Chapter 1 Atmosphere

The atmosphere suddenly stiffened. After a few seconds of confrontation, Xia Shuzhi Lian suddenly pressed her earpiece and conveyed her thoughts.

"I have no objections. If it weren't for Yuanshi Tianzun, at least half of us would have been lost at the bottom of the sea, or even wiped out. Anyway, I haven't contributed anything from beginning to end."

After speaking, she glanced at Hong Ji Ge, who also hadn't contributed anything.

The fiery look in Hong Ji Ge's eyes faded, and he scratched his head vigorously, "Forget it, forget it, when you're in a dungeon, brotherhood is the most important thing. I haven't contributed anything either, so do as you please."

Yin Ji did not "speak," but simply nodded slightly.

Zi Youzhi Ying felt extremely unwilling. This kind of uniquely functional and terrifying item was a great weapon in the Saint realm. It would be a lie to say she wasn't envious or didn't desire it.

But as an experienced executive of the Tianfa organization, she knew how to size up the situation and could only suppress her unwillingness.

Yun Meng hesitated, she had made a contribution, sacrificing a life to test the waters.

However, no one mentioned this at the moment, and Yuanshi Tianzun seemed to have forgotten her contribution. Yun Meng felt a little wronged, but didn't want to start infighting, so she could only endure it.

At this moment, Xia Hou Aotian's "shout" interrupted everyone, "If you're going to solve the turntable, hurry up and solve the array core. I've already wasted an item, and this one in my hand is about to give out. You bunch of good-for-nothings~"

Yin Ji looked back and saw not Xia Hou Aotian surrounded by the Yin corpse army, but the thousands of Yin corpses surrounding them from all directions without any obstruction after the restriction was lifted.

Looking around, they were like a school of bloodthirsty piranhas.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't have time to check the item information and quickly put away the Yin Ri Che Zhuan Pan, taking out the Shan Shen Quan Zhang. The seaweed from the Geguo once again glowed, and ripples spread out. The seaweed suspended around them changed again, forming a circle of defense, fiercely entangling the Yin corpses.

But this could only slightly stop the Yin corpses.

"Hurry up and destroy the array core." Zhang Yuanqing, lacking a wide-range attack, urged.

Everyone looked down at the dozen-meter-long warship and frowned.

At this time, Hong Ji Ge, who had been slacking off, volunteered, "I'll handle it, give me three minutes."

He nimbly swam to the deck, reached into the void, grabbed a military green backpack, and took out a timed explosive from the backpack, crouching down to place it on the deck.

Then, he swam off the deck and came to the left side of the hull, installing explosive packs in the same way.

This item could produce nine explosive packs at a time, with a cooldown time of 24 hours. It was currently his most powerful item, but it also had many shortcomings. It was suitable for pinpoint blasting and ambushes, rather than impromptu combat.

Every time, I admire the Fire Master's destructive power... Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his gaze and swung the Shan Shen Quan Zhang, "poof" exploding a Yin corpse that broke through the seaweed barrier, baring its fangs and claws.

At this time, the defense line formed by seaweed was torn open in several places. The Yin corpses, which were incredibly strong and excellent swimmers, drilled in like fish, their pale, swollen faces contorted, opening their dark jaws and pouncing on the Saints within the circle.

Xia Shuzhi Lian stayed close to Yuanshi Tianzun, wielding a sharp short sword to behead the incoming Yin corpses one by one.

She could handle it with a small number of them. Once the Yin corpse army invaded the defense circle on a large scale, densely packed, the swordsman in the water would be stretched thin and would surely die.

After struggling for three minutes, Hong Ji Ge's voice came through the earpiece:

"Retreat! I'm going to detonate it."

He took out a remote control from his backpack and pressed the red button.

"Boom!"

A dazzling light lit up the dark seabed, and the shock wave, carrying the raging currents, flattened everything in its path. The silt deposited on the seabed rose up in sheets like a sandstorm.

The sunken ships, originally arranged in a certain pattern, were swept away by the terrifying currents, colliding with each other. The decaying hulls cracked, and broken wood flew everywhere.

In the midst of the chaos, Zhang Yuanqing, shirtless, hugged the cold and beautiful female instructor, and put the護心鏡 (Hu Xin Jing, heart-protecting mirror) he had taken out long ago on his chest.

A hazy yellow light lit up, propping up a safe area. Xia Shuzhi Lian was suddenly hugged by the man, instinctively trying to push him away, but then realized that Yuanshi Tianzun was protecting her, and stopped her strength in time. Her palm weakly propped against his strong chest.

The chaotic and violent currents lasted for nearly half a minute before gradually subsiding.

Xia Shuzhi Lian hurriedly pushed away Yuanshi Tianzun, looking around to hide the small embarrassment in her heart.

"Is everyone okay?" Zhang Yuanqing pressed his earpiece, calling out to his teammates.

Night Watchers could see through the darkness, but they couldn't see through the chaotic turbid currents.

"The formation has been broken, we can return to the surface." Yin Ji's voice came from the earpiece. The others did not respond.

It was unknown whether they had been seriously injured or had lost their earpieces.

Zhang Yuanqing looked at Xia Shuzhi Lian, pointed to the top of his head, made a gesture to ascend, and then kicked his legs and quickly floated up.

Xia Shuzhi Lian pressed her legs tightly together, swinging her lower body like a mermaid, her tight, slender waist twisting, and her feet producing a huge thrust, her speed not slower than Zhang Yuanqing's.

The two quickly rushed out of the area filled with mud and saw Yin Ji, who was also passing through the turbid current, elegant and graceful.

Zhang Yuanqing looked down and saw that the turbid soup stirred up by the explosion covered an area of dozens of meters, and was constantly expanding. At the edge of this area, Yin corpses with swollen bodies floated around in a mess.

They were either upside down or lying on their sides, like messy, withered leaves suspended in the water.

After the Qi mechanism of the array was destroyed, this group of Yin corpses became real corpses, losing their spirituality.

The three waited for a moment, when suddenly, the "turbid soup" surged, and the slightly fat Zi Youzhi Ying quickly rushed out, joining the team.

She was not injured, only her earpiece was lost in the violent currents caused by the explosion, and left at the bottom of the sea.

Immediately afterwards, a black-scaled python drilled out, its body writhing as it swam like a kite.

The five people gathered, and waited a few more minutes before Hong Ji Ge arrived, but Xia Hou Aotian was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Xia Hou Aotian?" Zhang Yuanqing conveyed his thoughts while gesturing to his teammates who had lost their earpieces.

Hong Ji Ge understood what he meant, pointed to the bottom of the sea, and made a gesture of slitting his neck and sticking out his tongue, indicating that Xia Hou Aotian was probably gg (game over).

Xia Shuzhi Lian pointed to the surface of the water, "He was not affected by the explosion, he may have escaped back to the surface."

Have we really been kicked out of the protagonist group? Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself, agreeing with Xia Shuzhi Lian's statement.

After the formation was destroyed, the Yin corpses lost their spirituality. Xia Hou Aotian's predicament was resolved, and he was not within the range of the explosion, so it was impossible for him to encounter an accident.

Leaving silently and alone meant he was angry. This guy was petty.

When the stirred-up mud had initially settled and the seawater was turbid, but the visibility became clear, Zhang Yuanqing pressed his earpiece:

"Let's go take a look at the dragon boat."

He gestured, pointing to the dragon boat in the center of the sunken ship.

"What are we going to do?" Hong Ji Ge upheld the excellent tradition of asking whenever he could, never thinking for himself.

"According to my speculation, the previous group of Lingjing Xingzhe must have set off on a hidden mission, which is why they were all wiped out. The place where they set off on the hidden mission was either the dragon boat or Yaishan Island." Zhang Yuanqing said his thoughts:

"Their main mission was to break the formation and solve these Yin corpses, so I think the dragon boat is more likely to be the starting point for the hidden mission. The monsters that Yin Ji and Xia Hou Aotian had to deal with should be underneath."

Hearing this, Zi Youzhi Ying floated up without hesitation, expressing her attitude.

She didn't want to risk herself for someone else's mission.

Hong Ji Ge pointed to the bottom of the sea, then pointed to himself, waved his hand vigorously, and followed Zi Youzhi Ying.

Unlike Zi Youzhi Ying, who was unwilling to take risks, he really couldn't help. On land, the Fire Demon could do anything, but in the sea, the Fire Demon could only be useless.

"Xia Shu, you go up first." Zhang Yuanqing conveyed his thoughts, and then looked at the hesitant giant python, pointing to the sea surface.

Yun Meng breathed a sigh of relief, twisting her body and swimming towards the sea surface. "Yuanshi, be careful." She gracefully swayed her round buttocks and slender waist, driving her legs, creating dense bubbles, swimming upwards like a mermaid.

Zhang Yuanqing watched his teammates leave, withdrew his gaze, and looked at the mature woman with the black veil: "Let's go down."

Yin Ji nodded slightly and took the lead in plunging down. Her black dress spread out, and Zhang Yuanqing saw two jade legs swaying under the skirt, vaguely visible.

He immediately withdrew his gaze and dived down, manipulating the water flow around him to assist.

The explosion did not affect this side, and the dragon boat lay quietly on the seabed.

Soon, the two landed on the bow of the dragon boat. The deck was covered with a thick layer of soft mud. Zhang Yuanqing and Yin Ji moved forward carefully, stepping on the slippery mud.

Behind them, they left two strings of footprints, one large and one small.

This dragon boat was also a warship, not for entertainment. The building had only two floors, and the cabin was dark and silent, also covered with a thin layer of rotten mud. Weapons and tables and chairs were scattered everywhere.

There were no antiques or calligraphy and paintings, screens or colorful tents as imagined. The two walked for a while and stopped at the same time, their eyes staring straight ahead.

There was a two-meter-long soft couch, and on the couch lay a seven or eight-year-old child. He was wearing a red official robe, and the edges of the collar and sleeves were black.

The child's hands were crossed over his lower abdomen, lying straight. The little emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty? Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Yin Ji, who seemed to understand what he meant. She took the initiative to come forward, came to the side of the couch, carefully examined it, and then a gentle voice rang from the earpiece:

"Not a Yin corpse."

Only then did Zhang Yuanqing step forward and stand beside her in front of the couch, "I remember that during the Battle of Yaishan, it was Lu Xiufu who carried the little emperor and jumped into the sea. The purple-robed Yin corpse we solved earlier was probably him. Now the little emperor is also here, what do you think is the final Boss of the dungeon?"

Yin Ji shook her head slightly, "I don't know."

She tilted her head slightly, her beautiful eyes staring at him quietly, "Why did you come to help me? If there is a Boss here, with your level, you're likely to die."

Zhang Yuanqing didn't look at her, continuing to observe the little emperor's body, responding in his mind:

"If I don't help you, who else can help you? Rely on that trashy alchemist? We are all people from the official side, natural partners and comrades-in-arms. In this kind of dangerous dungeon, isn't it natural to risk yourself for your teammates?"

His words contained careful calculations, the purpose was to win Yin Ji's favor, and to initially establish friendship with her.

And Yin Ji's cold and distant personality, estranged from everyone, if he said some flirtatious and ambiguous words, it would only make her disgusted, and then more distant.

But this kind of reply, standing on the level of morality and organization, official but with a touch of human touch, would definitely win her favor.

Zhang Yuanqing was very experienced in interpersonal communication. Sure enough, Yin Ji's eyes, as if reflecting the autumn water, suddenly softened, "Thank you!"

Zhang Yuanqing was about to respond, but he, who had been staring at the little emperor's corpse, gently "eh" and bent down, turning the child's body over.

He saw a crack on the back of the little emperor's neck, extending along the spine into the official robe.

Yin Ji was stunned.

Zhang Yuanqing tore the official robe on the little emperor's body, and finally saw the "crack" on his back clearly, extending from the back of his neck to the tailbone, like the shell shed by a cicada.

What lay on the couch was only a sloughed skin. Where had the real body gone?

The two looked at each other, their expressions quietly solemn.

After a few seconds of silence, Yin Ji took a deep breath, "Let's leave here first and return to the surface."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded, left the shell, and left the cabin, half walking and half swimming, with Yin Ji. The two manipulated the water flow, quickly ascending.

"Splash!"

They broke through the waves at the same time.

At this time, the world was a pale blue, dawn was approaching. The ship was moored not far away, swaying with the waves, and five teammates stood on the deck.

Zhang Yuanqing and Yin Ji transformed into dreamlike starlight at the same time, teleporting onto the deck.

"It seems you didn't encounter any danger." Xia Shuzhi Lian smiled lightly, and then added, "What did you find?"

Zhang Yuanqing took off the earpiece and threw it to the petty Xia Hou Aotian, telling his teammates about the discovery in the dragon boat.

"That monster is already on Yaishan Island." He gazed at the outline of the distant island, making his judgment.

Zi Youzhi Ying's expression changed, and she immediately said:

"I won't go to Yaishan Island. Most of the dangers in the dungeon have been resolved, leaving only one boss. This is not our main mission, there's no need to go to die."

Hearing this, Hong Ji Ge, Yun Meng, and Xia Shuzhi Lian showed hesitation.

Xia Hou Aotian's handsome face changed, both surprised and angry, and he stubbornly raised his chin:

"This protagonist has never expected you supporting characters, but you are too unrighteous. Yin Ji and I fought bloody battles at the bottom of the sea, solving your worries, and you turned around and sold us both?"

Zi Youzhi Ying had long given up her insistence on foreign languages and retorted with a sneer:

"Don't say it so righteously, everyone entered the dungeon together, no one is doing it for anyone."

She glanced at Yun Meng and the other two, her tone slightly bewitching, "It's not easy for everyone to be promoted to the Saint realm. They all have family and friends. Why should they go to die for your two's mission? Before tonight, I didn't even know you, okay."

She was about to form a faction.

Her words were reasonable and well-founded, directly hitting people's hearts, and the expressions of Hong Ji Ge and Yun Meng were no longer hesitant.

Xia Hou Aotian gritted his teeth in anger, while Yin Ji didn't say a word from beginning to end, but her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

Although Zi Youzhi Ying was right, encountering this kind of thorn in the dungeon was really an unstable factor, which could lead to a team wipe. No, once the team parted ways here, the result would only be a team wipe... After discovering the abnormality of the little emperor's corpse, Zhang Yuanqing had almost figured out the dungeon.

Xia Shuzhi Lian hesitated, "Yuanshi, what are your thoughts?"

Hong Ji Ge and Yun Meng couldn't help but look at Yuanshi Tianzun. Xia Hou Aotian stared at him, and Yin Ji, who had always been indifferent, looked over, her eyes containing expectation.

Unknowingly, Yuanshi Tianzun had gained a certain amount of prestige in the team with his actions and abilities.

Zhang Yuanqing did not directly respond to Xia Shuzhi Lian's question, and made a move that puzzled everyone. He took out three Po Sha Fu (bane-breaking talismans) and said:

"Yun Meng, I didn't have time to say it at the bottom of the sea just now, this is my compensation to you. They are enough to match your contribution to subduing the turntable."

The pure-hearted Yun Meng was both surprised and delighted, and the little grievance in her heart suddenly disappeared. She curiously reached out to take the Po Sha Fu, saying:

"This is a talisman? It's a consumable. Um, what are its functions?"

Zhang Yuanqing explained:

"It contains the power of the sun at the Dominator level. It doesn't have any attack power, but it can purify all negative influences, but it's slightly weaker in purifying Gu poison, and it has a fatal damage to wraiths."

Yun Meng's bright eyes suddenly shone, like containing stars.

Purifying all negative influences, this kind of talisman is simply the nemesis of alcoholics... Zi Youzhi Ying stared straight at the three Po Sha Fu, unable to hide her envy.

Hong Ji Ge clicked his tongue, thinking that Yuanshi Tianzun was so generous, how many houses did he have at home?

After Yun Meng happily put away the talismans, Zhang Yuanqing stared at Zi Youzhi Ying and said:

"If we break up now, then we will definitely be wiped out."

Zi Youzhi Ying looked disdainful, obviously not believing his words.

"How so?" Hong Ji Ge asked.

Four thirty in the morning, the sky was pale blue.

It was the summer, and it would be dawn in half an hour. A black car drove through the silent streets, shuttling through the bustling CBd district.

This place was full of shopping malls and office buildings. During the day, the traffic was heavy and the roads were congested, but at night, it seemed empty and deserted, with no sign of human habitation.

Except for the halo of the streetlights, the tall buildings were collectively silent, the windows were dark, without any light.

The car stopped outside a Western restaurant on the street. Only this restaurant was still lit and open, seemingly still in business.

The car door opened, and a shiny leather shoe stepped out. Mr. Bill, wearing a well-tailored suit, stepped out of the car and stood on the street, his eyes fixed on the interior of the Western restaurant.

Then, he looked around, confirmed that no one was there, abandoned the car, and entered the interior of the Western restaurant.

As soon as he stepped into the luxuriously decorated restaurant, he smelled a rich aroma.

At the square table in the middle of the restaurant, sat a man wearing a pure black suit and a half-faced silver mask, holding a knife and fork, and lowering his head to cut a small tomahawk steak.

"You're on time, sit down, the steak has been rested." The man did not look up, pointing to the small tomahawk steak on the opposite side.

Mr. Bill slowly stepped forward, pulled out a high-backed chair and sat down, dining with the man.

"After eating so many steaks, the dry-aged Australian ribeye is still the most to my taste." The man chewed the steak in large bites, looking like he was starving.

Mr. Bill's eating habits were much more elegant, saying:

"President, how do you plan to deal with the Dionysus Club? If you don't want to take action, I can talk to the Five Elements Alliance and allow the guild's executives to come to Songhai to handle this matter for you."

"Those old guys are too familiar with the Dionysus Club, so familiar that they know each other inside and out, so they can't fight. To deal with that group of drunkards, you have to play out of the ordinary and catch them off guard." The man put down his knife and fork, compared to the black suit on his body, and said, "Look, what is this?"

Bill, who was really waiting for the President to explain the tactics, was stunned for a moment. He found that he could not keep up with the President's jumpy thinking and tentatively said:

"Your broad chest?"

The man shook his finger, "My chest must be broad, all the beautiful girls who have snuggled up to me here say so, but I want you to look at the suit, the pure black suit, I bought it specifically yesterday."

Suit? Bill didn't understand.

The man said helplessly: "You are a gentleman, but unfortunately not humorous enough. A pure black suit can only be worn on two occasions, one is a wedding, and the other is a funeral."

Bill finally understood, surprised and expectant, "President, do you mean that you are going to personally send them to the funeral? Do you know where they are, do you need your subordinates to help?"

The man did not answer, slowly ate the last piece of steak, and then smiled:

"Your task is to bring them over, and you did a very good job."

Mr. Bill was shocked and suddenly turned his head to look out the window. At some point, all the streetlights on the street were turned off, the lights in the restaurant were bright, and outside the restaurant, it was dark and silent.