Zhai Liu stared at Bai Yuechan's waist.
A White Jade Ocarina hung there.
At the moment, Li Yuan and the other experts were nowhere near Bai Yuechan.
Although Jiang Yue was still somewhat close, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Just as Jiang Yue followed Bai Yuechan's orders and turned to head back—
The candlelight flickered. A disheveled man in prison garb shot out from her dim shadow.
He moved with blistering speed, like an arrow from a bow.
Yun Du jolted, but when he saw the figure emerge from the shadow, his first reaction wasn't to attack. Instead, he instantly raised his right hand to check the man's identity.
Upon confirming the attacker wasn't Li Ban, he didn't hesitate, immediately preparing to activate the Ice Shield stored in his Plain Ring!
However, just as Yun Du began to circulate his spiritual breath, the blood in his heart and brain suddenly stagnated for a split second.
Though it only lasted a moment, the sensation was excruciating—as if something had burst through his blood vessels from the inside.
Bai Yuechan was a 5th Tier Spirit Practitioner brimming with spiritual breath, so his blood vessels didn't actually burst. But the anomaly kept him from deploying the Ice Shield in time.
By then, the enemy was already right in front of him.
Only then did Yun Du realize his attacker was actually the escorted prisoner, Lin Han!
Yun Du wanted to dodge, but Bai Yuechan's body had been devoted to studying curses. His martial arts had lagged behind, making his movements sluggish.
Left with no choice, Yun Du considered taking Lin Han down with him so Jiang Yue could continue transferring the Core Element.
As long as the mission was completed, the life or death of this body didn't matter.
Smack! The two exchanged a palm strike in midair.
But the opponent's power wasn't as great as Bai Yuechan had anticipated.
They separated right upon contact.
As they parted, Yun Du noticed Lin Han's other hand reaching for his waist.
The word ocarina flashed through both their minds simultaneously.
Having just committed all his strength to the palm strike, Yun Du's momentum was spent, and he couldn't maneuver his body to dodge in time.
Seeing Lin Han's fingertips about to brush the ocarina, Yun Du showed no panic. He simply opened his mouth and let out a sharp breath.
"Go!"
Zhai Liu's heart skipped a beat; a strong sense of foreboding washed over him.
Sure enough, the moment Zhai Liu's fingers brushed the White Jade Ocarina and he prepared to close his grip, the instrument suddenly broke apart. It shattered into tiny fragments that deliberately flew behind Bai Yuechan.
Only after evading Zhai Liu's ambush did they reassemble into the White Jade Ocarina.
Zhai Liu desperately squeezed his hand shut, but he only managed to catch a few fragments.
He looked down, only to discover that he had grabbed several crystal-clear, white little beetles.
The ocarina wasn't made of white jade at all. Instead, it was formed from a cluster of small, jade-like beetles.
It was a living ocarina. Thus, when Yun Du couldn't dodge, it could escape the enemy on its own.
Despite going all out, Zhai Liu still fell short.
A smile surfaced on Bai Yuechan's face, his expression relaxing significantly. "You're afflicted by the curse?"
Knowing the opponent's true target was the ocarina, Bai Yuechan naturally understood Lin Han's fatal weakness.
The man likely desperately needed the White Jade Ocarina to survive, whereas Yun Du didn't care about it at all.
He could definitely use this opportunity to negotiate some terms with the expert in front of him.
However, while Yun Du halted his movements to negotiate, the failed attempt shattered Zhai Liu's composure, sending him into madness.
He knew that if he let Yun Du use the ocarina, his curse would detonate immediately. He would lose all sanity and become a true monster, knowing nothing but an endless urge to eat.
He didn't dare give Bai Yuechan any time to react. Pushing his water-controlling ability, he launched another fierce assault.
Zhai Liu swung the iron chains on his wrists like meteor hammers, smashing them ruthlessly toward Bai Yuechan's head.
Suddenly, a longsword thrust out from behind Zhai Liu. It didn't aim to injure him; instead, the tip flicked upward, deflecting the chains to protect Bai Yuechan first.
Jiang Yue had finally reacted.
Zhai Liu's attack had been swift and his follow-ups relentless. Startled as she turned to leave, Jiang Yue had whipped back around only to find the two had already exchanged several blows.
"Bastard! You actually hid in my shadow!"
After saving Yun Du, Jiang Yue retaliated against the enemy who had emerged from her shadow.
The thought of being the loophole in their defense plan—nearly causing Yun Du to get hurt—threw her into a furious rage.
But Jiang Yue was only a recently promoted 4th Tier Spirit Practitioner. Zhai Liu parried her sword strikes in a single move.
His initial failure had nearly caused Zhai Liu's curse to erupt.
However, the fact that Bai Yuechan didn't immediately trigger the curse allowed Zhai Liu to recover a shred of reason.
The man seemed to have reservations. One of his hands was still pressed motionless against that strange mass of black and white fog.
Zhai Liu had no time to ponder the details; he just wanted to snatch the ocarina.
"Brother..." Yun Du struggled to hold his ground.
He couldn't make large evasive maneuvers, and his martial arts were inferior to Zhai Liu's. Even with Jiang Yue supporting him from behind, the fight was fraught with peril; he was nearly forced to interrupt the Core Element transfer several times.
Every time he tried to speak, his opponent cut him off.
And it wasn't like Yun Du could just hand over the ocarina willingly.
What if the man took the ocarina and still tried to kill him? Wouldn't he be left without any leverage?
Right then, Zhai Liu swung his chains again, aiming for Yun Du's unevadable right hand.
Yun Du instantly reached out with his left hand to block, but the blood vessels in his body rebelled once more, slowing his reaction by a beat.
Bang!
The chains crashed down viciously, nearly snapping Yun Du's right arm.
Yun Du's entire body tilted, and his right hand finally fell weakly from the mass of black and white fog.
Bai Yuechan let out a muffled groan. He had spine, swallowing down any agonized wail.
But with his right hand crippled, the Core Element transfer abruptly halted.
Jiang Yue tried to rush up from behind, but Zhai Liu swept his arm back, sending her flying. She crashed into the rear wall before sliding down.
She grunted, clutching her chest in sheer agony.
Zhai Liu's complexion was equally grim; he had used his water-controlling ability once more.
Which meant he could lose control at any moment!
Drool had already soaked the front of his shirt.
He was even beginning to feel that eating Bai Yuechan was more important than snatching the ocarina.
Gathering the last of his strength, Zhai Liu turned toward the ocarina behind Bai Yuechan.
At this point, no one was left to stop him.
But in the next second, Zhai Liu's eyes went wide, and he froze on the spot.
The White Jade Ocarina was gone!
Zhai Liu was absolutely certain he had seen the ocarina sitting in the corner right before his attack. How could it just vanish in the blink of an eye?
This hidden room wasn't large. Even if the ocarina dissolved back into beetles, it couldn't disappear without a trace.
Having suddenly lost his target, Zhai Liu's mind went entirely blank, his movements freezing in place.
Unaware of the anomaly behind him, Yun Du only saw that Zhai Liu had finally stopped. He hurriedly spoke.
"I can give the ocarina to you—hss—" The moment he spoke, he couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath of pain.
Zhai Liu's neck turned stiffly toward Yun Du.
He hadn't expected that right after he completely lost track of the ocarina, the man would offer to hand it over.
Seeing the deep wariness in Zhai Liu's eyes, Yun Du knew the other party didn't trust him one bit.
He cracked a slightly twisted smile. "Even now, I still haven't triggered the curse. Doesn't that prove my point?"
Only then did Zhai Liu begin to seriously consider the truth in those words.
"I advise you to back off to the door. Otherwise, being this close to the ocarina, you won't be able to suppress the curse on your body."
But Zhai Liu still didn't retreat.
Reduced to such a wretched state, he didn't dare trust the man.
Zhai Liu stretched out his hand. "Give me the ocarina, and I'll leave right now."
Yun Du chuckled. "To completely break the curse, you need my heart's blood along with the ocarina. If I give it to you now, you'll just kill me next, won't you?"
"Of course, my life isn't important. But give me half an hour. Once I finish what I have to do, I'll give you both the ocarina and my heart's blood."
Zhai Liu refused to believe him. "By the time you finish, I'm afraid you'll have the ability to activate the curse."
He was convinced Yun Du's abilities were restricted—and the curse unusable—because he was occupied with handling that black and white fog, so he refused to back down.
"Give me the ocarina first."
Yun Du frowned. If they stalled any longer, the progress on transferring the Core Element would completely reset to zero.
The key to transferring the Core Element was converting it into portable data, then placing it into the Mission Assistance System to extract it from the Wizard World.
This meant that several people could relay the transfer process, but ultimately, only one person could bring the Core Element out.
But right now, the only one capable of handling the transfer here was—
Suddenly, a deep voice echoed from behind Yun Du.
"Is that Yun Du?"
Startled, Yun Du immediately thought of someone. "444?"
"It's me."
A smile broke out on Yun Du's face.
The only people who knew his codename were naturally from the Laboratory. And the only one capable of sneaking up here right now was Li Ban.
He quickly glanced over his shoulder. He didn't see Li Ban, but he did notice his White Jade Ocarina was missing.
As its master, he could naturally sense that the ocarina was still there; it just couldn't be seen.
Li Ban could actually turn invisible!
He didn't fault Li Ban for hiding this capability. Instead, he thought about how this perfectly resolved their current predicament.
"444, continue the transfer. Once it's complete, get out immediately," Yun Du commanded Li Ban. He then stepped forward, focusing entirely on confronting Zhai Liu.
Being so close, Zhai Liu naturally overheard their exchange.
He finally confirmed that the White Jade Ocarina hadn't vanished; it had been stowed away by the invisible person in the room.
Invisibility... Invisibility... Could he have picked up Yan Jiu's lost Invisibility Plain Ring? Zhai Liu didn't recognize the person standing behind Yun Du. He only found the voice somewhat familiar but couldn't place it.
However, the appearance of this invisible person plunged Zhai Liu into a disadvantageous position once again.
Since Yun Du could now free his hand from the black and white fog, did that mean he could use the curse?
At this time, Yun Du took another step forward.
Under the mounting tension, Zhai Liu actually took a step back.
Yun Du maintained his smile. "Brother, look. I can use my abilities now, but I still haven't triggered the curse on your body. Can you try to believe me now?"
Yun Du could have naturally chosen to activate the curse, but he highly valued Zhai Liu's capabilities.
The curse on the man was clearly on the verge of rioting, yet he was still able to fend off both Yun Du and Jiang Yue simultaneously.
This proved the man before him possessed at least a 6th Tier identity.
With only four people from the Laboratory having entered the seventh floor, wouldn't it be a massive boon if he could persuade this man to help guard it?
Therefore, Yun Du spoke with the utmost sincerity. "As long as you wait half an hour, and no one disturbs us during this time, I will absolutely hand over my life and the ocarina to you."
"But if you insist on taking it by force... I'm sorry, but even if you manage to kill me, you will never get the ocarina. And in that case, the curse on your body will never be lifted."
Zhai Liu pondered this for a long time. Finally, he compromised.
He slowly backed away until his back met the wall, then slid down into a seated position.
He gasped for air, his eyes still locked in a death glare on Yun Du.
Putting some distance between himself and the ocarina quieted the curse slightly, clearing his head a bit.
"You'd better keep your word."
Yun Du simply leaned against the hidden room's doorframe and sat down as well. "I'm right here. I'm not running."
Seeing Zhai Liu cease his assault, Li Ban, who was continuing to transfer the Core Element behind Yun Du, also breathed a sigh of relief.
After rushing up to the seventh floor, he had spotted Jiang Yue closing a door from afar.
He had swiftly sprinted forward, simultaneously activating the Invisibility Plain Ring on his left pinky.
Li Ban had squeezed through the last sliver of a gap just before the door shut completely.
He didn't possess the ability to move silently like Cat Girl, but the sound of the door closing masked his noise.
At the same time, Jiang Yue and the guards beside her were too tense, solely focused on checking if anyone was coming. It never occurred to them that someone might appear invisibly, so they failed to notice Li Ban's approach.
Initially unsure of what was happening and afraid there were other variables on the seventh floor, Li Ban had stealthily followed Jiang Yue into Wan Chengming's room.
Once inside, overhearing her conversation with Bai Yuechan, he instantly realized Bai Yuechan was actually Yun Du!
The prime candidate designated by the Laboratory to transfer the Core Element.
However, even after confirming that everyone present was one of their own, Li Ban didn't rush to reveal himself.
The situation remained unclear. It was his first time on the Myriad Ancient Pagoda's seventh floor, and he didn't know if there were other ambushes lying in wait. It was better to stay hidden and observe.
Only when Zhai Liu unexpectedly burrowed out of Jiang Yue's shadow, entangling them in a fierce brawl that halted the Core Element transfer, did Li Ban decide to intervene.
And he did so while maintaining his invisibility.
Transferring the element required an hour.
And his Plain Ring could easily sustain his invisibility for that long.
From here on out, all the dangerous work was left to others. Now, he was the primary person responsible for the transfer.
However, gripping the ocarina in his hand and watching Zhai Liu bitterly endure outside, Li Ban felt—it was always wise to leave a back door for certain things.
Yun Du took out the bandages he carried with him and wrapped the wound on his arm.
There was still a long way to go; he had to ensure his body could hold out until the very end.
"Who are you?" Zhai Liu had also recovered enough to think clearly and communicate.
"Just a nobody. If you really want to know, you can call me Chen Dong."
Zhai Liu indeed had no idea who that was, but Li Ban, who was right behind Chen Dong, snapped his head around in shock.
Chen Dong? The executor of the Yun Du Project is actually Chen Dong? Li Ban was baffled.
Didn't they say anyone entering the Wizard World has to start at the bottom as an identity-less slave and work their way up? How did he instantly hijack a 5th Tier identity? And the First Prince's favorite, no less.
Could it be that this rule only applies to bottom-rung lab grunts like me?
Li Ban shook his head and chuckled. Oddly enough, he didn't feel surprised, nor did he feel angry.
When you held no expectations for something, naturally, you wouldn't feel disappointment or fury.
Jiang Yue, who was outside the room, naturally heard the name "Chen Dong" as well.
She looked slightly surprised, her expression just as complicated.
But she just pursed her lips and said nothing. Hauling herself off the ground, she limped over to the door to keep watch over the entrance and Zhai Liu.
Inside the seventh floor of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, neither side's needs conflicted, establishing a bizarre, temporary equilibrium.
But outside the seventh floor, the conflict between the opposing forces had been irreconcilable from the very beginning.
And when Li Yuan unleashed a special element that froze the entire sixth floor, this conflict escalated into a do-or-die showdown. The crowd in the Myriad Ancient Pagoda had no idea what element Li Yuan was using; they only knew it was growing colder by the second.
The lush, spring-filled month of May turned more freezing than the dead of winter.
A layer of frost coated everyone.
The chill radiating from the frost continued to bore into their internal organs, carrying a vicious momentum that wouldn't rest until they were frozen alive.
Even Wan Chengming was frozen stiff, unable to move, let alone the lower-tier Spirit Practitioners.
Some 1st and 2nd Tier Spirit Practitioners had even plunged into the terminal hallucinations that preceded freezing to death.
Yan Jiu, unthawed by Li Yuan, was one of the only two people on the sixth floor still capable of movement.
Her limbs transformed into gold once more as she strode through the bitter cold toward Du An, who stood beside Wan Chengming.
With every step she took, her shoes froze to the ground before ripping away with a sharp skrrk.
Finally, she simply kicked off her shoes, walking barefoot across the icy floor.
Li Yuan had already struck Wan Chengming with his palm.
His palm was like millennial ice; the strike was more terrifying than a battleaxe, sending white mist bursting outward.
Formidable as Wan Chengming was, his body still let out horrific cracking sounds beneath Li Yuan's palm.
It seemed that with just a few more strikes, Li Yuan could shatter Fang Chengming to pieces!
Yan Jiu looked at Du An. Although the man was frozen solid, his gaze remained fairly calm.
This only deepened Yan Jiu's wariness.
She had previously thought about subjugating Du An, but now, she only wanted him to die as quickly as possible!
Yan Jiu raised her fist, gathering her momentum, fully resolved to smash Du An's skull to pieces with a single punch.
Right at that moment, the biting cold on the sixth floor weakened slightly.
Li Yuan's ability was nearing its limit.
Such a monstrous power naturally couldn't be unleashed casually without conditions.
Yan Jiu's gathered power reached its absolute peak. As she threw the punch, golden powder even flaked off her arm.
Just as her fist was about to cave in Du An's face, a smear of crimson abruptly manifested, sliding directly between Yan Jiu and Du An.
Not only did that stroke of crimson block Yan Jiu's attack, but it also continued to spread, directly intercepting Li Yuan's second punch aimed at Wan Chengming. Yan Jiu felt as if her fist had struck cotton. Every ounce of her strength was unleashed, yet she felt zero feedback.
The red silk in front of her didn't budge an inch.
As if a mere speck of dust had landed upon it.
Without a single ripple.
Yan Jiu hurriedly drew her dagger, attempting to tear through the red silk.
But when the edge met the crimson fabric, it slipped smoothly off, finding absolutely no point of leverage.
In such a frigid environment, cloth should have been frozen solid, yet the red silk before them remained silky and soft.
Even when Li Yuan's freezing palm struck it, it merely rippled gently, showing zero signs of frosting over.
The more the two fought it, the more alarmed they grew.
Suddenly turning their heads, they realized they had been completely surrounded by red silk at some point.
As far as the eye could see, there was only a festive, vibrant crimson, layered over and over into a massive red sphere.
And Li Yuan and Yan Jiu were trapped right inside it.
Both of them were in utter disbelief.
How did such an incredibly advantageous situation abruptly flip, turning into their encirclement?
"This red silk—it must be a premium element!"