Faced with the thick, surging mist of poison, Xiao Yuan actively stepped forward, standing at the periphery of the toxic vapor and taking a deep breath. The yellow-green mist gently flowed into her nostrils. Her naturally pale face quickly flushed, developing patches of pustules and blisters; her bright, moist eyes grew hazy, and tears streamed down. In moments, the mature, elegant young sister transformed into a person of terrifying appearance, grotesque and disfigured. "Xiao Yuan..." Zhang Yuanqing's expression changed slightly, as he pulled out the Jade Belt of the Emperor of the Green Dynasty and rushed toward her. "Stay back!" Xiao Yuan coldly ordered, retreating from the mist. Braving the face now covered with blisters and red,溃烂 patches, she calmly said: "You cannot withstand this poison. Even with antidote pills and healing equipment, once enveloped by the mist and continuously eroded, you will inevitably perish. And without such remedies, the fire master and swordmaster will die on the spot." The fire master and swordmaster exchanged glances, their expressions now visibly disturbed. Sun Miaomiao and the others weren't much better off—trapped by the toxic mist that sealed off their retreat, they had no choice but to press on. Guan Ya's analysis was correct: the city of mechanisms was indeed designed to allow entry but not exit. If they failed to pass, they would perish. If it were Xie Lingxi, she'd be crying out, "Brother, I've lost my appearance! Brother, I'm so in pain! Brother, hold me close!" "Let me check..." Zhang Yuancheng still wasn't reassured. He carefully observed and noticed that the swelling on the little girl's round face was beginning to subside, and the pustules were gradually drying out. The witch-herbalist's resistance to toxins had taken effect—the toxins within her were being rapidly broken down. A poison capable of killing a 4th-level Saint could now be neutralized within minutes for her. Only then did Zhang Yuancheng exhale in relief, put down his Mountain God's staff, and don his blue gloves, then pushed his palms outward. "Ah!" A strong wind surged from the corridor, tearing the yellow-green toxic mist that had been rushing toward them into fragments. The mist was pushed back. Zhang Yuancheng calmly removed his gloves, glanced around, and then handed them to Hongji: "Hongji, you take the wind!" Handing the gloves to Hongji was a reasonable allocation of human resources—Hongji didn't need to meet, debate, or "Come on, come on," Zhang Yuanqing gathered everyone together, "Let's discuss this together, pool our ideas, and figure out how to get through this stage." Guan spoke quickly and clearly, outlining the rules of the cave in a concise manner. Rule one: Skills cannot be used. Rule two: The faster you move, the sooner attacks arrive. Rule three: Both spiritual and physical beings will be attacked. Rule four: The attack strength is sufficient to easily shatter the defensive power of soldier puppets rated at level five. The idea of drawing the entire realm toward the fire gained unanimous approval from the team. "Have you come up with a solution?" Red Chicken suddenly called out, "The wind seems to be falling short." Everyone turned sharply, observing the yellow-green toxic smoke swirling wildly in the corridor. While the airflow did push back the smoke, the wind itself was bouncing back. The gusts Red Chicken generated encountered resistance at the corridor walls and corners, some rebounding and carrying the smoke with them. Moreover, the toxic smoke was not only accumulating but also increasing steadily. Time was not on their side. Zhang Yuanqing produced the Little Red Cap. "Wait!" Guan Ya, suppressing her impatience, reevaluated the plan and spotted a flaw, frowning: "The success of the plan hinges on Yuan Shi successfully passing through the cave. You estimated the evil spirit statues' attacks to be around level five, but these are H Zhao's infantry figures—only at that level." "We haven't attempted a defense level five or above yet. What if Yuan Shi himself can't withstand it? Then everyone would die here." The crowd felt a weight settle upon their hearts. Zhang Yuanqing scanned the stone cavern, estimating its diameter and quickly calculating in his mind. With five slides of his sliding shoes, he should be able to reach the central area of the cavern. The water ghost on his Yin-Yang robe would absorb one attack due to kinetic resistance, the rest could be taken by his purple-gold shield, and the transformation of his Qing Di jade belt would also count as one life—so let's first test the upper limit of the evil ghouls' attacks. He drew out his long, thunderous cannon and switched it to a circular small shield. "Then let's first test the strength of the evil ghouls' attacks." Holding the small shield, he stepped into the cavern, under the slightly tense gaze of the others. As he took his first step, the Yin-Yang fish instantly rotated one-third of a turn. He glanced at the sculpture and the Tai Chi fish, then took two more steps. The Yin-Yang fish completed its full rotation in an instant. At that very moment, two beams of white light shot Zhang Yuanqing's circular shield shattered into four fragments, metal shards splashing onto the ground and automatically softening, melting into droplets of liquid metal. A top-tier artifact from the Saint Realm, renowned for its exceptional defensive strength—the purple-gold shield—had only withstood a single blow. The figures behind him, including Tian Xia Guihuo, reacted with shock. "My right arm has suffered a粉碎性 fracture," Zhang Yuanqing stood motionless, immobile. "Retreat now," both Xiao Yuan and Guan Ya spoke simultaneously. "Retreating won't result in an attack," Sun Miaomiao added. Only then did Zhang Yuanqing quickly step back, the scattered droplets of liquid metal gradually returning and integrating into the broken shield, restoring the artifact. "This is quite a predicament," Zhang Yuanqing said, his voice serious. "This shield can withstand attacks from ordinary Saints, but the strength of the Wicked Ghost's assault is sufficient to eliminate all of us. Moreover, there's one even more pressing matter." "What is it?" Tian Xia Guihuo felt a growing sense of unease. "Just now I realized that the ability to transform props and the ability to rebound electric arcs have been disabled. That means, within the cave, not only are skill functions restricted, but the props themselves are also limited," Zhang Yuanqing said. This news was undoubtedly a further blow to the team. If even the props' functions are restricted, wouldn't they have to rely solely on their physical strength? Then everyone present—including Yuan Shi Tian Zun—would surely perish. Tian Xia Gui Hu's mouth twitched with frustration. Sun Miao Miao's brows were furrowed into a deep crease. "Have you people actually thought of any solutions?" Red Chicken Brother shouted from the corridor. "Shut up!" Xue Hou Ao Tian turned sharply, exclaiming in frustration, and then his eyes slightly narrowed. Previously, Red Chicken Brother had been ten meters away from them; now he was only five meters away. The toxic mist surged along the stone walls, gradually encroaching upon their safe zone, and soon would completely envelop them. "We need to think of something. We need to think of something…" Tian Xia Gui Hu's expression was grave as he paced back and forth. "We can retreat into the hat—it's our last resort," said Princess Yin Yao, raising her small horn. "Inside the hat, we'll have nothing to eat or drink, just drinking poison to survive," said Guan Ya in a low voice. "Damn it, I can't hold out anymore!" Red Chicken Brother shouted and rushed back immediately. The toxic smoke advanced steadily, now almost upon them. At the critical moment, the young girl with a still-red-swollen face stepped forward, reaching into her inventory and pulling out a handful of yellow-brown powder—shimmering, each particle resembling a fish egg. She scattered the eggs into the air. Suddenly, the thick, greenish mist "settled," then visibly thinned and slowed down. The immediate crisis was resolved. "The larvae need the venom to hatch," said Xiao Yuan, speaking quickly, "but the number of eggs is limited—only about thirty seconds of support. Yuan-Shi, what now?" "I'm thinking... I'm thinking..." Zhang Yuanqing said, clearly anxious. He wasn't very familiar with bureaucratic engineering, nor did he know much about the Mohist school. With insufficient information, no matter how intelligent he was, he was at a loss. Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing had an idea. He pulled Xia Hou Ao Tian aside and whispered, "As a scholar, you should know about the Mohist engineering techniques. You're the protagonist—you're capable of solving this." Xia Hou Ao Tian thought to himself, "Though I am the protagonist, I'm not a god with all-knowing powers." But then he noticed Master Yuan Shi's gaze fixed on his thumb. The sharp-witted protagonist suddenly realized: yes, I am the protagonist—I have my grandfather-the-ring-guy by my side. My grandfather is a high-ranking scholar of the same era as the Mohists, a contemporary practitioner of the same profession. He must have interacted with the Mohist school at some point. And the founder of the Mo Sect is actually a disciple or descendant of the Mohists. Xia Hou Ao Tian gripped the black iron ring and silently called out, "Master, just a temporary emergency." "An elderly voice from the Qin dynasty court magician echoed in his mind: 'Hah! Call on your master when there's something to say—otherwise, just sit there like an old man.' 'I didn't mispronounce it, did I? You're just an old man who's been dead for several thousand years... cough, cough. Master, I apologize.' Whenever it mattered most, Xiahou Aotian always managed to remain flexible. The Qin dynasty court magician chuckled, 'This path is the only route to the inner quarters. Disciples of the Mo Sect usually pass through here as well. If it were this dangerous, the Mo Sect disciples would have long since perished. Have you ever considered why it's still standing?' Xiahou Aotian felt a surge of joy: 'So what you're saying is that what I'm seeing is all illusion? The Mo Sect's illusions are truly remarkable—even Yi-Chuan Mei failed to notice them.' 'No,' the magistrate replied, 'it's the Mo Sect that has activated mechanisms, making the situation so perilous.' '...Are you always so blunt?' 'I learned it from you.' Xiahou Aotian strained to keep his face composed, bowed slightly, and "Believe in spirits, feel fear, and refrain from doing wrong." Xiahou Aotian glanced at the now-actively swirling poison smoke and his teammates, who were looking stressed, and quickly replied. The Qin dynasty court magician nodded: "A virtuous and upright person can pass directly—spirits will not attack. If spirits do attack, it means one has done something to feel guilty." Xiahou Aotian suddenly understood. "Then, what if someone feels guilty—how should they pass?" he asked hurriedly. The Qin dynasty court magician smiled warmly: "Didn't I just say so? Believe in spirits, feel fear. Simply confess any wrongdoing before the spirits." Xiahou Aotian was energized and declared: "I now know how to pass through the cave—I've figured out the solution!" His teammates were amazed, never expecting this unreliable, overly dramatic young man to prove so dependable at a crucial moment. Zhang Yuanqing smiled and said: "Go on!" Xiahou Aotian didn't answer—he took a firm step toward the cave, and the Yin-Yang fish pattern began to spin. As he took his third step, Xue Hou Ao Tian shouted, "I shouldn't have secretly drawn upon my father's savings to settle my debts." With the third step settled, the grim statue remained silently gazing at him, its attack yet to materialize. Turning back, he said, "To believe in spirits and deities, to harbor reverence and refrain from wrongdoing—those who have done wrong must offer sincere repentance before the spirits." Zhang Yuanqing's smile gradually faded. Repentance... The joyful expressions on the team members' faces, like a painting, instantly froze into stillness.