72: Chapter 72 Killing You Requires Only One Glance, God-Level Talent [Absolute Slow]

"Ah—!!"

Liu Ruyan's shrill scream pierced the tranquility of the plaza. She clutched the back of her hand, which was blistered from the heat, her entire body curling up like a cooked shrimp due to the intense pain. That crimson flame was no ordinary fire; it was elemental fire imbued with Qin Ji's incredibly high Spell intensity. Even a slight singe was enough to cause pain that reached the marrow of her bones.

"Qin Ji! Have you gone mad?!"

Beside her, Zhao Xu finally snapped out of his shock. Seeing his goddess humiliated, the simp instinct etched into his bones instantly overrode his fear of the "big shot." He abruptly drew the rusty Newbie iron sword from his waist and rushed at Qin Ji with a distorted expression: "You actually dare to hurt Ruyan! I'll fight you to the death!"

"Fight?"

Qin Ji didn't even lift an eyelid; he merely tilted his head slightly, a flash of icy boredom flickering within those purple-gold pupils.

There was no need to use any skills.

There was no need to even lift a finger.

In this digitized world, the chasm between Ranks and attributes was the absolute distance between a god and an ant.

[Death Gaze] (Passive Trigger · Materialized Killing Intent)

Buzz—!

A low-pitched sonic boom suddenly erupted in the air, as if an invisible giant hammer had slammed heavily into Zhao Xu's chest.

Zhao Xu's forward-charging figure froze mid-air. Immediately after, the righteous indignation on his face solidified, replaced by an extremely distorted terror. He opened his mouth wide, his throat making a gurgling sound as if a pair of invisible hands were death-gripping his throat.

Boom!

A dull explosion rang out.

Under the horrified gazes of the surrounding players, Zhao Xu's body was like a punctured balloon, instantly exploding into a cloud of blood mist! There was no corpse, no struggle—only a piece of Trash equipment glowing with white light dropped to the ground with a clang. It was the only valuable thing on him: Newbie Plate Armor.

An instant kill.

True murder by a mere glance.

"He... He killed someone!!"

“Holy crap! Killing someone in the main city’s safe zone?! This guy is a lunatic!”

"Run! Don't get splashed with blood! This Snow Emperor doesn't follow the rules at all!"

The originally spectating crowd instantly boiled over. Screams and curses rose one after another as everyone retreated frantically like they were avoiding a plague, fearing that terrifying gaze would fall upon them.

The screams on Liu Ruyan's face came to an abrupt halt.

She stared blankly at the blood mist that had yet to dissipate. Warm liquid splashed across her face, and the strong metallic scent made her stomach churn.

Dead?

Zhao Xu just... died?

The man who was vowedly promising to protect her just a second ago had become a pile of data fragments the next?

Massive fear flooded Liu Ruyan's sanity like a tide. Her whole body trembled, her teeth chattering with a clicking sound. She wanted to run, but her legs were as soft as noodles, making it impossible to stand. She looked up in terror, meeting Qin Ji's emotionless eyes.

In those eyes, there was no Killing Intent, no anger—only an indifference as if he were looking at a dead dog on the side of the road.

"S-Since you came, why didn't you... take me away..." Liu Ruyan's mind was somewhat deranged, still trying to use that pathetic logic to gain sympathy, but the only response she got was the sight of Qin Ji's back as he turned to leave.

"Are you even worthy?"

Four words, light as a breeze yet heavy as a mountain, completely shattered all of Liu Ruyan's illusions.

Just then.

A sudden, violent whistling of airflow came from the sky.

"Screech—!!"

Several massive shadows blocked out the setting sun. A gale blew, sending the players in the plaza stumbling. Three Royal Griffins clad in silver armor descended from the sky, their massive talons carving deep furrows into the ground and kicking up a cloud of debris and dust.

"Who dares to commit violence in Donghai City!!"

Atop the leading griffin, a City Guard captain in silver heavy armor let out an angry shout. He pointed his spear directly at Qin Ji, the tip flickering with Battle Qi, brimming with Killing Intent.

The surrounding players immediately began to gloat.

"It's over! The City Guard is here!"

"Snow Emperor is dead for sure this time. Killing in the main city is a serious crime; he'll be locked in the Black Prison for at least three days and lose Ranks!"

"Serves him right! Let him act tough; now he's kicked a steel plate!"

A glimmer of hope also flashed in Liu Ruyan's eyes. As long as Qin Ji was captured, she still had a chance...

However.

Facing the elite guards who could instant-kill any current player, Qin Ji simply stood calmly in place. He casually pulled a jet-black token from his backpack and gave it a slight flick between his fingers.

[No. 007 · Donghai Order (Unique)]

A faint, eerie light flowed over the token's surface, which was carved with a ferocious black dragon, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

The originally murderous captain's pupils constricted violently the moment he saw this token. All the anger on his face, hidden behind his helmet, instantly drained away, replaced by a reverence bordering on panic.

Clang!

The captain flipped off his griffin and knelt on one knee, his armor hitting the ground with a dull thud.

"This subordinate was blind! I did not know Lord Snow Emperor was conducting business here!"

Cold sweat poured down the captain's forehead, his voice trembling. "My Lord holds the Donghai Order personally bestowed by the City Lord, granting the power to execute first and report later! Never mind killing one Outlander, even if you slaughtered everyone in this plaza, it would be for the sake of maintaining Donghai City's security!"

Silence.

The entire plaza fell into a deathly silence.

The players who were waiting to see a show now had their mouths wide open, their jaws nearly hitting their feet.

"L-Lord?"

"Execute first and report later?!"

"The game only launched two days ago! How the Hell did he become the City Lord's VIP?!"

"Is this the world of a big shot? While we're still killing chickens for a few copper coins, he's already using an Imperial Sword to kill people?"

Qin Ji put away the token without even glancing at the captain, simply dropping a faint sentence: "Just cleaning up Trash. Wash the ground clean."

"Yes! This subordinate understands!"

The captain felt as if he had been granted a great pardon and immediately stood up to command his subordinates. "Men! Clean up this bloodstain! And this woman, making such a racket here—what an eyesore! Kick her out!"

"No! Don't! Qin Ji, save me! I'm Ruyan!"

Liu Ruyan screamed in despair but was dragged out of the plaza by two fierce guards like a dead dog.

Qin Ji did not look back.

For this kind of Karma from his past life, killing them once was too cheap. He wanted this pair of scumbags to watch him ascend to the divine throne bit by bit in this cruel world, struggling to survive in endless regret and despair—that was the best punishment for traitors.

...

Leaving the plaza, Qin Ji headed straight for the dungeon teleportation zone near the Tower of Heaven.

"Come out. You've been following me the whole way."

Walking into a deserted alley corner, Qin Ji suddenly stopped and spoke indifferently to the air behind him.

From the shadows, a green-clad figure walked out somewhat awkwardly.

It was none other than the Archer who had given him the skill book earlier, Qi Yun.

"Cough... Lord Snow Emperor's perception is indeed sharp." Qi Yun scratched his head, his eyes full of awe. "That scene just now... was too domineering. Um, about the proposal I mentioned before, have you considered it? Although my Rank isn't high right now, I guarantee the Qi family will be absolutely obedient."

Qin Ji turned around, his gaze falling on the ID above Qi Yun's head.

[Shoot Through the Firmament].

A name that was a bit chuunibyou yet carried a hint of dominance.

But in his past life, this ID represented a legend.

One of the ten Great Guardian Gods of the Human Race, the strongest kite-style Grandmaster. He once single-handedly charged in and out of the Mechanical Legions of the Alaitis Galaxy seven times, stubbornly stalling the advance of three Vanguard Generals. Although he eventually fell, that battle made him a god.

And the capital he used to become a god wasn't some Divine Artifact or a hidden class, but rather that talent of his that countless people mocked as being "Trash."

"Show me your character panel." Qin Ji was brief.

Qi Yun froze for a moment. Although he was hesitant, in the face of a powerhouse of Qin Ji's level, hiding seemed meaningless. He gritted his teeth and chose to display his talent.

A semi-transparent blue panel floated between the two.

[Talent: Absolute Slowness (Saint-Grade · 1-Star)]

[Effect 1]: Your basic attacks can reduce the target's movement speed by 5% for 5 seconds. This effect is absolute and ignores any tenacity, super armor, purification, immunity, or other resistances. Cannot be stacked.

[Effect 2]: Your basic attacks can reduce the target's attack speed by 5%. If the target is a Spell-casting unit, it additionally increases their casting time and cooldown time by 5%. Lasts for 5 seconds. This effect is absolute.

[Proficiency]: 0/1000.

Looking at this panel, a genuine curve finally hooked the corner of Qin Ji's mouth.

It was indeed it.

In his past life, when this talent was first exposed, it was criticized to the core. A dignified Saint-Grade talent only had a 5% slow? And it couldn't even stack? A Frost Mage next door could slow by 30% with a single Frostbolt!

But everyone had overlooked the most critical keyword—Absolute Application.

It ignored Super Armor, ignored Purification, and ignored a BOSS's phase-based immunities.

As long as the shot hit, even if you were a god, your legs would have to buckle for me.

What was even more terrifying was that this talent could be upgraded. Once it reached the ten-star maximum level, it would provide a 50% Absolute Dual Slow! Combined with an Archer's ultra-long range and high attack speed, this was simply a nightmare for all melee BOSSes.

"What? Do you think it's Trash?"

Seeing Qin Ji staring at the panel without speaking, Qi Yun gave a self-deprecating bitter smile. "I also think it's quite useless. I'm almost embarrassed to tell people it's a Saint-Grade talent..."

"Trash?"

Qin Ji withdrew his gaze and looked at Qi Yun as if he were looking at an unpolished piece of fine jade. "That is the view of the mediocre. In my eyes, this talent is more valuable than a Divine Artifact."

"Join the party."

Qin Ji casually tossed over a party invitation.

"Huh?" Qi Yun was stunned. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to a good place. While we're at it, I'll let you see the true way to use your talent."

Qin Ji turned and walked toward the portal ahead that was emitting a faint black light, his voice carrying an unquestionable confidence.

"Black Water Lake dungeon, Hell difficulty."

...

Black Water Lake dungeon entrance.

This was a forbidden zone for players at the current stage.

The recommended Rank for the Normal difficulty of Black Water Lake was Rank 15. Although Qin Ji's current Rank was only 12, his attributes had long since overflowed past the heavens.

"Ding! You have used the [Black Water Lake Dungeon Secret Key]."

"Ding! The dungeon has been opened. Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to player 'Snow Emperor' for successfully opening the hidden dungeon [Black Water Lake - Dragon Turtle]. Special reward: +20 Free Attribute Points, +50 Gold Coins!"

The server-wide announcement, repeated three times, once again set the world channel ablaze. However, Qin Ji was already used to it and directly ignored the screen-filling messages of "666" and requests to be carried.

His current attention was entirely on the portal before him.

"Select difficulty: Hell."

[System Prompt: Detected that the average party Rank is below 15 and the number of members is less than 5. Unable to enter Hell difficulty.]

Qin Ji's brow furrowed slightly.

As expected, there were still restrictions on challenging content above one's level. In his past life, he only dared to come and solo the Hell difficulty here after reaching Rank 20; he had forgotten about this hard threshold.

"Nightmare difficulty."

[System Prompt: Rank insufficient, unable to enter.]

"..."

Qin Ji was somewhat speechless. The mechanics of this broken game were sometimes adorably rigid. Despite having attributes capable of annihilating the heavens and earth, he was stuck at the door by his Rank.

"What's wrong? Can't get in?"

Seeing Qin Ji's frustrated look, Qi Yun wanted to laugh but didn't dare. "How about we run the Hard difficulty first to practice? I heard the BOSS here is a Mutated Dragon Turtle. Its defense is perversely high, and it has damage reflection. No one can even scratch it at this stage."

"Hard difficulty? That's a waste of time."

Qin Ji shook his head and glanced at Qi Yun. "You, give me the Party Leader position."

Qi Yun did as he was told.

Qin Ji took over the leadership permissions and clicked the portal again. This time, however, he didn't directly select a difficulty. Instead, he pulled a crystal glowing with an eerie red light from his bag—[Abyssal Bait].

This was a special item dropped from his first kill of a hidden BOSS in the Newbie Village. It could forcibly increase a dungeon's difficulty by one level and ignore entry restrictions.

"Since it won't let us into Hell, then I'll bring Hell here."

Crack!

Qin Ji crushed the crystal in his hand.

Boom—!

The originally faint blue portal instantly turned crimson. A thick scent of sulfur rushed toward them, as if what lay behind the gate was no longer Black Water Lake, but a true purgatory.

[System Warning: Corrupted by Abyssal Aura, the dungeon difficulty has been forcibly increased to [Purgatory Grade] (Unique Hidden Difficulty)! All monster attributes increased by 300%, drop rate increased by 500%!]

[Do you wish to enter?]

Looking at the blood-red warning box, Qi Yun's face turned white with fear, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. "Bi... Big shot, are you sure you're not joking? Purgatory Grade? Going in there is just seeking death!"

"Seeking death?"

Qin Ji stepped into the blood-colored light gate, his voice drifting back from the distorted space with a hint of arrogant laughter.

"To me, this is just an appetizer for the buffet."

"Keep close. If you fall behind, not even your bone fragments will remain."

With a flash of light, the two figures instantly disappeared into the portal.

...

The moment they entered the dungeon, a damp, bone-chilling cold seeped into their marrow.

This was a massive underground karst cave. Countless sharp stalactites hung from the ceiling, and beneath their feet was lake water as black as ink. Huge bubbles occasionally surged up, bursting into clouds of green poisonous mist.

"Hiss—so cold."

Qi Yun shivered. Just as he was about to observe the environment, his pupils suddenly constricted.

"Watch out! Monsters ahead!"

On the dark surface of the water ahead, dozens of pairs of crimson eyes suddenly lit up.

Splash!

Water exploded as a group of Black Water Alligator Turtles, each the size of a calf, crawled onto the shore. Their bodies were covered in thick black scales, their backs were lined with sharp barbs, and their gaping maws were full of serrated fangs, emitting a nauseating stench.

[Black Water Alligator Turtle (Purgatory Grade Elite)]

[Rank: 18]

[HP: 50,000/50,000]

[Defense: 2,800]

[Skills: Death Roll, Toxic Spray, Hardened Shell Reflection]

"Fi... fifty thousand HP? Two thousand eight hundred defense?!"

Qi Yun looked at the monster's attribute panel and gasped, his voice changing pitch. "These are just Trash mobs? These attributes are several times stronger than the BOSSes in the Newbie Village! My attack power is barely over 300; I can't even break through their defense!"

As an Archer, he feared these high-defense, damage-reflecting monsters the most. This wasn't leveling up; this was practically delivering takeout to the Alligator Turtles!

"What are you panicking for?"

Qin Ji stood calmly in place, not even taking out his staff. With his hands behind his back, he watched the group of roaring Alligator Turtles charging up as if they were just a bunch of moving attribute points.

"Qi Yun, you have only one task."

Qin Ji pointed at the largest Alligator Turtle leader charging at the front. "Use your basic attacks to apply a slow to it. Don't worry about anything else."

"Huh? Just that?"

Qi Yun was stunned, but his body's instinct made him instantly pull his bowstring taut.

Twang!

A feathered arrow shot through the air, accurately pinning itself to the Alligator Turtle leader's eyelid.

"-1 (Forced Damage)"

Although the damage was pathetic, in the next second, the Alligator Turtle leader, which had been charging like a tank, suddenly stiffened. It was as if it had fallen into a quagmire, its movements visibly slowing by a notch.

[Absolute Slowness] in effect!

"Very good."

Qin Ji nodded. Then, he slowly raised his right hand. In his palm, a ball of light so brilliant it was extreme was frantically compressing, emitting a scalp-numbing "zzt-zzt" sound.

"Next, you'll have to learn to get used to scenes like this."

Before his voice had even faded.

Qin Ji's five fingers suddenly clenched.

[Forbidden Curse: Myriad Thunder Heavenly Prison (Miniature Version)]

Rumble—!!

The originally dim cave ceiling was instantly illuminated by countless bolts of purple lightning, as if a thunder dragon were roaring in the clouds. In the next moment, dozens of thunder pillars as thick as water barrels, carrying world-destroying power, accurately struck the heads of every single Alligator Turtle!

There were no screams.

There was no struggle.

That black scale armor, hard enough to withstand swords and spears, was like paper before the violent lightning. It instantly disintegrated and vaporized!

"-99999! (Critical Hit)"

"-99999! (Critical Hit)"

"-99999! (Critical Hit)"

Golden damage numbers flooded the screen like a waterfall, instantly obscuring Qi Yun's vision.

When the lightning faded.

The originally crowded shore had become empty, leaving behind only scorched craters and a ground full of equipment and gold coins shimmering with enticing light.

The air was filled with the burnt smell of roasted meat.

Qi Yun maintained his bow-drawing posture, his entire body stiff like a stone statue. The longbow in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," but he was completely oblivious. He just stared wide-eyed at the miracle-like scene before him, a dry rattling sound coming from his throat, his brain completely crashed.

Is this... the Snow Emperor's strength?

Is this what he meant by... clearing Trash?

Qin Ji stepped across the scorched earth, casually picked up a pair of greaves glowing with purple light, and tossed them to the dumbfounded Qi Yun. Those purple-gold pupils shone brightly in the afterglow of the lightning, just like a primordial Vicious Beast that had just awakened, coldly gazing into the deeper darkness of the cave.