Chapter 197: The Performance Begins

Leike Dun reached out and snatched the book messenger into his hand, saying:

"Leave me some of your paper; I'll use it to set up a ritual. Later, help me scatter all those sheets around the spirit‑realm area corresponding to that villa."

While speaking, Leike Dun had already torn off a third of the blank paper from the book messenger.

"Don't tear any more, I'm going bald, I'm going bald!"

The book messenger fled like a hunted animal, slipping from Leike Dun's grasp and shouting as it ran back to the spirit realm.

Leike Dun glanced toward the direction the messenger fled, weighed the remaining sheets in his hand, thought they were about enough, and let it go.

He then spread all the paper flat on the room's floor, took off the Bone Staff disguised as a walking stick from his waist, and swiped it through the shadows in the room.

The intangible shadow, like a black curtain, was torn open in the middle, and a humanoid formed of darkness pulled a pile of materials out of the shadow.

Leike Dun skillfully retrieved the needed ingredients and mixed essential oil, hydrosol, herbal powder, and spiritually charged blood into ink for the ritual magic.

He took out the ceremonial silver pen, dipped it in the prepared ink, and began drawing strange, mysterious symbols on the sheets spread on the floor.

The symbols linked together, forming larger, intricately layered patterns that resembled overlapping wings.

Snap! Leike Dun snapped his fingers.

A whoosh! rose in the room, whipping up a vortex; the papers on the floor were lifted into the air, spiraling and disappearing into the spirit realm.

Having prepared, Leike Dun looked up at the sky outside; the once‑bright heavens had grown gloomy, with faint amber streetlights visible around.

Leike Dun walked to where Tu Ba Ge was perched on the windowsill and asked aloud:

"Have those deep‑sleep flowers bloomed?"

"They've begun to grow, but it'll still be a while before they flower. The pollen has a faint scent, so blooming now would likely be noticed by the people in that villa."

Tu Ba Ge explained with a solemn expression.

Leike Dun, somewhat surprised, patted the head beneath Tu Ba Ge's hat and said:

"Whoa! Progress! You're looking more and more like a mature, extraordinary rabbit now!"

Clack! The door was pushed open from outside, and Ke Lai En entered with a heavy‑looked face.

"Ka Ping does have support from kingdom personnel behind him; I just captured someone leaving the villa and performed a divination."

"In the divination vision I saw a lower‑house deputy who often appears in newspapers, and a person called the deputy director—both high‑ranking police officials."

"That's not too surprising," Leike Dun nodded slightly, turned, and walked toward the doorway, saying:

"Let's go have dinner, and we'll act again when the night is deep and quiet."

"This is Beckland; the royal family will soon notice something's wrong and send support."

At midnight, Ka Ping's luxurious villa remained brightly lit.

In the villa's garden, at wall cracks and along the fence, tiny pale‑purple flowers quietly blossomed.

A faint, soothing fragrance with calming properties drifted with the evening breeze, spreading over the villa and the surrounding area.

The guards, servants, and even the vicious dogs in the villa seemed oblivious, continuing their duties as usual.

"What's wrong with them? Why can't they sense such an obvious anomaly?"

By the window, Ke Lai En leaned on the sill, gazing at Ka Ping's villa under the crimson moonlight.

"It's a psychological suggestion; the seeds scattered around the villa by birds carry cues that diminish one's sense of presence."

Leike Dun, standing on the other side of the window, said.

Leike Dun stared ahead, his eyes piercing the dim‑yellow night, seeing the spirit‑realm counterpart of this area.

A golden book fell from the depths of the spirit realm, and with a Rattle! it began to turn pages on its own.

Sheets of pale‑yellow paper bearing strange symbols were shaken loose, scattering across the spirit‑realm area.

Having done all this, the book messenger quickly left the spirit‑realm area.

The scattered pale‑yellow sheets seemed drawn by an invisible force, spreading outward and mysteriously forming a circle.

The strange symbols on the paper appeared to come alive, beginning to twist and writhe.

Gradually, the symbols burst out of the paper like tiny worms, scurrying wildly through the spirit realm, increasing in number until they formed an elaborate, exaggerated net that ensnared the entire spirit‑realm area.

"We can act now," Leike Dun patted the drowsy Tu Ba Ge perched on the windowsill.

"Whoa! Boss, let me sleep a bit longer!" Tu Ba Ge groggily brushed off Leike Dun's hand, rolled once on the windowsill, and smacked his own mouth twice.

Ke Lai En glanced at the half‑asleep Tu Ba Ge, turned his head toward Leike Dun, and signaled with his eyes:

"Is this rabbit reliable?"

Leike Dun shook his head, a little speechless, and whispered:

"It's just a side‑player; you go ahead, I'll give you the climax!"

Ke Lai En nodded lightly, took out holy night powder, sprinkled a circle along the room's walls, and sealed the room with a spirit wall.

He then quickly set up an altar and began the ceremony:

"I!"

"In my name I summon:"

"The fool beyond this era, the mysterious sovereign above the gray mist, the yellow‑black king who wields fortune."

With the ceremony complete, Ke Lai En immediately stepped back four paces, entered the gray mist above, and prepared to respond to himself.

Above the gray mist, Ke Lai En lifted the Black Emperor (Item) and let his spirit body envelop it.

In an instant, Ke Lai En's spirit solidified rapidly, as if it had gained flesh and blood.

Surrounding black, ethereal mist spread, clinging to the spirit's surface and forming an imposing armor.

A pitch‑black crown appeared on his head, and a long black cape unfurled behind him.

At that moment, Ke Lai En's spirit resembled an emperor about to embark on a campaign.

Dressed in the Black Emperor's garb, Ke Lai En's spirit stepped forward into the illusory gateway he had summoned.

Leike Dun, following his spiritual intuition, stared at the illusory rift that Ke Lai En had just created through the ritual.

The next moment, a spirit dressed as Black Emperor stepped out from within.

Just a glance, Lei Kedun was stunned to find that all his premonitions and instincts vanished without a trace on the other side.

"Black Emperor (Item)?" Lei Kedun murmured softly, then his tone shifted to a teasing remark:

"Reasonable doubt, Luo Sair—this is twenty‑two skins you've crafted for you."

"It's just a coincidental accident!" Ke Lai En, in Black Emperor attire, explained in a deep voice.

"Actually what I want to marvel at is: I don't know what you'd look like using the Witch Card!"

Lei Kedun showed no concealment of the mischievous delight in his eyes.

Ke Lai En was silent for a moment, then, in spirit form, surged forward, crashing through the wall and flying toward Ka Ping's luxurious villa.

Lei Kedun reached out and pressed his hand onto Tu Ba Ge, roughly shaking it awake from its deep slumber.

One hand twisted the rabbit ears, the other grasped the tall top hat, stepping into the room's shadows; the shadows writhed and swallowed Lei Kedun's figure.

Using the ever‑present night shadows, Lei Kedun slipped easily into Ka Ping's villa.

He set the Tu Ba Ge he was holding down, fitted the hat onto it, and said:

"The concentration of deep‑sleep flower pollen here should be about right; hurry and get to work."

Tu Ba Ge rubbed its somewhat groggy eyes, then patted its own head with two paws.

Surveying the surroundings, Tu Ba Ge immediately changed posture, squatted on the ground, placed its paws on the floor, and whispered a chant in Ancient Hermes language.

The faint purple deep‑sleep flowers dotted around began to sway in the windless night; this swaying carried an inexplicable meaning, as if it could soothe a person's soul.

The thin fragrance in the air grew richer, and a deep drowsiness lingered in everyone's mind.

"Deep sleep!" Before the extraordinary beings in the villa could react, Lei Kedun whispered a single Dragon language word.

The invisible ripple, following the swaying of the deep‑sleep flowers, spread the scent rapidly to every corner of the villa.

Inside the villa, all ordinary people fell into a short‑term sleep from which they could not be awakened by the outside world.

Ke Lai En, in spirit form, slipped silently through the main gate, through the walls, and entered the hall.

"Deep sleep!" A voice with strong hypnotic effect echoed in Ke Lai En's ears.

Ke Lai En felt his mind hazy, as if he were about to fall into slumber at any moment.

Fortunately the incantation bearing the sleep power did not target him; otherwise he would have collapsed on the spot like the others.

Suppressing his thoughts for the moment, Ke Lai En looked around, swiftly passed through a wall, and entered the dining room.

In the dining room, everyone, including the extraordinary beings, fell into sleep.

However, through spiritual sight, Ke Lai En could see that the three extraordinary beings named He La Si, Kai Di and Pa Ke were struggling and would soon break free of the sleep.

"Hm?" Ke Lai En's puzzled gaze turned toward some direction outside the villa.

His spiritual intuition sent a dangerous signal; the temperature in the dining room began to drop visibly, and a thin mist formed on the wine glasses holding red wine.

"What's this? What did A Er Dan do?" Ke Lai En asked, slightly puzzled.

"Hmm~" The woman called Kai Di let out a strained sound.

Ke Lai En had no time to ponder the outside events; he immediately approached, touching Kai Di's body, and a white frost spread over her.

The strong stimulus forced Kai Di out of the deep sleep, and she tried to open her eyes.

The next moment, a sound wave inaudible to humans exploded beside her ear, echoing throughout the dining room.

This was the "Vengeful Spirit Screech", an ability derived from the Black Emperor (Item) empowerment on the spirit, evolved from a soul‑targeting spell‑like skill, directly damaging a creature's soul.

(End of chapter)