Chapter 369 - 353: Zhang San and Li Si of the Guixi Sect, Present

Chapter 369: Chapter 353: Zhang San and Li Si of the Guixi Sect, Present

Her vision went black, and she collapsed into Mr. Su’s arms.

Meanwhile, the surrounding villagers who had been pressuring them just moments ago now watched the small, dark hole that had vanished into the blackness, their faces filled with shame and emotion.

"Mr. Su... Mrs. Su..."

"From now on, you are like second parents to us! If... if something really happens to the boy... we’ll all take turns caring for you in his place! Our children will be the Su Family’s children! This is a debt of gratitude we could never repay, not even in several lifetimes!"

In a corner of this atmosphere, a mix of grief and gratitude, [Kabuta Giant] let out a long sigh of relief and wiped away a bead of cold sweat.

’Whew... he finally went in. That Nine Schools Sect is a real menace, even publishing storybooks to trick kids. I wonder what kind of depraved bastard made a scam like the Nine Schools Sect sound so noble and grand? How come I never saw them as having that kind of integrity?’

’But anyway, it doesn’t matter if he was completely fooled or just being a cringey teenager. As long as that kid can get the whistle out and call Miss Su back...’

’...then he’s the hope of our entire village!’

...

「Reality - Inside the Secret Passage」

Su Wenxuan forcefully wiped the tears from under his mask and gripped the faintly glowing [Heart Guarding Pendant] on his chest.

’Please protect me, Boss... Protect me, Sister...’

’I have to get out... I have to call my sister back...’

He crawled forward inch by inch in the darkness, carrying the hopes of the entire village... of everyone in Anhe City.

...

「Ruins of Tongli Money Shop - Hiding Spot」

However, reality is often crueler than one’s hopes.

For the group hiding in the shadow of a wall, the situation had reached its limit.

The [Mirage Gauze] in Su Wenjing’s hands, once a lustrous and flowing veil, had now grown dim.

Prolonged energy output, combined with the Spiritual Power shockwaves from the nearby battle, had caused a flaw to appear in the group-invisibility treasure.

HUM...

With an unstable hum, the once-perfect field of concealment suddenly faltered for a moment.

A wisp of the warm aura of the living leaked out through the crack before vanishing again.

But.

This caught the attention of the Bone Fiend nearby, who was in the middle of an existential crisis thanks to the players. He snapped his head up.

Just now, from that corner of the ruins that should have been empty, a scent had suddenly leaked out.

It was... the aura of a group of living people. It was the scent of fear.

The Bone Fiend’s sinister eyes narrowed, locking onto that direction.

"Heh..."

His mood, which had been ruined by that pack of lunatics, seemed to instantly improve.

The Bone Fiend no longer paid any attention to the trash-talking ants at his feet. He turned, casually grabbed a leg belonging to [Righteous Light]—whom he had already tortured into a human stick—and began slowly dragging him across the ground toward that spot.

[Region Channel]

[Kabuta Giant]: @everyone! Holy shit! The Foundation Establishment boss turned around! I think he spotted us! He’s heading this way! What do we do?!

[Head Brother]: Don’t panic! He’s definitely trying to bluff you! We’ll pull aggro! You guys run!

[Righteous Light]: Can this old bastard just kill me already! He’s fucking using me to mop the floor!

[Biqu Country Go 4]: Just run, we’ll buy you time!

[One Sword to Rule the World]: +1

After watching Su Wenxuan disappear into the secret passage, [Kabuta Giant] didn’t hesitate for a second.

He yanked Mrs. Su, who was still collapsed on the ground staring at the hole, to her feet. Then he shoved the dazed Mr. Su and hissed urgently in a low voice, "Sir! Ma’am! Stop crying! This is not the time for grief!"

"Wenxuan is a clever kid! He has bound equipment on him, so he’ll be fine! If you two get caught now, he’d have taken this risk for nothing! Little sister Su Wenjing! Your Magical Artifact has to hold out!!!"

As [Kabuta Giant] pushed the group to move, he multitasked, asking in the channel, "Third Brother! Keep calling out his position! Where do we retreat to now?!"

"Everyone! Stick to the base of the walls! Don’t let that boy’s courage go to waste!"

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, the players pinned to the mud by the Bone Fiend’s oppressive aura went into full-on trash-talk mode to cover the retreat.

"Hey! You edgelord in the black robe! Where do you think you’re going?!"

"Scared? Frightened? Too chicken to face your grandpa?"

"Turning your back on us? Who do you think you are? You think you’re worthy of posturing like that? Can’t face us directly? Get back here and fight your master for three hundred rounds!"

"Are you trying to avoid a clash of kings, or are you deliberately evading my brilliant edge?"

"I grasp the sun and moon and pluck the stars from the sky; in all the world, there is none like I! If you’ve got the guts, let me go and let’s fight one-on-one!"

"At the apex of immortals, I stand proud above the world; with my keyboard in hand, I am the heavens! Do you dare to even look back at me?!"

Listening to the filth and incomprehensible boasts coming from behind him, a vein throbbed on the Bone Fiend’s forehead.

’You ants are sprawled in a mud pit, your faces squished out of shape, and you dare call yourselves kings? More like mighty-mouthed kings, all talk! Me, evading your brilliant edge? It’s more like I’m afraid of dirtying my shoes by stepping on you!’

’Every single one of you talks a big game, but in the end, you’re all pathetically weak!’

Especially [Righteous Light], the one he was dragging. Even though his head was banging against the ground, he was still chattering endlessly, "Can’t handle the heat? Are you trying to run away? I already told you to just kill me! Can you please kill me faster! This is really uncomfortable!"

For the players, turning off the pain sensors meant they didn’t hurt, but the "human stick" status effect caused a loss of character control and a wildly shaking camera. The user experience was absolutely terrible!

The Bone Fiend finally stopped walking.

’I’ve lived for so many years. I’ve seen people beg for their lives, and I’ve seen a stubborn few, but I’ve never seen anyone order their own death like they’re ordering food from a menu! ’Kill me faster’?’

’I just turned and took two steps, and you accuse me of running away? Can’t you at least stand up when you say that?! Spouting such nonsense while lying there like dead dogs—are your brains filled with mush?!’

He looked down at the reckless thing in his hand, then glanced back at the ants who were cursing him with exceptional ferocity. A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes.

’Something’s not right.’

’A moment ago, when I killed your companions, you didn’t even bat an eye. When I broke your limbs, you even laughed.’

’So why is it that now, when I just turn and take a couple of steps, you all react like cats whose tails have been stepped on?’

’These lunatics aren’t afraid of pain, or death, or even watching their companions die before their eyes.’

’But it seems... they’re terrified of me walking in the direction where that living aura appeared?’

The Bone Fiend’s eyes narrowed as his gaze swept back and forth between the players and the shadowy corner.

"Heh..." A sly smile played on the Bone Fiend’s lips as he spoke in a sinister tone. "You’re all shouting so loudly... It couldn’t be that... you don’t want me to go over there, could it?"

He raised a finger and pointed slowly toward the ruins of the Tongli Money Shop. "Over there... are there some little mice hiding that you care about very much?!"

As soon as he said this, the air instantly froze.

But [One Sword to Rule the World]’s expression didn’t change. He even sneered, "Mice? A broke Loose Cultivator like you would have such a narrow view. That’s the latrine over there. You want to go eat shit?"

[Biqu Country Go 4] interrupted, feigning impatience, "Enough crap! If you’ve got the guts, kill me! Stop dilly-dallying!"

However—

Some of the players mixed in the crowd, whose acting skills weren’t quite up to par, had their expressions freeze the moment they heard the Bone Fiend guess the truth, and their eyes instinctively darted toward that corner.

That single glance gave everything away.

And for a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, that was more than enough.

The smile in the Bone Fiend’s eyes instantly turned cruel and fanatical. "Hahahaha! So there is something you lunatics are afraid of! I knew it!!!"

"I knew it! How could there be people with no fear at all? So that’s your weak spot!"

He no longer paid any mind to the players’ curses, not even bothering to torture [Righteous Light] in his hand anymore.

He now wanted to do only one thing: to crush, piece by piece, the very thing these lunatics were desperately trying to protect, right before their eyes!

"Since you care so much..."

"Then I’ll let you see with your own eyes what true despair looks like!!"

BOOM!

The bone Magical Artifact at the Bone Fiend’s feet flared with brilliant light, and he transformed into a deathly white streak, shooting straight for the ruins of the Tongli Money Shop where the Su Family was hiding!

[Righteous Light], still being carried, watched this unfold. His composure finally broke. "Holy shit! Just kill me already!!! If you’re going to fucking kill someone, can’t you finish me off first?! I think I’m gonna be sick! Aaaah!"

’This is bad! Don’t go over there! My quest rewards! Can someone please come and save the day?!’

Seeing this tough nut finally show a terrified expression, the frustration in the Bone Fiend’s heart vanished, replaced by a perverse sense of satisfaction.

"Hahahaha! Little mice! I’ve finally found you!!"

"Cower in fear! Scream! This is how mortals are supposed to act!!"

He couldn’t wait to rush into that corner, torture the people there, and savor the beautiful sight of these lunatics breaking down and going insane!

’The mice hiding in the shadows must already be trembling in fear!’

However.

In the instant the cackling Bone Fiend was about to charge into the ruins—

BOOM—!!!

Without warning, without a word.

Two streaks of light shot down from the sky, carrying the terrifying pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and slammed down right in the Bone Fiend’s path!

BANG!

A large foot, wreathed in brilliant Spiritual Power, stomped directly onto the Bone Fiend’s cackling face, kicking him straight out of mid-air!

BOOM!

The ground cracked, dust and smoke plumed, and rubble flew everywhere.

The Bone Fiend didn’t even have time to grunt before he was stomped into a crater several meters wide, his entire face embedded in the dirt.

At the same time, two voices rang out in succession through the billowing dust, echoing across the ruins:

"Roaming the four seas—"

"Free among the nine schools—"

The dust settled.

Two figures stood proudly, their robes fluttering without a breeze, their spiritual pressure surging around them.

On the left was Zhang San, clad in tattered beggar’s clothes covered in eighteen patches, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression stern.

On the right was Li Si, casually tossing and catching a few white steamed buns, his disdainful gaze radiating the air of a master.

Zhang San and Li Si of the Guixi Sect are here!