Chapter 213

"Click..."

An intangible friction sound echoed from the ground, followed by gusts of yin wind blowing from below.

Everything in reality remained unchanged, but if one opened the Yin-Walking, one could see a sunken floor tile inside the tower gate, revealing a pitch-black staircase leading downward.

Upon seeing this, the Faceless Man floated over and said in disbelief:

"I have been imprisoned here for so many years, yet I never discovered that there was a staircase leading downward here."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Do you want to go down together?"

The Faceless Man shook his head; his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, which lacked features, seemed to flow with many complex emotions at this moment, but in the end, he only let out a sigh:

"Right now, I only want to ascend and become an immortal."

"Hmm."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan turned around, took a step forward, placed his left foot on the threshold of the tower gate, followed with his right foot, and stood firm.

The threshold was very high and thick, and it was quite steady to stand on.

At this moment, if one were to draw a straight vertical dividing line on the threshold, the young man had half his body standing outside the tower and half his body remaining inside.

"Drip... drip... drip..."

Black rainwater dripped down.

Everyone looked up; the "sky" above, which had originally been like a jade dome, had been dyed black at some unknown time, and this blackness was growing deeper and descending further.

When it appeared, the black shadows within the surrounding jade fell into a frenzy one by one.

The singing girls and dancers on the white imperial path transformed into soul-reaping ghosts, floating collectively toward the platform where the high tower stood.

In the kneeling corpse pits on both sides of the high tower, the corpses no longer maintained their original respectful kowtowing; one by one, they straightened their waists and began to reach out and climb upward.

The kneeling corpse pits were very high, and the walls were smooth slopes, but the corpses in the back stepped on the corpses in front, as if building a ladder of bodies.

Soon, corpses were howling as they climbed up.

Their faces were either iron-blue or pitch-black, their bodies permeated with dense resentment, and their eye sockets were all dripping with blood and tears.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You asked in confusion: "Why is the resentment on them even denser than the kind we've seen before?"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin: "Didn't you see they are all wearing silk and satin? Those qualified to be buried in this kneeling corpse pit were all high-ranking officials and nobles who performed offerings and sacrifices here many years ago.

They gave up a life of luxury and being above others to commit suicide here, waiting in pursuit of ascending to immortality; if they failed to ascend in the end, feeling they had been deceived, their resentment would naturally be even greater.

After all, their lives were worth so much."

Zhao Yi looked up at the black clouds overhead, the seams of the Life-Death Gate constantly writhing.

He could feel that a powerful will seemed to be moving within it.

Under Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's control, the scholar had already turned to Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face outward, looking up at the sky.

Zhao Yi's gaze fell back onto Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing on the threshold, and he couldn't help but say: "Damn it!"

Immediately after, he slapped his own Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face twice, mocking himself:

"I deserve it!"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin asked with concern: "Why does it feel like your emotions have been off since earlier?"

Zhao Yi: "You wouldn't understand the pain of the mistress compared to the mistress-in-waiting."

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin reached out and patted Zhao Yi's shoulder: "Don't say that; you are our external captain after all, you can't treat a temp like they aren't an official."

"Cough, cough..." Zhao Yi suddenly began to cough; as he coughed, blood flowed from his mouth, and blood also flowed from his chest.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin took a bandage out of his bag: "Let me bandage you again."

Zhao Yi pushed Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's hand away: "No need, it's suffocating when wrapped, and the bleeding can stimulate my spirit in the short term."

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin: "Are you doing this on purpose? Tsk, in its current state, this body of yours could be sent directly to medical school to be a cadaver teacher."

Zhao Yi showed a bitter smile, then shouted: "Everyone, return and guard the tower gate."

Everyone came to the tower gate where Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was.

More and more corpses had climbed out of the kneeling corpse pits and were swaying as they gathered toward the high tower.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng sniffed and shook his head slightly.

In the past, he would have seen these things as delicacies, but now, guys of this level could no longer stir his appetite.

Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng took out her exorcism whip and gripped it in her hand.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin asked: "Used up all your poisons?"

Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng: "Yeah, since arriving here, the inventory has been lacking, and there hasn't been time to replenish it."

Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng's methods of extracting toxins were varied, basically all from the natural world; usually in Nantong, she could get many raw materials by going to the fields and rivers alone, then locking herself in a room to extract them bit by bit—the material gathering was simple, it just took effort.

Since coming to Lijiang this time, the frequency of combat had been high, the poison consumption was large, and time was tight; the last bit was what she just threw to the fake Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, and now there was absolutely no stock left.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin: "I remember the food you make is also poisonous, right?"

Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng really wanted to refute Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's words, but couldn't, so she could only say: "But that toxicity isn't strong enough; it doesn't have the same effect as the combined extracted toxins."

"Well, there's no other way, just make do with what we have." Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin turned and shouted to the other partners, "Everyone, take out all the food and drink in your bags, as well as all the seasonings, and give them to Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng."

Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng: "This..."

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin squatted down, set up a small pot, and lit the alcohol stove: "You go ahead and cook."

Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng nodded, also squatted down, opened a pack of compressed biscuits, threw them into the pot, mashed them with a small spatula, and began adding vinegar.

Zhao Yi: "Everyone remember, from now on, we must guard this place and not let these guys crash into the tower gate."

Everyone: "Understood!"

"Meow!"

Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao did not follow to the bottom of the tower; she was on the perimeter and was the first to come into contact with those corpses. Seeing Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao wave her claws a few times, corpse after corpse was sliced into pieces.

Alas, the number of these corpses was simply too great.

Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao looked from time to time at the corpses constantly climbing out of the kneeling corpse pits, and from time to time glanced at the crowd at the bottom of the tower.

Zhao Yi waved at Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao and called out enthusiastically: "Meow~~~"

Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao's cat eyes widened.

Zhao Yi said to the people beside him: "If that cat can't hold on later and moves toward us, we should take care of her as much as we can, provided we ensure our own safety."

After a pause, Zhao Yi added: "She cannot die."

Although the others didn't understand why, they all nodded.

Because Brother Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, who was standing on the threshold, had already closed his eyes at this moment.

Except for Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, everyone else knew how to perform Yin-Walking, so they naturally could feel that Brother Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan had already opened his Yin-Walking.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng didn't know how to perform Yin-Walking, but he realized immediately that Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan was no longer here.

The number of corpses on the platform continued to increase, and the dark clouds above grew thicker, the sense of oppression coming in waves, crashing down one after another.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan opened his Yin-Walking, took a step, and walked down the stairs.

The stairs were deep, and it was cold inside.

Logically speaking, the Yin-Walking state had no perception of cold or heat; the feeling of cold right now meant that there was some kind of suppression barrier in this place.

Finally, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan reached the bottom.

The layout here was very similar to the other levels of the tower, but everything here had been soaked in corpse energy for a long time, as if coated with a layer of thick black wax.

The first thing to enter Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's line of sight were rows of stone carvings—chariots, horses, soldiers, and palace maids, looking like a complete honor guard.

This kind of burial object had been unearthed in many large tombs and was not considered rare.

After passing through them, two side chambers appeared on Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's sides, filled with coffins.

In front of him, purple chains hung down from above, all converging on a huge black stone seat ahead.

A person sat on the stone seat; this person had a tall build that fit the stone seat well, dressed in a black robe, exuding an aura of majesty and nobility.

It was him, the black-robed man who had once entered A Li's dream.

The black-robed man slowly raised his head; this time, his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face was revealed before Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan.

This was a Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face with sharp, clear angles; from the lips to the brows and eyes, one could see coldness and heartlessness everywhere.

The Faceless Man, so that's what he looked like.

A stone table was placed in front of the stone seat, with a chessboard on it.

The signs of use on the chessboard were very obvious, and even the chess pieces had become almost transparent; it was clear they had been played with for a long time and polished by corpse energy.

"Slap!"

A piece was dropped.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked to the stone table; the game on it was currently being played, likely a game against himself.

Looking at the board, the white pieces had the advantage, and the black pieces were being heavily suppressed, but the black pieces contained various possibilities for counter-attacks and turnarounds; one could even say that if this game just continued normally, it was almost inevitable that the black pieces would win.

The one who dropped the piece earlier was the black side.

This meant he was letting Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan play the white pieces.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan reached out, picked up a piece, and without hesitation, dropped it directly.

The black-robed man spoke: "You cannot win."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "It's fine, on the chessboard, I'm used to losing."

The game he and A Li played most often was Go; A Li's skill was profound, and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had never studied the way of Go deeply, so he had never won.

The black-robed man: "The table is mine, the chessboard is mine, and the pieces are mine; what are you going to win with?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I'll just flip it."

The black-robed man: "You're really like him, even the tone of your speech is the same; even if you have no blood relationship with the Liu family, you're more like a Liu than those surnamed Liu."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "It's just a coincidence that we both forced you into a similar predicament."

The black-robed figure said, "I told you, you cannot win."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan replied, "If you're so confident, why open the downward staircase and call me here?"

"Mainly, I wanted to see you."

"I have already seen you."

"That was not me; he was merely an obsession I cast off after arriving here, lacking even a Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face."

"But I feel that is the real you."

"Is that so?"

"Even if you have a Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face now, when you look in the mirror, can you truly recognize who you are?"

The black-robed figure continued to place his pieces.

Outside the tower gate, those corpses had already pressed in.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng held the Yellow River Shovel, and with every swing, he either shattered or swatted them away, clearing an open space for the entire team with his own strength.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You used his trident to deal with the small fry that slipped past Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng.

Zhao Yi was still setting up a defensive formation and had not yet made a move.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin stood beside Zhao Yi, observing the situation.

Although they had made contact, the pressure was not too great; Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You alone were enough to build a defensive line.

Yin Meng was earnestly cooking.

The black-robed figure said, "Having entered the treasure mountain, how can one return empty-handed?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan replied, "Because I can see it is a trap, how could I continue to jump into it?"

The black-robed figure asked, "Do you truly not believe in becoming an immortal at all?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan answered, "I don't. Don't you also not believe it?"

"If I did not believe, why would I lock myself away here?"

"What you believe in is not the kind of immortality they imagine."

"It seems you know everything."

"Mm, I guessed it."

"This is the reason I invited you down." The black-robed figure raised a hand, pointing toward the two side chambers, "Those are all my clansmen; I will take them to become immortals together.

Now, I extend an invitation to you as well; are you willing to ascend with me?"

The ghosts transformed from the singing girls and dancers drifted over, their singing like weeping, stirring the heartstrings, their dance movements eerie, hiding within the corpse horde and occasionally rushing out.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's Qi gates were continuously opened to their maximum, blocking the corpse horde before him.

Under Zhao Yi's command, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You performed a spirit-medium ritual, and the Child descended once again.

This time, the vertical pupils were no longer as sharp, and the aura under the spirit-medium state was also very listless.

There was not a shred of disguise or performance, because the Child could perceive that the young man was "not here."

He was truly tired.

During this wave of the young man's, he had truly been ordered around like a dog from beginning to end.

Yet the more it reached this point, the more he needed to grit his teeth and hold on.

In any case, all the loss of divine power could be compensated for by the merit shared after this wave, and there would inevitably be a surplus.

As for the good impression left in that young man's heart, that was even more priceless.

The Child held the trident with both hands, performed the Three-Step Praise, and moved in and out beside Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, continuously slaying the ghosts transformed by the dancing girls.

It wasn't exactly difficult, but the quantity was truly terrifying, and they were still being added from the rear without end.

And... above his head.

In the intervals of battle, the Child did not forget to look up with his vertical pupils at the pitch-black clouds overhead.

"Such fierce corpse Qi!"

Zhao Yi heard the Child's evaluation of the clouds above, then looked at the scholar who had been standing there looking up at the sky; could the one left behind by the man surnamed Li withstand that?

Forget it, just do his own job.

Zhao Yi glanced again at Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao, who was fighting in the corpse tide, and said:

"Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin, it's your turn."

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin began to summon his adopted sons, and two resentful infants appeared on Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's shoulders.

When the two children appeared this time, they did not Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face forward, but sat with their backs turned, one making faces at Zhao Yi and the other clenching its fists at him.

After doing this, the two children turned to Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face forward.

Before doing serious work, they had to express their resentment; this hateful three-eyed brat!

Their small hands clapped, and they began to sing a nursery rhyme.

Having consumed both merit and the resentment from the murals along with Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin, the two resentful infants had long since grown plump and white, and Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin even gave them prenatal education.

The nursery rhyme they sang was truly filled with ghostly aura, not only chilling the heart but also making ghosts feel numb and terrified.

The singing of those songstresses was immediately drowned out by the nursery rhyme.

Zhao Yi held a formation flag in his hand; he had to wait until the people in front could no longer hold on before activating the formation to block, so as to buy them a chance to catch their breath.

Yin Meng was still earnestly cooking.

Zhao Yi looked down and discovered that green bubbles were already rising in the pot.

Even as smart as he was, he could not understand how the supplies in everyone's backpacks plus some seasonings could boil into this form.

Facing the black-robed figure's invitation to ascend, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan shook his head:

"I am walking the river; I don't have time to ascend with you."

The black-robed figure said, "What is the point of walking the river? Even if you eventually become a Long Wang, what is so great about that? It is nothing more than suppressing a generation, and in the end, won't the new replace the old? Won't you still have to Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face birth, aging, sickness, and death?"

"Being able to walk through birth, aging, sickness, and death is also quite good." Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the black-robed figure's hand, where thick corpse Qi was hidden within those five long black fingernails, "I have no interest in living like you."

The black-robed figure had once entered A Li's dream, extending an invitation to the young man to attend a banquet and witness his entire clan's ascension.

He had indeed kept his word.

But his ascension was different from the ascension understood by ordinary people.

Ordinary people were those above, those in the high tower, those in the jade, those in the kneeling corpse pit...

In their eyes, ascending to become an immortal meant shedding the mortal shell, jumping out of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and heading to the Heavenly Palace, where there was a more magnificent life, carefree, unrestrained, and indulgent.

What they pursued was a kind of myth.

But the ascension the black-robed figure wanted was not to leave the human world, but to create his own earthly kingdom here, and in this kingdom, he was the immortal.

The blessings on the great bell were what he had reserved for himself.

He had split himself; the faceless man at the top of the tower inherited his obsession with traditional ascension, his obsession with that person from the Liu family, and his obsession with victory or defeat.

To put it plainly, the faceless man was a gardener he placed in the open to maintain the operation of the rules and ensure the fruit could ripen safely.

His own true body was locked at the bottom of the tower, hidden in the deepest part of the rules, and also the closest.

Yu Cang sheng, Xu Xu Zhenrong, and Zhen Zhen Shaoan were the chess pieces he arranged behind the scenes.

In fact, their goals were the same; none of them were aiming for traditional ascension, but wanted to pluck that sacrificial fruit.

Therefore, Yu Cang sheng and the other two were destined to never succeed.

Even if they eventually reached the top of the tower and began to scrape that great bell, the blessings on it would not fall to them in the slightest, but would all be taken by the black-robed figure, who was closest to the water.

This immense opportunity would ultimately fall to the black-robed figure and the clansmen lying in state here.

Earlier at the top of the tower, if Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had been greedy himself, or followed the faceless man's suggestion to attack the "offerings" attached to the great bell, it would have been the same—purely doing the work for the black-robed figure.

It was precisely because Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did nothing at the top of the tower and kept stalling that the black-robed figure at the bottom could no longer wait, and did not hesitate to intervene, changing the situation and allowing Xu Xu Zhenrong and Zhen Zhen Shaoan to gain the advantage of the classroom home-field conditions here.

Because he could not afford to wait; the rules here were being destroyed, like a great tree decaying and dying, and when the tree collapsed, the ripe fruit would be crushed along with it.

This place was constructed by the black-robed figure's ancestors; he relied on his status as a descendant to hide here and lay out his plans. Reaching this step was his limit, because even he was subject to these rules.

The thick, hard purple chains on his body were the best proof.

Being at the bottom of the tower, the corpse Qi of the dead from the Profound Heaven Sect above seeped down and was all absorbed by him, gradually turning him into a powerful and terrifying zombie.

He locked himself up because he was afraid that one day he would lose control and riot, clashing with the rules prematurely.

Looking at the cracks on the chains and the scratches and pits on the surrounding walls, it was clear that such things had happened many times in the past.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the upper half of his own Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face and asked, "Did you guess that he would give me your ancestor's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face?"

The black-robed figure replied, "He is not under my control; he is another me.

I handed the ancestor's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face to him with the intention of helping him stabilize the operation of the rules here, and I indeed did not expect that he would give the remaining half of the ancestor's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face to you.

And you, despite not being a member of my clan, are still able to wear it and can even summon helpers."

The ancestor's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face was the stabilizer of the rules.

The black-robed figure laid out his plans here, forcibly opening a basement; the damage to the rules was obvious, and it could only be compensated for and stabilized by this Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

He was, of course, aware that the other him could do some things relying on this ancestor's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, but he did not care.

And that was indeed the case; even though the faceless man summoned the old Daoist priest, he was eventually solved by the joint efforts of Yu Cang sheng and the other two, and that was under the premise that the black-robed figure did not intervene to favor one side.

The quality of those three chess pieces was indeed strong; normally, Yu Cang sheng and the other two would certainly have succeeded.

Who would have thought that first Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao would turn against them, and then Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan would use the remaining half of the Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face to summon the scholar, solving all three of them.

The black-robed figure said, "Although this place was built by my ancestors, I do not believe it can succeed, and such acts of transgression are not permitted by the Heavenly Dao; infinite variables will inevitably descend to stop it."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan placed a piece and nodded: "You have indeed thought this through very thoroughly."

Certain that he could not successfully ascend and would inevitably be thwarted by variables, the man in the black robe had simply made a choice to settle for second best from the very beginning.

Yu Yu Cangsheng and his two companions were no different.

Even Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, who had received this wave of information at the very start, had assumed the purpose of his trip was to stop this so-called ascension.

This, in fact, was a pre-judgment of the Heavenly Dao's behavior.

Waiting for the Heavenly Dao to act, to trigger karma at the final critical moment and interrupt the ascension.

Then, this group of people, having lurked here early on, would open their mouths to catch the falling fruit.

This was making the Heavenly Dao work for them.

The man in the black robe: "I know you are walking the river, but this wave can be bluffed through; just destroy the ascension ceremony above. Actually, you could have seen through it without saying it out loud.

How about this, I can agree to give you twenty percent."

"Heh."

"Twenty percent is my limit. I don't intend to haggle; you should be content."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "So, you invited me down to meet and play chess just to make me an offer?"

The man in the black robe: "What else? You won't take it yourself, yet you block Zhen Zhen Shaoan and the others from taking it—isn't it because you know that with me here, you can't get it?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "After taking it, that bell will be destroyed, and the rules will collapse completely. I think the signs of madness have already appeared outside; once it erupts fully, it will be a natural disaster.

I don't want such a thing to happen, especially when I feel that I have the ability to stop it."

The man in the black robe slowly raised his head and sat up slightly straighter: "Is this your honest opinion?"

"Mm."

"You are a smart man; you shouldn't do such thankless work. I have also walked the river, and I know how much merit one wave can yield—it is far from being comparable to twenty percent of this.

As long as my goal is achieved, my entire clan will ascend successfully.

That would be: the Long Wang flows, but we remain as solid as iron.

This,

isn't it enough to tempt you?"

The man in the black robe's "clan ascension" was intended to borrow the thick fortune pouring from this high tower,

to forge this place into another Emperor Emperor Fengdu,

to turn himself into another Yin Yin Changsheng, another Great Emperor of Emperor Emperor Fengdu!

This was his desire, and also his ambition.

Because there was a real-life precedent, it wasn't just wishful thinking.

Combined with the fact that this place is one of the Nine Great Secret Realms, and Emperor Emperor Fengdu is also a secret realm.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan felt,

the man in the black robe truly might succeed.

In the eyes of worldly people, isn't the Great Emperor of Emperor Emperor Fengdu also a genuine immortal deity?

The man in the black robe kept watching Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's state; seeing him pondering, he assumed he had moved him, and spoke:

"Not only will I give you twenty percent, I will also open the gates of convenience for you, allowing you to establish a dojo in my Heavenly Kingdom. By then, both you and I can become figures like immortals among men."

"I said, I am walking the river."

"That's simple. After this wave passes, you just need to light the lamp a second time and concede."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was already gasping for breath; even collective breathing through the Qi gates could no longer stop his exhaustion from worsening.

Bai He Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Tongzi could only hold that real trident; he no longer had the strength to maintain the one condensed from spellcraft.

On Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's shoulders, the two children's nursery rhymes were still being sung vigorously, but cold air was already rising from Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's body, as if he had just crawled out of a freezer.

Zhao Yi felt it was about time to activate the formation.

Not because the three people in front couldn't hold on and needed a rest, but because the smell of the porridge Yin Meng cooked had already drifted out. Even though he held his breath, the smell seemed to be able to drill into his body, making his heart ache.

"Yin Meng, that's enough, scatter it!"

Yin Meng wiped the sweat from her forehead, stood up, and pulled out a leather whip to lash it. The whip wrapped around the pot and flung it into the air in front, then the whip retracted. When the pot fell from the air, she swung her arm violently to lash the whip again, striking the pot.

"Bang!"

The multi-colored paste exploded in the air, scattering over a large area.

All the corpses stained by this paste stopped advancing, raised their hands high, and began to wail.

Yin Meng was right; since it wasn't a pre-extracted toxin, the power wasn't that great. Except for a few who were drenched in the paste and whose skin began to melt, the rest only showed discomfort and did not dissolve.

But by mistake, melting the corpses into blood at this moment might not be a good thing, because there were even more corpses following behind.

Instead, this method of making the corpses "wish they were dead" stopped the first few rows of corpses from advancing, effectively setting up a temporary corpse fence that blocked those following behind.

Zhao Yi rotated the formation flag in his hand; in this situation, there was no need to rush to activate the formation.

But just then, Zhao Yi noticed the black cloud in the sky above his head beginning to descend.

And that scholar was still motionless.

Yin Meng: "Does anyone have any food left in their bag?"

The man in the black robe placed another piece; the trend of the black pieces turning the game around had appeared, and the situation for the white pieces was plummeting.

This time, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan placed his piece casually, looking somewhat resigned.

The man in the black robe: "Have you considered it clearly?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

The man in the black robe: "You are truly lucky. My ancestors set this up, and I have painstakingly waited here for so many years, while you, just because of a coincidence, can take a share of the spoils from me.

People's fates are indeed all different; one cannot envy them.

However, from now on, we must master our own fates; we can no longer be..."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I do not agree."

The gaze of the man in the black robe turned cold.

The purple chains on his body began to shake violently, and strands of corpse Qi emanated from him, extending upward along the chains.

The man in the black robe: "I gave you a chance."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Sorry, I don't value it much."

Let alone serving under Yin Yin Changsheng, even if given the chance to become Yin Yin Changsheng himself, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had no interest.

Wei Wei Wei Wei Wei Wei Wei Zhengdao had been busy with suicide later on, clearly because he had made some mistakes in the early stages.

With that precedent, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did not want to get involved in such matters.

Such temptations, no matter how beautifully packaged, were already rotten and maggot-ridden once the wrapping paper was torn off.

The man in the black robe: "Then I will add one more promise: when I succeed, I will personally suppress all the evil spirits here, so they cannot go out and wreak havoc."

"You cannot do it.

I admit you are very strong now, but you and I both know how many corpses and how much resentment are suppressed here. Once they all erupt, it is impossible for you to suppress them."

The man in the black robe: "You are truly stubborn."

The purple chains were almost intertwined, and the corpse Qi, accompanied by his intent, began to draw upward.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked at the game of chess that was about to be lost and said: "Look, you have no pieces left in your hand; you have to act yourself."

The youth understood what the man in the black robe was doing: the man in the black robe was leaving his body here, extracting his corpse Qi and consciousness to go outside, preparing to charge the tower.

He was determined to officially dirty his hands and scrape the fortune off that bell himself.

One reason he hadn't wanted to do this before was that the part he sent out would be unable to inherit this opportunity; only the part remaining in the tower could receive it, which would undoubtedly cause a huge loss.

The man in the black robe: "I will let you witness my ascension with your own eyes. The first thing I will do after I become an immortal is to sacrifice and refine you here, letting you witness the glory I have created for eternity!"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan pointed his finger at the top of his head and said:

"Actually, the only difference between you and those people in the tower above is that they live on the top floor, and you live in the basement."

The man in the black robe: "You are just like that person from the Liu family back then; your words are very harsh and unpleasant. However, you are not him, and I am not who I was back then. This time, it should be my turn to pity your fate!"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked at the man in the black robe in front of him, then looked up at the purple chains above; at this moment, this stage of corpse Qi and consciousness projection had been completed.

"You have already projected thirty percent outward, yet you only promised me twenty percent earlier. How pathetic, even cheating a child."

Outside the tower.

The black cloud finally descended, and the thick corpse Qi turned into a ghost Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, falling into the sea of corpses below.

Any corpse it touched began to twist first, then had its flesh and bones stripped away, gathering toward the central area.

"Creak... creak... creak..."

Soon, a massive ball of flesh was revealed.

It was still wriggling rapidly, gradually differentiating into the embryonic forms of a head and limbs, and a voice was emitted, echoing all around:

"This is my path to immortality. Anyone who dares to block my way will suffer the immortal punishment I bring down!"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin: "The big one is here."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "Such strong corpse Qi."

In the distance, Yu Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Zeng Miaomiao seemed to be severely frightened; she immediately tore apart the corpses in front of her and involuntarily leaned toward the tower gate, but her movements were very slow. If the meat ball's target wasn't her, she wouldn't move; if it were coming for her, she would immediately accelerate and run toward the group of people in front of the tower gate.

Zhao Yi looked at the scholar again. The one surnamed Li had left to walk the Yin path; in this state, separated by such a distance, did he still have the strength to continue controlling this body?

At this moment, the scholar finally moved; he took out the wordless book tied to his waist.

This time, although it was still Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan controlling it, the youth intended to use the scholar's own abilities, which was to awaken his muscle memory; after all, it was time for a head-on collision.

The scholar began to run, crashing directly into and sending flying all the corpses blocking his path, then he leaped into the air and descended toward that ball of flesh, the wordless book in his hand rolled into a bundle, and he struck it fiercely!

"Bang!"

The ball of flesh was sent flying away by the heavy blow.

The scholar stood in the tide of corpses, his voice like a booming bell:

"The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, rebellions, or spirits!"

(End of chapter)