American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

Only the dark crystal embedded in the center of his forehead, about the size of a thumb, remained, and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Chapter 233 Closing, Message Sent?

"Phew, phew, finally... we won...!"

Upon receiving the kill notification from the system, Zhu Mingyao's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, feeling weak in his limbs and his entire body's true energy and magical power vanish.

You get what you pay for. Such a powerful move, capable of challenging opponents of higher levels, is naturally not easy to unleash. Although it appears to be using the divine power summoned by Qi Yue, in essence, the process of killing the enemy is still dominated and controlled by Zhu Mingyao himself, which consumes a great deal of mental energy. Especially since he had already fought a fierce battle before this, he was too lazy to even move a finger now.

Qi Yue also leaned against a half-broken stone wall and slowly sat down, panting heavily as he released his fighting stance. Beads of sweat mixed with blood seeping from his pores on his forehead, leaving faint red marks on his cheeks and dripping down his chin. Although the battle was short, it was a case of the weak fighting the strong, and the internal injuries he suffered were no less severe than those of the others lying on the ground.

Only Bai Ziyuan, who could barely move normally, was left. She used the white bone banner as a crutch and ran around trying to administer medicine to those in need.

Fortunately, for the sake of exploring the secret realm, most of the group had some precious life-saving gadgets provided by the organization. Even the most seriously injured knights Gavin and Dean were able to stay alive. After a barrage of chaotic healing spells from everyone, they were finally managed to be pulled back from the hospice to the ICU.

"Stop saying anything, let's set up camp here and rest well, and get through the last day!"

Aside from the priests, knights, and the Wen brothers who were still unconscious, the few remaining conscious individuals quickly reached a consensus.

The daylight had completely vanished, and night had once again fallen upon the earth. There was still a little over a day left before the agreed-upon time to leave the secret realm.

The surrounding undead puppets were basically wiped out by several large-scale, powerful AOE attacks. Even if a few escaped, no one cared.

With a Ginseng and Poria Qi-Boosting Pill in his mouth, savoring its slightly bitter taste, Zhu Mingyao forcefully pulled on the cinnabar rune bandage soaked in blue ointment and deftly tied it into a bow.

"Ouch, be gentle! This thing hurts so much when it's wrapped around my body!"

Madison clutched her wrists, her face contorted in pain. Several of her fingers were severely fractured. She hadn't felt much pain during the fight, but now that she was relaxed, the pain was so intense that she almost cried.

"Don't be afraid. The pain means the magic is working. It will be fine in a while. This [Peaceful Patch] is a high-grade product that our chamber of commerce brought from China. It has a one-stop solution for sterilization, disinfection, hemostasis, and bone setting. It's equivalent to a very long-lasting treatment. I guarantee you will be fully recovered in two weeks. You'll be able to play the piano without any problems."

Offering the girl some casual words of comfort, Zhu Mingyao helped her fix her arm and put it in a sling, then turned around to clean up the spoils and debris scattered all over the ground.

Slowly picking up the pile of things that had just been poured out of the treasure bag, he took out two talisman papers, rolled them up, solidified them into the shape of chopsticks, picked up the only remaining black crystal, and curled his lips in disgust.

The fact that this crystal survived the [Great Curse of the Warlord] shows that it is of quite good quality. If he had encountered it under normal circumstances, it would have been enough to excite him for days. However, compared to the value of the items he consumed today, it is still somewhat lacking. If he hadn't scavenged a lot of materials on the island beforehand, he would have lost some money on this expedition.

In terms of points, although the reward for killing the guy called the Demon Lord Avatar was extremely generous, after deducting the savings that were forced to be invested in the [Maoshan Miscellaneous Yang Talisman Scripture] in the early stages, there was only a slight surplus, so it was a break-even situation.

As for who spent the points and whose skills were upgraded, these questions were simply ignored by this miser.

"Hmm?" A system message quietly appeared, which improved his somewhat depressed mood a bit.

A dark golden streak of light flew in from afar, and after a few leaps, it arrived in front of them, slamming down the enormous head of the zombie flying snake.

The lingering yin energy from the snake's head clashed with the residual heat of the ground, producing a sizzling sound and a faint, fishy stench that made Zhu Mingyao cover his nose and take two steps back. His heel kicked a gilded sutra box, and two small, golden objects rolled out, hitting the gravel with a crisp sound.

Under the glow of the fire pit, the shadow of a stone building in the distance flickered slightly.

He glanced back, casually put the thing away, then turned around and happily picked up the peach staff, fiddling with the spoils his summoned creature had brought back.

Who said my demon general is stupid?! That's a rumor!

People are now aware of the importance of taking initiative!

This flying serpent was the demon's mount from earlier. Don't be fooled by its helpless and severely injured state in the face of the true fire of the sun summoned by the divine talisman, which forced it to flee in a sorry state. That was because its attributes were countered. In terms of true strength, it was still above the average innate/knight level. In a one-on-one fight, apart from him, Bai Ziyuan, and Qi Yue, the other teammates might not be able to defeat it.

Therefore, the points gained from killing the enemy are quite substantial, and the remains are also valuable materials, making it a very significant extra reward.

"There really is some!" He smiled happily.

The true qi at the end of the peach staff flowed like a knife, cutting open the dried skin and flesh of the snake's head, and carving out a walnut-sized, grayish-white bone bead with a deep spiritual aura from under its jaw.

Just like in the legends, extraordinary creatures like dragons, snakes, turtles, and clams in this world, after crossing a certain dividing line of power, usually condense a magical organ in the shape of a pearl in their bodies. These organs are naturally imbued with supernatural power and are excellent embryos for magical artifacts.

This snake bead was clearly mutated from a throat bone and had been imbued with powerful death energy. In terms of both texture and properties, it was simply... perfect for a certain lecherous human.

"Absolutely top-notch!"

Bai Ziyuan stretched his neck with shining eyes, poked his head over, and stared at Baozhu with drooling eyes.

His eyes darted around, he wiped the dust and scabs off his face, a sly smile spreading across his face. He then clasped his hands together, leaned close to Zhu Mingyao's ear, and whispered:

"Based on my extensive experience, it seems that the Montgomery family's daughter has a bit of a crush on you. How about I find a way to help you win her over?"

Her family is a wealthy, old-money family. If you become their son-in-law, you can avoid decades of hard work..."

"Enough with the nonsense, just say what you want! Here's your reward, now kneel down and leave!"

In response, Zhu Mingyao gave him an expression as clear as Conan's, as if he knew everything. He waved his finger dismissively, making a gesture to get lost, and flicked his staff to toss the snake bead to him.

Although his words were harsh, it was really just a joke. He had contributed a lot in the battle and suffered considerable losses. Based on the principle of keeping accounts clear even among close brothers, Zhu Mingyao naturally couldn't let him suffer a loss. He used the banter to distribute the items to him, saving them the trouble of arguing and refusing to give each other anything.

Bai Ziyuan was well aware of this, and happily picked up the pearl, wiped it clean on his sleeve, and channeled a stream of true energy into it, wanting to take a look at it first.

Just then, his grinning face suddenly changed, and he opened his mouth and shouted:

"This is--"

Before he could finish speaking, a wisp of dark light flew out from the snake pearl and, in the blink of an eye, plunged into the distant sea!

Zhu Mingyao's expression hardened, and he flicked his wrist, sending a stream of pure energy washing over Bai Ziyuan repeatedly. He asked urgently:

"What happened? Did you get infected?"

"No...it's nothing. That thing doesn't seem to be any kind of poison or curse, but rather..." Bai Ziyuan murmured hesitantly.

"A communication technique?"

Chapter 234 Mysterious Undead

"Communication techniques?"

Qi Yue took a couple of sips of a bottle of clear, sweet medicinal wine, then leaned on his staff and came closer, frowning as he said:

"What do you mean?"

"It means..." Zhu Mingyao's gaze wandered, and he unconsciously bit his thumb, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"There might be more trouble ahead. This troublesome bastard may have accomplices!"

He suddenly raised his head, looking around anxiously.

Even a fool could guess that the enemy's purpose in attaching a message to their summoned creatures wasn't to loudly proclaim themselves an idiot to the island's animals. There's only one possibility:

—He's calling for reinforcements!

The lion was ashamed to associate with the antelope. Even if the demon's accomplice was slightly weaker, his strength would not be much less. His own group of wounded and defeated soldiers was like a bunch of delicious fish fillets that had been deboned and stewed, just waiting to be eaten.

"Perhaps you're overthinking it..." Bai Ziyuan forced a dry laugh, her words of comfort trailing off mid-sentence.

He wasn't one to deceive himself, but the current situation made it difficult to think of the worst.

Zhu Mingyao suppressed his anxiety, calmed his mind, and closed his eyes to look inward.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, a crystal-like talisman stood, containing hundreds of strange runes that flickered in and out, reflecting points of strange light.

This is a natal illusory talisman that he naturally condensed after he brought the [Maoshan Miscellaneous Yang Talisman Scripture (White)] to perfection. It is almost like the external golden elixir of the Dan Ding School, providing him with a continuous source of spiritual energy and magical power.

Putting aside his cultivation level, in terms of combat power alone, he is now at least one or two times stronger than when he first entered the secret realm.

Nevertheless, Zhu Mingyao felt an urgent sense of crisis. He silently circulated his energy and used the Heavenly Eye Divine Power of the [Forehead Divine Court] to shoot out a three-inch beam of light that seemed to be tangible, looking towards the sea area in the direction where the communication spell had landed.

As if it were an illusion, he suddenly felt that the azure sea seemed to have become a little deeper under the night sky...

No! That's not an illusion! Zhu Mingyao suddenly realized that the surging waves that had been crashing on the island had calmed down considerably and were receding little by little at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

The scene was just like...

"Tsunami!"

The people who followed his gaze all shouted out that word in unison.

Even though their spiritual perception was suppressed by the laws of the secret realm, they still felt their blood rushing and heard faint hallucinations in their ears, warnings from their biological instincts.

"Everyone, let's go!" Bai Ziyuan shouted urgently.

Zhu Mingyao retorted through gritted teeth, "Where to go? The tsunami isn't scary; what's scary is the unknown enemy lurking behind it!"

"How about we dig a hole in the stronghold and hide? I have a scroll to summon earth spirits..." Zoe asked hesitantly, raising her hand.

"Are you betting the other person is a fool?" Madison, clutching his sling arm, hissed and winced.

“Actually, it’s enough to hide it well. I have experience with this…” a strange voice interrupted from the side.

"What... experience could you possibly have..." Madison, enduring the pain of her fracture, angrily questioned her best friend and fellow student.

The questioning stopped abruptly, as if someone had sliced ​​her in half. She stared at Zoe's innocent and surprised face, turning her neck inch by inch, as if she could hear the stiff cracking of her neck bones, until she slowly met a gaunt face so close to hers.

Withered, brown, disheveled hair clung tightly to his head; his cheeks were sallow and cracked, revealing his cheekbones; his paper-thin eyelids had long since crumbled into dust, leaving only two dark, gleaming eyes that rolled around erratically.

This is clearly a mummified corpse of an undead!

The mummified corpse tilted its head, met the girl's gaze, and pulled up the corners of its mouth to reveal its broken, yellowish teeth. It tried to force a polite yet somewhat thuggish smile, but given its peculiar appearance, it looked more like it was picking out the tenderest part of the girl's flesh.

Then, one or two screech-like screams shot straight into the sky!

"what--!"

"what--!"

A flaming arrow shot out of Madison's hand as if by reflex, slapping the face of the suddenly appearing figure and knocking the screaming man's head back.

Zhu Mingyao grabbed the terrified girl and pulled her behind him. Silver light flowed from his sleeve, and a cold iron sword pellet flew out to slash. At the same time, everyone who had reacted made their move. Flames and lightning, shadows of staffs and cold smoke fell heavily, and black smoke billowed out with a bang!

"Stop! Stop! Stop hitting me! I meant no harm!" As if adding a footnote to the ancient-sounding plea for mercy, two skeletal hands were raised high in the dust, their ten fingers trembling comically back and forth.

In such a dangerous place, no one was so naive as to blindly believe what the other party said. Everyone cautiously kept their distance and cast sealing and binding spells one after another.

As the black smoke dissipated, the desiccated corpse stared at the golden rune chains binding its body, muttering with a wronged expression:

"These young girls nowadays have no manners at all; they just slap you in the face the moment they see you! Back in the day, even pirates would have given you a chance to say a few words and surrender..."

"How dare you say that! You...you...you thing, what are you yelling about?" The girl cautiously peeked out, struggling to organize her thoughts before angrily rebuking him.

The mummified corpse shrugged innocently, stroking the mottled, colorful beads strung on its dreadlocks. "You were the one who called first..."

While they were talking, the group quickly sized up the uninvited guests in front of them.

The wrinkled cotton-linen lantern-sleeved shirt had been hanging on the body for who knows how long; the ivory fabric was completely stained with old, dark yellow stains and emitted a suspicious odor.

He wore an old-fashioned long vest over his shirt, with a tattered leather belt around his waist that was only two fingers wide. The front of his shirt was left open, and he wore a worn-out, large-sleeved jutecoil jacket with frayed seams everywhere, barely held together by a few metal pins.

Beneath the loose, ripped riding breeches, he wore a pair of weathered, cracked suede boots with straight, turned-up edgings, exuding a casual yet luxurious air that seemed to have weathered the vicissitudes of time.