Chapter 165: Tear It Down

A chilling of the heart?

Everyone could not help but cast their gazes collectively toward Shen Qingyun’s figure. Why would he say such a thing?

As if seeing through their thoughts, Shen Qingyun said, "If you were not students of the academy right now, but disciples of some major faction, let me ask you: how would you feel if you saw your fellow disciples reduced to such inhuman, ghostly states?"

"Would you feel terror at what happened, or would your heart grow cold toward the faction you belong to? Or perhaps... both?"

Hearing this, the crowd fell silent, trying to look at the situation from the perspective Shen Qingyun described. To their astonishment, they discovered that Shen Qingyun’s words captured their inner thoughts with absolute precision.

"Then what on earth happened to them?"

Someone looked at the hulking figure and spoke up.

"Who knows?" Shen Qingyun shrugged. Who could say for sure about matters like this?

"Let’s go take the keys down, then!"

Someone said impatiently. They had tasted the sweet rewards in the outer hall, and the harvest in this main hall could only be better!

"There's no rush."

Just as everyone was getting ready, Shen Qingyun suddenly smiled, turned around, and looked at the long bluestone corridor behind them.

"What is it?"

Shen Qingyun said softly, "Listen carefully."

Hearing this, the crowd quieted down, and even the sound of everyone's breathing became clearly audible.

Tap, tap, tap...

None of them were ordinary people. In a state of absolute silence, the faint sound of footsteps reached their ears. Moreover, the frequency was very rapid!

"Is someone coming?"

That question went without saying. Who else could enter the ruins besides them?

The sound grew louder and louder, echoing in the bluestone passageway.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, dozens of figures dashed forward fiercely, stopping three zhang away, and stared at Shen Qingyun and the others with cold gazes.

"Captain Yan, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here."

A voice carrying a faint smile came from the back of the crowd. The people parted down the middle, and a figure in a black robe walked out.

A flash of surprise crossed Yan Mucheng's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and said calmly, "Xiahou, why are you here?"

Xiahou tilted his head and smiled. "Captain Mu invited me."

"Invited?"

Yan Mucheng’s red lips parted slightly, instantly catching the crux of the matter.

"Indeed, invited."

Xiahou smiled faintly, "Captain Mu used a communication talisman to ask the nearest person—which happened to be me—for help. Upon learning that there is such a fine place here, how could I possibly not come? Captain Yan, you people are truly unkind. All along the way, we've seen quite a few guardians lying paralyzed on the ground. All those contribution points must have gone into your hands, right?"

Yan Mucheng’s pretty face turned cold. She looked at Mu Yan and found that Mu Yan’s expression was somewhat ashen, his head averted as he did not dare to meet her gaze.

Yan Mucheng said, "Xiahou, everyone seeks their own fortuitous encounters. What qualification do you have to point fingers at me?"

Xiahou raised an eyebrow. In a rare display, he did not retort; instead, he nodded. "Indeed, that was your fortuitous encounter, Captain Yan, and I have no right to speak of it. But from now on, since everyone is present, it becomes everyone's fortuitous encounter. Captain Yan surely doesn't intend to monopolize the opportunities, right?"

"Oh my, though judging by just you people, I'm afraid it might not be enough?"

Shen Qingyun raised an eyebrow, his expression somewhat peculiar, and muttered softly, "This guy is a bit annoying."

"It's normal. Given that his strength is no less than mine, he has the qualification to speak like that," Yan Mucheng replied in a low voice.

After a brief pause, Yan Mucheng continued, "This person is narrow-minded and calculating. It's best not to come into conflict with him right now."

Shen Qingyun remained unfazed. Looking at Xiahou, he said, "As you wish. Starting from this hall, we will explore the upcoming areas together!"

"You must be the one who ordered Captain Mu’s arm to be crippled, right?" Xiahou looked at Shen Qingyun, a trace of unfathomable intent rising in the depths of his eyes. "I meant just that, but you guys have acquired so many contribution points while those of us who came later got nothing. Shouldn't we receive a little compensation?"

"Don't push your luck..."

Hearing this, Heming behind Shen Qingyun naturally couldn't let it pass and immediately spoke up. But halfway through his sentence, he was stopped by an outstretched hand from Shen Qingyun.

Xiahou acted as if he hadn't heard Heming's words, still looking at Shen Qingyun with a smiling expression.

Shen Qingyun said, "The upcoming spoils will be divided according to the degree of contribution, and you will have priority. How about that?"

The current scene was clearly divided into two factions: Shen Qingyun's faction and Heming's faction. In terms of contribution effort, the side with more people naturally had the advantage. As for priority—well, that was nonsense meant to fool ghosts. Everything was contribution points; surely they wouldn't pick core items based on feng shui before making their selection?

Xiahou’s smile remained unchanged, but a trace of unexpected surprise welled up in the depths of his eyes. That was not what he had originally meant at all. After defeating the subsequent guardians, he had intended to claim seventy percent, or even more, of the stronghold's core. That was Xiahou's original intention.

Shen Qingyun’s words were extremely appropriate, instantly dissolving the dissatisfaction in most people's hearts and leaving Xiahou with no room to make a move.

If Xiahou were to state his original purpose at this moment, it might even cause a rift among the people who were currently leaning toward him.

Thinking of this, Xiahou smoothly went along with it, nodding and smiling, "As you wish!"

"Then what is the current situation? You all seem to have been lingering before this hall door for quite a while."

Shen Qingyun made no secret of it and told him everything from start to finish.

After listening, Xiahou glanced at the hulking figure behind Shen Qingyun and said with disdain, "They've been dead for so many years, yet you people still harbor such vigilance."

"Vigilance is a good thing, but being overly vigilant simply means being cowardly," Xiahou said, not without mockery.

"Boss, I want to beat this guy up."

The large black wolf whispered beside Shen Qingyun.

"Bear with it a little longer. There will be a chance."

Shen Qingyun could be magnanimous, but it depended on the person. Following Xiahou's words, he said, "Let's assume we're cowardly, then. Is there anyone brave enough to go take down those two badges and open the doors? Go on then."

Hearing Shen Qingyun's words, some people on his side frowned, but they didn't speak. During this period, Shen Qingyun's image in their hearts had already been established, and they believed he would not make empty threats without reason.

"What's so difficult about that?" Xiahou laughed heartily and said, "Who wants to go take down the badges?"

"Me!"

"And me!"

...

Quite a few people raised their hands, their numbers even exceeding the total headcount of Shen Qingyun's side.

The corners of Xiahou's mouth curled upward. Seeing the ugly expressions on the opposite side made him immensely gratified. He casually pointed at two people in the middle stage of the Spirit Phase Realm and told them to go up and take the badges.

The two swaggered over to Shen Qingyun and the others, acting arrogant and overbearing. "Step aside. Don't block the way."

Some people couldn't bear it and wanted to make a move, but were held back.

Seeing this behavior, the mockery in the eyes of those two grew even deeper.

"We'll step aside." Shen Qingyun spoke again. A few more people frowned as they looked at Shen Qingyun, but they didn't speak and stepped aside.

Shen Qingyun and the others cleared a path, and the two walked right through the middle, exuding an inexplicable sense of superiority.

"Poor fellows."

Everyone watched the two of them. Those belonging to Shen Qingyun's faction heard Shen Qingyun's low, self-directed murmur echoing in their ears.

Standing on the left and right respectively, the two formed a sharp contrast with the hulking figures, who towered a full head taller than them.

The two who had taken down the badges turned around, full of smugness. "See? Nothing happened at all!"

"Exactly, it's very simple!"

Crack, crack...

The smugness on their faces did not last long before a sound like amplified finger-knacking echoed, making everyone's expressions freeze.

"Run!"

Someone shouted.

Yet those two seemed rooted to the spot, completely unable to move. They turned their stiff necks to look at the two hulking figures that had sprung into action.

Rice-bowl-sized fists expanded rapidly in their vision.

Boom!

The stone gates of the main hall and the bluestone corridor both trembled violently, dislodging a cascade of accumulated dust.

"Are you idiots? Why didn't you move?!"

An exasperated voice rang out amidst the swirling dust. Everyone saw a figure dashing out of the dust, dragging two people by their collars.

"I..."

The faces of those two were as pale as paper.

The one who saved them was naturally Xiahou.

Shen Qingyun felt a slight trace of surprise; Xiahou’s speed was certainly not slow!

Those belonging to Shen Qingyun's faction felt an inexplicable sense of fortune as they looked at this scene. If the ones who went up to take the badges had been them, the consequences... they didn't dare to imagine further.

At the same time, their dissatisfaction with Shen Qingyun completely vanished, replaced by an even deeper trust in him.

Having dragged the people back, Xiahou threw them onto the ground and looked angrily at Shen Qingyun. "Did you know this would happen all along?"

Shen Qingyun wore an innocent expression and shrugged. "I've never even seen anything like this before, how could I possibly know?"

In truth, the moment Shen Qingyun laid eyes upon them, he had already formed a guess in his mind; otherwise, why would he have spoken those words earlier?

These two non-human entities were living human beings refined into garrison puppets through cruel methods while they were still alive!

Zhan Yan and the others knew Shen Qingyun was lying, but they didn't expose him. Seeing Xiahou's expression—as if he had swallowed a fly—brought a rush of satisfaction to their hearts, making them want to shout out loud to vent their feelings.

However, a more important matter seemed to be at hand right now.

"How were these two things activated?" Yan Mucheng asked in puzzlement.

"Needless to say, the switch was turned on," Shen Qingyun said with a faint smile, his voice audible only to his own people.

The dust gradually dispersed. Everyone looked at the two hulking figures, a hint of wariness washing over their eyes.

The previous punch had caused the very space around them to tremble. They had no doubt that if that punch were to land on their own bodies, sustaining severe injuries would be the best-case scenario.

"What do we do?"

Someone asked with a trembling voice. Those two badge-takers were the prime example; they hadn't even recovered yet. Having walked a circle before the gates of hell, anyone would feel the adrenaline rush, followed closely by the sensation of their hearts momentarily stopping.

A deep-seated fear toward the garrison puppets welled up in their hearts, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

Though powerful, puppets were not invincible; their sluggish speed was also their greatest flaw. Seizing this opportunity, it was not entirely impossible to defeat them.

"Captain Xiahou, one for each side. How about that?" Shen Qingyun smiled, no trace of tension visible on his face.

Xiahou’s expression turned gloomy. He would have gladly dumped such a troublesome problem entirely onto Shen Qingyun.

Without waiting for his reply, Shen Qingyun continued, "We'll take the one on the right."

At this point, Xiahou had no choice. He roared, "Any man with a spine, follow me!"

As his voice fell, a deafening roar instantly erupted.

"So what if their strength is great? Tear them apart!"

"Tear them apart!"