The spirit realm walkers who had been fleeing in all directions felt the sudden flare of golden light and heard the giggling of the ghost doll. Halting in astonishment, they stopped dead and looked back, just in time to see a magnificent burst of golden radiance erupt. They saw the Mist Lord reduced to withered bones within the golden light, and Yuanshi Tianzun standing beside the skeletal remains, weapon in hand.
His expression was placid and his posture ramrod straight, showing neither the ragged panting of a bitter battle nor the exhaustion of hanging by a thread. It was as if everything had fallen completely within his expectations.
This stood in stark contrast to the young experts rushing toward him from not far away, their faces fraught with panic and anxiety.
"The boss is dead! Yuanshi Tianzun killed the boss!"
"He's really dead! I nearly pissed myself—I thought I was a goner for sure. Thank goodness for Yuanshi Tianzun. He saved my life again!"
"No wonder Yuanshi Tianzun was nowhere to be seen earlier. Turns out he was charging up an ultimate move! I was so busy running that I didn't see how he pulled it off."
The spirit realm walkers of the Mountain God faction broke into jubilant cheers.
Lingering fear and dread transformed into surging joy and exhilaration. Once again, they felt the bliss of clinging to the coattails of an absolute powerhouse—a feeling that Asano Ryo felt most keenly of all.
Ever since crossing paths with Yuanshi Tianzun and falling in with the official personnel, her journey had been fraught with peril at every turn, yet someone was always out front shielding them from the storm. The only moment requiring her effort had been when she cast Frost Descent to coordinate with the Fire Masters in dispelling the thick mist.
Such were the perks of sticking with an organization and riding through instances with elite experts.
She suddenly felt a twinge of envy toward the spirit realm walkers from the mainland. They possessed extensive walkthrough databases, a mature and massive organization, a galaxy of talent, and, above all, genius figures like Yuanshi Tianzun serving as leaders. They would never be left isolated, weak, and without help.
Yesterday, before she entered the killing trial, her parents and clan elders had been brimming with expectation yet reluctant to let her go, repeatedly urging her to return alive.
They certainly could never have imagined that as soon as she entered the trial, she would latch onto Yuanshi Tianzun, the genius whose fame had soared so dramatically in recent days.
"Pah! The reward and glory for killing the boss were snatched away by Yuanshi Tianzun."
"Count your blessings. If not for him, every one of us would be in danger. As much as I can't stand the guy, he really is strong. You can clearly feel that he's a cut above A-Yi and Taboo-Free—at least when it comes to tackling instances."
The evil classes of the Mountain Ghost faction rejoiced, yet a bitter taste lingered in their mouths.
The stronger Yuanshi Tianzun was and the more multifaceted his repertoire, the more they feared him. Yet in this moment, they were also thankful for his immense strength.
It had to be said that having this guy as a teammate was an immense stroke of luck.
Sun Miaomiao, Zhao Chenghuang, World Returns to Fire, and the other experts of the Mountain God faction breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Yuanshi Tianzun successfully slay the boss, halting their pursuit.
*Yuanshi Tianzun is even craftier than I am. No wonder he was slacking off the whole time—he was waiting to snatch the kill. Well, if the reward is calculated based on who slays the boss, he's earned massive merits...* World Returns to Fire swept his eyes over the evil classes nearby and in the distance, turning his thoughts to their next course of action.
*Brilliantly done. Phew, the boss is finally dealt with. A Bewitching Demon's Bloodthirsty Rampage is practically broken...* Sun Miaomiao's small face was pale as she exhaled forcefully. Earlier, failing to stop the dried corpse had scared the color right out of her cheeks. Had it truly gone on an unchecked slaughter among the spirit realm walkers to restore itself to peak condition, the situation would have spiraled completely out of control.
*Yuanshi Tianzun is still as shrewd and calculating as ever.*
Zhao Chenghuang tucked away the anxiety in his brow, returning to his aloof demeanor. He looked toward Yuanshi Tianzun and gave a subtle nod when their eyes met.
Hongwei, Taboo-Free, Little Fatty, and Dropout Fish—the evil classes in terrible condition—felt the sharpest surge of relief and joy.
They knew they had little strength left. Had the boss recovered, they would have been the second batch slaughtered, right after the poor wretches who served as the dried corpse's nourishment.
Just as everyone was savoring the relief of the boss's demise and the thrill of escaping death, the quest notification chimed right on schedule.
[Ding! Congratulations on assisting in the kill of "Unreconciled Evil Cultivator." Reward: 30 points.]
[Ding! Congratulations on assisting in the kill of "Unreconciled Evil Cultivator." Reward: 40 points.]
[Ding! Congratulations on assisting in the kill of "Unreconciled Evil Cultivator." Reward: 50 points.]
The rewards granted differed based on each participant's contribution during the boss fight.
Those who did nothing received a base reward of 30 points. Those who had taken part in besieging the boss received between 40 and 90 points according to their contributions.
The cap was 100 points, as the prompt Zhang Yuanqing received read:
[Ding! Congratulations on slaying "Unreconciled Evil Cultivator." Reward: 100 points, and one "Heart of the Forest."]
*My score is at 608 points now. Along the way, I've received the top-tier point reward at every single stage. It can be roughly deduced that the point limit from the instance itself is around 700 points. Looking at it this way, neither the female Grand Marshal nor the Demon Lord back then maxed out the instance rewards; otherwise, killing a few second- or third-ranked contenders on top of that would easily push the score past a thousand...*
*Well, or I might be the one killed by number two and number three instead...* Zhang Yuanqing then shifted his attention to the quest item.
Lying in his inventory was a spherical gemstone the size of a goose egg, translucent emerald green and radiating a potent aura of vitality.
[Name: Heart of the Forest (Park)]
[Type: Gemstone]
[Function: Energy Supply]
[Description: The core gemstone of the downtown park formation among the four grand formations. It was later taken away by an evil rogue cultivator.]
[Remarks: It is merely a quest item.]
*There's only one forest gemstone. What about the other three?* Zhang Yuanqing retracted his gaze and looked toward World Returns to Fire and the others. Then, he noticed the aloof Zhao Chenghuang quietly raising a single finger.
*He has one too?*
Zhang Yuanqing was briefly taken aback. If the Hearts of the Forest were distributed according to contribution, all four should have gone to him. If not... He recalled the suffix on the gemstone in his inventory—Park.
Four formations represented four areas. Distributing four gemstones among different people—did this mean the team had to split up and each head to a formation?
*Who has the other two gemstones?* Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard Jiang Jingwei, sitting slumped on the ground in the distance, shouting excitedly:
"Huh? I have a Heart of the Forest! I actually got a Heart of the Forest!"
Her pretty little face was slightly pale, but it brimmed with pride as she gloated delightfully.
Jiang Jingwei had already injected a vial of diluted Life Essence. Her life was saved, but she was in terrible shape.
She was the only person present who took a full-force punch directly from the dried corpse. Zhao Chenghuang had blocked with both arms and suffered comminuted fractures. Dropout Fish had parried with twin sabers and had his sternum shattered to pieces.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jingwei had caught a punch from the boss with her soft little belly. That blow had actually ruptured her internal organs. A Fire Master possessed neither recovery abilities nor defensive skills; logically speaking, Jiang Jingwei should have been a dead woman walking.
Fortunately, she was no ordinary Fire Master. Coming from a profound family background, her clan had supplied her with quite a bit of Life Essence before she entered the killing trial.
*You didn't need to broadcast that at all, you foolish Fire Master...* The corners of Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched.
At that moment, new quest prompts chimed once more:
[Ding! The evil cultivator who stole the Hearts of the Forest has been eliminated. Quest criteria fulfilled. Quest progress updated.]
[Quest Objective: Warriors faithful to the Mountain God, please proceed to the city center, activate the four formations, locate the formation eyes, and return the Hearts of the Forest. The interval between each formation's activation must not exceed ten minutes.]
[Quest Hint 1: Each formation can only accommodate fourteen people. Once full, the formation will close.]
[Quest Hint 2: Honored warriors, your feat of slaying the evil cultivator has earned the acknowledgment of the Mountain God's will. She will grant you her protection: for two hours, you will be immune to all attacks. Please replenish your stamina as soon as possible.]
[Quest Hint 3: Beware of the Mountain Ghost faction delivering blood jade into the Blood Pool. With every piece of blood jade obtained, the monster within the pool will grow stronger. Note: A single piece of blood jade is sufficient to awaken the monster.]
Mulling over the quest details, Zhang Yuanqing drew the Thug Pistol and pulled the trigger at Kou Beiyue, who was a dozen meters away.
Bang, bang, bang, bang...
Because he wasn't wearing the Spectacles of Insight, four bullets whizzed past Kou Beiyue, while one struck his abdomen and another hit his groin.
Yet both bullets were annihilated by an invisible force.
*Sure enough, the warriors who defeated the evil cultivator include the Mountain Ghost faction as well... Tsk, did it anticipate that both factions would be in terrible shape after fighting the boss, so it set a grace period?*
Zhang Yuanqing's hypothesis was verified.
The reason he fired at Kou Beiyue was twofold: on one hand, it was a ruse to solidify Xiao Yuan's boy's standing within the Mountain Ghost faction; on the other hand, if Kou Beiyue was injured and cast aside as a result, Zhang Yuanqing could smoothly take him in and interrogate him about the Mountain Ghost faction's quest.
Injuries didn't matter; they had Wood Demons capable of healing, and there was diluted Life Essence.
—He had actually aimed for Kou Beiyue's abdomen; his aim had simply drifted a few centimeters down.
The loud gunshots snapped the spirit realm experts out of reading their quest notifications. One after another, they assumed defensive postures and surveyed their surroundings.
Little Fatty was the first to shield his boss, barking in a deep voice, "Yuanshi Tianzun, you still want to fight?"
The spirit realm walkers of the Mountain Ghost faction swiftly gathered together, glaring fiercely at the Mountain God faction.
"Don't be nervous. Just a little experiment," Zhang Yuanqing said with a smile, then raised his voice: "Since this is safe time, why don't we sit down and have a chat? I have a few words for everyone."
His gaze was directed toward the Mountain Ghost faction.
"Spit it out!" an evil class sneered.
Though his tone was impolite, he was clearly willing to hear what Yuanshi Tianzun had to say.
"Everyone can see the current situation clearly. The Mountain God faction has 36 members, while the Mountain Ghost faction has only 18. The disparity in numbers is stark. You all saw the battle just now as well—the contrast in combat strength is obvious. Ask yourselves: what are the odds of you beating us?" Zhang Yuanqing projected his voice clearly:
"I'm an idealist. I never believe evil classes are inherently damned. As long as one's heart is set on good, they are a good person. Anyone in the Mountain Ghost faction who, after becoming a spirit realm walker, hasn't indiscriminately slaughtered ordinary people and agrees to register with the Songhai Branch after exiting the Spirit Realm—I am willing to accept you. For those currently in the top twenty-four, I promise you a Saint quota. For those outside the top twenty-four, I guarantee that you will leave the Spirit Realm safely with your life intact. When you register at the Songhai Branch, each of you will receive twenty million in compensation and one item."
With these words, he cleverly leveraged his performance in slaying the boss along with the Mountain God faction's numerical advantage, seizing the momentum to shake the enemy's morale.
Among the evil classes, there were bound to be some who weren't thoroughly wicked, which was why he intentionally added the qualification "after becoming a spirit realm walker."
Most evil classes had become criminals and subsequent spirit realm walkers precisely because of murder or wicked deeds in their past.
Thus, phrased this way, it told them that the past could be forgiven.
Furthermore, after enduring so many trials—especially after hunting the boss—some were bound to have lost confidence, feeling that defeating the Mountain God faction was far too daunting, yet having had no other choice until now.
Opening this door was equivalent to planting a destabilizing factor right inside the Mountain Ghost faction.
Such was the advantage of having the imperial court at one's back: the authority to offer amnesty and enlistment!
Taboo-Free's face darkened, and he sneered:
"Yuanshi Tianzun, do you take us for fools, or are you the fool? Being called a genius for so long made you think you're peerlessly clever? The authorities' attitude toward freelancers is clear for everyone to see.
"Did you think such a crude scheme of sowing discord would shake our morale?"
The last two sentences were meant for the ears of the Mountain Ghost faction.
Yet right then, a man with a scarred face asked:
"Why should we believe you?"
The expressions of top experts like Taboo-Free and All Under Heaven Is White instantly turned ugly.
Zhang Yuanqing lifted his chin. "Because I am Yuanshi Tianzun. Since I spoke these words in public, I am bound to keep my promise. You evil classes don't need to care about reputation, but we orthodox walkers must. Otherwise, how would my colleagues ever respect me in the future?"
The man fell silent.
Zhang Yuanqing continued:
"With my status today and my potential, the authorities will honor it. You shouldn't have any doubt about that, right?"
While the official walkers were still in stunned disbelief, World Returns to Fire was the quickest to react, chiming in with a chuckle:
"Indeed. You should all know full well Yuanshi Tianzun's standing in the official ranks and how highly he is valued. Would the authorities tarnish his reputation over a few ev—ahem, freelancers?"
The evil classes wore sneering expressions, yet they were secretly exchanging glances with friends they were familiar with.
Hongwei caught all of her companions' micro-expressions. As an Illusionist adept at reading and manipulating emotions, she sensed trouble brewing. She said coolly:
"Yuanshi Tianzun, I respect you as a remarkable figure. There is no need to resort to such underhanded tactics. The killing trial centers on factional warfare, a life-or-death struggle where everyone relies on their own prowess. Playing cheap tricks at a crucial moment like this is simply insulting our intelligence."
Her words seemed to carry an enchanting power, compelling belief and stirring up the fighting will and enmity between the opposing factions.
"That's right, Yuanshi Tianzun, no need to use dirty tricks!"
"If you want to fight, then fight! I'm not afraid of you lot!"
"Better to die on our feet than live on our knees!"
*An Illusionist's mental manipulation?* Zhang Yuanqing's brow twitched. He took a deep, lingering look at the intellectual, graceful mature woman, immediately discarding the thought of having Kou Beiyue play along with the amnesty offer.
He said nothing more.
Hongwei turned her head and shot Taboo-Free a look.
*We can't stay here any longer; I need to find a place to brainwash them...* Wary of Yuanshi Tianzun more than ever, Taboo-Free barked immediately:
"We're leaving!
"Heh, if the lapdogs of the orthodox faction insist on tagging along, we welcome it."
With that, he took the lead, retreating toward the depths of the ruined city.
The members of the Mountain Ghost faction hesitated no longer and followed him one after another.
Calling out to their retreating backs, Zhang Yuanqing said loudly:
"Think it over! My promise stands until the trial ends!"
World Returns to Fire narrowed his eyes, watching the enemy depart. Shaking his head in regret, he said:
"You were too conservative just now. If you want to offer amnesty, you should wipe the slate completely clean. If you had said that earlier, someone probably would have defected on the spot.
"No indiscriminate slaughter of the innocent and no crimes after becoming a spirit realm walker? Would they even still be evil classes then?"
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at him. "That is my bottom line. Besides, I don't want to break my word."
World Returns to Fire was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head with a chuckle:
"Your bottom line isn't flexible enough; you lack the ruthless ambition of a formidable hegemon. Still, it's not unpleasant. Never mind. With an Illusionist around, your amnesty would hardly succeed anyway. But you did successfully plant a hidden fissure in the Mountain Ghost faction."
Zhang Yuanqing, however, had already turned around, rallying the walkers of the Mountain God faction:
"Assemble!
"Time to discuss the next quest. Also, who has the last Heart of the Forest?"
Chapter 272