I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 183

Chapter 183: Do I Look Like the Kind of Person Who Would Act Recklessly?

Inside a bizarre residential building, the sewer pipes had burst.

Water continuously flowed from the pipes, leaving the entire building damp and humid.

It was the perfect place for paranormal entities to reside.

Many such entities had already moved in.

They seemed to have settled in comfortably, even treating the place as their own home.

Today, however, a group of uninvited guests arrived at the dwelling of these entities.

A nimble Taoist quietly placed a Prison-Shattering Talisman on the door of a unit inhabited by entities.

With a thunderous shout, a deafening explosion rocked the residential building.

By the time the entities were startled awake, several Taoists bathed in golden light had already charged inside.

As they fought, they chanted, “By the Decree of the Supreme Elder, we eradicate the unnatural!”

The rooms echoed with unwilling screams, curses, and the clashing hum of collisions.

The humanoid entities spewed venomous resentment, questioning why these powerful Taoists disturbed their rest in their own territory.

The Taoist masters showed no mercy. “We’re just sending you back where you belong!”

On a broad street stood a massive swimming pool complex, surrounded by over forty Taoists from Longhu Mountain.

Led personally by Zhang Xuanjing, they faced terrifying entities hidden within—all of them fierce ghosts, far beyond the ability of ordinary Taoists to handle.

Master Huikong, carrying a camera, found a good spot to document the battle.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out one after another, followed by the sound of the swimming pool complex collapsing, shaking the entire area.

Zhang Xuanjing judged that the entities inside were extremely powerful. Charging in recklessly would invite ambushes.

In an unfamiliar environment, entering an uncertain location under sudden attack would inevitably lead to losses.

Since there were no rules here, he adopted the mindset of the Heavenly Master—the same approach used for the nuclear power plant.

If they had the power to destroy it outright, why bother going in?

Thinking this, he found the Heavenly Master’s method wonderfully straightforward.

He gathered several junior brothers skilled in high-level Taoist arts and began bombarding the swimming pool complex.

As the massive structure crumbled, countless fierce ghosts inside were killed or injured.

Those that survived emerged from the ruins—horrifying deep-sea creatures rising abruptly.

The sight of these bizarre, monstrous entities put immense pressure on the younger Taoists nearby.

Especially the appearance of a half-human, muscular figure with a shark’s head, dripping wet.

Its terrifying aura, saw-like teeth, and copper-bell-sized eyes…

Seeing such a horrifying visage in the pitch-black night…

Made the newly initiated disciples’ hearts race.

With a roar, it seemed to summon all nearby entities.

It was undoubtedly the area’s boss!

And those terrifying creatures swarmed in from all directions.

But at that moment, a thunderclap shook the very heavens!
A golden lightning bolt shot into the sky, instantly becoming the most fearsome presence in the area.

“Perfect timing! Die together!”

Zhang Xuanjing struck decisively, obliterating the shark-headed entity with a single move.

Pierced through by golden light and lightning, the shark-headed entity fell powerless onto the rubble.

In death, its large eyes remained wide open, as if realizing it had encountered a top-tier combatant.

Otherwise, with its abilities, how could it have been instantly killed?

But the shark-headed entity overthought it—the truly top-tier fighter hadn’t even made a move.

As a disciple personally trained by the Old Heavenly Master and tempered by Zhang Yangqing’s harsh lessons…

Zhang Xuanjing’s power had reached a terrifying level.

A low-level evolved mutant entity was no match for him.

Just because he couldn’t defeat Zhang Yangqing didn’t mean he was weak!
In the eyes of the other disciples, he was the formidable expert second only to one on Longhu Mountain.

Zhang Xuanjing’s move boosted morale. Seeing their senior brother unleashing chaos…

The Longhu Mountain Taoists unleashed their own Taoist arts, slaughtering the approaching entities.

In an instant, the entire street erupted into fierce combat.

The Longhu Mountain Taoists fought with frenzied determination, their momentum overwhelming the horde of entities!

The commotion at the swimming pool complex attracted the attention of other entity bosses.

A monstrous tiger-shark humanoid hurried toward the scene.

Suddenly, sensing danger, it swiftly dodged.

The spot where it had just stood exploded.

Golden energy blasted a massive crater into the ground.

The tiger-shark entity scanned its surroundings. “Who dares block my path?”

A Taoist in robes stepped forward, his brow radiating sharp intelligence.

“This path is closed, but I can send you on your final journey.”

This was Mo Yun, one of the Old Heavenly Master’s seven disciples and Zhang Xuanjing’s junior brother, skilled in the Golden Light Curse.

Daring to fight alone, he had his own capabilities.

“Interesting. Let me test you!”

The tiger-shark entity was clearly a ruthless character, its eyes showing no fear.

Meanwhile, the appearance of an electric eel humanoid entity…

Caused trouble for Longhu Mountain Taoists specializing in thunder and Five Thunders techniques.

Seeing these Taoists frantically using golden light to block its electricity, the electric eel entity laughed mockingly. “With skills like this, you dare attack me? How overconfident.”

The electric eel entity’s body and organs had developed an insulating layer, making ordinary thunder techniques ineffective—they even charged it up.

This was its terrifying advantage. The dozen or so Taoists in this squad were clearly in trouble.

The electric eel entity grinned sinisterly and charged at them.

But at that moment, a powerful thunderclap echoed through the sky, striking the electric eel entity directly.

Initially, the electric eel entity thought some fool was trying to electrocute it again and paid no mind.

But this strike nearly split its head open, shocking it greatly.

Before it stood a Taoist with his hands behind his back.

“Such arrogance for a mere entity. Watch me capture you!”

This was Xiao Xuan, another of the Old Heavenly Master’s seven disciples, a Taoist born with the innate Xuan Thunder physique.

If not for Zhang Yangqing’s emergence, he might have competed with Zhang Xuanjing for the Heavenly Master position—his strength was evident.

He had just cleared all entities from a garden and, hearing unusual noises, rushed over.

Seeing entities attacking his fellow disciples, he unleashed his killing intent without restraint.

In his eyes, the electric eel entity was no different from a dead fish.

He looked at it with utter disdain.

Your lightning affinity is decent, but it’s far inferior to mine!

Let me show you what true thunder techniques are!
As Xiao Xuan activated his Xuan Thunder physique, lightning coiled within the clouds.

The heroic combat prowess of the Longhu Mountain Taoists left the audience spellbound.

Most viewers now realized that besides Zhang Yangqing, Longhu Mountain had many other capable experts.

But they wondered what Zhang Yangqing, who seemed to be “offline,” was doing.

Even Master Huikong hadn’t noticed when Zhang Yangqing had left.

While battles raged everywhere, a powerful figure arrived at the aquarium.

With a mere wave of his hand, chilling light radiated, sword energy sweeping forth.

All entity creatures before him were sliced into fragments—pieces of sashimi and body parts littered the ground.

The cuts were impeccably smooth. Any entity guarding the area would have its head split apart just from meeting his gaze.

His presence instilled fear in many entities nearby.

Alone, he possessed the aura to slay thousands.

Wherever the cold light flashed, something would fall.

It seemed no creature could halt his advance.

Daring to come to the most dangerous place, the aquarium, his prowess was undeniable.

He was Xu Xiu, one of the Old Heavenly Master’s seven disciples, a master swordsman.

Xu Xiu was an absolute sword fanatic; he learned nothing else but sword techniques.

He had perfected the “Green Duckweed Sword Art” to an impeccable level.

Even Zhang Xuanjing was no match for him in sword intent.
As for Zhang Yangqing—well, if Xu Xiu could defeat him, Zhang Yangqing wouldn’t be the Heavenly Master.

Nevertheless, his obsessive training method granted him extreme power.

So far, almost no entity could withstand a single strike from him.

Wherever he passed, corpses lay scattered.

As he ventured deeper into the aquarium, the entities he encountered grew stronger.

The bull-shark humanoid entity before him possessed immense strength and a diamond-hard body, truly blocking his path.

The clashing of weapons echoed incessantly; two figures flickered throughout the aquarium, leaving only afterimages in their speed.

This was the first time Xu Xiu had encountered such a troublesome opponent. The bull-shark entity’s skin wasn’t just hard—its regenerative ability was extreme.

Even if he cut its flesh, he couldn’t pierce deeper.

Every inch of its body seemed like layer upon layer of obstruction.

Each of his sword strikes felt like hacking into an ocean, meeting endless resistance.

Even if his sword temporarily entered the “sea,” it couldn’t reach the deepest depths.

If he didn’t withdraw his sword in time, it might be snapped by the entity’s regenerating body.

The bizarre scene made Xu Xiu frown gravely. But before the bull-shark entity could revel in its advantage, Xu Xiu spotted a weakness.

The bull-shark entity’s entire body was tough, except for one spot concealed by gills.

With a vertical slash mid-air, Xu Xiu feinted. The bull-shark entity’s head was its hardest part; it saw no need to dodge, planning to tank the strike and counterattack, which would surely kill Xu Xiu.

But Xu Xiu’s move was a feint. As the sword neared, he dropped into a low sprint, appearing on the entity’s left side, and thrust his sword into its gills.

The sensation of piercing flesh told him he had succeeded.

Before the bull-shark entity could react, Xu Xiu twisted and upwardly sliced with his sword, splitting its head in two from the side.

Thud!
As the bull-shark entity fell, the aquarium fell into brief silence.

Just as Xu Xiu flicked the blood off his sword and prepared to advance, applause rang out.

Following it, a figure in a uniform appeared, with the head of a great white shark.

“Not bad. Since you defeated him, you’ve proven worthy of participating in my experiments. How about it? Consider becoming one of my modified subjects? I’ll grant you limitless power.”

From the moment he appeared, Xu Xiu felt an immense pressure.

Apart from Zhang Yangqing, he rarely experienced such a feeling.

The newcomer was the curator of the aquarium in this paranormal world, the source of all entity creatures.

He delighted in splicing humans and fish to create powerful monsters.

All the powerful entities here were his creations.

Moreover, he had created an infinitely evolving creature, which he named Kun.

He had taken a liking to Xu Xiu’s body.

Not that kind of liking.

He merely wanted to decapitate Xu Xiu and replace his head with that of Kun.

This way, the powerful marine creature could survive on land and possess special abilities.

Unaware of this grotesque interest, Xu Xiu had only one goal: to train himself.

Since the curator, such a major boss, had appeared, why hold back?

The moment Xu Xiu drew his sword again, the blade hummed, sword energy slicing through the void, sweeping across the ground, a domineering aura surging!
Striking first was paramount; Xu Xiu wasn’t the type to waste words.

Facing an entity of this level, he didn’t dare be careless.

The aquarium director watched the countless sword lights raining down, standing tall and unafraid, not even attempting to dodge.

Instantly, the clang of weapons echoed around him.

Xu Xiu’s attacks had no effect whatsoever.

His flawless body was his pride.

The curator merely raised a hand, wielding it like a weapon, unleashing a terrifying energy.

Nearby mountains trembled; countless energy blades shot out, their sharp edges sending the sword-energy-clad Xu Xiu flying to the ground.

After just a few exchanges, Xu Xiu’s weapon was knocked aside.

He himself was covered in blood; given more time, he would bleed to death without further combat.

He refused to accept it. Did this creature have no weakness?
At that moment, the aquarium curator lost patience. He issued a final warning to Xu Xiu: “If you cooperate, I can preserve your consciousness. You’ll become a top-tier expert in this world.”

For some reason, Xu Xiu sighed. He picked up his fallen sword and sheathed it.

His gaze cold, he said, “I have no need to negotiate with the dead.”

The curator laughed, not in anger but amusement. “You think you’re worthy of killing me?”

Xu Xiu’s expression remained unchanged, though a trace of reluctance showed. “Heavenly Master, I must trouble you.”

Thinking Xu Xiu was bluffing to escape, the curator mocked, “Bluffing won’t save you. Even if the ‘Heavenly Master’ you speak of were here, you’d both die.”

Just as the curator struck an invincible pose, a hand landed on his shoulder—one he hadn’t even detected.

A demonic whisper sounded in his ear: “You think you’re worthy of killing me?”

Zhang Yangqing’s appearance made the curator break out in a cold sweat.

He hadn’t sensed any movement, yet someone had silently approached from behind?
If this person had ambushed him, wouldn’t he be in grave danger?

Danger? Nonexistent. If Zhang Yangqing wanted him dead, he’d have been dead already.

And why did that line sound so familiar? Wait, he used my own words against me!

Actually, if Xu Xiu had faced the curator alone, he would have fled after a few unsuccessful strikes.

He fought so persistently because he had seen Zhang Yangqing, giving him the confidence to continue.

With backup here, what was there to fear?
The curator’s expression of invincible composure finally vanished, replaced by one of terror and panic.

No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t free himself from that hand.

It was as if he were sealed in place, unable to move even a finger.

“Wait, we can talk—”

Before the curator could finish, Zhang Yangqing twisted his head off.

A firm squeeze dented the skull, harder than diamond.

A sharp tug, and the great white shark head was ripped off.

It was tossed aside like garbage.

The headless body gushed blood, filling the area with the scent of iron.

Zhang Yangqing’s ease made it seem simpler than twisting off a bottle cap.

Xu Xiu even doubted whether the shark head tossed before him was the same curator who had fought him for dozens of rounds and overpowered him.

Did the Heavenly Master just eliminate him like that?
Xu Xiu wondered if next time, he should let the Heavenly Master go through a few motions for formality’s sake.

Otherwise, his effortless display made Xu Xiu seem incompetent.

But it was just as well; no cameras were around, or he’d have been embarrassed.

As Xu Xiu prepared to offer sincere praise, he noticed Zhang Yangqing’s stern expression.

He swallowed his words and said, “Heavenly Master, I’ve disgraced you.”

Zhang Yangqing shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. But your sword intent is still far lacking. Others might have resolved this sooner. You can instantly kill what you can pierce, but against what you can’t, and without finding weaknesses, your effectiveness plummets.”

This was why Zhang Yangqing had brought them—to reveal their shortcomings.

If his goal were merely to exterminate entities, he could have come alone.

Xu Xiu pondered. “You mean I should cultivate other areas as well?”

“Unnecessary. You just haven’t reached the pinnacle. You fail to break through with overwhelming force. I’ll teach you properly upon our return.”

Receiving Zhang Yangqing’s guidance was undoubtedly beneficial.

But hearing “teach you properly” made even the usually stoic Xu Xiu uneasy.

Because Zhang Yangqing’s “proper teaching” meant brutal training.

Seeing Zhang Yangqing walk outward, Xu Xiu hesitated, then asked if they shouldn’t deal with a terrifying boss slumbering deeper inside.

Zhang Yangqing replied offhandedly, “No need. I’ll annihilate them all in a moment.”

He said it lightly, but it sent a chill down Xu Xiu’s spine.

Zhang Yangqing didn’t care what others thought. In his view, everything could be obliterated instantly—why bother searching one by one?

After a moment’s thought, Xu Xiu voiced his concern: “Heavenly Master, please be careful! Don’t act recklessly!”

He didn’t doubt Zhang Yangqing’s power; he worried about his control.

Zhang Yangqing shot him a glance. “Do I look like the kind of person who would act recklessly?”

Xu Xiu fell silent. He wanted to say: “No, you are that kind of person!”