Chapter 17

Chapter 17

◎Second Update◎

Everyone was momentarily dazed.

Ji Xia was the first to regain her senses, but she remained silent.

Qing Shu asked, "What's the negative effect?"

Before Bai Yan could answer, a cold system prompt appeared behind him:

"World Painter - Bai Yan has taken on 'Rule Four'. Effect: Forces aggro from boss-level units; Attack and Defense decreased by 70%."

"Forced aggro, attack and defense down by seventy percent?!" Hong Lan sucked in a sharp breath. "That debuff is brutal!"

A chill settled over the group.

Forced aggro was already crippling, but to also reduce attack and defense by 70%...

In a high-pressure battle, that was almost equivalent to a death sentence!

Bei Chen's expression turned grim. "This..."

Ji Xia asked, "Is the first effect of [Swift Snow] affected?"

Bai Yan lifted a hand. A wisp of pale cold air coiled around his fingertip before dissipating, as if he were checking his system panel.

"[Shady Ground] is unaffected." This was the area slow effect of Swift Snow.

Bai Yan added, "But the effect of [Snow Thorn] is severely weakened."

"Snow Thorn" was the assassination skill of "Swift Snow."

Hearing the words "Snow Thorn," Ji Xia's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. It actually shared the same name as the Dan Qing Fragment she frequently used in her previous life.

Qing Shu frowned deeply, muttering, "A seventy percent decrease in attack power means this [Snow Thorn], which should have been a one-hit kill, now only retains thirty percent of its power..." It was basically useless.

The situation was even worse than they'd thought.

Once stuck with this negative effect, no matter how exceptional one's strength, it felt like a tiger with its "fangs" pulled out—limp and powerless.

Bei Chen's thick brows shot up, his booming voice cutting through the heavy atmosphere enveloping the team. "Since the system set up this damn checkpoint, there must be a key to break through it! We've already got the best plan possible, so let's just do it!"

He strode forward and recited the third rule to the shadow wall in a deep voice: "Men shall not show their teeth when smiling, nor speak in loud voices!"

A system prompt, like a clinging ghostly shadow, materialized behind him as well:

"World Painter - Bei Chen has taken on 'Rule Three'. Effect: Forced Silence; cannot use guild channel, cannot speak, cannot perform legacy incantations."

Just as Ji Xia had predicted, it was an extremely troublesome silence effect.

Not a trace of dismay showed on Bei Chen's face. Instead, he grinned soundlessly, patted his chest, and pointed to the "Tiger Soul" in his hand.

He never participated in combat command and was accustomed to following Qing Shu's arrangements.

The legacy effect of "Tiger Soul" required no incantation, so this rule affected him very little.

The team's spirits lifted once more.

The guild leader was right. Through these trade-offs, they had preserved the team's strength as much as possible.

Next up was... taking the damn thing down!

Immediately after, Qing Shu and Sui Yu stepped forward in turn.

Qing Shu stared at the shadow wall and calmly recited the second rule: "Men should not venture beyond the main gate nor the inner courtyard gate."

As his voice faded, he flickered. In the next moment, he was trapped inside a delicate yet icy phantom cottage.

Vermilion doors with carved windows, upturned eaves and bracket sets—it resembled a miniature mansion.

But this mansion was eerily small. Qing Shu stood inside, unable to even stretch his arms.

Two tightly shut doorways materialized in front of the cottage: one was an exquisitely beautiful *chuihua* gate, the other a majestic and solemn main gate of a large courtyard.

Subsequently, the negative effect of this second rule also manifested behind Qing Shu.

"World Painter - Qing Shu has taken on 'Rule Two'. Effect: Forced Confinement; cannot leave the current area, cannot use combat-type Fragments."

Fortunately, they had guessed this rule fairly accurately, though they hadn't expected the confinement to be so absolute.

Qing Shu's voice came from within the phantom cottage. "Don't worry, none of my Fragments are combat-type."

While it didn't affect their use, being confined here was still quite troublesome. It made him a sitting duck, forcing them into a fight from a fixed position.

Sui Yu stepped forward and took on the final rule.

"World Painter - Sui Yu has taken on 'Rule One'. Effect: Seals Mysterious Brilliance quality civilization Fragments; Intelligence decreased by 70%."

Everyone couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

Qing Shu analyzed objectively, "In comparison, having Bai Yan bear the fourth rule was the best arrangement. He at least retains [Shady Ground], a powerful crowd control ability. Although Sui Yu's intelligence is weakened, his defensive capabilities remain, so he can continue as the team's off-tank."

The moment all four had accepted their rules, the entire deathly silent front courtyard suddenly "came to life."

The grating sound of metal scraping rang out from all directions, as if countless rusted gears were being forced to turn.

From the crevices of the cold metal colonnades and walls, dark red, vein-like vines began to writhe and grow grotesquely, emitting a teeth-grating rustling sound.

Immediately after, bursts of crisp yet utterly sinister children's laughter abruptly echoed through the air, sometimes near, sometimes far, filled with a sense of innocent cruelty.

"Luban Ruler, measure seven inches."

"Measure until the bones shatter piece by piece."

"Wooden kite flies, kite string tangles."

"Tangled around the neck, swinging on a swing."

"Vermilion gate heavy, lock falls down."

"Lock up human bones to build a tall tower."

Accompanying this spine-chilling nursery rhyme, the four lines of bloody characters on the shadow wall rapidly dissolved, converging into a humanoid form that continuously dripped viscous blood.

It had no distinct facial features, only the outline of a human body. Its entire form was composed of dark red blood, exuding a heavy stench of blood and resentment.

Without a doubt, this was the first checkpoint's BOSS—"The Rules."

"Uphold the human way! Establish human rules!" It shrieked in a sharp, childlike voice. Its form flickered, transforming into a blood-red shadow that shot towards Bai Yan, the "gentleness is beauty" guy, at a speed almost impossible to track with the naked eye!

"Watch out!" Ji Xia reacted with lightning speed. The power of her 【Star of Destruction】 instantly surged into her legs. Her figure flashed like electricity as she slammed sideways into Bai Yan, knocking him clear.

Almost simultaneously, a vortex of pale, cold air erupted at Bai Yan's fingertips. The domain of "Shady Ground" rapidly expanded with him at its center, attempting to slow the blood shadow's advance.

However, "Shady Ground" was ultimately an area-control skill, and its slowing effect on a single, high-speed boss was minimal.

The blood shadow merely faltered briefly before accelerating again!

Fortunately, that brief moment of delay was enough for the others to react swiftly.

"Immovable!" Lao Liu barked sharply. His 【Immovable Wisdom King Armor】 blazed with golden light, erecting a solid, pale golden barrier between the blood shadow and Bai Yan.

"CLANG—!"

The blood shadow crashed violently into the light wall, letting out a dull, thunderous impact.

Qing Shu's voice immediately rang out from the phantom cottage, clear and calm: "Bai Yan, on me! Everyone, gather on me and Bai Yan! Hold this ground!"

Bai Yan's figure flickered, already retreating beside the cottage.

Thwarted, the blood creature let out an even more piercing shriek: "Men should be gentle and submissive! You defy the human way! You break the human rules!"

It completely ignored Ji Xia and Hong Lan who were right beside it, its frenzied assaults raining down like a storm of blood and wind entirely upon the four male players, especially Bai Yan, who held its primary aggro.

The buffing auras Qing Shu cast upon them flickered unsteadily, their health bars beginning to fluctuate erratically.

Ji Xia's gaze swept across the battlefield, instantly assessing the situation. She spoke rapidly: "Lao Liu, you hold the front! Hong Lan, with me, flank it! A Mu, focus on buffing our speed!"

"Understood!" A Mu's Dan Qing Fragment, while its effect wasn't great, gave a percentage speed boost to her allies. Moreover, it could stack with the charge effect of 【Star of Destruction】, which was perfect for the current Ji Xia and Hong Lan.

"I'll help." Xing Xing had somehow appeared beside them, her short blade 【Flowing Firefly】 tracing lethal arcs of light. Her speed was astonishingly fast, clearly a burst-damage fragment built for rapid engagement and kills.

Qing Shu understood what Ji Xia was planning, but couldn't help voicing his concern: "You won't have a 'tank' covering you. If it turns around..."

"It won't." Ji Xia's tone was resolute, her gaze frighteningly calm. "With Bai Yan here, it won't attack us."

This "rule," while locking the players in place, had also rigidly confined itself!

Hong Lan gave her spear a spirited shake, her fighting spirit soaring. "Exactly! We're fast enough. If it turns around, we'll just run back!"

The three women shot forward like loosed arrows. Seizing the moment while "Rule" was furiously attacking the male players under the 【Immovable Wisdom King Armor】's protection, they instantly slipped behind it.

"SHUNK!"

Ji Xia's "Inspiration Pen," which had copied "Star of Destruction," stabbed precisely into the blood creature's back, right where its heart would be.

Hong Lan's crimson spear-light drilled in like a venomous dragon piercing the heart.

Xing Xing's "Flowing Firefly" carved a cold, sharp line of blood, causing the damage numbers to skyrocket instantly!

This back, composed of blood, was indeed its weak point!

The massive damage caused the blood creature "Rule" to let out a pained, piercing screech, its bulky form trembling violently.

As she attacked, Ji Xia kept a tight watch on its health bar.

The moment the health bar dropped to half, she gave the order without hesitation: "Fall back! Return to the formation! It's about to enter its second phase!"

"There's a second phase?!" Hong Lan couldn't help but wail.

Xing Xing leaped back gracefully, a smile still on her lips as she revealed a pair of little fangs. "Hehe, this is a high-risk dungeon, after all."

While retreating, Ji Xia's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly towards Xing Xing.

Xing Xing wasn't as at ease as she seemed. During the coordinated attack, Ji Xia had sensed a slight lag.

Xing Xing's synergy with "Flowing Firefly" didn't seem very high.

The group quickly fell back to their defensive positions, and Lao Liu took the chance to consume a potion to recover.

Then, everyone watched as the frenzied blood creature "Rule" suddenly ceased all movement.

It stood rigidly in place and began to chant in that sharp, childlike voice, word by word, as if performing some sinister ritual:

"Luban Ruler, measure three inches..."

"Measure till the bones shatter to pieces..."

Accompanied by this eerie nursery rhyme, its massive blood body began to churn like boiling water.

Countless strands of flesh, blood, and dark crimson wooden fibers were violently pulled from within its form, emitting a sickening, grating "creak."

Blood cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing the internal structure that was being reshaped.

In the blink of an eye, a massive Luban Ruler, three meters tall and forcibly fused from flesh, blood, and dark red wood, stood before the group!

The ruler's body seemed compressed from countless fragments of broken skin, flesh, and bone. Its surface was covered in twisted, agonized veins and tendons that still pulsed faintly.

Where the measurement markings should have been, rows of pale, mismatched eyeballs of various sizes were embedded. They now swiveled in unison, fixing everyone present with a gaze filled with boundless malice and scrutiny.

The edges of the ruler were not wood either, but pieced together from densely packed bone fragments, forming sharp, serrated teeth that dripped with thick, filthy blood.

A stench mixing blood and the rot of wood dust assaulted their nostrils. A terrifying pressure, like a tidal wave, spread out, making everyone's breath catch.