Chapter 64: Dark Yin Array-Breaking Talisman

The structure of the fifth floor was no different from the other floors of the library, and the density of wanderers remained equally high. Along the way, perhaps due to the excessive number of wanderers, Bai Ming and his group did not encounter a single Night Watcher.

Su Yeye suddenly stopped in her tracks and pointed in a certain direction, "Over by the restrooms."

Bai Ming let out a cold laugh, "True to form as sewer rats, even hiding away in a restroom."

During their previous group exploration, they had already mapped out the library's layout. Without Su Yeye needing to elaborate, Bai Ming knew the exact location.

However, as they drew closer to the restroom area, although the number of wanderers did not decrease, Bai Ming's perception, which was as high as twenty points, began to scream frantic warnings, and wave after wave of intense palpitations washed over him.

Su Yeye also spoke up, "There is danger."

Bai Ming remarked, "Even a fool can see that."

With that, he flicked a wanderer stationed just outside the restroom area away with a single sweep of his staff, sending it crashing into the restroom entrance.

Yet, nothing happened.

Su Yeye immediately deduced, "It seems to be a trap specifically targeted at players, ineffective against the monsters within the instance."

Bai Ming said, "Targeted specifically at players? They certainly made thorough preparations."

At this moment, [Sorrowful Murmur] stepped forward, his tone resolute, "I'll do it! Let me go test the waters and see what's really going on!"

Su Yeye was just about to speak.

Bai Ming cut in ahead of her, "Go ahead."

He then turned to Su Yeye, his voice lowered yet clear, "Don't forget, we are executing a national mission."

"If we were testing the rules merely for the sake of clearing the instance, there would certainly be no need for this, seeing as we can clear instances with ease."

"But under the current circumstances, there's no need for you to carry everything on your own shoulders. Otherwise, what is the point of our contract and sharing burdens together?"

Su Yeye pressed her lips together and muttered unhappily, "I know. I just wanted to remind him to be careful."

Bai Ming smiled, not believing her words for a second.

After days of interacting with her, he had long since figured out Su Yeye's personality. Her sense of responsibility was simply too heavy, and she fundamentally loathed implicating others. Yet, because her strength was more than sufficient, she always managed to carry out her own principles without meeting a disastrous end. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that she always acted this way.

Bai Ming did not wish to completely alter her mindset; he merely believed that as their core combat force, if Su Yeye insisted on handling everything personally at a juncture like this, or worse, compromised her condition and caused the mission to fail because of it, that would truly be a loss outweighing the gains.

Fortunately, Su Yeye clearly understood the stakes as well. At this critical moment, she did not stubbornly insist on having her way.

Under the cover provided by Bai Ming and Su Yeye, [Sorrowful Murmur] cautiously ventured into the perimeter of the restroom entrance.

The moment he stepped across a certain invisible threshold—

Screech—!

Several invisible, blade-like bursts of energy suddenly materialized, resembling distorted air ripples, and slashed instantly across [Sorrowful Murmur]'s body!

The clothing on his arms and chest ripped apart instantly, deep gashes were carved into his flesh, and blood gushed out immediately.

What was even more terrifying was that the energy seemed to carry a corrosive property; the edges of his wounds rapidly blackened, sending waves of burning, agonizing pain through his body.

[Sorrowful Murmur] let out a muffled groan, his face instantly turning ashen.

Had Bai Ming not been prepared in advance and quick-witted enough to forcefully yank him back with a swift grab, the ensuing attacks would have been far more than just the physical torment of flesh wounds. They most likely would have torn him apart right on the spot.

Of course, when Bai Ming reached his hand into that zone to pull [Sorrowful Murmur] back, he too was assaulted by the invisible attack. Yet, possessing the [Cowardly Rat] trait, he always managed to dodge the most lethal cuts by a hair's breadth at the very brink of danger. The invisible blades swept past almost brushing against his skin, tearing futilely at the air without leaving a single substantive scratch on his body.

Su Yeye said in a deep voice, "It's a formation. Of course, that's what we call it here. On their side, they call it a boundary barrier or a maze lock."

Bai Ming sneered, "Hah, looks like they've made up their minds to engage in PvP, completely disregarding the life or death of PvE."

Su Yeye did not speak; she merely retrieved a talisman of peculiar material emitting a faint, gloomy glow from her [Inventory].

[Mystic Yin Array-Breaking Talisman]
[Type: Consumable Item]
[Grade: C+]
[Effect: Consuming the talisman forces the operation of a formation within a 10-meter range to be interrupted. Effective against C+ grade and below formations; duration depends on the strength of the formation. If the target formation is higher than C+ grade, the effect is reduced to a 'brief interference']
[Cost: 300 points of Willpower]
[Prerequisites: Perception ≥ 14, Willpower ≥ 5]
[Remarks: The moment I tore the paper talisman, I heard the formation crying.]
[Remarks: I am truly exhausted to death — The Mysterious Creator]

The Mysterious Creator?
It looked like a mass-produced item from the internal departments.

[Puppy That Doesn't Play Games] immediately stepped forward, "Let me use it! Sister [Frosting], keep your willpower and focus on dealing with the enemies!"

Su Yeye hesitated slightly, but seeing the resolute look in [Puppy That Doesn't Play Games]'s eyes, she handed the talisman over.

[Puppy That Doesn't Play Games] took the talisman, drew a deep breath, concentrated her mind, and tore it apart without hesitation!

Swoosh—!

The talisman instantly transformed into a rich, pitch-black stream of light, darting fiercely into the seemingly empty area ahead as if endowed with life.

However, the scene of the formation completely collapsing as anticipated did not occur.

The pitch-black stream of light collided with an invisible yet incredibly tough wall; although it successfully penetrated inward, it only stirred up a violent and unstable ripple in the air, crackling like water droplets falling into boiling oil, its range barely covering the vicinity of the restroom entrance.

[Puppy That Doesn't Play Games]'s face turned pale, clearly demonstrating that the consumption of 300 willpower points was an enormous burden for her.

She said hurriedly, "It's no good! The formation's grade is higher than C+! It can only be disrupted, not broken!"

Bai Ming said, "It looks like we have no choice but to force our way through."

[Puppy That Doesn't Play Games] wore a resolute expression, "I'll go first!"

Su Yeye opened her mouth, seeming as if she wanted to stop her, but ultimately nodded.

[Puppy That Doesn't Play Games] took a deep breath and stepped into the zone interfered with by the talisman.

Although the [Mystic Yin Array-Breaking Talisman] drastically weakened the might of the formation, its residual power remained terrifyingly potent. Relying on her agile footwork and [Wind Control Arts], [Puppy That Doesn't Play Games] maneuvered desperately, but multiple wounds deep enough to expose bone were still rapidly added to her body, and blood stained her clothes.

The closer one got to the restroom entrance, the more violent and unpredictable the pressure fluctuations became. Clearly, truly stepping into its core area would undoubtedly spell certain death without a single chance of survival.

[Puppy That Doesn't Play Games] retreated in disarray, but an invisible blade aiming straight for her throat flashed into existence abruptly.

Bai Ming struck once more. His movements were swift as lightning as he grabbed her arm with pinpoint precision, yanking her back violently from the edge of death.

[Puppy That Doesn't Play Games] looked at Bai Ming with gratitude, "Thank you, Big Boss [No Heaven]."

Su Yeye pondered for a moment, her longsword vibrating as lightning gathered around her body, clearly preparing to step forward herself.

Bai Ming stopped her, "Wait! You are the main force; you must go last. You haven't forgotten my evasive capabilities all along the way, have you?"

"In the current scenario, only I am the most suitable candidate."

After testing by [Sorrowful Murmur] and [Puppy That Doesn't Play Games], Bai Ming roughly understood the function of this formation. Su Yeye might sustain injuries if she went, but he stood a very high chance of avoiding them.

Su Yeye gazed at him for a moment, the lightning around her body slowly fading away.

She finally nodded, "Alright."

Then she softly added, "Be careful."