My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 213: Fog Rolls In

"What exactly is going on?"

"I don't know."

"It's absurd, simply too absurd!"

A group of people gathered in the awakening room, wildly marveling at the imprint on Li Rui and Wu Bing's hands.

"Why is there only one Black Star left?"

Zhao Wuji, Liu Shanshan, and Wen Yan Wang Ba were all present.

The first two had just experienced the intensity of the Demon Dragon Valley a week ago, and they were the most shocked among everyone.

"Sister Yan, how did our star count change at that time?" Liu Shanshan asked.

"I remember... At first, there were three Black Stars, then suddenly it increased to six, then seven, and eight, after which it was full."

Zhao Wuji said, "That matches up. Six stars should have been King Kai Zhi. Our movements were fast at that time. Combined with the information Li Rui provided, we recruited, ahem, six friendly NPCs. Otherwise, it would normally be a seven-star boss battle."

Wang Ba asked, "What about the situation with seven and eight stars later?"

"A random event. We made too much noise during the fight, attracting a wave of elite forest patrol guards. Then we had no choice. We kept fighting continuously, unable to recover our status, and had to attract and combat more and more monsters before even seeing the Leopard King, we died."

Liu Shanshan looked a bit traumatized. Clearly, the experience at that time was extremely unpleasant.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. A few people being chased by a large number of beast-shaped demons in the valley must not be a pleasant memory.

"So the question arises."

Wang Ba stared at the imprint on Li Rui's hand, seeing it so strikingly for the first time in his life, even with a single Black Star.

Although he didn't voice the question, everyone present understood it.

How could the guaranteed three Black Stars be reduced to just one?

...

The Secret Realm system usually won't reduce the number of Black Stars due to the story, but the Demon Dragon Valley has special mechanisms.

It can recruit friendly NPCs, and these NPCs are also included in the difficulty calculation.

If one completes the optional tasks normally, most people can find four to eight partners, which would place King Zhi's boss battle around six or seven stars.

However, Li Rui's entry was clearly abnormal. He not only recruited all optional task NPCs but also turned almost all the NPCs in the Ancient Forest, except for the old, weak, sick, and disabled, with any combat ability, whether humans, demons or the deceased.

Theoretically, during the boss battle, these humans and demons could hold off all the guards, and there would still be people available to help deal with King Zhi.

Thus, the difficulty plummeted, the basic three-star difficulty did not increase but instead decreased, maintained at one star.

This situation should have ended with King Zhi's death, yet if the system were sentient, it could not anticipate that Li Rui would deceive everyone into continuing to attack the Leopard King, even recruiting new remnants along the way.

Facing the Leopard King, the difficulty was even lower.....

The armored guard couldn't withstand the army's assault. Li Rui allowed Li Bailang to pull the boss, while he chased from the side, using Thunder Shocking Earth's combo consecutively, directly bludgeoning Leopard Jie to death.

Now, he stood atop the Leopard King's tower, feeling quite joyful. After all, all the monsters were dealt with, the experience was intact, and there were plenty of random events in the ten-star Secret Realm, with many rewards, a great harvest.

"Let's go, after all, we've searched everything; there's nothing hidden."

He jumped down from the protruding balcony, landing before the pinned-down Leopard Race armored soldiers.

"So, what's your idea now?"

"I advise you not to resist stubbornly. Resistance has no good outcome. It's not too late to abandon darkness for light now!"

"Now that King Zhi and Leopard King are both dead, even the great king will not spare you. There's an ancient saying in the Human Race: 'Those who recognize the virtue of the times are illustrious men.'"

"Join us now, and in the future, you will eat the best and drink the best; if not...."

Li Rui waved to Zhi Yan who stood wielding a knife nearby.

Slash!

One swift chop, and the unlucky leopard head at the edge fell to the ground.

Li Rui finished his words viciously, "End up like him!"

With his fierce talent, he indeed appeared intimidating.

The group of Leopard Race armored soldiers seemed to want to speak but dared not.

At this time, Zhi Yan came over and whispered, "Sir, they just expressed their willingness to surrender."

"Ah?"

Li Rui blinked, "Then why did you chop?"

"You told me to chop, right?"

Zhi Yan said innocently.

Li Rui coughed and turned to say, "That fellow was a spy sent by King Hui. I've already eliminated him. Next, we'll raid the Jade Forest; he must be unprepared, absolutely fail-proof!"

The captured Leopard Demon armored soldiers immediately felt this Human Race person was profoundly deep, just new here has yet found out even the spy sent by King Hui, truly admirable.

After consolidating once, Wu Bing was surprised to find that the team had grown even larger than when they had just killed Zhi Er.

"March towards the Jade Forest!!"

.....

The Jade Forest is a stretch of bamboo forest; Hui You lived here, though unrelated to his original demon form, a bamboo viper.

Back in the glory days of the Demon Dragon Valley, his ancestors followed the first great king to be enfeoffed in this place.

He considered himself an elegant cultivator, living here matched his identity. After all, in the Human Race, it's said, 'Rather go without meat than live without bamboo.'

He especially learned face-changing spells to make himself look indistinguishable from ordinary humans, even like a graceful scholar. He built his residence deep in the bamboo forest, painting and playing the zither daily, even capturing several literati to compose poetry and match wits, satisfying his taste for feigned refinement.

"Must be graceful."

He always demanded this of himself.

Even when a spy reported, saying a group of demon creatures from the Ancient Forest had rebelled, Zhi Er was dead, and Leopard Jie executed, he remained calm.

"Calm under pressure shows true heroism."

He donned a long robe, took the longbow handed over by a subordinate, "I shall go personally, within an hour, the chaos will surely be quelled."

Even though two kings were dead, he felt no fear.

Because he always thought Leopard Jie and Zhi Er crude men, incomparable to someone as cultivated as himself.

He brought the elite Bamboo Rat Demon Blowgun Guard, and those demons living in the Jade Forest to confront the enemy at the bamboo forest entrance.

Then saw the dense mass of enemy troops.

"Ah? So many?"

Hui You nearly failed to maintain his graceful demeanor because the invading enemies were far more numerous than anticipated.

What does this mean?

Has everyone revolted?

"Quickly dispatch personnel to inform the great king of the situation here, everyone else, follow me to kill the enemy."

He soon regained his composure, ordered the guard proficient in hiding and sneak attacks to conceal themselves, then instructed other demons to advance and engage.

As long as they engaged directly, the enemy would inevitably be overwhelmed, and those poisonous blowguns would continuously drain the enemy's active forces. He would also draw a bow and arrow, precisely targeting the strongest among the foes.

Even amid battle, he disliked direct melee, preferring elegantly staying in the shadows, watching the enemies fall one by one without hurry.

"With me here, they surely cannot breach the Jade Forest."

He scanned the enemy formation with cold eyes, seeking a target, then suddenly realized something was off.

Why is my vision blurring?

Hmm?

No, that's not right! Fog has risen?