The footsteps were stiff, lacking the lightness of a living person, sounding as though someone were walking with locked knees.
By the time Zhang Yuanqing and the others heard them, they were already nearing the doorway.
It was abrupt, as if the owner of the footsteps had no intention of giving the people inside time to react.
*Wang Mingming is back?*
Zhang Yuanqing's heart tightened as adrenaline surged through him. Instinctively opening his inventory, he prepared to draw an item to fight.
Yet in the span of a spark, he changed his mind and gave a hushed, clipped warning:
"Get in bed!"
He threw himself toward the bunk on the left while simultaneously commanding Blood Rose to leap silently up to the top bunk, lying stiff and straight.
Commandery Princess Yinyao and the Palace Master sprang into action at once. The former chose the lower bunk on the right, while the latter dove straight into... Zhang Yuanqing's bed.
A flutter of red silk drifted into Zhang Yuanqing's embrace. She snuggled against his chest with all her might, and beneath the hem of her dress, a pair of crystalline jade feet playfully hooked around his leg.
Wisps of faint fragrance drifted into his nostrils, impossible to tell whether it was shampoo or the natural scent of a young woman.
*She's way too good at flirting...* Zhang Yuanqing thought helplessly, slowing his breathing to pretend he was fast asleep.
Rule 13 of the Employee Code of Conduct:
*If you hear abnormal sounds in the dormitory at night, please lie in bed, pretend to sleep, ignore them, and never leave your bed.*
Inside such a high-level rule-based item, Zhang Yuanqing believed following the rules was far safer than fighting.
No matter how formidable they were, could they really overpower a Dominator-tier rule-based item?
The footsteps entered the room.
*Thud, thud, thud...* Stiff, heavy steps crossed the threshold and stepped inside.
With his eyes squeezed shut, Zhang Yuanqing could not see the intruder, nor did he dare peek through the senses of his spirit servants. Yet from the resonance of the footsteps alone, he could picture the person's height, weight, and gait.
The visitor stood over two meters tall and weighed upward of two hundred kilograms. Those ponderous steps sounded less like a living human than a cold, rigid corpse.
After entering the room, the footsteps did not cease; instead, they paced around inside.
*Thud, thud, thud...* It paced between the bunks.
*It knows there are people in bed. It can see us,* Zhang Yuanqing surmised inwardly.
Just then, he heard the footsteps halt right beside his bunk.
Next, a damp, foul odor reached his nose, like a dead rat rotting away in a sewer.
Even without looking, he knew the creature was watching him from inches away.
Zhang Yuanqing slowed his breath to a crawl, remaining completely motionless.
After roughly three to five minutes, the putrid stench drifted away, and the heavy thuds resumed, heading toward the door.
The stiff, plodding footsteps exited the room, echoed down the corridor, and finally faded into complete silence.
All four people in the beds were cunning, none daring to get up immediately. After a very long wait, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter pushed herself up against Zhang Yuanqing's chest, glanced left and right, and said, "It's gone."
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing open his eyes. He surveyed his surroundings first, checking the door and then examining the window. Once he confirmed that no horrifying monster lurked nearby, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
A crisis successfully averted.
Along with his relief came a long-absent thrill; that same dread and terror from Sheling Tunnel had returned.
"Let's get out of here quickly. It might come back. We've already secured some of the rules, so it's time to get down to business. We don't have much time." Zhang Yuanqing had not forgotten their true objective for the night.
Only then did he notice that the Commandery Princess was still lying in bed, showing no sign of moving.
"Do you plan on sleeping here until daybreak?" Zhang Yuanqing asked peevishly.
Commandery Princess Yinyao opened her eyes unhurriedly and held up her mini-megaphone, speaking with utter conviction:
"Playing it safe. What if it doubles back?"
*So you're using the two of us as cannon fodder? The princess is truly shameless—shameless and cowardly...* The corner of Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched. "You've picked up modern slang quite well. Why don't you play it even safer and sleep here? Once we're done, we'll come back for you."
Commandery Princess Yinyao pretended not to hear his sarcasm, rising silently to resume her role as a mindless yin corpse.
The three people and one corpse leaped down from the building and sped off along a trail overgrown with shrubs, weeds, and trees.
Under the bright moonlight, the dark room remained dead silent. The notebook lying discarded on the floor eerily turned its own pages, and upon a blank sheet, a line of handwriting materialized:
*Patrol went very smoothly tonight... I'm very happy, because four new employees have arrived at the dormitory. Two have no heartbeats, and two have heartbeats... It's been a long time since we had new staff. I'm very lonely. I... will keep following them.*
***
Little Fatty had never witnessed a Dominator-tier clash before, let alone an all-out Dominator melee.
Golden suns rose one after another, only to be snuffed out, before rising anew in an endless cycle.
Fissures tore across the streets, leaving skyscrapers tottering on the brink of collapse. Six-meter-tall stone giants clambered up from the chasms, smashing one yin corpse after another to bits.
Thick roots erupted from the earth, flailing through the sky like tentacles and grinding the stone giants to powder.
A mysterious figure clad in a black robe stood atop a distant high-rise, raising a lustrous longsword ground from dark carbon. Like the commander of a vast host, the figure directed an endless army of specters and yin corpses to charge.
All the while, four flying swords crisscrossed the battlefield, whistling like bolts of lightning, accompanied by intermittent, ear-piercing shrieks that tore at the soul.
Clad in white and draped in a magnificent cloak, Fu Qingyang stood proud and unyielding. Countless yin corpses surged forward in waves, yet none could breach the ten-meter perimeter around him.
Beyond ten meters, corpses piled layer upon layer; within ten meters, not a speck of filth remained.
Elder Hongying's body radiated brilliant golden light as her hands formed seals. Miniature suns drifted upward from above her head, bathing the area in golden rays that rapidly purified the foul specters.
The Dominators on both sides clashed from afar, their dazzling array of skills unleashing without end.
Throughout the entire engagement, there was not a trace of hand-to-hand combat, only a bombardment of techniques.
The scene resembled deities trading esoteric arts; brute physical brawling seemed beneath them, unfitting for such a stage.
By the curb, in front of a milk tea shop, Little Fatty sat cross-legged on the ground, trembling with fear as he watched the battle.
Beside him were Yin Ji, Natsuki's Love, Yu, Gaoshan Liushui, and others—six Saints in total.
The seven of them sat cross-legged in a circle, surrounding a palm-sized clay figurine of the Earth God in the center.
"I-I-Is this item really going to work? Can it block attacks from a Dominator? What if a Dominator targets us?" Little Fatty's face was pale, his tongue tied in knots.
The official Saints remained silent, paying no heed to this practitioner of an evil class.
"I mean, it's fine for me to be in here since I'm bait, but why were you guys so reckless? Can people like us really participate in a Dominator-tier battle without paying a price?"
Seeing that no one was responding, the soft-hearted Yin Ji thought for a moment before replying softly:
"Rest assured, this item can block attacks from a Dominator—at least three strikes. That will be more than enough time for the elders to come to our aid. We came here to deal with Sect Master Chunyang, but he doesn't seem to be here..."
"He might be in hiding, waiting for a chance to strike at us," Natsuki's Love said, her voice clinking like shards of ice.
*I just hope we don't get wiped out by a Dominator before the enemy is even flushed out...* Little Fatty thought to himself.
Complaints aside, having people shivering alongside him suited him just fine.
The thing he needed most, the thing he lacked above all else, was a sense of security.
That was why he needed a boss.
"Looking at how they're trading blows, it doesn't seem like a victor will emerge anytime soon," Little Fatty said, fishing for conversation in his insecurity.
Yu furrowed her delicate brows and snapped impatiently, "You sure talk a lot. If the Nihility Sect and the officials hadn't struck an agreement, I'd send you back to the spirit realm right now."
Lawful classes never had pleasant words for evil classes, even if this fat youth seemed relatively mild-mannered.
"You're clearly just afraid of angering the elders of the Southern Sect, so you don't dare kill me," Little Fatty corrected.
"..."
Just then, Yin Ji frowned and murmured, "Look closely, everyone. How long has it been since the Southern Sect elders unleashed a Mental Strike?"
"It's been two minutes..." Little Fatty's round face suddenly grew grave. "It's been two minutes! Before, they launched a Mental Strike every ten seconds."
A chill ran through Natsuki's Love and the others.
Since Good Minister Chooses His Master to Slay was still alive, the chances of the Southern Sect elders defecting were slim. The only logical explanation was that the two Southern Sect elders had come under attack.
At present, the Dark Night Rose had deployed two elders: the Grand Protector commanding the spectral army, and the Spring God—the class title for a Dominator-tier Wood Monster.
With just two Dominators, there was no way they could match the combined might of the officials and the Southern Sect.
Since the Dark Night Rose aimed to turn the tables on their treacherous partners, they must have assembled sufficient manpower. Thus, the Southern Sect elders were most likely pinned down by enemy Dominators lurking in the shadows.
Given how Mind Demons moved without a trace, failing to shake off the enemy immediately meant the opponent was exceptionally troublesome.
After such a prolonged stalemate, the Dark Night Rose was finally launching their counteroffensive.
The thought had barely crossed the Saints' minds when Fu Qingyang suddenly raised his Jade Dragon Sword horizontally in a parrying stance.
*Clang!*
A piercing shriek rang out, accompanied by scattering sparks.
Fu Qingyang skidded backward abruptly. His expensive handmade leather shoes split with a sharp *crack*, and his brand-new white suit tore into ribbons under the sheer force of the shockwave.
A burly, towering figure materialized where Fu Qingyang had just been standing.
The newcomer was 1.9 meters tall with eight arms, his entire body covered in twisted, grotesque runes. His muscles resembled cast iron without an ounce of fat; even the world's most accomplished bodybuilder would feel ashamed before him.
His eight hands gripped eight different weapons: a saber, a spear, a pair of swords, a halberd, a ring, a staff, and a rope!
He had a gleaming bald head, coarse and resolute facial features, and silver rings pierced through his earlobes, nostrils, and lips.
The Silver Moon Heavenly King!
Not only did the Saints' expressions shift, but Elder Hongying and Elder Gaofeng also paled slightly.
Although the Silver Moon Heavenly King had only recently entered the Dominator stage, he was a freak blessed by Asura. Back when he was at the peak of the Saint stage, he could already trade a move or two with Dominators, possessing a peak combat class.
Such an opponent could not be treated as an ordinary early-stage Dominator.
No one knew just how powerful he was now.
Having forced Fu Qingyang back, the Silver Moon Heavenly King—a dedicated close-quarters specialist—immediately closed the distance in a ferocious assault. His eight weapons struck from all directions, swift as thunder and blurring into afterimages.
Even with Insight aiding him, Fu Qingyang ultimately had only a single sword. Soon, he began to sustain injuries, one bloody laceration after another opening across his body.
With a cold, grim expression, he parried with his blade while retreating at an unhurried pace, simultaneously summoning four flying swords to assail the Silver Moon Heavenly King from the rear and flanks.
For a time, the flying swords danced around the eight-armed juggernaut. Yet every time they struck, they were effortlessly deflected away, sending sparks flying.
While pressing his relentless attack, the Silver Moon Heavenly King laughed maniacally:
"Haha, Fu Qingyang, why have you gotten so weak? Oh, I forgot—the Puppeteer path doesn't offer much of a melee boost. Where's your Skill Nigh unto the Dao? Bring it out! Let's see if I can block it!"
His features twisted with bloodlust and battle-crazed ecstasy as his wild laughter echoed.
Wrath was not the defining mental trait of the Silver Moon Heavenly King; pugnacity was.
Elder Hongying and Elder Gaofeng moved to act at once, intending to assist Fu Qingyang.
In the Saint stage, Scouts were the premier close-quarters class, but upon reaching the Dominator stage, their progression pivoted toward the role of a battlefield commander.
Conversely, the Dominator stage of a Bewitching Demon was called an Ancient God of War, which doubled down entirely on martial prowess.
In a duel, a Puppeteer was simply no match for an Ancient God of War.
Furthermore, while Fu Qingyang's Skill Nigh unto the Dao operated on rules, the rule was "guaranteed to hit," not "guaranteed to kill."
At the Dominator stage, it was exceedingly difficult to deliver an unstoppable, decisive finishing blow like in the Saint stage.
On the other side of the battlefield, the black-robed Grand Protector flew forward on the wind, dark carbon sword in hand, trailing a tidal wave of billowing yin qi behind him.
It was his turn to strike.
"No need to assist!"
Fu Qingyang's icy voice cut off the two elders as they prepared to reinforce him.
Even though he was being driven back step by step, and even though the close-quarters prowess he took pride in was completely suppressed by the Ancient God of War, his countenance remained distant and composed.
This man seemed incapable of intense emotional swings—except when bellowing at Yuanshi Tianzun to knock before entering his room.
At a certain moment, Fu Qingyang delivered a direct vertical cleave that knocked the Silver Moon Heavenly King back.
*Thump, thump, thump...* The eight-armed titan stumbled backward repeatedly, the webbing between the thumbs and forefingers of the hands that parried the blow splitting open.
He was momentarily stunned.
That seemingly casual downward slash from Fu Qingyang carried a force that even he could not withstand.
*Shhk!*
After repelling the Silver Moon Heavenly King, Fu Qingyang planted the Jade Dragon Sword into the ground before him.
Next, he raised an arm and reached into the void. With a thunderous *thud*, a bronze chest half the height of a man crashed heavily to the ground.
Engraved on the lid was a majestic, awe-inspiring White Tiger, while the four sides depicted vicious beasts such as the Zhuyan and the Yazi.
Fu Qingyang kicked open the lid with a resounding *clang*. A swarm of dark figures leaped out from the bronze chest—cast in solid bronze, standing 1.6 meters tall, each wielding a Warring States bronze sword, their features uniform in their ferocious, stylized horror. There were exactly one hundred of them.
Fu Qingyang extended both arms, palms downward, his ten fingers dancing nimbly like an expert puppeteer.
The hundred bronze figurines turned their heads in unison, their hollow, baleful gazes fixing coldly upon the Silver Moon Heavenly King.
"A Puppet Storage Box?" The Silver Moon Heavenly King grinned. The muscles on his left and right shoulders swelled, split open, and two blood-drenched heads thrust out.
The two identical heads spoke with boundless arrogance: "What can that possibly do to me?!"
An Ancient God of War with three heads and eight arms feared mob tactics least of all.
The ultimate fate of these bronze figurines was to be chopped into pieces by him, one by one.
"Didn't you want to experience my slash?"
Fu Qingyang spoke. The cloak behind him billowed with a sharp snap, whipping in the wind as he activated the amplifying effect of the Court Swordsman Cloak.
As if infused with unfathomable might, the hundred bronze figurines slowly raised their bronze swords.
In that instant, an overwhelming sense of impending doom flooded in from all directions, suffocating the Silver Moon Heavenly King.
In his perception, every single sword carried an inescapable rule, and every blade brimmed with sword qi capable of cleaving gold and severing jade.
The terrifying sword qi even sent sharp pricks of pain across the skin of the two elders and the Saints nearby.
*A hundred swords infused with Skill Nigh unto the Dao?!*
He might be able to withstand one strike of Skill Nigh unto the Dao from Fu Qingyang, but could he survive a hundred?
A colossal wave of panic erupted in the Silver Moon Heavenly King's chest. Every nerve and every cell screamed frantically, urging him to flee for his life.
Yet he could not flee.
He was locked down by a hundred swords of Skill Nigh unto the Dao.
"I held back earlier merely to see how much your strength had grown after ascending to Dominator," Fu Qingyang said, his tone carrying the cool appraisal of a senior evaluating a junior.
"You are lacking in every metric. Try harder next time."
Both palms pressed downward lightly: "Sever!"
In the next instant, one hundred bronze swords descended at once.
One hundred arcs of sword qi engulfed the Silver Moon Heavenly King.
*Splatter, splatter, splatter...*
The newly ascended Heavenly King was dismembered on the spot. Mangled chunks of flesh and viscera rained onto the pavement, splashing a ghastly carpet of crimson.
Fu Qingyang lowered his gaze, his cold, grim eyes resting upon the scattered remains. He murmured faintly:
"I hadn't even exerted myself, and you've already fallen."
Elder Hongying and Elder Gaofeng froze on the spot.
The Grand Protector, soaring in on the wind, slammed the brakes midair.
The Saints sitting cross-legged on the ground were left dumbfounded, their souls practically shaken from their bodies.
Total silence descended upon the scene.
***
Inside the Zoo.
Zhang Yuanqing led the Palace Master and the Commandery Princess back to the fork in the road.
By now, the scattered clods of earth on the ground were nearly dry. Around twenty minutes had passed since they entered the Zoo.
Even if Elder Dog had not yet reached Rouzong City, he had to be close. If he failed to realize this was a diversion to lure the tiger away from the mountain and did not rush back immediately, Zhang Yuanqing had only twenty minutes left.
What was worse, there was still the female Grand Marshal, who might return at any second.
The Fear Heavenly King could not tie down the Grand Marshal for long. According to the Liberty Madman, the female Grand Marshal's physical damage output was among the very best even within the ranks of demigods.
Fighting her was purely a matter of enduring through an absurdly massive health pool.
Growing anxious, Zhang Yuanqing spoke rapidly:
"I've observed the Zoo's layout. The core area won't be that large, so finding the camphor tree holding the Demon Eye shouldn't be too hard."
"True, but there are many routes!" Commandery Princess Yinyao held her mini-megaphone. "Different routes carry different dangers. Let's hope the camphor spirit took a path corresponding to the rules we read in the Employee Code of Conduct."
"Can we really be that lucky?" Zhang Yuanqing said helplessly.
Suddenly, he remembered the Lucky Necklace in his inventory. In a place that relied on gambling and luck, the Lucky Necklace might produce miraculous results.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately retrieved the necklace, put it on, and said:
"This is good stuff. It can make the Goddess of Luck fall in love with me."
"Then I'll slaughter her," the Palace Master said.
"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo! Children's banter doesn't count, don't take it to heart..." Zhang Yuanqing spat aside rapidly to ward off bad luck.
The two humans and two corpses strode quickly along the wide paved road, following the trail of scattered soil and mud. Before long, a signpost appeared in their line of sight.
[Dodder Garden]
Rule 6 from the Employee Code of Conduct instantly flashed through their minds:
*When passing Dodder Garden, try to pass through as quickly as possible. If you hear someone calling out to you, do not look back under any circumstances.*
Zhang Yuanqing said with delight, "The necklace is working."
The Zoo's perils were scattered across nine different paths, so any single route would not feature too many hazards. Perhaps once they crossed Dodder Garden, they would find the Demon Eye.
Without needing to speak, the two humans and two corpses broke into a sprint.
A dozen seconds later, an exotic fragrance reached Zhang Yuanqing's nose.
Under the hazy moonlight, a field unfolded ahead. Amid lush verdant greens, white, thread-like blossoms were scattered, swaying gently in the night breeze.
*Don't look...* He quietly averted his eyes and quickened his pace.
The employee manual explicitly instructed them to "pass through quickly" and "do not look back." He worried that lingering gazes might trigger something terrible.
Dodder Garden was not large, measuring roughly two hundred meters across. For them, covering that distance was something they could do with their eyes closed...
Yet right at that moment, a sudden fog rolled in around them.
Out of nowhere, thick mist materialized into an ocean of white, thin as sheer silk yet weightless as drifting dust.
The path ahead vanished from sight.
Rule 5 of the Employee Code of Conduct:
*If you encounter thick fog, please remain where you are. Do not move, do not speak, and wait for the fog to disperse.*
Zhang Yuanqing ground to a sudden halt, his heart sinking straight to the bottom of an icy abyss.
Chapter 506