“Indeed, a mage…” Li Chunfeng looked astonished, paused for a moment, and speculated: “Is it because of the story told by Wang Po?”
Zhang Yuanqing nodded:
“In Wang Po’s tale, the mage was hired by Zhao Yan to assist in defeating the demoness who devours human hearts. By normal logic, the mage should be stronger than both the blacksmith and Zhao Yan himself.
‘How could the evil organization face the strongest boss right from the start?’”
Wang Po’s story and Xu Xiuyu’s account corroborate each other well.
In Wang Po’s version, the demoness devours hearts, and Zhao Yan hires a mage to eliminate her; in Xu Xiuyu’s description, Wang Po’s son colludes with Zhao Yan to murder the descendants of Yin Yang.
A common point is that both groups are confronting the descendants of Yin Yang.
The difference lies in their motives.
The existence of the mage seems certain—since if Zhao Yan and Wang Po’s son could have cooperated to defend that helpless woman, they would have acted earlier, and the story wouldn’t have included a mage at all.
Of course, before the Spirit Realm prompt appeared, these were merely Zhang Yuanqing’s speculations.
Moreover, he finally understood who arranged the layout in Wang Po’s household.
It was the mage!
“Then that mage must be a Wu Gu Master,” suddenly declared the queen.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her—she had also realized it.
Once confirmed that Xu Xiuyu wasn’t under a curse, and after hearing the Spirit Realm prompt and recalling Wang Po’s story, if she hadn’t figured it out by now, then her rank as a Level 3 Water Spirit would have been utterly wasted.
Li Chunfeng added:
“Someone capable of casting curses must be a Wu Gu Master. Yet the descendants of Yin Yang also suffer from curses—so perhaps Yin Yang is an evil organization?”
The queen shook her head: “No one knows the true identity of Yin Yang yet. In other storylines, townspeople mention that Yin Yang can summon wind and rain and control blazing fires to drive away thieves. Now, with this new curse… it’s likely due to a prop’s abilities.”
“And yet—why don’t we find any documentation in our official archives for the stories we’ve experienced?” Fire Deity Army has always believed that the Five Elements Alliance should have recorded every Spirit Realm instance.
The queen explained: “The number of instances at the Elevated Stage is quite varied. Many people progress from Elevated to Sage Stage, yet they may only enter an Elevated-level instance ten times or fewer—some even complete just two and reach Level 2.”
A woman’s interest in a man often manifests through subtle ways she includes him in her speech—so Guan Ya glanced again at her bright and dignified colleague.
As she thought of this, she turned to Yuan Shi, noticing that he was quietly pondering.
The Demon King’s storyline should have been exactly our current one—he must therefore, upon reviewing it afterward, recognize the hidden mission clearly; surely I could see it too…
But that man has already lost his virtue to Xu's widow and killed the cat corpse—so he failed to trigger the hidden mission.
Moreover, now I understand why there are multiple ‘routes’ in the Yin Yang Town instance—each team possesses varying levels of strength. When they encounter the cat corpse or Xu’s widow, many teams collapse completely. Thus, different routes correspond to different team strengths.
While still thinking, Li Chunfeng said:
“Before we reach the town center, I think we should plan our tactics. Don’t worry—we won’t lose anything by arriving a few minutes early or late.”
Given this instance’s difficulty, clearly no single faction can defeat the main boss within mere minutes.
Due to the ‘triple-stand’ formation, Li Chunfeng believes that if they don’t appear, the evil organization will likely hesitate to push the boss forward—everyone wants to avoid being attacked from both sides.
His suggestion was accepted by Captain Zhang Yuanqing: “Liu, currently unable to fight, Guan Ya and Queen—how much strength do you have left?”
The queen assessed her own condition: “Around seventy percent.”
She had not been injured—only sustained significant depletion of vital essence, which was replenished partially through the diluted life fluid. Otherwise, she would have only managed thirty to forty percent.
Guan Ya, however, differs—the leg wound has stopped bleeding and is now slowly healing, but the pain and discomfort from the injury significantly impair her mobility and hinder combat effectiveness.
“Physical combat skills at fifty percent—remote attacks remain unchanged,” she calmly concluded.
With Liu incapacitated, the team is now reduced to six members. Li Chunfeng is a Scholar—the slight strength bonus in his eyes seems negligible compared to the Evil Organization’s standards… Guan Ya is a sniper—we have only four members capable of directly confronting the evil organization. Li Lili, the 2nd-level Wood Demon, can only provide auxiliary support. Zhang Yuanqing quickly analyzed this in his mind.
Li Chunfeng demonstrated clear self-awareness and said:
“I will stay close to Guan Ya as a guardian—the sniper needs one. Should it become necessary, I can take over the sniping duties.
‘As for combat—I lack confidence, though I have practiced gunnery well—my expertise spans most firearms.’”
Zhang Yuanqing turned to the reserved and composed young man: “Are you proficient with guns?”
Li Lili shook her head.
He is a native Spirit Realm Walker—one who grew up in a nation where firearms are strictly regulated—and has no access or connections for private training. Moreover, Wood Demons do not possess innate talent in gunnery.
Zhang Yuanqing then produced the Bursting Pistol and handed it to Li Chunfeng: “Here’s this artifact—strong performance. You and Guan Ya will handle remote attacks.”
Everyone instantly turned their attention toward the large-caliber pistol.
Li Chunfeng took it with surprise, examined its information, and became deeply excited: “What a strong prop!!”
Seeing Li Chunfeng’s reaction, it is clear that Yuan Shi Tian Zun has entrusted such an artifact—so generously offering it to someone else without hesitation.
The group felt curious, admiring, and also moved by Yuan Shi Tian Zun’s magnanimity.
Zhang Yuanqing chose the Bursting Pistol because he himself must directly engage the evil organization—meaning close combat.
Under this situation, having already equipped with a Fighter’s Gauntlet, if he now holds a Fire Master’s pistol in hand, it might trigger the thought of “I must fight ten foes”—and then charge headlong into battle without regard for consequences.
That would be certain self-sacrifice.
Zhang Yuanqing then produced the Straw Man and assigned it to Liu:
“Later, stay hidden—don’t appear—use this artifact to counter the evil organization.”
Using a Straw Man requires several seconds of setup time—it is difficult in close combat—and thus assigning it to Liu constitutes effective ‘waste utilization’.
Liu accepted the Straw Man, reviewed its information, and was visibly stunned:
“This…this…?”
Is this something I can actually use? I’ve never handled such a high-end artifact in my life!
Having given out two more, how rich is he really? I’d like one too. The Queen, Fire Deity Army, and the others stared at Captain Zhang Yuanqing in amazement.
“None left,” Zhang Yuanqing quickly waved off.
Indeed—after consecutively giving away two artifacts, he can only keep one himself—there’s no more inventory!
The team members expressed understanding.
The Fighter’s Gauntlet grants agility; the Keen Eyes prop allows anticipatory judgment of enemy attacks; the Bloodthirsty Blade is a strong close-range weapon; the Artifact (Fumigation Staff) neutralizes Enchantment Demons and Illusionists—these four close-combat masterpieces cannot be loaned. The Red Dancing Shoes are central to strategy, the Red Mantle serves as life-saving; the Transmogrification Ring has no offensive function, and the Heavenly Toad Incense Censer—does it poison itself or the enemy?
I truly have no more artifacts.
Li Chunfeng happily collected his props and said: “Yuan Shi Tian Zun and Fire Deity Army will handle frontline combat; Li Lili will provide auxiliary support and look for opportunities to strike. Guan Ya and I will manage remote attacks—Liu, you may utilize the Straw Man’s abilities as needed.”
…
At the town center.
The river winds gently through the valley, dividing the central plaza into two halves.
This open space is normally used by townspeople for drying grain, gatherings, activities, and markets.
Near the slightly turbulent bank, there are stone platforms for washing clothes.
A figure dressed in black robes stands at the center of the square, raising his head to bask in sunlight—seeming deeply satisfied with being back under the open sky.
He has been confined within the town for an extensive period—this constant exposure to darkness has driven him nearly mad.
On the southern half of the plaza, in a narrow alleyway, the person known as Xiao Doubi peeks out cautiously, her large, alert eyes scanning the surroundings.
Deeper inside, Zhang Yuanqing and his teammates press against walls, whispering:
“The mage is standing still at the center—no sign of the evil organization yet. Li Chunfeng’s assessment was correct—their presence is very cautious. Hmph—they’re playing for a delaying strategy; the evil organization certainly seems untrustworthy.”
But we thought so too! Thought Fire Deity Army.
“Then let’s just wait,” said the queen cautiously.
On another open area, in a nearby alleyway, a thin middle-aged man leans against the wall, peering carefully out—then retreats.
He returns to the deeper end of the alley, where stone and pebble pathways are covered with moss, and sees his companions.
“The members from the Order of Harmony seem rather insincere—they haven’t emerged yet,” he remarked.
“Shall we ignore the mage for now and focus on eliminating them first?”
The most stable situation is the three-sided balance—no one wants to be the expendable unit; everyone hopes that others will bear the brunt.
The young man with a missing left ear scoffed:
“At this point, it’s all about patience—let’s hope that among the Harmony faction there is at least a Fire Master.”
The well-dressed man shook his head:
“Even if there is one, he likely won’t survive—the journey to victory will be too long. So, it comes down to patience once again.”
Li Xianzong paused and said: “Let’s wait—only the most patient person can become a hunter. Let me think of a way.”
Time passed steadily.
“Enough! I can’t stand it anymore—I’ll go!”
Fire Deity Army finally exhausted her patience.
Li Chunfeng and Li Lili each held one shoulder gently, urging: “Be patient—be patient!”
Zhang Yuanqing reflected: “Let’s wait a bit longer—we must be hunters, not hunted. Should you truly lose your patience, then we’ll retreat and begin searching for traces of the evil organization.”
At this moment, Guan Ya analyzed:
“Do you remember the description in the game manual? The first team to reach the plaza receives a reward. The Spirit Realm prompt just instructed us to kill the mage—thus, whoever kills the mage earns the reward.”
Zhang Yuanqing surveyed all present and said:
“I have an idea.”
“The mage can be eliminated instantly?” The thin man stared at Li Xianzong in astonishment: “Are you certain? Based on the strength of the blacksmith and Zhao Yan, this mage is likely a Sage-level character—perhaps even at Level 4—but still a Sage.”
“You’ve forgotten about this item,” Li Xianzong flipped his palm, revealing a steel needle stained with dried blood.
The young man with the missing ear recalled its information and brightened:
“This prop can kill the mage—even if it doesn’t succeed, it can severely injure. With our combined efforts, we can swiftly dispatch a critically wounded Sage—no problem. Don’t forget that Li Xianzong has already defeated a Sage.”
“Shortly, I’ll release mist to obscure the vision of the Order of Harmony team—follow me closely and we will secure a swift victory,” said Li Xianzong:
“But before then, let me have a few minutes.”
He walked aside, donned a soiled, foul-smelling coat, and knelt, folding his hands in prayer:
“Let me succeed in killing the mage—may my action proceed smoothly… Let me succeed in killing the mage—may my action proceed smoothly…”
A Wu Gu Master of Sage-level rank—a core artifact from Yuan Shi Tian Zun. The thin man’s eyes glistened with admiration.
“In order to claim the reward before the evil organization reacts, we must eliminate the mage,” Li Chunfeng mused:
“That is indeed a sound strategy—but it comes with significant difficulty.”
Zhang Yuanqing spoke confidently: “Based on Yin Yang Town's difficulty level, the mage is likely at Sage rank. During Elevated Stage, they would be treated only as ceremonial figures—merely insulted in turn. Indeed, even a Level 4 Sage might suffice—stronger than that, and we’d both be constantly undermined by him, which would disrupt the balance mechanism.”
“Our combined efforts, with targeted coordination, will offer us excellent odds—the key is to act with intention. I have one artifact capable of purifying the Wu Gu Master’s curse—but it has limited effectiveness against toxins.”
Li Lili immediately added: “I possess a decoction that weakens toxin effects.”
Guan Ya reflected: “I can open fire and provide cover—even if they are at Sage-level, their bodies will be injured by my shots.”
Liu quickly responded: “I can use the Straw Man to cast a curse—while it may not neutralize the Wu Gu Master’s effect, it will certainly affect him.”
Li Chunfeng supplemented: “The pistol I received from Yuan Shi Tian Zun has an armor-piercing effect—I’ll assist Guan Ya in her shooting duties.”
After a moment of discussion, the group formulated a clear plan of action. Zhang Yuanqing spoke firmly:
“Action!”
“Action!”
Li Xianzong didn’t take off his coat; he held his butterfly dagger in one hand and supported the wooden box with the other, leading his teammates out of the alley.
At that very moment, as Li Xianzong stepped fully into the sunlight outside the alley, he suddenly noticed a group of people emerging from across the street.
Not good—aren’t those the evil organization’s people coming through?
Damn—it’s the organization’s own people appearing now too?
Both sides were caught off guard; their expressions stiffened instantly as they quickly stopped and braced themselves.
It felt exactly like having spent months carefully hiding one’s enemies only to discover that the very same enemies had been patiently laying traps for them all along.
…