Staring at the pointer aimed at the black section, everyone's composure shattered in an instant, their thoughts boiling over and slipping entirely beyond control:
"Fuck!"
"Fuck!"
"Damn it all!"
"How could this happen? Talk about rotten luck!"
"I just got my life back! An S-rank dungeon is an absolute nightmare!"
They had finally taken down the yin corpse boss guarding the array eye, yet before they could even catch their breath, they had to face a terrifying item.
"Sigh..."
Even Yin Ji, whose inner thoughts rarely showed, let out a soft sigh.
With a thoroughly exasperated grimace, Brother Red Chicken pressed his earphone. "Black... doesn't that mean we have to answer a question?"
Everyone turned to look at the veiled Yin Ji.
By now, under the lingering effect of Eagle of Freedom's "Water Purifier" skill and the absorption by the seaweed, the thick ink had mostly dispersed. The team members could see that Yin Ji's limpid, autumn-water eyes were filled with solemn gravity.
This was a gravity she hadn't displayed even when facing the purple-robed yin corpse head-on.
In the eyes of this senior Deacon of the Taiyi Sect, the threat posed by the Yin-Yang Dial seemed even greater than that of the purple-robed corpse.
"I have already shared what I know earlier. My understanding of this item is limited, and I have nothing to add," Yin Ji conveyed her thoughts to her teammates with a slight shake of her head.
The Yin-Yang Wheel was a vital item of the Jianghuai branch, either of Dominator quality or a top-tier Saint-stage artifact. Information regarding items of this caliber was strictly classified.
As a mere Deacon from the Taiyi Sect, she couldn't possibly know extensive details.
At that moment, a dialogue box visible only to Spirit Realm walkers surfaced above the Yin-Yang Dial:
[Pointer: Black]
[Remark 1: Answer the dial's question. A correct answer permits spinning the pointer again. Accumulating three whites will lift the seal.]
[Remark 2: Those who answer incorrectly die!]
The dialogue box hung suspended for ten seconds before fading away, replaced by a new box floating above the dial:
[Question: What is the hardest thing in the world?]
[Remark: Please provide two or more answers. Please respond within thirty seconds. Countdown: 00:29:45]
Zhang Yuanqing hastily pressed his earphone, urgently broadcasting his thoughts to the team:
"Nobody waste breath on nonsense right now—it'll only squander time! You all saw the rules. Whoever has confidence, step up. Make the decision within five seconds! Brother Red Chicken, you are forbidden from stepping up."
Everyone exchanged glances, but no one stepped forward.
Yun Meng looked around, undulating her thick serpentine body as she swam forward. Her voice sounded through the earphones:
"I'll do it. Beast Kings have one chance to revive from death."
Seeing this, the others let out a collective sigh of relief.
Yun Meng's voice immediately chimed in again, sounding rather embarrassed: "The thing is, I dropped out of school in eighth grade. I don't know the answer."
Right then, Xiahou Aotian's shout exploded in everyone's ears:
"It doesn't matter if your education level is low! Just be a good tool! Hurry up and tell me: what's the question?"
"You aren't dead?!" Brother Red Chicken shouted in pleasant surprise.
Yun Meng also swung her serpent head around to peer behind her, though the murky ink blocked her vision, making it impossible to spot Xiahou Aotian.
Zhang Yuanqing, Eagle of Freedom, and Yin Ji turned their heads in the same motion, gazing toward where Xiahou Aotian had plunged toward the seabed.
The three of them looked relatively calm, showing no surprise.
"You all know that Fangshi aren't suited for direct combat. Anyone with half a brain knows to prepare life-saving and healing items. I still have a few Earth Monster items... though I had to use up my only vial of Life Essence. All right, stop chattering and give me the question," Xiahou Aotian's voice was remarkably composed.
*This guy can actually be pretty reliable in a pinch...* Just as that thought welled in everyone's minds, Xiahou Aotian's roar blared through the earphones:
*These damn bastards, these absolute mongrels! Seeing this protagonist fall into peril, not a single one showed an ounce of concern from start to finish! You're done for! I'm kicking every one of you out of the protagonist's party...*
The voice abruptly cut off, as though he had reined in his stray thoughts just in time.
Hearing that, everyone quietly withdrew their thoughts of him being "reliable."
Yun Meng recounted the dial's question at breakneck speed.
Upon hearing it, Xiahou Aotian shouted hurriedly in his mind:
"Wrong! Something's off with this question—it's way too vague! First of all, the word 'thing' is completely imprecise. If it refers to matter found in nature, it's definitely carbon. If it means metals, it's chromium. If alloys, it's tungsten steel.
"Does 'in the world' refer to the real world, or does it include the Spirit Realm? If it includes the Spirit Realm, then I'm sorry, I have no idea. I can only guess it might be some rule-based item belonging to the Earth Monster class."
Hearing Xiahou Aotian's rambling analysis, the team members felt a chill.
By now, only fifteen seconds remained on the countdown.
"Th-then what do we do? What's the damn answer?" Brother Red Chicken, true to his Fire Specialist nature, spun in frantic circles.
Yin Ji, Natsuki, and Eagle of Freedom furrowed their brows.
"Yun Meng, the first answer is carbon," Yuanshi Tianzun's voice suddenly resonated in everyone's ears.
Yin Ji and the others snapped their heads toward him.
Zhang Yuanqing's tone was calm: "Don't panic. You can revive from the dead. This life of yours is for trial and error—you're feeling out the item's rules for us."
His words were meant for Yun Meng, but also for the rest of the team.
Hearing this, the members' anxiety visibly eased.
Yun Meng swam swiftly toward the dial. But how could one speak underwater? She tried resting the tip of her serpent tail against the dial and silently thinking the word "Carbon." A second later, the word "Carbon" traced itself out inside the dialogue box.
[Question: What is the hardest thing in the world?]
[Answer: Carbon!]
At this point, only eight seconds remained before the countdown ended.
Yun Meng pulled her tail back and turned toward her teammates in delighted surprise. "It's right!! What's the second answer? Quick, quick, quick, six seconds left!"
"For the second, try an Earth Monster class item—" Xiahou Aotian's voice rang out.
Before he could finish, Natsuki's Love's thought forcefully cut in:
"Coward's Quilt!
"Yun Meng, try Coward's Quilt! That's a rule-based item belonging to an elder in our branch. Hiding inside the quilt can defend against any attack in the world."
With time running out, Yun Meng hurriedly touched her tail to the dial again, reciting in her mind:
*Coward's Quilt.*
Everyone fixed their eyes on the dialogue box above the dial, holding their breath.
Slowly, a line of text surfaced within the box:
[Incorrect answer!]
In the next instant, a deep, pitch-black glow lit up on the dark half of the dial, beaming straight onto Yun Meng's serpent body.
"Ahhh—!"
Enveloped in the black radiance, Yun Meng let out a pained hiss, her serpentine body thrashing violently, tail whipping wildly in every direction.
A few seconds later, she went completely still, her dark vertical pupils drained of all life.
She was dead.
Zhang Yuanqing hastily raised an arm, using the water-controlling power of the Yin-Yang Robe to haul Yun Meng's dozen-meter-long body over.
Halfway through, the black-scaled python stirred faintly and promptly revived.
She dashed behind the group and broadcast her thought: "What a terrifying item! I... I don't ever want to experience that a second time."
*Experience it one more time and you'll be returning to the Spirit Realm for good,* Zhang Yuanqing thought, immediately betrayed by his earphone. Yet right now, nobody paid attention to his inner snark, because everyone's gaze was once again drawn to the Yin-Yang Dial.
[Question: What is the hardest thing in the world?]
[Remark: Please provide two or more answers. Please respond within thirty seconds. Countdown: 00:29:40]
At this moment, the Saints felt an immense heaviness settle in their chests.
"It... it's back again..." Eagle of Freedom's face was grim. He looked into the distance. "Xiahou Aotian, what's the correct answer?"
"I... I don't know either," Xiahou Aotian answered, his tone subdued, stripped of all his usual protagonist swagger and bravado.
"How can you not know?! You're a Scholar! If you don't know, aren't we as good as dead?!" Brother Red Chicken grew frantic and irascible, barely able to suppress his temper.
Yin Ji furrowed her delicate brows. "Perhaps we can exploit a loophole. When a Night Walker uses the 'Astral Travel' skill, the physical body enters a state of suspended animation. In essence, the flesh's life force is severed. It might be immune to the dial's damage."
"Too risky," Xiahou Aotian rejected her proposal. "There's a difference between suspended animation and true death. If it directly siphons away the life force from your body, you'll have no choice but to become Yuanshi Tianzun's spirit servant—or return to the Spirit Realm for good."
Yin Ji frowned, lapsing into silence.
Just as everyone was fraught with anxiety, a thought was converted into speech by the earphones and echoed in their ears:
*Yin Ji becoming my spirit servant... Hehe, doesn't sound half bad! I haven't even seen what she looks like yet, but she's definitely a stunner...*
A flash of annoyance flitted through Yin Ji's beautiful eyes as she glanced sideways at Yuanshi Tianzun, only to hear his seamless stream of thought continue:
*Hiss, this is tricky. The elder Natsuki mentioned should be Elder Gao Feng. The hardness of a rule-based item of the Earth Monster class is definitely far beyond ordinary carbon. That proves the answer has nothing to do with the Spirit Realm.*
*Which means the answer must be something from the real world. Aside from carbon, hard substances include diamond, various alloys, and so on. With Xiahou Aotian's knowledge base, this question shouldn't be difficult.*
Listening to Yuanshi Tianzun's analysis, the teammates' eyes lit up, their thoughts growing significantly clearer.
The irritation in Yin Ji's eyes faded, replaced by contemplation.
If it was a substance from the real world, then with Xiahou Aotian's vast reservoir of knowledge, he would certainly be able to find the answer. In fact, his earlier breakdown might have already contained it.
Yun Meng's trial and error hadn't been in vain after all.
Yet at that very moment, they heard Yuanshi Tianzun's thought through the earphones:
*No, wait... We've been tricked...*
Tricked? What did that mean?
Everyone turned toward Yuanshi Tianzun. The impatient Fire Specialist asked, "What do you mean tricked? Tricked by what?!"
Brother Red Chicken's thought interrupted Zhang Yuanqing's train of thought. He glanced at the countdown, then at his companions, seeing their expectant stares locked onto him. He immediately relayed his thoughts:
"The question itself is flawed. 'The hardest thing in the world' uses the word 'hardest'—a superlative—yet it demands at least two answers."
Everyone froze.
"Right! If it's the hardest thing, how could there possibly be two? So it's a mental trap?" Xiahou Aotian sent a thought. "But what does that prove? The question was already imprecise to begin with. You just pointed out another flaw in its phrasing."
At the same time, Xiahou Aotian's inner muttering was converted into speech by the earphones: *This guy managed to analyze so much in an instant? That's pretty impressive... As expected of someone who cleared two S-rank dun—*
The thought was abruptly cut short.
"Didn't you just say it yourself? It's a mental trap, designed specifically to fool people crammed with book knowledge like you." Zhang Yuanqing strode toward the dial.
"I think I've figured it out, but there's no time to explain now. We'll talk later. And if I die, well, there won't be any need to explain. Deacon Yin Ji, remember to refine me into a spirit servant. I'm not ready to return to the Spirit Realm just yet."
With that, under Natsuki's Love's gaze of mingled anticipation and worry, he stopped before the dial and placed his hand upon it.
Yin Ji, Brother Red Chicken, Yun Meng, and Eagle of Freedom all stared fixatedly at the dialogue box.
[Question: What is the hardest thing in the world?]
[Answer: Carbon! High school boys!]
[Correct answer!]
*Correct answer?! High school boys?!* Staring at the text in the dialogue box, the Saints lost all expression, their eyes dazed.
Immediately afterward, the team members' seething thoughts flooded through the earphones:
*High school boys? What kind of answer is that?! What kind of bullshit answer is that?! I don't accept this! Yuanshi Tianzun stole my thunder again...*
*This guy really has some tricks up his sleeve. His brain is too sharp, I'm kinda jealous...* That was Brother Red Chicken.
*Yuanshi Tianzun: combat power temporarily incalculable, competence A+, on par with seed candidates nurtured by Heaven's Punishment, worth recruiting; unable to determine whether he matches top-tier seeds...*
*Why high school boys?! Why?!*
*The Rogue Dial! That's right, the Rogue Dial! I almost forgot that nickname, but he remembered it! No wonder he seemed so confident just now!*
Only Yin Ji controlled her thoughts properly, letting out not a single peep.
"Natsuki was right," Zhang Yuanqing said. "The name 'Rogue Dial' already told us its personality. That's precisely why the official walkers who answered its questions before called it that." Zhang Yuanqing retrieved the Lucky Necklace, put it on, leaned forward, and flicked the pointer with his finger.
"Next is accumulating three whites. I'll handle it."
The responsive pointer spun rapidly and, under everyone's unblinking stares, came to a slow halt in the white section.
Nothing happened.
*We're saved!*
That was the shared thought in everyone's hearts.
*The Lucky Necklace is practically the ultimate counter to the Yin-Yang Dial...* Full of confidence, Zhang Yuanqing reached out and gave the pointer a second flick.
The pointer spun smoothly around and came to rest gently in the white section.
*Flawless!* Zhang Yuanqing flicked the pointer a third time.
This time, the pointer came to a stop in the black section.
His expression instantly stiffened. Behind him, Brother Red Chicken and the others reflexively took a few steps back, looking thoroughly traumatized.
"Is it black?! What's the question this time?" Xiahou Aotian called out hurriedly from where he was surrounded by the yin corpse army, weathering attack after attack.
A holographic dialogue box surfaced above the dial:
[Pointer: Black]
[Remark 1: Answer the dial's question. A correct answer permits spinning the pointer again. Accumulating three whites will lift the seal.]
[Remark 2: Those who answer incorrectly die!]
Ten seconds later, a new dialogue box popped up:
[Question: In all the poetry you know, what is the cheapest thing?]
[Remark: Please respond within thirty seconds. Countdown: 00:29:45]
Natsuki's Love pressed her earphone:
"The question this time is: 'In all the poetry you know, what is the cheapest thing?' I was a science major, so I'm sorry, I can't help. Xiahou Aotian, we're relying on you."
Scholars possessed photographic memories. Even if Xiahou Aotian didn't specialize in poetry and literature, he definitely remembered more poems than anyone else present.
"What the fuck kind of question is this?! What the fuck?!" Xiahou Aotian couldn't help but curse. "This is even more vague than the last one! How are we supposed to answer that?!"
After venting, he immediately sent his thoughts:
"It's either fame and fortune, or the common people.
"Since ancient times, poets primarily wrote to spurn worldly fame and fortune or to lament the suffering of the nation and its people. As the saying goes, 'Prosperity or decline, the common people suffer'; the ruled class always bears the brunt of sorrow."
"But that answer isn't rogue enough," Brother Red Chicken seized on the key point.
Xiahou Aotian was silent for a few seconds before erupting in curses again: "That's why I said how the hell can anyone answer this?! You guys are on your own!"
Yin Ji and the others instantly turned their gazes to Yuanshi Tianzun.
It seemed he was the more reliable one after all.
At this moment, only four seconds remained on the countdown.
*Screw it!* Zhang Yuanqing bent down, pressed his hand to the dial, and recited the answer in his mind.
[Question: In all the poetry you know, what is the cheapest thing?]
[Answer: Yi Shan Jin.]
[Correct answer!]
*Correct answer?! Even that worked?!* Zhang Yuanqing's lips twitched. *It really is a Rogue Dial.*
Looking back, his teammates were frozen in place, looking as though they were utterly questioning reality.
Even Yin Ji's gaze was somewhat blank.
Zhang Yuanqing retracted his gaze and spun the pointer a fourth time. The red pointer whirled around and, just as hoped, came to rest in the white section.
The dialogue box promptly vanished. Everyone felt the barrier enclosing them disperse, and the murky, dark seawater scattered in all directions.
"Hell yeah! Outstanding job, Yuanshi Tianzun!" Brother Red Chicken pumped his fist enthusiastically.
"...Hmph!" The tsundere snort came from the protagonist.
*Yi Shan Jin... Yuanshi really is, really is...* Natsuki's Love curbed her thought.
*Impressive...* Yin Ji's thought flashed past.
Once the pleasant surprise settled, the five people present turned their gaze toward the Yin-Yang Dial in unison, their eyes burning with desire.
Zhang Yuanqing hastily bent down, scooped up the dial, and looked back at his teammates:
"This item belongs to me. Any objections?"
Seeing that no one replied, his lips curved into a half-joking, half-serious smirk, and he tacked on a thought: *Anyone with an objection gets eliminated!*
Chapter 352