"Former husband Mo, you're lagging quite a bit behind; you must strive harder," Xiao Jinsheng remarked, a sense of satisfaction washing over her as she observed the five men's discomfited expressions.
"Former husband Mo, surely you wouldn't want everyone else to divorce me, leaving only you by my side," Xiao Jinsheng continued her teasing.
Mo Jiao's violet eyes turned icy, and a cold, thin smile played on his lips. "Since I have no desire to live anyway, and you are unafraid of death, what does it matter if we become a pair of doomed lovers?"
"Rest assured…" Mo Jiao's voice deepened, his brow slightly arching with a sinister amusement, "Once the other four have divorced you, killing you will be an effortless task for me."
"I shall select a serpent-infested mountain as our final resting place. There, in the dim and humid depths, venomous snakes will caress your skin, your corpse will decay and rot, and your bones will become a haven for insects and ants."
"Xiao Jinsheng, you will certainly not be lonely in death, for you will have me, your killer, and so many of the snakes, insects, and rodents you detest as your companions."
A dark haze flickered within Mo Jiao's violet eyes, and in that instant, Xiao Jinsheng felt herself transported to that horrifying scene, surrounded by swarming insects, crawling ants, and slithering venomous snakes.
A colossal python unhinged its jaws, its bloody maw gaping open before her. Xiao Jinsheng's heart pounded in terror, when a sudden warmth enveloped the back of her hand.
Que Zelian's palm rested gently on the back of her left hand, drawing her back from the terrifying illusion.
His orange-red eyes held a deep concern as he looked at Mo Jiao, his gaze filled with reproach. "Mo Jiao, is that truly how you should be using your ability on her?"
"Indeed, all he knows is how to frighten me," Xiao Jinsheng retorted, glaring at Mo Jiao from behind Que Zelian's protective figure. "You are now at negative fifty points."
Mo Jiao offered a chilling smile, clearly past caring, and utterly indifferent to Xiao Jinsheng's assessment.
Of course, among the five men, there was one who placed particular importance on this divorce value.
This contestant was none other than Yu Yunxiao, the initial instigator of the divorce discussions.
He produced two strips of cloth and offered to help Xiao Jinsheng secure her legs.
The strips were wound layer by layer around Xiao Jinsheng's calves. Meeting her questioning gaze, he gave a haughty sniff. "Don't misunderstand. We will have to trek through the west of the Misty Continent, and if your delicate physique suffers from leg cramps after walking for an extended period, wouldn't that impede our progress?"
"Well, thank you, little kitty." He clearly intended to be kind to her to increase his divorce value but couldn't bring himself to be gracious. Xiao Jinsheng found his awkwardness amusing.
Having finished securing her legs, Yu Yunxiao stood up, crossed his arms over his chest, and, mimicking Xiao Jinsheng's earlier arrogance, slightly tilted his chin. "You are welcome. It is your privilege."
"I was originally going to award you five points, but given your manner of speaking, I shall refrain," Xiao Jinsheng said with feigned regret.
Predictably, Yu Yunxiao bristled with indignation once more.
Through their interactions over the past day and night, Xiao Jinsheng had gained a better understanding of the five men and her relationship with them.
Que Zelian presented the fewest conflicts and seemed the most amenable to her efforts.
Huai Qing, though gentle and patient, maintained a certain polite distance, creating a noticeable gap between them.
Fortunately, Huai Qing's current resentment towards her was not deep. Since he desired a divorce, she could agree to it once she was certain he posed no further threat.
While Yu Yunxiao's words were often sharp, with proper efforts, a divorce with him was also attainable.
The difficult cases were now Su Ye and Mo Jiao.
The animosity between her and Mo Jiao ran too deep to be resolved quickly, so he would have to be eliminated first.
As for Su Ye, his ferocity and unpleasantness were undeniable. Xiao Jinsheng certainly wouldn't dare to divorce him in the short term.
Due to her varying levels of trust in the five men, when they drove towards the west of the Misty Continent, Xiao Jinsheng insisted that Que Zelian and Yu Yunxiao sit in the same row as her.
The vehicle was a seven-seater SUV, yet Xiao Jinsheng stubbornly pulled the two men to squeeze into the backmost seats with her.
A smaller space was acceptable; a smaller space offered a greater sense of security.
She instructed Huai Qing to drive, with Su Ye in the passenger seat.
Mo Jiao, on the other hand, was ordered to sit alone in the second row.
Whether it was allowing Mo Jiao to drive or sit in the front passenger seat, Xiao Jinsheng feared that he might have a sudden suicidal impulse and drive them all off a cliff.
Therefore, Mo Jiao was someone she needed to be wary of.
As they traveled further west, the mist-shrouded and separated boundary of the western part of the world became increasingly visible.
At each entrance to the west of the Misty Continent, there was a supply station where task participants could store items that were prohibited from being taken into the mist-covered region.
The six of them alighted from the car, parked it at the supply station, and entered the west of the Misty Continent with their equipment.
Upon stepping into the mist-separated western realm, the wristbands they wore activated, displaying their durability in real-time.
"In the west of the Misty Continent, ten points of durability will be consumed every hour. If one sustains injuries, the rate of depletion will also accelerate," Huai Qing informed Xiao Jinsheng, his gaze directed towards her. "Therefore, while in the west, we must constantly monitor the durability of our wristbands and reserve sufficient durability for our return journey."
"Alright, I understand," Xiao Jinsheng nodded, giving Huai Qing a thumbs-up. "Former husband Huai, plus five points. You now have twenty points."
"You are the one among the five of you with the highest prospect of achieving divorce the quickest. Doesn't that instill a newfound sense of hope in life?"
Huai Qing offered a helpless chuckle, a slight headache forming.
Xiao Jinsheng was no longer acting insane, but her current demeanor… was rather eccentric.
"Que Zelian, I'm feeling a bit uneasy," Xiao Jinsheng said, turning to tug on the belt of Que Zelian's brocade robe immediately after scoring Huai Qing.
Before Que Zelian could voice his refusal, she cut him off, gazing at him with tearful eyes. "The fog here is so thick; I can't see the path at all. I'm certain I'll get lost."
"Then hold onto me," Que Zelian conceded.
"Adding one point for you. You now have six points, only a mere fourteen points behind Huai Qing," Xiao Jinsheng said with a smile.
Que Zelian was speechless. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her directly to his side.
Given Xiao Jinsheng's unreliable nature, he feared that if she held onto his belt, she and the belt would end up getting lost together.
With Que Zelian holding her left hand, Xiao Jinsheng extended her other hand to clutch his sleeve, her steps closely following his as she curiously observed her surroundings.
However, the fog was so dense that all she could discern were clusters of dark shapes.
"How are we supposed to find star stones in such heavy fog?" Xiao Jinsheng asked softly. "Aren't there any instruments for locating star stones, or items to dispel the fog around us?"
"There are both," Que Zelian replied.
At the same time, he lowered his head, his gaze falling upon her. "Instruments for locating star stones are issued with the task once the female's mental energy reaches the second star. Fog-dispelling lamps to clear the surrounding mist are issued with the task once the female's mental energy reaches the third star."
Xiao Jinsheng: …
So, after all that, the issue boiled down to her mental energy not being of a sufficient level.
"If you all wish for an easier time in the future, then you must assist me in upgrading my mental energy," Xiao Jinsheng stated without any hesitation.
She firmly believed in the principle that only when she was well could everyone else be well.
Fog corpses were the most troublesome monsters for task participants entering the west of the Misty Continent.
They were not only difficult to fight and kill but also a significant waste of energy. The terminal had stated that fog corpses would yield star stones, but it was merely a matter of probability.
However, over the years, all task participants combined had unearthed fewer than ten star stones from the brains of fog corpses.
The five men, escorting Xiao Jinsheng, had done their utmost to avoid areas where fog corpses were likely to appear.
But who knew they would be so unfortunate?
These fog corpses seemed to possess some sort of radar. The six of them had only caught a distant glimpse of the fog corpses' wandering silhouettes through the dense fog and had decisively changed their course, yet they were still discovered by the fog corpses, which pursued them with a frenzied intensity.
And it wasn't just one that was chasing them, but a whole group.