I doing? Naturally, I'm shooting a deer to nourish a five-centimeter, three-second little boy like you."
*What kind of shameless woman is this?!* The Maoshan Daoist turned red with rage, momentarily at a loss for words. As an outstanding member of the Taiyi Sect's younger generation, he couldn't lower himself to exchange vulgar insults with such a shameless woman in front of everyone.
Zhang Yuanqing's mind stirred as he caught her intention. "You want to lure the monster out so we can observe it from a distance and gather intelligence?"
Guan Ya nodded slightly. "That monster is a Bewitching Demon, and Bewitching Demons are all bloodthirsty. The scent of blood can draw it out. Rather than wandering through the ruins only to be ambushed out of nowhere, actively baiting the enemy out to observe it is the best option.
"Besides, if it really is drawn here by the scent of blood, it proves the Mountain Ghost faction has already escaped it."
As she spoke, she fired another shot, killing a black-backed hound that was about to feed on the deer.
Immediately, Zhang Yuanqing left behind his stunningly beautiful yin corpse, Blood Rose, having her crouch in the nearby grass to observe, while he led the team far away from the spot.
The Night Walkers of the Taiyi Sect followed suit, also leaving their yin corpses behind to act as surveillance cameras.
After walking several hundred meters, the group stopped, sitting down to rest along a path bordered by waving wild grass, waiting for the results.
A dozen minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing, whose consciousness had descended into Blood Rose's sea of consciousness, saw a thick, pallid mist drifting rapidly from deep within the city. It rolled over the wild grass, over the crumbling buildings, and over the abandoned vehicles, until it submerged the carcasses of the three animals.
The dense mist then condensed and hovered motionless. Soon, the distant Blood Rose—and Zhang Yuanqing through her—heard the sounds of crunching bones and chewing flesh emerging from the mist.
*It really is a Mist Lord with intense bloodthirsty instincts. But why didn't it eat the corpse of Justice Lies in the Blade? Was it because a Witch Doctor's body is full of poison?*
Zhang Yuanqing felt a slight chill. A Level 4 Bewitching Demon's combat prowess was incomparable to the Tree King or Monkey King; it was a true major boss, slaughtering Supernaturals as easily as chopping vegetables.
Unfortunately, the thick mist concealed the monster's appearance, making it impossible to determine whether it was a low-intelligence walking corpse or a sentient yin entity.
If it was the latter, the danger level would jump another notch.
Soon, the chewing sounds within the dense mist ceased, and the pallid, heavy mist receded like a tide.
Zhang Yuanqing waited for a moment until the mist withdrew deep into the city and vanished from sight before commanding Blood Rose to rise. Amidst the rustling of wild grass, she walked toward the three animal carcasses.
Only a pool of blood remained on the ground, along with minced meat and crushed bones chewed into dregs.
Even the heads of the dogs and the deer had been ground to bits.
The eight yin corpses of the Taiyi Sect quickly gathered around to inspect the scene.
"How disgusting, eaten completely clean..." Sun Miaomiao's yin corpse spoke.
"What, do you want to join in for a few bites?" Blood Rose sneered.
Zhao Chenghuang's Level 4 yin corpse said in a deep voice, "Just as Guan Ya deduced, the monster is Level 4, and by the looks of it, it seems to have retained part of its abilities from life. Unfortunately, its appearance couldn't be seen, so we cannot evaluate its intelligence."
After silently listening, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Let's head back!"
***
While the yin corpses were on their way back, the group was already discussing countermeasures.
"The intelligence gathered so far: Level 4; possesses some skills from life, namely the Mist Lord's signature abilities (tentative); has an extreme craving for blood, as the animals Guan Ya shot were eaten completely; it travels with a thick mist, concealing its form, so its intelligence cannot be determined..."
After recounting the intelligence, Zhang Yuanqing said, "I propose we avoid provoking it for now. First, explore the Lost City and locate the four formations. The people from the Mountain Ghost faction are waiting to sit back and watch the tigers fight; we cannot let them get their wish."
Right now, it was a very troublesome dilemma: without fighting the boss, they couldn't gather the quest items, but whichever side attacked the boss first would leave an opening for the other side to reap the spoils.
Yuan Ting also offered a suggestion: "If it really comes down to it, fighting a decisive battle against the Mountain Ghost faction first is fine too. In short, we must firmly adhere to the policy of not attacking the boss."
"Once your yin corpses return, let's set out immediately," Niulanshan Little Fairy said.
Hearing that, everyone instinctively raised their heads, looking in the direction they had come from toward the nine approaching yin corpses.
Suddenly, everyone's pupils dilated slightly.
Behind the returning nine yin corpses, a pallid dense mist was trailing them without a sound.
It drifted slowly and faintly, as if stealthily stalking them. No, it wasn't 'as if'—that pallid mist was indeed stalking the yin corpses.
*Impossible! When was it following them? I was watching the rear the whole time... It noticed the yin corpses early on? Instead of attacking them, it stalked them—did it realize the yin corpses were only puppets? This monster possesses high intelligence...* Zhang Yuanqing's scalp tingled, a chill shooting up his spine. While commanding his yin corpse to sprint, he yelled:
"Run! Run, quickly!"
Before he even finished speaking, everyone sprang to their feet and scattered in flight.
Sensing that it had been discovered, the slowly drifting dense mist in the distance abruptly accelerated, sweeping toward them like an avalanche or a tsunami, blotting out the sky.
A Night Walker from the Taiyi Sect failed to outrun the mist and was instantly swallowed.
Immediately after, a shrill, agonized scream echoed from within the mist.
The scream galvanized everyone fleeing ahead, and each person unleashed their skills and props to run for their lives.
The Wood Demons, skilled at climbing, were the fastest and surged ahead in the first tier. Next were the Fire Specialists, blazing forward in the second tier. Meanwhile, the Earth Monsters, Scouts, Water Ghosts, and Night Walkers, none of whom excelled in speed, trailed raggedly in the third tier.
The mist rolled forward with terrifying speed, making the Spirit Realm walkers of the Mountain God faction feel like ordinary people racing against the Grim Reaper in a disaster movie.
Behind them was an avalanche sweeping away everything, or a tsunami engulfing the world.
Guan Zhong Kui Bao's face twisted as he bellowed, "We can't outrun it! We can't outrun it at all! Yuanshi Tianzun, Zhao Chenghuang, let's fight it to the death!"
His composure was breaking down, because the mist was only about ten meters behind him.
The "heavy" attribute doomed Earth Monsters to be the least adept at sprinting, even though they were known for their stamina and possessed seemingly endless endurance.
Zhao Chenghuang's face was taut. His panicked flight lacked any hint of pride or cold aloofness, and he flatly refused, "Fighting a Mist Lord inside dense mist? Forget about us—even Night Walkers of the same level would stand almost no chance!"
No matter how confident he was, he didn't believe he could defeat a Level 4 Mist Lord inside the dense mist.
Zhang Yuanqing, on the other hand, thought that if they had chosen to fight to the death from the start, the team members might have mustered the courage and fighting spirit.
Yet now, morale had shattered; it was a classic case of an army collapsing like a falling mountain.
In this state, rallying people was impossible.
"Ah—"
Another Earth Monster was overtaken by the mist and subsequently swallowed. An agonized scream pierced through the pallid fog and reached everyone's ears.
Guan Zhong Kui Bao's expression became even more savage; the mist was now less than five meters behind him.
He could practically hear the breath of Death.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced back. Beside Guan Zhong Kui Bao were two other Earth Monsters and a Scout; several meters ahead of them was Asano Ryo, her face pale with fright, and ahead of her was Sun Miaomiao.
Ahead of Sun Miaomiao was Guan Ya...
*No, at this rate, being caught is only a matter of time. At least a third of our teammates will die here... How did those bastards in the Mountain Ghost faction escape?...* Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts raced, searching for a countermeasure.
Soon, he recalled an operational rule of the Mist Lord.
A Mist Lord could pinpoint enemies within the mist through its vibrations, much like a spider detecting the location of prey through the vibrations of its web.
*If someone actively enters the dense mist and avoids being killed instantly, the monster inside will definitely pursue them, which will buy everyone time to escape...* Thinking of this, he immediately slowed his pace and shouted:
"Abalone, do you have any defensive props?"
"My name is 'Guan Zhong Kui Bao', not Abalone! Of course I have defensive props, what do you want to do?" Guan Zhong Kui Bao ran with veins bulging on his contorted face.
Zhang Yuanqing yelled back, "Give me the prop! I have a way to lure it away!"
Guan Zhong Kui Bao's eyes lit up like a drowning man clutching at a straw, but he hesitated slightly. It was his own lifeline; though a defensive prop might not necessarily save him, being swallowed by the mist was imminent, and having a defensive prop on hand was better than nothing.
The Spirit Realm walkers around them heard their exchange clearly, and they tacitly spared a sliver of attention to watch.
"Obey orders!" Zhang Yuanqing shouted.
"Fuck!" Guan Zhong Kui Bao cursed violently. "I'll trust you this once, don't you dare let me down!"
With that, he grabbed a tattered overcoat from his inventory and hurled it forward with all his might.
Chapter 267