Chapter 19

Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously pulled Guan Ya closer, his tone serious, "Don't stray from my side."

The tall, mixed-race mature beauty staggered as he pulled her. Through the hazy mist, Guan Ya saw Yuan Shi's face was solemn and tense, like a child protecting his beloved toy, that kind of nervous, cautious emotion completely written on his face.

*His reaction is the most genuine, an instinctual response. In a moment, he'll realize I have a protective suit. According to Yuan Shi's character, he will immediately check the cause of death of that poor girl, diverting the topic.* "Sister Guan Ya, be careful yourself, I'll go see what happened," Zhang Yuanqing said in a deep voice.

*Sure enough...* Guan Ya thought, *This old woman has seen through you, kid.*

She followed Zhang Yuanqing to the corpse. By this time, the team members had already surrounded the girl's body and completed a preliminary "autopsy," discussing with heavy faces. "She was beheaded with a sharp weapon, and Ai'ai didn't have any chance to react," said the Peony Fairy sadly. She seemed to know this girl named "Ai'ai."

"I was right next to her just now, and I didn't feel any movement, no sound of a blade swinging, or sound of the mist surging, nothing at all," said the Niu Lan Shan Little Fairy with her hair in a bun, frowning.

No movement, that's a bit scary.

The unknown enemy is the most terrifying. The Lingjing Xingzhe quietly tensed their nerves and took out their respective props to prevent accidents. Tianxia Guihuo squatted on the ground, examining the head and body, analyzing as he observed:

"The attack should have come from the front, an instant beheading. Strange, the spacing between the team members isn't large, there wasn't space for the 'murderer' to swing a blade. But looking at the cut, the 'murderer' would have had to swing in a semicircle to achieve this effect."

"How can you tell the attack came from the front?" Jiang Jingwei asked, puzzled.

Guan Ya explained in a low voice, "If the attack came from behind, the body would have fallen forward due to inertia when walking. But now the corpse is lying on its back, which means the throat was attacked, causing a subconscious backward arch."

Apart from the Fire Master nodding repeatedly, the other Lingjing Xingzhe were all at the captain level. These simple on-site investigations didn't need explanation. Jiang Jingwei understood and frowned slightly:

"Everyone was so close just now, if someone swung a knife from the front, a large group would have died. How did only she die?"

Tianxia Guihuo exhaled and said, "That's what I can't figure out."

Not being able to hear the enemy, not even knowing how they attacked, yet being able to instantly kill a level 3 Wood Sprite, that's a bit terrifying. Zhang Yuanqing hesitated for a moment, the blackness in his eyes surging. In front of everyone, he summoned the remaining spiritual body from the corpse and swallowed it in one gulp. He planned to directly ask the spirit to see if there were any clues. The official Xingzhe watched silently, no one stopping him.

In this crisis-ridden dungeon, survival is the first task. As long as the method works, there can be flexible moral standards. A dozen seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and shook his head.

Ai'ai didn't know how she died either, she just lost consciousness and life in an instant. "'Asking the spirit' can't even find the murderer?" Qianye Liang's expression changed.

At this moment, the fog was getting "thicker" and the visibility was getting lower. Even with torches lit, the people around them were becoming blurry. An invisible fear was brewing in everyone's hearts, and disputes arose within the team.

"This fog is strange, the longer we stay, the more dangerous it is. Let's leave quickly, it'll be safe once we break through the fog."

"No, we must figure out the reason and solve the problem. The fog covers a wide area, affecting our exploration of the maze, and if someone dies along the way, the map will be even more incomplete."

The two sides argued, and finally someone shouted:

"Yuan Shi Tianzun, where are you? Say something, you decide on this matter."

Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment and said, "First of all, we don't know the frequency of the crisis. If this frequency is short, and the area covered by the fog is wide, then we'll lose most of our members before we even get out. Being an ostrich won't solve the problem. My suggestion is to deal with the crisis before continuing forward."

At this time, the benefits of reputation become apparent. The same words, spoken by someone else, the team members would not be convinced. But when Yuan Shi Tianzun speaks, everyone is willing to obey.

Seeing no one objecting, Zhang Yuanqing looked towards a twenty-three- or four-year-old girl with a bun, relying on his senses, and said, "Little Fairy, you were next to Ai'ai before, did she do anything before she died?" He wanted to know if Ai'ai's death was purely bad luck, or if she accidentally triggered some "mechanism."

The Niu Lan Shan Little Fairy frowned, thought for a while, and shook her head. "Probably not, I didn't pay attention to her."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded and looked at Tianxia Guihuo, Jiang Jingwei and other Fire Masters, saying, "Try creating an explosion, see if it can dispel the flames."

Hearing this, the Fire Masters showed extremely strong execution, each rubbing out a ball of fire with their hands and throwing it into the distance. "Boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another, the shockwaves carrying crimson flames, raging in all directions. The fog fluctuated violently, like stirred water.

But the visibility didn't become clear. The fog here was too thick, the shockwaves from the explosions only made the slowly floating fog become chaotic and disordered. To disperse the fog, fresh air must enter.

*I remember the Rain Master has the ability to summon wind and rain. If I could have this ability, I could blow away the fog. No, if I had the Rain Master's ability, I wouldn't need to be afraid of the strange fog...*

Zhang Yuanqing then tried several other methods, but none of them could disperse the mountain mist. "Yuan Shi, the fog is getting thicker, we can't stay any longer."

Guan Ya looked around and found that the fog had become so "thick" that she could barely see the people around her. Zhang Yuanqing nodded silently and said loudly:

"Everyone hold hands and move forward. From now on, continuously count off to ensure that no one gets lost or dies... Who is after Ai'ai? Report the route."

Everyone acted quickly, holding hands, with Zhang Yuanqing leading the way. The team moved forward along the route while counting off. "1, 2,... 13, 14."

After one death, the total number of people in the team was fourteen. The second round of counting began: "1, 2, 3... 12, 13..." The counting stopped abruptly, 14 didn't sound for a long time.

Everyone's heart sank, and then they heard a trembling voice from the end of the team, "I, I'm number 14, I've been attacked."

The speaker was Yu Nu Wu Gua, a young man in his thirties, a level 3 Water Ghost.

Everyone quickly surrounded him, and several Fire Masters lit torches, trying to gather the light to increase visibility. Zhang Yuanqing asked, "What happened?"

Yu Nu Wu Gua looked terrified, "Just now, I was suddenly attacked. Something cut my neck and triggered my passive." The Water Ghost's passive ignores physical attacks. If he didn't have his passive, Yu Nu Wu Gua would already be dead.

"Did you see the attacker? What was the method of attack?" Everyone asked. Yu Nu Wu Gua touched his neck and recalled,

"I didn't see the attacker at all, and I didn't feel anything unusual. My neck just hurt, and then I found my passive skill activated... However, I sensed a foreign object entering my body. After I turned my head into water, its trajectory of extraction was upward."

Upward...

The official Xingzhe instantly raised their heads, but all they saw was thick fog. Zhang Yuanqing unfurled the Yin-Yang Dharma Robe and draped it over his shoulders, his spiritual body leaving his body and floating towards the treetops. He was blocked again when he approached the canopy and couldn't rise further.

Zhang Yuanqing floated back and forth near the canopy, looking for the danger hidden among the lush branches. Yu Nu Wu Gua's experience showed that a spiritual body without a physical body could also be immune to the attacker's damage. Zhang Yuanqing quickly patrolled around, found nothing unusual, and immediately sank his spiritual body, returning to his physical body. "Nothing found."

His answer made everyone extremely disappointed, and then a little collapsed.

This kind of invisible enemy is more troublesome than facing the Tree King, the latter at least is visible and tangible, the danger is clearly in front of you. "This is no good, we don't have the Water Ghost's passive. If we are targeted, we will definitely die," Baihu Wansui frowned. Tianxia Guihuo pondered:

"I've calculated the time. From Ai'ai's death to Yu Nu Wu Gua's attack, the interval was five minutes. If this is the frequency of the danger, then in five minutes, it will be the next attack."

The official Xingzhe were silent. They were like lambs to the slaughter, silently waiting for death to come. The next one might be themselves.

It can be said that the official Xingzhe have high qualities and strong discipline, able to calm down. If it were freelance cultivators, they would probably already be arguing and trapped in mental exhaustion. Zhang Yuanqing moved closer to Guan Ya, and whispered in her ear, "Is what Yu Nu Wu Gua said true?" Guan Ya's ear became hot, and she frowned:

"Judging from his tone, it should be true, but I can't see his face clearly, so I can't observe him."

At this time, Peony Fairy took a deep breath:

"Yuan Shi Tianzun, what do we do now? I will listen to whatever you say."

Everyone silently looked at the captain, who was only a silhouette in the fog. The dungeon doesn't have a clear captain position, but Yuan Shi Tianzun is the recognized captain.

*They're entrusting their lives to me.* Zhang Yuanqing felt great pressure. He looked around, "Continue forward!"

*Continue forward...* Everyone sighed in their hearts. Continuing forward means doing nothing, it seems Yuan Shi Tianzun has no tricks either.

The team walked with heavy and slow steps, trekking through the maze forest. The fog obscured their vision, making it impossible to see the road, let alone the intersections. To avoid going the wrong way, Zhang Yuanqing had the Earth Spirit colleagues walk in front.

They can effectively distinguish how many paths there are at an intersection. "Two minutes have passed," someone in the team suddenly said.

*Three minutes left...* Zhang Yuanqing murmured in his heart, actively using his brain to think of countermeasures.

After Ai'ai died, Zhang Yuanqing's first thought was that the crisis came from the dungeon, but after several fruitless investigations, he turned his suspicion to the Dark Night Rose's spy.

*Could it be that the fog is simply obscuring vision, increasing the difficulty of the maze? Is the spy taking advantage of the dungeon to kill people in secret? So he suggested holding hands and suggested counting off, all to limit the possible spy.*

But now it seems that the possibility of the spy killing people is not high. "Three minutes have passed," someone said again. Zhang Yuanqing's mind raced:

"Currently, we can only conclude that the attacker's attack frequency is once every five minutes. To find more patterns, we have to continue to observe. Each observation is a life, we can't afford this kind of consumption..."

"The danger comes from the canopy, but I didn't find anything unusual. Whether Yu Nu Wu Gua is lying is also impossible to judge. The fog is too thick, Guan Ya can't see his face clearly..."

"How exactly is the attacker hiding? The method of attack is also unclear, but one thing is certain, that is, it is related to the strange fog. Danger from the fog..."

Thinking of this, a face suddenly jumped into Zhang Yuanqing's mind - Li Xianzong!

The fog at this moment evoked an unpleasant memory for him. Back in his little aunt's hospital, he was also trapped in the fog, suffered a great loss, and almost became autistic. This is a typical post-traumatic stress disorder. Wait a minute!

Zhang Yuanqing had a flash of inspiration, and suddenly realized what was going on with the fog in the maze forest. The side quest introduction mentioned that the power of the evil cultivator had infiltrated the forest, and the road to the top of the mountain was full of dangers. The Mountain God is the name after the Earth Spirit's job change, so what is the profession of the evil cultivator? It is a bewitching demon! Because the bewitching demon's name after the first job change, that is, the Saint Realm, is called the Mist Lord!

"Four minutes have passed..."

The voice of the person reporting the time became low.

The mood of everyone in the team also became heavy, their muscles tense and in a state of alert and tension. There was one minute left, and the attacker hidden in the dark would strike. Zhang Yuanqing's mood was excited.

After figuring out the details of the crisis, thinking about countermeasures is much simpler.

*I remember when I fought Li Xianzong in the hospital, he judged my position based on the flow of fog. The attacker must also be doing the same. So, as long as we prohibit movement, can we avoid the crisis? Let's try it...*

Zhang Yuanqing stopped and said loudly, "Stop, everyone stop."

The team stopped with him.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't give them a chance to ask questions, and said, "From now on, don't move, slow down your breathing, it's best not to breathe, no movement can be made, don't ask why, believe my words, just do as I say."

If people still die, then the attacker is related to the dungeon itself, not a spy. In that case, use Guan Ya's mask to investigate.

The team members really didn't ask questions, held their breath, and didn't move. They silently counted the time, every second passing with extreme agony. Finally, five minutes passed. The team remained still. Half a minute later, they heard Yuan Shi Tianzun say, "Start counting off." "1, 2,... 13, 14." This round, no one died.

The Lawful faction of Lingjing Xingzhe are divided into three teams, each heading to a mountain path.

The team led by Zhao Chenghuang had 23 members and walked silently through the dark forest.

The paths under their feet were well connected, crisscrossing each other. Taking the wrong intersection would trap this team composed of officials and freelance cultivators in the maze forest. They adopted the same method as Zhang Yuanqing's team. Each person remembered a part of the route, and 23 brains jointly memorized the maze route. Because of their superior number, some people remembered the same routes, which prevented route loss if someone died unexpectedly.

The chaotic footsteps echoed in the quiet forest, and the layers of canopies occasionally made "rustling" sounds because of the night wind. It became more and more quiet and eerie.

Several Fire Masters held up "torches," selflessly contributing to bring light to everyone. As they walked, Sun Miaomiao frowned and said in a low voice, "The Yin energy nearby has increased."

Zhao Chenghuang said "Mmm," "It seems there are other dangers in the maze. If it's wraiths, it will be simple." There are eight Night Wanderers here, even a Saint Realm wraith can be made to have its soul scattered.

Sun Miaomiao was about to speak when she suddenly saw a black shadow hanging on the treetops in front.

Looking intently, it was a hanging corpse, wearing gray hiking clothes, hanging straight in mid-air, having been dead for a long time. The corpse's face was covered with corpse spots, its skin was gray-green, its eyes closed, its appearance was extremely frightening. "Eh, there seems to be a corpse there."

The Lawful Xingzhe behind, using the light of the torches, saw the hanging ghost in mid-air. "It seems to be a hiker, uh, I saw a hiker on the outer layer, I didn't expect there to be one in the maze too." "Be careful, the hiker is not from our Mountain God camp." Everyone approached cautiously and slowly.

Suddenly, the corpse hanging in the treetops opened its eyes. A pair of scarlet red pupils, with twisted and strange runes printed in the pupils.

Sun Miaomiao only felt a "boom" in her brain, as if she had been hit on the head with a stick, losing all consciousness. The next moment, her dissipated pupils regained their light, struggling out of the dizziness. At a critical moment, she transferred all the negative effects to her Spirit Servant.

*Is it the Bewitching Eye? Was this corpse affected by the evil cultivator's power?* As Sun Miaomiao's thoughts turned, she heard heavy breathing beside her and behind her. Her heart trembled, and she looked back.

She saw the Lawful Xingzhe behind her, each with distorted expressions, heavy breathing, and scarlet red eyes, flashing with the desire for killing. On her side, other than the Maoshan Taoist, Yuan Ting and Zhao Chenghuang, who completed the ultimate operation (letting the Spirit Servant take the blame), the other Night Wanderers all fell victim. "These guys have been bewitched."

*Sword Coming*

Guo Hezu walked over with a solemn expression. Apart from Sun Miaomiao and the other three, he was the only one who was awake.

As a Little Qingyang, no one could launch a sneak attack under his nose with his proficiency in Insight, not even a corpse. "What to do?" the Maoshan Taoist said.

Zhao Chenghuang's expression was cold, "Try to control them and try not to kill them. Just the five of us?" The Maoshan Taoist stared. Zhao Chenghuang glanced at him, "You have no choice."

Fourteen people.

After hearing the count, the team members almost didn't react.

They had already prepared themselves mentally for the sacrifice of their colleagues, but they didn't expect it to be a calm and peaceful "Silent Night?" Exhilarated emotions were transmitted in the crowd, the heavy mood retreated, and joy reappeared on their faces.

"No, no one died... This time no one died."

Plain sailing.

Peony Fairy personally counted the number of people, confirming that there were fourteen people, confirming that everyone was still alive. Qianye Liang also counted again.

The island country JK and the mature woman Peony were full of surprise, "How did you know that standing still would prevent you from being attacked?" Guan Ya and Tianxia Guihuo were thoughtful.

The official Xingzhe all looked at Yuan Shi Tianzun, their eyes containing expectations.

Yuan Shi Tianzun must have already conquered the fog crisis, in that case, no one would have to die next.

ps: I will correct the typos after updating first. Happy birthday to Cai Zong, and a prosperous business.