I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 196
Chapter 196: With His Level of Power, Does He Even Need to Explain?
7:30 AM. Snowflakes drifted down continuously from the sky.
The horizon showed a slight hint of brightness, but in this polar night environment, visibility was still very low.
The chosen ones exhaled puffs of mist, gazing at the dim, white expanse before them, wondering how many terrifying things lay hidden on the journey ahead.
This journey seemed dangerous, and in reality, it wasn’t safe either.
The nameless mountain village behind them was, to be precise, just the beginning.
Even so, the chosen ones pressed on through the wind and snow, following the bearded team leader’s lead, persevering.
After a day of getting to know each other, everyone has gained a certain understanding of each other’s abilities.
Ordinary people like the Pyramid Nation’s chosen one, Rahman, were positioned in the center of the team.
The climbing team proceeded in a standard formation towards the next destination on the map.
Walking at the very front was naturally the bearded team leader. He needed to judge the distance and pace, ensure the route was correct, and test for pitfalls underfoot.
He also had to deal with sudden dangers. It was no simple task; most people couldn’t do what he did.
Without him, the vast majority of chosen ones would be unable to reach the end relying solely on a map.
So, unconsciously, everyone began to develop a sense of trust in him.
In the second position was the purple-eyed woman who called herself a Magician, though Rahman felt she was more like a Mage.
He could ask the magic book later when he had time.
The purple-eyed woman had some assist and interference abilities, serving as support in the second position.
Rahman was in the third position, a protected spot.
After all, at this stage, apart from being able to provide some rules-related insights from the side, he had no other uses.
The fourth position was the fitness trainer, the bespectacled man, carrying a lot of luggage.
The fifth position was naturally the chef, the slicked-back hair man, who had considerable combat prowess.
This was the configuration of the climbing team for most chosen ones.
Ordinary superhumans took the second position. If danger arose, they could react promptly, allowing the purple-eyed Magician to provide support from the third position.
Stronger chosen ones like Gretchenko walked at the back, responsible for being the last line of defense.
As for where the Dragon Nation’s Heavenly Master was?
Well, he hadn’t woken up yet!
It was now 8:30 AM. While other chosen ones had been trekking through the snow for an hour, this one was still asleep in the village.
One had to wonder if he was incredibly carefree or truly unafraid.
Viewers from the Dragon Nation even started a poll, not discussing whether Heavenly Master Zhang was in danger,
but guessing when he would wake up.
: I think Heavenly Master Zhang will sleep until he wakes up naturally. I’ll guess 9 AM.
: Isn’t anyone going to wake Heavenly Master Zhang? I think the climbing team might have left! I guess 10 AM!
: Probably not. Heavenly Master Zhang didn’t tell the climbing team about the dangerous things. They don’t know what time to leave, so they’re probably still asleep too. I think 10:30 AM!
: You’re thinking too small. I think Heavenly Master Zhang will probably stick around for lunch. I’ll say 2 PM.
: If it’s already 2 PM, might as well have some tea first. Probably won’t leave until 4 or 5 PM.
: If you put it that way, I think Heavenly Master Zhang can rest for another day and leave tomorrow. There’s no danger anyway.
Watching the viewers posting comments early in the morning, Xiao Xuan from Mount Longhu felt somewhat depressed.
Why do I have to get up so early to cultivate, while the Heavenly Master is still sleeping in!
But he only grumbled in his heart, not daring to say it out loud, and certainly not daring to stir up trouble with the senior disciples.
He knew that if he said one bad word about the Heavenly Master, he didn’t even dare to imagine how the Heavenly Master would beat him to a pulp upon returning.
So, it was better to just cultivate diligently.
“Ah, I get it now. No wonder the Heavenly Master would rather stay in the strange tale world than come out. Once I’ve cultivated to a certain level, I’m going in too!”
Thinking of this, Xiao Xuan cultivated even more assiduously.
It seemed he had finally grasped how Zhang Yangqing managed to be so lazy.
After all, at Mount Longhu, despite Zhang Yangqing’s leisurely appearance, there were still many tasks to handle.
But in the strange tale world, he was truly free to do as he pleased, with no one to manage him, not even bothering with morning exercises.
Others saw the strange tale world as dangerous, but Zhang Yangqing saw it as a place to slack off.
No wonder Xiao Xuan’s comprehension was so high; he actually managed to understand this point.
Inside the strange tale world, Zhang Yangqing had slept a full eight hours.
It was almost 9 AM when Zhang Yangqing finally woke up.
If other chosen ones woke up at this hour, it would basically be equivalent to waiting for death.
The villagers usually woke up around 8 AM. By the time Zhang Yangqing woke, the blizzard had long since ceased.
He could even hear a commotion outside the house, including some voices familiar to Zhang Yangqing.
“The deaths in your temple have nothing to do with us. We didn’t do anything last night.”
“Didn’t do anything? How can you prove it? Our village has always been peaceful. It wasn’t until you arrived that five bodies appeared. If it wasn’t you, who was it?”
“You’re being unreasonable. Just because people died, you blame us? Let us leave immediately!”
“Stop with the useless talk. I think you’re trying to flee because you have a guilty conscience.”
The arguing continued incessantly, and the tension was rising.
At this point, the four members of the climbing team were surrounded by over a dozen villagers.
It looked like a fight could break out at any moment.
Moreover, these villagers were no longer as friendly as when they first arrived. They were all baring their teeth, brandishing their claws, and the aura emanating from them was quite terrifying.
Even a strong individual like the bearded team leader was feeling overwhelmed; he really didn’t want to die here.
But here was the problem: the village was surrounded by mist. He had just checked and couldn’t find a way out.
Seeing that his teammates seemed to be getting angry, the bearded team leader tried to calm everyone down, urging them not to act impulsively.
They were on someone else’s turf; causing trouble here wouldn’t end well, especially since they were outnumbered.
But the bearded team leader noticed the villagers’ eyes held a bloodthirsty glint, as if they were looking for an excuse to keep them here in order to kill them.
Before things completely broke down, both sides were testing each other’s strength.
This was a dilemma. If they couldn’t find a suitable reason, a major battle was inevitable.
Just then, Zhang Yangqing leisurely walked out of the house.
He yawned, ignored the menacing villagers, and asked his teammates, “What’s going on? Shouldn’t we be setting off?”
“These people are strange. Five people died in their temple, but it wasn’t us who killed them. Why are they using that as an excuse to detain us?”
The purple-eyed woman complained, her delicate face full of displeasure, as if she had been wronged.
If it weren’t for the bearded team leader constantly telling her to endure, and if not for the surrounding mist, she would have already taken action.
Zhang Yangqing nodded and replied, “You guys didn’t kill them. I did.”
Teammates: “…”
Well, well, well. So it was you.
All our explanations were in vain!
But thinking about it, it made sense. Only you have that capability. The rest of us struggle to fight one or two.
You really do whatever you want, don’t you?
The bearded team leader felt somewhat helpless. He didn’t know whether to call you honest or say you couldn’t read the situation.
Even if you did kill them, you shouldn’t admit it.
Now look, we don’t even have a chance to explain.
After Zhang Yangqing spoke, he immediately attracted most people’s attention.
Even the villagers who were unwelcoming to outsiders came out of their houses, glaring fiercely at the climbing team.
It seemed Zhang Yangqing had triggered some hidden rule.
These villagers who were unwelcoming to outsiders could help the chosen ones leave.
But the prerequisite was that the chosen ones had not harmed any villagers.
If the chosen ones had harmed villagers, they wouldn’t help; instead, they would try to kill the chosen ones.
This made the viewers who were watching the drama feel a bit anxious.
: This isn’t good. Even Heavenly Master Zhang might not be able to dispel the rule-based mist, right?
: According to the rules, the only way to get through the mist is to be driven out by those other villagers, right? What do we do now?
: I think Heavenly Master Zhang can probably dispel it with a single hand seal. How difficult could it be?
: If all else fails, Heavenly Master Zhang can just tear this whole place down. I refuse to believe he can’t get out.
: You’re overthinking it. See how confident Heavenly Master Zhang looks? If he hadn’t considered this, would he have acted?
: I sense something. Maybe last night, Heavenly Master Zhang already knew how to leave.
Just as viewers outside were heated discussion what other methods could be used to escape, the bearded team leader walked up to Zhang Yangqing and said quietly, “Then what should we do?”
After all, you were the one who killed them; you must have a plan.
Otherwise, we’ll all be doomed because of you.
Even if other teammates wanted to complain about Zhang Yangqing killing people recklessly, now was not the time for internal conflict.
What they didn’t know was that it was precisely because Zhang Yangqing had killed those people that they were able to sleep peacefully last night.
But hearing the bearded team leader’s question, Zhang Yangqing replied very casually, “What should we do? Just leave. Who can stop us?”
When Zhang Yangqing said this, the villagers’ faces showed expressions of disdain, ready to mock him for overestimating himself.
But before they could speak, the expressions on their faces froze.
Because these villagers, who were powerful in the eyes of other chosen ones, witnessed something unbelievable.
Zhang Yangqing wasn’t one to bother explaining things to ants.
He didn’t hold back either, summoning the Ink Dragon Flying Sword.
The moment the flying sword appeared, the phantom of a divine dragon manifested between heaven and earth!
The dragon’s roar shook the heavens, making all living things tremble.
As Zhang Yangqing channeled a bit of spiritual energy into the Ink Dragon Flying Sword, the entire blade erupted with a terrifying wave of energy.
Vast sword energy roared; mighty sword intent surged forth!
Just seeing this scene was enough to make countless people tremble with fear.
Zhang Yangqing simply swung the sword lightly towards the statue. A dazzling, world-illuminating sword ray, accompanied by the phantom of the divine dragon, poured forth from his hand!
The sword moved, astonishing the world!
The sword energy collided with the protective light emitted by the statue.
Boom! Rumble!
The sound of the collision reverberated throughout the surroundings!
In this village, even touching the statue was a taboo.
Anyone who dared to damage the statue directly was committing an unforgivable act.
It wasn’t that these villagers didn’t want to stop Zhang Yangqing from destroying it; they simply didn’t have the ability.
From the moment the Ink Dragon Flying Sword released the dragon phantom, it was as if they had seen something terrifying, and they were already terrified.
The powerful pressure made them unable to move.
However arrogant they were with other chosen ones, that’s how Humble they were in front of Zhang Yangqing.
They could only watch helplessly as Zhang Yangqing destroyed the statue, with no means to stop him.
The temple collapsed in an instant. The statue’s protective light bloomed, but in front of the sword energy, it was as fragile as tofu.
As the sword energy descended, not only were the statue and the ground split in two, but even the distant mountain was cleaved apart, collapsing on the spot.
As the statue shattered, the surrounding mist dissipated, vanishing without a trace.
This amazed the climbing team members; they didn’t know how Zhang Yangqing had figured this out.
Actually, this wasn’t written in the rules, but there were clues.
Because when the climbing team arrived at the village, there was no mist.
The mist appeared after 12 AM, which was when those five villagers went to see the village chief.
From this, Zhang Yangqing deduced that they must have made some pact with the village chief, or perhaps with this statue, allowing the statue to create a maze to trap the climbers.
No matter how they did it, if I destroy the statue, wouldn’t that solve the problem?
Actually, in this place, the statue was a relatively neutral entity.
This could be judged from the village chief’s attitude towards the chosen ones. No matter who made a request, as long as they offered something, he would do his best to fulfill it within his authority.
Zhang Yangqing could also have requested the statue to dispel the mist as a way to leave the village.
If other chosen ones were trapped here, this would be the solution.
But Zhang Yangqing felt it was unnecessary. Whoever wanted to use that method could go ahead; he had a more direct approach.
The energy released by Zhang Yangqing’s sword strike forced the bearded team leader back over a dozen steps before he could barely steady himself.
The other climbers were also terrified, retreating even farther.
This showed that the bearded team leader was indeed quite powerful and had hidden depths.
The climbing team members stared wide-eyed at Zhang Yangqing. Now they understood why this big brother admitted to the killings so directly and boldly, without explanation.
With his level of power, he simply didn’t need to explain.
Anyone who dared question him would be dead the next second.
As for how the villagers viewed this sword strike, they naturally viewed it while lying face down in the snow.
They were truly afraid that Zhang Yangqing might, in a fit of displeasure, cut them all down.
Because the power of this sword strike made everyone realize that if he wanted to, no one could survive.
“What are you standing around for? Let’s go.”
Zhang Yangqing urged, as if he had just done a minor deed, not particularly concerned.
He swept his gaze around, as if telling these bloodthirsty and cruel villagers, “So what if I killed them? Go ahead and try to stop me.”
The villagers shrank back in fear, some even burying their heads in the snow, not daring to meet Zhang Yangqing’s eyes.
Under the watchful eyes of most villagers, the climbing team members left openly through the village gate.
The purple-eyed woman even made a face at the villagers, venting her earlier frustration.
Only when Zhang Yangqing’s figure completely disappeared from the villagers’ sight did they dare to stand up.
Seeing the fissure in the ground, they still felt a lingering fear.
“Heavens, what kind of monster entered our village last night?”
Perhaps in others’ eyes, these villagers were terrifying monsters.
But in the villagers’ eyes, Zhang Yangqing was the truly fearsome existence.
Watching the climbing team set off again, the viewers began another heated discussion.
: I don’t know if the villagers are scared, but the hidden strange entity in the climbing team is probably truly terrified now.
: Whoa, I almost forgot there’s a strange entity in the climbing team. I wonder what the strange entity thought upon seeing Heavenly Master Zhang’s sword strike.
: If there are two strange entities in the team, one might ask the other if they pressed the surrender button, and the other would probably say it was the first one who initiated it.
: I think everyone shouldn’t be too optimistic. Because even Heavenly Master Zhang can’t withstand the negative buff from the icy wilderness. If the strange entity decides to go down fighting and leads Heavenly Master Zhang down the wrong path, then things might not end well.
: The strange entity in this round hasn’t made a move yet, surely planning something. If Heavenly Master Zhang keeps this up, the strange entity probably won’t be able to sit still.
Some viewers seemed to have guessed why Zhang Yangqing did this.
If his goal was merely to destroy the temple or dispel the mist, there was no need to use such overwhelming force.
After all, no matter how dangerous this place was, it was just a small village.
Zhang Yangqing’s purpose in doing this was likely to send a message to the strange entity within the team.
By now, the hidden strange entity in the team was probably feeling restless and about to make a choice.
The reason the strange entity hadn’t acted yet was because it felt confident it could ‘control’ the team.
It seemed everything was proceeding according to the strange entity’s plan.
So it wasn’t in a hurry to kill its teammates yet; it still needed to use them to complete certain tasks.
But since Zhang Yangqing displayed his power, the real teammates would try to verify Zhang Yangqing’s identity.
Then they would seek this big brother’s help. By that time, it wouldn’t be so easy for the strange entity to act.
At this point, the strange entity had two choices: either find a suitable place to eliminate Zhang Yangqing first, to remove this great threat.
If the strange entity was smart, it would take the initiative to curry favor with Zhang Yangqing, win his trust, and only then would it have a chance to eliminate him.
As long as they had this thought, Zhang Yangqing, as the core, would be able to see many things clearly.
As for whether Zhang Yangqing would take action to eliminate the strange entity in the team, that would depend on his judgment.
Despite being the last team to depart, their speed was not slow at all.
While other teams had set off earlier, they encountered many troubles along the way.
The team of the Pyramid Nation’s chosen one, Rahman, encountered a polar white bear out foraging on their path.
This polar white bear stood about eight meters tall, with a robust build. The fur covering its body was incredibly resilient, and it looked immensely powerful.
The powerful bite force in its jaws gave the impression of a one-hit kill.
Rahman’s team had to fight while retreating, barely managing to escape from the polar white bear’s clutches after a series of battles.
Everyone seemed to take care of Rahman, knowing he couldn’t fight well, and covered him as they detoured.
Because the bearded team leader judged that polar white bears usually came in pairs. Since one was here, the other should be nearby.
If they attacked this one now, it might sense danger and call for help, bringing the second one.
Then it would be difficult to escape.
In this icy wilderness, everyone trusted the bearded team leader’s judgment.
They managed to escape the polar white bear’s attack, albeit with some fright.
As for the climbing team Zhang Yangqing was in, before the bearded team leader could even introduce the creature before them, Zhang Yangqing struck with his sword, and the polar white bear died on the spot.
The beast didn’t even have a chance to call for backup before it died.
This could be considered leaving a way out for its mate; otherwise, it would have been a double kill.
Seeing this, the bearded team leader simply gave up on saying anything.
Then the team members began to pack the polar white bear.
They needed to replenish their food supplies.
They weren’t sure if the villagers’ food was edible, but this wild creature would definitely make a good meal.
The slicked-back hair man was the first to step up, saying that once they reached a place with shelter, he would definitely prepare an excellent bear paw feast for everyone.
As a chef, he certainly had the skills to try and please Zhang Yangqing.
The five of them divided up the polar white bear and continued on their way.
Even though Zhang Yangqing woke up late, he never took detours. He went straight ahead, dealing with any danger with a single move.
Many so-called dangers died before they could even react.
Who asked this guy to strike without the slightest hesitation?
Around 4 PM, viewers were surprised to find that Heavenly Master Zhang, who had started the latest, was now in the lead.
This was the difference between taking the direct route and taking detours.
And by this time, the chosen ones one after another arrived at a cliff’s edge.
Before them lay a bottomless abyss.
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