"A Dominator-level attack..." Zhang Yuanqing looked down in shock, staring at the hollow cavity in his chest.
An attack capable of shattering his electromagnetic protection in a single blow, inflicting a fatal wound, and exceeding the reaction limits of a peak Saint—this had to be the power of the Dominator stage.
If the second wave of the trial was already Dominator-level, what about the third?
Moreover, the dragon breath moved at a speed comparable to light; dodging it was virtually impossible, just as a mortal could never dodge a bullet at point-blank range.
The sense of crisis inside Zhang Yuanqing exploded.
*Calm down, calm down. The warning sign before the dragon breath is the dragon's eyes glowing. I'll have less than a second to react—*
Just as the thought crossed Zhang Yuanqing's mind, he saw the giant dragon's eyes flare with crimson light.
His scalp went numb, and his adrenaline surged. With speed imperceptible to the human eye, he pulled out the Sliding Tackle Shoes, threw them onto the boat, dropped into a slide toward them, and jammed his feet right inside.
His body instantly blurred into immateriality, like a projection from another world.
Almost simultaneously, a scorching crimson beam struck his afterimage, shattering a nearby display case, and plunged into the Ruoshui with searing heat.
It had to be said that a Merchant's Void ability was a cheat-level lifesaver. Even though the Sliding Tackle Shoes were only a Saint-quality item, as long as the Void state was triggered, both mental and physical attacks could be completely avoided.
They truly were the loaches among Spirit Realm walkers—unhittable, uncatchable, with top-tier survivability.
Having evaded the strike, Zhang Yuanqing immediately drew a vial of Life Source Fluid, stabbed it viciously into his neck, and pumped the entire golden liquid into his vein.
Inside the hollow cavity in his chest, flesh and blood writhed as they began to regenerate and heal.
The dragon's eyes lit up again...
Just like that, Zhang Yuanqing slid back and forth across the small boat, dodging six scorching blasts of dragon breath through pure anticipation. But he had reached the limit of the Sliding Tackle Shoes; only thanks to the bonus from the Artificer Ring had he been able to slide one extra time.
*Seven times. How many more are there? For a killing trial, it should be ending soon!* Zhang Yuanqing felt a wave of trepidation. To play it safe, he retrieved Little Red Riding Hood, shook out a Level 4 yin corpse, and tossed the Perfect Human Skin over.
The moment he finished, the dragon's eyes flared red.
*Fuck!* Without hesitation, he manipulated the yin corpse to put on the Perfect Human Skin, transforming into his own likeness.
At the same time, throwing dignity to the wind, he clutched his head and threw himself flat.
As expected, the scorching dragon breath targeted the yin corpse. The crimson beam drilled right through its torso.
The yin corpse collapsed with a crash, while the Perfect Human Skin peeled itself away from its dead "host."
Zhang Yuanqing scrambled over, retrieved the Perfect Human Skin, shoved the ruined yin corpse into the Ruoshui, and then stared warily and tensely at the dragon.
For a full ten-odd seconds, the dragon did not stir.
"Phew..." Zhang Yuanqing exhaled. A full eight scorching dragon breaths, eight consecutive Dominator-level attacks!
It was finally over!
*Damn it, is this second-floor hall abnormally hard, or did we trigger hell mode? If every exhibition hall on the second floor is this difficult, I refuse to believe anyone else could survive!*
Zhang Yuanqing grumbled and cursed, not daring to let his guard down for a second, because the third wave of the trial was approaching.
He quickly produced the matchbox, struck a match, and made a wish:
"I wish for the cooldown of the Thunder God Set's skills to end immediately."
Then he drew out Little Red Riding Hood again and shook out an Extraordinary-grade yin corpse—he had already used up all his Saint-grade ones.
The Extraordinary yin corpse struck a match and made a wish:
"I wish for the usage count of 'Extremely Angry Sliding Tackle' to be reset."
Both wishes granted, the yin corpse was duly sacrificed, turning into a bright torch before burning to ash.
Actually, the safest option would have been to reset the ability of the Perfect Human Skin, but the skin was a causality-type item whose tier was higher than the rule-based matchbox. The wish could never be fulfilled and would only waste a match.
*Roar—!*
A deep, resonant roar shook the exhibition hall.
Zhang Yuanqing's heart clenched. He knew this was the warning for the third wave of dragon breath!
He swiftly stowed the matchbox. While equipping the Thunder God Set and Sliding Tackle Shoes, he looked toward the source of the sound, only to see the giant dragon perched on the pedestal flap its leathery wings and actually take flight.
The Ruoshui, capable of drowning all things, did not affect it in the slightest.
*Whoosh, whoosh—*
The dragon's wings whipped up a gale. With its slender neck arching slightly, it circled through the air above the exhibition hall.
After circling three times, it suddenly halted above the small boat. Beating its wings vigorously to keep its massive body airborne, it lowered its head, and its belly swelled.
"Eat this!"
Having prepared long ago, Zhang Yuanqing raised his lightning-wreathed right arm and unleashed an electromagnetic cannon blast from his palm straight at the dragon above.
Right at that moment, the dragon's long neck bulged, spewing a tongue of flame that reeked of sulfur.
The two forces collided midair, electric charges and fire spirits clashing wildly, bursting into bizarre, kaleidoscopic colors.
Two or three seconds later, the electromagnetic blast was exhausted. With his right arm completely carbonized, Zhang Yuanqing hastily executed a sliding tackle to dodge the direct blast of fire.
The dragon shifted its plume of fire to pursue him, engulfing him.
The moment Zhang Yuanqing rose, he was submerged in flames. His clothes and hair were reduced to ash in an instant, and his skin turned red, then black, carbonizing.
*The third stage is continuous flame breath? How long does it last?* Disregarding the agony, he slid to the other side of the boat, but the stream of fire followed right on his heels.
Sliding back and forth like this, he held out for six slides before being enveloped by fire once more.
The flames spewed by the dragon covered almost the entire boat. Lin wood was a Dominator-level material impervious to water and fire, yet under the blistering heat, it too glowed red, its surface beginning to char.
Bathed in fire, Zhang Yuanqing's skull was exposed in just two or three seconds, burning bright and red.
With great difficulty, he channeled the divine power of the sun to form a shield across his body, opened his inventory, grabbed all his remaining Life Source Fluid, and crammed them into his mouth, crunching down on the vials and swallowing the liquid along with the glass shards.
Then he took out the Companion Spirit Moon and pressed it against his glowing red skull.
The Companion Spirit Moon drastically amplified lunar energy, turning him into a Night Walker primarily focused on Taiyin, and the potency of lunar energy directly determined the upper limit of one's vitality and regenerative powers.
Vine-like markings spread across his skull. The potent lunar energy brought a soothing chill, resisting the blazing fire and cooling the burning bone.
Meanwhile, the Life Source Fluid caused his flesh to regenerate rapidly, burn away, and regenerate again in an endless cycle.
Charred and scorched, Zhang Yuanqing's consciousness grew dazed. He felt like a log of fire-resistant wood—except his mind might collapse long before the wood turned to ash.
Trembling, he opened his inventory, pulled out the Houtu Boots, and put them on.
The Houtu Boots offered no defense, but they boosted stamina and enhanced his threshold of endurance.
Finally, Zhang Yuanqing activated the Thunder God Set's electromagnetic protection. Shielded beneath the bright blue electromagnetic barrier, he collapsed with a heavy thud, unmoving.
The inferno raged for a full thirty seconds before the dragon finally withdrew its breath. Flapping its wings, it flew back to the pedestal and reverted into a brass statue.
The small boat drifted quietly, its charred hull above the waterline smoking and glowing with faint red embers.
Zhang Yuanqing had turned into a carbonized corpse, with glowing red bones and bloody fluids faintly visible.
Two or three minutes passed before this carbonized corpse opened its eyes and let out a pained groan.
After resting for quite a while, Zhang Yuanqing finally took out the Mountain God Scepter, cast Healing Arts on himself, struggled to his feet, and looked toward the blank scroll in the east.
Inside the scroll, the ancient manor had disappeared, replaced by a gloomy forest rendered in ink wash. Amidst the trees stood a scholar tree, and hanging from it were Xiao Yuan, Huang Taiji, Qingzhu, and Alicia.
Xiao Yuan and Qingzhu had blank expressions, their tongues protruding, their lives hanging by a thread.
Alicia and Huang Taiji wore expressions of agony, struggling with all their might, yet unable to free themselves.
*Earth Monsters aren't good at dealing with spirits; Foster Father can't bring his strengths to bear...* Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth. Raising his blackened, bone-exposed arms, he gripped the wooden oar that had burned into two stubs and paddled laboriously.
Given Xiao Yuan and Qingzhu's current state, they probably couldn't escape the scroll on their own anymore. He had to resolve the crisis in the exhibition hall immediately and enter the scroll to save them.
Zhang Yuanqing rowed the charred boat to the dragon. By now, the water level had submerged the pedestal. Standing on his tiptoes and reaching out, he plucked the two gems from the dragon's eye sockets.
After a quick glance at their item properties, Zhang Yuanqing paddled toward the statue of the elderly man in ancient Greek robes with a long beard and a bulbous nose.
The moment the heavy staff touched his hand, his world began to spin. Nausea washed over him, and his senses were violently inverted.
Right then, the two gems in his hand gave off a warm glow, dispersing the confusion and chaos.
Zhang Yuanqing swiftly stored the staff into his inventory to bind it, took it back out, held it high, and activated the "Chaos" skill toward the distant Pure Jade Vase.
The sloshing sound of water paused. A second later, the hall full of Ruoshui surged backward, pouring back into the Pure Jade Vase.
It worked! Only now did Zhang Yuanqing feel truly relieved. He rowed the boat until it was beside the scroll, summoned Commandery Princess Yinyao, and handed her the Scepter of Dionysus and the dragon-eye gems, instructing her to maintain the vase's reversal.
Then, he leaped into the scroll.
The scenery shifted abruptly. Zhang Yuanqing found himself in a dreary, sinister forest. The night was desolate, mountain mist drifted around, and four of his companions hung from the great scholar tree.
In his field of view, five figures were actually hanging from the tree. Positioned between his four teammates was a female ghost in red robes and embroidered shoes.
Her back was turned to Zhang Yuanqing, her body slumping from a hemp rope, gently swaying in the night breeze.
Sensing a newcomer's entrance, the female ghost suddenly spun around to face him. Her bloodshot eyeballs bulged outward, maggots crawled across her bloated face, and her engorged lips were black and bruised—an utterly horrifying sight.
*Trying to scare me?* Zhang Yuanqing scoffed. Dark, viscous energy welled up in his eye sockets, black light flared across the vine patterns on his face, and golden light erupted from his palms as the divine power of the sun condensed into a greatsword.
Simultaneously, an Illusionist's Mental Strike locked onto her.
Whether lunar, solar, or Illusionist power, all three were the natural banes of wraiths.
The female ghost, despite possessing Dominator status, quietly turned her body back around.
*Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!*
The four hemp ropes snapped in succession. His companions dropped down with heavy thuds, breaking free from the Charm Art, either gasping for air or coughing violently.
"Why did you come in? Did you pass the dragon breath trial?" Alicia asked, rubbing the deep purple ligature marks on her fair neck while looking at Zhang Yuanqing with a mixture of hope and tension.
She was worried that Yuanshi Tianzun had failed the trial and fled inside to seek shelter.
Qingzhu stammered his thanks hurriedly, the same worry in his eyes.
Xiao Yuan and Huang Taiji, on the other hand, had blind confidence in Yuanshi Tianzun. Seeing him appear, the hearts that had been in their throats settled back down.
Xiao Yuan examined her lover, who was covered in mangled flesh and heavily carbonized. "How are your injuries?" she asked softly.
Without another word, she fetched a small clay jar from her inventory, pulled out plump, tender cicada pupae, and moved to feed them to him.
Zhang Yuanqing cooperated by opening his mouth. After swallowing two pupae in a row, he said, "It's safe outside. Let's get out of here quickly."
He could still suppress the wraith right now, but once fifteen minutes passed, it wouldn't remain at this level. According to the clay mask, anyone inside the scroll after fifteen minutes was doomed to die.
The five immediately left the scroll, passing through the thin barrier to land on the small boat.
By this time, the water level in the exhibition hall had receded to waist height; for it to drain completely, they still had to wait a bit longer.
Zhang Yuanqing was severely injured. Resting against Xiao Yuan's bosom to recuperate, he waited with his teammates for the Ruoshui to vanish. Now, he finally had time to attend to other matters.
He opened the leaderboard to check the rankings.
There wasn't much change at the top of the leaderboard. Sleeping Dragon Lord was still in first place with 420 points. Clearly, he had hunted down Spirit Realm walkers in his second exhibition hall as well, plundering their points.
Zhang Yuanqing sat in second place with 386 points.
It couldn't be helped; Sleeping Dragon Lord had gained too large an advantage on the museum's first floor, leaving everyone else far behind.
Although the rankings hadn't shifted drastically, the total number of survivors had dropped by half.
When they first arrived at the second-floor gallery, there were still 22 Saints in the dungeon. Now, only 13 remained. Those capable of reaching the second floor were the elite among Saints.
Yet these figures, who ruled the roost in the real world, had fallen in the dungeon's second stage.
Aside from two or three he didn't recognize, the rest were all familiar faces... Huh, Jiang Ju's score had surged. When subduing cultural relics, that guy had been at rock bottom, so how did he suddenly skyrocket?
Zhang Yuanqing noticed that Jiang Ju's points had forcefully propelled him to eighth place.
The only possibility he could think of was that this fellow had solo-killed someone from the top ten.
Looking at it this way, Jiang Ju was playing the fool while being genuinely shrewd: timid and clumsy when subduing relics, clueless when solving puzzles, but throwing heavy punches once the killing and plundering phase arrived.
*Go ahead and earn your points; in the end, they're all mine anyway.*
*Given Jiang Ju's intellect, no matter how strong his combat prowess, he probably would have stumbled at the second stage. He must have an advisor with him. I wonder who it is...* Zhang Yuanqing thought.
Just then, the Ruoshui in the exhibition hall finally drained back into the Pure Jade Vase, completely emptied.
Huang Taiji immediately leaped off the Lin wood boat, relishing the sense of security that came with standing on solid ground.
Having healed the ligature marks on her neck with Qingzhu's help, Alicia couldn't resist asking, "Should we ask that relic how to get the key?"
From start to finish, they hadn't seen the bronze door's key, let alone where it was located.
"It's inside the Pure Jade Vase," Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes. He had long since seen through the second-floor dungeon mechanics. "The mask's answer that time was the truth, but the method to retrieve the key was wrong. We need to use the Scepter of Dionysus."
As he spoke, he took the Scepter of Dionysus from Commandery Princess Yinyao and led everyone toward the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Zhang Yuanqing vaulted onto the statue's palm, activated the "Chaos" function of the Scepter of Dionysus once more, and reached into the wide opening of the Pure Jade Vase. After groping around, he pulled out a bronze disc.
To retrieve the key from the Pure Jade Vase, one had to use the scepter's chaos effect to distort the properties of Ruoshui.
"Time to head to the third floor and meet some old friends." Clad in the Yin-Yang Robe, Zhang Yuanqing curved his lips into a smile.
Chapter 792