【Ping! You have been cursed.】 Zhang Yuanqing heard the Spirit Realm’s notification in his ears. Cursed? Did I not just accidentally drink Pansheng's cat fur—somehow, he thought with a touch of wry humor. He instinctively reached for his skills, but found himself completely unable to use any abilities and lost all sense of awareness of his inventory items. After transforming into a cat, all his powers had vanished. Cursed—that must be the power of the Wu Gu Master profession… Since the Yin-Yang Town team is facing an Instance with elements of the Evil Organization, that makes sense… But when exactly was I cursed? I have absolutely no memory of it happening. The tea issue? No—both the Queen and Li Chunfeng had drunk tea. Thinking this way, he glanced at his six companions. The Fire Deity Army's cat stood rigidly, fur bristling with agitation, eating lotus root while Li Chunfeng’s transformed orange cat paced back and forth, constantly meowing as though still reeling from the shock of her own transformation. Lilí Yúnsuàng observed herself carefully, eyes serious but not displeased by the change. The Queen cat sat on the ground, beside scattered garments and shoes; silver rings hung delicately from her pointed ears, which she constantly rubbed with her claws, meowing urgently. Were those rings a Prop? Apparently unusable—so even if they had been extracted earlier, they would still be sealed. Zhang Yuanqing turned to Guan Ya. Guan Ya’s cat remained the most composed; when the Old Woman cried out “Child!”, she simply moved steadily with her four legs, silently retreating. “Child! Come out now—Mother has brought two lovely young ladies for you at last! Finally someone to relieve your longing for romance! You’ve always been so indulgent in your desires, haven’t you? That’s why you’ve ended up like this…” “The two girls are so delicate and elegant—what more do you wait for?” The Old Woman's voice was frail, hoarse, echoing repeatedly as though calling upon a spirit. “Qi~” On the other side of the courtyard, the closed door slowly opened. All the cats immediately lifted their heads to gaze toward it. Through the crack in the doorway, one could see two wooden stools propped up at the center of the room, supporting a coffin painted bright red. Red strings were scattered on the floor, and a purple talisman lay beside them—bound to keep the contents within still. When she had entered earlier, Guan Ya had removed these bindings—she immediately deduced this detail as a scout. “Shhh—shhh~” A sound of fingernails scraping wood echoed from inside the coffin—it was chillingly eerie. Then, the lid of the coffin popped open and fell with a heavy “clunk,” revealing a face that was distinctly cat-like in structure yet clearly human, grotesquely ugly and terrifying. Even more horrifying—when the creature climbed out of the coffin, everyone finally saw it: a large cat whose skin had been completely stripped away, its red flesh exposed to the air. The cat measured about one meter long, with a blood-red tail gently swaying behind it, ending in sharp bone spines. Its face was fierce, eyes gleaming with hunger and lust. Zhang Yuanqing felt his spine chill—feeling an intrinsic threat from within his very genes; he arched his back, gritted his teeth, and emitted a series of soft shrieks. All the other companions reacted similarly. The large cat advanced steadily, its gaze fixed on the seven cats gathered in the hall. Zhang Yuanqing said: “Meow… meow… (We’ve triggered the plot—we must kill this monster to leave).” His six companions stared at him, bewildered—though now cats themselves, they could not understand his speech. At that moment, Guan Ya, who had been intently observing the crimson cat, gave a clear, sharp meow—alerting everyone: “Meow! (Be cautious!)” Then, with a sudden surge of motion, the blood-soaked creature materialized into a red blur and charged directly toward Li Chunfeng—the most seemingly vulnerable. Li Chunfeng moved swiftly as a cat would, raising his tail and leaping sideways like an arrow. But the large cat was faster—quickly closing in, catching him with one leap and one bite, then lifting his head to shake him violently. Li Chunfeng cried out sharply. The Fire Deity Army’s black cat screamed loudly as she soared into the air, leaping to attack the large creature. A sharp crack of bone—her tail, like a whip, drew her backward and sent her crashing to the ground, trembling. With such a disparity in strength, all the cats seemed small and vulnerable—like mice against this great foe. As Li Chunfeng’s neck threatened to be severed, Zhang Yuanqing leapt forward, avoiding the sweeping reach of the large cat’s tail, and launched himself at its neck. He landed with a sharp bite on the creature’s ear. “Aah!” The large cat cried out—its teeth loosened, releasing Li Chunfeng. The black cat’s fur was now stained red; he stumbled away in fear. When he reached the wall, his adrenaline subsided and he collapsed, eyes growing dim, emitting soft moans. Just one round of combat—and a team member had nearly died. The large cat shook its head twice to dislodge Zhang Yuanqing—then lowered its head, raised its padded feet, and drove its sharp claws into him with force. Blood streaked across Zhang Yuanqing’s back, flowing steadily. He had to release his hold and fall from the creature’s head, scrambling to escape on all fours. The large cat’s ears were now covered in blood—when it felt a sudden pain at the base of its tail, it was discovered that Li Chunfeng—the orange cat who was eating lotus root—had bitten into it firmly. “Aah!” The large cat turned sharply and bit down on the orange cat’s neck. Yet this heavier-bodied cat proved resilient—its thick skin resisted the sharp teeth; they could not immediately penetrate. The large cat lifted its head again, shaking it violently. At that very moment, Zhang Yuanqing launched himself back toward the creature's spine, while the Queen cat and Guan Ya moved in from the left flank, and the Fire Deity Army and Lilí Yúnsuàng attacked from the right. A surge of coordinated action—no one could retreat now. The large cat had already nearly killed Li Chunfeng in just one turn; hesitation or retreat would mean total defeat for the group. The human-faced creature now held the orange cat tightly, standing upright and using its padded feet to press down on both the Queen cat and Lilí Yúnsuàng. Then it flicked its tail. “Crack!” Zhang Yuanqing soared high into the air like a tennis ball—then slammed against the wall with tremendous force. He landed heavily, blood oozing from his mouth and nose; several holes appeared in his chest and abdomen, gurgling with blood. Only Guan Ya remained untouched—she skillfully slashed across the creature’s body, leaving trails of blood. Meanwhile, the Fire Deity Army dug deep into its abdomen, biting off a chunk of flesh. The human-faced cat screamed desperately, twisting its body as it swung its tail and sent the black cat flying with force. Then it leaned forward to bite at Guan Ya—yet Guan Ya skillfully retracted her body, narrowly avoiding the creature’s teeth. The creature sighed, then pulled back its head, dropped the half-conscious orange cat, and lifted up the one holding Lilí Yúnsuàng, tossing her with a strong twist of the neck. A clear “crack” echoed—the neck snapped. This sound sent a wave of shock through all the cats. The human-faced creature now placed Lilí Yúnsuàng aside—she collapsed into a heap, limbs trembling, chest heaving wildly. Her breaths grew shallow—only minutes before she would surely pass away. Zhang Yuanqing, who had been leaning against the wall, felt his heart sink to the very depths. Li Chunfeng now breathed in heavily but barely, while Lilí Yúnsuàng’s neck was severed—the latter seemed destined to die sooner than Li Chunfeng. The Fire Deity Army was struck twice by bone spines—severely wounded and unable to fight. As for Zhang Yuanqing himself—he was almost as badly injured. Only Guan Ya and the Queen remained unharmed—yet the Queen now pressed beneath the creature’s paws, only Guan Ya could still fight. This meant total defeat. After severing Lilí Yúnsuàng's neck, the human-faced creature did not pursue further attacks on Guan Ya—it instead lowered its head and began to sniff at the Queen cat, drawing deep breaths. What was it doing? Zhang Yuanqing sensed something deeply unsettling. A moment later—the expectation confirmed—while gently snuffling, a deep red organ emerged from beneath the Queen’s abdominal pouch. The human-faced creature had entered into heat—a full-on emission of passion. The Queen cat seemed to sense this shift—and began to struggle fiercely, screaming out in agony. The black cat, Fire Deity Army, struggled to rise—blood loss and pain made it impossible; only managed to emit angry, helpless cries. At that moment, the Old Woman standing at the courtyard’s edge smiled gently: “Lad, do not resist—I’ve known your son here for many years—he is lonely. Just let him have some relief—he will not kill you. All these others must die—but you may survive.” The Queen cried out in sheer anguish—her eyes filled with helplessness and despair. Guan Ya arched her back, ready to charge. The human-faced creature opened its mouth wide in threat—and leaned forward, pressing its body against the Queen’s. As Guan Ya moved toward a charge, the creature stopped abruptly and again snapped its jaws at her—establishing a clear standoff. Guan Ya kept glancing at Zhang Yuanqing—the moment she charged, the Queen might be placed under the same fate as before. In terms of size, speed, and strength, this human-faced creature was utterly overwhelming in the current situation. She was delaying time—for me to find a way? Zhang Yuanqing now understood her intent—though his mind raced rapidly, he could not yet devise a solution. Props were unusable—not even the Artifact of the Wu Gu Master could help cleanse the curse. Physical combat—no chance for victory. The Spirit Realm’s notification showed no indication of when the curse was cast—meaning this curse had no time limit and would persist indefinitely. Think! Think! Zhang Yuanqing’s mind surged with urgency—but the more he thought, the less clear his thoughts became. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing noticed the nearly lifeless Li Chunfeng at the wall—the man slowly turned his head, raised it to the ceiling, pointing toward the suspended cat corpse hanging above. A cat corpse? An idea flashed like lightning into Zhang Yuanqing’s mind. What was the source of the curse? The guidebook for Yin-Yang Town mentioned no such transformation into cats—this did not align with what the Old Woman described as originating from descendants of the Yin-Yang Sect. What was the medium of transmission? Even teammates who hadn’t drunk tea had transformed—so it wasn't tea water. Was it the cat corpse hanging above the ceiling?! Despite pain and exhaustion, Zhang Yuanqing pushed himself up, slowly making his way toward the pillar with unsteady movements—reaching out with his padded paws, carefully climbing upward along the pillar to reach the beam. The Old Woman at the courtyard’s edge gasped in alarm: “Child! Quickly! Kill him now!” The human-faced creature lifted its head, watching Zhang Yuanqing climb—the moment it saw the Queen cat, it lightly flicked and leapt, landing gracefully on the pillar—then swiftly closed the distance to catch up with Zhang Yuanqing. “Mmph!” Zhang Yuan’s scalp tingled—the very threat of death sent his adrenaline surging—he launched himself into the air in a leap. As he rose, the spot where he had stood was now occupied by the creature. In mid-air, Zhang Yuanqing spread out his limbs—his sharp claws caught firmly onto one of the peeled cat corpses’ bodies, just barely preventing him from falling. He climbed along the corpse upward, using his sharp teeth to snap through the hemp ropes with a “plop” sound. Both cats fell together. As the cat corpse descended, an invisible formation seemed to shatter—faint gusts of cold wind swept across the entire living room. “Ahh!” The creature on the pillar dropped and rolled over in pain—the human face began to transform fully into a feline form; its very essence now cat-like. Its original modest intelligence was replaced by raw frenzy and hunger. Bone spines grew densely across its body. Within seconds, it became even more fierce, more terrifying. It slowly rose to its feet, shook its head, then emitted low, guttural moans. The Old Woman’s face went pale—she stumbled forward: “Child! Quickly! Return to the coffin!” The creature—the now fully monstrous cat—heard her voice, spun around sharply, and knocked down the Old Woman with a powerful charge—her sharp teeth biting into her neck. “Crack!” Her cervical bones snapped—bright red blood sprayed in a fountain. The large cat pawed at her body, tearing through it as if feasting. The Old Woman’s limbs spasmed—and soon, she lay motionless. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing heard his own bones crackling under pressure—his fur pulled back into the pores; his padded paws began to transform into human hands. Guan Ya picked up her clothes and ran, then turned to see the Queen cat curled on the ground, stunned—she gave her a sharp slap with her paw. The Queen cat suddenly awakened—realizing that her body was beginning to recover—and immediately picked up her clothes, following Guan Ya through the courtyard into the room. It was over… Zhang Yuanqing lingered behind, slowly watching the backs of his two female teammates as they moved toward safety. Only after a few tens of seconds did he regain full use of his limbs—his fingers and toes became distinct again—and finally restored to human form. The curse had lifted! Li Chunfeng at the wall, Lilí Yúnsuàng near the window, and the Fire Deity Army seated at the table—all returned to their original human forms, bare-chested. But their injuries hadn’t healed—they still lay barely breathing. “Woooh…” The large cat sensed the change behind it, turned its head with a mouthful of blood, and saw Zhang Yuanqing rising. Its teeth snapped out instantly—once white and sharp, now stained red with blood, thread-like strands of flesh dangling from them. It pushed aside the body of the old woman, transforming into a fleeting shadow before rushing toward Zhang Yuanqing. Now, it seemed especially weak. Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward, pressing his hands firmly against the large cat’s neck, while summoning the Blood-Sharp Blade with his other hand. Yet as he prepared to plunge the blade into the monster's head, he suddenly remembered the Demon King’s words—*if I can withstand beauty and slaughter, perhaps I’ll awaken a hidden task…* Beauty—he could understand. But what did “withstand slaughter” mean? Could this instance not involve any killing at all? It couldn’t be referring to the killing between the Orderly and Evil factions—the Demon King wouldn’t survive otherwise, and certainly couldn’t complete the Yin-Yang Town mission. So was “no killing” really about not killing the monsters within the instance? Zhang Yuanqing lifted the creature high, then slammed it hard onto the ground. The monster instantly went still—its chest and abdomen rising and falling gently, now half-dreaming. At that moment, Guan Ya and the Queen stepped out of the room, both fully dressed. They glanced at Zhang Yuanqing’s naked form before quickly turning away. Guan Ya hurried over and approached Li Chunfeng directly. She knelt beside the nearly lifeless Li Chunfeng, now holding a syringe filled with pale golden liquid. Guan Ya inserted the needle into Li Chunfeng's neck vein, pushed in half of the liquid, then administered the remaining half separately to both the Fire Deity Army and the person named Eaten-Lotus. “What about him?” Zhang Yuanqing asked, looking toward the original grass that had grown beside the path. The Wood Demon youth groaned, opened his eyes, sat up, and said: “I don’t need help—I have a recovery skill. When a Wood Demon is dying, it automatically revives itself once per day.” He twisted his neck, emitting crisp clicking sounds: “I’ve already revived myself. I was just pretending to die earlier.” At that moment, Li Chunfeng, the Fire Deity Army, and Eaten-Lotus all stood up. “Life Original Liquid—how incredible! Even though it's diluted, this is a strategic resource of the Five Elements Alliance.” Li Chunfeng expressed his gratitude. “Thank you so much!” This woman must hold a high official rank. “It’s a miracle—I almost died—and that’s supposed to be an A-level instance? Then what does an S-level instance really entail?” The Fire Deity Army didn’t think deeply, just muttered in frustration before offering thanks: “I owe you one life—definitely pay it back.” Guan Ya surveyed the room of bare men, smiling gently. “Hurry up and dress yourselves—you’re all looking like a group of caterpillars exposed to public view?” “…” When everyone dressed themselves, the Queen took a deep breath and came close to Zhang Yuanqing, speaking softly: “Thank you—without your breaking of the curse, I truly couldn’t imagine what had just happened to me.” Just don’t make men feel awkward… Zhang Yuanqing didn’t take credit for himself. “It was actually Li Chunfeng’s suggestion.” Li Chunfeng added: “The medium of the curse is the cat corpses—they form a magical array technique. I’ve known this all along, but everyone else was busy dealing with this monster and no one noticed. By the way, why have you kept it alive? Shouldn’t you just kill it now?” “Let’s keep it for now—I want to conduct an experiment.” Zhang Yuanqing said, surveying the group around him. “So far, I haven’t received any spirit realm prompts—what about you all?” The team members shook their heads. “It seems we’re going to be missing those prompts altogether. This kind of instance is especially troublesome,” Zhang Yuanqing sighed. Guan Ya pulled out a doll from her pocket and said: “We found this inside the room just now.” The doll was woven entirely from straw, its craftsmanship rough, with numerous fine needles embedded throughout. On its front surface, a piece of paper read: “Xu Xiuer” Xu Xiuer… Zhang Yuanqing paused thoughtfully. “In my very first S-level spirit realm instance, the mission information required the realm walker to deduce and solve it independently—this Yin-Yang Town seems similar.” “That’s good—the information provided by this old woman is already quite rich. Let’s go through it again now. But first, I’d like to use this doll for an experiment.” As he spoke, he lifted the nearly lifeless large cat and walked toward the room. What was he going to do? Everyone exchanged puzzled glances, quickly following behind him.