Xie Lingyun—a direct descendant of the Xie family—had to be a Musician! Zhang Yuanqing didn't dare turn his head or move. He called out loudly, "Xie Lingyun, are you a Musician?"
"I... I am..." Xie Lingyun's voice trembled.
"Soothe them with your singing immediately! Erase their fear, or every Transcendent here is going to die! Hurry!" Zhang Yuanqing shouted.
*Soothe them? Right, soothe them...* The realization hit Xie Lingyun like a sudden awakening. Taking a deep breath, she began to sing a gentle, melodious tune.
Her singing was exceptionally lovely, soft as a spring breeze, reverberating through the spacious dining hall. It was as if one were standing in a sunlit meadow under a balmy spring wind; all hardship, terror, and anxiety vanished without a trace, leaving profound peace deep within the heart.
Bathed in her melody, the anxiety and dread gradually faded from everyone's faces, replaced by serene expressions.
*Whew, it worked. Thank goodness the Pure Yang Sect Master hasn't recovered to the Saint stage yet, or we'd all be doomed.* Relieved, Zhang Yuanqing felt a cold sweat of lingering fear. In an environment like this, let alone Transcendent walkers and ordinary people, even a Saint like him or a Level 6 walker like Ling Jun could die at any second.
Before absolute power, there was virtually no difference between a peak Saint and an ordinary human.
He held his standing posture, perfectly still, waiting for the time to expire.
During this time, Zhang Yuanqing did not even dare summon the Ghost Bride or Little Doubi to observe people's expressions and search for the Pure Yang Sect Master.
Given how overbearing a Dominator-grade item was, the rule of "no moving" likely applied to spirit bodies as well. He could not gamble with his spirit servants' lives.
Seconds ticked by. Everyone stared in extreme tension at the countdown hovering in midair. The moment it reached the final second and every digit hit zero, Zhang Yuanqing spun around and barked:
"Anyone who wasn't tested with the lie detector earlier, stand still and don't move! If any security guard or server acts abnormal, kill them on sight! Xie Lingyun, keep singing, don't stop!"
Having issued his orders, he hesitated no longer, retrieving the Houtu Boots and summoning the Ghost Bride. Then, amidst Xie Lingyun's soft, melodious song, he tossed the Houtu Boots to a female walker.
"Put them on," Zhang Yuanqing said in a heavy voice.
The Ghost Bride materialized behind her, ready to possess her the instant she made an unusual move.
Meanwhile, Xie Lingyun's singing kept their emotions calm, preventing a repeat of Danqing Shengshou's tragedy.
The female Transcendent put on the Houtu Boots, only to hear Yuanshi Tianzun urge, "Take them off, quick."
She took off the boots as told. Zhang Yuanqing promptly asked, "Are you the Pure Yang Sect Master?"
She shook her head repeatedly. "No, I'm not... I'm not..."
"Are you an ancient cultivator?"
"No."
With time running short, Zhang Yuanqing didn't press further. He tossed the Houtu Boots to a second person while looking toward the Saints. "Just to be safe, all of you should test yourselves too. If anyone has lie-detection items, bring them out immediately. Don't worry about the cost—staying alive is what matters most."
Two, three, four... In short order, every Transcendent had completed the test. Next, Zhang Yuanqing used the boots to screen every security guard and server.
Throughout the questioning, Yin Ji stayed at his side, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Yet not a single person confessed to being the Pure Yang Sect Master. Not one.
"We're done testing. No issues among the Saints," Ling Jun and Gaoshan Liushui said as they drew near.
As the four strongest figures present, they had naturally become the leaders.
*Something's wrong. This isn't right...* Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself internally. The Pure Yang Sect Master was definitely here; there was no doubt about that. But why couldn't they find him? Why?
Ling Jun said gravely, "Could it be that he can resist the item's penalty?"
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Impossible. He's recovered to the Transcendent stage at most; there's no way he could resist the penalty of a Saint-grade item. Even we couldn't resist it."
Gaoshan Liushui said with a dark expression, turning toward Miao Teng'er, "Are you certain everyone is here?"
Beside Miao Teng'er, the white-haired elderly man nodded. "Everyone is here. We even brought back the dog."
He pointed to a golden retriever lying on its side in the corner, blissfully asleep and completely oblivious to the human crisis.
Ling Jun sucked in a breath of cold air. "Three minutes left. In three minutes, the next round of the game starts."
Zhang Yuanqing didn't even spare the dog. Activating Spirit Devouring, he ripped the golden retriever's soul right out.
Whether human or animal, once a soul was ripped out, it could not return. The body would first lapse into a vegetative state, then slowly die.
Among all the professions, only Night Walkers could project their spirit bodies, yet their physical shells would fall into suspended animation; if the soul failed to return within the time limit, the physical body would die completely.
This was actually the quickest and most direct way to uncover the Pure Yang Sect Master. But while Zhang Yuanqing could be cold and ruthless toward a dog, he could not use the same method on the people present.
*Where could the Pure Yang Sect Master be? If no one here is him, where could he be hiding?* Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts raced. Suddenly, catching sight of the corpses sprawled across the floor, a flash of inspiration struck him.
"Yin Ji, the bodies!"
Intelligent and quick-witted, Yin Ji grasped Yuanshi Tianzun's meaning immediately. She activated Spirit Devouring, pitch darkness churning within her eye sockets.
The two of them examined the corpses scattered around the dining hall. Aside from Yan'er, residual spirits remained inside the others, but none of them was the Pure Yang Sect Master.
"How is it?" Ling Jun pressed from the side.
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head with a grim look.
"Hiss..." Gaoshan Liushui also drew in a sharp breath like Ling Jun, unable to hide his disappointment. "Just where is he hiding? Are ancient cultivators really this difficult to deal with?"
Such an enemy was truly terrifying.
Just then, Yin Ji fixed her gaze on Yuanshi Tianzun and asked in a low voice, "Have you ever seized a body?"
Zhang Yuanqing started, then shook his head.
He had devoured spirits and possessed targets, but he had never seized anyone's body. Body seizure meant forcibly occupying a physical vessel and swallowing a living soul whole. When Zhang Yuanqing typically used Spirit Devouring, he merely consumed the lingering soul remnants of the dead. The difference between the two was like chugging pesticide versus taking a sip of diluted poison. Furthermore, consuming the souls of the dead brought no guilt, whereas seizing a body amounted to extinguishing an innocent life.
Looking into Yin Ji's bright, quiet eyes, he didn't understand why she was asking this.
Yin Ji explained, "A seized body cannot open the inventory, and since the Pure Yang Sect Master isn't a Spirit Realm walker, he doesn't have an inventory function at all. Two minutes left—hurry!"
Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up instantly. Striding to the center of the dining hall, he called out loudly: "Everyone, the Pure Yang Sect Master isn't a Spirit Realm walker! He has no inventory! Everyone, take out an item immediately—anything will do! Keep an eye on each other!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, every guest responded, reaching into their inventories and pulling out various materials and items, leaving only the servers and security personnel empty-handed.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing and Yin Ji exchanged a look, their hearts sinking together.
"Well, that makes it simple!" A loud shout drew their attention. Looking over, they saw the third-generation legacy Liu Zhiyi drawing a handgun, aiming it at the twenty-odd servers as he barked, "The Pure Yang Sect Master is among them! Kill them all, and where will that bastard's spirit hide then?"
With that, he aimed at a security guard and pulled the trigger.
*Bang!* The bullet was deflected by a purple-gold round shield, kicking up a fleeting burst of sparks.
The servers and security guards reflexively crouched with their hands over their heads or ducked and scrambled, plunging the room into chaos.
"Yuanshi Tianzun, are you trying to play the self-righteous saint?" Liu Zhiyi sneered.
"Fire another shot, and I will kill you," Zhang Yuanqing warned with an icy expression. "It wouldn't be the first time I've killed an official walker."
Intimidating Liu Zhiyi with a sharp glare, he turned toward the gathered official walkers and said, "I don't know where the Pure Yang Sect Master is hiding, but they are just ordinary people. They've already been tested by the item and cleared of suspicion. Attacking them is nothing more than senseless slaughter. And to anyone who commits senseless slaughter, I show no mercy."
"Then what do you propose we do?" Liu Zhiyi demanded sullenly. His eyes were fierce and his face somewhat twisted, like a trapped beast putting up a desperate front. He was terrified—terrified of dying here.
"What to do? That has nothing to do with murdering ordinary people. You're just venting your own inner terror," Zhang Yuanqing said coldly. "My patience is limited. Don't make me kill you."
This time, supported by Xie Lingyun's continuous, melodious singing, the Pure Yang Sect Master's ability to incite desires and passions failed to take effect. The ordinary people were swiftly calmed, and the guests kept their tangled emotions in check, preventing the conflict from escalating.
Right then, time was up again.
[The safe period has ended. The die is rolling. Please wait...]
The die hovering above the illusory round table spun at high speed. Everyone's heart tightened as their eyes locked onto it. Soon, the die slowed and settled, stopping on a four.
The little figurine at the eleven-dot mark marched briskly along the winding path, arriving at the fifteen-dot spot.
The dense fog cleared to reveal a valley, depicting three chibi bandits drawing their bows.
The small text note read: "Oh no! You have entered Bandit Valley and are under attack by bandits! Three volleys of arrows will follow. Please prepare your defenses."
As the text appeared, arrows of condensed energy materialized above the round table.
"Take cover!" Gaoshan Liushui roared. In the same breath, he grabbed a massive wooden shield, dropped to his left knee, and planted the door-sized barrier before him. A soft yet sturdy green light flared, erecting an illusory wall ahead of him that shielded everyone behind.
The next second, the energy arrows whistled through the air, pouring down like a torrential rainstorm.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Amid deafening blasts of detonating energy, the illusory wall trembled violently and collapsed. The wooden shield in Gaoshan Liushui's hands shattered into splinters.
The glowing rain of arrows swept over the dining hall. The tables and chairs were the first to suffer, splintering in a relentless barrage of cracking noises. Then came the ordinary people who possessed no powers; arrows pierced through chests, abdomens, and heads, cutting them down amidst bloodcurdling screams.
The guests pulled out their respective defensive items to weather the frontal onslaught of arrows.
"Ahhh!" "Help..." "Save me!" Screams and desperate cries echoed from every corner of the room. How could Transcendent- or Saint-grade items withstand an attack from a Dominator-grade item?
In the chaos, Zhang Yuanqing summoned the Purple Lightning Shield, crouching low with his head tucked, keeping his body safely behind it.
*Clang!* An arrow struck the Purple Lightning Shield, instantly webbing it with fine fissures.
*It can take at least three arrows. Once the shield shatters, the Unyielding Visor can block one shot, and then I'll activate the Yin-Yang Array. The barrier probably won't hold, but the water and fire clones can...* He had just thought that the clones could absorb physical attacks when he saw a Water Ghost struck by an energy arrow—blasted into a puddle of clear water, which then collapsed into shredded flesh and gore.
*Fuck, this isn't physical damage...* A chill ran down Zhang Yuanqing's spine. Just then, he saw Yin Ji not far away bring forth an amber bead to protect a server beside her, trying to endure the energy arrows.
*Bang!* After taking a single arrow, the bead shattered into dust. Feeling as if a battering ram had slammed into her chest, Yin Ji flew backward through the air. Even more arrows bore down on her.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing dissolved into illusory starlight, reappearing beside Yin Ji. He tackled her to the ground, shielding her with his body as he held up the round shield.
Yin Ji reflexively shoved against the man on top of her.
"Tuck your head and curl up!" Zhang Yuanqing roared.
Her hands stiffened slightly before pulling back. She clasped her head and curled up beneath Yuanshi Tianzun.
Beside her ear came two resounding crashes accompanied by Yuanshi Tianzun's trembling—he was absorbing the full impact of the arrows.
She listened to Yuanshi Tianzun's ragged breathing and racing heartbeat, powerless to help. She didn't know how long it had been when she finally heard him say, "The first volley is over..."
"Thank you..." Yin Ji gently pushed the man off her, instinctively looking around the dining hall to assess the situation.
By now, the dining hall was in complete ruin. Shattered plates, wine glasses, and food lay strewn across the floor, where spilled alcohol mingled with spreading pools of blood. Severed limbs and broken bodies were everywhere—some belonging to guests, others to ordinary people. The carnage was gruesome beyond words.
Gaoshan Liushui, the Deacon of Puning District, had died on the spot when his wooden shield shattered, but the Beast King's "revival" had saved his life. He was now sitting pale-faced on the blood-soaked floor, gasping heavily for air.
Huayangzi had fallen in the first volley. Miao Teng'er, being a Saint herself and protected by Ling Jun, had managed to survive.
The third-generation legacy Liu Zhiyi and Broken Bridge Residual Blood, both possessing prominent backgrounds and their own trump cards, had also survived by sheer luck.
One Saint was dead, seven or eight Transcendents had perished, and only six of the security personnel and servers remained alive.
In just the first wave of attacks, their numbers had been cut in half.
Yin Ji instinctively searched for her two sect fellows, and her pupils constricted abruptly.
By the window lay the two Night Walkers, completely uninjured physically, yet already dead.
"Yuanshi Tianzun! He made his move—he's right here in the dining hall..." Yin Ji gripped Zhang Yuanqing's arm, her expression grim.
Chapter 393