Chapter 288

Liang Yan propped up her left arm, her left hand fingers constantly pinching; Liang Li held a dagger in her right hand, the sharp tip constantly adjusting following her sister's calculation.

The sisters cooperated tacitly as they did in the past, trying to find the flaw in this piece of ghost miasma.

As long as the flaw was found, the dagger would gallop away, cutting an opening there, and the sisters could escape.

Their mission was just to look after the grave here so it wouldn't be damaged by the outside, but what strange changes happened inside was not their business. Besides, Zhao Yi was not here now, so they didn't have a reason to fight for their lives.

But soon, Liang Yan's brow furrowed deeply: "It is changing, changing so fast."

Liang Li's expression also sank accordingly.

Ghost miasma that can change means it is being controlled unilaterally. Very clearly, it is the one about to crawl out from the grave.

When the formation was exploded before, a large piece of plastic sheeting floated out. At this moment, accompanied by the continued collapse of the grave ground soil, the figure standing inside became clearer.

Yin Meng slowly raised her head. From her forehead, black patterns extended continuously, almost covering her whole body. Her eye sockets were filled with rolling and flowing gray haze.

Liang Li: "Too absurd, is this bloodline awakening?"

Liang Yan: "Head said, although she is surnamed Yin, two thousand years have passed, what kind of bloodline can withstand such dilution? And her talent is extremely poor. She can walk to today because that person generously shared merit to help her plan."

Liang Li: "Then what is going on here?"

Liang Yan: "I don't know."

Liang Li: "Why doesn't she let us go?"

Liang Yan: "I don't know."

Liang Li: "Whose man is Head?"

Liang Yan: "Mine."

Liang Li: "Tsk."

The short bickering was just to relieve the current tension and pressure. The sisters lowered their center of gravity completely, ready to meet the battle. No other reason, they wanted to run, but the opposite side closed the ghost miasma, clearly not wanting to let them leave.

Yin Meng's originally raised arm moved downward slowly, pointing at them.

The sisters separated to both sides immediately, leaving the original spot.

At the position they stood before, eight thick arms broke through the ground, constantly waving and scratching.

But this was just the beginning. The sisters who had just stopped their figures had arms appearing out of thin air around them and above their heads, in all directions, continuing to grab at them.

Liang Li's dagger waved constantly, and arms were cut and fell to the ground, but new arms grew out immediately.

Liang Yan drew out her soft sword, forming a sword curtain around her body. Any arm that touched it was crushed immediately, but it still came continuously.

Although there was no real threat for the time being, it could also kill an elephant with ants over time, not to mention their current condition, which was not good to begin with, otherwise they wouldn't have been left to look after the grave.

The sisters were separated by a distance, exchanging glances.

The next moment,

Liang Yan bit her tongue and spat out essence blood. The cold light sword curtain turned red, breaking through the arm barrier in front of her in one go. Then her right hand slapped the sword hilt fiercely, and the soft sword galloped toward Yin Meng like a white silk.

Liang Li's two daggers broke her arms, and after being moistened by blood, first waved in front of her, the sound of cutting came continuously, making the arms in front appear in a short vacuum, and then the two daggers were thrown out, rushing to her sister's soft sword, joining forces to launch an attack on Yin Meng.

Not asking to kill the other party, not even asking to severely injure the other party, just needing to distract the other party and weaken the control over this ghost miasma, they would have a chance to escape from here.

After the combined attack was issued, Liang Yan's right index finger and middle finger joined together, swept across her eyes, quickly observing the changes in the ghost miasma around her, while Liang Li pulled out another dagger from her sleeve, the sword edge stabbed into her palm to warm and nourish, just waiting for her sister to determine the attack direction.

However, Liang Yan's expression changed drastically, shouting: "Dodge!"

Liang Li instinctively dodged to the side, but her right shoulder position was still pierced by a soft sword, and the strong force on it made her lose her center of gravity and fall to the ground.

While reminding, Liang Yan also began to dodge, but the two daggers still stabbed into her chest. She only had time to clench the hilt ends of the daggers with both hands, trying her best to resolve the impact, but she was still sent flying backward.

"Pop!"

Everything vanished.

The sisters woke up like a dream. The countless arms around them all disappeared, as if everything just now was just an illusion.

But the fact is, the sister held the soft sword and pierced the younger sister, while the younger sister grabbed the daggers with both hands and stabbed her sister.

Is it an illusion?

The sisters revealed shock one after another.

Their physical condition is not good, but the consciousness level was not affected much. What level of terrifying illusion is it that can make them hit the trick in an instant and have no power to resist?

This kind of illusion, once cast, is basically unsolvable. Even if they were lucky not to self-harm in the illusion, this moment of distraction is enough to be killed many times in reality.

Yin Meng raised her foot and walked out of the grave pit.

"Puff..."

"Puff..."

The sisters were very decisive and pulled their respective weapons out of each other's bodies, not caring to stop the bleeding and check the injuries, and directly prepared for the last move. Since there was no hope of running away, then fight for their lives decisively. When this life was finally not going to exist, it was not worth cherishing.

"Click..."

Just at this time, the ghost miasma was torn open from the outside.

Lu Runsheng's whole body was filled with evil energy, and the blue veins on his neck were exposed.

On the truck, Zhao Yi told him not to watch the sisters die, and Lu Runsheng agreed.

However, Zhao Yi knew very clearly that the only pure good person in the entire Li team was Lin Lin Shu You.

Lu Runsheng used all his strength to tear open the barrier and come in. His intention was not to save the sisters, but he knew that when the real Yin Meng woke up, she wouldn't like what she was about to do.

With life in front, the sisters didn't want to die instantly and ran toward Lu Runsheng's direction, escaping from the ghost miasma crack supported by Lu Runsheng.

Yin Meng's arm moved horizontally, her fingers pointing at Lu Runsheng.

Same as before, the same illusion was cast on Lu Runsheng.

Immediately after, Yin Meng walked toward there. Her step frequency was very slow, but the speed was surprisingly fast. This point was very much like Lin Lin Shu You's three-step praise, but she looked more ghostly.

In two blinks, Yin Meng came to Lu Runsheng's front, and toward the sisters who had already escaped the ghost miasma and were continuing to run, she raised her hand again.

Yin Meng didn't show an obsession to kill the sisters, but presented a necessity to kill them. She should need something.

"Clang."

The shovel fell, not at Yin Meng's head, but at her shoulder. Once successfully smashed down, Yin Meng would lose an arm, and even her chest side and outer thigh would be shaved off a large piece of skin and flesh.

Not fatal, but disabling.

Lu Runsheng didn't want to kill her, but could accept her being disabled.

Anyway, Lu Runsheng didn't mind, he could raise her, belonging to a very rational woman's benevolence.

Just before the shovel fell, Yin Meng dodged. She didn't look like she moved herself, but more like she was pulled away by an invisible hand.

Just like when she came out of the grave before, the first thing she stretched out was a hand. Thinking back now, it was like someone pulled her out of the grave.

One shovel missed, Lu Runsheng didn't feel discouraged, and the next shovel continued to sweep horizontally.

The height of the sweep was lowered a bit, not waist-cutting, just amputation.

Yin Meng retreated again, still that posture with disharmony. This force was not emitted from within.

Lu Runsheng twisted his neck, making a series of crisp sounds.

The illusion that made the Liang sisters greatly shocked before seemed not to have any effect on Lu Runsheng.

The fact was indeed so, because Lu Runsheng could do it without using his brain.

When you don't use your brain, any "flowery words" are ineffective against you.

All this stems from that wave of the Dream Ghost. Lu Runsheng in the dream lost everything, but only when the qi gate was fully opened in the dream, he didn't take action against Little Yuan.

After that time, Lu Runsheng became more and more recognized for "not using his brain".

He not only pondered it himself, but also often advised Yin Meng not to use her brain.

A stupid person has a unique understanding of this world, but no matter in what way, as long as you understand deeply, that is a completely different interpretation of this world.

Furthermore, Lu Runsheng is really not stupid.

Zhao Yi once used a huge price to make a "Li Li Zhuiyuan" puppet, deceiving everyone, but failed to deceive Lu Runsheng

Within the ghost miasma set up by the Judge, Lu Runsheng had long since stood at the position where Xiaoyuan would enter from outside the ghost miasma.

Afterward, everyone else believed it was the unique bond Lu Runsheng had with Xiaoyuan, similar to a form of telepathy.

But in reality, there was another possibility: that the current Lu Runsheng... was increasingly able to see through illusions.

Of course, one cannot blame others for not noticing, because even Lu Runsheng himself did not yet know that he now possessed such an ability.

A simple mind is also a form of clarity.

The shovel swung out once more. Lu Runsheng did not know what kind of changes had occurred to Yin Meng; he only knew that the person before him was not Yin Meng.

However, several consecutive attacks missed; the opponent's speed was very fast, and no matter how Lu Runsheng erupted with power, he could not reach her.

The scene quickly fell into this kind of dynamic awkwardness.

Yin Meng was very powerful now; a single glance earlier had almost sent the sister duo to their doom, yet she was helpless against the Lu Runsheng before her.

After a period of stalemate, Yin Meng stopped her movements, ceased shifting, and opened her mouth, as if to speak.

Lu Runsheng did not want to hear her speak in her current state, and with one swing of the shovel, he struck down directly.

Her words were interrupted and could not be spoken, but fresh blood sprayed from her mouth, instantly turning into a blood mist. Countless seals flickered within the blood mist, enveloping Lu Runsheng.

Lu Runsheng's Qi gates had been in an open state, and he inevitably absorbed these blood mists.

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

Dense, explosive sounds erupted from within Lu Runsheng's body. Lu Runsheng could not help but retreat, yet the anticipated body-shattering situation did not occur; only small holes appeared on his body, from which evil energy surged out.

When Uncle Qin originally taught Lu Runsheng the "Qin Family Dragon-Watching Method," it was custom-made for an evil path. The subsequent madness at the Undersea Guarding Zhenjun Temple, combined with the nourishment beneath the peach forest, made this evil path walk toward an increasingly inconceivable direction.

This set of techniques was only suitable for Lu Runsheng; no one else could practice it, and it lacked the ability to be passed down.

In Zhao Yi's words, unless you have the absolute power to crush him, he can stand there indefinitely. In the eyes of his teammates, he is the sturdiest barrier, but in the eyes of his enemies, he is truly fucking disgusting.

When the Three Incense Sticks incident occurred, the tomb owner who had possessed a body at that time possessed the ability to blow everyone present away in one strike, including Lu Runsheng.

That was because the quality of the tomb owner's body was superior, allowing it to exert the strength of the mastermind behind the scenes to a greater degree.

But Yin Meng... her talent was truly too poor.

If Yin Meng's talent hadn't been so poor and she had been more normal, Lu Runsheng might not have been able to continue standing at this moment.

Even though the seal curse spat out with blood just now had indeed caused Lu Runsheng significant injury, if she continued to spit like that, the first to collapse would definitely be Yin Meng.

The surrounding ghost miasma began to twist crazily, and the ghost wind howled incessantly, as if venting some kind of anger.

At this moment, Yin Meng raised her hand, and the ghost miasma suddenly thinned significantly, with ghost energy beginning to overflow and spread continuously.

No matter how remote this place was, it was still in the town, and there were quite a few residents nearby.

The spreading ghost energy, upon contacting living people, would not only kill them but also imprison their souls, transforming them into walking corpses.

Yin Meng faced Lu Runsheng, her palms shaking slightly, as if using the ordinary people of the entire town to threaten Lu Runsheng.

The meaning was: if you keep pestering me, then this town...

"Slap!"

Yin Meng's upper body leaned back while her lower body moved forward, once again avoiding Lu Runsheng's shovel through a forced pull. The spot where she had previously stood was struck by Lu Runsheng, creating a pit, and the stones were ground into powder.

Lu Runsheng ignored the threat with his actual actions.

He could not understand this threat, nor was he willing to try to understand it.

The ghost energy ultimately did not permeate outward but was retracted instead. It was not out of mercy, but because harming the nearby ordinary people would only bring him meaningless consumption.

Lu Runsheng continued to launch attacks; even knowing he couldn't hit her, he still did not stop.

At the very least, let no one be idle.

The Liang sisters, who had already escaped, had just stopped their bleeding. Now, the sisters' already poor condition was made even worse.

Liang Li: "Sister, you really strike hard; I was almost cut in two by you."

Liang Yan: "Was your strike gentle? Just a little more, and my future children would have to rely on you for milk."

Liang Li: "I really don't understand, why must she kill us?"

Liang Yan: "There must be a reason why she absolutely has to kill us."

At this moment, two figures appeared on the slope not far away—a man and a woman, their faces deathly pale, standing there like two withered trees.

Liang Li: "Who are they?"

Liang Yan: "Don't recognize them."

The sisters had never seen them, nor did they know that it was precisely because of those two that they had been awakened and moved by that person from the truck in advance, so as not to be discovered by those searching.

Qian Ying and Wu Lan, who should have been lying in the morgue of the county hospital, appeared here at this time.

The two turned slowly, facing the direction of the ghost miasma.

They took a step and began to march.

Wisps of greenish-blue flames overflowed from the corners of their eyes, nostrils, and ears, circling around them.

Above their heads, the sky, which had finally cleared after days of heavy rain, turned gloomy once again.

They walked to the front of the ghost miasma, and the flames on their bodies devoured the ghost energy blocking their path, producing an extremely obvious combustion-aiding effect.

Immediately, the entire ghost miasma was dyed a deep, translucent green.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Inside the ghost miasma, Yin Meng, who was still entangled with Lu Runsheng, suddenly looked up and let out a painful, shrill scream.

The ghost miasma, having its control stripped away, opened two gaps, and Qian Ying and Wu Lan walked in.

They were already dead, so they had no expressions; even though their bodies were wrapped in flames, they remained indifferent.

When facing Yin Meng directly, Qian Ying and Wu Lan accelerated and pounced toward Yin Meng.

Yin Meng was again forcibly pulled to dodge, but this time, Qian Ying and Wu Lan displayed a similar scene; they also seemed to be pulled by an external force, moving in the same posture as Yin Meng.

Moreover, perhaps because they were already dead and not afraid of damage, they were pulled even harder and faster.

Qian Ying and Wu Lan collided with Yin Meng, and the green flames on the two of them transferred over.

Yin Meng let out another painful roar, and the positions of the three were completely fixed.

Qian Ying and Wu Lan were like two green pillars, pinning Yin Meng down tightly.

Accompanied by the burning flames, the gray haze in Yin Meng's eye sockets faded, but what appeared was not Yin Meng's own gaze; instead, it shimmered with flashes of golden luster.

Yin Meng's face also switched between solemnity and distortion, changing constantly.

Thanks to the ghost miasma being altered, the Liang sisters outside could see the situation inside clearly.

Liang Yan: "I know why she wanted to kill us first."

Liang Li: "If she didn't kill us first, once she was pinned down like this, we might have killed her."

The Liang sisters here still used the word "might"; the reason for their hesitation was that even if Yin Meng underwent a transformation, they still had to consider the potential consequences of killing a subordinate of that person without authorization.

Lu Runsheng, however, did not hesitate.

He raised his shovel, thinking in his mind about how to keep Yin Meng alive while making her as crippled as possible—crippled to the point that whoever was controlling her would be unable to continue using her.

Because only by making her lose her value could her life be preserved.

However, even though Lu Runsheng did not hesitate and raised his shovel the moment Yin Meng was trapped and locked down.

Yet, a transformation still occurred.

Qian Ying and Wu Lan's bodies were already burning; this kind of burning had a time limit and could not continue indefinitely.

But while the flames on Wu Lan's side were still maintaining normally, the flames on Qian Ying's side gradually extinguished, and her body began to fall off and collapse rapidly.

When the two were possessed by evil spirits and came down the mountain to the town, it was Li Li Zhuiyuan who suppressed and killed the evil spirits.

During that process, Li Li Zhuiyuan used the Black Leather Book secret technique on Qian Ying, who was attempting to escape, which caused Qian Ying to change from fleeing to actively rushing toward him, sliding to her knees and actively pressing her forehead onto the compass Li Li Zhuiyuan had already placed there.

The Black Leather Book secret technique is a form of re-collection and utilization of the spirits within the body, and it is also a form of consumption. The Nuo Opera Puppet Technique formed on this basis later results in the corpse used for the technique turning into corpse water immediately after use.

This is equivalent to saying that Qian Ying's remains had been hollowed out in advance.

Although this hollowing out had no impact on normal funeral procedures, such as letting her parents come to see her one last time, it wouldn't work when actually used for some backup plan.

The restraint on both sides, due to the collapse on one side, gave Yin Meng an opportunity.

The surrounding ghost energy surged crazily into Wu Lan's body, intensifying his burning. Yin Meng also let out an even more tragic, shrill scream, but at the same time, she spat out three more mouthfuls of blood mist, once again repelling Lu Runsheng, who was approaching with his shovel.

After actively paying such a huge price, Yin Meng's entire person withered. Wu Lan was unable to support the situation alone, and the overly vigorous flames accelerated his dissipation, causing the restraint to disappear.

Having gained freedom, Yin Meng's body fell backward like a puppet being pulled out, her feet almost off the ground, her legs dangling powerlessly.

The reason she had wrapped herself in ghost miasma earlier was that she knew Qian Ying and Wu Lan had long been in the vicinity; the tomb guards had never been just the Liang sisters.

Now, with the greatest threat removed, Yin Meng chose to leave toward the west, only this speed was clearly much slower than before.

A series of small holes appeared on Lu Runsheng's body again, and the disorder of his evil energy clearly intensified. However, he did not stop to check his own injuries; instead, he picked up the shovel and faced the direction Yin Meng was leaving... with all Qi gates wide open!

Earlier, inside the ghost miasma, even with all Qi gates wide open, Lu Runsheng could not catch up to Yin Meng's speed at that time. Now, he could, but this was his only chance.

Because, as if sensing the change in Lu Runsheng's aura, the speed the opponent had originally dropped picked up again, no longer caring whether Yin Meng's current body condition could withstand it.

During his sprint, Lu Runsheng pressed the buckle with his fingertips and flicked the Yellow River shovel; the shovel head detached immediately, leaving only a pole.

This pole came from the peach forest.

Exerting all his strength, Lu Runsheng appeared behind Yin Meng. His right hand raised the peach wood pole, and his left arm locked Yin Meng's body.

Invisibly, a powerful force struck Lu Runsheng, attempting to pull him and Yin Meng apart.

Just as the two were about to separate, Lu Runsheng's right hand pointed the peach wood pole at Yin Meng and thrust it down.

"Puff!" The wooden pole first pierced through Yin Meng's body, and then pierced through Lu Runsheng. The two were thus skewered together by a single peach wood pole.

The ghost energy on Yin Meng's body and the evil energy on Lu Runsheng's body reacted violently. The peach wood pole piercing through both their bodies quickly turned black and emitted sparks, as if being burned by fire.

And that invisible force, which had been incomparably powerful just a moment ago, gradually disappeared at this moment.

Lu Runsheng raised his arms and, with his last bit of strength, hugged Yin Meng in front of him.

Immediately afterward, the two lost their balance and rolled together into the mountain cliff below.

Liang Yan: "I'm going to save them!"

Liang Li: "I'm going to report what happened here to the Boss."

"Ah..."

The Boss was being held by the throat by the tomb owner, pressed against the tomb wall.

More terrifying than suffocation was the terrible pressure on his neck, which was on the verge of shattering.

Yet, from Zhao Yi's perspective, the person currently choking him had a look of guilt, and tears of heartache even flowed from his eyes.

In fact, if the tomb owner hadn't been trying his best to restrain himself, Zhao Yi's neck would have snapped long ago—without suspense, and without pain.

Three rays of light intertwined behind the tomb owner, forming an extremely eerie and harmonious echo with the solemn mark on the tomb owner's forehead.

What should have been sealed had now gained freedom, and the power that should have sealed them had begun to actively accept them. It was clear that a new round of collusion had been reached.

"Li, this is really impossible to play..."

Zhao Yi truly didn't know how he was supposed to resist such a lineup. The reason he was still alive now was due to the tomb owner's "childhood friendship" for him, but the tomb owner couldn't hold on for much longer either.

"Li, I told you long ago not to act on your own, but you wouldn't listen. Now look, I'm about to be played to death by you, you brat..."

In his heart, Zhao Yi was frantically outputting to Li Li Zhuiyuan, but on his face, besides the necessary pain, there was also understanding, sympathy, approval, and comfort for the tomb owner. He kept his gaze as soft as possible, as if telling the tomb owner: I understand you, this isn't your fault, don't be in pain anymore, just kill me, it's okay.

Only in this way could he deepen the guilt in the tomb owner's heart, causing him to continue struggling to resist, allowing himself to live for a few more moments.

Human nature is just like this; even when facing a crushing situation, Zhao Yi would still seize every opportunity to survive.

But today, he didn't even know how to break the situation. He didn't even understand the significance of him specifically running here—was it just to be killed?

Before coming, he had even asked Li, hoping he would describe the steps in more detail.

Li's response was: Do as you please.

It turned out this wasn't an expression of trust in his abilities, but that Li himself didn't know what he should be doing either.

Zhao Yi certainly knew that Li wouldn't specifically make him run over here to die.

He knew that Li's understanding of this wave should be one level higher than his own, but only... by a little.

Li probably felt that this empty spot needed a piece placed in it now, but what specific role this piece would play, he didn't know either.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Two vibrations broke the oppressive atmosphere here. The tomb walls on both sides of the main tomb chamber were smashed open, and two people walked out, one from each side.

One was wearing armor, with a mighty figure and a livid face, his whole body covered in purple sealing papers.

The other was dressed in luxurious clothing with complete accessories, but the body was nothing but white bones, with no flesh or blood.

These two were not individuals of ordinary status.

When dealing with the Three Incense Sticks here, Zhao Yi had also discovered that beneath this auspicious site, there were two high-spec tombs.

At that time, he had subconsciously assumed that the third incense stick would be one of the two from those high-spec tombs, but Li had insisted on relying on luck and chose a small tomb in the middle.

At this moment, Zhao Yi finally realized that he had underestimated these two tombs; their specifications were much higher than he had anticipated.

Zhao Yi had been keeping a purple talisman in his mouth the whole time. The entire Jiujiang Zhao clan only had three, and when the family split up before he lit the lamp, he had wanted one, but the clan elders were reluctant to give it to him; he had stolen it himself.

Yet, this general was almost completely covered in them—what kind of massive expenditure was this?

And for that luxurious skeleton, every piece of jade on its body clearly showed its internal texture; this was the integration of formation carving into it, solely to suppress it.

In the secular world, these two were, in a true sense, burying people alive with cash.

"Hum!"

"Hum!"

All the purple sealing papers on the general ignited and fell off, and all the jade on the luxurious one shattered into powder. At the same time, the two released all the restraints on their bodies.

In an instant, they arrived at the tomb owner's side, each supporting one of the tomb owner's arms, and the three parties fell into a stalemate of strength.

As for Zhao Yi, who had managed to escape the throat-lock and get fresh air, he didn't even count as a party here; he was just an expendable add-on.

The tomb owner's face showed joy; whether in life or death, he had been unable to control his own destiny, but this time, through his own efforts, he had protected Zhao Yi.

A softness flowed in the tomb owner's gaze; he hoped Zhao Yi would leave quickly—escaping from here meant he could live.

Zhao Yi rubbed his neck while standing up, acting very nonchalant, as if everything was under control.

Suddenly, the bodies of the three parties in the stalemate trembled slightly, and a terrifying force vibrated through, causing the tomb chamber to shake. Zhao Yi, hit by the impact, fell back down with a "thump."

"Sigh..."

A sigh escaped from the bottom of Zhao Yi's heart.

What is called "gods fighting"—today, he had truly witnessed it.

It was not just a confrontation of strength, but also layers of interlocking layouts.

Clearly, although this wave was pushed by the Bodhisattva, the Great Emperor was not without preparations.

He and that Li were merely the thread used to connect all the hooks during the struggle between the two sides.

Li indeed didn't know what he could do by sending him over, but Li was certain that the other side would have corresponding means left here.

Since he was already here, he had to do something.

No matter how powerful the existence, a balance had ultimately been formed, which gave Zhao Yi the opportunity to be that final straw.

This time, Zhao Yi got up very quickly.

"Accept me!"

Without hesitation, the seam of the Life-Death Gate rotated rapidly, and his finger pressed against the tomb owner's forehead.

After serving as an external brain for Li so many times, Zhao Yi found that he had actually become quite skilled at it.

The tomb owner was very obedient and did not guard against him, but the entry of consciousness this time still made Zhao Yi feel it was too smooth and slick.

After entering, he realized just how great a risk he had taken.

It was like the ocean being layered; the top was a layer of golden light—if his consciousness stayed here for even a moment longer, it might be assimilated;

The next layer was three colors raging crazily—if he couldn't withdraw in time, his consciousness would be shredded.

Fortunately, he entered, reached the deepest part, and arrived amidst the layers of mist. After pushing them aside, Zhao Yi saw "a pitch-black darkness."

"Rumble!"

Thunder sounded, illuminating the environment here.

Inside the house, the tomb owner leaned against a pillar, sitting there blankly.

Zhao Yi walked in.

Strictly speaking, this was the first meeting between Zhao Yi and the tomb owner; their previous relationship was purely based on the memories Li had instilled in him...

At this thought, Zhao Yi suddenly realized that the reason he had been able to enter so quickly without danger was purely because Li had been here before and had smoothed out this path.

He remembered that night when Li directed the tomb owner to perform self-sealing.

The tomb owner sat there very dejectedly, and upon seeing Zhao Yi, he smiled.

"My name is Zhao Yi."

"I know."

"What is your name?"

"Su Luo."

"That name is unlucky—it sounds like 'losing'."

The tomb owner looked up at the darkness above his head.

In life, whenever an underworld messenger wanted to enter his body, his consciousness would be squeezed into this tiny corner in the deepest part. The darkness here was drawn by himself for himself.

He didn't want to be found; he wanted to wrap himself up tightly.

"Are you here to persuade me to pull myself together? That person once tried to persuade me, but it seems the effect wasn't very good, and the ending was the same. It's almost impossible for you to motivate me now.

You should go—leave here alive, instead of trying to do something else.

They are very powerful and very terrifying. The many underworld messengers and officials I experienced in life have absolutely no comparability with them.

This is not something I, nor you, can participate in."

"You've blocked everything off; how do you expect me to goad you now?"

Zhao Yi sat down beside the tomb owner.

The tomb owner lowered his head and said slowly, "I just don't want you to make futile attempts and end up with inevitable disappointment."

Zhao Yi: "I've been able to see other people's inner thoughts since I was a child."

Tomb owner: "I know, I saw a lot—things from your childhood."

Things from my childhood, many things.

Zhao Yi: Li, just how much did you make up about me?

He had never sat down and chatted about his youth with Li, so basically everything the tomb owner saw was made up by Li.

However, Zhao Yi believed in Li's ability; he must have made it fit his persona perfectly, so there was no need to worry about being exposed.

Zhao Yi: "So, I've found it hard to trust others since I was young. Seeing things too clearly often makes them meaningless."

Tomb owner: "Hmm."

Zhao Yi: "You've helped me several times."

Tomb owner: "Have I?"

Zhao Yi: "Yes."

Tomb owner: "It was my duty."

"Hmm, your duty." Zhao Yi reached out, wrapped his arm around the tomb owner's shoulder, and shook him. "Seriously, I know this routine, but I'm not very good at it. There's a guy named Tan who is much better at handling things than I am. If we swapped places and let him come, I believe he would definitely move you to tears; maybe you'd even become sworn brothers right here."

Tomb owner: "Did he also have a bitter life since childhood?"

Zhao Yi: "Not really. He lived quite a happy life—occasionally scolded by his mother and beaten by his father. When he grew up and took the imperial examinations, he met a classmate who was a child prodigy to help him review his lessons. After passing the exam, his childhood sweetheart from the same village took the initiative to pour out her heart to him. He was shy at first, but later, when he couldn't be shy anymore, he hugged her."

Zhao Yi knew Tan Tan Wenbin's experiences like the back of his hand; he had swindled them all out of Lin Lin Shu You.

After listening, the tomb owner fell silent, then felt relieved: "What an enviable life."

Zhao Yi: "Who's to say it isn't?"

Tomb owner: "Last time, that person came to me and told me your story to get me to pull myself together and help him. So, what is your purpose in telling me a story I can't empathize with now?"

Zhao Yi: "It means I want to skip this step."

Tomb owner: "Skip?"

Zhao Yi: "Although my acting is pretty good, I'm not going to act with you. Su Luo, you've already helped me several times anyway, so one more time won't hurt.

Not for your sake, just consider it for mine; sacrifice should also be able to harvest some kind of happiness. Just consider it being happy one more time."

Tomb owner: "..."

"Hahahaha!"

Zhao Yi laughed himself; he felt he was quite shameless.

What was even more shameless was that this shamelessness was also something he had deliberately created.

He said he was skipping a step, but in reality, he was still taking this step.

Because Zhao Yi knew that the tomb owner would fall for this routine.

Sure enough, the tomb owner nodded and responded: "Fine, I'll help you again."

The goal was achieved, but for some reason, Zhao Yi's heart darkened.

He had felt this way when the Liang sisters risked their lives for him last time.

It's truly strange; the further he walks along this river, the more he feels that his original self is being slowly corrected.

Tomb owner: "I don't know many techniques; that person taught me one last time. What are you going to teach me?"

Zhao Yi: "The current situation is different from that night; one or two techniques won't be enough."

Tomb owner: "Then there's no way; I don't know those things."

Zhao Yi: "I do."

Tomb owner: "Tell me, I'll follow your lead."

Zhao Yi licked his lips and said:

"Su Luo, be my puppet."

"Fine."

Without hesitation or doubt, he gave the answer directly.

Zhao Yi knew why the tomb owner could agree so readily: because he had been a puppet whose life was never under his own control his entire life; now, it was nothing more than being one again.

Putting aside distracting thoughts, Zhao Yi stood up and activated his puppet technique.

The effect emerged almost immediately, so easily that Zhao Yi felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. It was because Li had been here and laid a good foundation for him, allowing him to use it almost immediately.

At this moment, the tomb owner said: "I haven't learned it, but I've experienced it. What he used on me and what you're using on me now seem different."

Zhao Yi: "It's fine, it's just a different trigger. I can continue to use everything he left behind."

Tomb owner: "I don't understand..."

Zhao Yi: "You don't need to understand; just don't resist and cooperate with me."

Tomb owner: "I don't know if it will affect you. When he used it on me last time, I could see his consciousness. I feel that I left my mark on him."

Zhao Yi: "..."

At this moment, Zhao Yi realized that the puppet technique he was using was different from Li's.

He thought of the tragic situation of that person beneath the peach forest.

Tomb owner: "Will it affect you?"

Zhao Yi: "Yes. Although I haven't learned that secret technique, if I continue to use it following what he left behind, I will receive the same side effects.

He seems to be able to solve these side effects, while I cannot.

Do you want to know what this side effect is?"

"What is it?"

"From now on, there will be an extra 'you' in my consciousness; you will move in."

Upon hearing this, the tomb owner's eyes brightened, then dimmed again, and he said: "That won't do."

"It's fine. I haven't learned this secret technique; being able to use it this time is just good luck. In the future, there's a high probability I won't have this opportunity again. If there were a bunch of people, I would definitely lose myself and become an evil spirit.

At that time, if I wanted to avoid harming the world, I would only be able to find a place to bury myself and plant some trees on top.

But if it's just an extra 'you'... consider it company to relieve boredom."

Tomb owner: "This is bad for you."

Zhao Yi: "Come on, it's just right. I'd feel bad if I didn't pay some kind of price. Doing it this way is quite good.

We both have tragic pasts, so just follow me and see the future—I don't know if it's beautiful or not. Just consider it living another life in a different way.

Childhood friends are meant to play together, right?"

The tomb owner stood up and walked in front of Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi smiled at him, and a smile reappeared on the tomb owner's face as well.

Puppet technique, activated.

All the preparations and paving that Li Li Zhuiyuan had laid down and later interrupted now surged toward Zhao Yi.

The tomb owner walked toward Zhao Yi step by step and finally merged into Zhao Yi's consciousness.

In reality, the tomb owner, who was still in a state of three-party stalemate and balance, opened his eyes again.

Only this time, there was no confusion or dejection in those eyes; there was more sharpness and excitement.

He looked to the left, then to the right, looked behind him, and then rolled his eyes upward to look at the golden mark on his own forehead.

Look at that—all these existences he wouldn't have dared to think about before were now serving him alone.

When lighting the lamp and walking the river, becoming the Dragon King was Zhao Yi's dream, but the dream was too high and not grounded enough.

The reality was that Zhao Yi truly hadn't expected that one day, he would actually be able to play in this kind of high-end game, and he actually had the ability to influence the situation!

"Li, you're right.

A valuable blade must have its own consciousness!"

(End of chapter)