Chapter 130: Crisis of Annihilation
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[Ding, you have been cursed.]
Zhang Yuanqing heard the notification from the Spirit Realm in his ear.
A curse? Did I accidentally drink some of Pan Jinson's cat fur? He chuckled to himself despite the situation.
Instinctively, he tried to use his abilities but found that he had lost all of them, and he couldn't even sense his inventory.
After transforming into a cat, he had lost all his abilities.
A curse... This might be the power of a witch doctor profession. In a team-based dungeon like Yin-Yang Town, having elements of evil professions was understandable. But when was I cursed? I didn't feel a thing.
Was it the tea? No, the Queen and Li Chunfeng didn't drink any water.
With this in mind, he looked at his six companions. Fire, the star army cat, had puffed up in place, while Eatou and Li Chunfeng, who had turned into orange cats, looked around in fear, seemingly not yet recovered from their cat transformation.
Li Liyuan, with her graceful cat body, examined herself with curiosity. While her eyes showed seriousness, she didn't seem to dislike being turned into a cat.
The Queen cat sat on the ground surrounded by scattered clothes and shoes. Two silver rings hung from her pointed ears, and she scratched the rings anxiously, letting out distressed meows.
Her earrings were items? It seems they're unusable now. So even if we had taken out items in advance, they would still be "sealed." Zhang Yuanqing looked at Guan Ya.
Guan Ya, the calmest of them all, had been retreating silently since Madame Wang called out, "Son, come out. Mother has brought you two beautiful girls. Finally, there are women to relieve your boredom. You, you just can't control your lust, and that's how you ended up like this today."
"These two girls have delicate skin and look very pretty, my son. What are you waiting for?"
Madame Wang's voice was old and hoarse, sounding like a banshee.
"Squeak!"
On the other side of the courtyard, a tightly closed door opened, and everyone, or rather, all the cats, immediately perked up their heads and looked over.
Through the slightly open door, they could see that in the center of the room, a coffin was supported by two wooden stools. The coffin was painted crimson, and there were scattered red threads and a purple talisman on the floor.
The red threads and the talisman were binding something inside the coffin. Guan Ya, as a scout, immediately deduced this detail when she entered the room.
"Sss, sss."
From inside the coffin, there came the sound of nails scraping against wood, sending a chilling shiver down everyone's spine.
Then, the coffin lid popped open and tumbled to the ground with a loud "clang."
A hideous male face with feline features emerged, a grotesque fusion of human and cat, incredibly ugly and terrifying.
What was even more horrifying was that as he crawled out of the coffin, the cats could see that he was a large cat with its skin peeled off, its bloody flesh exposed to the air.
The large cat was about a meter long, with a blood-red tail swaying lightly behind it, ending in a bone spike.
His face was grotesque, with eyes that gleamed with a bloodthirsty and lecherous light.
Zhang Yuanqing's spine chilled as he sensed a threat emanating from his genes. He involuntarily arched his back, bared his teeth, and hissed.
The other companions had similar reactions.
The large cat moved lightly, its ferocious gaze locked onto the seven cats in the hall.
Zhang Yuanqing said, "Meow meow meow (We triggered a plot, we must kill this monster cat to leave)."
The other six companions stared at him blankly.
Although they had turned into cats, they couldn't understand cat language.
At that moment, Guan Ya, who had been watching the blood-red cat closely, let out a clear meow as a warning, "Meow (Be careful)."
In the next moment, the bloody cat pounced towards Li Chunfeng, who appeared the weakest.
Li Chunfeng displayed the agility of a cat, raising his tail and darting to the side.
But the large cat was faster, quickly catching up and biting Li Chunfeng's neck, lifting his head and shaking it violently.
Li Chunfeng let out a piercing scream.
The black cat, embodying the Fire Star Army, leaped into the air, screaming loudly while pouncing on the large cat.
Snap!
With its bone-spiked tail, the large cat lashed out, whipping the black cat away, causing it to convulse upon landing.
The difference in strength between the two sides was too great. In the face of this humanoid cat, the cats in the group were as helpless as mice.
Seeing Li Chunfeng on the verge of having his neck bitten off, Zhang Yuanqing rushed forward, avoiding the range of the large cat's tail attacks, and pounced on the cat's neck, biting its ear.
"Roar!"
The large cat let out a howl of pain, loosening its grip on Li Chunfeng's neck, who fell to the ground, his neck covered in blood, terrified and scrambling to the side.
As he fled to the wall, his adrenaline faded, and he collapsed weakly, his gaze gradually becoming unfocused as he emitted a low moan.
In just one round, one member of the team was on the brink of death.
The large cat shook its head twice but couldn't shake off Zhang Yuanqing. It lowered its head and raised its paw, extending its sharp claws, then ruthlessly swiped.
A bloodstain appeared on Zhang Yuanqing's back, and bright red blood flowed out.
He had to let go of the large cat's ear and leaped away, his four limbs flying.
The large cat, with bloody ears, angrily chased after Zhang Yuanqing, suddenly its tail bitten by Eatou.
"Roar!"
The large cat turned around, biting Eatou's neck. However, Eatou, the chubby orange cat, had tough skin and didn't get bitten through right away.
The large cat raised its head and shook it, but its sharp teeth couldn't pierce the skin of the chubby cat immediately.
The large cat lifted its head again and swung its tail.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing returned, pouncing on the large cat's back, while the Queen cat and Guan Ya pounced from the left, and Fire Star Army and Li Liyuan pounced from the right.
The group of cats swarmed in. They had no way to retreat. In just one round, this humanoid cat had nearly bitten Li Chunfeng to death. At this moment, any hesitation or retreat would lead to a team wipeout.
The human-faced cat grabbed the chubby orange cat and stood upright, claws outstretched, pressing down on the Queen cat and Li Liyuan.
Then it whipped its tail.
"Snap!"
Zhang Yuanqing, who had leaped high into the air, was whipped against the wall with force.
He fell to the ground, blood flowing from his mouth and nose, his chest and abdomen now riddled with holes, blood gurgling.
Guan Ya, who hadn't been attacked, used her sharp claws to leave bloody scratches on the humanoid cat. Meanwhile, the Fire Star Army cat bit into the humanoid cat's belly, tearing off a small piece of flesh.
The humanoid cat let out a piercing scream, spun around, and with a flick of its tail, sent the black cat flying. Then, it lunged towards Guan Ya.
But Guan Ya, with her tail raised high, agilely retreated, narrowly avoiding the cat's sharp teeth.
The humanoid cat had to retract its head, and in doing so, it spat out the chubby orange cat, who was barely alive. It then picked up the cat's leg it had pinned down with its right paw, and with a forceful shake of its head, there was a "snap," and the cat's neck was broken.
That snapping sound sent a chill down the cats' spines.
The humanoid cat then tossed aside the limp body of the orange cat.
Lying on the ground, Eatou convulsed, his limbs twitching, breathing heavily, and it seemed he wouldn't survive for more than a few minutes.
Zhang Yuanqing, who was crouching against the wall, felt his heart sink.
Li Chunfeng was gasping for breath, and Eatou had his neck bitten off, likely dying even faster than Li Chunfeng. The Fire Star Army cat had been struck by the bone spike twice and was too injured to continue fighting.
As for himself, his situation was not much better.
At this moment, the only ones who weren't injured were Guan Ya and the Queen cat, and the latter was pinned down by the cat's paw. The only one who could still fight was Guan Ya.
It seemed like they were heading for total annihilation.
After biting off Eatou's neck, the humanoid cat didn't continue its attack on Guan Ya. Instead, it lowered its head and kept sniffing at the Queen cat, its nostrils twitching.
What is it trying to do? Zhang Yuanqing had a bad feeling about this.
The next second, his premonition came true. As the humanoid cat lightly sniffed at the Queen cat, a deep red organ protruded from the skin sack on his abdomen. This disgusting humanoid cat was in heat.
The Queen cat seemed to sense something, struggling violently, and let out a piercing scream.
The black cat, Fire Star Army, tried to get up but couldn't due to blood loss and pain. He could only emit an angry and helpless cry.
At this moment, Madame Wang, who was watching from below the courtyard, said, "My son, don't resist, my son has been in this place for many years, and he's very lonely. Please, be kind and let my son relieve his boredom. He won't kill you. These people are all going to die, but you don't have to."
The Queen cat let out a piercing scream, her eyes filled with helplessness and despair.
Guan Ya arched her back, preparing to pounce.
The humanoid cat bared its teeth at her, threateningly, and also arched its back, moving closer to the Queen.
Guan Ya poised to pounce, and the humanoid cat immediately stopped and bared its teeth at her again.
Both sides were locked in a standoff.
Guan Ya kept looking at Zhang Yuanqing, and at this moment, if she rushed forward, the Queen's fate might transfer to her.
The humanoid cat's size, speed, and strength were insurmountable for them at this moment.
She was trying to buy time, waiting for me to come up with a plan? Zhang Yuanqing understood Guan Ya's intention, but he couldn't think of a way to break free at the moment.
Items couldn't be used, otherwise, he could have used the Purification Rod to break the curse.
A physical confrontation was also futile.
The Spirit Realm notification did not show a time limit for the curse, meaning it would persist indefinitely.
Think, think... He was growing increasingly desperate, but the more he rushed, the harder it was to come up with a solution.
At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing saw Li Chunfeng, who was on the brink of death, turning his head with great difficulty, raising it, and gesturing towards the cat corpse hanging on the beam.
A cat corpse?
Inspiration struck him like lightning, breaking into his mind.
What was the source of the curse? The strategy guide for Yin-Yang Town didn't mention any curse related to cat transformations, and it didn't seem to originate from the descendants of the Yin-Yang Hermit, as Madame Wang had claimed.
What was the medium for the curse? Since even the teammates who hadn't drunk the tea had turned into cats, it couldn't have been the tea.
Was it the cat corpse hanging from the beam?!
Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth and, despite the pain and fatigue, climbed up against the pillar, extending his claws from his paw pads and laboriously scaling the pillar towards the beam.
Madame Wang, below in the courtyard, had a drastic change in her expression and shouted, "Son, quick, kill him!"
The humanoid cat on the pillar raised its head, looking at Zhang Yuanqing climbing. In an instant, it leaped onto the pillar as well, attempting to catch up with him.
"Dammit!"
Zhang Yuanqing's scalp tingled, and the imminent threat of death sent his adrenaline soaring. He leaped into the air.
Just as he leaped, the place he had been standing was taken over by the humanoid cat.
Zhang Yuanqing spread his limbs in mid-air, and his sharp claws barely caught onto the body of a skinned cat corpse, preventing him from falling.
Quickly climbing up along the cat corpse, he opened his sharp teeth, and with a "snap," he bit through the hemp rope.
Both cats plummeted.
With the cat corpse falling, an invisible formation seemed to break, and a cold wind swept through the living room.
"Howl!"
The humanoid cat on the pillar fell, writhing in pain. Its human face rapidly transformed into a complete cat face, and it became thoroughly ferocious and bloodthirsty.
Its flesh sprouted countless bone spikes.
In a matter of seconds, it became even more ferocious and terrifying.
It slowly stood up, shook its head, and emitted a low growl from its throat.
Madame Wang's face turned pale, and she trembled as she ran over, saying, "Son, quick, get back into the coffin."
But the humanoid cat, or rather the monstrous creature, heard the voice, suddenly turned around, and pounced on Madame Wang. Its sharp teeth sank into her neck.
Snap!
Her neck bone snapped, and crimson blood gushed out. The creature pressed Madame Wang's body with its large paw and began to ruthlessly feast on her.
Madame Wang's body convulsed briefly, but soon she lay motionless.
At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing felt his bones crackling, his cat fur retracting into his skin, and his paw pads slowly transforming into human hands.
Guan Ya quickly picked up her clothes and ran off. When she turned back and saw the Queen cat crouching on the ground, still in shock, she went back, slapped the Queen cat, and urged her to follow.
The Queen cat finally snapped out of it, realizing her body was returning to normal. She quickly put on her clothes and followed Guan Ya, running into the room.
It's finally over. Zhang Yuanqing watched his two female teammates as they hurried away, reluctantly chasing after them.
A dozen seconds later, his limbs transformed back into human form, with his toes and fingers becoming distinct. He was back in his human form.
The curse had lifted!
Li Chunfeng against the wall, Eatou by the courtyard, and Fire Star Army by the table all reverted to human form, still completely naked.
However, their injuries hadn't healed, and they were barely clinging to life.
"Woof woof."
The humanoid cat, sensing the change behind it, turned around, its mouth dripping with blood. It saw Zhang Yuanqing standing up.
Instantly, it bared its teeth, its sharp fangs now stained red with flesh and blood, hanging in shreds.
The humanoid cat pushed aside Madame Wang's lifeless body and lunged towards Zhang Yuanqing, transforming into a blur.
But looking at it now, Zhang Yuanqing realized it was much weaker. He took a step forward, grabbed the humanoid cat by the neck, and summoned the Bloodthirsty Blade with his other hand.
However, just as he was about to plunge the Bloodthirsty Blade into the creature's head, he remembered the Demon Lord's words – "If I can resist the allure of beauty and slaughter, perhaps it can trigger a hidden quest."
Resist the allure of slaughter? What did that mean?
It couldn't be referring to not killing the creatures in the dungeon, could it?
Certainly not, as that would mean the Demon Lord couldn't survive, and it wouldn't be possible to complete the mission in Yin-Yang Town.
Could it mean not slaughtering the inhabitants of the dungeon?
Zhang Yuanqing lifted the creature and slammed it onto the ground.
The creature instantly fell quiet, its chest rising and falling, entering a semi-conscious state.
At this moment, Guan Ya and the Queen cat, still fully dressed, came out of the room. They glanced at Zhang Yuanqing's naked form and quickly looked away. Guan Ya walked over, heading straight for Li Chunfeng.
She crouched beside the dying Li Chunfeng, holding a syringe with pale golden liquid inside it. She injected half of it into Li Chunfeng's neck vein and then administered the remaining half to Fire Star Army and Eatou.
"Why didn't you save him?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, looking at Li Chunfeng.
The wooden youth groaned, opened his eyes, and sat up. He said, "I didn't need it. I have a revival ability. Wood spirits automatically trigger a revival when on the verge of death, but it can only be used once a day."
He twisted his neck, making a cracking sound. "I revived a while ago. Sorry, I was just pretending to be dead."
At this moment, Li Chunfeng, Fire Star Army, and Eatou all got up.
"Life Fluid! You actually have Life Fluid, even if it's diluted. This stuff is strategic material for the Five Elements Alliance. Thank you, thank you," Li Chunfeng expressed his gratitude. "This woman's position in the official hierarchy must be quite high."
"That was close. We almost died. Is this an A-level dungeon? How difficult is an S-level one?" Fire Star Army, not thinking too much, cursed and then turned to Guan Ya. "I owe you my life. I'll definitely repay you."
Guan Ya glanced at the room full of naked men and smiled, saying, "Why don't you all hurry up and put on your clothes? It's not very honorable to have several caterpillars on display."
Waiting for everyone to get dressed, the Queen cat breathed a sigh of relief and came over to Zhang Yuanqing, whispering, "Thank you. If it weren't for you breaking the curse, I can't imagine what would have happened to me."
"Just following Li Chunfeng's hint," Zhang Yuanqing replied humbly. "The medium for the curse was the cat corpse. They formed a curse formation. I thought of it earlier, but you were all busy dealing with that creature. By the way, why are you keeping it? Kill it."
"I want to conduct an experiment with it first," Zhang Yuanqing explained as he glanced around at the others. "So far, I haven't received any Spirit Realm notifications. What about you all?"
The teammates shook their heads.
"It seems there won't be any notifications for this type of dungeon. These dungeons are the most troublesome," Zhang Yuanqing sighed.
Guan Ya took out a straw doll from her pocket and said, "We found this in the room."
The straw doll was roughly made, with needles stuck all over it, and a piece of paper affixed to the front with the name "Xu Xiu'er" written on it.
"Xu Xiu'er," Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment. "In my first S-level Spirit Realm experience, the dungeon information had to be deciphered and deduced by the Spirit Realm travelers themselves. It seems like Yin-Yang Town is the same."
"Fortunately, the information provided by this Madame Wang was sufficient. Let's review it. But first, I'll conduct an experiment with this creature."
With that, Zhang Yuanqing picked up the nearly lifeless humanoid cat and headed towards the room.
"What is he going to do?" The others exchanged puzzled glances and quickly followed.
(End of this chapter)
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PS. If you want to ask my favorite Taylor Swift song, then it's "Cruel Summer"
Speaking of cruel summer, has anyone stream this?
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