Chapter 430: Compressing Evil Spirits

Fu Liang Jian'an discovered his body felt light.

He stood up and turned around; his body still lay there.

Everything around him was hazy; the cave walls seemed to slowly writhe, and the temple's curtain parted slightly, as if some gaze had pierced through and settled upon him.

Fu Liang Jian'an asked warily, "Who are you?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is what I just asked you."

The ethereal voice gave no sense of direction, but Fu Liang Jian'an believed it came from the temple's statue.

"Of course I want to see my daughter, but I don't trust you."

"You're already in this state—why not trust me once? How much worse could it get?"

"Then… go on."

Fu Liang Jian'an nodded outwardly, but sneered inwardly.

In this bizarre place, even the smallest slip could cost a life—how could he possibly trust this unknown entity?

Moreover, he was a businessman who had endured great rises and falls; those who hid their motives behind false benevolence, promising great rewards for a small price, almost always had ulterior motives.

The ethereal voice spoke to Fu Liang Jian'an exactly as it had to Huang Huang Debiao: if he killed one of Wu Xian, Xiong Gang, or Gong Gong Xiujuan, he could leave the underground labyrinth.

If he didn't want to kill, helping the voice with a small favor would also let him leave.

The voice added much manipulation and division, but Fu Liang Jian'an remained unmoved.

Until a woman's shadow coalesced from the hazy cavern—she looked unfamiliar, yet her features bore resemblance to him, and also to his wife.

This was his daughter!

"Your daughter's invitation is real—she truly hides within the scenic area, waiting for you to find her. But unfortunately, she was pulled here with you."

"I won't use your daughter to pressure you. When the time is right, I will let you reunite with her."

As soon as these words were spoken,

the woman's shadow vanished, and Fu Liang Jian'an returned to his body.

…

Fu Liang Jian'an opened his eyes.

Around him was bright light; the palace lanterns still protected them.

He stood, picked up a spider-leg spike, tears in his eyes, his front and back clothes soaked through with sweat, his lips bitten bloody.

Fu Liang Jian'an was not Huang Huang Debiao—he knew this was likely a deception.

But his daughter was his weakness.

Even if it was deception, even if…

He stood there for a long time, unable to make up his mind.

"What did he tell you?"

Wu Xian, curled in Pangu's arms, sat up, holding the saw-blade knife, staring at Fu Liang Jian'an with curiosity.

Fu Liang Jian'an jumped, quickly hiding the spider-leg spike behind his back, stammering in panic.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Tsk. I knew that voice would cause trouble again." Wu Xian sighed, spreading his hands. "It's my fault—I didn't have time to warn you earlier."

"I don't know what it told you, but don't believe it. The last person who trusted it was the charred corpse you saw earlier—his fate was terrible."

Fu Liang Jian'an released his grip; the spider-leg spike fell to the ground.

"When I heard that voice, I planned to tell you everything I heard as soon as I woke up—I truly meant to. But… but…"

Wu Xian tilted his head, staring at the spider-leg spike on the ground: "But you were threatened, weren't you?" Fu Liang Jian'an froze.

In truth, Wu Xian hadn't forgotten to warn him—he had deliberately withheld the information.

That eerie voice was another hidden danger in the underground cavern.

He had spoken to Huang Huang Debiao, manipulated the evil spirits to ambush Xia Xia Caoqing, and was closely linked to the Black Lord of the Temple. Wu Xian even suspected the voice's master had been watching them all along.

But information about the voice was extremely scarce.

Of the five people in the main cavern, Fu Liang Jian'an was the only pure ordinary person—if the voice intended to act, he was the only target.

But if Wu Xian warned him beforehand, the voice might not approach him at all—like Zhao Zhao Zixuan before—thus losing a vital channel of information.

So Wu Xian said nothing about the voice, and after lying down, secretly observed Fu Liang Jian'an's movements.

Wu Xian believed Fu Liang Jian'an was smart enough not to be easily deceived—but Fu Liang Jian'an had picked up the spider-leg spike, and hesitated violently before attacking.

He was very likely under threat.

"So it seems I was right—you entered the labyrinth to find your daughter. Then this threat must be connected to her…"

Fu Liang Jian'an fell silent for a long time.

Finally, he told Wu Xian everything he had heard.

After listening, Wu Xian asked with deep meaning: "What's your daughter's name?"

Fu Liang Jian'an forced a smile: "Her name is Fu Qianqian. I shouldn't have named her that—her fortune was too shallow…"

"Oh."

Wu Xian's gaze dropped downward, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes; he stopped speaking to Fu Liang Jian'an.

Fu Liang Jian'an sighed and curled up alone to one side. After revealing everything, he no longer wished to kill—but he had finally created a rift between himself and the others.

Wu Xian lay down again.

This was the fourth time the palace lantern had been lit.

When he woke again, it would be the fourth day since entering this blessed land.

Over these three days, Wu Xian had secured the most basic survival needs, gained a strong and reliable ally, and grown steadily stronger.

If he continued at this pace, surviving seven days wouldn't be difficult.

"If this blessed land doesn't suddenly ramp up the difficulty, the next four days should be about improving my quality of life."

"Ssshh—can't think like that. That's a death flag!"

…

"Hey, wake up!"

"Something's happened!"

Fu Liang Jian'an's tense voice roused the others.

Wu Xian opened his eyes.

The palace lantern still glowed; rest time hadn't ended. Why was Fu Liang Jian'an so panicked? But when Wu Xian stood and saw the scene before him, his scalp prickled and he swallowed hard.

The air reeked of a pungent, metallic stench; everywhere came the sloshing sound of flowing water—these were the sounds of blood hitting the ground. Originally, the main cavern was surrounded by countless small caves.

Now, about a quarter of them had sealed shut, leaving only finger-thin slits.

Each of those caves had held evil spirits, possibly even ordinary people summoned here—now everything inside had been crushed flat, flesh packed into the narrow gaps, blood pouring into the main cavern. Crimson, mixed with other hues of filth, flowed under some unseen force into the temple beside the cavern, as if draining into an endless void.

(End of Chapter)