Zhang Yuanqing's gaze followed the orange cat, watching it swiftly reach the villa's entrance, squeeze through the gap in the iron gate, and vanish behind the wall. A few seconds later, trees burst out from the wall's edge, growing rapidly to the height of two stories. Flowers blossomed at the wall corners and tree branches, flourishing and competing in beauty—within moments, the villa and its courtyard transformed into a vibrant garden. Guan Ya stepped closer and whispered, "Hold the detox pills in your mouth until you enter the building; otherwise, they'll be too late." Zhang Yuanqing glanced around at his companions and noticed that each of them had silently produced the specially prepared pills from the Hundred Blossom Assembly and held them in their mouths. He then looked at Guan Ya again—old Lady Si also held one, her left cheek slightly swollen, adding a touch of endearing charm to her bright, oval face, making her seem especially cute. She still wore her white blouse, black tights, and skirt suit, her long, well-proportioned legs secured with two gun holsters. The skirt's zipper was pulled up to just below her thighs, offering her ease of movement—without worrying about exposure, a spinning kick was quite manageable. Of course, Zhang Yuanqing suspected she must have safety pants underneath, but he couldn't lift the skirt to verify, so there was no proof. "Will this counteract the poison of a Wugui master?" he asked, holding a fragrant pill between his teeth. "Definitely not," said Guan Ya, her face now serious, no longer smiling gently. "The Wugui master's poison isn't so easily subdued, but it will lessen the toxicity, ensuring no life-threatening danger." Zhang Yuanqing nodded, glancing at his companions. Besides the five captains, himself, and the old Si Ji, there were eight others: two water spirits, two fire masters, two earth monsters, and two wood immortals. The distribution of roles was even, aiming to eliminate any potential weaknesses. Moreover, these members are all Level 2 Travelers; Level 1 Travelers are not eligible to participate in the action. Against a Level 3 Grandly Evil professional, a Level 1 Lawful professional is roughly no different from a chicken. At that moment, the plants and trees cease growing. Qingteng, the leader of the vine team, speaks softly, "Action!" Fifteen Travelers move swiftly and silently through the quiet, deserted streets of the residential neighborhood, converging on the manor. As they approach the manor, Qingteng slows down, while Dajibu, accompanied by two strong Fire Masters, advances to grasp the door lock of the manor. With a faintly reddish glow, bright molten iron plummets to the ground with soft puffs. The three Fire Masters step back two paces, while Tang Guoqiang, leading two Earth Monstrosities, enters the manor courtyard first. The frontline is formed by the tank units—next should come the warriors. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing mentally notes the thought. Indeed, Dajibu leads two Fire Masters right after the three Earth Monstrosities. Behind the warriors should come the mages, then the healing priests! Zhang Yuanqing silently thought. The water spirit and the wood spirit entered immediately. The scouts were even inferior to the healing priests... Zhang Yuanqing glanced back at the squad leader and Guan Ya, noticing the unusual glances from his subordinates. Li Dongze, holding his cane, maintained graceful posture and spoke softly, "Our scouts need to operate from behind, observing the surroundings." Squad leader, you don't have to force your prestige! Zhang Yuanqing decided to support him, speaking firmly, "Understood—during team battles, visibility from the back is truly crucial." ...Li Dongze's face stiffened, recalling that moment of humiliation from the day before. He glanced at the lush vegetation by the wall corner, "I'm considering whether to place you there." At that moment, the official messengers arrived, each holding a handgun, at the security door of the villa's main hall. Due to the protective barrier encircling the villa courtyard, there was no need to disperse and surround the buildings. Moreover, considering the enemy's three-tiered evil occupation, dispersion might likely result in casualties. Thus, the group decided to break through the main entrance. Tang Guoqiang pressed one hand firmly against the security door lock, and the wall connected to the lock rapidly turned to sand, cascading down in gentle簌簌 sounds. He did not immediately enter but turned his head to look at Zhang Yuanqing. In the night, the Night-Wanderer thrived—unmatched in total darkness, where visibility was nearly zero. Zhang Yuanqing instantly understood, vanishing from sight under everyone's watchful gaze. He swiftly entered the foyer, deliberately rotating and leaping to avoid potential ambushes, his entry pose elegant and commanding. With the Night-Wanderer's natural ability to mask all sounds, he could effectively conceal his movements. Standing at the junction between the foyer and the living room, Zhang Yuanqing scanned the living room with a steady gaze. The living room was spacious, featuring a sofa and coffee table for guest reception in the center, an open kitchen and dining area on the left, and a staircase leading to the second floor on the The ceiling of the living room is exceptionally high, and the overall layout of the villa follows a "return" shape. From the railing on the second floor, one can overlook the living room on the first floor. After advancing two levels, Zhang Yuanqing's night patrol duration extended to 30 seconds, yet he still failed to conduct a thorough inspection of the living room. After making an initial assessment and determining no immediate danger, he exited the living room and reappeared within the official observers' field of view. "No one on the first floor. As for the second floor, I'm not sure." He spoke softly. Tang Guoqiang made an immediate decision: "Let's move!" He stepped in first, followed by the others, who entered with well-practiced composure and order. As the group entered the dark living room, a sudden "crack" echoed— the crystal chandelier suspended above the ceiling illuminated, bringing light to the villa and revealing the official observers who had just entered. The observers were momentarily struck by this unexpected development. "We've been waiting for you, gentlemen and ladies!" A middle-height man appeared at the railing on the second floor, with a lean build, sharp features, and a prominent, piercing gaze— The wizard-guerrilla pressed both hands against the railing, gazing down at the official wardens below with a mocking smile: "Fifteen Order wardens—well, you truly do take me seriously. To track me down, you've gone to all the trouble. But who can truly say where the line between hunter and hunted lies?" His words were cut short by Guan Ya, who held two guns and fired. The first bullet left a deep crater in the wall of the second floor; the second one anticipated the trajectory of "Unyielding" as he rolled, successfully striking him, with a crisp metallic clink. Unyielding pressed close to the wall, stubbornly finishing his lines, then laughed wildly: "I love adventure, I love breaking rules. To have my reputation tarnished by the elimination of fifteen Order wardens—worth it. Enjoy the feast of slaughter I've prepared for you!" The ceiling above exploded, glass shards raining down like a storm. The spacious living room plunged once again into darkness. Amid the crackling sounds of glass fragments falling, Zhang Yuanqing heard a faint, steady hum—subtle yet dense, like countless mosquitoes vibrating their wings. Immediately after, Li Dongze issued his warning: "Up above!" The large muscle and the two fire masters took deep breaths, inflating their cheeks, then exhaled slowly, pushing out the air from their lungs with a sharp "hoo"—and the flames instantly expanded, flooding the dark living room with light. Spark after spark fell in all directions, and a sharp, acrid smell of burning filled the air. These dark specks that fell were some kind of toxic insects; their scent was unpleasant and overpowering, and after Zhang Yuanqing inhaled several deep breaths, he felt dizzy. The official procession team experienced a minor commotion—not everyone could see clearly in the darkness. "Hoo-hoo-hoo..." The flames surged upward, and the three fire masters' bodies flared with intense heat, banishing the darkness and bringing light. As the group surveyed the living room, they all felt a deep sense of unease. On the living room floor, numerous strange insects had appeared at some point—some with grotesque mouthparts, others resembling grasshoppers, a few with spider-like bodies the size of a palm, and some so unfamiliar in species that their exact type could not be identified. What united them all was their vibrant, striking coloration. The flames danced and flickered, bringing light but also creating shifting shadows and limited illumination, making it difficult to avoid being attacked by these venomous creatures. Zhang Yuanqing moved with a crouch toward the open kitchen, and with a snap, activated the lights on that side. Given the spaciousness of the living room, it was impossible that only one chandelier provided lighting. "Well done!" the white dragon, carrying a long black blade, exhaled in relief and exclaimed loudly, "I've broken the faucet—now we need water." Zhang Yuanqing acted without hesitation, delivering a solid punch that shattered the faucet. To his surprise, instead of a powerful jet of water erupting, a steady flow of clear water surged from the broken pipes, flowing through the air as if alive. This clear current swept across the floor, over the sofa, through every corner of the living room, carrying away the diverse array of ghouls, and finally coalescing in midair into a water-filled sphere the size of a large water barrel, with countless ghouls swirling within, drifting and suspended. Bai Long opened his palms and then slammed them together. "Boom!" The sphere exploded, sending water droplets mixed with the bodies of the ghouls splashing everywhere across the living room. How impressive... Zhang Yuanqing sincerely admired the scene, thinking to himself that indeed, this was no ordinary mage—his skills were elaborate and flashy; if it were him, he'd have had no choice but to retreat, using the thirty-six strategies of evasion. After all, the Night-Wanderer's role at the transcendental stage is that of an assassin. At that moment, Li Dongze, acting as a scout, suddenly raised his head, sensing a dangerous force rapidly expanding on the second floor, and immediately issued a warning: "There's danger on the second floor—four distinct forces..." The official pilgrims felt their spirits sink. With their years of experience, they finally confirmed one thing—they had been ambushed. From the way he spoke, his demeanor, and his responses, it was clear he had anticipated this arrest. It seemed he had been invited to sit in the trap. Although Zhang Yuanqing was inexperienced, he was far from foolish; he glanced at his colleagues, whose faces were serious yet silent, and suppressed his growing doubts. Now was not the time to dwell on them. The steady rhythm of footsteps echoed through the quiet space, and a towering humanoid creature emerged at the railing. Its appearance was remarkably unattractive—equipped with insect-like, sharp mandibles, a flat nose, amber-colored vertical pupils, standing two meters tall, with a deep brown body covered in keratinous, scale-like projections, resembling a solid armor layer. Its fingernails were black and sharp, easily leaving claw marks on the railing. "Dear little insect," it said, using the tone of "unyielding," "brave in its final moments. It did not die in vain—because it secured ample time for me. Now, come forth, my companions!" Three monsters emerge slowly from three sides of the corridor shaped like the character "return." They are: A graceful woman whose body is that of a human with a spider's abdomen—her upper half is a slender, fair-skinned form, bare and lush, with a rounded, plump body of fat that exudes beauty. Below her navel, a thick, robust spider-like body emerges, with eight iron-spined legs that easily pierce the floor tiles and walls. A sturdy insectoid humanoid standing upright like a human, possessing well-defined, blocky abdominal and chest muscles, with bent knee joints and powerful, well-developed leg muscles that suggest a terrifying leap force. Her back is covered in a hard, lustrous exoskeleton that glows with a cool, jade-like sheen. A monster nearly ten meters long, with a human head and a serpentine body, whose form coils tightly around itself, covered in dark green and black scales. His body extends beyond the railing, and he periodically extends his tongue toward the people below. "Roaring with glee, he said. A servant of the Strange-Eyed Judge? A servant just like Ou Xiangrong? Zhang Yuanqing could only think of a "dang." The faces of Qingteng, Tang Guoqiang, and the others grew pale. "I like the way you all look. Today, every one of you will die—none of you will be spared, hear me!" With a fierce, grimace-filled mouth, Horang opened wide. ... The middle-aged man furrowed his brows, his eyes somewhat puzzled, "Our eyes at the Hundred Flowers Assembly have picked up on it. To be safe, I've pulled the surveillance footage from the surrounding areas—and indeed, we've spotted the Black Immortal. "Fu Qingyang coldly glanced at him, "Can the Black Immortal be captured on camera?" The man's face grew slightly tense. Ling Jun lazily rubbed his head, shrugged, "We've been set up. The Black Immortal deliberately led us here—though I'm not entirely sure if it was the Black Immortal himself. But why lead us here, exactly?" Fu Qingyang paused for a few seconds, then his stern expression suddenly shifted. "Ling Jun, follow me." He leapt directly from the second floor. Ling Jun was momentarily stunned—he had rarely seen Fu Qingyang this hurried and anxious.