Chapter 186 Heart Demon

Zhang Yuanqing never expected that the "Dodder Garden," which required a quick passage, and the "Thick Fog," which prohibited movement, would be triggered simultaneously.

The Goddess of Luck seemed to have heard the Palace Master Zhisha's threat, and was secretly retaliating.

Without any hesitation, he opened his inventory and put on the azure gloves.

"Whoosh~"

A gale spread out from him in all directions, and the thick fog rolled and surged with the airflow.

The strong wind, capable of bending tree trunks, blew for a long time, clearing away large swathes of fog, but more fog always rushed in to fill the void, as if it could never be completely dispelled.

After a dozen seconds, Zhang Yuanqing stopped, his expression turning grave.

The Gale Force Gauntlets, specifically designed to counter fog, had failed. This was unprecedented, indicating that the fog was of extremely high grade, exceeding the limits of a Saint-level item.

Damn it, one can't speak or move in the fog. If I remain a wooden puppet, the dangers of the Dodder Garden will inevitably arrive. What to do, what to do... Zhang Yuanqing was extremely anxious.

As the wind stopped, the fog calmed, flowing quietly like a stream, drifting gently like a ribbon.

Silence reigned. Visibility was less than a meter. Zhang Yuanqing could no longer see Princess Silver Mirror or the Palace Master Zhisha. All around him was a white expanse of fog.

He dared not call out to them, nor could he use the Night Wanderer's unique method of "speaking," because one could not speak in the fog. The "cannot speak" in the employee handbook most likely referred to prohibiting any form of communication whatsoever.

It couldn't just be the literal act of speaking; that would fit the bill for a Dominator-level rule-based item.

In the soundless, utter silence, he saw a disturbance in the fog ahead. A bizarre, tall silhouette loomed into view, seemingly approaching him, but without a single sound.

As the silhouette drew closer, Zhang Yuanqing saw it more and more clearly... It was a three-meter-tall giant, with three heads and eight arms.

He was naked from the waist up, with rippling muscles that looked like they came straight out of a manga. His skin was a ghastly gray, like a muscular man sculpted from granite.

But strangely, the giant's eyes were black and hollow, and blood flowed like tears down his cheeks; his eyeballs had been gouged out. And his neck, shoulder blades, and upper thighs were marred by dark red wounds, as if he had been torn apart and reassembled.

A...an Ancient God of War?! The thought flashed into Zhang Yuanqing's mind. Three heads and eight arms were the unique identifiers of an Ancient God of War.

No wonder... He immediately understood the origin of the fog, and why the Gale Force Gauntlets couldn't disperse it.

--It was hard to say if the Ancient Giant before him was still alive. It wasn't even its corpse, because it walked without a sound. Zhang Yuanqing suspected it was formed from the fog.

The unyielding will or unwilling obsession of an Ancient God of War after death had transformed into fog? Yet he couldn't sense the aura of a spirit body.

Zhang Yuanqing became even more cautious, holding his breath.

Even if the other party was a vengeful spirit, he wouldn't have the slightest thought of going up to fight.

He was past the age of walking around with his hands in his pockets, not knowing what an opponent was.

How could a little flying stick match an ancient old sausage?

The three-headed, eight-armed Ancient God of War walked step by step, quickly approaching Zhang Yuanqing. When the two were three meters apart, it seemed to sense something, and suddenly stopped.... Zhang Yuanqing's heart almost stopped beating, then uncontrollably pounded rapidly, his blood pressure soaring.

He didn't dare move a muscle.

If he hadn't read the employee handbook, and encountered the fog and the Ancient God of War's obsession, his normal reaction would have been to run. But once he moved, he would inevitably be targeted by the obsession in the fog.

A dead end.

The fog flowed silently, the Ancient God of War stood still, and Zhang Yuanqing didn't dare move either.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate for a few seconds. Suddenly, the Ancient God of War let out an angry, unwilling roar, filled with endless resentment: "%￥#!"

%￥#? That seemed to be a dialect, with a very strange pronunciation, as difficult to decipher as the dialect of the Jiangnan Leather Factory... Zhang Yuanqing didn't understand.

Finally, after a deep, rumbling roar, the Ancient God of War strode silently past Zhang Yuanqing, continuing forward. *Phew*... Zhang Yuanqing quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a faint, eerie call came from the garden:

"Zhang Yuanqing~"

The voice was like a cat meowing in a shrill voice, and hearing it in the silent night was both terrifying and strange, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhang Yuanqing's hair stood on end.

Lingering in the Dodder Garden for too long had triggered the area's danger.

"Zhang Yuanqing, Zhang Yuanqing~"

The voice kept calling, and when he didn't respond, it became increasingly urgent and shrill.

Is that all there is to it? Directly calling my name, it seems to be the voice of my heart... Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself. Although he did feel a strong instinct to turn his head upon hearing the call, as a Saint, it was easy to restrain that instinct.

"Zhang Yuanqing..." The voice in the garden called urgently, reaching his ears: "Don't you want to know what your father left in your soul?"

...Zhang Yuanqing almost turned his head, but forcibly restrained himself.

"Don't you want to know the truth about the demise of the Xiaoyao organization?"

"Don't you want to know whether Zhang Zizhen is dead or alive?"

"Don't you want to know whether the Demon Lord is dead or alive?"

"Look at me, look at me quickly~"

Zhang Yuanqing's expression froze. Amidst the questioning voices, a strong desire occupied his instinct, overwhelming his reason, and his head turned bit by bit.

These were all the questions he most yearned to have answered, especially whether the Demon Lord was dead or alive, which had become a nightmare, constantly plaguing him.

It was at this moment that he understood the source of the "Dodder Garden's" power.

--A Heart Demon!

The profession name of a Dominator-level Illusionist: Heart Demon.

The core skill of the Heart Demon was called "Heart Demon," which was a strengthened version of emotion manipulation.

As his level increased, Fu Qingyang used his authority to disclose a lot of Dominator-level intelligence to him.

The Heart Demon's information was among them.

In ancient legends, cultivators had to undergo a heavenly tribulation in order to ascend to immortality, and during the heavenly tribulation there was a heart demon tribulation. In fact, this was a distortion and misrepresentation of the Heart Demon's deeds.

Everyone has heart demons, past events they are unwilling to face. Some people can slay their heart demons with their swords, while others can never overcome that obstacle in their entire lives.