Chapter 63 Pollution

So, it was me who was polluted... The moment this realization dawned, Zhang Yuanqing felt like he was splitting in two, half of him clear-headed and wise, the other half chaotic and twisted.

It was like the living dead in folklore, unaware of their own demise, suddenly being awakened.

"This is the Aberrant's dungeon, a dungeon for evil professions. I've replaced the role of the demonic beast Haas. I'm the villain on the ship. Why do I feel like the crew are the monsters? My perception has been twisted..."

No wonder the crew was so afraid of him, because everyone knew he was a mutated monster, yet they had to cooperate with him, acting to stabilize his condition.

No wonder his dorm room had been cleaned up; the crew didn't want him to remember his identity as "Lieutenant Stephen."

Lieutenant Stephen's perception was also twisted in the diary, believing that the crew had all mutated, and only he was normal. That was a logical loophole. If the crew had all mutated into monsters, why was Lieutenant Stephen spared?

In fact, Stephen was the mutated monster.

"Damn it, from the moment I entered the dungeon, I was polluted, my perception subtly distorted, creating illusions... Why can't the power of the Sun God purify this distortion?"

Zhang Yuanqing sat weakly on the long chair, his right hand pressed against his head, his face showing pain. His expression was a little ferocious, his eyes sometimes calm and normal, sometimes indifferent and gloomy.

This was the struggle of his own will against the pollution of the spiritual level.

If he had opened the drawer in the captain's cabin last night and read James's notes, he would have woken up immediately. But he chose to play it safe, which was likely also a choice made under the influence of pollution.

He subconsciously didn't want to open the drawer; he didn't want to be awakened at the time.

"What's wrong?" Yin Yaojun Zhu stepped forward a few paces, looking a little nervous.

She didn't know what had happened to Yuan Shi Tian Zun, but she could feel that his current state was very bad.

My mind is polluted, polluted by high-level evil power... Zhang Yuanqing tapped his head. I can't tell which is the real me, I can't tell the difference between reality and illusion.

From his perspective, the crew and the Holy See's Lingjing Xingzhe were mutated monsters, covered in scales and tentacles. This was what he saw with his own eyes.

But James's notes and the details of the dungeon told him that Lieutenant Haas was the one who had been polluted.

Yin Yaojun Zhu's mind was clear. She held the small loudspeaker to his ear and said loudly, "Quickly circulate the Pure Yang Cleansing Record! You must believe in the power of the sun. Any filth will be wiped out in the sunlight. Your mind has indeed been polluted. During the battle just now, you subconsciously ignored the power of the Sun God. You don't want to use it because it will eliminate the pollution and make your condition better."

Zhang Yuanqing immediately sat down cross-legged, exhaling the power of the Sun God, letting his breath gradually become hot, letting the golden light slowly light up in his lungs... Suddenly, that mysterious and ethereal whisper echoed in Zhang Yuanqing's ears again.

Like unconscious murmuring, or some unknown language.

Zhang Yuanqing's consciousness instantly fell into chaos, unable to maintain the operation of the Sun God's power. The veins on his forehead bulged, and dense, hard fleshy buds protruded from his neck, ugly and disgusting, extending towards his chest, hidden by his clothes.

"A bit disgusting..." Yin Yaojun Zhu commented. Seeing Yuan Shi Tian Zun's ferocious and painful expression, she knew it wasn't the time to complain, and quickly said, "Breaking Charm Talisman, do you have any more Breaking Charm Talismans?"

"What is a Breaking Charm Talisman..." Zhang Yuanqing's brain was sluggish. He paused for a few seconds before answering, "I ran out long ago..." His painful expression suddenly disappeared, his face became calm, calm with indifference. He smiled, "Yin Yao, well done. We've dealt with the Holy See's Lingjing Xingzhe. Next, we just need to seal the Demonic Seed. Use that coffin to seal the Demonic Seed."

"Yes, there are two knights alive in the hold. Let's go down and deal with them."

He seemed to have completely forgotten what had just happened.

Yin Yaojun Zhu felt a chill in her heart. Yuan Shi Tian Zun's perception had been twisted, and he was even hallucinating.

Yin Yaojun Zhu retreated again and again, holding the Mountain God Scepter in one hand and raising the small loudspeaker in the other, "Yuan Shi Tian Zun, polluted, polluted, polluted!"

The speaker in her waist bag emitted a "buzzing" electrical sound: "Important things are said three times."

Zhang Yuanqing was stunned, carefully scrutinizing Yin Yaojun Zhu, his expression becoming increasingly ugly, his eyes increasingly cold, "Yao, you've been polluted too?"

After becoming an Yin Shi, Yin Yaojun Zhu's body had long lost sensation, but at this moment, she seemed to experience the long-lost feeling of her scalp crawling.

In Yuan Shi Tian Zun's vision, she may have also become a mutated being covered in tentacles and scales, with an ugly face.

So, was he going to kill her next?

At this time, she heard Yuan Shi Tian Zun sigh, "Yin Yao, I can only seal you first. Don't worry, I'll find a way to save you. If it really doesn't work, I can summon Old Bastard, no, my You Qing."

The Cat King speaker "buzzed" and transmitted a low male voice: "He still loves you!"

Yin Yaojun Zhu was too lazy to pay attention to the speaker, her expression solemn.

He really was crazy. "Old Bastard" was a term Yuan Shi Tian Zun only dared to say occasionally when he was being cheeky, but You Qing was something he would never dare to say.

Yuan Shi Tian Zun had already taken out the black coffin, intending to use it to seal Yin Yaojun Zhu, completely forgetting that he had just said to seal the Demonic Seed in the coffin.

Sealing the Demonic Seed was his only rationality, but subconsciously, polluted by the Demonic Seed, it was impossible for him to seal the Demonic Seed.

Yin Yaojun Zhu took a few steps back, quickly thinking of a solution, despairingly realizing that in the Lingjing Xingzhe dungeon, she had no way out. If it were the real world, she could ask the returning saints for help, or at worst, ask Tian Fa for help.

But in Lingjing Xingzhe, she was alone. The only props she had were a pair of sliding shoes, a staff, and a speaker that only said nonsense and played vulgar audio.

Even if she wanted to summon her master, she would need a summoning ritual and materials.

As her thoughts raced, Yin Yaojun Zhu's heart stirred. She slapped the Cat King speaker, "Drumbeat!"

"Buzz..." The speaker of the Cat King speaker made an electrical sound. The next second, heavy drumbeats rang out, forming echoes in the closed captain's cabin, thump, thump, thump...

Zhang Yuanqing frowned, feeling a little annoyed by the drumbeats. He grinned, "Cat King speaker, even you've betrayed me? Fine, I'll seal you together..."

He suddenly pressed his head, showing a painful expression, "Yin Yao, I can't tell the difference! I can't tell the difference between reality and illusion!"

Seeing this, Yin Yaojun Zhu breathed a sigh of relief. She had asked the Cat King speaker to play drumbeats, not to suppress Yuan Shi Tian Zun. The suppression effect of the drumbeats was negligible for a peak Level 6 Saint.

Her purpose was to have the Cat King speaker awaken Yuan Shi Tian Zun's normal side.

The only one who could defeat Yuan Shi Tian Zun in the dungeon was himself.

Yin Yaojun Zhu told the real Yuan Shi Tian Zun about the existence of the cold and indifferent Yuan Shi Tian Zun.

Zhang Yuanqing was sweating profusely as he listened, "Jun Zhu, I've discovered something terrible. If I kill all the Holy See's Lingjing Xingzhe and successfully complete the mission, I might completely lose control and become a Fallen."

This was the demonic beast Haas's dungeon. As an Aberrant, the demonic beast Haas's mission was to kill the crew and the Holy See's orderly professions, and release the sealed Demonic Seed.

The orderly professions on the cruise ship were very strong, so strong that even Zhang Yuanqing, a dual-profession Saint, plus three Yin Shi as assistants, almost died under the Cardinal's thunderous explosion.

Although this was related to his perception being twisted, becoming reckless and crazy, unable to perform at his normal level.

But the orderly power on the cruise ship was still a slim chance of survival for the demonic beast Haas. Therefore, the Demonic Seed in the hold would whisper, amplifying the demonic beast Haas's power.

Each day, the amplification would become stronger. After five days, the demonic beast Haas's power would be strong enough to sweep the cruise ship.

This was the positive logic that Zhang Yuanqing had deduced so far.

The demonic beast Haas was an evil profession. The amplification and pollution of the Demonic Seed was like nectar and jade for him, but for Zhang Yuanqing, it was frost and poison.

The reward for completing the dungeon would directly turn him into a Fallen.

Now that the Holy See's people were all dead, the whispering of the Demonic Seed was gradually becoming stronger. The second day had already caused him to split, and on the third day, his reason would completely sink, and even the Cat King speaker wouldn't be able to wake him.

After Zhang Yuanqing finished speaking about his concerns and difficulties, he sighed, "My mind is not very clear. I need a guiding light."

Yin Yao...

Before he could finish speaking, the Cat King speaker made a "click" sound, turning on the light.

Zhang Yuanqing and Yin Yaojun Zhu looked at the Cat King speaker together, "Do you think you're being humorous?"

The Cat King speaker cowered and quietly played dead.

Zhang Yuanqing continued, "Yin Yao, the only way now is for me to lie down in the coffin and self-seal. There are still three days to finish the mission. Within three days, if the chairman comes, there's hope. If the chairman doesn't come..."

Then he would become a Fallen.

If the Demonic Seed was something at the Ruler level, he would still have a chance to be rational. As long as the Night Watcher took action, his madness could be purified.

But Zhang Yuanqing had a faint concern in his heart. The background of a Level 6 Saint dungeon was actually a cruise ship in 1900. If it was just a B-level, or even an A-level, that would be fine.

But "Horror Cruise" was an S-level dungeon.

The configuration of an S-level dungeon was definitely not just a simple crisis; there must be a deeper hidden plot.

So, the Demonic Seed was likely not as simple as a Ruler-level item.

Zhang Yuanqing was afraid that the pollution of the Demonic Seed was extraordinary. If that were the case, even if he returned to reality, he might not be able to be purified.

Yin Yaojun Zhu didn't respond to him, remaining silent.

Yuan Shi Tian Zun was delirious and mentally exhausted. Now, she was the only one he could rely on.

A dozen seconds later, Yin Yaojun Zhu suddenly said, "Why did you destroy that circular formation?"

"What?" Zhang Yuanqing was stunned.

"Why did you destroy the circular formation?" Yin Yaojun Zhu repeated.

Zhang Yuanqing pressed his head, his temples throbbing, his consciousness beginning to become chaotic. "I, I don't know... No, I know, because I'm afraid of it, instinctively afraid."

Yin Yaojun Zhu spoke quickly, "The Demonic Seed is sealed, right? That Cardinal of the Holy See has a way to suppress the Demonic Seed, so he also has a way to suppress you. Why not ask the Holy See's people for help?"

"But the Cardinal is already dead."

"Aren't there still two knights? The Cardinal is dead, but his spirit is still there!"

The two looked at each other: "Back to the hold!"

Zhang Yuanqing didn't put away the coffin. He was worried that if he went mad, he would directly kill Yin Yaojun Zhu instead of taking out the coffin to seal her. If he didn't take out the coffin, then he wouldn't even have the path of self-sealing to take.

With Yin Yaojun Zhu, he transformed into starlight and disappeared from the captain's cabin.

In the hold, two starlights lit up. Zhang Yuanqing looked at the two knights and Yin Shi still fighting, withdrew his gaze, and looked at the Cardinal's charred corpse.

A soft exclamation came from Yin Yaojun Zhu's small loudspeaker. She quickly walked to the charred corpse, checked it for a few seconds, and looked up in delight, raising the small loudspeaker, "There's still a breath left."

Zhang Yuanqing hummed. He saw that the Cardinal's body was severely charred, but there was still a faint, almost imperceptible heartbeat.

This Cardinal had been backlashed by his own thunderous explosion, which was why his body had been charred, but in fact, he hadn't been impacted by the explosion because the explosion was released with him as the core.

"Then save him quickly." Yin Yaojun Zhu urged.

On the other side, the two knights, seeing that the enemy had returned and seemed to want to kill the Cardinal completely, were immediately anxious, desperately trying to rush over to rescue him, but were firmly suppressed by Hundred-Man Slayer and Gluttony God General.

"Yin Yao, have you mutated too?" Zhang Yuanqing suddenly showed a cold expression, "Then I can only eliminate you. You Qing won't blame me."

Yin Yaojun Zhu's heart sank, "Drums! Cat King speaker, immediately play the drumbeats!" At the critical moment, it was still reliable and wouldn't drop the ball. In the muffled and deep drumbeats, Zhang Yuanqing pressed his head, his expression painful, gradually regaining his reason.

"Save people quickly! Your condition is getting worse and worse!" Yin Yaojun Zhu held up the small loudspeaker, her voice a little sharp. At the same time, she held the Mountain God Scepter against the Cardinal's chest, letting the gem at the top emit a green light, temporarily keeping him alive.

Zhang Yuanqing quickly took out a tube of Life Elixir, peeled open the carbonized block on the Cardinal's neck, and found that it had already been carbonized to the bone, with no blood vessels to provide an injection.

Just then, the Demonic Seed's whisper entered his mind again, twisting his perception and polluting his spirit.