He changed Tiwat

"Of course it's because you were fooled by me!" Han Fulai chuckled inwardly.

Clement had a chance to avoid this trap, and he almost gave up on the exploration, but under Han Fulai's coercion and enticement, he still followed the predetermined plot development.

If Yanfei were present, she might have argued with Clement about the validity of the verbal contract or the additional clauses in the employment contract. But for the "God of Contracts," the validity of a contract is absolute, at least for contracts he personally made.

Therefore, his answer was only one sentence: "Because you made a contract."

"Hmph, what kind of bullshit contract is this? Go to hell!" Clement said with a look of disdain.

"The Rock King once said, 'Once a contract is made, those who break their word shall be punished by being devoured by the Rock.'"

Zhongli's expression was calm, and his words carried an undeniable air of authority.

Clement shook his head dismissively and said, "That's your Liyue god, I come from Winter!"

“‘The Punishment of Eating Rocks,’ you’ll experience it for yourself… it won’t be easy,” Zhongli said.

"Oh? What do you want? To fight me?" Clement actually laughed. "If you know what's good for you, hand over that salt ruler."

“What if I say 'no'?” Zhongli said slowly.

Clement put on the hood of his coat embroidered with the pattern of fools, wiped his face with his hand, and like a Sichuan opera face-changing act, a pale mask covered his face.

This was the attire of an elite debt collector among the Fools. Clement spread his arms, and two sharp scimitars were already in his hands.

"Heh, I know you have the Eye of God, but do you think I'd be afraid of you?" Clement's voice came through the mask, sounding somewhat muffled.

Zhongli, as a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth, was knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was indeed renowned far and wide... However, Zhongli's reputation did not include his combat prowess. In fact, very few people had ever seen Zhongli in action.

But Zhongli smiled slightly.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, but are you afraid of him?"

Zhongli took a step back and patted Han Fulai on the back. "'Successor of the Emperor,' this place is now in your hands. Oh, don't cause any deaths."

As he spoke, he gestured for Wanyan to step back, clearing the space for the two of them.

Hey! How did this become my problem again? I was standing perfectly fine in the audience, and Zhong Li, why did you just throw a Poké Ball at me, leaving me with the words "I choose you, Pikachu" and then passing the buck to me? And you acted like it was perfectly natural! Han Fulai complained loudly in his mind.

But despite his complaints, Han Fulai understood that as the "successor of the Emperor," upholding the rules established by the Emperor was his duty, and moreover—

Zhongli's slap on his back just now must have been imbued with a lot of immortal power.

Chapter 82 Snow-covered River, Ten Miles of Dragon Waves, The Emperor's Pride Reappears in the Mortal World [4k5]

With a flick of his wrist, Han Fulai drew a black-tasseled spear from his waist, and the Eye of the Blank God flashed.

“Mr. Clement, I’m giving you this final warning: lay down your arms and surrender now, and you’ll be treated leniently. Attacking a civil servant of Liyue is a serious crime; you’ll not only face imprisonment but also a fine.” Han Fulai seemed to be making a final peace effort, but his tone carried an air of arrogance.

"Heh, you know what? I've wanted to hit you for a long time." Clement's voice was sinister. These were his true feelings. After being constantly harassed and threatened by Han Fulai along the way, it was impossible for him not to harbor resentment.

Moreover, he also happened to know that this Han Fulai had actually been seriously injured in the Battle of Ba Che and was now just a pretty face.

"Hey, what a coincidence, I've been wanting to beat you up for a while now." Han Fulai casually twirled his spear, still remembering the feeling of wielding it when he activated the Elemental Monument. With Zhongli adding another surge of immortal power to him, he felt his fighting spirit soaring.

Clement gave a soft snort, and a burst of smoke suddenly erupted where he stood, engulfing his figure. When the smoke cleared, Clement had vanished.

This is the unique invisibility technique of the Fools' Debt Settlers. It can achieve an optical camouflage effect that blends into the surrounding environment in a short time. The principle is similar to Night Orchid's Swift Movement Technique.

Han Fulai didn't even adopt a defensive stance; he was just muttering to himself.

"Rocks are the bones drawn together by the six directions; stones are the jade hidden within the eight wastelands, shining brightly..."

With a "bang," a blur of light crashed into the jade shield.

The jade shield in front of Zhongli.

Clement had no intention of fighting Han Fulai. His verbal sparring and subsequent invisibility were merely a ploy to create the illusion of a fight. His true target was the salt ruler in Zhongli's hand. If he could subdue Zhongli with a single blow, grab the salt ruler, and escape, he would have already made a fortune.

Unfortunately, Han Fulai had already seen through his scheme.

“Mr. Clement, you’re still a hundred Tartaglias away from me when it comes to trickery. Why don’t we have a fair fight?” Han Fulai said with a smile.

Just now, when he cast the Jade Shield, he not only enveloped himself but also expanded its range to cover the entire room, essentially creating a circular arena within it. Just like in the Jade Pavilion, as long as he was willing to expend more immortal power, the range of the Jade Shield could be expanded to an enormous extent.

He had seen the Fools' debt collectors' invisibility technique countless times in the game, so how could he not think of the possibility that Clement might use it to attack others and escape?

Clement did not answer; he would not make such a foolish mistake as to speak and expose himself while in stealth mode.

Once in stealth mode, not only his physical form, but also his footprints and scent would be completely concealed. Clement was very confident in his invisibility.

If there's any flaw in this invisibility technique, it's that the flow of elemental power within the caster's body cannot be concealed. If Han Fulai were a true holder of the Eye of God, capable of using elemental vision, he could discern Clement's invisibility by observing the traces of elemental power flow. Unfortunately, Han Fulai hasn't yet mastered elemental vision.

As an elite soldier with professional military training, Clement even knew how to evade elemental vision scans. Although he didn't know if Han Fulai had activated elemental vision, based on his combat instincts honed over many years of training, Clement had already consciously circled around to Han Fulai's blind spot while in stealth mode.

Whether it's avoiding detection by elemental vision or preventing the opponent's counterattack, launching a surprise attack from a blind spot is the only way.

Just as Han Fulai's gaze completely turned away from Clement, Clement moved!

The sound of metal clashing rang out, accompanied by a burst of fire, and the jade shield surrounding Han Fulai trembled slightly. Clement's stealthy thrust once again struck a high wall formed by the immortal power of an emperor.

Han Fu turned around and found that Clement had left behind a flame-like afterimage, still in the posture of thrusting with a knife, but Clement's real body had long since disappeared.

Undeterred, Clement struck again at the back of Han Fulai's head almost simultaneously with Han Fulai's turn to look. Of course, the flawless jade shield once more blocked his blade.

Han Fulai still only saw another afterimage made of flames, which stood behind him in the posture of slashing down with its twin swords.

"The second strike," Han Fulai thought to himself.

He remained standing with his spear in hand, relying entirely on the jade shield for defense, waiting for the opponent's next attack.

Whether it's Zhongli's spear technique or the spear technique Shen He taught him, he can only imitate the movements at present. Relying on his immortal power, he can wield it somewhat decently, but that's all. He knows he doesn't yet have the skill to wield a black-tasseled spear so tightly that it wraps around his head and leaves no room for defense or even counterattacks.

However, he didn't actually need to know any marksmanship. The reason he took out the gun and held it in his hand was simply to mislead Clement into paying attention to the spear in his hand.

The Ancient Hua School is a melee mage style; melee combat is for style, but mage is the essence.

A clang rang out to his side. This time, Clement threw the blade in his hand, then used the rebound to retrieve it, leaving only a fiery afterimage in his wake.

"Master Ke, Li Wei, have you eaten?" Han Fulai said sarcastically, but in his heart he was counting: "The third strike."

Almost at the same time as his taunt, Clement's fourth strike arrived, this time aimed directly at his face.

Han Fulai nodded slightly. It was the fourth strike; the time was almost up.

He began to channel his collective immortal power, coating the black-tasseled spear. The spear instantly shimmered with light, faintly displaying an indestructible aura.

With a deafening roar, flames erupted once more, and Clement's fifth attack struck Han Fulai squarely in his right flank. However, protected by the Jade Shield, Han Fulai remained unharmed.

But this time, the jade shield was shaking violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

Clement was secretly pleased. He had already tested Han Fulai and found that he didn't seem to have the ability to see through his invisibility; he was only relying on the Jade Shield for defense. But no matter how strong the shield is, if it keeps getting hit, it will eventually be broken.

As the greatest enemy of the Fools, Han Fulai's intelligence is a key focus of their investigation. Although his relationship with Zhongli and his identity as a transmigrator have not yet been exposed, his combat data is being studied by specialists within the Fools, and elite combat personnel like Clement also possess relevant information about him.

During the battle against Ba Che, his Jade Shield was breached by Ba Che once. According to the analysis of the internal data of the Fool Clan, Han Fulai deployed the Jade Shield to protect the Jade Pavilion for about three minutes, and it only lasted for a total of five minutes until Ba Che broke it.

Even if Han Fulai reduces the shield's range, his shield's maximum duration should be within 15 minutes, and it will also be consumed by attacks, shortening its duration.

Moreover, Han Fulai is theoretically seriously injured, so the shield's effect will not last long, as evidenced by the shield's swaying just now—this is one of the sources of Clement's confidence to fight against this "successor of the Emperor".

What's more, he also possesses the strength to unleash a strike comparable to that of a demon god!

Yes, Clement's willingness to risk being "double-crossed" by following Han Fulai and his group into the ruins, and his willingness to say things like "Zhongli, you're useless," was based on his confidence.

Even knowing that Han Fulai had a shield, he believed he could break it in one blow!

Inside his coat, a fire-evil eye was radiating intense light.

He has already used the power of the Evil Eye, the power that was able to repel the "Dragon Usa" that ravaged Mondstadt back then!

While in stealth mode, Clement quietly began to change his position.

A smile appeared on Han Fulai's face. He had waited for Clement's fifth strike because he knew which direction Clement's sixth strike would come from.

—So far, Clement has left five afterimages around him: to his side and behind, directly behind, to his side and in front, to his right, and directly in front.

So Clement's next attack will be...

Han Fulai suddenly turned sideways, twisted his waist to exert force, and thrust his spear forward with unstoppable momentum, aiming straight for his empty left side.

With a "thud," the tip of the black-tasseled spear was struck like a piece of rotten leather, and specks of blood splattered, staining the black tassel red!

With a clang, a curved knife fell to the ground.

The left side was not empty; there was a figure tumbling through the air like a cannonball.

That was Clement, whose stealth was broken by Han Fulai's attack.

Just as Clement was about to stealthily thrust at Han Fulai's left rib, he was startled to see a cold glint attacking his brow.

His attack was originally intended to break the jade scepter's shield, so he used all his strength. Now, his momentum was waning, and he was powerless to change direction, which was tantamount to him rushing headlong into Han Fulai's spear. Fortunately, Clement was blessed with the Evil Eye, and his reaction was incredibly fast. In the critical moment, he raised his twin swords and barely managed to deflect the black-tasseled spear.

However, Han Fulai's shot, imbued with divine power, was so powerful and heavy that it still pierced a transparent hole in Clement's left shoulder. The remaining force almost impaled him on the spear.

Fortunately, Clement's body had been enhanced by the Evil Eye, and even when injured, he was able to use his extraordinary physical reflexes to retreat and roll away to dissipate the force, thus avoiding being taken down by Han Fulai's unexpected attack.

"Master Ke, you're too kind." Han Fulai pointed his spear diagonally at the ground and did not pursue.

"Surrender now, leave behind everything you've taken from this ruin, and we can let bygones be bygones."

Zhongli had already stated that no one should die, clearly indicating that he felt the punishment for violating the contract wouldn't be enough to take Clement's life. Moreover, Wanyan was an outsider present; it wasn't enough for Han Fu to simply dig a pit and bury Clement.

Clement was, after all, registered with the General Affairs Department. He had a certificate as a Winter Archaeological Researcher and an identity as a member of the Fools. His mysterious disappearance after a trip with Vice Minister Han of the Moon Sea Pavilion could easily cause a diplomatic incident.

Han Fulai actually planned to threaten the victim, Clement, into swallowing his anger, just like Gan Yu did in the legendary quest when he beat up the unlucky fat guy picking raspberries.

As Gan Yu's chief private secretary, he had learned a great deal from Gan Yu in this regard.

However, Clement clearly didn't appreciate it.

He still vividly remembered Han Fulai's earlier mockery, and the humiliation of defeat and the pain of injury turned his eyes bloodshot.

The only tenet of the debt collectors of the Fools is "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

He roared to the sky, and a strange black mist suddenly rose around him. A ball of flame suddenly appeared in his hand, which he pressed against his shoulder, instantly stopping the bleeding. He used high-temperature cauterization to stop the bleeding.

Crimson flames spread across his body, as if he were wearing armor forged from flames.

With a flick of his left hand, Clement sent the scimitar on the ground flying into his hand, bursting into flames that mirrored the blazing scimitar in his right hand.

He let out a low growl like a wild beast, and his figure vanished abruptly.

This wasn't because Clement had activated invisibility, but because his speed had exceeded the limits of the human body, making him impossible for the naked eye to follow.

The afterimage of flames directly in front of Han Fulai moved, hurtling towards his body like a rampaging truck with a loud bang.

Cracks have already begun to appear on the Jade Shield!

Han Fulai's eyes narrowed slightly. This was the ultimate technique of the Fools' Elite Debt Collectors—the Six-Star Slaying Formation!

The complete formation consists of six afterimages attacking the central target simultaneously from six directions, while Clement uses his extreme speed to weave through these afterimages. Due to the extremely short intervals between attacks, the power of these six strikes is concentrated in one place, making it no problem to break through Han Fulai's counterfeit Jade Shield.

In the game, the Debt Collector is known as the "Strongest Fire DPS in the Original Demon," and his six-star killing formation is said to be able to slay immortals and destroy gods, and can even shatter Zhongli's shield.

Although Han Fulai had prevented the completion of the final corner of the Six-Star Slaying Formation based on his understanding of the debt collectors, Clement forcibly activated the ultimate technique with the help of the Evil Eye.

Should he now urge his immortal power to strengthen the Jade Pendant Shield, hoping it will withstand the Six-Star Killing Array for him? That way, he might be able to stall until the effect of Clement's Evil Eye wears off.

No, even if they manage to withstand this attack, Clement can always come back for another. Rather than leaving their fate to the Evil Eye's time limit, they'd rather take control of their own future—especially now that he knows Clement's attack methods in advance.

Han Fulai chose to fight fire with fire.

In order to explore the use of immortal power, Han Fulai has tried various ways to adjust his state of mind: the emperor who protects the people, the emperor who follows the way of Confucianism, the emperor who wanders in the mortal world... but he is still missing one - the emperor who is the one who governs the mortal world and is the emperor of Liyue!

Clement pressed his advantage relentlessly, unleashing five afterimages from the Six-Star Slaying Formation simultaneously, delivering five consecutive blows that shattered the Jade Jade Shield in an instant.

However, his body took advantage of the momentum and rose into the air, appearing above Han Fulai's head.

Black mist rolled, flames surged, he hovered in the air, and he was also gathering strength.

He brandished his twin swords, burning with rage; with this strike, he vowed to avenge himself!

Han Fulai neither dodged nor avoided; with a stomp of his foot, his immortal power spread, causing waves of salt to rise from the ground.

Han Fulai raised his spear, standing tall and proud, and recited a poem: "Watching the snow-covered river flow like a dragon's roar for ten miles, I alone wash in the vast waves as the clouds howl. The scenery is magnificent, I ask, what is the world like, the carefree emperor!"

The salt layers on the ground, created by Zhongli using the salt ruler, surged and rolled as if they were alive, and under the control of the Emperor's immortal power, they coiled around Han Fulai's body like a snow ribbon.

Salt, also known as "rock salt," is a type of rock, whether it is salt rock buried deep underground or the clean white salt crust in a salt lake. From a geological perspective, it is a type of rock.

Although the Salt Demon God has passed away, the Rock Demon God can still command these ownerless rock salts.

Where the black-tasseled spear pointed, the snow-covered sky suddenly solidified, transforming into a white dragon of salt, raising its head upwards!

Clement, engulfed in flames, hurtled towards the Salt Dragon with unparalleled force, like a fiery meteor falling from the sky.

The flaming twin blades and the blood-stained spear clashed, creating a dazzling light.