Hearing this, the crowd shifted their attention from their slowly deflating bellies to Yuanshi Tianzun under the shade of the trees. There he stood beneath the canopy, belly protruding, panting delicately, looking as if he had just endured a round of fetal kicks.
Although entirely inappropriate for the moment, the same thought crossed the minds of all five of them, except for Yin Ji: *If only we had a phone right now. Snapping a photo of Yuanshi Tianzun pregnant would definitely go viral...*
"Ahem..." Brother Red Chicken dismissed the dangerous thought and made an inane opening remark. "Turns out yin corpses can't get pregnant."
Come to think of it, the previous batch of Spirit Realm walkers had been cursed with terrible luck. The Yin-Yang Dial's function was to swallow vitality, but yin creatures were dead things with no life force to speak of. The crying of the infant head was similarly useless against yin creatures—dead matter couldn't nurture life. No wonder they had been completely wiped out... Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt a twinge of pity for those poor souls.
"Night Travel, Moisture Deprivation, forced pregnancy, and probably healing. Those are the boss's abilities," Eagle of Freedom said, his brows tightly furrowed. "We don't need to worry about Night Travel; there are plenty of ways to counter it. But Moisture Deprivation is unsolvable, and so are the pregnancy and healing. How are we supposed to formulate a strategy?"
Natsuki's Love added, "On top of all that, the boss's own combat prowess is on par with a level-six yin corpse. And being a yin creature, it has virtually no fatal weak spots."
Xiahou Aotian pondered for a moment before declaring loudly, "While the foolish supporting characters are still fretting, the brilliant protagonist has already devised a method and laid out a strategy."
"Why are you facing away from us?" Brother Red Chicken asked.
At that moment, Xiahou Aotian was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his back turned to everyone.
"Those who witness the protagonist's dark history don't live long. I'm doing this for your own good," Xiahou Aotian snorted.
"Alright, now is not the time for you two to do a comedy routine," Natsuki's Love interrupted, urging, "If you have an idea, out with it."
In moments like this, the value of a Scholar became apparent.
Xiahou Aotian said, "Moisture Deprivation is unsolvable—at least at our level. However, in the five phases, Earth overcomes Water. A Saint-grade Earth Monster item can slow down moisture loss and let us hang on just a little longer."
Yin Ji said, "I happen to have one."
*Actually, the avatar condensed by the Yin-Yang Array can also counter Moisture Deprivation since it has no physical form, but the Water Array might fuel the boss's ferocity...* After weighing it for a few seconds, Zhang Yuanqing abandoned the idea of deploying the array and said, "I have three Saint-grade Earth Monster items."
The Houtu Boots, Mountain God Scepter, and Unyielding Visor.
Yun Meng had intended to say that she had healing items, but on second thought, Moisture Deprivation differed from ordinary attacks and healing might not work, so she kept silent.
"Good. Now we have a way to barely resist Moisture Deprivation. Next is dealing with that rule-based item," Xiahou Aotian prompted. "It's actually quite simple: use the Yin-Yang Dial!"
Natsuki's Love's eyes lit up. "Exactly. The Yin-Yang Dial can plunder vitality, perfectly countering the healing. The boss has low intelligence and can't possibly answer the question."
Xiahou Aotian nodded. "Precisely. First, we use Brother Red Chicken's explosive packs to heavily damage the boss. Then Yuanshi Tianzun brings out the Yin-Yang Dial to suppress the rule-based item. Finally, Yuanshi Tianzun destroys it with that brass pestle.
"Although this means Yuanshi Tianzun will take the lion's share of the rewards, compared to clearing the dungeon, letting him reap the benefits is fine."
It had to be said that speaking eloquently with his back turned to the crowd, Xiahou Aotian truly possessed an air of an eccentric master.
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing tapped his knuckles against the tree trunk. "A minute and a half has already passed, and I must remind you that this plan has a fatal flaw: I have no way to resist the crying. And setting aside skills, the boss is fundamentally a level-six yin corpse.
"Even if the Yin-Yang Dial can suppress the rule-based item and prevent the boss from reviving and healing, do you think I can kill it while waddling around with a huge pregnant belly? Even with all of you helping, it wouldn't work."
Xiahou Aotian was struck dumb for a moment. "Even someone as infallibly calculating as me has lapses in judgment."
Worry once again crept onto everyone's faces.
Yin Ji suddenly said, "The Taiyi Sect has a spirit talisman array specifically designed to counter yin corpses. I can suppress its grade. Drawing the array will take three minutes."
*Even if its grade is suppressed, it will definitely still be stronger than me. But I can't give the Yin-Yang Dial to them to use. Still, I can use the Houtu Boots and Mountain God Scepter to refine this area, drawing upon an endless supply of earth energy. As one waxes, the other wanes—it's worth a shot...* After running through the calculations in his mind, Zhang Yuanqing said, "No time to lose. Let's move immediately."
At this moment, everyone's bellies were flattening out, and within a few moments, they would recover completely.
Yin Ji retrieved various spiritual yin-attribute materials from her inventory and spoke swiftly, "Yuanshi Tianzun, come help."
The only one present who could assist was Yuanshi Tianzun, a fellow Star Official.
"Help me mix the ink."
"Ink" was Night Walker jargon for talisman-drawing pigments.
Star sand, yin soil, soul stones, hair, nether grass... With a single glance, Zhang Yuanqing roughly understood what she wanted to concoct.
Spirit talismans had two primary functions: spirit and soul—spirit referring to the astral body, and soul referring to the physical vessel.
The orthodox array refined spirits and corpses; the inverted array eradicated spirits and sealed corpses.
This was not difficult for him.
Under their tacit cooperation, the ink was soon prepared. Yin Ji held a bowl made from a feline cranium containing the thick, dark-red liquid. Cupping the skull with both hands, she chanted incantations under her breath.
Zhang Yuanqing sensed that the spirituality of the liquid within the cranium grew richer.
*I didn't understand what she did back on the seabed, and I don't understand what she's doing now either. I've already unlocked all the Night Walker skills, so why can't I chant incantations?* He suddenly realized that a rogue cultivator from the wilderness was indeed different from a fairy born of an orthodox major sect.
Although modern Spirit Realm walkers had a short history, it had still been over a century. The Taiyi Sect Master was undoubtedly among the very first batch of Spirit Realm walkers, and the Taiyi Sect had already developed the rudiments of a true heritage.
Members of the sect could learn many spells that the Spirit Realm did not "teach" and that independent cultivators could never access.
After finishing her incantation, Yin Ji splashed out the slurry-thick liquid from the cranium.
The spiritually charged mixture did not immediately splash onto the ground. Instead, it hovered midair and, as if endowed with life, vigorously danced through the air like sweeping calligraphy strokes, autonomously tracing twisted, intricate lines full of Daoist resonance.
*Eh? This spirit talisman looks like a corpse-suppressing talisman, but with many astrological elements added. Did they combine arrays developed from Astromancy with spirit talismans?*
*I do understand how she's outlining the array, though. There's no trick to it—just manipulating it through sheer psychokinesis. Once I reach level six, I'll be able to do that too...*
Zhang Yuanqing widened his eyes, memorizing the entire intricate diagram.
He did not need to make a deliberate effort to memorize it, which ordinary Spirit Realm walkers couldn't do anyway unless they were Scholars.
But Zhang Yuanqing had a mental condition—anything he had ever laid eyes on could be recalled during an episode.
He had already memorized the types of materials and the mixing ratios. Given enough time, he could reproduce an identical array. In other words, he had successfully stolen the technique.
Just then, Zhang Yuanqing's expression grew urgent, and he prompted, "Hurry! My yin corpse can't hold out much longer. It's coming right back—five hundred meters away!"
Yin Ji's face tightened, and the speed at which she drew the array visibly accelerated.
"Three hundred meters!"
"Two hundred meters!"
"One hundred meters—it's here!" Zhang Yuanqing roared.
Brother Red Chicken and the others tensed, looking up. The bushes ahead trembled, and a "Yuanshi Tianzun" burst out from the dense woods, sprinting madly toward them with pounding footsteps.
Immediately after, a dark-green figure plummeted from the sky, lunging to slay "Yuanshi Tianzun." Just as disaster was about to strike, the figure executed a nimble slide, dodging the Little Emperor's pounce.
Bouncing back up, he took off running toward the crowd.
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
The resounding wails of an infant reached their ears, and everyone's bellies, which had just flattened out, began visibly swelling again.
"D-Damn it... Yuanshi Tianzun, take the gear!"
Brother Red Chicken hurled his backpack forward, then clutched his stomach and cursed as he fled.
Xiahou Aotian and the other two also fled into the distance as if avoiding venomous serpents.
Yin Ji's belly also bulged high—two months pregnant, three months, four months... She winced in agony, sweat pouring down her cheeks, but gritted her teeth and continued tracing the array.
Just as Blood Rose and the Little Emperor charged into proximity, Yin Ji pressed both hands downward. The pattern hovering in midair slammed into the earth and vanished from view.
"Get out of here!" Zhang Yuanqing urged.
Yin Ji glanced at him and said softly, "Be careful..."
As the lingering sound of her voice hung in the air, her pregnant silhouette dispersed into starlight and disappeared.
Once everyone was gone, Zhang Yuanqing produced the Yin-Yang Dial, put on the Lucky Necklace, and flicked the needle.
In an instant, an array spanning a radius of forty meters formed, resembling an inverted bowl that trapped Zhang Yuanqing, Blood Rose, and the Little Emperor within.
Under the blessing of luck, the needle predictably stopped in the black zone.
Above the Yin-Yang Dial, a dialogue box appeared that only Spirit Realm walkers could see:
[Needle: Black]
[Note 1: Answer the dial's question. A correct answer allows you to spin the needle again. Accumulate three whites to dispel the barrier.]
[Note 2: Those who answer incorrectly die!]
The dialogue box held for a few seconds before disappearing, replaced by a new one floating above the dial:
[Question: A patron visited a red-light establishment. Seeing his arrival, onlookers laughed and mocked, "Well, if it isn't Mr. Five-Centimeters!" Hearing this, the patron retorted indignantly, "Every woman who has ever entertained me ended up so pleasured that her whole body went limp, happy beyond belief!"]
[Note: Describe the above scenario with an idiom. Answer within thirty seconds. Countdown: 00:29:45]
*A ridiculously simple question...* Zhang Yuanqing gave it a glance, then tossed the dial aside.
Next, he pulled two packs of explosives from the backpack, dropped them casually at his feet, and before the fetus could sap too much of his strength, used Star Escape to vanish.
He reappeared at the entrance of the temporary palace. Looking back, he saw Blood Rose leaping over the explosive packs and rushing toward him.
Having stepped into the array Yin Ji had laid down, the Little Emperor's grade dropped and his speed noticeably slowed. Because of this, he failed to keep up with Blood Rose and arrived at the explosives two seconds later.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing pressed the detonator.
*Boom!*
The ground shook violently. Billowing smoke and flames surged upward, swallowing the Little Emperor's dark-green body, and a ferocious shockwave uprooted the surrounding trees.
As the thick smoke cleared, a charred humanoid figure was revealed. Most of the scales on the Little Emperor had been blasted away, his left arm was blown off, a gaping hole was torn into his lower abdomen, and both shins were stripped to the bone.
With his grade suppressed, his physical body and constitution had also weakened.
The explosion inflicted massive damage.
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
The infant's crying grew increasingly frantic.
The Little Emperor's scorch-covered body rapidly healed, and new scales sprouted.
Right at that moment, the thirty seconds expired. The dial nearby shot forth an intense black beam that beamed directly onto the Little Emperor.
The rapid healing of wounds and regrowth of scales came to an abrupt halt.
The infant continued to wail, but it could no longer heal its host. The life force it released was greedily devoured by another power.
*It worked! The Yin-Yang Dial did the trick...* Zhang Yuanqing shook open the Yin-Yang Robe and draped it over his shoulders, donned the Unyielding Heart-Protecting Mirror, and took out the Mountain God Scepter and Houtu Boots.
The Houtu Boots drew an endless supply of earth energy for him, instantly infusing his slightly weakened limbs with power. At the same time, the boost in endurance dramatically increased his tolerance for the pain in his abdomen.
The passive Herculean Strength of the Mountain God Scepter pushed his physical functions beyond the peak of his best condition.
Feeling more powerful than ever, Zhang Yuanqing gripped the scepter in one hand and seized the Demon-Subduing Pestle in the other, charging toward the Little Emperor.
Fifty meters away, his teammates, bellies swollen, seemed to forget their pain as they watched with tense anticipation while Yuanshi Tianzun charged at the boss.
"Roar!"
The Little Emperor let out a low roar and stumbled forward to pounce on his foe.
With a swipe of his razor-sharp right claw, he ripped his enemy to shreds with ease.
Yet that was merely an illusion—a phantom created by Star Illusion. The real Yuanshi Tianzun materialized behind the Little Emperor, thrusting the Demon-Subduing Pestle toward the lacerated back of his heart.
The Little Emperor spun around violently, swinging his right claw with blistering speed.
His height reached right at Zhang Yuanqing's waist, and his dark, razor-sharp claws struck Zhang Yuanqing's flank.
A flash of yellow light deflected the claw strike.
Zhang Yuanqing swung the Mountain God Scepter, smashing it down hard against the Little Emperor's skull and sending scales flying.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
He circled around the Little Emperor, battering him relentlessly with the scepter. Combined with his solid martial skills, he suppressed the boss completely.
Yet even with his grade lowered, the Little Emperor's strength and speed still surpassed a level-four Star Official's.
Though at a disadvantage and enduring a constant pummeling that left his diminutive frame battered and bruised, whenever Zhang Yuanqing attempted to close in and stab with the Demon-Subduing Pestle, the monster retaliated frantically.
"Waaah! Waaah!"
The infant's cries grew shriller, and a wail echoed from inside Zhang Yuanqing's belly in resonance.
A sudden spasm of agony tore through his abdomen, and the impression of a baby's face pressed against the skin of his belly.
Seizing the opportunity, the Little Emperor swung his remaining right claw, striking his enemy squarely in the waist.
Zhang Yuanqing flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
Rolling as he hit the ground, he heard a sharp *snap* from his belt's metal buckle. The high-quality designer fanny pack had finally succumbed to the strain and broke.
By now, his belly had swollen to an absurd degree, resembling a woman on the verge of labor.
And the only way he could "give birth" was for it to tear open his stomach from within.
Time was of the essence. Zhang Yuanqing had no time to worry about the Elvis speaker. That item couldn't be stored in the inventory, and with the fanny pack's buckle broken, retrieving it would only hinder him—he couldn't fight while holding it in his hand.
*My condition is deteriorating fast. If I can't finish it off within twenty seconds, my only option will be to use the Elvis speaker...* Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts raced as he evaluated his skills and items.
The fetus in his womb sapped his power and skills by the second. In such a continuously draining state, any means of buffing himself was especially precious.
The Elvis speaker's suona blare offered him a noticeable boost.
If it truly came down to life and death, he would use it even if it meant exposing his identity as the Demon Lord's successor. After all, if he perished and returned to the Spirit Realm, everything else would be meaningless.
Soon, he thought of a way.
*Thump!*
He jabbed the Mountain God Scepter into the earth at his feet, sinking half its length into the soft soil. The jade-green gem at its tip pulsed with radiance.
The surrounding vegetation mutated, and branches erupted from underground, striving to bind the Little Emperor.
The dark-green Little Emperor parted his black lips and inhaled violently. The remaining scales across his body flared open, ravenously draining moisture from his surroundings.
Zhang Yuanqing's moisture rapidly leached away, his skin withering and wrinkling as his condition took a further turn for the worse.
The only silver lining was that the Unyielding Heart-Protecting Mirror slightly slowed the moisture drain, while the stamina and earth energy granted by the Houtu Boots propped up his exhausted body.
Zhang Yuanqing produced an item he had nearly forgotten.
—Blood Rouge!
Opening the silver rouge box, he scooped up a smear of crimson rouge with his fingertip and coated the Demon-Subduing Pestle.
Then, with a gentle exhale of lunar energy, he summoned a glamorous red figure dressed in bridal robes, cradling an adorable infant.
Next, he cast Astral Travel. His astral body departed his flesh, gliding alongside the Ghost Bride toward the Little Emperor.
Master and servant slammed into the Little Emperor's body simultaneously.
"Roar!"
The Little Emperor parted his black lips and unleashed an enraged howl. His body convulsed violently, limbs spasming as he fought against the two Saint-stage astral bodies for control over his flesh.
Meanwhile, an apparition materialized, attached itself to the rouge-smeared Demon-Subduing Pestle, and shot screaming through the air toward the Little Emperor.
*Thwack!*
The Demon-Subduing Pestle drove into the Little Emperor's chest, and he froze stiff.
Zhang Yuanqing had already recalled Bai Lan into his astral body just before the pestle struck.
In the next second, a golden sun detonated. Golden light erupted from the Little Emperor's mouth, eyes, and nostrils, incinerating the corpse into a charred cinder.
The apparition attached to the pestle likewise dissipated into nothingness under the divine power of the sun.
This time, the Little Emperor did not revive, for the black light of the Yin-Yang Dial enveloped the infant head upon his shoulder.
*It's over...* Zhang Yuanqing picked up the Demon-Subduing Pestle, planted his foot on the charred chest, cupped the infant head in his hands, and yanked it free.
The Little Emperor's body dissolved away completely.
*I'll be taking this rule-based item component...* Stowing the infant head into his inventory, Zhang Yuanqing returned to where the Elvis speaker had dropped, picked up the fanny pack, and then retrieved the Yin-Yang Dial, returning it to his inventory as well.
The barrier dissipated.
Having done all this, he heard hurried footsteps approaching and saw Yin Ji returning with their teammates, whose faces were flushed with excitement.
Chapter 357