Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

Upon entering Black Wind Stronghold, the first thing everyone saw was rows of dilapidated wooden houses lining both sides of the road.

And from the rafters of many of these houses hung ghastly white skeletons.

As the mountain wind blew past, these skeletons swayed gently, making CLACKING sounds, as if they were leisurely on swings—an utterly bizarre sight.

However, everyone present was a veteran of the Martial World and naturally wouldn’t be frightened by such a scene.

The group continued deeper into the stronghold.

After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Chen Ye suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The path behind him had vanished!

The trail they had followed was gone. In its place was an impenetrably thick fog that swallowed everything.

Seeing this, Yun Heqing immediately took out his Compass, but its needle spun wildly, as if it had gone mad, rendering it completely useless.

However, the group was mentally prepared for such occurrences, so they didn’t show much panic.

But the unexpected often happens when you least expect it.

"Huh? Where are the bones?"

Lei Cang, who had been walking in silence, suddenly spoke up. He was astonished to discover that the hanging skeletons in the houses along the road had all vanished.

In their place was a lively, bustling scene.

The dilapidated wooden houses looked brand new and were brightly lit inside. Wine tables were laden with delicacies, and a group of burly, rough-faced men were toasting, drinking, and laughing boisterously. The scene was incredibly raucous.

Lei Cang’s heart skipped a beat as a powerful sense of unease washed over him.

BZZZT!

The tattoos of an Exorcism Divine Beast and mystical Runes on his face, chest, and back suddenly grew hot, all lighting up and emitting a faint glow as they tried to resist the bizarre illusion.

But just then, the scene before his eyes underwent another shocking transformation.

A burly, scar-faced man holding a wine bowl waved to him enthusiastically. "Brother, come have a bowl!"

The aroma of the wine was so rich, the roasted meat so tempting.

The glow from Lei Cang’s tattoos was instantly suppressed. His eyes glazed over, and he charged straight for the house by the road.

Meanwhile, to the others, Lei Cang’s expression turned bizarre. It shifted from cautious to confused, and finally, to a look of longing.

"Something’s wrong! Stop him!" Xiao Hongye shouted.

But it was too late.

Lei Cang’s figure instantly vanished into the house by the road, and then the group heard him let out a sigh of utter satisfaction.

The next second, his entire body was yanked into the air by an invisible force, his neck slipping perfectly into a hemp rope that had appeared out of nowhere on the rafters.

His body twitched twice in the air, then went still.

That Lei Cang, who had seemed the most ferocious of them all, was the first to die—and in such a bizarre, swift manner—was truly unexpected.

"Just a useless piece of trash. Better that he’s dead. At least he won’t hold us back."

The first to speak was, surprisingly, the sallow-faced Sickly Ghost, Zhao Ada. He covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed violently a few times, his murky eyes betraying no emotion.

No one responded.

For people like them, who lived and died by the sword, losing a teammate was hardly a major event.

But this death was too bizarre, impossible to guard against.

Xiao Hongye’s brow furrowed. She knew she couldn’t let fear spread.

"Everyone, the greater the danger, the closer we are to the treasure." Her voice was cool and clear, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

"The leader of Black Wind Stronghold spent half his life hoarding the gold and silver buried deep within this place. Keep pushing! Once we get there, on top of the commission we agreed upon, I’ll give you an extra ten percent of all the treasure we find to split among yourselves!"

Generous rewards make for brave men.

As soon as she said this, a glint of greed appeared in the eyes of Zhao Ada, Yun Heqing, and the others.

"Miss Xiao doesn’t mess around!"

The tower-like Shi Meng boomed, hoisting his Doorboard Giant Sword onto his shoulder. "Fortune favors the bold! Let’s do it!"

The others said nothing, but their actions spoke for themselves.

The group set off again, only now everyone subconsciously kept their distance from the houses on either side of the road.

After another hundred paces, the saintly-looking Daoist Yun Heqing suddenly slowed his steps.

As he walked, he suddenly noticed a peerless beauty reclining on a green stone by the roadside ahead. Her clothes were half-undone, and her snow-white skin was dazzling in the sunlight.

The beauty was rubbing her delicate ankle, her eyes filled with tears. She seemed to have twisted it, a truly pitiful sight.

A sliver of caution appeared in Yun Heqing’s mind. ’How could a woman be in this abandoned bandit den?’

But the next moment, the peerless beauty looked up at him, her watery eyes glistening, and said in a soft, enchanting voice that could melt your very bones, "Daoist, my foot hurts so much..."

That sliver of caution in Yun Heqing’s mind was instantly thrown to the winds.

"Don’t be afraid, miss! I’ll come and rub it for you!"

With those words, Yun Heqing sidled up to her with a lecherous look on his face.

But in Chen Ye’s eyes, the scene was completely different.

He had been walking cautiously along the roadside when Yun Heqing suddenly stopped, turned his head, and began to snicker at him.

The smile was filled with an indescribable lewdness, sending a chill through Chen Ye.

’Something’s wrong!’

Just then, Yun Heqing charged straight toward him, his eyes locked on Chen Ye!

A bloody glint flashed in the depths of Chen Ye’s eyes.

Bloody Vision, activate!