Chapter 209

From the moment he stepped over the threshold, the pressure exerted by the high tower appeared.

Unlike the "urging" felt last time when he followed traditional procedures with an invitation in hand, this time, it was a dual torment aimed at both body and soul.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan felt pain, but the moment he thought about how he still had to climb the stairs and that this repulsion would last for a long time, the sense of pain subsided significantly.

Since he had to adapt anyway, he might as well shorten the adaptation process.

After all, for Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, the hardest thing to accept was having his human skin torn off; as for everything else, it was difficult to reach that threshold.

The first floor was still the same first floor, and the stories on the murals continued to unfold, from the goddess's liberation and the establishment of the academy to the collective ascension; Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan scanned them all again before stepping onto the stairs.

His gaze lingered for a moment on one of the murals, which depicted the figures of a "Heavenly Mandate Person" and a person from inside the tower overlapping as they rang the ascension bell.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan went up to the second floor.

The dead, who had been sitting quietly at their desks, were now all swaying their bodies from side to side.

As he passed between them, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan noticed the resentment brewing at the center of their brows.

Even inside the high tower, where the rules exerted the strongest suppression, resentment had begun to sprout; the vast number of black shadows in the jadeite during the first two trials would only be even more severe.

Even though Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had anticipated this in advance and had re-examined this secret realm and this high tower with a new perspective, the impact of witnessing it up close with his own eyes was still unavoidable.

The true purpose of this wave also gradually emerged in the youth's heart, and along with it, the truth about this high tower.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin pulled a cigarette from his pocket and held it in his mouth.

Zhao Yi reached out, took the cigarette, and bit it between his own lips.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin was not annoyed by this; he pulled another one from the pack, lit Zhao Yi's cigarette first with a waterproof lighter, and teased with a smile:

"Are you sure you still have the strength to blow smoke rings now?"

"Don't underestimate me; who says this smoke must be blown out from the mouth?"

Zhao Yi took a deep drag, swallowed the smoke, and then smoke rings drifted out in wisps from the small broken heart on his chest.

"Hahaha!"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin laughed out loud.

He had started smoking in high school, when students thought smoking was cool and invented various strange ways to blow smoke rings, but Zhao Yi's method was the first of its kind because it was impossible to imitate.

Zhao Yi used the hand holding the cigarette to point at the tower gate on the ground floor, the exact spot where Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had disappeared after entering:

"He told me he had no relatives here, but look at that—these relatives are blatantly opening the back door for him!"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin: "Brother Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan just shook the book in his hand..."

Zhao Yi shook his head: "It's nothing more than the procedural justice commonly used by those with connections to deceive the public; they were so perfunctory they issued a blank document, too lazy to even print a single character."

Young Master Zhao certainly knew that Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was able to enter because of the wordless book, but what he needed now was not the truth, but the venting of his jealousy.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin smoked silently, not trying to explain further, because those who slander you know better than you do that you are being slandered.

Although he felt sour inside, Zhao Yi did not forget to observe the battle ahead.

The fact that the man surnamed Li had entered the tower would inevitably cause a chain reaction in the battle ahead.

If nothing went wrong, at least his wish to command this team for a battle would be realized, which could be considered a small consolation.

If the man surnamed Li had actually nodded and agreed to cooperate with those two and come up, then his command of this team from start to finish would have been reduced to just that one sentence: "Everyone, pay attention and follow my lead."

Zhen Zhen Shaoan and Xu Xu Zhenrong exchanged glances, their mutual calculations already clear to each other.

They were very realistic people who knew when they could fight among themselves and when they had to unite against outsiders.

There were two of them, and the reason they hadn't split up when they joined forces to deal with Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao earlier was that neither wanted the other to eat alone.

Now that the one who ate alone had gone inside, there was no point in them pulling at and guarding against each other anymore.

Zhen Zhen Shaoan set up a formation in front of him, and Xu Xu Zhenrong placed her puppets on both sides of her body.

After doing this, the two turned and retreated as if racing.

Even if they had mastered part of the rule permissions, melting the jadeite barrier took time; Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao wouldn't allow it, but the hole opened by Yu Yu Cangsheng when they came down earlier was still there, which could lead to the next level, where there were also tower gates they could enter.

The two had previously tried to detour upward but were blocked by Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao at a faster speed; this time, they decided to act separately.

Xu Xu Zhenrong had originally thought her speed would be faster than Zhen Zhen Shaoan's, but the reality was that the wonders of a formation master were always unpredictable.

Zhen Zhen Shaoan reached the hole first and moved upward.

Seeing this, Xu Xu Zhenrong didn't follow him up like last time but stayed below.

Next, it would depend on which of the two Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao chose; this time, the chosen one wouldn't intentionally go easy but would instead delay and provide cover.

In this way, each of them had a fifty percent chance of entering the tower; if they continued to stalemate and delay, the one who went in first might eat everything, leaving both of them with zero.

Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao chose to go upward to chase Zhen Zhen Shaoan.

Zhen Zhen Shaoan sighed, feeling bitter inside, but he could only set up a formation to intercept Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao.

This wasn't about honoring a bet, but if he broke the agreement now, there would be no more tacit understanding; conversely, if he could delay until Xu Xu Zhenrong entered the tower, Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao would likely turn and chase into the tower, giving him a chance to enter as well.

Xu Xu Zhenrong breathed a sigh of relief and, without hesitation, headed straight for the tower gate on this level.

Even if the youth had gone in, she was certain he wouldn't have an easy time inside; perhaps he was still crawling in pain on the first floor, and she, having mastered the permissions, could catch up from behind.

However, some things could never go as she wished.

Just as she rushed to the tower gate, once again, a figure descended and blocked the entrance.

Only this time, the one responsible for the interception wasn't Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao, but Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, holding a Yellow River shovel.

With his energy gates constantly opening, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's body was engulfed in rolling waves of energy, creating a formidable momentum.

The Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face beneath Xu Xu Zhenrong's mask, already destroyed, had its flesh tangled together.

Being able to rush from the corner to this spot so quickly to successfully intercept her meant that the opponent had already moved into position the moment she and Zhen Zhen Shaoan had confirmed their plan and retreated.

Perhaps even earlier, the moment the youth entered the tower gate, the opponent had already planned the interception.

Xu Xu Zhenrong controlled her mask puppets to attack Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng swung the Yellow River shovel, creating afterimages, taking out one masked figure per shovel.

The puppet phantoms, conjured out of thin air without corpse materials, really couldn't withstand Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's attacks.

Of course, this wasn't Xu Xu Zhenrong's full strength; the intensity of the methods she was displaying now was much weaker than when she had joined forces with Zhen Zhen Shaoan to deal with Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao earlier.

Because there were others standing in the distance who, although they hadn't made a move, were already prepared to do so.

Sometimes, not making a move is the best form of containment.

A teacher who is injured and has left the classroom is still terrifying, but not as terrifying as before.

Zhao Yi leaned against Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, resting his head on A You's shoulder.

The cigarette butt in his mouth flickered, and smoke rings kept puffing from his heart.

Xu Xu Zhenrong: "Zhao family brat, what are you doing?"

Zhao Yi: "I don't want to do this either, but since their boss went in, I have no choice but to block the door."

Xu Xu Zhenrong: "Do you think you can stop me?"

Zhao Yi: "It doesn't matter if I can stop you or not; I just want to drag you down with me. I'm really not bluffing—these guys are truly willing to die for their boss's opportunity."

When he said this, even Zhao Yi felt envious, and he reached out to point at Yin Meng, who was standing diagonally in front.

Yin Meng was holding a string of poison jars, most of which were likely empty jars meant to bluff.

Because since arriving in Lijiang, her poison reserves had been constantly depleting, and she had been unable to find an opportunity to replenish them.

However, Xu Xu Zhenrong didn't know this; she only knew that this girl's poison was so complex that even she couldn't deduce it.

Therefore, among all these people, the one she feared most was this girl, because the things in her hands could truly melt her current self.

Yet she was unwilling to give up such a good opportunity; she spread her arms, her palms sunken, pus dripping down, and poured out two puppets, one red and one black, on either side of her body.

Zhao Yi shouted: "Careful, she's getting serious!"

Close-combat martial artists are straightforward; if they are injured or exhausted, it will be intuitively reflected in their combat power, whereas those who follow other paths can still squeeze out some oil even when injured to recreate powerful combat strength.

That kid surnamed Li was a typical example of this.

After the two puppets appeared, the red one rushed toward Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng struck with the Yellow River shovel again, smashing its head with one blow; it was so easy that Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng felt a bit surprised, subconsciously thinking that a puppet made with such effort shouldn't be so fragile.

The fact was indeed so; the smashed puppet didn't dissipate but turned into something like rice cake, sticking to the Yellow River shovel and quickly scurrying up the handle to attach itself to Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's hand.

This thing had no lethality; its only function was to stick to people, and it carried a powerful force.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng pulled hard, tearing it apart, but it kept re-condensing.

Zhao Yi's chest heaved with a dry cough, and finally, a wisp of thick black blood spilled out, like phlegm after smoking.

He pushed away Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, who was supporting him, greeted Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin, and finally waved at Yin Meng.

This woman was good at deduction; she had discovered Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's weakness in an instant.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You flanked Xu Xu Zhenrong from left and right.

Both of them assumed a posture of going all out, one ready to start a ghost-controlling technique and the other ready to open a vertical pupil.

Not to mention anything else, at the very least, their momentum and style had been raised instantly.

Xu Xu Zhenrong didn't stay where she was to wait for the two to engage; the black puppet at her side collided with her, swallowed her, and then pounced toward Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng at high speed.

The red rice cake on Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng hadn't been cleared yet when a mass of black rice cake was added; as he kept pulling, masses of rice cake spread along his body toward his back.

A hand reached out and began to operate the permissions to enter the high tower.

Zhao Yi: "Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, run over here!"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng sprinted out, leaving the tower gate position.

This move was intended to take the rice cake on his body away, but the rice cake that had been stuck to him fell off quickly at this moment.

But just as Xu Xu Zhenrong's true form was about to emerge from the rice cake and the permissions to enter the tower gate were about to be completed, she heard the Zhao family brat behind her shout:

"Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, didn't you eat your fill!"

Immediately, a powerful suction force came, and Xu Xu Zhenrong, who was only a few breaths away from entering the tower gate, was forcibly pulled back.

Looking back, she realized that Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was actually stuffing the remaining rice cake on his body into his mouth, swallowing hard.

Xu Xu Zhenrong did not expect that her binding puppet technique would actually have such a method of being broken.

Her gaze fell viciously upon Zhao Yi, who was standing there.

As Zhao Yi smiled slightly, his body still swaying, he thought to himself that before he went down the river on his next trip out, he must first order a custom-made cane—and, while he was at it, make one for Old Uncle Tian Tou as well.

The red and black rice cake-like substance fell off Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng completely, gathering into a ball once more, from which the figure of Xu Xu Zhenrong emerged.

She discovered that Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, who had seemed so imposing before, still only had an imposing air about them.

Xu Xu Zhenrong: "Bluffing!"

Zhao Yi: "Likewise."

A life-and-death battle and a defensive battle have different fighting styles; Zhao Yi was only helping the Li family block the door, not locked in a life-and-death feud with this Xu Xu Zhenrong, so naturally, he would take it as easy as he could.

Xu Xu Zhenrong revealed a smile, her hands quickly forming seals and moving.

Zhao Yi looked shocked: "How dare you!"

Xu Xu Zhenrong: "In order to get in, I dare do anything!"

In the distance, on the corpse of the old Daoist priest who had been destroyed by Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao's sword earlier, clusters of black mist emerged.

This was a standard Nuo opera puppet technique; she intended to use this as raw material to mold a powerful puppet.

However, this old Daoist priest already had many strange qualities, and with the addition of being controlled by that person on the top floor of the high tower, molding him into a puppet and having him stand up—it was truly hard to say who would be in control in the end.

Xu Xu Zhenrong was indeed as she had said; she no longer cared.

The more time she was delayed outside, the more steps the boy inside could climb, even if he had to crawl.

It would be better to take a huge risk, create a big one first, and stir the waters here into complete chaos!

However, just as the old Daoist priest's damaged corpse was covered by the black mist, the figure of Yin Meng appeared beside him, holding a jar, pulling out the stopper, and pouring the liquid inside onto it.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had once highly praised the "toner" that Yin Meng made.

He said it was an excellent companion for traveling and disposing of bodies, working silently every single time.

This was also the toxin with the most stable quality control that Yin Meng had mastered so far.

"Splosh..."

After the corpse-dissolving liquid was poured on, it was like pouring water into a boiling wok of oil; the black mist began to dissipate, the corpse began to twitch, and all sorts of colorful bubbles emerged.

In any case, this corpse material could no longer be used to mold a puppet.

Zhao Yi rubbed his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face with his hand, wiping away the look of shock, and then took the opportunity to pull at the corners of his mouth, putting on a gloating smile:

"When you were teaming up with that Zhen Zhen Shaoan to deal with Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao just now, I noticed you paying attention to this corpse several times."

When it came to pure scheming, apart from that Li fellow, he, Zhao Yi, really wasn't afraid of anyone else.

"Oh, right, you need raw materials, don't you? There are more nearby; why don't you try again?"

On the floor above, there was another source of material: the main body of Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao, which had been dismembered.

The value of the dismembered corpse parts was low, but they weren't unusable; however, on that floor, Zhen Zhen Shaoan was currently locked in a struggle with Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao.

Xu Xu Zhenrong knew that once she attempted to refine Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao's original body, given that cat's vengeful temper, she would likely drop everything without hesitation and come down to fight her to the death.

Zhen Zhen Shaoan's voice came from above:

"Xu Xu Zhenrong, I didn't break the agreement; it's your turn!"

The flesh beneath Xu Xu Zhenrong's mask wrinkled even tighter.

She no longer hesitated and moved her hands to form seals.

Upstairs, wisps of black mist began to appear on Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao's remains.

The "Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao" who had been playing around with Zhen Zhen Shaoan seemed to have sensed something.

But before the current Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao could react, Zhao Yi also began to form seals, the Gate of Life and Death between his brows wriggling rapidly.

He had also learned a little of this Nuo opera puppet technique.

Sensing the interference from Zhao Yi, Xu Xu Zhenrong made a sound of disdain: "You've only learned a little fur!"

Zhao Yi didn't care: "I'm just a copycat from the classroom; the guy who actually learned it isn't here."

Realizing that his technique counter-strike had no effect, Zhao Yi immediately shouted: "Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, interrupt her! Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, block her!"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng charged at Xu Xu Zhenrong with his Yellow River Shovel, but the black-red puppet beside Xu Xu Zhenrong attacked again, sticking to Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng once more; having no other choice, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng could only continue to stuff the rice cake-like substance on his body into his mouth.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin began calling for his god-sons to take action; two vengeful infants appeared on Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's shoulders, looked up, and began to clap their hands and sing nursery rhymes.

Dense ghost energy surged upward, intercepting Xu Xu Zhenrong's spellcasting process midway.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You began to perform a spirit-invoking ritual; although his body remained weak, the Bai He Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Tongzi still descended gently, giving him plenty of Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

And after descending, he actively urged: "Quick, hurry and insert the needles!"

The frailty of this body was no longer suitable for unleashing the full strength of this child.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You did not insert the needles.

The child also immediately realized the situation at hand—it turned out this wasn't a fight.

Soon, the child raised his trident and spun in place, walking with the rhythmic steps of a wandering spirit; waves of Yin spirit energy rippled out, tangling and disrupting the invisible technique.

Upstairs, on Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao's remains, the black energy would appear and then vanish, appear and then vanish again.

Even though Xu Xu Zhenrong hadn't held back, she still hadn't succeeded in desecrating Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao's corpse, let alone attracting the current Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao's wrath to create an opportunity for Zhen Zhen Shaoan.

Inside the high tower.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's speed in climbing the tower was much faster than Xu Xu Zhenrong had anticipated; after all, he wasn't a fool like Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao who couldn't endure pain.

The higher he went, the fewer people there were on each floor, but the tremors became increasingly intense.

This was not strange; the more powerful an existence was in life, the stronger their resistance would naturally be after the rules were weakened.

The boy arrived at the eleventh floor; the eleventh floor, which had originally been presided over by three big shots, now only had one left.

The scholar with white hair and a youthful Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face was still lying on the couch, in the same posture of reading a book, only he had originally been reading a book without words, and now he was reading a book without existence.

Now, a very realistic problem appeared.

How exactly was he supposed to get to the twelfth floor?

He had been here before, but there was no staircase in the eleventh floor to continue upward.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did not have the clearance that Yu Cang and the others had; he only had the excuse of returning a book.

After observing carefully, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan discovered that cracks had appeared on the bed, the floor, and the walls, and these cracks were constantly widening.

The scholar was not swaying his body like those people downstairs; what he was swaying was this entire eleventh floor.

The boy raised his head and looked at the ceiling; the originally exquisite carved wall surface had also cracked, and wisps of a faint yet completely different atmosphere from the eleventh floor below were spilling out from it.

It seemed the passage to the top floor was here.

It was just that the destruction wasn't severe enough, and the cracks weren't big enough; he needed to make this swaying come more violently.

Without the clearance key, he could only pick the lock by force.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked up to the scholar and took the wordless book to his side.

The boy made a gesture as if to stuff the wordless book back into the scholar's hand, but then stopped, took the book back in front of himself, and flipped the pages casually with his fingertips, emitting a crisp sound.

"I thought the book that had to be buried with you after death was something special; I didn't expect it to be such a simple book.

You couldn't understand it in life, and you have to keep pretending to read it after death—sigh, just how stupid can one be?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire eleventh floor began to sway even more violently!

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's figure swayed left and right, and he had to grab the edge of the couch to barely maintain his balance.

Finally, with a "boom," a section of the ceiling collapsed.

The ladder leading to the twelfth floor fell down!

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan took the book, grabbed the ladder's handrail, overcame the violent swaying, and climbed up step by step.

When he looked back down halfway, he found that the resentment and baleful energy between the scholar's brows were so dense they were almost dripping with water.

Arriving at the top floor was like arriving at a new layout; the intense tremors from below vanished instantly.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan saw the majestic and ancient bell, covered in dense, obscure runes; it only lacked the final stroke to achieve perfection.

The boy also saw the faceless person lying beneath the bell.

He looked as if he were already dead.

The boy, who already had new guesses in his heart about the purpose of the high tower, looked at this faceless person and said a sentence with an expressionless Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

After this sentence fell, the faceless person who had been lying on the ground without moving actually began to twitch, as if he had been angered into a corpse-reanimation.

Just because what the boy said was:

"You are truly pitiful."

(End of chapter)