Chapter 119

"You are unwilling?"

Yu Yu Xuzi clearly had not expected his request to be refused, and that too before he had even finished stating the content of his request.

Li Zhuiyuan answered again, very straightforwardly: "Yes, I am unwilling."

Yu Yu Xuzi revealed an expression of disbelief and asked: "Why? For you young friends, it is merely a matter of lifting a finger. Perhaps, young friend, you could listen to me finish speaking first."

Li Zhuiyuan pointed his finger at the six university students and asked: "Daoist, did they also listen to you finish speaking back then?"

Yu Yu Xuzi shook his head slightly, a smile appearing on his face: "Haha, young friend, it seems you have misunderstood."

"Oh?"

"Right now, the formation has been reconnected, but young friend, you do not know what kind of dangerous and complex situation this village was in before the formation was reconnected.

This poor Daoist can tell you very straightforwardly that this monster was once rampant here, harming and killing many villagers. The resentment of the villagers accumulated here, and there were ghosts crying and wolves howling every day.

These six young people trespassed here; if not for this poor Daoist stepping in to protect them, they would have already died long ago.

Look,

the six of them are still alive now."

Yu Yu Xuzi clapped his hands.

"Blegh!"

"Blegh!"

All six university students knelt down and began to vomit. Mouthfuls of foul-smelling black liquid were spat out from their mouths, mixed with some small fish inside.

At this moment, although they were still dazed and confused, they revealed more vitality than before.

Li Zhuiyuan asked: "Since that is the case, Daoist, why not see them through to the end? Since you have protected them, why not send them out?"

"Because they cannot get out." Yu Yu Xuzi let out a sigh, "In fact, young friends, you cannot get out either."

"Oh?"

Li Zhuiyuan revealed an expression of surprise.

"Young friend, you may not know, but this formation only allows entry and forbids exit."

"Daoist, what kind of joke are you telling? How is this possible?" Li Zhuiyuan feigned "forced composure."

Tan Wenbin shouted at the top of his lungs: "Yeah, how is that possible?"

Yin Meng: "Heh, alarmist talk!"

Runsheng: "Hmph!"

In daily life, aside from necessary social interactions, Li Zhuiyuan rarely revealed his emotions, especially when alone with his partners; he would deliberately avoid performing.

From the perspective of Tan Wenbin and the others, sometimes this was an advantage: when their Brother Xiaoyuan suddenly started acting and became emotionally expressive, they could immediately perceive it and begin to cooperate.

Their performance was somewhat exaggerated, but it had no flaws.

Because the performance was to cover up certain truths, but they did not know what the truth was, so they just acted purely.

Yu Yu Xuzi stretched out his hands and pressed them downward: "Everyone, stay calm. As the saying goes, hearing is false, seeing is believing. Whether this poor Daoist is lying to you or not, why don't you go and see for yourselves?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Fine."

Yu Yu Xuzi: "Please."

Li Zhuiyuan turned and left, with Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Yin Meng following closely behind. But they hadn't walked far when Yu Yu Xuzi's voice came from behind again:

"Are you young friends not going to take them with you?"

The four turned their heads and saw Yu Yu Xuzi pointing at the university students crawling on the ground.

Li Zhuiyuan retorted: "Didn't the Daoist say we couldn't get out? Then why ask if we want to take them with us?"

Yu Yu Xuzi likewise retorted: "Isn't the young friend certain that you can get out? Then why not just take these six young people along while you're at it? It would save the trouble of coming back to pick them up, wouldn't it?"

"If we can get out, then coming back in is just a matter of spending some legwork; it doesn't count as trouble."

Yu Yu Xuzi patted his forehead lightly: "That was this poor Daoist's misunderstanding. I thought you young friends had come specifically to rescue them."

This was indeed a good excuse, very suitable for going down the slope.

But this was actually a trap.

Li Zhuiyuan had known for a long time that the fish outside were not completely controlled by this village, and their memories and perspectives were not shared.

Because the fish on Yin Meng's line were actually still eating rats to satisfy their own gluttony, and only moved against Yin Meng and Zheng Jiayi after the nearby rats were all eaten.

The fish on Binbin's line was even more outrageous; even when they had a falling out and started fighting, it had an opportunity to kill Zeng Yinyin first, but it was afraid the Ghost Husband would get angry and stand completely on Binbin's side, so it missed the chance. That fish... it actually wanted to stand on its own.

However, now Li Zhuiyuan had gained a new piece of knowledge: the monster could extract information from the fish.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze swept quickly over the small fish that had just been vomited out by the university students and were still wriggling on the ground.

In his mind, he quickly sorted through and recalled all the conversations between himself and his partners since entering the village, after getting close to these university students.

"Daoist, you really did misunderstand. We did not come for them."

"Hmm, yes." Yu Yu Xuzi made a gesture of invitation, facing the end of the village, "Young friend, please. This poor Daoist will wait here for your return."

After Li Zhuiyuan and the four others left, Yu Yu Xuzi walked in front of the six university students, bent down, picked up a small fish from the ground, and then opened his mouth to send the fish into his mouth.

While chewing, strands of sound dispersed from his oral cavity.

If one could press against the old man's ear at this moment, one could hear segments of dialogue.

Yu Yu Xuzi nodded thoughtfully, turned his head to look at the big fish floating in the river, and smiled:

"Indeed, they did not come for them, nor is it purely for the sake of the righteous path, but rather to pursue excitement."

After a pause, Yu Yu Xuzi opened his mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth hidden deep within his lips:

"It seems that the outside world is indeed a peaceful and prosperous age now; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many young people who are full and have nothing to do."

Yu Yu Xuzi picked up the remaining small fish on the ground one by one, but this time he was too lazy to savor and chew them carefully one by one. He threw them into his mouth and swallowed them directly. Soon, he had finished eating.

Sticking out his tongue and licking his lips as if still unsatisfied, Yu Yu Xuzi walked back to the riverbank, scooped up river water, and began to wash his face.

After washing, he raised his head and looked at himself reflected in the river; his face had returned to normal.

"Four people, yet they only follow the lead of the youngest one. That youth must be extraordinary; he is likely hiding his true strength. I'm afraid he won't be easy to fool."

Runsheng walked in front, Yin Meng walked in the back, and Tan Wenbin walked beside Li Zhuiyuan.

The youth was thinking while walking.

He had come in aiming for a perfect score, but only after entering did he realize, heh, there was actually an extra credit question.

The extra credit question greatly increased the difficulty, but at the same time, it also provided more known conditions.

The doubts that had been lingering in his heart before were all resolved by relying on these known conditions.

When a difficult problem is stripped of its "mysterious veil," it is also disenchanted, because next, one only needs to follow the steps one by one.

As long as one ensures the steps can be walked steadily, then one will be able to obtain all the points with the minimum cost.

This is a card table; he sits on this end, and the monster sits on that end.

The cards in his hand might not be as good as the ones in the monster's hand, but he has already seen through the monster's true hole cards in advance.

Come on, let's play slowly.

The four passed through the village, passed the righteous manor, and finally arrived at the end of the village, which was the position where they had entered earlier.

Yu Yu Xuzi was actually right; under normal circumstances, this formation indeed only allows entry and forbids exit.

But since Li Zhuiyuan dared to bring his partners in, it meant he had a way to take them out again.

Earlier, when observing this formation from the outside, he had already commented in his heart on its crudeness and imperfection.

Wanting to get out is not difficult; he only needs to set up a targeted small deception formation. Unless it is a target specifically aimed at by the formation, other people or objects can all be smuggled out in this way.

Of course, this "not difficult" is only for Li Zhuiyuan himself.

Li Zhuiyuan said: "Everyone, try it and see if you can get out."

The youth gave the instruction and then sat down, took some formation flags from his backpack, took out a piece of paper, and began to draw.

Runsheng, Yin Meng, and Tan Wenbin looked at each other. In the past, no matter what happened, Brother Xiaoyuan would provide a plan, and then everyone would follow the plan.

When would he ever just sit there and let everyone improvise?

The three just took it as receiving a new script and began trying to leave this place.

They used many methods, but all failed. They could clearly see the stone table and stone tablet in front, but they could never walk there.

They began to become increasingly "anxious," their expressions gradually "solemn," and they even quarreled a few times among themselves.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan set up the formation and signaled everyone to pass through it, but they still failed.

Li Zhuiyuan silently put away the formation flags and drawings, put them back into his schoolbag, and then turned and walked back.

The three naturally followed him back. During this time, instigated by Tan Wenbin, the three were still mocking each other and bickering.

Even though there were no cameras on the surface, everyone was still seriously acting. After all, who knew if there was any secret filming?

Returning along the original path, they arrived at the riverbank at the head of the village again.

The six university students were lying side by side under the old locust tree in the distance, likely still unconscious.

Yu Yu Xuzi stood on a stone slab; even though half of his body was covered with fish scales, looking at his back from a distance, there was still a sense of artistic conception.

That big fish had disappeared, but ripples frequently appeared in the central area of the river, proving it was still swimming underneath.

Seeming to hear footsteps, Yu Yu Xuzi turned his head, looked at Li Zhuiyuan and the four others, with a kind smile on his face.

Li Zhuiyuan said: "Daoist, it was my rudeness earlier."

Yu Yu Xuzi: "Young friend, do not say that. Walking in the world of martial arts, one should naturally be cautious. Young friend, being able to help the descendants of my three disciples reconnect the formation outside, and daring to take the initiative to walk in here, this courage and sense of responsibility are already rare and commendable."

"Daoist, please teach me the method to get out."

Yu Yu Xuzi reached out from under the river surface and took out a stone slab, with complex patterns carved on it.

"I wonder if young friend has ever studied formations?"

"I understand a little."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yu Xuzi was happy, and then asked again:

"I wonder if young friend knows how to walk in the underworld?"

"I have barely mastered it."

Yu Yu Xuzi clapped his hands lightly and sighed: "Heaven's will, it really is Heaven's will."

The profession of corpse-salvaging is uneven in quality, with very exaggerated upper and lower limits. Some have methods to remain on the river, while others, like his own great-grandfather, purely became folk culture.

"Daoist, what does this mean?"

"Heaven's will allows you, young friend, to escape, and Heaven's will allows this monster to vanish into smoke and dust!"

"Please, Daoist, explain in detail."

"You look at this object." Yu Yu Xuzi threw the stone block toward Li Zhuiyuan. Runsheng stepped forward first, caught the stone slab, and handed it to the youth.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at it; the things carved on it were similar to the formation incantations he had designed for Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng earlier.

One only needs to memorize it by rote, add some basic formation knowledge, and one can walk between formations like a fool to perform some manipulations.

"How does young friend feel about it?"

"It's a bit difficult, but it can be overcome."

"No matter, just hold it in your hand and look at it while walking."

"And then?"

Yu Yu Xuzi raised his arm and waved it lightly. A stream of water shot out from the river, extending all the way to the end of the village along the village road.

Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips. He indeed hadn't been able to detect the existence of this stream in advance earlier because it wasn't located in reality.

It was more like a guide line drawn with special pigment, which only appears when illuminated by a lamp. In daily life, there is simply no trace to follow.

Following this line, Li Zhuiyuan began to observe the ground nearby. The village road was a dirt road, relatively soft. Following this line, Li Zhuiyuan quickly found several fish-tail prints.

It should be that there were once fish that followed the "small stream," which was actually following the guidance of this line, and kept flopping all the way out on the ground.

Thinking about it, the fish faced by the Xue, Zheng, and Zeng families in Min'an Town were sent out from here in this way.

Although the monster was in Zhengmen Village, it had a way to influence Min'an Town.

"Young friend, follow the guidance of this stream and walk all the way to the end of the village, and you can enter the fog. Then use the underworld walk to reconnect, find a stone table in the fog, and according to the method on the stone slab, land on the stone table, and you can open the fog, leave this place, and gain freedom."

The fox's tail wasn't exposed; it was extended.

Li Zhuiyuan saw at a glance that one actually only needs to follow this "small stream" to walk out of this formation.

As for the fog behind and what to do in the fog, they were all extensions, purely Yu Yu Xuzi's private goods.

Actually, you have already left the town, but it can still confuse you, making you mistakenly believe you haven't left, and then continue to operate according to his requirements.

Isn't the stone table in the fog the offering table outside?

He wants to let himself help destroy that offering table, so as to destroy the formation.

But if it were this simple, why didn't he arrange for those fish sent out to do these things?

Those fish can not only kill people but also control people as puppets. Logically speaking, they should be able to complete this task.

Unless there is some reason that makes those fish unable to do this.

Li Zhuiyuan's hand holding the stone slab exerted a little force. The stone slab was very hard, and no marks could be pinched out.

It was clearly something that could be written on paper or even wooden boards, so why must he find a stone to carve it?

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin and said: "Brother Binbin, your formation attainments are the deepest, you come and look at this stone slab."

Saying this, Li Zhuiyuan held the stone slab with both hands and threw it toward Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin: My formation attainments are the deepest?

Of course, my formation attainments are the deepest.

Tan Wenbin caught the stone slab with both hands, looked at it carefully, and commented:

"Hmm, concise and comprehensive, easy to understand, simplifying the complex, not bad, not bad."

"Then let me see it again." Li Zhuiyuan spread his hands and beckoned.

Tan Wenbin, who had intended to walk over to return it, learned from Li Zhuiyuan's earlier appearance and threw the stone slab back.

After Li Zhuiyuan caught it with both hands, he pressed his palms and arms tightly against the stone slab. Upon feeling it carefully, he indeed detected a subtle layered vibration.

There was something hidden inside this stone slab!

"Daoist, you have only told us the method to get out now. Remember you said earlier that you wanted us to help you completely eliminate this monster?"

"Actually, it was just a matter of convenience." Yu Yu Xuzi took out a lamp from his bosom. The lamp flame was pure white, and faintly, a sound similar to a heartbeat came from it, "Young friend, do you know what this is?"

This is a soul lamp.

"Daoist, what is this?"

"This is this poor Daoist's soul lamp.

Back then, this poor Daoist used his physical body as the foundation of the formation, his soul as the eye of the formation, and his three disciples living here for generations as the continuation of the formation.

With a heart full of blood, I eliminated demons and defended the Dao.

But this monster is truly powerful.

You have also seen the fish scales on this poor Daoist's body.

For so many years, this poor Daoist has been suppressing it, and it has actually also been suppressing this poor Daoist. We have long been connected to each other.

Within this formation, a pattern has long been formed. This poor Daoist's soul has been immersed with it for a long time and has long been inseparable. Now it is extremely weak, and its vitality is exhausted.

Just please, young friend, take this poor Daoist's soul lamp when you go out. This lamp cannot be extinguished here. After taking it out, extinguish it.

This poor Daoist will take it and perish completely in this world."

"Daoist, your intention to sacrifice yourself for the Dao makes us admire you."

"Actually, there is also a bit of this poor Daoist's selfishness here." Yu Yu Xuzi reached out and scratched the fish scales on his body, "This poor Daoist also wants to be liberated as soon as possible."

Immediately, Yu Yu Xuzi bowed to Li Zhuiyuan:

"Please, young friend, fulfill this!"

Li Zhuiyuan returned the salute: "I will definitely do my best."

The two looked at each other and both smiled.

Yu Yu Xuzi picked up a lantern from the ground and pointed to the small stream in front of him: "Since that is the case, this poor Daoist will personally lead the way for everyone."

"Many thanks, Daoist."

"Roar!"

In the center of the river, the big fish opened its bloody mouth and began to roar angrily, its fish tail desperately slapping the river surface.

Yu Yu Xuzi smiled: "Evil creature, do you know fear now?"

The big fish was still roaring and twisting, its fish eyes blood-red.

"Evil creature, don't be anxious, you will soon cease to exist."

Yu Yu Xuzi carried the lamp and walked forward, while Li Zhuiyuan and the four others followed behind him, stepping on the "small stream."

Not long after they had walked, Yu Yu Xuzi stopped, turned his head to point at the six university students unconscious under the tree, and reminded:

"Young friend seems to have forgotten them."

Li Zhuiyuan looked back and said: "Then let's forget them. When walking in the underworld later, my partners have to support me into the fog. They are unable to move now and naturally cannot follow. Forcibly carrying them is, first, a burden, and second, it might ruin things."

Yu Yu Xuzi let out a sigh and said: "But Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life."

Li Zhuiyuan replied: "Eliminating demons and defending the Dao should naturally involve sacrifice."

Yu Yu Xuzi revealed an expression of unbearable, but finally nodded: "In the end, it is everyone's fate; it cannot be forced."

After sighing, Yu Yu Xuzi continued to walk forward.

When passing the closed-door house Li Zhuiyuan had entered earlier, Yu Yu Xuzi asked: "Young friend, you went in to see it, right?"

"Wasn't it arranged by you, Daoist, for them to take us in to pay our respects?"

"The yellow-robed Daoist inside is this poor Daoist's senior brother. I also heard that my senior brother brought his disciples here to eliminate demons, so I rushed over. But when I arrived here, I found that everything was too late.

For so many years, this poor Daoist has often thought, if my senior brother had waited for me to set off together back then, and the two of us brothers had joined forces, would the situation have been different?"

"In the end, it is everyone's fate; it cannot be forced."

"Good."

The five continued to walk forward.

Yu Yu Xuzi spoke again: "Young friend, have you ever heard of the Long Wang family on the river?"

"I have heard some from the elders in the family."

"Then does young friend know about the Long Wang Willow?"

"The Long Wang Willow seems to have already declined."

"Oh?" Yu Yu Xuzi was surprised, "How many years has it been, how could it have declined?"

"Specifically, I don't know either, but the Long Wang Willow hasn't sent anyone to walk the river for decades."

"Oh..." Yu Yu Xuzi let out a long sigh, as if he had unloaded some kind of burden.

"Daoist?"

"This poor Daoist just feels sighing; I didn't expect that even a powerful family like the Long Wang family could decline. Young friend, do you know that this monster was originally suppressed by a Long Wang of the Liu family back then?"

"Is the green-robed woman in the painting a Long Wang of the Liu family?"

"Exactly."

"But, since that Long Wang of the Liu family severely wounded this monster, why didn't she deal with it completely?"

"Young friend, you don't know. Some monsters and evil spirits are very difficult to eliminate completely; they can only be suppressed and worn down. That Long Wang of the Liu family should have come here, but seeing that I had already set up the formation and opened the town, she thought the matter was settled and could leave."

"Daoist, you indeed did it."

"What a pity. My senior brother admired the Liu family immensely back in the day, yet he died without ever getting to see that Dragon King even once. I fear this was a great regret for him."

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Not exaggerated in the slightest."

"But you, Daoist, are a member of the Daoist sects."

"But the Dragon King doesn't travel the rivers and live on a boat every single day.

Even if everyone's methods, factions, and understandings of the Heavenly Dao differ, in the end, we all live together in this same Jianghu. When you look up, you can still catch a glimpse of their figure."

"It seems that not only your senior brother, but even you, Daoist, also admire that Dragon King of the Liu family."

"That goes without saying."

"Although it is ethereal and death is like a lamp going out, I truly hope you can have your wish fulfilled, Daoist."

Upon hearing this, the fish scales on Yu Xuzi's body shifted slightly.

It was imperceptible, but Li Zhuiyuan caught it.

After hearing that sentence, the other party's mind had trembled; although he tried his best to suppress it, a trace still managed to leak out.

Admiration is admiration, but right now, he truly does not want to see that Dragon King—he doesn't even dare... to think about it.

The small stream passes through the village road and extends to the righteous manor.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed his finger at the six coffins on the manor's dam and asked, "Daoist, I checked these coffins when I came in earlier. Did those six people live here before?"

"Yes. When they first arrived, they were terrified by the ghosts and evil thoughts everywhere, so they chose to shrink into the coffins and stay for a while. I don't know what they were thinking.

Later, seeing that they were truly being tortured quite severely, I took action to protect them. At the very least, I preserved a layer of vitality and hope for them."

Li Zhuiyuan said with shame, "In the end, this junior has let you down, Daoist."

Yu Xuzi waved his hand: "No one is perfect; as long as one has a clear conscience, that is enough. Little friend, you taking action to help me suppress this evil creature is a great merit in itself."

The five of them walked to the end of the village.

The "small stream" wound along, continuing to extend.

Yu Xuzi stopped, looked at the lamp in his hand, reached out, and gently stroked the white flame on it, his eyes filled with reminiscence and attachment.

Finally, he handed the lamp to Li Zhuiyuan: "I must trouble you, little friend, to take it out and extinguish it."

Li Zhuiyuan held the stone slab with both hands and looked at Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin reached out and took it. The moment he touched it, he felt as if he were holding another person's still-beating heart.

Yu Xuzi bowed solemnly to the four of them again: "Thank you all for your hard work. The righteous path is not alone!"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded to Yu Xuzi, while Tan Wenbin, Runsheng, and Yin Meng clasped their fists in return.

Immediately, Yu Xuzi stood where he was.

The four of them continued along the "small stream." After putting some distance between them and just as they were about to enter the boundary of the formation, Li Zhuiyuan spoke up:

"Follow me."

Tan Wenbin held the lamp in his right hand and grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's shoulder with his left.

Yin Meng and Runsheng, who were behind, also grabbed the shoulders of the person in front of them.

The four of them moved forward step by step. Just as they were about to walk into the formation barrier, a loud shout came from behind:

"Stop!"

Li Zhuiyuan stopped and looked back.

Yu Xuzi's face was full of pain as he crawled on the ground, his eyes filled with struggle, his arm reaching out toward them:

"It is lying to you! Stop, do not be deceived!"

Li Zhuiyuan immediately walked back, with Runsheng and the others following closely behind.

Seeing them return, a look of relief appeared on Yu Xuzi's face, but the next moment, black mist rose from his body.

"Ahhh!"

Yu Xuzi let out a miserable scream, as if an invisible chain had wrapped around his neck, yanking him backward violently.

"That lamp is not mine; it belongs to that evil creature! That evil creature is controlling me to deceive you all. Do not fall for that evil creature's tricks!"

After shouting this, besides the black mist, flames also rose from Yu Xuzi's body, looking extremely terrifying.

And on Yu Xuzi's own face, expressions of kindness and hatred kept alternating and shifting.

"Drop that lamp and leave quickly! I will continue to suppress it; this is my mission. Leave quickly, leave quickly!"

Tan Wenbin looked at the lamp he was holding in his hand and then looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Xiaoyuan, this thing..."

"Drop it."

"Oh, okay." Tan Wenbin threw the lamp in his hand. The lamp hit the ground with a "clatter" and rolled continuously, but the flame remained unextinguished.

Li Zhuiyuan said to Runsheng and Yin Meng: "Help the Daoist and strike the evil spirit."

Runsheng and Yin Meng rushed over immediately.

Yu Xuzi shouted: "Don't worry about me, you all leave quickly."

After this shout, the expression on Yu Xuzi's face changed back to hatred.

Runsheng held his Yellow River shovel and slashed directly at Yu Xuzi.

The hate-faced Yu Xuzi raised the hand covered in fish scales and grabbed the Yellow River shovel.

"Clang!"

Runsheng was shocked. With the strength he was using to swing the shovel, he could have cracked a rock, yet this Daoist in front of him had caught it with just one hand?

Yin Meng held her demon-driving whip, slid to the side, and lashed out, wrapping the whip around Yu Xuzi's right leg.

That leg had originally been in a semi-transparent state, but when the whip made contact, the areas that hadn't had fish scales transferred over.

Immediately after, the right leg flicked, causing Yin Meng to lose her center of gravity; she had no choice but to stand on her tiptoes and slide along while holding the whip.

They hadn't realized it when they weren't fighting, but upon actual contact, they realized that the strength of the hate-faced Yu Xuzi was truly terrifyingly strong.

Runsheng pulled out his Yellow River shovel, his clothes billowing, and struck again.

Yu Xuzi clenched his fist and smashed it toward the Yellow River shovel.

"Bang!"

Yu Xuzi stood where he was, completely unmoved. Runsheng, on the other hand, was shaken back several steps. But once Runsheng steadied himself, he gathered his strength again and swung the Yellow River shovel to charge once more.

Yin Meng took this opportunity to retract the whip with one hand, using the momentum to pull herself toward Yu Xuzi. Once the distance was sufficient, she took a handful of dust from her pocket with her other hand and scattered it forward.

A cloud of gray mist burst open.

This was meant to pave the way for Runsheng's next round of attacks, intending to interfere with the opponent's perception.

Who would have thought that Yu Xuzi would open his mouth and inhale sharply, causing the gray mist to be sucked entirely into his mouth.

The next moment, Yu Xuzi blocked Runsheng's strike with his fish-scaled arm held horizontally in front of him, then leaned his body forward rapidly, pressing his shoulder against him.

"Bang!"

Runsheng was shaken back again, a hole burned in the chest of his clothes, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Tan Wenbin's eyes widened: "Is this still a human?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "He was never a human to begin with."

The boy's tone was calm, as if he weren't surprised at all.

"Then I'll go help too!"

Tan Wenbin held the Seven-Star Hook in his left hand and the Luo Sheng Umbrella in his right, running while shouting.

One reason was to support the scene, and the second was to warn his two teammates that he was coming, so they should be careful not to accidentally injure or interfere with him.

Seeing that the Daoist could actually repel Runsheng, Tan Wenbin didn't rush into close-quarters combat. Instead, after putting some distance between them, he flicked his left hand, extending the Seven-Star Hook, and stabbed toward Yu Xuzi.

"Puchi..."

The tip of the Seven-Star Hook pierced into Yu Xuzi's chest.

"Holy crap!"

Tan Wenbin shouted in disbelief; he hadn't expected himself to be this badass!

Runsheng and Yin Meng were also somewhat unable to comprehend it.

Behind them, Li Zhuiyuan reminded them: "He has changed his face."

Only then did everyone notice that Yu Xuzi's original hateful face had changed to a kind one.

At this moment, a question was placed before the three of them: he's changed his face, should they still fight?

Very quickly, this question was no longer a question, because Brother Xiaoyuan in the back hadn't said not to fight, which meant... keep fighting!

Tan Wenbin used his left hand to engage the mechanism on the handle of the Seven-Star Hook, causing the tip to spread into two blades that wrapped around Yu Xuzi's chest.

Runsheng's clothes bulged and flattened three times in succession. After wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he raised his shovel and charged again.

This shovel strike hit Yu Xuzi's chest directly, sending him flying.

"Damn it..." Tan Wenbin had originally snared Yu Xuzi, but Runsheng's strength was too great. After he sent the person flying, the Seven-Star Hook flew out with him, causing Tan Wenbin to lose his footing and fall to the ground.

Runsheng didn't stop and continued to follow up.

Just as Yu Xuzi landed, Runsheng arrived and followed up with another shovel strike.

"Slap!"

Yu Xuzi was sent flying by the violent force again.

Runsheng still pursued closely.

But this time, Yu Xuzi landed first. Just as he was about to stand up, Runsheng's shovel arrived.

Yu Xuzi's kind face changed back to a hateful one. He reached out and grabbed the shovel, and the flames on his body followed his arm, burning toward the shovel.

Yin Meng's whip arrived, exploding in front of Yu Xuzi. Green crystals shook off the whip, and upon touching the flames on Yu Xuzi's body, they bloomed like fireworks, emitting a crisp "sizzle-pop" sound.

Yu Xuzi's movements were forced to slow down. Runsheng raised his foot and kicked Yu Xuzi in the chest.

"Bang!"

This kick landed solidly, but Yu Xuzi held on stubbornly and wasn't kicked away.

Tan Wenbin had already climbed up by this time. After rushing over, he grabbed one end of the Seven-Star Hook, took four evil-breaking talismans from his pocket with his left hand, hung them on the small hook at the end of the Seven-Star Hook, and pushed the hook forward with force.

The four evil-breaking talismans followed the long handle of the Seven-Star Hook to the tip, hitting Yu Xuzi's chest exactly.

"Pop! Pop!"

Four consecutive explosions rang out, and the fish scales on Yu Xuzi's body were blasted in all directions.

At this moment, the hatred on Yu Xuzi's face turned back to kindness.

Runsheng felt the immense strength that had been competing with him for the Yellow River shovel disappear. He immediately exerted force and lifted, hoisting Yu Xuzi's entire body up. Runsheng took the opportunity to smash downward, and Yu Xuzi was slammed violently into the ground.

The kind-faced Yu Xuzi made a sound: "Thank you... for helping me... find release..."

Runsheng raised his shovel and continued to smash toward Yu Xuzi.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Yin Meng leaned over. She didn't step forward to participate in the attack, but instead prepared the dust, ready to support Runsheng the next time Yu Xuzi changed his face.

Tan Wenbin, on the other hand, busily pushed all kinds of talisman papers from his body along the Seven-Star Hook. Every time a round was pushed through, an explosion would come from Yu Xuzi's body.

But he enjoyed pushing them too much, and very quickly, Tan Wenbin's stock of talisman papers was cleared out.

He wanted to ask his companions to borrow some, but seeing Yin Meng on full alert and Runsheng's shovel swinging so fast it was almost smoking, he felt too embarrassed to speak.

He turned his head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan, only to find that the boy had no intention of participating in the battle from beginning to end.

Tan Wenbin had a realization, stood up straight, and patted the dust off his body: I still have to learn from Brother Yuan; he's so steady.

Now, every time Runsheng smashed down with the shovel, a patch of fish scales would fly off Yu Xuzi's body.

The more they smashed, the more scales flew off. Very quickly, the surroundings were covered in fish scales, piled up into a thick layer.

These fish scales would constantly grow out from Yu Xuzi's body and then automatically move to block the areas receiving damage.

The kind-faced Yu Xuzi had a calm expression, his fists clenched, as if he were struggling against the one inside his heart. As long as the hateful face didn't come out, there was no danger, and Runsheng could smash to his heart's content.

Finally, the fish scales didn't grow as fast, and the scales that had originally covered a full half of his body area began to shrink in size.

After continuing to smash, the fish scales on Yu Xuzi's body gradually shrank to only the size of a palm.

Runsheng grabbed the shovel with both hands and smashed down with all his might again!

"Bang!"

The last bit of fish scales shattered completely, and Yu Xuzi's body became clean.

"Crack!"

And the Yellow River shovel in Runsheng's hand finally couldn't bear the burden and snapped into two pieces.

Runsheng staggered backward, muscles all over his body twitching.

For the first time, he had beaten someone to the point of almost exhausting himself.

Even with sixteen energy centers throughout his body storing power for him, he was still beaten to the point of feeling powerless.

There was no help for it; when fighting someone, there's usually give and take, or if one strike fails, you look for another opportunity. But this kind of relentless, non-stop pounding in front of someone's face meant every strike was at full power, with absolutely no chance to catch one's breath.

Reading the original text!

Underfoot was a thick layer of fish scales; stepping on them with the soles of his shoes was actually a bit slippery.

Runsheng found it hard to imagine that if Yu Xuzi had been the hateful face the whole time, how difficult it would have been to knock so many scales off him... it could even be said that it would have been almost impossible.

Because the hateful-faced Yu Xuzi would have fought back.

Unless Xiaoyuan had also taken action to help him.

Runsheng looked back and found that Xiaoyuan was only just now walking over slowly.

When Li Zhuiyuan walked over, his shoes kept kicking up fish scales, like someone kicking snow while walking on the road on a snowy winter day.

The kind-faced Yu Xuzi lay on the ground, raising his hands very weakly, and said:

"I didn't expect that I could have such a clean day again."

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Yu Xuzi, squatted down, supported Yu Xuzi's shoulders with both hands, and said: "Daoist, you have worked hard."

Yu Xuzi looked at Li Zhuiyuan and said: "It's okay, no great disaster was caused; it just controlled me a moment ago."

"Yes, thank you for your timely reminder, Daoist."

"Roar!"

From the head of the village, a furious roar of a large fish came, carrying intense unwillingness, and this sound was getting closer and closer, as if it were rushing over from there.

After Yu Xuzi turned his head to look over there, a look of relief appeared on his face:

"This is my mission, and even more so, my destiny. You all leave; I will continue to stay here to suppress it and will never let it have another chance to bring disaster to the human world.

The method it taught you to get out is correct. Follow that 'small stream' and follow the markings on the stone slab, and you will be able to leave this place. However, you cannot take that lamp."

"Daoist..."

"Leave quickly. If you don't leave now, it might be here soon. You have cut off its hope of taking the opportunity to leave this place, and it is furious. I will help you block it."

This scene was incomparably tragic and moving.

Runsheng, Yin Meng, and Tan Wenbin were all touched in their hearts.

It could be said that any normal person would find it hard not to be moved at this moment.

However, at this time, they would habitually look at Xiaoyuan again.

Until they discovered a slightly playful smile on Xiaoyuan's face.

A thought rose in all three of their hearts simultaneously: Damn it, I was moved too early!

"Daoist, I have memorized everything on the stone slab. Can we not take the stone slab?"

"Better take it; it's safer that way, so there won't be any mistakes."

"But Daoist, it's too heavy, I don't want to take it."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The tremors inside the village were getting closer; that large fish would appear very soon.

The muscles on Yu Xuzi's face also began to tremble along with the tremors.

His gaze was gradually becoming gloomy, and his expression was gradually becoming dark.

It wasn't the hateful face, but it was no longer kind either.

"Little friend, what exactly are you saying?"

"I am saying..."

At the position of Li Zhuiyuan's hands, the vision began to distort extremely.

If one were to observe using the 'walking in the shadows' method, one could see two thick clusters of karmic fire rising at the boy's hands.

And the boy's hands had been resting on Yu Xuzi's shoulders the whole time.

The karmic fire began to surge from the boy's hands toward Yu Xuzi's entire body.

"Ah!!!"

Yu Xuzi let out a miserable scream.

The last person to enjoy this kind of karmic fire burning treatment was Granny Yu.

Now, Daoist Yu Xuzi was enjoying it just the same.

The difference was that although Granny Yu hadn't fully recovered at that time, her bone shell and flesh were still very hard, which made Li Zhuiyuan have to burn her for a long time while clinging to her back.

But Daoist Yu Xuzi had just had all his fish scales beaten off, which was equivalent to voluntarily becoming a peeled egg—white, tender, and delivered right to his front.

The karmic fire could burn and boil on his body to its heart's content without any obstruction.

Yu Xuzi asked painfully: "Why, why, why!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Do I need to thank you for your appreciation and recognition of me, actually taking the initiative to add a layer of acting? What, did you guess that I wouldn't walk in so obediently just now?"

"Of course you wouldn't. You only came in because you were pursuing excitement. You have no awe for the Heavenly Dao in your heart, and you are naturally suspicious. These are all things you expressed yourself.

So I knew that earlier, you wouldn't obediently enter according to the method I said, because you were doubting me. From the very beginning, you never truly believed in me."

"Daoist, is there a possibility that those things you saw me express were also things I intentionally let you see?"

Under the burning of the karmic fire, Yu Xuzi's face was incomparably ferocious: "Why? It's already here, how can you still not believe it? How can you still not run?"

For the first round of acting, Yu Xuzi felt it wasn't stable; he believed Li Zhuiyuan wouldn't believe him.

So, he added another round for himself.

In the second round, he acted as an "awakened" Daoist, fighting a life-and-death struggle against the evil creature's consciousness.

For this, he didn't hesitate to voluntarily sacrifice so many fish scales on his body, exchanging them for his current severely injured state, just to win back trust for himself in the second round.

But whether he was trusted or not was secondary; the main thing was the appearance of the large fish's anger, which brought a serious sense of pressure to reality.

He felt that even if the boy had more doubts, he should be panicked, and then choose to believe and leave quickly.

He thought he had designed it very cleverly, but the boy was completely unmoved, as if he had already seen through his steps long ago.

"Why, why is it like this!"

Compared to the scorching of the karmic fire, what was even more painful was the extremely intense confusion in his heart.

He believed that there might be truly smart people in this world who could see through all disguises, but the boy's performance was like telling himself that the other party hadn't figured it out.

No matter how well he acted, no matter how exquisite his design was, even if he had truly achieved perfection, in the boy's eyes, it was still as ridiculous and laughable as someone stripping naked and dancing around.

This was the place he found hardest to understand. Why, on what basis!

Li Zhuiyuan didn't answer him, just continued to release the karmic fire.

Clusters of white mist rose up, carrying intense hatred and confusion. Yu Xuzi began to become more and more transparent, until he completely dissipated.

Li Zhuiyuan clapped his hands, stood up, closed his eyes, and felt slightly dizzy.

Tan Wenbin immediately took a bottle of Jianlibao from his bag, opened it with a "pop," and handed it over.

Li Zhuiyuan took it and drank it all in one breath with a "glug-glug."

Runsheng picked up the half-broken Yellow River shovel and smashed it toward the stone brick.

"Bang!"

The stone brick cracked, and inside there was also a lamp; the lamp flame was black.

Yin Meng said: "If we take this stone slab out, it counts as really getting out, but aren't the fish that appeared at the three families in Min'an Town released from here?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "They were released from here. The formation here only targets it."

Yin Meng: "Then why didn't it let those fish carry this lamp out?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It might be because those fish couldn't resist the temptation of this soul lamp. Those fish all have their own thoughts and ambitions and aren't completely controlled, especially in front of this thing."

That was a group of fish with ideals and aspirations, after all.

Runsheng: "So, it was really lying there on purpose just now without resisting, letting me smash it to my heart's content?"

Tan Wenbin interjected: "Yes, that's right. Cherish such an opponent; it'll be very hard to run into a second one in this lifetime."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of tremors was getting closer.

That large fish had come ashore from the river, passed through the village, and now its figure could already be seen.

It didn't flop its way up; it swam. Even though it had left the water surface, everywhere it passed underneath was mud and swamp.

That "boom-boom-boom" sound was the vibration of its tail wagging.

Such a large fish—when it was in the water, the visual impact wasn't actually that exaggerated, but when it completely came ashore and arrived in front of you, that powerful deterrence and pressure were so thick they could almost be wrung out like water.

Tan Wenbin threw his own Yellow River shovel to Runsheng.

Subsequently, Runsheng held the shovel and stood in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

"Brother Runsheng?"

"Xiaoyuan, I can still open all my energy centers."

Although he was very exhausted now, he still had his trump card moves.

"Brother Binbin, there is a drawn diagram in my schoolbag. Follow what is drawn in the diagram and go to the back to insert the formation flags."

"Got it!"

Tan Wenbin immediately grabbed the bag and ran toward the back.

Inserting formation flags according to a diagram was not the first or second time for him. With practice making perfect, doing it felt like laying concrete.

What Li Zhuiyuan asked Tan Wenbin to set up was the formation for leaving.

The method Yu Xuzi mentioned earlier could also get them out, but it required someone to lead the way, because Yin Meng and Runsheng couldn't "walk in the shadows."

Therefore, from the perspective of efficiency, it was really better to let Tan Wenbin set up one that allowed for simple passage.

This way, he could both stay behind and choose to execute this evil creature, and also lead the team to leave quickly when the situation was bad.

Even more extremely, they could fight a round here and leave immediately, go outside the formation, recover well, and then come back in to fight it another round. Anyway, it couldn't leave the formation, so they could keep coming back and forth to wear it down; they could even wear it to death.

Yin Meng took a can of yellow peaches from her backpack.

It was just that there were no yellow peaches or sweet water in the can, but rather a thick, multi-colored substance.

Runsheng glanced at it and asked: "What is this?"

Yin Meng: "The dish I cooked myself; there was still some left over last time."

As she spoke, Yin Meng smeared the leftovers from the can onto the demon-driving whip and reminded him:

"It's corrosive. Be careful when we start fighting later."

Last time, that fish that loved eating mice exploded in front of her, and the liquid that exploded out corroded the entire room until it was pitted and bumpy.

At first, Yin Meng thought this kind of fish was naturally corrosive.

Later, upon learning about the performance of the fish that died on Tan Wenbin and Runsheng's side, she realized that it wasn't the fish that was corrosive, but the dish she had made.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The large fish arrived and stopped a few dozen meters away from everyone.

Its state was actually very bad. It could be slightly concealed when it was in the water earlier, but now that it was completely presented, one could see large areas of rot all over its body, and in some places, fish bones were exposed.

Under one of the membranes, dark red particles were vaguely visible, shaped like a honeycomb.

Yin Meng pointed over there and asked: "Are those fish roe?"

Runsheng responded: "They should be."

Those small fish, as well as the larger ones, were all hatched from there.

Yin Meng said: "After killing the fish, I want to get some fish roe to cook."

Runsheng: "Don't use the pot in the shop to cook it."

"Roar!"

The large fish let out another angry roar, blowing gusts of fishy wind.

It seemed to be expressing dissatisfaction; it had already arrived, yet you all were actually still chatting and laughing.

Runsheng and Yin Meng also truly restrained their smiles; they knew they had to buy enough time for Binbin in the back.

However, in terms of buying time, Li Zhuiyuan had his own method.

The boy spoke: "Didn't you just ask why? I can answer you now; anyway, we have enough time now."

The large fish's gaze landed on Li Zhuiyuan, its fish lips flipping, emitting a dull "gurgle-gurgle" sound.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "I don't understand."

The large fish's gills lifted. It wasn't known exactly what method it used, but amidst the dull sound, a speaking voice came through:

"Speak, how did you discover this seat's disguise?"

Li Zhuiyuan smiled.

It wasn't that the other party hadn't seen Tan Wenbin setting up the formation in the back.

He was intentionally buying time on his side, but wasn't the other party also intentionally cooperating to drag things out?

What, did it want to try using the formation he set up to take the opportunity to leave this place?

He felt that the other party had looked down on him earlier, but after experiencing what just happened, the other party now looked at him infinitely high.

The formation he set up—they could leave, but you were specifically targeted by this formation; how could you possibly get out?

Being able to make such a stupid mistake and have such a daydream showed that the other party was truly anxious and flustered, having long since lost its composure.

Seeing that Li Zhuiyuan still didn't speak, the large fish's gills opened and closed rapidly: "Speak to this seat!"

Li Zhuiyuan spoke: "Why bother with this 'this seat' nonsense? Don't you find it awkward? Just continue calling yourself 'this poor Daoist', my Daoist Yu Xuzi."

In the large fish's eyes, unease and doubt appeared, but very quickly, it was filled again by a wave of hatred:

"What are you saying to this seat?"

"I am saying, Daoist Yu Xuzi, how long do you intend to act?"

The large fish's body stopped, and its gills closed completely.

Li Zhuiyuan continued: "Don't you get tired of acting all the time? Or is it that you rarely see outsiders here, so once you start acting, you can't stop?"

The large fish's mouth opened again, this time with a very large range, revealing a person's figure inside—it was exactly Yu Xuzi.

It was just that there were many areas of flesh on Yu Xuzi's body connected to the fish's body; they were one entity. More accurately, it should be that Yu Xuzi had grown out of the fish's body.

This could also be considered a... corpse demon among the dead.

But unlike a traditional corpse demon, his human corpse was on the outside, and secondly, he didn't use a human body as the main entity, but rather the fish body.

The Yu Xuzi inside the fish's mouth no longer had the air of an immortal; his entire body was covered in thick liquid, looking like an animal that had just hatched.

Yu Xuzi asked: "How did you discover it?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Discover what? Discover that the true controller here isn't that fish demon, but Daoist Yu Xuzi, who takes eliminating demons and defending the Dao as his own responsibility and leaves inscriptions outside to praise himself?"

"How... did you discover it!"

"I only discovered it after I came in. When I walked to the riverbank and saw you, the formation eye, appear before me, I discovered it.

To tell you the truth, when I was observing this formation outside earlier, I felt this formation was very rough.

Although it did indeed play a role, it lacked a very critical link: it only suppressed but didn't grind.

Relying purely on time to waste away, how much time would it take to suppress an evil spirit to death?

I was thinking at the time that I not only wanted to help you repair the formation but also wanted to make some additions and modifications on the original basis, at least to make up for the grinding effect of the formation.

But when I saw you appear, I knew I had thought wrong.

A person who could set up a formation with yin-yang formation eyes must have extremely profound formation attainments; how could they make such a low-level mistake when setting up a formation to suppress evil spirits?

Unless, you did it on purpose.

You were intentionally here, targeting this evil creature, only suppressing but not grinding, because you had your own purpose."

Li Zhuiyuan raised his head and looked at the sky. Because they were in the formation, the sky above was dark.

"Daoist Yu Xuzi, if I'm not mistaken, you set up this formation to deceive the Heavenly Dao, right?"

Yu Xuzi was silent.

"You have your own thoughts about this evil creature; you want to fuse with this evil creature, but you are also afraid of suffering Heavenly punishment, so you deliberately set up this trap to give the Heavenly Dao an explanation.

This way, you can both accumulate merit and achieve the goal you want, without delaying either.

Honestly, I've seen a few people who prevaricate and fool the Heavenly Dao, but this is the first time I've seen someone so willing to spend such a heavy price like you.

But what makes me somewhat unable to understand is that the vitality of this fish is almost exhausted here. Are you fusing so slowly? You actually spent such a long time?

For example, this time, the sixty-year period is approaching. You sent those fish out, attempting to wipe out the descendants of your three disciples left in the local area, preventing them from coming to offer blood bowls.

But Zhengmen Village has been extinct for nearly three hundred years. Even if you completed the fusion fifty-nine years ago at the earliest, you still spent over two hundred years.

Really, is it necessary to take so long?"

Yu Xuzi spoke: "After sealing myself here, I only spent forty years to master this evil creature during the fusion, which made my consciousness suppress its consciousness."

"You succeeded in forty years? Then logically speaking, after the first sixty-year cycle, you should have been able to break the seal and come out. Couldn't you send messages out at that time? Those three original disciples of yours shouldn't have all died yet, right? Even if they died, their second-generation descendants should also be able to remember you, their grandmaster."

This formation runs in sixty-year cycles. You only need to let those three disciples and their descendants not perform the blood bowl offering for the next cycle, and this formation would stop running and would no longer suppress this evil creature.

In other words, Yu Xuzi had twenty years to communicate with the outside world. Even if he couldn't send messages directly, he could send those small fish out.

Yu Xuzi: "Forty years later, those three rebellious disciples hadn't died yet and were all living in the vicinity. But when I sent messages to them, they thought it was the evil creature playing me to deceive them."

"You didn't tell those three disciples your true purpose? Oh, that's right, since you want to do such illicit things behind the Heavenly Dao's back, surely the fewer people who know, the better.

And then, since they treated you, their master, as an evil creature, you, as the master, surely wouldn't show mercy, right?

Like that kind of fish, surely it wasn't the first time it was released, right?"

"Those three rebellious disciples still had some ability. After those fish went out, they solved them themselves."

Li Zhuiyuan thought of the three mountains at this time, as well as the particularity of the Xue, Zheng, and Zeng families being located in three different Min'an Towns.

"It seems that not only did they solve the fish you released to harm them, but they also used this as a warning, setting up more means for their descendants to continue the continuation of this sixty-year cycle formation.

Let me guess, was there a very long period during which you couldn't find where those three families were at all?

They seemed to have stopped living here long ago and had migrated away, yet when the sixty-year time arrived, their descendants would always appear with blood bowls, renewing your prisoner's sentence?"

Yu Xuzi was silent.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he had guessed correctly.

"Daoist, this is where you are in the wrong. Since you only wanted to act for the Heavenly Dao to see and also thought about coming out later, how could you arrange three such excellent disciples to take on this task?"

Yu Xuzi answered: "When I came here, I specifically brought the three disciples with the worst and most mediocre aptitude."

This time, it was Li Zhuiyuan's turn to be silent.

Yu Xuzi smiled.

In his smile, there was sorrow, helplessness, anger, unwillingness, and a little bit of gratification brought by the identity of being a master.

He had misjudged. He had clearly brought the three dumbest disciples, thinking at the time that he could easily escape and leave this place.

But he hadn't expected that the three dumbest disciples would actually accumulate and bloom late.

The arrangement of those three ancestral graves entrusting dreams to descendants was something even Li Zhuiyuan found novel.

And the concept of dividing one Min'an Town into three, with all three families located in different Min'an Towns, was something even Li Zhuiyuan had to marvel at and even feel convinced by.

It was just that those three had to stay here to seal the evil creature, and their descendants also had to take root here to inherit the responsibility of sealing. Otherwise, when those three families were at their peak, they truly would have been qualified to make a name for themselves in the Xuanmen formation circle, and he himself might have been able to find their formation works in the basement of his great-grandfather's house.

This was truly a pity. What was even more of a pity was that they couldn't escape the historical cycle law either; the family gradually declined, and this style of closed-off seclusion accelerated this decline.

For example, Xue Liangliang didn't even know that his own ancestors were also members of the Xuanmen.

Otherwise, when he went to the bottom of the river to meet Lady Bai, he might have been able to discuss seniority.

The decline of family inheritance was one aspect, and the new social lifestyle was also a major driving factor.

In the past, except for natural and man-made disasters, the population mobility rate was very low, and generations really lived in one place. But now, in the three surnames' families, there were people in every family who left here to go to big cities to develop and settle down.

No matter how good the rules set by the ancestors were, they couldn't stop the torrent of the times.

This gave Yu Xuzi another chance to break free from the cage, and he had truly almost succeeded.

Li Zhuiyuan sighed: "Actually, those three were truly your good disciples."

"They were rebellious disciples," Yu Xuzi corrected. "At that time, they wiped out the three fish I sent out. I don't believe they didn't doubt whether it was really me, their master, who sent the message."

"It probably didn't matter, because in their eyes, their master was a great hero who sacrificed himself alone to seal the evil creature. Their master had long since died heroically and greatly.

And you, what kind of thing are you?"

At this moment, Tan Wenbin inserted the last formation flag.

Before Tan Wenbin could send a signal to remind them, the large fish's body suddenly leaped up, wanting to cross the blocker and rush toward the newly set up formation.

Runsheng instantly opened all his energy centers, held the Yellow River shovel, and slashed fiercely toward the large fish's abdomen.

"Puchi..."

The large fish's belly was sliced open, and fish roe scattered everywhere.

Yin Meng lashed out with the whip in her hand. The whip followed the newly cut wound and entered the fish's belly. From the wound, a large amount of pus immediately flowed out.

But this highly lethal offensive was completely ignored by Yu Xuzi. It would rather be injured than not arrive in front of the new formation at the first opportunity.

Seeing this, Tan Wenbin was preparing to act like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

"Move aside, let it go!"

Tan Wenbin immediately followed suit, rolled to the side, and dodged.

The large fish landed in the formation.

Yu Xuzi in the fish's mouth began to urge the formation to run.

Runsheng prepared to step forward to stop it, but was stopped by Li Zhuiyuan first: "No need."

The formation opened, the barrier in front of them distorted, and the large fish began to drill outward desperately, as if it were about to succeed.

But just at this moment, the stone offering table outside suddenly cracked, and a skeleton wearing a yellow Daoist robe stood up from inside.

This was Yu Xuzi's own corpse.

Seeing it walk to the barrier, raise its fist, and smash it down toward this large fish that was trying to drill out, toward the "self" in the large fish's mouth!

"Boom!"

This was the entire formation roaring.

The yin-yang formation eye—the yin eye controls the inside, and the yang eye controls the outside.

With one punch, the barrier recovered, and the large fish fell dejectedly.

The last glimmer of hope was shattered, meaning it had to wait another sixty years. But the problem was, this evil creature no longer had sixty years of vitality.

And that yellow-robed skeleton, after maintaining the formation, returned to the stone offering table, sat down again, and the stone offering table closed, sealing it, leaving only that bit of skull like an inverted bowl exposed on the tabletop.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze landed on that "small stream" again.

It seems the "small stream" didn't lead you to the door, but helped lead you to that river. The fish from the past could only be sent there. If they were sent directly from this door or approached the stone table, the fish sent out by Yu Xuzi himself would be beaten to death by Yu Xuzi himself.

This Yu Xuzi was indeed a formation genius; he really managed to create something in a conch shell.

Li Zhuiyuan asked: "Daoist Yu Xuzi, you've been sealed here for so long, have you ever written any books when you were bored?"

Yu Xuzi in the large fish's mouth raised his head, looked at Li Zhuiyuan, and didn't speak.

Li Zhuiyuan explained: "I like reading books in my spare time."

The other party's formation attainments might not be the highest, but he had lived a long time, which meant he had too much time to settle.

Yu Xuzi said in a deep voice: "I did carve quite a few stone tablets in that river, but not one of them is complete."

"It's okay, incomplete scrolls are also fine. Reading while completing them can instead deepen understanding."

The "evil book" in his bedroom could come in handy.

Yu Xuzi said: "I'll help you complete those stone tablets for you to see, but you stay behind and accompany me for sixty years to relieve my boredom."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "I read books very fast; it won't take that long. Besides, do you think you still have sixty years to live?"

Yu Xuzi said: "Indeed, I don't have sixty years to live; I might only have thirty or forty years left."

Before today, he originally had seventy or eighty years of vitality, but his soul body was beaten first, then burned, and thirty years were shaved off.

The punch from his own skeleton outside just now took away another ten years.

Now, there were only thirty or forty years left.

"No, no, no, thirty or forty years is also too long. I think you shouldn't live past today."

Yu Xuzi: "This should have been the words I said to you after you refused my request... heh..."

The next moment, the two spoke in unison, both emitting disdainful laughter;

Li Zhuiyuan: "Heh, where did you get your confidence?"

Yu Xuzi: "Heh, where did you get your confidence?"

The large fish's body arched up, and its mouth stretched open again. At this time, the large fish's body began to accelerate its decay, and Yu Xuzi's body gradually grew fish scales.

Li Zhuiyuan reminded him: "You are already very weak."

Anger appeared in Yu Xuzi's eyes.

The boy's sentence was poking at his fish bubble.

He was like a clown on a stage, acting out a play by himself, then stabbing himself three times, and then asking the audience below: Are you afraid of me?

"But taking you all to be buried with me is enough!"

Li Zhuiyuan took a step forward, began to perform the Liu family salute, and said sternly at the same time:

"Descendant of the Qin and Liu family Dragon Kings—Li Zhuiyuan.

Today, I have specifically come,

To send you on your way."

Yu Xuzi's eyes widened immediately, his body began to tremble, and the fear sealed deep in his memory was awakening.

He and the senior brother he killed with his own hands,

Were both admirers of the Liu family.

And admiration has a synonym, which is fear.

Although his formation setup had regrets and lacked a "grind," in other aspects, it was flawless and could be called incomparably secure.

Even when Li Zhuiyuan was observing this formation outside earlier, he only felt it had regrets and didn't see any major problems with this sealing formation.

Why did Yu Xuzi build his "cage" so sturdy and durable?

This wasn't just to show the Heavenly Dao, but even more so to let that Liu family Dragon King who might come over later see it.

This large fish was severely injured by the Liu family Dragon King. According to the Dragon King family's style of doing things, she would pursue the end, so she would likely follow the traces of the large fish's escape.

The reason his senior brother wanted to come and solve this large fish was also because he wanted to take this opportunity to have an audience with the Dragon King.

Therefore, the first priority for Yu Xuzi in building this formation was that the Dragon King absolutely must not be able to see any flaws.

"No, how is it possible, how is it possible? Didn't you say the Liu family hadn't traveled the rivers for decades?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Before me, it was indeed decades since anyone from the Liu family traveled the rivers."

Although Qin Shu failed, he had at least tried traveling the rivers.

But Liu Yi had never traveled the rivers; it was probably because Qin Shu's failure left a psychological shadow on Liu Yumei, so she couldn't bear to let Liu Yi go out and travel the rivers to take risks.

"No, this isn't true. Qin and Liu family Dragon Kings? Hahahahaha, how is this possible? How can you be so ridiculous and deceitful? Don't you know that the Dragon King families on the river are sworn enemies?"

"Of course I know."

Li Zhuiyuan was too lazy to explain the legendary romance between Grandma Liu and Grandpa Qin back then.

Especially to someone who was about to completely perish—wasn't it a waste of breath?

"Speak, why aren't you speaking? Speak, continue making it up, why aren't you making it up anymore!"

Yu Xuzi gradually became hysterical. His body began to walk out of the fish's mouth, and the large fish behind him had its aura gradually wither.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm too lazy to talk to you about these things."

"Too lazy to talk? Hahaha, what a huge joke. Since you're too lazy to talk about these things, then why did you report your family name and perform the Liu family salute in front of me just now?"

"Because the words just now weren't for you, and the salute wasn't for you either."

"Not for me, then for whom?"

Li Zhuiyuan asked: "You had already fused with this evil creature, right?"

"That goes without saying."

"Completely?"

"Naturally, with me as the main one!"

"But your soul was completely destroyed earlier, and you were just punched by yourself from the outside."

"So what? I said it before, even as I am now, taking you all to be buried with me is more than enough!"

The madness in Yu Xuzi's eyes gradually receded. He sensed a trace of crisis and scanned the boy and the three people beside the boy one by one with a vigilant gaze.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and patted his forehead: "I've reminded you so obviously, why haven't you thought of it yet?"

However, it couldn't be blamed on him.

He said he had opened the formation for forty years and had fused with this large fish, which meant that for these two hundred years, he had existed in this state. In his cognition, he was the evil creature, and the evil creature was him; they were inseparable.

"Daoist, aren't you curious why we came so timely, just happening to destroy the plan you've been waiting two hundred years for before it succeeded?

You really were just a tiny bit away from being able to cut off the descendants of those three families of yours.

It's not that your luck is bad,

But because,

Someone tipped me off."

Li Zhuiyuan moved his hand away, first pointing at Yu Xuzi, then slowly raising it to point at the large fish behind Yu Xuzi.

In his mind, what emerged was the scene of the chase between the large fish and Yu Xuzi that he had performed when he first arrived at the riverbank at the head of the village.

The large fish that hadn't caught Yu Xuzi leaped high into the air on the river surface as if it were angry and venting its temper, drew an arc, and then fell heavily into the water surface.

This scene was exactly the same as when he was fishing with a lantern in A Li's dream.

Earlier, when Yu Xuzi asked him why he could see through him, he only answered the formation question.

In reality,

There was an even more direct question he hadn't said.

That was,

Clearly they had "met," yet Yu Xuzi didn't recognize him.

Because the one who truly recognized him and knew his identity,

Had always been that large fish lurking in the river, only revealing those fish eyes to observe silently.

"Being enslaved, being manipulated, being a wedding dress for others—you must be unwilling, right?

Since you yourself are willing to take the bait,

Then I will give you a chance to take revenge.

You now,

What are you still waiting for!"

The large fish behind Yu Xuzi, which had originally withered, suddenly had its eyes flash with a crimson light, and its entire body burned with flames. This was it burning itself instantly.

It opened its bloody mouth, revealed sharp fangs, and swallowed the Yu Xuzi in front of it,

In one gulp!

(End of chapter)