The Yellow River Creation Merit Cauldron

Though Lan Ni's attacks were swift, precise, and deadly, their efficiency was too low. If she had faced this situation alone, she would likely have had her neck snapped by one doll only to be torn to shreds by the remaining Hong Tu Gui.

Fortunately, she had an assistant. A burst of floral fragrance spread, and Tu Si Zi quickly proliferated across the ceiling. As countless vines occupied half the grand hall, a half-torso Tu Si Zi maiden emerged from the wall.

Vines descended from the ceiling, and the Tu Si Zi maiden gently spoke, "I shall lead you through."

At this moment, there was no room for other considerations. Xu Min immediately reached out and grabbed a vine. "Many thanks!"

Yue Dong and Lan Ni followed closely. Hei Weng and Chu Bai hesitated slightly but ultimately gritted their teeth and grabbed on. The next second, the vines wrapped around their waists, lifting them instantly and swiftly carrying them towards the Huang He Ding.

The colossal Hong Tu Gui on the ground immediately roared and charged, while the flying ones shrieked strangely, attacking the group in mid-air.

Several blazing fire snakes shot upwards, and countless fist-sized venomous bees incessantly flapped their wings. The Tu Si Zi vines writhed like living serpents. The monstrous birds with human faces and human legs, or those emitting infant cries, were either burned to death, poisoned to death, or wrapped in cocoons and drained dry.

On the ground, whenever a Hong Tu Gui attempted to leap, corpse rats immediately swarmed it, biting specifically at its eyes, ears, and other weak points, gnawing straight into its brain until it perished.

Yue Dong continuously flicked his fingers, as if sparks would fly from them. Any monster that slipped through the net was intercepted in mid-air by him and Lan Ni. The previous battle with the clones had consumed a significant amount of energy, and now the extremely rapid depletion caused the faces of all four, except Lan Ni, to turn pale. This state could not be maintained for long.

Lan Ni quickly glanced towards the northwest corner; the 'Lan Ni' there was clearly also struggling greatly.

Fortunately, their efforts paid off. With the help of Tu Si Zi, their speed doubled, and they rapidly approached the area above the Huang He Ding.

Everyone looked down and couldn't help but gasp. Inside the Huang He Ding, which had initially been only half-filled with red mud, was now nine-tenths full. At this rate, it would overflow in just ten minutes!

Xu Min exclaimed, "Let us down! Act according to the plan!"

Yue Dong warned, "Absolutely do not touch the red mud!"

Countless vines descended from the ceiling, swiftly sweeping away the Hong Tu Gui around the cauldron, but many others immediately filled the void.

Lan Ni gritted her teeth and released Hei Jing. Hei Jing's scythe danced ceaselessly, cooperating with the Tu Si Zi vines, finally clearing a space.

Xu Min was finding the strangely-faced woman somewhat familiar when she heard Yue Dong exclaim in surprise, "Hei Jing? I heard that Jin Yang City recently saw the emergence of the Silent Council. Are you... are you all members of the Silent Council?"

Xu Min's eyes widened. The Silent Council? She had thought the strange woman looked familiar. Previously, due to the Gui Zhen Guai Tan incident, the Jin Yang City investigation team had sent an intelligence report about the Silent Council to Jiu An City. At the time, she had merely skimmed it, uninterested, never expecting to encounter them here!

Lan Ni did not answer directly, only saying, "No time for talk, finding a way to survive is paramount!"

Tu Si Zi placed everyone down in the cleared space. They immediately took up positions: Yue Dong, Hei Weng, Chu Bai, and Hei Jing stood on the outer perimeter, fending off the Hong Tu Gui with Tu Si Zi; Lan Ni and Xu Min stood in the center, examining the Huang He Ding for clues.

The four sides of the Huang He Ding were carved with simple murals. The first depicted Nü Wa, with a serpentine body, coiling by the Yellow River, using mud from the cauldron to sculpt something.

The second showed finger-sized creatures appearing beside Nü Wa, some with three legs, six wings, eight heads, or nine tails, all with bizarre appearances.

The third depicted Nü Wa with a benevolent expression, holding a dagger and slicing her arm. A piece of flesh fell into the Huang He Ding, and fresh blood dripped into it as well.

The fourth showed countless small figures kneeling and worshipping Nü Wa, with both Nü Wa and the Huang He Ding enveloped in golden light.

Having learned from the Gui Zhen, Lan Ni immediately crawled to the bottom of the cauldron to examine it. Initially, she saw nothing, but after staring for a while, a line of shimmering golden characters appeared and then vanished.

The characters resembled ancient Jia Gu Wen, carrying the majestic aura of profound virtue. Though she did not understand the script, when the golden light entered her eyes, her brain immediately buzzed with a sound as if from primordial times.

In her mind, she heard the murmuring of myriad kneeling figures: "Human Race Sacred Artifact, the Yellow River Creation Merit Cauldron!"

Lan Ni murmured, "Human Race Sacred Artifact, the Yellow River Creation Merit Cauldron..."

Xu Min heard her and asked for the meaning. Lan Ni clutched her head and recounted what she had just seen. She was astonished because her simulated body usually felt no pain, but now her soul ached as if it would split apart.

Xu Min also lay down to verify and found it to be true, but what good was knowing the cauldron's name? She needed to find the rules of survival!

Just then, a Hong Tu Gui leaped out from the cauldron and lunged towards Xu Min, but the Tu Si Zi vines swiftly coiled around it and pulled it away.

Yue Dong's group was fighting desperately. They had to contend with the monsters in front of them while also guarding against those continuously crawling out of the Huang He Ding. Everyone was already injured, their faces pale.

Yue Dong shouted, "Are you done? Found anything?"

Xu Min clutched her throbbing head. "Nothing! Besides Nü Wa creating humans and those characters, there's nothing else! Too few clues!"

She had taken out her dice of choice, but it required at least two options to point to the optimal solution. Currently, she had no ideas at all.

Everyone looked desperate. In this short time, finding the survival rules of a Grade 9 Strange Tale was truly an impossible task!

Boom!

The entire building shook again. Everyone collectively turned their heads towards the Huang He Ding. The previous tremor had seen the cauldron appear, bringing with it the Hong Tu Gui. What was happening this time?

Not just them, but those holding firm on the 3rd floor also felt despair. A few careless individuals were seized by the Hong Tu Gui, and their agonizing screams caused the panicked crowd to retreat.

Shi Ying shouted, "Don't retreat! Fill the gaps quickly!"

But it was too late. The Hong Tu Gui pierced through the crowd like sharp blades. The defenses collapsed, and everyone fled in panic. In this life-or-death situation, many lost all reason, even dragging companions to use as shields.

Tang Nian Ke was trying to block them when someone from behind pulled her violently!

"Tang Tang!"

Zhao Yan Chun saw her best friend fall towards a monster with a human face and ape body and frantically rushed forward, despite having no combat ability. But as a back-row healer, she couldn't reach in time!

Crack!

The monster bit hard into Tang Nian Ke's protective barrier. The barrier shattered after a second, allowing her to narrowly dodge. But one second was too short; her arm was bitten through, blood staining her sleeve red. Wang Xia, who shared damage with her, suffered similar injuries.

The monster angrily punched towards Tang Nian Ke. Wu Da Zhuang immediately scattered grass seeds, which, even on the tiled floor, quickly rooted and wrapped around its legs. Wang Quan rushed forward, blinding the monster's eyes and finishing it off.

Just as they were about to retreat, a three-headed great bird swooped down, targeting Wu Da Zhuang and Tang Nian Ke. Tang Nian Ke couldn't escape in time; she pushed Wu Da Zhuang away, shielding herself with her injured arm.

The great bird snatched her and flew high into the air. The other monstrous birds swarmed around, tearing her apart. Fresh blood rained down.

Zhao Yan Chun stood stunned as drops of blood fell on her face.

"Tang Tang!"

Wang Quan and the others screamed in agony, but there was no reply. The defense line completely shattered, and everyone scattered. The Hong Tu Gui poured down the stairs like hungry wolves.

It was at this moment that they truly felt the weakness of low-level Transcendents before a high-grade Strange Tale!

"Go quickly!" Wang Quan pulled Zhao Yan Chun, while Wu Da Zhuang pulled the sobbing Wang Xia, fleeing down to the 2nd floor.

When they reached the 1st floor, Wu Da Zhuang found he had run out of grass seeds. His face turned pale, and he silently withdrew his hand.

A human-faced tiger blocked their way. Wang Xia suddenly pushed Wu Da Zhuang away, drawing the monster's attention. His protective barrier turned an ominous blood-red.

Wang Xia roared, "You go, I'll hold them off!"

Zhao Yan Chun tried to rush forward but was held back by Wang Quan.

"I'm not stupid!" Wang Xia said hoarsely, "My energy is almost depleted; I can't escape. I've been a coward for so many years, let me... be a hero one last time."

Wang Quan gritted his teeth and, with Wu Da Zhuang, dragged Zhao Yan Chun away.

Wang Xia knelt, fresh blood gushing out. He wept, regretting having led his cousin down this dangerous path of a Transcendent. Finally, his figure was completely engulfed by the Hong Tu Gui.

On the 9th floor, a crack appeared on the wall. A shaggy-bearded man emerged from a 2D painting.

"Min Min, come quickly! Dad's here to save you!"

Xu Min rejoiced, "Dad! There are many people on the 3rd floor!"

The man anxiously said, "No time to save them. This building was where the investigation team researched the Huang He Ding and carried out the God Creation Project. Unexpectedly, it became contaminated into a Grade 9 Strange Tale. The Huan Xi Jiao is heading here for this cauldron!"

The man pulled Xu Min and Yue Dong into the wall. Hei Jing intended to save Wang Quan's group but knew it was too late. Chu Bai and Hei Weng suddenly attacked Hei Jing, Lan Ni, and Tu Si Zi to clear an escape route.

The crack in the wall closed. In the real world, Xu Min saw her father confronting the Huan Xi Jiao. She was pushed through another door to escape. Yue Dong also quickly left the scene, leaving the research building in deadly silence.