Chapter 169 Patrol

The sound of footsteps was stiff, lacking the lightness of the living, as if walking with locked knees.

By the time Zhang Yuanqing and the others heard the footsteps, they were already close to the door.

Suddenly, it seemed the owner of the footsteps didn't want to give the people inside any time to react.

Wang Mingming is back?

Zhang Yuanqing felt a chill in his heart. Adrenaline surged as he instinctively opened his inventory, preparing to take out an item to fight.

But in a flash, he changed his mind, lowered his voice, and issued a short reminder: "Get in bed!"

He quickly dove towards the bed on the left, while simultaneously manipulating Blood Rose to silently leap onto the upper bunk and lie down stiffly. Silver Jade Princess and the Palace Master acted at the same time; the former chose the lower bunk on the right, while the latter chose... Zhang Yuanqing's bed.

A red dress lightly drifted into Zhang Yuanqing's arms, burrowing deeply into his embrace. Beneath the skirt, a pair of crystalline jade feet playfully hooked his leg.

A faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils, indistinguishable between the scent of shampoo and the natural aroma of a young woman. This is too much... Zhang Yuanqing thought helplessly, while slowing his breathing, pretending to be asleep. Employee Handbook, Rule Thirteen states:

If you hear any unusual noises in the dormitory at night, please lie in bed, pretend to sleep, ignore it, and never leave the bed.

In this high-level rule-based item, Zhang Yuanqing believed that following the rules was safer than fighting.

No matter how powerful they are, can they be stronger than a Dominator-level rule-based item?

The footsteps entered the room.

Dong, dong, dong... The stiff, heavy footsteps passed through the doorway and into the room.

Zhang Yuanqing kept his eyes tightly closed, unable to see the owner of the footsteps, and dared not peek through the perspective of his Spirit Servants. Judging from the feedback of the footsteps, he could imagine the height, weight, and walking posture of the person.

The person was over two meters tall, weighing over two hundred kilograms. The heavy footsteps didn't sound like a living person, but rather like a cold, stiff corpse.

After entering the room, the footsteps didn't stop, but instead wandered around the room.

Dong dong dong... It wandered between the beds.

It knows there are people in the beds, it can see us... Zhang Yuanqing guessed inwardly.

At that moment, he heard the footsteps stop beside his bed.

Then, Zhang Yuanqing smelled a damp, rotten odor, like a rotten dead rat in a sewer.

Without even looking, he knew that thing was looking at him, and very close.

Zhang Yuanqing slowed his breathing, not moving at all.

After about three to five minutes, the rotten smell receded, and the dong dong footsteps sounded again, heading towards the door.

The heavy, stiff footsteps exited the room, then echoed in the corridor, until they completely disappeared.

The four people on the beds were all crafty, still not getting up. After waiting for a long, long time, the Palace Master of the Zhisha Palace propped herself up on Zhang Yuanqing's chest, looking around, and said, "It's gone."

Only then did Zhang Yuanqing open his eyes. First, he glanced around, then looked at the door, and observed the window, confirming that there were no terrible monsters, finally relieved.

Successfully avoided a crisis.

In addition to the relief, a long-lost sense of excitement welled up in his heart. The kind of horror and fear he felt in the Sheling Tunnel was back.

"Let's leave quickly. It might come back. We've already obtained part of the rules. It's time to get down to business. There's not much time left." Zhang Yuanqing didn't forget the purpose of coming here tonight.

At this moment, he noticed that the Princess was still lying on the bed, not getting up.

"Are you planning to sleep here until dawn?" Zhang Yuanqing said unhappily.

Silver Jade Princess unhurriedly opened her eyes, righteously holding up her small loudspeaker: "Let's play it safe. What if it makes a surprise attack?"

So let the two of us be cannon fodder? The Princess is actually very cunning, both cunning and cowardly... Zhang Yuanqing twitched his lips, "Your modern vocabulary is not bad. Why don't you play it extra safe and sleep here? We'll come back for you after we're done."

Silver Jade Princess pretended not to hear his sarcasm, and silently got up, playing the role of a brainless Yin Corpse.

The three people and one Corpse jumped downstairs, and quickly disappeared along a path overgrown with shrubs, weeds, and trees.

The moonlight was bright, the dark room was silent, and the notebook discarded on the ground mysteriously turned its pages automatically. On the blank page, a line of text appeared: "The patrol went smoothly tonight... I'm very happy because four new employees came to the dormitory building, two without heartbeats, two with heartbeats... It's been a long time since new employees came. I'm very lonely, I... will keep following them."

Little Fatty had never seen a Dominator-level battle, especially a Dominator melee.

Rounds of golden suns rose one after another, then were extinguished, then rose again, repeating the cycle.

Cracks appeared on the streets, high-rise buildings tottering in the cracks. A six-meter-tall stone giant crawled out of the cracks, smashing Yin Corpses one after another.

Thick roots rose from the ground, tendril-like, rampantly waving in the sky, crushing stone giants one after another.

A mysterious man in a black robe stood on a distant high-rise building, holding up a long sword polished from ink-like charcoal, gleaming with an oily luster, like a commander leading an endless army of Yin creatures to charge.

In between, there were also four flying swords flying horizontally and vertically, whistling like lightning, and strange, ear-piercing shrieks that tore through the spirit from time to time.

Fu Qingyang, dressed in white, stood proudly, draped in a magnificent cloak. Countless Yin Corpses rushed forward one after another, but none could get within ten meters of him.

Beyond ten meters, corpses piled up layer upon layer, but within ten meters, it was spotless.

Elder Hongying's body bloomed with golden light, her hands forming seals, and rounds of miniature suns floated above her head, the golden light shining everywhere, quickly evolving the evil Yin creatures.

The Dominators on both sides fought from afar, dazzling skills emerging one after another.

There was no close combat throughout, only skill clashes. The scene was more like immortals fighting each other, close combat seemingly becoming a vulgar art, not worthy of the stage.

On the street, in front of a milk tea shop, Little Fatty sat cross-legged on the ground, watching the battle with trepidation.

Beside him were Yin Ji, Xia Shu, Hua Yu, Gao Shan Liu Shui... a total of six Saints.

The seven people sat cross-legged, forming a circle, with a palm-sized clay statue of the Earth God in the center.

"Is... is this item useful? Can it block Dominator-level attacks? What if we are targeted by a Dominator?" Little Fatty's face was pale, and his tongue was tied.

The official Saints remained silent, ignoring this evil profession.

"Speaking of which, it's fine for me to come in, after all, I'm the bait. Why are you guys so eager to die? Is a Dominator-level battle something we can participate in without paying the price?"

Seeing that no one was still responding, Yin Ji, with a soft heart, thought for a while and said softly:

"Don't worry, this item can block a Dominator's attack, at least three times, and that's enough for the Elders to rescue us. We're here to deal with the Pure Yang Sect Leader, but he doesn't seem to be here..."

"He might be hiding, waiting for an opportunity to attack us." Xia Shu Zhi Lian's voice was like ice clashing.

Before we lure out the enemy, we'll be killed by a Dominator... Little Fatty thought to himself.

Despite the complaints, he was happy to have someone tremble with fear with him.

What he needed most, what he lacked most, was a sense of security. That's why he needed the Boss.

"Looking at them exchanging blows, it seems like they won't be able to decide the winner anytime soon." Little Fatty, lacking a sense of security, looked for a topic.

Hua Yu frowned with her delicate eyebrows, and said impatiently: "You talk too much nonsense. If it weren't for the Three Chapters of Agreement between the Nihility Sect and the officials, I would have sent you back to the Lingjing long ago."

Orderly professions never had a good look for evil professions, even if this Fatty seemed relatively gentle.

"It's clearly because you're afraid of angering the Elders of the Southern Faction, so you don't dare to kill me." Little Fatty corrected.

"..."

At this moment, Yin Ji frowned and said, "Take a closer look, how long has it been since the Elders of the Southern Faction used mental strikes?"

"It's been two minutes..." Little Fatty's round face suddenly turned heavy: "It's been two minutes, previously, they would launch a mental strike every ten seconds."

Xia Shu Zhi Lian and the others were startled.

Liang Chen Ze Zhu Er Shi was still alive, and the possibility of the Elders of the Southern Faction rebelling was small. The only truth was that the two Elders of the Southern Faction had been attacked.

Currently, the Elders dispatched by Night Rose were two, the Great Protector who manipulated the army of Yin creatures, and the Spring God (the professional name of a Dominator-level Wood Demon).

With just two Dominators, how could they possibly be a match for the officials and the Southern Faction?

Since Night Rose wanted to double-cross, they must have gathered enough manpower. Therefore, the Elder-level of the Southern Faction might have been entangled by lurking enemy Dominators.

Given the elusive nature of a Heart Demon, the fact that they hadn't been able to shake off the enemy immediately meant that the opponent was extremely difficult. After such a long stalemate, Night Rose was starting to fight back. The moment this thought surfaced in the Saints' minds, they saw Fu Qingyang suddenly raise the Jade Dragon Sword in his hand, assuming a blocking posture.

"Bang!"

The sharp sound was ear-piercing, and sparks flew.

Fu Qingyang suddenly slid back, the expensive handmade leather shoes cracking with a "Gera" sound, and the brand-new white suit tearing into strips in the force.

A burly, tall figure manifested in the position where Fu Qingyang had just stood.

This person was 1.9 meters tall, with eight arms, covered in twisted, strange runes. His muscles were cast like steel, without an inch of fat. The most successful bodybuilder in the world would be ashamed in front of him.

The eight arms held knives, spears, swords, halberds, rings, cudgels, and ropes! He had a shiny bald head, with rugged and resolute features, and silver rings on his earlobes, nostrils, and lips.

Silver Moon Heavenly King!!

Not only the Saints, but also the faces of Elders Hongying and Gaofeng changed slightly.

Although the Silver Moon Heavenly King was only in the initial stage of the Dominator realm, he was a freak blessed by Asura. As early as the peak of the Saint stage, he could exchange one or two moves with a Dominator, and he was a peak profession. Such a person should not be treated as an early-stage Dominator.

No one knew how powerful he was now.

After repelling Fu Qingyang, the Silver Moon Heavenly King, being a close-combat profession, immediately attacked with full force. The eight weapons came from all directions, as fast as lightning, as fast as afterimages.

Even if Fu Qingyang had the Insight skill, he only had one sword after all. Soon, he was injured, with bloody and blurred wounds appearing.

His expression was cold, while blocking with his sword, he retreated unhurriedly, while summoning four flying swords to attack the Silver Moon Heavenly King from the rear and sides.

For a time, the flying swords roamed around the eight-armed strongman, each attempt to attack was easily deflected, splashing sparks.

While attacking fiercely, the Silver Moon Heavenly King laughed wildly:

"Eh, Fu Qingyang, why have you become weaker? Oh, I forgot, the Yanshi doesn't have much bonus to close combat. Where's your Skill Approaching the Dao? Hurry up and use it, and see if I can block it."

His expression was distorted by militancy and excitement, laughing non-stop.

Anger was not actually the mental attribute of the Silver Moon Heavenly King; militancy was.

Elders Hongying and Gaofeng immediately took action to assist Fu Qingyang.

Reconnaissance was the most outstanding close-combat profession in the Saint stage, but in the Dominator stage, it developed towards the "military commander" direction.

The Dominator stage of the Enchanting Demon was called the Ancient War God, continuing to cultivate combat ability.

In terms of single combat, the Yanshi could not be the opponent of the Ancient War God.

In addition, although Fu Qingyang's Skill Approaching the Dao was a rule, the rule was "must hit," not "must kill."

In the Dominator stage, it was difficult to make a final decision like in the Saint stage, unstoppable.

On the other side, the Great Protector, wrapped in a black robe and holding a carbon sword, flew in the wind, followed by a sea of Yin Qi.

It was time for him to strike.

"No help needed!" Fu Qingyang's cold voice interrupted the two Elders who were preparing to assist.

Although he was retreating steadily, although his close-combat ability, which he was proud of, was suppressed by the Ancient War God, his expression was still cold and calm.

This man never seemed to have violent emotional fluctuations, except when he scolded Yuan Shi Tianzun for needing to knock on the door before entering.

At a certain moment, Fu Qingyang struck back, repelling the Silver Moon Heavenly King. Dang dang dang... The eight-armed strongman retreated again and again, the tiger's mouth on the two hands blocking the strikes cracking.

He was stunned.

Fu Qingyang's seemingly casual sword contained a power that even he could not resist.

"Chih!"

After repelling the Silver Moon Heavenly King, Fu Qingyang inserted the Jade Dragon Sword into the ground, standing it in front of him.

Then, he raised his hand and grabbed into the void. Only a loud "Dong" was heard, and a half-person-high bronze box fell heavily.

The bronze box lid was engraved with a majestic White Tiger, and the four box surfaces were carved with fierce beasts such as Zhu Yan and Yazi.

Fu Qingyang kicked open the box lid. With a "Kuangdang" sound, the box lid opened, and black shadows leaped out of the bronze box. They were cast from bronze, 1.6 meters tall, holding bronze swords from the Warring States period, with fierce and unified features, a full hundred of them.

Fu Qingyang stretched out his arms, palms facing down, his ten fingers shaking nimbly, like a skilled puppeteer.

The hundred bronze soldiers turned their heads in unison, their fierce and empty eyes staring grimly at the Silver Moon Heavenly King.

"Puppet Storage Box?" The Silver Moon Heavenly King grinned, his left and right biceps bulged and cracked, and two bloody heads drilled out, two heads identical to the Silver Moon Heavenly King arrogant said, "What can you do to me?"

The three-headed, eight-armed Ancient War God was most afraid of group battles, and the final fate of these soldiers would inevitably be shattering.

"Don't you want to experience my slash?" Fu Qingyang spoke, the cloak behind him fluttering with a "Pa" sound, hunting and waving. He activated the amplification of the Court Swordsman's cloak, and a hundred bronze seemed to be injected with infinite power. They slowly raised their bronze swords. At this moment, a huge sense of crisis pressed from all directions, overwhelming the Silver Moon Heavenly King.

In his perception, each sword contained an unavoidable rule, and each sword was filled with sword energy that could cut gold and jade.

The terrible sword energy even stung the two Elders and the Saints.

One hundred... swords with Skill Approaching the Dao?!

He might be able to withstand Fu Qingyang's one Skill Approaching the Dao, but could he withstand a hundred?

A huge sense of crisis exploded in the Silver Moon Heavenly King's heart. Every nerve, every cell was roaring frantically, telling him to escape quickly.

But he couldn't escape.

He was locked by a hundred swords with Skill Approaching the Dao.

"I didn't fight back just now because I wanted to see the extent of your strength after you were promoted to Dominator." Fu Qingyang had the tone of commenting on a junior, "You're lacking in all aspects. Work hard next time." He gently pressed down with both palms: "Slash!"

The next moment, a hundred bronze swords fell at the same time. A hundred sword energies submerged the Silver Moon Heavenly King.

"Patta patta..."

This newly promoted Heavenly King was dismembered on the spot, the broken pieces of flesh and internal organs falling to the ground, splashing a miserable red color. Fu Qingyang lowered his eyes and looked at the pieces of meat with a cold expression, lightly saying:

"I haven't exerted any strength yet, and you've already fallen." Elders Hongying and Gaofeng were stunned on the spot.

The Great Protector, who was flying in the wind, made an emergency brake in the air.

The Saints sitting cross-legged in place were all dumbfounded, disheartened.

The scene was silent.

...

Zoo.

Zhang Yuanqing led the Palace Master and the Princess back to the fork in the road.

At this time, the scattered clods of soil on the ground were almost dry. It had been about twenty minutes since entering the zoo.

Even if Elder Gou hadn't arrived in Rouzong City, he was almost there. If he hadn't reacted, realized that this was a diversion, and returned immediately, then Zhang Yuanqing would only have twenty minutes.

What's more, there was a female Marshal who could return at any time. Fear Heavenly King couldn't hold the Marshal for long. According to the Free Madman, the female Marshal's physical output was among the best in the demigod-level powerhouses.

Fighting the Marshal relied on thick HP to withstand her. Zhang Yuanqing was a little anxious, and said quickly: "I've observed the size of the zoo... The core area won't be too big, and it won't be too difficult to find the camphor tree imprisoning the Demon Eye."

"But there are many routes!" Silver Jade Princess held the small loudspeaker: "Different routes, different dangers. I hope the route the camphor tree spirit takes is one of those rules we've seen in the Employee Handbook."

"How can we have such good luck?" Zhang Yuanqing said helplessly. Suddenly, he thought of the "Lucky Necklace" in his inventory. In this kind of place that relies on gambling and luck, the Lucky Necklace might have a miraculous effect.

Zhang Yuanqing immediately took out the necklace and put it on, saying, "This is a good thing, it can make the Goddess of Luck fall in love with me."

"Then I'll kill her," the Palace Master said.

"Bah bah bah, innocent words, innocent words..." Zhang Yuanqing spat.

The two people and two Corpses walked quickly along the wide cement road, chasing the traces of broken soil and mud. Before long, a road sign appeared in everyone's sight.

【Dodder Garden】

Employee Handbook, Rule Six, flashed in their minds instantly:

"When passing through the Dodder Garden, try to pass through quickly. If you see someone shouting, never look back."

Zhang Yuanqing said happily: "The necklace is working."

The dangers in the zoo were scattered among nine routes. The danger of a single route wouldn't be too much. Maybe after passing through the Dodder Garden, they could see the Demon Eye.

Without needing to communicate, the two people and two Corpses started running.

A dozen seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing smelled a strange fragrance.

The moonlight was hazy, and a field of flowers appeared in front, interspersed with white silky flowers among the lush green, rising and falling slightly in the night wind.

Can't look... He silently withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace.

The Employee Handbook clearly stated "pass through quickly" and "don't look back." He was worried that looking a few more times would trigger some terrible things.

The Dodder Garden was not large, with a diameter of about two hundred meters. For them, this distance could be crossed with their eyes closed...

But just then, fog suddenly rose around them.

The thick fog came from nowhere, instantly becoming a vast expanse of white, as thin as gauze, as light as dust.

The road ahead was gone.

Employee Handbook, Rule Five—If you encounter thick fog, please stay where you are, do not move, do not speak, and wait for the fog to dissipate.

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly stopped, his heart sinking to the bottom.