Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 864 He is legal!
This sudden turn of events took everyone by surprise! Even Xiao Ran was completely taken aback.

Looking again at the crystal in the box, the crystal stone, which was originally crystal clear and flowing with gorgeous five-colored light, has now become grayish-white and dull, like an ordinary piece of plaster on the roadside. There are even tiny cracks on the surface, and it has completely lost all its magic.

The jade on the bracelet, which was originally warm and smooth, became scalding hot, and the five micro-carved dragon patterns seemed to come alive.

One of the dragon heads' eyes flashed, and Xiao Ran could feel as if a meridian in her body was becoming active, following the flashing eye.

It's as if some kind of energy is being slowly mobilized.

However, this feeling subsided in a moment, and when he looked at the Five Dragon Bracelet again, the light on it had gone out.

It's likely that the energy of the crystal has been completely exhausted.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ran's eyes flashed, clearly indicating that this crystal was closely related to her Five Dragon Bracelet.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran looked at Qi Jinguang and said, "I'm sorry, this crystal must have some special relationship with me, which is why I absorbed it. I can compensate you with something else."

Seeing this, Qi Jinguang remained surprisingly calm, even smiling and saying, "Uncle-Master, please don't be so formal. We don't understand what this crystal is either. The fact that it's now in your hands is actually a matter of fate for this thing."

Qi Jinguang appeared nonchalant, seemingly not taking the matter to heart at all.

This magnanimous character is truly extraordinary; no wonder Zhang Daoye made an exception and accepted him as his last disciple.

However, Xiao Ran also keenly noticed that the emotions of Qi Jinguang's two companions behind him had changed slightly. Although they were quickly suppressed, the subtle changes in their expressions betrayed their inner resentment.

After all, they had gone through a lot of trouble to obtain this item, and because of it, they had been hunted down for several days.

We don't even know what this thing actually is, and it's already turned into a piece of plaster. Anyone would feel a bit upset in that situation.

Xiao Ran thought for a moment and took out three cursed items from her spatial storage.

C-grade cursed item: Dragon Tiger Treasure Mirror; D-grade cursed items: Three Corpse Belt and Spirit Cage.

The Dragon and Tiger Mirror was obtained by stealing the jade.

The other two items were rewards he received from the [Fifth Hospital] labyrinth city. Xiao Ran had no use for these two cursed items, so he simply took them out together.

“These three items are perfect for your professions, consider them compensation,” Xiao Ran said, looking at Wu Man.

Wu Man immediately understood and took out three potions from her spatial storage and handed them to the three of them.

These three [No. 3 All-Purpose Potions] were mixed by Wu Man using the original liquid, and their effect is still to increase all attributes by 13 points.

With these three cursed items, their strength would increase dramatically, taking them a significant leap forward.

Qi Jinguang's eyes lit up when he received the Dragon-Tiger Treasure Mirror, and he generously bowed to Xiao Ran to express his gratitude.

After a brief moment of shock at the No. 3 potion and the cursed item given by Xiao Ran, the slight displeasure in the hearts of the two companions behind them vanished instantly.

Wang Yu pulled Gu Bei along and walked up to Xiao Ran and Wu Man, bowing and thanking them, "Thank you, seniors, you are so kind."

"Hahahaha." Xiao Ran and the other two burst into laughter upon hearing this. Xiao Ran waved her hand and said, "Don't call me senior anymore. I'm not that old. You and Qi Jinguang can just call me 'Uncle-Master'."

"Yes, Uncle-Master." Wang Yu's voice was as sweet as honey.

"You just said that these stones come from the Abyss of Curses. What is that place?"

Xiao Ran asked the three of them.

Since this thing has a special effect on the Five Dragon Bracelet, Xiao Ran naturally wants to find out why.

Upon hearing this, Qi Jinguang turned to look at Gu Bei.

Seeing this, Gu Bei stepped forward and said, "All I know about this thing is that it comes from the Abyss of Curses. I heard that place is a special labyrinthine city with many treasures inside, but those who go in never come out, which is very strange. An old man gave me this thing. He claimed that he escaped from inside, but he didn't say anything specific before he died."

Gu Bei briefly explained how he obtained the item, but he still didn't know its origin.

"Uncle-Master, about this matter..." Gu Bei looked somewhat embarrassed.

"It's alright, you don't know, but people outside do."

Xiao Ran smiled and looked out the window. The sound of horses' hooves outside had stopped. Xiao Ran scanned the area with his spiritual power and found that about twenty meters outside the house, the area was surrounded by a group of bandits wearing fur coats.

These bandits numbered over a hundred, and their strength was considerable, with the weakest among them being at least E-level. This was many times stronger than the one-eyed band of bandits from back then.

A skinny bandit hurried through the snowdrifts to the door, pressed himself against it, and was about to shout something.

But before he could even open his mouth and shout out, he was shocked.

"Buzz!"

The door was suddenly pulled open.

The robber was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground.

Xiao Ran and his group walked out of the door and saw the robbers standing there dumbfounded. Xiao Ran said, "Shout!"

"Shout? Shout what?"

"You're a robber, asking me what to shout. I want you to shout 'Surrender or you'll be spared,' would you be happy?"

Xiao Ran raised her hand and flicked the head, knocking the hothead face down into the snowdrift.

He looked up and sized up the group of bandits, his gaze sweeping around: "Who's in charge?"

The bandits' horses clattered and parted to make way, the heavy snow splashing as they trod on the ground.

A man wearing a thick fur coat and a tattered straw hat rode out slowly from behind on horseback.

He was burly, with several frostbite lines across his face, and a fierce look in his eyes. Even through the wind and snow, one could feel his fierce and bandit-like aura.

However, Xiao Ran's gaze bypassed the man who seemed to be the leader and landed directly on the horse he was riding.

His eyes lit up suddenly, and he exclaimed, "What a fine horse!"

This horse is truly extraordinary!
It stood over two meters tall, far exceeding the height of ordinary horses. Its entire body was crimson red, like a burning flame frozen in the icy snow.

Its muscles are smooth and powerful, exuding explosive strength, and its long hooves make it exceptionally stable on the snow.

What is most striking are its eyes, which are a strange dark gold color, with what appears to be lava slowly flowing deep within the pupils.

Seeing that Xiao Ran ignored him, the man on horseback's eyes flashed even more fiercely.

He yanked the reins sharply, and the crimson horse reared up on its forelegs, letting out a neigh that pierced through the air and shook the surrounding snowflakes to their core!
"Hey! Where did this blind fool come from!" The man's voice boomed like a bell, carrying a heavy Northeastern accent, making the snowy ground buzz.

"Dare to touch the fat sheep that I, the Jade-Faced Yama King, have my eye on? You're tired of living! If you know what's good for you, hand over the goods, and I won't make things difficult for you."

Before he finished speaking, he pointed his riding whip forward sharply at Qi Jinguang and the other two behind Xiao Ran, and said fiercely, "But these three brats can't leave. They'll be chopped up and fed to the dogs. As for the woman... hehe, she'll be perfect for warming up the brothers!"

The hundreds of bandits behind Wang Wu immediately erupted in wild laughter and strange cries.

"Pah, you're asking for it." Gu Bei retorted fiercely, while shielding Wang Yu behind him.

Qi Jinguang frowned slightly, his eyes sharp as swords, and silently took out his sword from his spatial storage.

Xiao Ran glanced at it and recognized it as Master Zhang's sword. She hadn't expected that even this sword would be given to Qi Jinguang.

Xiao Ran immediately turned her head and looked at the bandit leader, her eyes flashing like lightning as she swept over him.

"hiss!!"

The large horse let out a neigh and took two steps back, startled by Xiao Ran's gaze.

Wang Wu was startled, feeling as if he had been completely seen through.

"A master!!"

Wang Wu's face immediately lost its arrogance, his expression turning serious as he shouted at the still-laughing bandits beside him, "Shut up!!"

Everyone was stunned and fell silent.

Wang Wu straightened his expression and cupped his hands: "Side by side, we are errand runners on which road? It's freezing cold, so we are separate families, one on land and one on water, each keeping to our own doors."

Wang Wu wasn't using Northeastern slang; he was using the common underworld slang for "springtime" (a euphemism for sexual intercourse).

The implication is that they are asking who Xiao Ran is, and that the two sides are now separate, each going their own way and minding their own business. Ultimately, they just hope that Xiao Ran won't interfere.

Xiao Ran, however, seemed not to have heard Wang Laowu's ramblings at all.

His gaze remained fixed on the crimson steed, growing more and more fond of it with each glance, his eyes burning as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

He directly interrupted Wang Laowu's harsh words, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:
"Stop being so noisy. The horse you're riding is quite nice; I like it very much. How about you leave the horse here and I'll let you go?"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell into a deathly silence!

Wang Laowu's face froze instantly, his eyes fixed on Xiao Ran. Although he couldn't discern Xiao Ran's true strength, he didn't have much to be wary of.

After all, someone who can be called the Jade-Faced Yama is no pushover.

"you wanna die!!"

Wang Laowu's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying with it overwhelming anger and murderous intent.

"Roar--!!"

As if in sync with his thoughts, the crimson horse beneath him let out a deafening roar that sounded more like the howl of a wild beast than the neigh of a horse!

Its massive body suddenly transformed into a streak of crimson lightning, its hooves thundering through the snow, instantly covering a distance of over ten meters. Carrying an incomparably violent and ferocious aura, it crashed fiercely towards Xiao Ran like a burning meteorite!

The sheer force of it seemed to be enough to crush everything in front of it into dust!
Taking advantage of the momentum, Wang Laowu on horseback pulled out a huge, door-shaped ghost-head knife from beside the saddle!

The blade was jet black, and with the blessing of dark red runes, it was wrapped with wisps of visible blood-red evil energy. It slashed down at Xiao Ran's neck with the force of splitting mountains and rocks, accompanied by a piercing sound of wind breaking!

Before the blade even arrived, the chilling killing intent and the stench of blood were already overwhelming!

"So he's a weapons master."

As Xiao Ran watched the massive blade descend upon her, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and the same massive blade appeared in her hand.

The dragon abyss clanged, its power, though not activated by Xiao Ran, still stirred up a terrifying killing intent. Then, it struck first, overpowering its opponent, and slashed upwards with its blade.

clang--!!!"

A deafening, terrifying roar, far exceeding the clang of metal on metal, erupted from the point of impact of the twin blades, whipping up a cloud of snow and creating a brief snow fog!

Amidst the snow and mist, a fierce clash erupted between blinding dark light and blood-red malevolent energy!
Wang Wu's face contorted in pain! He felt as if his blade had struck an ancient, unyielding mountain!

The C-grade cursed artifact in his hand, the Fang of Corruption, shattered like cheap glass the instant it made contact with Xiao Ran's seemingly casual upward thrust of the Dragon Abyss Blade!
It wasn't just blocked, it was brutally "crushed"!
The recoil force, like a raging beast, roared along the blade and surged into Wang Wu's arms.

The sleeves of his arms exploded into countless fragments in an instant, and the bulging veins on his exposed, knotted muscles, which he had been proud of through years of hard training, burst open as if sliced ​​by an invisible blade, spraying blood mist!
"puff!"

The violent shock felt as if his internal organs had shifted, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of scalding blood, which turned into a cloud of blood mist in the cold air.

His magnificent crimson horse also let out a terrified whinny, its dark golden lava eyes filled with fear, its four hooves frantically pawing at the snow, trying to retreat.

But it was too late.

Just as the curse runes shattered and blood gushed from his arms, Xiao Ran's eyes were as cold as ice from the deepest hell, and his wrists didn't even show any obvious signs of exerting force.

The downward slash turned strangely into a horizontal arc of light that was almost impossible to see with the naked eye!
Fast! It’s almost as fast as it can be!
It surpasses the limits of visual reaction!

The dark light seemed to vanish into thin air for a moment, then reappear out of nowhere. It had no earth-shattering power, only a chilling silence that could cleave through everything and end life.

puff!

A muffled sound, so faint it was almost drowned out by the wind and snow.

Wang Wu's head, wearing a tattered straw hat and still bearing a look of fear and confusion, suddenly shot into the sky without warning!

Blood gushed out from the severed neck like a high-pressure water gun, the scalding blood splashing onto the crimson horse mane and the cold snow, making a sizzling sound.

The headless, burly body stood stiffly upright on the crimson horse for a moment before losing all its strength.

With a dull thud, he fell into the thick snow, raising a cloud of snow dust that smelled of blood.

The wind and snow seemed to freeze for a moment.

There was dead silence all around.

The hundreds of bandits who had been shouting and laughing just moments before now seemed to have their throats grabbed, their ferocity and arrogance instantly freezing into deathly fear and blankness.

They didn't even see how their leader died; they only saw a flash of light, and then his head, wearing a straw hat, flew off... Blood spurted out like a fountain in a square...

An indescribable, bone-chilling cold, colder than the blizzard in Northeast China, instantly gripped the heart of every bandit!

Fear spread like a plague in the silence.

Qi Jinguang looked at Xiao Ran, who was holding the Dragon Abyss, and his breathing became rapid. Although he knew that his uncle had long since become a beginner.

He also inherited Plum Blossom Manor and became the contemporary owner of Plum Blossom Manor.

But he really didn't expect that Xiao Ran's strength was so terrifying.

Wang Wu himself had fought against him.

A C-level professional with unparalleled swordsmanship, this guy is extremely skilled at slashing and killing. Coupled with the steed he rides, man and horse become one, and the power can be amplified several times in an instant.

When I first encountered him, I didn't dare to fight head-on. I could only rely on the variations of my swordsmanship to engage him in a prolonged battle and then use Taoist techniques to escape.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran killed his opponent with just one strike from beginning to end, a head-on collision.

How much power is that?
No, it wasn't just the strength, it was the knife...

Qi Jinguang looked at the large knife in Xiao Ran's hand, a strange expression on his face.

Gu Bei and Wang Yu, who were behind Qi Jinguang, were completely petrified, their mouths agape, their minds blank.

Is this the strength of Uncle Qi Jinguang?
One strike! Just one strike!

They instantly killed the C-level ruthless bandit leader who had been chasing them for days.
This strength is just too strong!

At that moment, the warhorse neighed and reared up on its front hooves, almost standing on its own two legs!
Instinctively wanting to escape, Xiao Ran grabbed the reins and forcefully pulled the horse to its feet, letting its hooves frantically trample the blood-stained ground. Its eyes were fixed on the large knife in Xiao Ran's hand, but it dared not break free.

"Alright, we have horses to pull the cart."

Xiao Ran pulled on the reins and looked back at Wu Man: "The rest is up to you."

Wu Man raised an eyebrow, showing no surprise, and took out a pack of cigarettes from her spatial storage.

Place it near your mouth, light the cigarette gently, and then take a deep drag.

"Sigh~~~"

Wu Man quickly smoked the entire cigarette down to just a butt.

With a flick of his finger, the embers of his cigarette traced a dim arc in the wind and snow before being quickly swallowed by the darkness.

He took a step forward, and although it was just an ordinary step, it seemed to distort space in an instant.

It was as if an invisible wind swept across the snow.

One moment he was beside Xiao Ran, the next moment his slightly lazy figure appeared like a ghost in the center of the group of hundreds of bandits.

Faced with the densely packed, fierce yet terrified faces around her, Wu Man remained completely unmoved.

"Hu~~"

Wu Man gently exhaled a puff of thick smoke from his mouth, and the smoke quickly spread out.

It instantly enveloped the surroundings and quickly spread outwards.

The smoke touched the bandits' bodies, instantly replacing the ferocity and fear in their eyes with a hollow sense of bewilderment.

Then, a chilling change occurred!
"Pfft..."

A burly man wielding a machete had his facial muscles collapse and flow like melted wax, his features blurred and disappearing, and his skin quickly became smooth, bright red, and revealed uneven textures.

His body collapsed and deformed within seconds, finally rolling onto the snow with a thud.

It transformed into a large, plump, red tomato with water droplets still clinging to its skin! It rolled twice and then stopped moving.

"Crunch... crunch..."

A thin man standing nearby, attempting to draw his knife, seemed to be being pulled and stretched by invisible threads.

His limbs became thin and stiff, his skin turned a deep brown, and eventually his whole body was stretched and twisted, turning into a thick, long, curved old yam with roots, stuck straight in the snow.

The robber, his face contorted in terror, screamed, then his voice abruptly stopped.

His body shrank rapidly like a deflated balloon, his skin became rough and tough, turning dark green, with dense granules appearing on its surface.

His head shrank into a stem shape, eventually settling into a bumpy, crooked bitter gourd, lying limply next to the yam that his companion had transformed into.

The entire process was silent, without any bloodshed or the clash of swords.

In just a few breaths, hundreds of fierce bandits were thrown into an invisible food processing plant.

This bizarre scene turned Qi Jingguang and the others in the distance pale.

Wang Yu and Gu Bei couldn't help but tremble.

They never expected that the chef among Xiao Ran and the other two, who always had a smile on his face, was so cute and approachable and made such delicious food, would actually be so incredibly skilled.

"Uncle-Master!" Qi Jinguang asked in a low voice, "Is he a professional?"

"Hmm." Xiao Ran nodded without denying it: "A B-level professional in the chef category."

Xiao Ran glanced sideways at Wu Man's methods. On their way here, Xiao Ran and Wu Man had discussed the abilities of B-level professions.

In Wu Man's words, the abilities of B-level professionals have basically involved some application of the rules, although not much.

But it can basically kill C-level sequences in an instant, except for freaks like Xiao Ran.

However, Xiao Ran's victory over Kaslia in Ruzhou City last time was largely due to the assistance of the [Locust Ranking], and partly due to Lu Cheng.

Therefore, if it were a fair fight, it would be easy for Xiao Ran to escape unscathed with his curse technique, but it would be almost impossible for him to kill a B-level professional head-on.

"vomit……"

At this moment, Gu Bei, who was standing at the door, suddenly felt his stomach churning. It wasn't because of the blood, but because of the intense mental shock brought about by this distorted scene that defied common sense. Gu Bei suddenly thought of the meal that Wu Man had prepared for them earlier.

I wonder if the buns and chicken feet in that meal were really made with real ingredients, or...

Thinking of this, Gu Bei leaned against the wall and began to gag violently, but nothing came out.

Fortunately, Jin Chanzi said to Gu Bei, "Don't worry, what you ate this morning was clean. These things can't actually be used to make dishes. Fake is fake, and it can't be made to look real."

After hearing Jin Chanzi's words of comfort, Gu Bei and the other two felt a little better.

At this moment, Xiao Ran had already taken out the [Suppressing Calamity Token - Transporter].

Immediately, the image of the Yin General appeared behind him.

The Dharma Image appeared behind him, and with a gentle wave of its hand, the vengeful spirits of the dead bandits immediately gathered in the Dharma Image's hand.

Privilege 3: Underworld

Those who possess the [Suppressing Calamity Token] can obtain the Underworld and raise Underworld soldiers.

There is no limit to the number of ghost soldiers, but they consume a fixed amount of energy every day.

These spirits, captured by Faxiang, then ended up in the pocket at Faxiang's waist.

"To capture souls and turn them into soldiers?"

Qi Jinguang was surprised to see this.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu asked curiously, "Jin Guang, didn't you say that this method of restraining spirits is..."

When the last two words, "heretical path," were uttered, Wang Yu immediately shut up and dared not continue.

Seeing the horror in Wang Yu's eyes, Qi Jinguang calmly said, "It's different. My uncle... is legal."

Indeed, Xiao Ran, as the contemporary Plum Blossom Taoist and the Yin-Yang Inspector appointed by the Underworld, holds the [Seal of Communication with the Netherworld] and is backed by the Mangda Banner.

This is something that others can't do, but Xiao Ran can do it openly and honestly.

(End of this chapter)