Chapter 466: This Team's Playstyle Is a Bit Underhanded

"Bang!"

This punch didn't just smash into the top of the white-clad man's head; it felt as if it had struck the two women standing opposite him as well.

Their faces drained of color. Neither could believe the white-clad man had lost in less than a minute.

And lost so miserably.

Judging by his opponent's casual demeanor and the faint white steam wafting from his body, he hardly seemed to have exerted himself.

But before the two women could react, Mo Lian sprinted forward like a shadow clinging to the ground, instantly slipping behind them.

"Hand over your things!"

Two curved blades looped around their necks, the edges pressed flush against their skin.

"Or you can gamble on whether my blades are faster than your Crystal Stones pulling you out of the Dungeon."

Both women instinctively closed their eyes at the icy steel biting into their throats.

"I'll give you three seconds."

"Slash!!!"

There wasn't a "one" to count down to at all.

Mo Lian's eyes turned ruthless as she violently dragged her blades across. Steaming blood sprayed like a burst water pipe.

This was what the group had agreed upon beforehand: no matter what, they had to strike hard against the first group they encountered.

The loot itself wasn't the point.

They needed to find out exactly what the Crystal Stones could do.

This wasn't just to figure out how to trap targets later; it would help them better gauge their own timing for exiting the Dungeon.

"Our bottom line is that everyone leaves safely."

Based on this principle set by Yan Jing, Mo Lian made her move.

The two women made completely different choices in that split second.

One of them seemed to have sensed Mo Lian's killing intent a fraction earlier, frantically dumping everything from her waist pouch and inventory.

"It's all here!"

She screamed, and Mo Lian held back from delivering a fatal cut.

A moment later, a flash of white light erupted, and her figure vanished.

The other woman, however, failed to react in time. She didn't shudder until Mo Lian's Dagger had already bitten deep into her neck. White light flared around her as well, pulling her out of the Dungeon.

"These Crystal Stones are way more effective than I imagined."

Mo Lian wasn't too discouraged by her failure to keep either of them behind.

It was just an experiment, after all.

Discovering just how much leeway the Crystal Stones offered for escape was an unexpected bonus.

"We all entered together from the villa district," Zhao Dongchuan said. "I already had Xiao Ran prepare a medical team and supplies in advance."

"Good." Yan Jing nodded.

"Captain, what do we do with this guy?" Wang Gang walked over to the white-clad man and looked down before raising her head. "Kill him?"

Hearing those words from a girl with such a fair, innocent face felt incredibly jarring.

The men nearby twitched their eyebrows in unison. None of them had ever been to the Steel Plains, but Wang Gang was a walking testament to its local customs.

Yan Jing shook his head. "I promised his side there wouldn't be any life-and-death stakes."

"Fine..."

Wang Gang sighed, sounding quite disappointed.

Yan Jing suddenly pivoted. "Strip him first."

Everyone else: ???

A few minutes later, stripped down to nothing but his underwear, Fist felt a freezing chill against his neck. His body involuntarily shivered, and his eyes snapped open.

Seeing Yan Jing across from him, his pupils trembled. The last thing he'd seen before passing out flashed through his mind again, and he subconsciously raised his right hand, almost triggering a trauma response.

Thankfully, he managed to restrain himself. He stood up and gave Yan Jing a slight bow. "Thank you for sparing my life, sir."

"Don't mention it. Just hand over the things you grabbed earlier, and we're good."

Yan Jing smiled.

The man chuckled and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Sir, although this might be a bit despicable..."

A Crystal Stone materialized in his hand.

White light began to bloom from it. The man smiled. Even if it was shameful to admit, winners are kings, losers are bandits. At least he was walking away with some spoils.

That was, until...

"So this is Fist!!!"

In Wang Gang's hands was a device that looked like a tablet. Qi Ming's figure appeared on the screen, pointing at the white-clad man's stripped body on the ground. "Top one hundred on the Yueyin regional leaderboards! A traditional figure from the Self Faction! Look at these lean muscles, look at these powerful thighs, look at this—"

Staring at the video, Fist finally realized what was happening. His eyes widened. Feeling the cold wind blowing across his bare skin, he looked down at himself, his breathing growing rapid.

"You hooligans!!!"

He screamed. The white light in his hand dissipated on its own as pitch-black weird energy surged to cover his exposed body.

"Although it might be a bit despicable..." Yan Jing smiled, returning his exact words.

"Cut the crap! Hand the stuff over, or we're packaging these photos and videos and blasting them all over the internet!"

Mo Lian glared at him. Perhaps she had spent too much time in Bianliu County, because her demeanor was steadily aligning with the local residents—exceptionally "rustic."

"You... you... you people..."

The white-clad man shook with anger.

In the end, left with no other choice, he surrendered his entire haul.

"Is that it?" Mo Lian's eyes bulged.

"That's it." The white-clad man's face was grim.

"I don't believe you! Let me check." Mo Lian reached toward him.

"I really don't have anything else!" The man frantically dodged, utterly exasperated. "You bunch of bandits! How can people be this shameless?!"

"Shut up. Keep whining and our boss will beat you up again!" Mo Lian played the part of a bully riding her boss's coattails to absolute perfection.

After confirming that he probably didn't have anything good left, she sighed in disgust. "You're broke as hell. Damn, even as a beggar in Bianliu County, nobody would want you."

"..." The man wanted to weep but had no tears.

How the hell could people like this exist?

Having one was bad enough, but there were actually five more just like her!

Finally, nursing a massive psychological trauma, he exited the Dungeon.

"That was a great move, Boss."

Mo Lian carried the loot pillaged from the man back to Yan Jing. Blinking her large eyes, she put on a fawning expression. "Adding what we got from that woman earlier, we have seven items in total. Six of them contain a heart of reaching the summit. The last one is a bit weird."

"A bit weird?"

Yan Jing took a Bronze Key from her hands.

It looked like a gate key from a wealthy ancient household. It was about the size of a palm, and aside from its bronze texture, it felt no different from an ordinary key.

[Item Name: A Key]

[Usable Tier: ???]

[Item Effect: ???]

[Item Description: An artifact not belonging to this era. The passage of time has not altered its will. Even today, it remains steadfast in its mission.]

Yan Jing read the system description and tested it with a trace of weird energy, immediately feeling a strong wave of rejection radiate from the key.

Evidently, Mo Lian had tried the same thing earlier, which was why she called it weird.

After a moment of thought, he activated the Stone Immortal's Stone State. The weird energy around his body gradually retracted.

The very instant he entered the Stone State, the key in his palm moved. Under everyone's astonished gazes, it slowly levitated from Yan Jing's hand and floated there like a Compass needle, pointing in a specific direction.

Yan Jing's expression remained calm. "Split the loot. Let's go take a look."

He wasn't overly excited. The fake map incident from before was still unresolved.

This God Storage Land harbored incredibly deep secrets.

Whatever this key unlocked might not necessarily be a treasure.

Surface World.

[The player with the honorary title Ice has defeated Heng.]

[The player with the honorary title Colossus has defeated Thousand Gold.]

[The player with the honorary title Hongmao and the player with the honorary title Angler have tied.]

The crowds in the Surface World stared at the new lines of text appearing on the ranking board, yet surprisingly, there wasn't much discussion about them.

It was all because of a single line that had popped up a few minutes ago.

[The player with the honorary title Yi has achieved a crushing victory over Fist.]

A crushing victory.

Not just "defeated."

This was the first time anyone had seen this exact phrasing.

And according to the intelligence groups tracking the live comments: "From start to finish, it took less than a minute."

"Holy shit, that's Yan Jing, right? This is insane. Absolutely insane."

"This guy is on a completely different dimension from everyone else. He did it effortlessly."

"You can't say that for sure. Maybe Fist was just weak."

"Impossible. I know for a fact that Fist is in the top ten of the Fifth Ring Domain's seeds." Someone leaked an earth-shattering piece of information, instantly detonating the comment section once again.

Soon enough, people discovered that the person who spoke was ranked 33rd among the seeds of the Fifth Ring Domain.

Due to personal reasons, he had used a Dungeon Selection Voucher and an extension ticket to opt out of this ranking Dungeon.

"This... this is a bit too exaggerated..."

"It's fine. Yan Jing is from our Fifth Ring Domain too! Where are my Fifth Ring Domain brothers at?"

"1"

"1"

"1"

"Fifth Ring Domain is badass!"

"I'm heading out for a bit," Shen Youran suddenly said, standing up from the sofa.

Lin Xiaoran and Ren Tongtong watched her go. They exchanged a glance before tacitly shifting their eyes back to the screen.

—

"Beep—beep—beep—" The call connected. Shen Youran tried her hardest to control her trembling voice. "Did you see it?"

"...Yeah," Wang Zhongmian's deep voice came from the other end.

"What did I say!"

Shen Youran pumped her fist hard in the air. "What did I say!!"

"What did I tell you!!!"

Her voice rose to a shout before gradually falling back to a normal volume, as though she had finally exhaled a breath she'd been holding in for far too long.

She had known all along that this man could exceed everyone's expectations.

Even though his opponent wasn't the entire world like she had envisioned, she knew this was only the beginning. "I knew Xiao Yanzi could do it."

"..." Wang Zhongmian let out a long sigh. "Getting to this point is enough, little Shen."

"Don't let him go any further."

"I'll admit I misjudged him. But the rules governing this world don't work the way you think they do. Didn't you already experience this firsthand years ago?"

"Certain positions and certain places have all been preordained by others."

"If you want to win, fine. But you have to win according to their plans."

"If you want revenge, that's fine too. Wait until Mu Yi is past his prime. Wait until he falls out of favor, and wait until that boy's value surpasses his. When that time comes, you won't even need to say a word—someone will naturally step in to help you win."

"But not now, little Shen."

"Not right now."

"..." Shen Youran fell silent for a few seconds before answering plainly. "You don't need to worry about the rest, Old Wang."

"Xiao Yanzi's path won't end in Yueyin."

"Everyone else, myself included, only needs to be a good audience member on this journey."

"I believe in him, and I only believe in him."

Hearing the absolute resolve in her tone, Wang Zhongmian sighed heavily. He wanted to say more, but she had already hung up.

What he didn't know was that after hanging up, Shen Youran reached into her pajama pocket.

Inside was a ticket.

It was a ticket her father and mother had left for her.

According to her parents, this ticket could take her anywhere beyond the borders.

She had already braced herself for every possible outcome.

Yan Jing had to keep moving forward.

She believed in him.

Even if she was no longer around.

He would still help fulfill the promise between them.

"Mom, Dad..."

Lowering her eyes, she whispered, "I'm coming to find you."

"Oh-ho, looks like things didn't go your way." The Tiger-Skin Skirt Woman gloated a little. Even though Jin Yao from her side had also lost, she cared more about what the figure hidden beneath the white veil was thinking.

After all, the current description for the First Ring Domain on Yueyin's side read:

[The team led by the player with the honorary title Full Moon is straying further and further down the wrong path.]

"...I don't know what you're talking about."

The woman beneath the white veil spoke softly.

However, the other two people in the room acutely caught the gnashing of her teeth and offered faint smiles in response.

"This place doesn't look like a trap."

Mo Lian peered cautiously at the massive Ice Cavern halfway up the mountain ahead.

The group was currently hiding inside an igloo created by Zhou Xian, its exterior masked by a cloaking system that Wang Gang had brought.

They had already ventured into the cavern to investigate, discovering a massive bronze gate inside.

There were three locks on the gate, meaning three keys were required.

But they only had one.

Logic dictated that they should go search for the remaining keys.

However, Yan Jing clearly wasn't one to play by the rules. He ordered everyone to rest where they were and prepare to spend the night.

As the night deepened, Mo Lian's eyes suddenly narrowed. She quickly made a hand signal to the people behind her.

"Someone's coming."

Qi Ming leaned close to the observation slit. He spotted several figures approaching from the distance, glancing around warily as they headed straight for the Ice Cavern.

The woman leading them wore a long, azure-blue gown. Perhaps due to a recent battle, her dress was heavily wrinkled and even torn in places. Her arm was injured as well, making her movements appear somewhat stiff.

But Qi Ming's gaze was primarily fixed on her palm.

Hovering right there was a key, identical to the one they had acquired earlier.

He had no idea what method she had used, but she had actually managed to activate the key as well.

"Do we strike?"

Mo Lian formed a set of hand seals and looked to Yan Jing.

But Yan Jing simply signaled for them to keep waiting.

The figures walked into the Ice Cavern.

And very quickly, they walked right back out.

The woman frowned. Evidently, the requirement of three keys posed a problem for her too.

Seeing that the woman was about to leave...

Mo Lian signaled to ask one more time.

But Yan Jing's order was still to wait.

Mo Lian nodded and went back to observing. A moment later, the corners of her mouth curled up.

The team led by the woman had surprisingly chosen to set up camp on the spot as well. Using a similar method of camouflage, they clearly had the same idea: lie in wait.

Just like that, both teams waited in the snow, hoping to try their luck on the first night.

Yan Jing's plan was simple: if the third key didn't show up by tomorrow morning, they would make their move then.

Truthfully, the odds weren't in their favor. The Glacial Region spanned over a dozen kilometers in length and width; a key wouldn't be easy to find. And even if someone did find it, they might not have the means to activate it.

Thus, the night passed.

However, right as the sky was beginning to brighten at dawn, Wang Gang, who was on watch duty, woke everyone up.

"They're here, they're here." Yan Jing focused his gaze and spotted a familiar figure.

The man leading the group had regular features with large eyes and thick brows. His long crimson hair flared upward like a roaring inferno, hovering in midair, and a flame-shaped mark rested perfectly between his eyebrows.

It was the Beast Lord's Eleventh Monarch, the one who had fought during the war of the three domains.

"Wait for them to fight."

Very soon, things unfolded exactly as Yan Jing had predicted.

The moment the man led his team into the Ice Cavern, the woman in the azure gown charged out with her squad, blocking the exit.

An explosive battle instantly erupted.

6v6.

It was a true melee.

Snow was swept high into the air, scattering wildly under the howling, frigid winds and plummeting visibility to near zero.

"Move out."

Yan Jing ordered the rest of his team.

He waved his Paintbrush.

Except for Qi Ming, everyone's outward appearance shifted and changed.

And then...

His trait, the ability to control sound, activated.

Every sound they made was completely silenced.

Under the cover of the raging blizzard, the group slipped right into the chaotic clash of the century.

An unknown amount of time passed.

The relentless brawl finally drew to a close as the first rays of morning light broke through.

In the end, the azure-gowned woman and the crimson-haired man struck a temporary truce.

By now, counting the two leaders, both teams only had four members remaining each. Aside from the leaders themselves, everyone else was grievously injured.

"Let's find the third key first."

The woman took a deep breath, her pale blue lips moving slightly. "If we find it and get inside, we split the loot evenly."

"Deal."

The man let out a hearty laugh.

Just as the two were finalizing their agreement...

The rest of the team heard Yan Jing's voice ring out, completely unmasked.

"Let the two of them scout ahead and die first."

"If we're spotted, attack immediately."

"Pin them down before you take the photos."

"Stay on high alert."

Everyone replied softly, "Understood."

Meanwhile, the two leaders continued their conversation, utterly oblivious.