Ji Yang did not hastily end the live stream just because Xu Xi had cleared the instance.
For him, the other players were equally worthy of attention.
After all, they were all players ranked within the top eighty on the God Hunt leaderboard. To have reached this point, each one represented a top-tier force for the Hua Nation. Losing even one would be a loss for the country.
Thus, he switched the focus of his perspective to Hang Ze, who had clearly just obtained a new item.
Then he saw the other party, in order to escape the supernatural beings, directly chose to blow up the Ancestral Temple.
Ji Yang: "..."
Ji Yang fell silent for a full five seconds.
The live stream comments exploded before he could speak.
【???】
【Huh? He just blew up their family temple, just like that, so casually??】
【Hang Ze declares: I'm not playing human anymore!】
【Hang Ze: I declare, art is explosion!!】
【Alright, alright, alright. 248 burns the clan genealogy, the unlucky guy blows up the temple. One a cultural burn, the other a martial explosion.】
【The Shen Family: They open their eyes to find the sky has fallen.】
【Ahem, although the method is a bit unorthodox, an unorthodox method is still a method.】
Coming back to his senses, Ji Yang said in a faint, drawn-out tone, "I think I know why 248 suddenly cleared the instance."
Instantly, a wave of question marks floated across the comments.
But soon, viewers began to realize it one after another.
【I think I know too ()】
【I said there must be a reason why 248 suddenly and inexplicably went to keep vigil!!】
【Apart from the mixed-team competition, we've never seen Master Xu Xi clear an instance so proactively. Here's the reason.】
【So it was because of this kid Hang Ze, wasn't it?】
【So Master Xu Xi originally didn't plan to clear it this fast, but seeing the unlucky guy about to unleash his ultimate move, he left early?】
"Clearly, after Hang Ze blew up the Ancestral Temple and returned to the surface world, the instance underwent a change." Ji Yang paused, his gaze falling on the purple figure slowly rising from the coffin on the screen. "The resurrected Master Shen is the best proof."
"Pay attention to the item Hang Ze brought out from the inner world—a broken writing brush."
"Everyone, remember where this writing brush appeared before?"
Hearing Ji Yang's question, the commenters began racking their brains to recall.
【Isn't that the one originally held in Master Shen's hand?】
【The unlucky guy not only swiped the burial item but also blew up the ancestral tablets of the family's ancestors. No wonder Master Shen resurrected just to get him.】
【This is truly a case of 'even the coffin lid can't hold him down'.】
"That's right." Ji Yang nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, the conventional approach should have been to use this brush to scratch out the names on the clan genealogy."
"Only..."
【Only Master Xu Xi directly burned the genealogy.】
"Yes." Ji Yang continued along with the comments. "He used the stove hearth meant for burning offerings to burn the genealogy."
"Ordinary fire probably couldn't burn that thing, but that stove hearth is clearly not ordinary. The rule specifically requires using the stove hearth to burn offerings, indicating it itself is part of the rules."
【Could Master Xu Xi's proactive request to keep vigil have been to wait for that brush, only to realize something was wrong at the last moment?】
【He got the brush, and the instance mutated at the same time (awkward)】
【And don't forget, knowing the name is a prerequisite for scratching it out.】
【Right. Even if the players got the brush and found the genealogy, they'd still need to know their own 'names'.】
【Alright, everything makes sense now.】
【No wonder Master Xu Xi, who was calmly keeping vigil, suddenly sped things up. So that's why.】
【248: As long as I clear the instance early, the mutated instance can't catch up to me (￣︶￣)】
Ji Yang also felt everything was now logical.
Although he still didn't know how Xu Xi knew the clan genealogy was hidden in the ancient well, or why he had the Seventh Concubine take the yellow dog named Xue Ke to jump into the well and retrieve it.
And also.
Exactly at which point did the other party begin to sense that the instance had changed.
*
After much deliberation, Yu Hao decided to go out and take a look.
His intuition told him that the loud noise was definitely not ordinary.
Either something major had happened, or someone had caused something major.
In either case, holing up in the room and waiting was not the best strategy.
He gripped his folding fan tightly and pushed open the door.
Outside, the pitch-black night was mixed with a hint of damp, yin cold. The feeling underfoot also carried a certain sticky, viscous quality.
Yu Hao imperceptibly lightened his steps as he walked along the corridor, simultaneously raising his guard.
After walking only a few steps, he encountered Xing Ge and Lin Zuo, one after the other.
The three exchanged silent glances but said nothing, yet they all unconsciously quickened their pace.
When they passed the Moon Gate, Shi Weiwei and Tang Shutong also hurried over.
All five were present, except for the young man wearing the dark blue long gown.
He was on vigil duty tonight.
"The Ancestral Temple area..." Yu Hao had just started speaking when he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching from a distance.
Everyone immediately became alert.
In the night, a human figure was running towards them.
Looking closely, it was actually the player who wore an earring but had been missing for a long time.
From afar, they heard the person shouting, "Run!"
"The old guy's corpse has resurrected! That combat power, damn—"
Hang Ze lunged forward, rolled on the ground, barely dodging the gust of wind attacking from behind.
"Why are you sticking to me like a plaster, just targeting your grandpa, huh!"
However, the next second.
A short, water-ripple-like, distorted humanoid silhouette pounced from the shadows towards the purple figure.
"?"
Although this development left him with question marks over his head, his feet didn't stop.
"Quick, quick, quick—" He ran in large strides to where Yu Hao and the others were. "Stop watching, run!"
"What's going on?" Xing Ge asked while running and looking back.
The purple figure and the water-ripple-like silhouette were already entangled together, fighting inextricably.
Yu Hao and the others were slightly stunned upon hearing this, clearly not expecting this earring-wearing young man who had been missing all day to return and drop such a bombshell of news.
But now was clearly not the time to ask for details.
Most importantly, Shi Weiwei calmly inquired of Hang Ze, "Was the loud noise from the Ancestral Temple caused by you?"
"Ah? Probably. I blew up the tablets in the Ancestral Temple."
Yu Hao, Xing Ge, Tang Shutong, and Lin Zuo beside her: "???"
Shi Weiwei paused, then continued asking, "Tonight, the player wearing the dark blue long gown was on vigil duty. Where is he?"
Hang Ze looked confused. "Huh? I didn't see anyone when I climbed out."
"..." The group temporarily ignored a certain special word choice.
But before they could ponder it further, a figure blocked their path.
It was the Steward.
The six of them stopped one after another, the atmosphere suddenly becoming tense.
Seeing the Steward standing not far ahead, they immediately realized something.
"After Zi Hour, we can't leave the rooms. We've broken the rule." Lin Zuo reminded them with a grave expression.
But contrary to their expectations.
"Everyone," the other's voice was still flat, but carried a hint of an indescribable meaning, "although the master's funeral has not yet concluded, some... incidents have occurred in the residence now—"
"The young gentleman traveling with you has already... taken his leave ahead of time."
"If the rest of you also wish to leave, this old servant will not detain you further."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
The six of them almost simultaneously caught the subtle change in wording in the Steward's speech.
Why did the form of address suddenly change? And also...
Yu Hao wanted to ask what "taken his leave ahead of time" meant, but was yanked back by the person beside him.
"Go!"
Hang Ze seemed to understand something and urged the others to run towards the direction of the Shen family's main gate.
"That guy has already cleared the instance. We don't need to waste effort."
"???"
The most bewildered were Yu Hao and the other four.
What did he mean, "has already cleared the instance"??
What exactly did they miss?
Although they didn't understand how things had inexplicably developed to this point, they still instinctively followed.
The Shen family's main gate was wide open, as if quietly waiting for them.
Just as Yu Hao and the others hesitated, wondering if it was a trap, Hang Ze was the first to step over the threshold.
The bright white light that lit up immediately made the others' eyes shine. They no longer hesitated.
Just as Lin Zuo stepped out of the gate, he caught sight of Tang Shutong suddenly rooted to the spot, her expression strange.
He didn't have time to think. Turning back, he grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her out.
The white light flashed. Tang Shutong, enduring the mental discomfort, said in a low voice, "Thank you."
Her tone was filled with solemnity.
At the last moment before their vision distorted, Yu Hao looked towards the gate of the Shen Residence, which had somehow already quietly closed shut.
This was probably the instance he had cleared with the least sense of reality.
Just like that... they cleared it?
