Through the dense thickets, Zhang Yuanqing spotted two groups of people engaged in a standoff about twenty meters ahead. One group consisted of young adults and a humanoid creature. The young man wore a sports shirt, tall and well-built, holding a sharp dagger; the woman had a graceful appearance, her fingers gently holding a small, elegant bronze mirror. The creature was covered in black, its knees bent, with two antennae on its forehead and insect-like elytra on its back—resembling a standing-crawling cockroach. At that moment, the creature was smiling lasciviously at the young woman across from it, saying, "The parasite I've fused with has a strong desire to reproduce. This island girl is truly beautiful. I'm certain our encounter will be an exquisite experience." The young man holding the dagger, his pupils darkened, replied coldly, "To me, nothing short of cutting off her beautiful head will be an exquisite experience." The teenage girl, dressed in a Japanese high school uniform—white water-handled blouse with a sailor collar, black plaid skirt, black plaid bow tie, square-toe oxfords, and black knee-high socks—is being watched intently by two pairs of eyes: one sensual, the other bloodthirsty. Behind her, two young men lean against the tree trunks, their faces pale and their lips wan. What kind of high school girl's uniform is this, offering such allure? Zhang Yuanqing keeps studying her, yet finds her delicate, pure features rather unimpressive. Masaoki Asano holds a Japanese sword in both hands, her lips pressed together. Her grip on the blade is steady and confident, like that of an experienced swordsman, yet her tense expression reveals her inner anxiety. The sword in her hands is a masterpiece by contemporary Japanese swordsmith Toyohara Shin'ichi. Named "Kōhaku," it measures 71 cm in length, with natural ice-crystal patterns running along its blade. It possesses the functions of "penetrating armor" and "freezing," such that anyone struck by it experiences a surge of cold, blood coagulates, and may either move sluggishly or be frozen It is said that when this blade was born, everything within a radius of several tens of meters was frozen. The master craftsman, Tōno Masahiro, a scholar at the Saint Realm level, expressed his deep satisfaction, calling the Ice Spirit Blade one of his most satisfying works in recent years, possessing qualities at the peak of the Transcendent Realm. Then, he turned and sold it to the father of Asano Ryo for five hundred million Japanese yen. For a nation where the number of spiritual realm practitioners is relatively small, a blade of such peak Transcendent Realm quality is indeed a truly invincible divine weapon. Yet at this very moment, such a divine weapon fails to bring any sense of security to Asano Ryo. Behind her, two of her companions accidentally stepped into traps laid by the opposing Wu Gu practitioners and were infected with the venom, rendering them unable to fight for a short period. As a member of a major corporate family, Asano Ryo had suppressed the toxins within her body due to the limitations of her available tools. But as a result, she now had to face the three of them alone. Before entering the killing quest, Shallow Reo's elders had repeatedly emphasized and cautioned her—there were numerous spiritual travelers across the continent, with official representatives, independent practitioners, and even malevolent organizations all mingling together, making the killing quest an ordeal of hellish difficulty. As one of the outstanding figures among her peers, Reo entered the quest with caution and alertness, never taking it lightly. Yet she never imagined that just over an hour into the quest, she would face a life-or-death crisis. Worse still, due to the scarcity of spiritual travelers from her home country, she found it extremely difficult to receive assistance. Her team consisted of six members, totaling only 13.5 points of credit. Zhang Yuanqing remained passive, observing silently while quietly summoning the Blood Rose to draw closer to her side. After a tense standoff lasting several seconds, the woman holding the bronze mirror suddenly seized the opportunity, raising the mirror and directing its reflection toward Shallow Reo. At the same time, the cockroach-like figure and the young man with dark red pupils launched a flanking attack from left and right, encircling the foreign girl. Shallow Reo's eyes instantly went wide, and she stood frozen in place, plunged into a state Two finely cut paper dogs drifted from the pocket of her skirt. Pfft! The two paper dogs ignited, and as a wave of emerald smoke surged, they transformed into two large dogs, each two meters long, charging with fierce energy toward the enemies attacking from either side. Shikishima! This ancient Japanese technique of summoning and commanding spirit beings—once lost in modern times—was revived only with the emergence of the Spirit Travelers and the appearance of nocturnal spirit guardians in Japan. Though the two canine spirit beings were initially of low rank, they managed to stall the enemies for a brief moment before dissolving into a gentle breeze. Yet, the brief and intense combat precisely fulfilled the condition needed to shatter the illusion. Shinnou Reo’s stunned gaze regained clarity, and without hesitation, she turned around, abandoning her two companions and fleeing in the opposite direction. Witnessing this, the cricket-like being unfolded its dorsal plating, revealing thin wings stretching as tall as two people, which hummed and surged, lifting off the ground with a strong gust of wind, pursuing the Japanese girl. The graceful woman and the young man seemed to have handed their prey over to him, approaching the two young people leaning against the tree, each selecting one and delivering a decisive strike to earn three points. The dense trees acted like a fence, hindering flight, yet the cricket-like humanoid, relying on his keen agility, darted and flowed between the trunks, eventually catching up with his prey within just a few breaths. While rushing forward, Mizuhara Reo suddenly braked sharply, her skirt swaying dramatically under inertia, resembling a beautiful water lily. She executed a well-timed counterattack, plunging her ice-spirit blade behind her. Her timing was impeccable—just as the enemy was about to topple over, she struck with a powerful counter. At that moment, the witch-guerrilla was like a high-speed motorcycle, utterly unable to evade the sudden obstacle. The blade, adorned with intricate ice-crystal patterns, smoothly pierced her opponent. Yet, in the very next instant, the cricket-like humanoid dissolved into a fleeting phantom. This is merely a illusion conjured by a magic trick. "Hhmm!" A strong wind blows from above, as powerful as a helicopter's propeller. A dark silhouette plummets downward, its black, bone-like claws piercing the girl's back. The cricket-like figure gleams with fierce determination. To him, being half-dead or merely cold doesn't matter—his desires can be fulfilled without hesitation, and he won't hesitate to reach for the girl's body. "Hiss!" The claws successfully penetrate the girl's back, yet stir up clear water, transforming half of her body into liquid—immune to physical damage. She is a water spirit. After passively enduring the fatal blow, Shina Reo steps aside, moving several paces to the left, creating distance. Then, with a determined gaze, she swings her blade, cutting through a small willow tree beside her. Crackle— the willow, as thick as a water barrel, snaps and slowly collapses, making a significant sound. Shina Reo raises her brows in frustration, exclaiming, "Then let's die together!" As soon as the words fell, a fierce gale swept through the dense, impenetrable forest. The thick branches swayed wildly in the wind, like tree spirits with outstretched arms and fierce postures, as if the trees themselves had come to life. Indeed, they had. Behind Shina Ryō, a large tree slowly arched out a face. The eyes of the face opened, their lenses rolling with a deep, solemn gaze, fixed steadily on Shina Ryō, murmuring: "Eat you, eat you~" At the same time, a series of faces emerged from the trunks of surrounding trees—always exactly twelve—each one turning its gaze upon the four living humans present, issuing a unified, murmuring chant: "Eat you, eat you~" Crack! A long vine, covered in green leaves, surged toward Shina Ryō and struck her squarely on the head. She cut it in half with a single stroke. The pale skin of her hands immediately cracked at the knuckles, and blood flowed freely. More vines, like whips and like tentacles, surged forth from all directions, lashing down with force. At the same time, thick tree roots pierced through the soft, decaying soil, coiling around the four living humans. In an instant, the lush, verdant primeval forest transformed into a deadly stronghold. The four cultivators of the Spiritual Realm rolled and dodged the lashes, leapt to evade the entanglements, scrambling desperately, perilously caught between attacks. Whenever they showed signs of breaking through the assault, the tree spirits launched furious counterattacks. "Crack!" The most physically frail, graceful woman stumbled, accidentally struck on the shoulder by the vines, her clothes tearing open and her skin splitting. Her body wavered, and she staggered forward. Opportunity! Zhang Yuanqing finally seized it. Emerging from his hidden state, he swiftly advanced to the woman's side, summoning his explosive pistol and firing. The roots bursting upward and the vines lashing out from all directions masked the subtle sounds of the underbrush swaying, which could not conceal his movements. Pock, pock, pock... The woman seemed struck hard on the head, her head slightly recoiling, her flowing hair lifting. The bullets tore through her skull, splashing red and white fluids in all directions. [叮! You have defeated a magician, gaining 6 points.] On the other side, a powerful flow of yin energy surged before the cricket-like figure's eyes. The two antennae on his forehead trembled, as if receiving a signal. Immediately, he saw a beautiful bride ghost, draped in a embroidered "joy" veil, walking slowly through the thick, black misty阴 energy. At the very moment his eyes caught sight of the bride ghost, a wave of actual cold surged up his spine—not a mental chill, but a tangible cold. Then, he realized he had lost control over his body; his limbs grew stiff and no longer responded to his will. His right hand slowly lifted, fingers closed together, and gently raised to the side of his temple, as if performing a military salute. Only the Night Wandering Spirit could see that behind him, the pale, delicate hand of the bride ghost was firmly gripping his wrist. The next instant, the five sharp, clawed fingers of the ghost plunged hard into his temple. The bride ghost's amber vertical pupils instantly widened, then began to fade, and his body collapsed to the ground. 【叮！You have defeated a Wu Gu master and earned 3 points.】 】 Eliminating the weakest in physical condition among the illusionists, Zhang Yuanqing summoned the red slippers, activating his second form. Dark red glimmers danced and interwove, enveloping his feet. Crackle, crackle, crackle... amid the relentless barrage of lashes, he weaved and maneuvered with ease, moving swiftly toward the young man holding the dagger. Witnessing his two comrades fall without resistance, the young man gave a sharp "slice," realizing he was caught between them—like two turtles locked in combat, while the others reaped the benefits. He immediately felt a strong urge to retreat. Crimson light flared in his eyes, and two twisted, strange glyphs emerged. The pursuer's expression instantly went blank. Fool! Just wait to be strangled by the vines! The young man leaped upward, dodging the roots' entanglements and then sidestepping the vines' strikes, fleeing toward the outer perimeter. Tapping, tapping, tapping... yet the footsteps behind him never ceased. The young man paused, instinctively turning around. His eyes widened in astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost. That base thief, though clearly enchanted, his face blank and stunned, still moved with remarkable agility, gracefully evading attacks from vines and tree roots. Still... as the distance between the two closed in, the young man had no choice but to suppress his growing bewilderment and his internal exclamation of "whoa!" and immediately accelerate, pushing through to the edge of the perilous zone. Suddenly, a cold rush swept down his spine, followed by a loss of control—his limbs flailed uselessly, and he remained upright, motionless. I've been possessed! The young man instantly grasped his predicament. He focused his spirit, gathered his will, striving to expel the intruding spirit and reclaim command of his body... *Crack!* A vine struck him squarely on the back of the head, splitting open his scalp and sending blood dripping down his hair. *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* More vines struck him across the chest, back, waist, and head, reducing him to a bloodied, trembling figure. Zhang Yuan restored his spirit, raised his gun, and as the young man was on the brink of death, fired a single shot to the back of his skull, ending his life. 【Ding You have defeated a Deceitful Spirit, earning 6 points. At a distance, Shinoya Ryō stood wide-eyed, nearly forgetting to dodge the vine attacks. Three evil-class characters had just perished—within less than a minute? Who was this? Was he Zhao the City God of Taiguan, or Yuan Shiqing, the newly rising Yuan Shishen of the Five Elements Alliance? Or perhaps another young prodigy from Taiguan? Shinoya Ryō's heart pounded with a mix of astonishment and awe. Indeed, he now had an additional 15 points—thus confirming that the correct way for Lawful-class characters to accumulate points was to first have Evil-class characters defeat their own allies before stepping in to "eliminate the traitors." Zhang Yuancheng turned his attention to a nearby Tree Spirit and fired. The bullet exploded into a deep crater on the trunk, shattering the grim visage. Blood flowed crimson from the trunk, the face frozen, lifeless—like a ordinary wooden carving. Yet soon, a similar face emerged on the opposite side of the trunk, roaring in fury: "I'll eat you! I'll eat you!" Vines and branches surged toward Zhang Yuanqing. It seemed only by cutting down or burning the trees could the wood spirits be eliminated. Observing this, Zhang Yuanqing abandoned his intention to keep shooting, yet he did not summon his yin-yang robe to burn the tree spirits. He didn't intend to eliminate these tree spirits merely to earn points. This quest was peculiar—contradictory information appeared: the notice boards instructed against using fire or blades, while the hikers suggested he set the mountain on fire. By his experience, this should have been a choice between factions. Choosing to set the mountain on fire meant aligning with the hikers. Adhering to the instructions meant choosing the mountain itself. According to the description of the spiritual realm, choosing the Lost City—thus aligning with the hikers' faction—would be a wise move. Yet Zhang Yuanqing believes this faction alignment should not be made so early. Therefore, he opts to forgo the points. With his current strength, there's no need for him to risk himself to earn these points; instead, he'll let the evil professions take the hit, and later harvest them one by one. Once this realization settled in, Zhang Yuanqing once again went into spiritual transcendence, issuing instructions: Red Shoes would carry his physical body out of the tree spirits' encirclement, while his spiritual form moved to the bodies of the fallen, extracting the lingering souls and enveloping them in the power of the Yin Celestial Force, thus bringing them safely out of the perilous zone. "Please save me! Please save me! Don't leave me! Please save me!" The delicate, pure face of Shanzhao Yeqing was etched with urgency, her eyes filled with pleading. As a native of the island, one's proper way of seeking help should not be to bow repeatedly while saying, "Ari-ah-do, I've ruined my period!" Zhang Yuanqing's spiritual When the girl is dead, he'll return to collect the remnants of her spirit. Soon, far away, he found his physical body. With his spirit restored, he danced with the Red Slippers, then Zhang Yuanqing opened the leaderboard. [1: A Yi, Wugu Master, Level 3, 89 points] [2: Zhao Chenghuang, Night-Wanderer Spirit, Level 3, 80 points] [3: Only I Am Supreme, Water Ghost, Level 3, 75 points] [4: Sun Miao, Night-Wanderer Spirit, Level 3, 73 points] [5: Ji Louyu, Scout, Level 3, 68 points] [6: Jiang Jingwei, Fire Master, Level 3, 60 points] [7: I Control My Fate, Illusionist, Level 3, 55 points] [8: Yuan Ting, Night-Wanderer Spirit, Level 3, 50 points] [9: The World Is White, Enchanted Demon of Persuasion, Level 3, 44 points] [10: White Tiger Ever Reigns, Scout, Level 3, 40 points] "These folks—if they actually had to choose a faction, they’d all pick the Lost City faction. They wouldn’t even kill the Tree Demons; they’d just eliminate human [22: Yuan Shi Tian Zun, Night Wanderer, Level 3, 20 points] Habitually glanced at Guan Ya's ranking: [70: Guan Ya, Scout, Level 3, 6 points] As long as she's still alive—that's all that matters. I just don't know where she is. Hopefully, I can find her soon... Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, suddenly noticing someone below Guan Ya: [71: Tian Xia Gui Huo, Fire Master, Level 3, 5 points] "Hmm..." Undoubtedly, Tian Xia Gui Huo has sensed something. Otherwise, with his strength, he wouldn't have ended up ranked 71st. I only realized the inconsistency through conversations with the hikers. Tian Xia Gui Huo must have used some method of his own. Zhao Chenguang is highly competitive—he would never have been concerned about these details if his goal had been to overtake A-1. Sun Miaomiao and Yuan Ting are also... As for Jingwei, she probably doesn't think much about it, anyway—I need to find her as soon as possible... "For evil-type characters, the choice of faction usually doesn't matter much. Even if they notice inconsistencies, they won't care much—what matters most is accumulating points. Points are everything..." Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, closing his eyes and silently absorbing the five spiritual entities within him. He wanted to see the information these people had gathered in the quest, especially the key points to keep in mind. Based on his intuition, if he could gather all the key points, he might be able to deduce something—perhaps even uncover the outer storyline and determine whether there truly are two distinct factions. The five residual souls transformed into pure spiritual energy, flooding his consciousness like a mountain flood, sweeping away his own sense of self. Memories flashed by in rapid succession. Zhang Yuanqing's face paled, feeling a pain as if his soul were being torn apart; as the self-concept of "Zhang Yuanqing," it began to waver under the relentless flow of memories that did not belong to him.