“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”
“Squeak! Squeak!”
“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”
The horde of rats scattered in all directions. Nan Zhi frantically backed away a few steps, gulped down the remaining food in her mouth, and turned to flee with practiced ease.
Since the White Bone Heavenly Maiden was here, the monk Huiyuan and his Evil Buddha had to be close by.
How did they get here so fast?!
The silent night was shattered by the noise of the chase. The White Bone Heavenly Maiden pursued her relentlessly, clinging tightly to Nan Zhi’s heels. On her pale, corpse-like face, her lips curled upward into a chilling smile.
“Tee-hee-hee...”
“Tee-hee-hee...”
“Tee-hee-hee...”
From the side, a soft, slender arm reached out from behind Nan Zhi and clamped tightly around her waist, followed by a sudden burst of rich fragrance wafting past her ears.
“Ascend with me to ultimate bliss...”
“Come... come...”
“Tee-hee-hee... Come, come...”
【Cultivator is currently under the influence of Demonic Sound Bewitchment: Agility -40, Constitution -50, Sanity -50】
Nan Zhi’s speed slowed down involuntarily. She fought with all her might not to look back, but her belly suddenly began to rumble, and her injured left shoulder throbbed with a dull ache.
The next moment, she was horrified to find her lower abdomen swelling rapidly, as if a living creature were squirming inside. From behind her ears, hundreds of soft little hands materialized out of nowhere, sticking firmly to her and pinning her to the spot.
“Ascend with me to ultimate bliss...”
“Come... come...”
“Here it comes... here it comes...”
Her chest heaved, and her mind fell into complete chaos. Muddled and dazed, her mouth curled into an involuntary smile, and she opened her mouth to spit out three slimy white snakes!
The moment the white snakes touched the ground, they wriggled and transformed into Buddha hands, wrapping around Nan Zhi’s calves and crawling upward. Their slippery slime touched her cold-wind-swept skin, sending goosebumps all over her body.
Fuck!
That's disgusting!
Nan Zhi’s mind snapped back to clarity for a split second!
The White Bone Heavenly Maiden grew even more delighted, twining around her in intimate closeness. Two long arms seeped out, her slender fingers morphing into bone spikes that were about to plunge straight into Nan Zhi’s heart—
【Five Thunder Protection Curse】!
In the next instant, Nan Zhi chopped down fiercely with the Fish-Dragon Guillotine in her hands, severing the pale ghost hands all over the ground. As lightning crackled and danced, one of the White Bone Heavenly Maidens failed to dodge in time, and a strand of her hair was actually sliced off by the strike!
“Gurgle... gurgle...”
“Gurgle... gurgle...”
The fallen hair squirmed on the ground for a long while before turning into a puddle of white mud. Enraged by this, the White Bone Heavenly Maiden let out a piercing screech and lunged straight at Nan Zhi!
Seeing no way to dodge, Nan Zhi raised her Fish-Dragon Guillotine and took the blow head-on. Unexpectedly, instead of counterattacking, she used the force of the impact to retreat rapidly, rolling across the ground and disappearing into a patch of white mist that materialized out of thin air—
The white mist fled at top speed, but it did not head toward the city gates. Instead, it was "walking straight into the trap," charging straight toward the local Demon Suppression Monastery!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With such a commotion, the drums inside the Demon Suppression Monastery naturally thundered with urgency.
A lamp-like artifact was hurled high into the sky, bursting into a brilliant radiance that illuminated Xingyuan City as bright as day. Unable to dodge in time, the two White Bone Heavenly Maidens were exposed right in plain sight—
A swordsman flew through the air atop a sword, glowing with golden light. Beside him, three bead-like artifacts unfolded slowly, casting down three golden beams. With a pair of mournful wails, the heads of both White Bone Heavenly Maidens were sliced off in unison, leaving behind two ghastly white bones.
Flying through the air.
Decapitating two White Bone Heavenly Maidens in a single encounter.
He had to be a Commissioner-level figure.
Nan Zhi knew that with her meager cultivation, even using the Mirage Pearl Escape and Paper Skin Art wouldn't hide her from his sight.
A Qi Refinement practitioner fighting a Golden Core master—how was that any different from seeking death?
Yet she did not reveal herself. She simply stood inside the mist, staring intently at the figure in the sky.
Everyone knew that when she "defected," she had taken a wicked treasure capable of massacring an entire city.
The fact that the opponent hadn't recklessly attacked meant he was likely observing and assessing the situation.
Since the Demon Suppression Division could smear her name with dirty lies, Nan Zhi could also leverage the reputation of this "wicked treasure" to instil caution in the man before her.
It didn't take much—just a sliver of hesitation would suffice.
Sure enough, seeing her stand her ground so calmly instead of fleeing, the Daoist felt a pang of uncertainty.
A mere Paper Skin Art couldn't hide her from his eyes, of course. She surely knew that as well. So what did this mean? Walking into the net?
Without even a symbolic struggle, he had never seen a criminal who just stood there waiting to be caught.
Fearing she might trigger a mutual destruction and harm the city's residents, yet unwilling to let Nan Zhi escape like this, he flicked his hand, summoning the lamp-like artifact back down from the sky to hover loosely above Nan Zhi!
The lamp was exquisitely crafted with an intricate design, encrusted with glazed jade, pearls, and emeralds stacked layer upon layer in masterly craftsmanship—yet it was a treasure meant for capturing people!
Rumble!
But before Nan Zhi even made a move, the entire Xingyuan City shook as if an earth dragon were turning over. Countless fissures split open the ground, from which distant Buddhist chants reverberated. The two white bones on the floor trembled violently and transformed into two White Bone Heavenly Maidens once more!
The resurrected heavenly maidens seemed even fiercer. Eight arms grew from their backs, and three heads rested on their shoulders. Countless thin flesh pillars floated behind them like towering ribbons, interrupting the Commissioner's technique outright!
“Such evil creatures—to think they remain undead and can even transform into human form!”
The Daoist snorted coldly and directed his lamp artifact toward them. Unexpectedly, one of the White Bone Heavenly Maidens caught it in her mouth and tore into it, cracking a small hole into it within moments!
Chilling energy surged upward from the collapsed earth, and a familiar bone-chilling cold crept up from her ankles. Ghostly wails and wolf-like howls seemed to give chase from deep underground—
As expected, Huiyuan wouldn't truly sit by and watch that item fall into the hands of the Demon Suppression Division!
Her heart settled completely. Taking advantage of the Commissioner's distraction, Nan Zhi decisively threw out two paper figures and fled toward the outside of the city in three separate directions.
The Commissioner's eyes turned cold. He intended to strike, but found himself pinned down by the frenzied heavenly maidens.
The resurrected White Bone Heavenly Maidens were far more troublesome. Not only had they damaged his Eight-Treasure Glazed Lamp, but they were also chanting seductive tunes that clouded the mind.
Not to mention the strange Buddhist chants joining in from parts unknown, keeping the Daoist too overwhelmed to pull away. He had no choice but to send voice transmissions to summon other demon suppressors in the Division and order them to give chase in all three directions!
The Demon Suppression Division did not want the wicked treasure falling into someone else's hands.
The monk Huiyuan did not want the wicked treasure falling into the Demon Suppression Division's hands.
And whoever sought the treasure wanted it for themselves.
Therefore, being enemies with the entire world didn't mean there was no way out.
Realizing she had found the key to her survival, Nan Zhi sprinted out of the city, fleeing from west to east.
Relying on her ability to pop Qi-Supplementing Pills to restore her spiritual energy at any moment, she—a mere Qi Refinement Great Circle cultivator—actually managed to escape from the hands of a Golden Core Master!
But Nan Zhi dared not relax. She fled eastward for two more days until she finally stopped before a surging river. There, the long-silent system finally popped up a notification:
【Long-term Quest: Wanniang Has a Grievance (III): The Qu family died wrongly, and Qu Wanniang's aggrieved spirit refused to dissipate, lingering as a vengeful ghost at the Dingyuan City God Temple day after day. Fortunately, through the aid of the cultivator Nan Zhi, the injustice against the Qu family was exposed to the world, and the cold case was finally cleared. (Completed)】
【Quest Rewards: Level EXP +500, Foundation Establishment Pill ×3, 《Great Huanzhen Manual》 ×1, Heavenly Treasure Tree Lottery Ticket ×30】
【Cultivator: Nan Zhi】
【Level: 35】
【Cultivation: Qi Refinement Great Circle (Pending Breakthrough)】
【Cultivation Methods: 《Small Huanzhen Manual》 (Great Perfection), 《Moon-Worshiping Breathing Method》 (Tier 2 Mid-Stage)】
【Skills: Five Thunder Protection Curse, Mirage Pearl Escape, Water Shield Art, Flying Fire Art, Wood Binding Art, Earth Mud Art, Sharp Gold Curse】
【Currently Equipped: "Butcher’s Daughter", "Mountain Lord’s Curse" (Luck -10, Combat Power -5)】
...
【Heavenly Treasure Tree Lottery Tickets: 35】
【The cultivator has reached the cap for obtainable upgrade EXP. Please break through your realm and increase your cultivation as soon as possible.】
【Strange Pause Button (?): Carefully refined by a mighty powerhouse of this realm, containing... Can pause the game or reality progress to prevent the cultivator from missing important story nodes. Please use with caution. (Unused)】
【Would you like to pause game progress?】
At last!
No more running!
A gleam of light lit up Nan Zhi’s eyes. Seeing her pursuers closing in from behind, she decisively leaped forward, quitting the game the very moment she plunged into the river water.
Rate on N.U.
