Chapter 344: Rebirth

The scene before his eyes completely exceeded Chen Che's expectations. He watched silently as Leiji knelt before him, not reaching out to take the token in his hand, but instead asking:

"Are you a member of the Taiyi Sect?"

"Yes."

"But aren't you a follower of the Du'e Cult Leader?"

"Leiji is merely my cover identity; my real name is Adili, and I am a disciple of the Taiyi Sect."

Adili explained: "I was ordered by the Great Elder to go undercover in the Due Sect."

"What you're saying sounds a bit like 'Infernal Affairs'."

Chen Che and Xie Wanning exchanged a glance, then continued to ask: "Then why did your Great Elder want you to go undercover in the Due Sect?"

"It is not just me; many disciples were ordered to go undercover in different cults. The goal is the same: to find one person."

"Who?"

"Zanpu Dunzhu, a thief who stole half of the Heavenly Book."

Chen Che and Xie Wanning both felt a jolt.

Adili raised his head: "Everything I say is the truth. Sect Master, if you do not believe me, you can return to the Taiyi Sect with me. The elders will explain everything to you."

Chen Che stared at Adili and asked: "Since you are a disciple of the Taiyi Sect and undercover beside the Du'e Cult Leader, does that mean you suspect the Du'e Cult Leader is the person you are looking for?"

"That is correct, because Zanpu Dunzhu was once a friend of the Taiyi Sect. He was one of the few who could comprehend the Artisan Techniques taught by the Taiyi Sect, so in the beginning, the Taiyi Sect used him to spread knowledge to the people.

But later, Zanpu Dunzhu betrayed the Taiyi Sect. He imitated the Taiyi Sect, established a religion, and cultivated believers, but he did not do it to help others; he needed the power of others' faith."

Adili said slowly.

Chen Che did not understand: "The power of faith?"

"I do not know exactly what that is, but Zanpu Dunzhu did indeed achieve it. Many people fought for him, and he gained supreme power because of it, wanting to seize the other half of the Heavenly Book.

Fortunately, he failed, but the Taiyi Sect also suffered heavy losses, so the Taiyi Sect withdrew from the world afterward.

However, they still sent us out to find the whereabouts of Zanpu Dunzhu and to retrieve the stolen half of the Heavenly Book."

As Adili spoke, he glanced at the Stone Coffin on the stone platform, "The Du'e Cult Leader was indeed a suspect, but now it seems he is not Zanpu Dunzhu, because Zanpu Dunzhu would not just die like this."

Chen Che weighed the truth of Adili's words and asked again: "Since you are a member of the Taiyi Sect, why did you help the Du'e Cult Leader do evil? Is the Taiyi Sect also this cold-blooded and heartless?"

Adili lowered his head: "Please forgive me, Sect Master. If I want to lurk beside the Cult Leader, I must help him do some things."

"Even if you were forced by circumstances, there are still many things you haven't made clear."

Chen Che said: "For example, the origin of Zanpu Dunzhu, his relationship with the Taiyi Sect, and the matter of the Heavenly Book."

"I only know this much. If you, Sect Master, want to know more specific details, then please return to the Taiyi Sect with me; the elders will explain everything to you."

Adili smiled: "Moreover, the Taiyi Sect has been leaderless for many years; now that the Sect Master has returned, it is a joyous occasion."

Chen Che was still uneasy: "What did those elders of yours say about the Taiyi Sect Master? It is a bit rash of you to confirm I am the Sect Master based solely on a token."

Adili looked serious and said: "The elders said that whoever holds the token is the Sect Master; the elders' words cannot be wrong!"

Chen Che laughed: "What if I say I am not the Sect Master? I just picked up this token."

Adili shook his head with a calm expression: "The elders said that the Sect Master Token will recognize its master. Even if it is lost, it will eventually return to the Sect Master's side."

Chen Che raised his eyes; Adili was not wrong about this point.

Chen Che had long felt that the True Qi of his master, Taixuan, remained inside this token. Although it was very weak, it could resonate with his own True Qi; even if it were lost, the token would run back on its own after a long time.

This was also the reason why Chen Che was not in a hurry to look for the token.

Looking at it this way, what this Adili said did have some credibility.

Chen Che took the token, nodded, and said: "Get up."

"Many thanks, Sect Master."

Adili stood up, "Then Sect Master, can you return to the Taiyi Sect with me now?"

"Where is the Taiyi Sect?"

"At the junction of Ansili and the five surrounding countries, Luoxia Mountain."

"Good, take us there."

"Wait a moment!" Xie Wanning pulled Chen Che and glanced at Adili, "This person is a bit strange."

Chen Che said: "I felt it too, but it is true that this token recognizes its master. Even if he isn't a member of the Taiyi Sect, he definitely knows something.

Besides, we have nowhere to go right now, so we might as well go and take a look with him."

Xie Wanning was still a bit uneasy and scrutinized Adili.

Adili bowed respectfully to Chen Che and Xie Wanning: "Sect Master, Madam, I really did not lie. If you two do not believe me, you can wrap your True Qi around my heart meridian, so my life will be in your hands."

"Who are you calling Madam?!"

Xie Wanning roared in shame and anger.

Adili looked confused: "Aren't you the Sect Master's partner?"

"I am his mas..."

Xie Wanning paused, not knowing what she remembered, and glanced at Chen Che, "That's right, I am the Madam; you addressed me correctly."

Chen Che: "???"

"Then Sect Master, Madam, can we go now?"

Adili asked again.

Xie Wanning looked at Chen Che: "I'll listen to you, Sect Master."

Chen Che scratched his head, unable to understand Xie Wanning's abnormal behavior, and said: "Fine, let's go."

The figures of the three disappeared into the woods, and for a time, the woods fell into a deathly silence.

In this dead forest, the silence of the night was shrouded in an ominous atmosphere.

Dark clouds were like a heavy curtain, completely blocking the moonlight, leaving only a heart-palpitating pitch blackness.

In the woods, every tree was like a silent sentry, their shadows weaving into twisted webs on the ground, as if waiting for some unspeakable secret to be revealed.

The night wind blew, and fallen leaves made a rustling sound; this noise echoed through the empty forest, appearing exceptionally abrupt.

A disturbing dampness suddenly permeated the air, mixed with the scent of soil and rotting leaves, making one feel involuntarily suffocated.

The moon revealed a corner, and the moonlight carved a faint beam through the darkness, allowing the lunar radiance to spill onto the stone platform, illuminating a corner of the cold Stone Coffin.

Suddenly.

A hand pierced through the stone slab and reached out from the Stone Coffin!

That ghastly white palm, without warning and caught off guard, thrust out violently, breaking the tranquility of the night.

Its movement was swift and abrupt, as if driven by some irresistible force.

The skin of that hand was as pale as paper, with blue veins bulging, fingers twisted, and nails as sharp as a beast's claws. It seemed to be searching for something, or perhaps trying to grasp a glimmer of life.

Its movements became faster and more frantic, yet it suddenly froze and retracted back into the Stone Coffin.

"Clang!"

The next second, the stone slab covering the Stone Coffin shattered, a pair of ghastly white palms gripped the edge of the Stone Coffin, and the Du'e Cult Leader sat straight up.

"Crack, crack..."

He twisted his neck to a heart-stopping angle, then straightened it.

"Hoo—"

He stood up, stepped out of the Stone Coffin, and exhaled the first breath after returning from the dead.

He touched his left chest; the piercing wound at his heart had already healed.

The Cult Leader looked up at the sky, the silvery-white moonlight shining on his ferocious face, revealing his expression: a grin of having finally achieved his wish.

"Leiji, my good child, it was indeed right not to kill you back then..."

The Du'e Cult Leader muttered to himself, suddenly spreading his arms and roaring wildly at the sky, as if venting years of forbearance, or as if issuing an irresistible command,

"Children, it is time to wake up!"

The roar pierced the clouds and resounded across the sky.

On this night destined to be extraordinary, countless people witnessed the arrival of evil spirits!

All over the world, one ghastly white, rotting hand after another reached out from graves, as if responding to their monarch's call; the evil spirits supported their decaying bodies and converged toward the same place, like tributaries returning to the sea, endless and inexhaustible!