Yuan Tao's Death (Bonus Chapter for Recommended Tickets)

Zhang Lingyu stood motionless, his face dark. The area where the Yin Thunder Water Filth had spread had become a private battleground for the two of them.

"Young people are so full of restless energy. Let it go~ Let go of everything, and you'll find freedom and release. I can help you!"

Dou Mei dodged the Treant's attack, the rose-pink qi in her hand drifting through the air like floating silk.

"Comforting? So it's you, the poison-tongued old woman Dou Mei! I'll show you—Transforming Snake~"

Watching the rose-pink qi drift toward him, Wang Changle abruptly activated [Serpent's Curse], transforming into an eight-meter-long python.

[Serpent's Curse: Your Stamina +5, Strength +5, Agility +3, Intelligence +3, Charisma -5. You will become bloodthirsty. Duration: 5 minutes]

[Notice: You have been comforted. Your Stamina exceeds 15 points, so you resisted sluggishness. Your Intelligence exceeds 15 points, so you resisted sleep. Your Charisma -1. Duration: 3 minutes]

In his python form, Wang Changle ignored all the rose-pink qi. His tail swept around with a bang and sent Dou Mei flying.

His Strength was now over 10, his Stamina over 15, and his Intelligence over 15. He was nothing but a pure beastly body.

Without using techniques, the serpent's body was undoubtedly the best way to deal with Otherworldly Persons who specialized in weakening their opponents with energy.

"A beast... Another product of those experiments?"

Dou Mei gathered a large amount of qi in her hand, darted forward, and punched toward the python's head.

"Duang~"

"Golden Bell Shield~"

The python's whole body turned gold. Dou Mei's punch landed with the sound of a temple bell, and a fierce gust of wind surged in every direction.

The rose-pink qi drifted around again. Wang Changle immediately realized the Golden Bell Shield had been broken and couldn't help thinking, That old woman's qi really is specialized in breaking techniques that circulate qi.

"Hiss~ Crack~"

The next moment, the python opened its jaws wide. Dou Mei changed her fist into a palm, and with a crack, trees snapped and vines broke. But she used the python's force to fly backward.

"Root Entanglement."

Still in midair and busy redirecting her momentum, Dou Mei had no time to react. Vines instantly wrapped tightly around her, pinning her in the air.

[Your Intelligence is 0.6 times your opponent's. Forced immobilization: 1.4 seconds. Nature Mark applied.]

Pinned in midair, Dou Mei immediately sensed danger and released a startling amount of qi throughout her body.

But the rose-pink qi couldn't dispel the vines around her. Even more alarmed, Dou Mei released her abundant qi, forming a spherical Protective Shield.

The terrifying part of [Root Entanglement] was the phrase "forced immobilization." The skill could be dodged or resisted, and its effects could even be broken through by force.

Otherwise, even someone with greater Intelligence than Wang Changle would still be forcibly immobilized.

With a rush of wind, the python's body writhed and its enormous tail lashed out like a whip.

"BOMM!" Dou Mei was struck out of the air. She traced an arc through the sky before falling toward the distance.

In an instant, the battlefield changed again. The battlefield had split apart, and Dou Mei was out of the fight!

Gao Ning, who should have been the main attacker, was now being beaten helplessly by Black Hoof.

It was true that the "Twelve Emotions Formation" could continuously twist the emotions of those caught within it, but Cthulhu creatures had no extraordinary meridians, so they were unaffected.

The Black Goat Cub, which fed on fear and flesh, was especially effective against mind-based or illusion-based abilities. Its powerful body completely overwhelmed Gao Ning.

Sensing how much time remained in his transformation, Wang Changle turned and charged toward Yuan Tao.

"Bang!"

"Call of Nature!"

The Treant rose from the ground, and the two enormous creatures ferociously attacked the area around Yuan Tao.

Lu Jin struck Shen Chong with a palm and withdrew from the open battlefield. Three Thunder Talismans descended from the sky, driving back Xia He, who had come to help.

"Now that's a real man. You couldn't bring yourself to hurt a beautiful woman! Lingyu, you still have a long way to go. Go stop Shen Chong. I won't hurt this young woman."

"Immortal-Binding Rope!"

Lu Jin glanced at Zhang Lingyu's flushed face and flicked out several more talismans.

"Northland's Azure Pool~"

Zhang Lingyu's face flushed slightly. Dark as ink, the Yin Thunder surged toward Shen Chong.

"Ah, I can't hold on! What kind of monster is this~"

By the trees, Yuan Tao had just used Morning Wind and Baxia to kill the Treant, but the python had coiled tightly around him. Pulao's sound waves battered at it, weakening the force of its grip.

"Life Extraction!"

Yuan Tao desperately used all his qi to resist, but his source qi still seemed to be steadily draining away.

"Old Yuan, I can't help you! I'm leaving first~"

Seeing Dou Mei taken out of the fight, Shen Chong knew the situation was lost. He suddenly exerted himself and ran in one direction.

"Master Yuan Tao, we'll meet again! Hah—Diamond Palm!"

Gao Ning's blood-red qi surged. A huge palm of qi knocked Black Hoof away, and he too fled toward the forest.

"War Stomp!"

"No one can save you! You're dying today~"

As the giant serpent roared, its voice was startlingly human. A goat's hoof appeared in midair and slammed down, aiming straight for Yuan Tao's head.

In an instant, Pulao, Suo Ni, and Morning Wind shattered. Blood spurted from Yuan Tao's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

[You obtained Life Essence*1]

"No, no! Open up!"

Qiuniu exploded in a furious burst. The qi that swelled around it was like a bomb, blasting the python away.

"Seize!"

Three tentacles suddenly emerged from the air and wrapped around the blood-soaked Yuan Tao.

Wang Changle returned to human form. As he dragged Yuan Tao closer, he raised a piece of black iron and swung it toward his face.

[Notice: Your Health is at only 14%. You cannot use the Black Goat Cub's skills.]

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Blood splattered everywhere as Yuan Tao struggled to push Wang Changle off.

But the iron showed no mercy. Before long, white brain matter covered the ground, and Yuan Tao's consciousness slowly faded away.

"Die! I've used up every trick I have, so just die! Die~"

The man sprawled over him was covered in blood. His bloodthirsty red eyes blazed with endless fury and madness as he kept smashing the corpse beneath him, over and over, heedless of everything.

[You killed the plot character Yuan Tao. You obtained 5% World Origin.]

[You obtained Treasure Chest (Blue)*1]

"Mr. Ode, cough, stop abusing the corpse. He's already dead!"

Zhang Lingyu had failed to catch the fleeing men. Turning back to see the corpse being brutally beaten, he frowned and shouted.

"Is... is he? He's already dead? Hah... hah..."

Wang Changle came to his senses, lying in the blood. Warm blood flowed past his lips, stirring an intense craving deep inside him.

"Perfected One Lingyu, didn't you have someone ask me why I never go all out? It's because, as you can see, a lot of my abilities aren't suited for sparring."

Zhang Lingyu glanced impassively at Yuan Tao's corpse. After listening to him, he silently nodded. With abilities and methods like these, sparring truly wasn't appropriate. They were only suited for killing.

"So this is your talent and the methods of the Druid Sect? You've certainly opened this old man's eyes."

Lu Jin clapped as he walked over. He could tell that, although this man's methods were brutal, his nature wasn't bad. In any case, the men he had killed were scoundrels from Quanxing.

No wonder the man had never gone all out. If he displayed methods like these to the world, the public's opinion of him would be no better than their opinion of Quanxing.

"Yeah. That monster was summoned by my talent. Transforming Snake is a secret technique of the sect—or you could call it a cultivation method. The downside is that it makes me bloodthirsty. Mm, this is my own blood!"

As he spoke, Wang Changle took out a bottle of blood and drank it down, sip by sip, easing his craving for blood.

"Still, thank you, Mr. Wang. I have to go help my brothers on the front mountain, so I'll be taking my leave."

Zhang Lingyu still had trouble accepting the scene before him. He gave Wang Changle a slight bow, nodded to Master Lu, and turned to leave.

"Wait, Perfected One Lingyu. Do you recognize this person? I followed him and overheard Quanxing's plan to surround and attack the mountain."

As he spoke, he took a Human-faced Rose from his space and used his Mental Power to slowly shape Gong Qing's face.

"What exquisite disguise!"

Lu Jin's eyes flickered. The man could even disguise himself. His skill was nearly as good as Quanxing's Yu Huadu. It was no wonder Linglong and Yunshu had been wronged.

[Notice: You gained Lu Jin's favor. Current standing: Friendly 10/100.]

"Uh, isn't that Little Yuzi, the young Daoist who stays by Uncle Tian's side? Are you sure, sir?"

Zhang Lingyu's eyes darkened slightly. The face was only about eighty percent accurate, but he recognized at once that it was the young Daoist who stayed by Uncle Tian's side.

"Yes. If I hadn't been driven away by the Feng Family and then spotted this person in the forest, I'd probably have left the mountain by now. After all, I'm an Otherworldly Person from overseas. There was no reason for me to get mixed up in this."

After putting away Gong Qing's face, he braced himself and got to his feet, speaking as he looked at Master Lu.

Lu Jin's expression changed at once. It was true: though this man's cultivation methods were strange, he had no reason to get involved.

Moreover, he had helped them several times, fought Quanxing's scoundrels, and now killed Yuan Tao. He had also once been an executive in the Tianxia Association. His words could be trusted!

Lu Jin gave an almost imperceptible nod, immediately setting off alarm bells in Zhang Lingyu's mind. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to the Old Celestial Master.

The next moment, golden light turned into a sky full of golden clouds over Dragon Tiger Mountain. Half the mountain peak was dyed gold.

"Something really has happened. Lingyu, let's go!"

Lu Jin nodded to Wang Changle. His talismans flashed, and he carried Zhang Lingyu away on the wind.

At that moment, in the Celestial Master's Mansion, in Tian Jinzhong's residence.

"Cough. Should I call you Little Yuzi, or the acting leader of Quanxing, Gong Qing?"

Zhang Zhiwei half narrowed his eyes. Outside the room, Lu Liang lay on the ground with a handprint on his chest and his eyes rolled back. Gong Qing stood beside him, bowing in fearful silence.

Gong Qing could clearly sense the Celestial Master's killing intent. It wasn't strong, but it was exceptionally pure.

Tian Jinzhong breathed heavily, just recovering from Soul Illumination Technique. So this was the Soul Illumination Technique. So the secret had been...

And the young Daoist who had stayed by his side for three years was actually Quanxing's acting leader. What a willpower!

[Notice: Hunter, your hidden mission—Break the Deadlock—has been completed. Hunter will leave this world in 30 seconds. Please prepare in advance.]

[Notice: You obtained 5% World Origin. Current World Origin: 22.1%.]

[Notice: You unlocked the Celestial Master's Mansion's reputation. Current standing: Friendly 0/2000.]

"Looks like I made it in time. Tian Jinzhong didn't die, so the Old Celestial Master won't leave the mountain. I wonder what will happen to Gong Qing, but Quanxing is surely in for trouble."

After thinking for a while, he murmured softly and wiped a finger across his lips.

Once he had finished going over the plot, he realized that the only way to break the deadlock was to stop Tian Jinzhong from dying and thereby prevent the Celestial Master from leaving the mountain.

If he'd gone straight to expose the truth, he would probably have been driven off the mountain, just like Mao Xiaocui.

So he turned his attention to Lu Jin and Zhang Lingyu. One was the Celestial Master's close friend and head of the Lu Family; the other was the Celestial Master's prized disciple. Both were people the Celestial Master trusted.

That was why disrupting Quanxing's plan, hunting Quanxing members, and killing Yuan Tao had been the best way to earn their trust.

[Transmission beginning... Transmission complete. Hunter has returned to their exclusive room.]

[The exclusive room is an absolute safe zone. No one may enter unless permitted by the Hunter.]

[Hunter has returned to Cycle Paradise. Beginning settlement of Derivative World rewards.]