Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

Zuo Chang pointed to her empty right side: "Could you reopen the portal? I want to go check on the situation."

Sun Erniang shook her head: "No, I have no more magic power. Once the time limit is up, regardless of success or failure, the person who entered the portal will return to my side. Please—be patient."

Chapter 328 The Value of Being in the Top Five in the World

The countdown ticked coldly.

The Saintess of Time slumped onto a bench at the tea stall, looking at the situation with some confusion—she had no idea what had happened.

If she is willing to speak, Zuo Chang will certainly explain it to her in detail.

However, the more you know, the greater your responsibility.

Sometimes, remaining ignorant can conveniently keep one out of trouble, a fact the Holy Maiden was well aware of. Therefore, she cautiously kept silent, ensuring she only had a partial understanding.

"Well……"

A quarter of an hour passed quickly, and suddenly a portal appeared next to Sun Erniang. Chen Xinshui emerged from the portal and collapsed to the ground!

Zuo Chang glanced over and saw that he was covered in blood. He immediately stepped forward to help him up: "Brother Chen?"

Chen Xinshui did not respond.

After only fifteen minutes apart, Chen Xinshui had already fallen into a semi-conscious state. Zuo Chang touched his exposed skin and found that his body temperature was abnormally high.

The saintess approached and immediately said, "He's suffering from blood loss and poisoning. He'll die if he doesn't receive immediate treatment."

Sun Erniang also said, "Alas, what a pity! Brother Duan was too confident. The giant python in the forest has been cultivating for a long time and is one of the great demons of this place... I thought Brother Duan was well prepared, but now it seems that he is still lacking. Judging from his appearance, he probably won't be able to get the snake gall."

Zuo Chang attempted to soothe Chen Xinshui's poisoning by offering words of comfort.

invalid.

The hand that should have been able to soothe any abnormal condition was unable to remove the toxins from Chen Xinshui's body.

After careful observation, Zuo Chang discovered that this "toxin" was not in an "abnormal state," but rather a "special state":

【Dream of the Snake Eater】: In this state, your cultivation level will be reduced by 30%, and the effect will last until you leave the instance.

The hand of soothing cannot work in special circumstances; this must be fate's punishment for those who fail in their missions.

Zuo Chang changed his strategy and immediately used "gentle breeze and nourishing rain" to treat Chen Xinshui.

Under the influence of the soft green light, Chen Xinshui's continuously decreasing health points gradually stabilized. The good news was that the woven destiny would not dissipate immediately, but the bad news was that Chen Xinshui could not wake up immediately, and even if she did wake up, her combat strength would be somewhat different from before.

Sun Erniang sighed softly and said, "I'm afraid the Crimson Grass alone won't be enough to poison the old man guarding the house... Mr. Beethoven, what are your plans?"

Zuo Chang asked, "What are your plans?"

"If you insist on poisoning me, I can create an 'incomplete potent poison.' While it won't kill the old man, it will certainly affect his fighting ability. However, the old man will likely return to the feng shui house due to the poisoning, and we must kill him quickly. If we let him go back, we may no longer be able to threaten him."

“You can also choose to be patient for now. The old man is obviously going to Fog Edge City. Perhaps there is another opportunity to kill him in the city.”

As soon as Sun Erniang finished speaking, the options appeared immediately.

Team Selection:

[1. You decide to continue the assassination attempt and order Sun Erniang to poison the target. Selecting this option will directly lead to the BOSS battle.]

2. Be patient and bide your time. You don't believe now is a good time, so you choose to be patient and act when the opportunity arises.

Zuo Chang pondered for a moment.

Honestly, I'm not too afraid of going straight for the boss now. Although the boss provides some boosts, how much stronger can someone at the twelfth realm get?

With the Holy Maiden of Time by my side, I believe there shouldn't be any major problems.

but……

"This dungeon is way too easy. I haven't even gotten reliable information yet, and we're already fighting a boss? Before, with Chen Xinshui around, some choices were difficult to make, but now..."

Zuo Chang looked at Chen Xinshui, who was lying on the ground and whose vital signs were gradually stabilizing, and a decision formed in his mind.

Not in a hurry.

Continue the dungeon. Even if we can't get any information about the "Earth God's Remains," killing a few more members of the Aloe Clan is still worthwhile.

With this in mind, he chose to remain silent.

Sun Erniang smiled upon receiving his answer: "The rational choice. I only have one serving of poisoned tea, and the old man is accompanied by several bodyguards. If I really take action, I'm afraid I won't be able to kill him by hand... A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."

at the same time.

in reality.

The celestial being inspected the backstage area, but his small face remained completely unmoved.

Mayumi asked, "God, was Father's choice correct?"

"It's neither right nor wrong, just a safe choice. If he chooses to fight but can't end the fight quickly, the guardian will retreat back to the feng shui house—in the background analysis, once the guardian returns to its lair, the chance of completing this dungeon is less than five percent."

Five percent...

Mayumi frowned: "If we don't finish, Father won't be able to get out?"

"No, not exactly. Just kill Chen Xinshui and you'll be free."

The god shook his head, his tone indifferent.

in the copy.

Sun Erniang placed a bowl of medicinal tea in a porcelain bottle and handed it to Zuo Chang: "When facing an enemy, splash it on his face. This is my secret medicine; it can easily render a person incapable of fighting."

Zuo Chang took it and glanced at it:

【Incomplete Secret Poison Tea (Quest Item)】: Splash it on the target and reduce the target's combat power by 50% for the next minute.

Zuo Chang carefully put away the poisoned tea and asked, "Ms. Sun, what should I do next?"

"Yes……"

Sun Erniang pondered for a moment, then said, "If poisoning fails, we'll have to launch a frontal assault. The old man guarding the house is exceptionally strong and possesses divine magic; his 'Rock Armor' is virtually indestructible! If we don't find a way to break this defense, how easy will it be to launch a frontal assault?"

Zuo Chang tentatively asked, "Divine magic?"

"Yes, divine magic."

Sun Erniang paced back and forth for a couple of steps, then suddenly looked at Zuo Chang: "Beethoven, I know someone who has a deep understanding of aloe vera magic. If you could meet him, it would be of great help! However, that person is imprisoned in the dungeon of the geomancer's shop, and it's not easy to see him..."

[Key milestones completed.]

[Task progress updated.]

Here it comes, another mission.

Weaving fate with a strong will, chasing after it to feed it.

Zuo Chang was invigorated and looked at the details of the mission:

[Extraordinary Person: From Sun Erniang, we learn that a mysterious individual skilled in aloe vera magic is imprisoned in the celestial prison of the geomancer's shop. Finding him might yield a way to break the guardian's indestructible divine power.]

The Heavenly Prison of a Feng Shui House?

He's also an industry insider!

Zuo Chang immediately asked, "Who is this person? How do I find him?"

"This man's name is Ashiya Mitsuru. Finding him will be extremely difficult! No one knows where the Heavenly Prison of the Geomancer's House is; Ashiya Mitsuru is a high-ranking criminal guarded by the Aloe Clan, so even if you find the location of the Heavenly Prison, you may not be able to rescue him successfully!"

Sun Erniang sighed heavily.

At the same time, a coordinate appeared in the minds of Zuo Chang and the Holy Maiden of Time—this should be Ashiya Mitsuru's coordinate.

Before Zuo Chang could even begin to think about what to do, a loud "bang" rang out, and the Holy Maiden vanished from her spot.

He turned his head and saw another "bang" as the saintess suddenly returned.

She was carrying an old man in her arms and asked, "Is it him?"

Sun Erniang, being an NPC, showed no surprise and simply replied in a rigid manner, "Yes. This is Ashiya Mitsuru."

Zuo Chang pressed his forehead, feeling a little dizzy.

Chapter 329 Descendant of a Genius

Yes, that's right.

The Saintess of Time said she was among the top five in the world. This was not a humble statement, but it was not an arrogant one either; she truly had the ability to back it up.

Such as now.

As long as she knows the exact coordinates, she can use teleportation to easily break through numerous guards and obstacles, and appear directly at the target location.

Then——

Like carrying a chick, bring the target person over.

"Thank you, Miss/Sir, for saving us!"

Before Zuo Chang could react, the NPCs did.

He bowed deeply and said, "I thought I would be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for the rest of my life!"

Zuo Chang forced himself to calm down.

He turned his head and looked at Ashiya Man.

Ashiya Mitsuru was an old man with white hair and beard. Perhaps because he had never been exposed to sunlight, his skin was exceptionally pale, and he even looked somewhat sickly.

However, he was in good spirits and clearly had not been mistreated.

Zuo Chang asked, "Old sir, who are you?"

Ashiya Mitsuru bowed his head: "I am Ashiya Mitsuru, a descendant of the Aloe clan."

"Descendants?"

"Haha! Speaking of which, I was the most talented one in my generation, and my parents had high expectations for me."

Oh……

Zuo Chang looked him up and down: "If that's the case, how did you end up in prison?"

Ashiya Mitsuru made no attempt to hide anything: "There's nothing to it. First, we disagreed on political views; second, I couldn't stand my family members bullying the villagers and acting like tyrants. I spoke up for them, and as a result, my brothers and sisters attacked and purged me, which led to this situation!"