Completely annoyed by Qingyu, Yun Qingzhou felt as though he was on the verge of breaking character. Only then did he twitch the corners of his lips and coldly spit out a single sentence:
“Say one more word, and I will deal with you before the monster does.”
The young man’s voice was exceptionally pleasant, as clear as a babbling spring flowing through the mountains, but to Qingyu’s ears, it sounded like a whisper from a devil. Goosebumps broke out all over his body, and he instantly clamped his mouth shut.
Good grief. This big shot’s personality is way too cold.
He had originally thought that their captain was already the aloof type when he wasn’t acting flirty, but the person in front of him literally seemed like he had been soaked in blocks of ice.
Terrifying, absolutely terrifying!
Meanwhile, the two of them had already arrived at the entrance of a small town. Some firewood and back-baskets were scattered loosely on the ground, and the blowing yellow dust in the air blurred their vision.
Still, they finally caught sight of a third person besides themselves: a middle-aged man dressed in coarse hemp clothing, walking right out from the small town. One could tell at a glance that he was an NPC.
As the strangers barged into the town, the expression on the NPC’s face turned extremely distorted and bizarre, as if he had laid eyes on some ominous entity.
Qingyu was still stuck in an emo state over the big shot thinking he talked too much, but upon seeing the NPC suddenly appear before him, his eyes lit up and he strode directly toward the NPC.
Yun Qingzhou had intended to stop Qingyu, but he never expected this fellow to move much faster than he anticipated, already reaching the NPC’s side.
Qingyu: “Uncle, do you know what place this is?”
The middle-aged man knitted his brows tightly and stepped back in utter disgust, keeping his distance from Qingyu.
“I advise you both to leave early, or you will be cursed!”
The middle-aged man’s retreat made Qingyu awkwardly rub his nose, but he still tried to gather information in a polite tone: “What kind of curse?”
The middle-aged man let out a cold snort, his lips parting as if he wanted to offer an explanation, but right at that moment, the previously bright sky abruptly darkened, the depths of the pitch-black clouds seemingly mixed with an eerie blood-red hue.
As though struck by sudden terror, the middle-aged man dropped heavily to his knees on the ground, trembling all over while muttering something under his breath.
Standing there, Qingyu could not make out the middle-aged man’s muddled words, but Yun Qingzhou heard every single syllable clearly.
“O gods. The gods have descended.”
“Begging the gods to forgive this lowly slave’s transgression. This slave should not have conversed with outsiders.”
“This slave will send them down to the netherworld right now!”
Hearing that final sentence, Yun Qingzhou’s gaze instantly sharpened. He raised his arm and brought his palm together slightly, and Qingyu, who had been frozen in place just a moment ago, was whisked right to his side.
Only then did Qingyu seem to snap back to reality. Just as he opened his mouth to ask if the big shot had discovered something, a fierce and ear-piercing screech from the middle-aged man not far away cut off his train of thought.
Qingyu’s pupils constricted. Without warning, the middle-aged man had transformed into a blood-drenched monster, standing about two stories tall. It retained a humanoid shape, but its entire body was rotting away, and waves of foul stench could actually be smelled in the air.
Qingyu cast a grateful look at the young man beside him. If not for the big shot, he would have already been torn to shreds by the monster.
Yun Qingzhou calmly glanced at the monster, the blue-light system panel displaying its details:
[Corpse – Grade A, appears in B-plus difficulty dungeons and above, moves with extreme speed, often using sharp claws to tear enemies to pieces.]
Only then did Yun Qingzhou notice the corpse’s half-meter-long fingernails.
Why are they grayish-black? Could it be that it has nail fungus?
Seeing Yun Qingzhou sizing up its nails with that bizarre expression, the corpse assumed it was being provoked. With an angry roar, it lunged straight toward the two of them.
Yun Qingzhou: “Stay right here and don’t move.”
The big shot actually took the initiative to speak to him!
Before Qingyu could recover from this wave of delight, he saw Yun Qingzhou charge straight toward the monster. Panic immediately seized him as he frantically rummaged through his items for any weapon that could help.
Wait. Did he just see the big shot fly over?
Never mind, whatever. It is a Grade-A monster; even if their captain were here, it would take considerable effort to take it down. He better figure out how he could actually assist the big shot.
Once Yun Qingzhou drew close, the corpse caught a whiff of the scent emanating from the young man—a fragrance that struck terror into the hearts of all ghosts and monsters.
Oppressive, dark, bloody, carrying the exclusive pressure belonging solely to a BOSS. The corpse instantly deflated its arrogance, staring wide-eyed with hollow sockets as it prepared to bolt.
Running away? Hit me a couple of times.
Even if I beat you to death, you will still revive when this dungeon resets.
Yun Qingzhou’s voice echoed directly in the corpse’s mind, causing its entire body to stiffen up with a tearful expression.
[Boss. This humble one was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai, never expecting the great Boss to make a personal visit. This humble one will scram right now, please spare my life, Great One!]
Even if it is a monster, it still feels pain when it dies, you know?
Boss, you cannot just wreck us around simply because you want to play with these players!
How terribly unlucky it was. Knowing that the Boss was stepping down in person to toy with these players, but never expecting its own dungeon to be the very first stop, ahhhhh!
Hmm?
The icy threat echoed in the corpse’s mind once more, prompting the corpse to convey just how miserable it truly felt, seeing as erasing it would take the Boss a mere split second.
[Understood, Boss. This small one will go die right now. Should it be hanging, drowning, or an explosion?]
Display all your strength and fight me.
In Qingyu’s eyes, the big shot kept darting back and forth around the corpse. Although it made him feel dizzy, this definitely had to be the big shot’s tactical strategy!
Qingyu: “Go get ’em, Big Shot! Annihilate it!”
Yun Qingzhou threw a baffled glance at Qingyu, who was jumping up and down cheering him on not far away, feeling a mild headache coming on.
How is this guy even dumber than the corpse?
Boss. Actually, I can still hear you.
Yet the corpse knew better than to harbor any complaints, forced to obey Yun Qingzhou’s commands as it swung a claw directly at him.
Seeing that the corpse finally made an offensive move toward him, Yun Qingzhou nodded in satisfaction. Summoning a silvery-white longsword into his hand, he pressed two fingers together and swept them across the blade, gathering a terrifying aura right at the tip.
The youth casually flicked his wrist, and the sharp blade slashed toward the corpse. With just that single move, half of the corpse’s arm was severed and dropped to the ground.
Oops, used too much strength. I should not look suspicious, right?