“Huh?”
Lin Deyou was slightly puzzled, but then he seemed to recognize him. “Could you be from Breeze Island, sir?”
This person was rather cautious.
“This humble one is Zhou Yunshan. I only just broke through to the Third-Rate Rank a few days ago and am merely an ordinary disciple of Breeze Island. There is no need for you all to pay me any mind.”
At this moment, Princess Jinyang suddenly spoke.
“Everyone, I know you all have your own grievances, but since we have entered the same specter dungeon, please temporarily set aside your personal grudges.”
“After all, this is a place of specters, and danger lurks everywhere. We must cooperate to stand a chance of escaping the specter's clutches and surviving until we clear the dungeon.”
“I wonder if you could all show me some respect and agree to this?”
Everyone looked at each other, then cupped their fists to Princess Jinyang.
Zhuang He did not hesitate. “Although Princess Jinyang is a woman, I have heard of your deeds in aiding refugees and arranging for physicians to treat them free of charge. I hold great respect for you in my heart.”
“Since the Princess has spoken, I am not one to reject such kindness. I shall do as you say.”
Bai Liu's unfriendly gaze swept over Lin Deyou. “I have no objections either, but if anyone makes the first move, they shouldn't blame me for retaliating.”
Zhou Yunshan nodded silently. He had no say here.
Just then, Lin Deyou and the other martial artists frowned.
They seemed to catch a thick scent of blood.
Lin Deyou immediately stood up. “Everyone, the scent of blood seems to be coming from over there. Shall we go investigate?”
“Let's go. We definitely need to check it out.”
As martial artists, they were highly sensitive to the smell of blood. They immediately determined the direction and walked forward.
As for Princess Jinyang, an ordinary person who had not cultivated martial arts, she naturally did not dare to stay behind alone. Even the three commoners they had been ignoring followed them, trembling with fear.
As if by coincidence, the clouds in the sky quietly dispersed at that moment, and a pale, miserable moonlight fell, illuminating their surroundings.
“Ahhh—!!!”
The scream came from the peasant woman.
Not just her, but the other two commoners were also scared to death. Without another word, the three of them spun around and ran, disappearing into the darkness in no time.
Princess Jinyang turned to watch them run, her brow furrowing slightly.
“If we just let them leave like that, I fear they will be targeted by the specter.”
Lin Deyou remained calm. “There is no need to worry, Princess. If they are targeted by the specter, they can buy us some time.”
“After all, the main quest of this dungeon is to survive for twelve shichen. The longer we delay, the more advantageous it is for us.”
To Zuo Lin'an's slight surprise, out of the six remaining people, only Zi Yao looked away in fear, but even her emotions did not fluctuate too wildly.
As for the other five?
When they saw the human skin hanging from the tree branch, swaying in the wind and dripping blood, as well as the scattered human bones, flesh, and organs on the ground, their expressions did not change at all.
Zuo Lin'an understood after a brief thought.
This wuxia world was likely not peaceful either.
Because they had seen too many miserable and bloody scenes, they had grown accustomed to it and were no longer afraid.
This was especially true for Princess Jinyang. Not only was she not afraid, but she even took a step back in disgust, seemingly worried that the blood on the ground would stain her dress.
“I really underestimated them.”
Crunch, crunch...
Mmm, these potato chips really tasted great. They really were worth their high price.
He casually took out his phone. Xu Youyou had not sent any messages, likely still busy observing the players.
Setting his phone aside, he continued to watch.
Zhuang He from Poison Dragon Mountain slowly stepped forward and examined the scattered corpse, especially the head, the human skin, and some of the clothing.
“Judging by the clothes, he should be an ordinary merchant. He's of no consequence.”
“However...”
“He was likely skinned alive, his flesh sliced open, his bones extracted, and finally, his flesh chopped into chunks. It seems we've run into bad luck this time; the specter we're facing is extremely brutal.”
Lin Deyou was slightly puzzled. “Generally speaking, specters only target those who have triggered their Death Rules. Yet, judging by this person's time of death, it was clearly right when we entered the dungeon.”
“Could it be that this person triggered a Death Rule the very instant they entered the dungeon?”
If that was really the case, did they also trigger the rule?
Were they still alive only because there was a limit to the specter's killing?
Princess Jinyang patted her chest lightly. “Just to be safe, let us move further away for now.”
Naturally, no one objected.
The group walked back, returning once more to the campfire.
Seeing the firelight and feeling its warmth, they finally let out a sigh of relief.
Princess Jinyang spoke, “I wonder if any of you have received any novice benefits? If so, please let us know so we can be prepared. The more people who survive, the greater our chances of clearing the dungeon.”
Lin Deyou turned his gaze to Zi Yao.
Zi Yao smiled charmingly. “This humble one is indeed a newcomer. My novice benefit consists of only two words: ‘Time’.”
Time?
Everyone fell into deep thought.
And Lin Deyou was clearly the smartest among them, and he was carrying a newcomer this time.
In other words, this man was at least an experienced player who had cleared a Two-Star dungeon.
That was why he had the confidence to bring a girl along.
Moreover, he was a nobleman who had been well-read since childhood, received an elite education, and was a Second-Rate master. He could be considered a perfect blend of scholar and warrior.
To ensure his specter body would not be detected by these sharp-sensing martial artists, Zuo Lin'an hid even further away.
Lin Deyou said, “If it is related to time, I have a few half-baked thoughts.”
“Please, do tell.”
Everyone turned their eyes to him.
Lin Deyou explained, “The time we entered the dungeon was midnight. Therefore, the time of that person's death should also be considered midnight.”
“And since our main quest is to survive for a full day, combining these two facts, I suspect that the specter of this dungeon might kill one person every shichen.”
Everyone pondered how much truth lay in Lin Deyou's deduction, and they eventually concluded that it was highly likely.
Princess Jinyang frowned. “If that is truly the case, then this is bad.”
Zhuang He asked, “What do you mean by that, Princess?”
Princess Jinyang shook her head and sighed.
“If it is indeed so, then I fear we do not even need to trigger the rules of this dungeon's specter. It can simply choose anyone to kill every shichen!”
“You all should have experienced dungeons before, so you should understand what I am worried about.”
“If Young Master Lin's deduction is correct, then the talents and specter items we hold to counter Death Lock will become completely useless!”
As soon as she said this, everyone's expression changed.
The newest newcomer present was Zi Yao, and she was the only one who was confused by all this. However, the others, including Zhou Yunshan, who had remained silent all this time, looked incredibly grim.
Princess Jinyang took a deep breath. “To confirm whether Young Master Lin's words are correct, we only need to wait for one shichen.
Rate on N.U.
