Chapter 19

Chapter 19

◎Why Can't It Be Combed Smooth? Why Won't It Shine Bright!◎

His words sparked everyone's interest; they smelled a clue.

Just as everyone was eager to proceed, Ji Xia's voice cut in, cold and sharp: "Are you her junior brother?"

The team channel instantly erupted.

"Hong Lan: Junior brother?!"

"Lao Liu: That villager said 'don't trust the junior brother'!"

"Bei Chen: Holy cow! Almost forgot!"

Lin Fan clearly flinched, his eyes filled with confusion, as if he didn't understand why Ji Xia would ask such a question.

The NPCs in the "Two Principles Painting Scroll" were not to be underestimated.

For Ji Xia, who had experienced the Descent Day, these NPCs were akin to highly intelligent humanoid creatures.

Under the group's gaze, Lin Fan appeared very nervous. He tightly gripped his threadbare clothes and shook his head, saying, "No, how could someone like me be worthy of being Gong Shuwan's junior brother? I am merely a poor scholar. Back then, I was down and out on the streets, and it was only through Gong Shuwan's generosity that I could travel to the capital to take the imperial examinations..."

Before he could finish speaking, the system-verified green name "Lin Fan" clearly appeared above his head.

Messages flew by rapidly in the team channel.

"Bei Chen: Whether he's the 'junior brother' or not, I think he's key to the next clues."

"Hong Lan: Follow him? He won't be able to try anything!"

From Lin Fan's appearance, they also realized there might be more to the story of "Lu Ban's Locked City."

Was Gong Shuwan corrupted by a demon?

Then the final boss of this dungeon might be defeating the "demon."

The discussion in the team channel didn't distract Qing Shu. Clearly, he was already accustomed to it. He adjusted his glasses and said to Lin Fan, "Please lead the way."

Lin Fan bowed repeatedly, his manner utterly grateful.

He led the group around the main hall, through a concealed back door, and into a deeper area of the mansion.

Here, the mechanical constructs were even denser, and the air was heavy with the scent of machine oil and old wood.

Finally, they stopped outside a spacious room resembling a warehouse.

From inside the door came the faint, grating sound of metal scraping.

Pointing inside, Lin Fan's face showed fear: "That's it... I've been stuck here all along, unable to get past to find Gong Shuwan..."

In the center of the room stood an enormous contraption.

In theory, it was a mechanical dressing table that could be called a masterpiece. Its main body was made of eaglewood and gleaming metal, with intricate carvings and extreme luxury.

However, at this moment, it had twisted into a frenzied monster.

Dozens of icy mechanical arms extended from various parts of the table. At the end of each arm was tightly gripped a gleaming, sharp-toothed comb or a bronze mirror with sharp edges reflecting distorted human figures.

They flailed wildly in the air without any pattern, the comb teeth and mirror surfaces ripping through the air, producing sharp, piercing noises.

Even more nerve-wracking were the sounds emanating from within the dressing table—a mix of precise gear rotations and otherworldly shrieks—repeatedly questioning:

"Why... can't it be combed smooth?!"

"Why... won't it shine bright?!"

Suddenly, the wildly flailing mechanical arms stopped dead. Then, all the combs simultaneously turned toward the intruders, and a chilling killing intent instantly locked onto them!

"Defense!" Qing Shu immediately ordered.

Lao Liu once again stepped to the front. The "Immovable Wisdom King Armor" erupted with golden light, barely withstanding the fierce strikes of three or four mechanical arms as the light shield fluctuated violently.

Ji Xia quickly typed a line in the team channel: "Keep an eye on Lin Fan."

Qing Shu understood her meaning. After quickly assessing everyone's status, he said to A Mu: "You're positioned further back. Pay attention to Lin Fan's movements. Alert us immediately if there's any abnormality."

Ji Xia and the others needed to focus on close-quarters combat output, while Qing Shu had to keep a close watch on the battle and keep them buffed in time. It was difficult for them to split their attention. As a secondary support, A Mu still had some capacity to spare.

Ji Xia's concern was not unfounded. Although Lin Fan seemed fine now, there was no guarantee he wouldn't act abnormally during the battle.

If they were attacked from behind, they would be forced to withdraw.

"Understood," A Mu replied, releasing support-type fragments while her gaze swept over the panicked scholar nearby.

The battle erupted!

The combs vibrated frantically. Countless strands of jet-black, tough "hair," comparable to fine steel wire, shot out as if alive, enveloping the group from all directions.

This attack wasn't linear; it came from all sides.

"The area is too large. The [Immovable Wisdom King Armor] can't protect our backs!" Lao Liu urgently said. Her light shield primarily defended the front and couldn't fully cover this kind of omnidirectional entanglement attack.

"Shady Ground."

Bai Yan's clear voice rang out. He still stood in a relatively safe position, but the first effect of "Swift Snow" had already been activated. Pale, cold air mixed with ice crystals and snowflakes spread out, noticeably slowing the speed of the shooting hair strands.

"Now! Guild Leader, Ji Xia, Hong Lan, and Xing Xing, each of you take one direction and go chop the combs!" Qing Shu spoke rapidly, having clearly found the key to breaking the situation.

Ji Xia reacted the fastest, her figure shooting out like an arrow from a bowstring. The "Star of Destruction" power, copied by the "Inspiration Pen," transformed into a crimson spear radiance, accurately slashing toward a comb on the left that was madly spewing hair strands.

Bei Chen's "Tiger Soul" cleaved toward the right.

Hong Lan and Xing Xing were a bit slower but quickly followed up with their attacks, dealing significant damage as they heavily struck the sources of the jet-black hair strands!

A surge of Spirit Ink exploded.

Mysterious Brilliance-level fragments erupted in dazzling colors.

With the support of Bai Yan's slowing field, their speed surpassed that of the jet-black hair strands, allowing them to accurately hit four combs!

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Four crisp sounds rang out as the combs snapped in response. The attached jet-black hair strands, as if losing their source, instantly withered and could no longer pursue their attacks.

However, before everyone could catch their breath, the largest bronze mirror in the center of the dressing table suddenly lit up with a blinding light, its surface rippling like water.

"Watch out!" Qing Shu's warning voice had just sounded when everyone felt the power they had just unleashed—whether it was the spear radiance from Ji Xia and Hong Lan, the blade energy from Bei Chen, or the cold, sharp edge from Xing Xing—being completely absorbed by the mirror surface, and then—

Right back at you!

What was even more chilling was that even Bai Yan's ubiquitous slowing field was reflected back!

An unfamiliar, piercing chill enveloped everyone from the opposite direction, slowing them down!

"Damn it!" Hong Lan couldn't help but curse. She had only thought the effect of *Shady Ground* was impressive before; she never imagined it would feel so terrible when turned against them.

"Old Liu!" Qing Shu shouted in the channel.

At the critical moment, Lao Liu gritted his teeth and pushed the protective power of the "Armor of the Immovable Wisdom King" to its limit. A pale golden light wall suddenly expanded outward like a semi-circular dome, forcibly intercepting all the reflected attacks!

"Boom—!"

A powerful collision echoed through the warehouse. Lao Liu grunted, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. The light wall flickered, clearly under immense pressure.

"This mirror is disgusting!" Sui Yu stepped up to support him, while Qing Shu and A Mu had already abandoned other buffs, focusing solely on healing Lao Liu.

Ji Xia stared intently. "We have to break it quickly. Those combs are slowly repairing themselves!"

A chill ran down everyone's spine.

They had barely managed to sever the combs, and their Spirit Ink consumption was already high. If they had to withstand a few more rounds, they wouldn't hold out.

Just then, Lin Fan, who had been hiding in the back trembling with fear, pointed a shaky finger at the dressing table with a tearful, timid voice. "Its back... attack its back... maybe... maybe that'll work..."

Behind?

Everyone's gaze fell upon the back of the dressing table.

It was tightly sealed against the wall, with no gap left for an attack.

"It's pressed too tight; we can't get past!" Hong Lan yelled.

Mo, who had been silent all along, seemingly merged with the shadows, finally moved at this moment.

He didn't look at anyone, merely raising his right hand clad in a black glove and making a grasping motion towards the massive, multi-ton dressing table.

The dressing table, pressed flush against the wall, seemed to be seized by an invisible giant hand. Its base emitted a grating screech against the floor as it was forcibly dragged forward by a body's width!

A very narrow gap, but just enough for someone with a slender build to pass through, appeared between the dressing table and the wall.

The entire process was eerily silent, yet carried a heart-stopping sense of power.

Everyone looked at Mo.

Was this also a fragment effect?

Wasn't "Thousand Mechanisms" a crowd-control type fragment?

"Ji Xia." Qing Shu's voice sounded in the channel. "It's up to you!"

In terms of burst damage, Bei Chen was the highest.

But that gap was too small for someone of Bei Chen's build to enter.

No further words were needed.

The moment Mo created the gap, Ji Xia had already seized the opportunity.

Her figure moved like a wisp of smoke. Amidst the lingering chill of Bai Yan's "Shady Ground," she pushed the speed of "Star of Destruction" to its limit. She practically skimmed the ground, slipping perilously into the newly opened narrow space.

The dressing table seemed to sense the threat from behind. Its remaining mechanical arms flailed wildly backward, trying to intercept.

The mirror surface also lit up again, attempting to capture her reflection for a rebound.

But it couldn't turn around; the mirror could only face forward.

Ji Xia's movements were extremely fast.

The moment she breached the back, she saw it: embedded in the center of the ornately carved back panel was a pulsating, dark red core.

Like an ugly tumor, it emanated an ominous aura.

That's it!

The "Inspiration Pen" in Ji Xia's hand blazed with light.

"Star of Destruction" erupted along her brushstroke, piercing with surgical precision into the very center of the dark red core!

A sizzling sound, like a red-hot branding iron plunged into ice water, rang out.

The dark red core convulsed violently, then, with a groan of unbearable strain, exploded with a bang!

Almost simultaneously, the dressing table's flailing arms stiffened and then fell limp.

The huge bronze mirror also grew dim and dull, finally cracking with a "crack," covered in a spiderweb of fissures.

The dressing table slumped to the ground like a powerless person, the creaking and cracking sounds composing endless confusion and sorrow:

"Never illuminated... never used... then why did you create me..."

Author's Note:

Let me tell you a secret, there's another chapter below.