I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 180

Chapter 180: With Me Here, What Danger Could There Be!

In the previous few rounds of the Strange Tales, everyone was basically waiting for the Dragon Country’s Celestial Master to conclude.

Because the Strange Tales world is actually very dangerous, and the rules are there to protect everyone’s safety.

When there are no rules, most Chosen Ones have no countermeasures when encountering danger.

Conversely, having more rules is actually a huge benefit for the Chosen Ones.

After concluding, the only one who dared to linger in the Strange Tales world was that one from the Dragon Country.

But today, there was actually someone else who hadn’t concluded yet.

It wasn’t Ramírez, the Chosen One from Argentina. In fact, Ramírez had come very close to obtaining the Green-Skins’ treasure, the Scepter of Supremacy.

However, he lacked one crucial factor: he hadn’t advanced his identity to Mechanical Guard. During the preparation phase at the Elf tribe, he exchanged all his merit points for attributes.

This single point meant his authority within the Orodruin City palace was very limited.

He couldn’t bypass many dangerous areas because they were guarded by Mechanical Guards. Even though Ramírez eventually infiltrated near the palace treasury, he was still discovered.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and promptly initiated the conclusion, otherwise he might not have made it out.

He was just one step away. He could have chosen to force his way in, but the price of failure would have been death.

At this final step, Ramírez chose prudence; surviving to get out was enough.

While the vast majority of Chosen Ones had emerged, the Chosen One from Australia, Williams, was still struggling inside the Strange Tales world.

In the Elf tribe stage, after being turned human, he lost his powerful mechanical body.

Viewers in Australia thought he was doomed, but he miraculously survived and emerged from the Divine Source Homeland.

The reason was that the Elf girl he had released hid him during the chaos of battle and led him out after the fighting ended.

There was a certain causality at play here.

But by the time the Australian Chosen One, Williams, successfully emerged, the sky was already dark, and The Sky Fortress had long since departed.

In this continent full of dangers, with only his flesh-and-blood body, he was almost driven to despair.

However, a powerful will to survive calmed him down, and he began to strategize.

Only High Elves knew how to undo the curse magic; the one he had saved was just a Low Elf.

That Low Elf letting him go was already a kindness; he didn’t dare ask for more.

Even if he shamelessly went back in now, he wouldn’t know how to find that specific Low Elf. The venomous insects, poisonous gases, BOSSes, and the like inside – encountering any one of them would mean his death.

But just then, he seemed to remember something and started walking in a direction based on his memory.

If there was anyone besides a High Elf who could lift the curse magic, the only person he knew was the Queen Bee.

The Queen Bee was, after all, not a minor character and was still diligently studying potions.

Most importantly, the Queen Bee’s room contained a large collection of books. If Williams remembered correctly, the patterns on them seemed similar to the magic used by the Elf tribe.

In other words, was the Queen Bee actually researching magic?

Or perhaps researching magical potions.

To make it back alive, Williams’ only option was to seek the Queen Bee’s help.

Only by restoring his mechanical body could he activate the map on his visor and locate the conclusion point, Orodruin City.

He might even be able to send a distress signal, allowing the Green-Skin Mechanical Legion patrols to find him.

And so, in this dangerous world where even a wild beast could kill a Chosen One, Williams trekked across mountains and rivers, searching for traces of past battles involving the Mechanical Legion, using these traces to determine his location.

The Dwarves’ castle wasn’t far from the Elf tribe.

Just seeing the Dwarves’ castle would give him hope.

Finding the stinking riverbed, the place where the Dwarven heavy industry discharged polluted water, would allow him to follow the river to the Queen Bee’s location.

Everything seemed to connect.

Otherwise, a Chosen One would have no way to accurately pinpoint the Queen Bee’s location in these primal forests.

This was the only method Williams could think of.

Watching Williams, this vulnerable life, struggle desperately, many viewers felt heartache for him.

Facing attacks from jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, he fled without looking back, finding places to hide, even grinding down his fingernails.

The journey was long, traversing through the primeval forest. My soles were chafed and bleeding, and some parts of my body were scratched by thorns, leaving bruises.

Walking long-term near the riverbed, he risked infection from the terrible pollution.

At times, his vision grew blurry.

He fell down time and again, but always picked himself up.

His body already showed various signs of pain, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Chosen Ones who had already concluded were cheering him on.

Zhang Yangqing said he still had a sliver of hope, the Pope sent his blessings, masters began chanting scriptures for him, and many superhumans prayed for him.

At first glance, Zhang Yangqing’s words didn’t sound as pleasant as the others’.

But the audience knew that the others’ blessings were just wishes; nice words were useless, and anyone could say them.

Only when the Dragon Country’s Celestial Master said he had a sliver of hope did he truly have a chance of survival.

After all, this one was a top-tier superhuman who had just exited; probably no one understood the situation inside better than he did.

During this time, viewers kept their eyes on his screen, offering their blessings.

: One could say the Australian Chosen One is experiencing the genuine, despairing journey – the version other Chosen Ones didn’t want to play.
: So this is what ‘Despairing Journey’ meant. I’m worried the Australian Chosen One might not wake up if he falls asleep.
: As long as he can survive, all the effort will be worth it!
: This is the real test, hang in there!

The audience hoped to see a miracle from the Australian Chosen One, Williams, because most viewers were too ordinary, not as brave as special profession players, and certainly not as powerful as superhumans.

Williams also carried the hopes of everyone as he advanced.

But inside the Strange Tales world, Williams didn’t feel like he was ‘everyone’s hope’; he was just trying to survive, that’s all.

In the short term, Williams probably wouldn’t be emerging, so Zhang Yangqing got a period of rest.

And the Strange Tales world would only be considered over after Williams either concluded or failed.

On Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zhang Yangqing’s daily routine gained a few additional tasks.

Besides accepting the reverence of superhumans from other countries when he was in a good mood, he helped his junior brothers and other disciples with their cultivation in places like the training grounds.

According to Su Muyu, Zhang Yangqing was gradually fulfilling the responsibilities of the Celestial Master.

With the increase in resources, the number of disciples on Dragon Tiger Mountain was also growing.

From originally less than a hundred, they now had 320 disciples.

There were still many talented disciples who hadn’t formally entered the sect, but there was no other way; any more disciples and the resources wouldn’t be enough to distribute.

Without resources, wouldn’t that just be wasting their time on Dragon Tiger Mountain?

So Su Muyu felt it was better not to accept them than to hold them back.

He was also urging Zhang Yangqing to hurry in and gather more resources.

Zhang Yangqing was also helpless. I have to wait for others to come out before I can enter, you know? Do you think I don’t want to go in?
It’s much more fun in there than here. Here, the junior brothers need me to guide them every day, busy from morning till night.
In the Strange Tales world, I can travel, enjoy the scenery, and experience exotic customs.

Early the next morning, Zhang Yangqing was, as usual, instructing the disciples in their cultivation.

By noon, the expert team came for a visit. Zhang Yangqing thought the Strange Tales world had ended, but when he turned on the large screen, the Australian Chosen One was still inside.

However, since his own country’s expert team had come, there must be something going on.

So Zhang Yangqing left the backyard and went to the reception hall.

Seeing Zhang Yangqing appear, Hu Liuqi warmly greeted him.

As everyone knew, Hu Liuqi was a rather slovenly person. His curly hair wasn’t natural; it was caused by not washing it for a long time.

Also, being busy with work in the expert team, always around electronic equipment, his body carried an odor.

Even if other experts complained about him, he didn’t care.

But every time he came to see Zhang Yangqing, he showered three times and changed into clean, neat clothes. This was his respect for Zhang Yangqing.

After the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, Hu Liuqi spoke up: “Celestial Master Zhang, I wonder if you have some free time recently? We have some troublesome matters here, and I’d like to ask for your help in handling them.”

Zhang Yangqing took a sip of tea and said, “Feel free to tell me what’s on your mind.”

He didn’t give a definite answer; this was the art of language in the Dragon Country.

As the Celestial Master, he naturally had to know how to be evasive.

He couldn’t just agree without knowing what it was, making it seem like empty talk if he later decided not to do it.

He needed to hear what you had to say first before deciding if he had the time.

If you mentioned something troublesome, he could immediately say he had other matters.

With a anxious heart, Hu Liuqi said with a troubled expression, “Celestial Master Zhang, I know you’re busy, but this matter really requires your assistance. But rest assured, after it’s done, we will do our utmost to meet any of your requests…”

As he spoke, Hu Liuqi explained the reason for his visit this noon.

The Strange Tales world has been around for some time now, and among the initial chosen ones, some have failed, while others have successfully completed the challenges.

Hu Liuqi was one of those who cleared it, but the majority failed.

Although Zhang Yangqing has recently been frequently clearing levels and lifting the curse of Strange Tales in many cities, some cities that were covered by these Strange Tales early on are now completely deserted.

They were filled with the eerie creatures of the Strange Tales world.

Originally, the descent of the supernatural entities would be lifted simply by waiting for Zhang Yangqing to continue clearing the levels.

However, recently, for some unknown reason, in some cities where the Strange Tales have manifested, some of the supernatural entities have started moving towards nearby cities.

Even with superhumans stationed nearby, it was somewhat difficult to resist.

Yesterday, a team of superhumans charged in to investigate.

They discovered that there seemed to be a BOSS-level eerie creature inside. The superhuman team hadn’t even gotten close to investigate before they ran out.

Because just seeing that thing from afar was enough to terrify them.

This was far beyond what they could handle. It seemed to be an eerie species that had mutated after devouring in this world, accumulating powerful energy.

Currently, it seemed to still be dormant, but once it started attacking, the surrounding cities would suffer immense damage.

And the ordinary eerie beings in that city seemed to have been infected by the mutated eerie BOSS, becoming very powerful as well.

The borderlines became turbulent, nearby residents were evacuating, and many stationed superhumans had to retreat a certain distance.

Coincidentally, Zhang Yangqing had just concluded and exited, and there was still a Chosen One stuck inside.

So, Hu Liuqi, representing the expert team, pleaded with Zhang Yangqing to take action and suppress this thing.

Finally, Hu Liuqi added, “Of course, the reward will definitely not be small. We can’t let Celestial Master Zhang go to all this trouble for nothing.”

This was all agreed upon by the expert team, relayed by Hu Liuqi.

After all, Hu Liuqi had spoken with Zhang Yangqing a few times.

Hearing this, Zhang Yangqing said earnestly, “I thought you were going to say something else. For a small matter like this, you just needed to tell me. There’s no need for any reward; vanquishing demons and defending the Dao is my responsibility!”

He had thought Hu Liuqi was asking him to give some cultivation lecture or something similar, which Zhang Yangqing found most annoying – troublesome and thankless.

In terms of cultivation, many people had their own established levels and would disagree with your methods, arguing with you about it.

Zhang Yangqing was not one to explain things to foolish people.

If that were really the case, Zhang Yangqing wouldn’t refuse directly but would tactfully delay.

After all, he had to give the expert team some face.

But asking him to go slay monsters? He felt he had no reason to refuse.

He enjoyed doing things that could be resolved with force.

If Hu Liuqi had said so on his first visit, Zhang Yangqing would have gone long ago.

As for rewards, naturally, they were unnecessary.

Hearing Zhang Yangqing agree so readily, Hu Liuqi was overjoyed.

He had heard that Celestial Master Zhang was very aloof. Even the thousand-year-old Tianshan Snow Ginseng sent by the Cherry Blossom Country Yin-Yang Masters didn’t earn a second glance from him.

Gifts from other nations also left Zhang Yangqing unfazed, even seeming somewhat dismissive.

So, when Hu Liuqi came, he didn’t know what to prepare and could only wait for Zhang Yangqing to state his demands, so he could mobilize the expert team’s resources to gather them for him.

After all, even inviting other masters to come and burn incense cost money.

But Zhang Yangqing asking for nothing truly surprised Hu Liuqi.

He thought to himself: It seems Celestial Master Zhang isn’t as unapproachable as the rumors say.

Actually, Hu Liuqi was overthinking it. Zhang Yangqing was just being selective.

When dealing with people from other countries, who were all seeking favors from him and encroaching on his rest time, why would Zhang Yangqing give them a friendly reception?
Not kicking them out was already him considering Dragon Tiger Mountain’s reputation.

Facing someone from his own country, and with Hu Liuqi being so polite, Zhang Yangqing was naturally more accommodating.

After thanking him repeatedly, Hu Liuqi had his subordinates make preparations. Vehicles and planes were ready.

As soon as Zhang Yangqing set off, they could reach the destination in the shortest time possible.

After listening, Zhang Yangqing nodded and told Hu Liuqi to wait for him in the main hall; he would come shortly.

After Hu Liuqi left, Zhang Yangqing had a young Taoist summon Zhang Xuanjing.

“Honored Celestial Master, you called for me?”

Zhang Xuanjing, who had been instructing disciples in their cultivation, rushed over immediately upon hearing Zhang Yangqing’s summons.

He even used movement techniques in his steps, without any hesitation.

“Gather all the disciples who have some foundation. I’m taking them for practical experience.”

Zhang Yangqing didn’t waste words and briefly explained what Hu Liuqi had told him.

At that moment, Senior Brother Su Muyu arrived, but he didn’t say a word.

Zhang Xuanjing understood the situation. This was indeed something they should do and also a great opportunity for experience.

Those who had just entered definitely shouldn’t go. Some disciples had been cultivating for a while and should go out for practical experience.

Otherwise, if they only kept their heads down and trained hard without real combat experience, they wouldn’t be able to utilize their true abilities when real danger arose.

The way some eerie beings attacked wasn’t about exchanging moves; they aimed directly for your life.

Life and death hung in a split second; if you couldn’t react, death was the only outcome.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xuanjing mustered his courage and said, “Honored Celestial Master, shouldn’t we be careful in selecting people for this experience? Some junior brothers’ basics aren’t very solid yet. Going like this might put them in danger.”

According to his thinking, taking twenty or thirty elite disciples would be enough; more might cause chaos.

“Danger? If they’re afraid of danger, why did they come to cultivate the Dao? If they lack skill, they should make room for others; there are plenty who want to join. In times like these, there will inevitably be dangers. If they’re truly afraid, they can leave early. But let me say this: with me here, what danger could there be?”

It wasn’t that Zhang Yangqing was arrogant; he was just stating facts.

It was just an evolved mutant eerie being; he really didn’t take it seriously.

Hearing Zhang Yangqing say this, Zhang Xuanjing felt much more at ease.

Thinking about it, who could be more dangerous than this one?
So, Zhang Xuanjing went out and explained the situation, gathering some capable junior brothers to prepare for departure.

If anyone was unwell or had encountered problems in their recent cultivation, they didn’t have to go.

But this time, to his surprise, the number of disciples signing up was enormous. Out of the 320 disciples on Dragon Tiger Mountain, 247 came to sign up as soon as they heard the news.

The others who didn’t come weren’t unwilling; they were currently busy and couldn’t come to sign up.

This left Zhang Xuanjing somewhat speechless. His plan was to select those seventy or eighty disciples with some cultivation, and he had already phrased it very tactfully.

As their senior brother, he still had to consider the junior brothers’ well-being; he wasn’t as decisive as Zhang Yangqing.

If the junior brothers were afraid to go, they could find an excuse, and he wouldn’t force them.

But this enthusiasm was over the top. Not only were all seventy or eighty of the older disciples coming, but what were these hundred-plus new disciples doing, crashing the party?

This was about facing eerie beings directly. Did they think he was taking them to an all-you-can-eat buffet?
You’ve only learned Taoist techniques for two or three days, haven’t even memorized the incantations fully, and now you want to fight eerie beings?

Seeing the eager disciples, Zhang Xuanjing coughed and said with a serious expression, “Everyone, calm down. This is about vanquishing demons and defending the Dao, not taking everyone on a sightseeing tour.”

However, his words didn’t seem to calm the disciples; instead, they grew even more excited.

A new disciple spoke up: “With the Honored Celestial Master here, isn’t it just sightseeing? This is a rare opportunity, Senior Brother Xuanjing, please take us!”

Although this statement lacked logic, Zhang Xuanjing actually had no rebuttal.

But the choice was his; if he said no, then it was no.

Among the older disciples, those with tasks to attend to should stay; the rest could go directly.

Among the new disciples, Zhang Xuanjing selected thirty with decent talent. He didn’t expect them to contribute much; it was more about giving them a chance to see the world.

The rest should go about their business.

Zhang Xuanjing had his own considerations; this trip represented Dragon Tiger Mountain.

You newcomers who’ve only practiced for a few days, stop trying to make up the numbers!

However, Zhang Xuanjing also knew how to dangle a carrot. He told them to take this opportunity to cultivate properly. Next time the Honored Celestial Master led a group, they could sign up then.

This greatly stimulated the disciples’ potential. If they didn’t work hard, they wouldn’t even qualify to join the group!

In the reception hall, Zhang Yangqing glanced at Su Muyu and said, “Senior Brother, don’t you have anything to say?”

Zhang Yangqing thought Senior Brother had come to advise him on safety matters.

However, Su Muyu said, “Take it easy when you strike. Don’t damage the public facilities in the surrounding cities; we don’t have the money to pay for repairs.”

Zhang Yangqing: “…”