Chapter 319: (End of this volume)

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "The lamp is out."

As soon as the words fell, the amber glow enveloping the surroundings began to burn, turning ethereal at an extremely rapid speed.

Zhao Luhai, who had just repaired his body and stepped out of the cover, only had time to take that one step; he would never be able to take the next.

Not only was his body unable to move, but even the foot at the very front began to burn.

Zhao Luhai: "This... how is this possible?"

Deep below, those ancestors of the Zhao family, almost all of whom were missing arms or legs, fell into a frenzy upon realizing that they, too, had begun to catch fire.

Some were screaming, some were roaring, some were weeping... some were kneeling and kowtowing, though it was unclear whether they were begging for the heavens' protection or their ancestors'.

Everything here, including their very existence, was built upon that flame atop Zhao Wuyang's skull.

The extinguishing of the flame meant the end of their dream of longevity.

Zhao Luhai: "Why... how could it be like this?"

Until this moment, Zhao Luhai still could not understand; clearly, he was the one in complete control, so why had the situation suddenly taken such a sharp turn for the worse, so fast that it left him no room to struggle?

Now, the only thing he could do... was wait for death.

Li Li Zhuiyuan stood up unsteadily, first wiping the blood from his lips with his right hand, then rubbing his eyes with his left.

The boy looked rather disheveled now.

Fortunately,

he had succeeded.

He raised his head, opened his eyes, looked at Zhao Luhai before him, and then looked at the Zhao ancestors below.

Li Li Zhuiyuan felt that letting them just burn to death like this was still letting them off too easily.

After all, they had already enjoyed themselves for so many years.

Although such enjoyment was not only meaningless but absurdly ridiculous to the boy, he couldn't deny that they truly felt that way themselves.

The boy shook his head gently.

No,

I cannot let you die so easily.

Li Lan, who had completely fallen ill, had already manifested the distinction between "human" and "god"; from her perspective, the vast majority of people in this world could not be called her kind.

Although Li Li Zhuiyuan's condition had been controlled and improved, some of his previous habitual consciousness had not yet completely vanished.

Therefore, Zhao Yi's anger when he first saw this scene was mainly because he bore the surname Zhao and had always viewed his ancestors as his life's guide.

As for Li Li Zhuiyuan, he seemed to view Zhao Wuyang more as his own "kind," much like how he had quickly accepted Xue Liangliang back then.

Furthermore, the full display of spirit tablets on the offering table in the east room's main hall was, invisibly, constantly deepening this perception of his.

Thus, what the Zhao family had done to Zhao Wuyang gave Li Li Zhuiyuan a feeling of "grieving for one's own kind."

The boy truly sensed the anger emerging from the depths of his heart.

Li Li Zhuiyuan would cherish all emotions born from within, and he felt he should give it an answer.

Coincidentally, having seen so many grown fish in the fishpond within the depths of his consciousness earlier, the boy conceived the idea of conducting an experiment.

Before, he had only poured feed into the fishpond; he had never actually fished, let alone used a net.

Since it was a first-time endeavor and there were no references, relying entirely on his own exploration and deduction, it would take some time.

After all, this was creating a new technique, or perhaps it could be said, creating a new secret art that only Li Li Zhuiyuan himself could use.

Therefore, Li Li Zhuiyuan hoped Zhao Luhai would die slowly; what a perfect experimental subject, hmm, including the Zhao ancestors currently howling in agony below.

Zhao Luhai was the anchor point here; he was bound to die, and he had the ability to accelerate this process.

He had to give him something to hang on to, to give him the motivation to hold on a little longer.

For instance, actively chatting with him.

Coincidentally, Zhao Luhai was also filled with confusion right now.

"Your layout is indeed exquisite. I think if you hadn't spent the rest of your life figuring out how to live like a dog guarding its food, but had used it elsewhere, I might have been able to find your books in the basement of my home."

"The... Scripture Repository in the Long Wang ancestral home?"

"No, the basement of a self-built farmhouse in Siyuan Village, Shinan Town."

The anger in Zhao Luhai's eyes became almost tangible; he felt the boy was humiliating him from the position of a victor.

But the boy's willingness to talk to him at this time was also his urgent need right now—if he was going to die, he wanted to die an enlightened ghost!

"Why were you able to light that lamp? Even if you entered the two Long Wang sects, you shouldn't have reached the level where you could use the Long Wang lamp."

It could be said that Zhao Luhai had spent his entire life guarding this lamp; he believed that no one in this world understood the lamp's properties better than he did.

Even though the boy had successively announced the names of the two Long Wang sects, and even if the boy had successfully entered the gates of both, he still felt that this lamp should not have been lit!

Li Li Zhuiyuan rubbed his eyes again with his left hand and pointed his right hand at the Great Elder behind Zhao Luhai, who was so shocked by the scene before him that he looked like a gaping statue.

"He should know why.

Because I am the only contemporary successor of the two Long Wang sects, Long Wang Qin and Long Wang Liu."

Zhao Luhai did not know about the changes in the Qin and Liu families; in his perception, the Long Wang sects were still those majestic existences with flourishing branches.

So, he naturally assumed the boy was a branch extending from the two Long Wang families, but in reality, Li Li Zhuiyuan was the root from which the two Long Wang sects were twisted together.

Before A Li had officially performed the initiation ceremony, he, Li Li Zhuiyuan, was the only one of this generation for both the Qin and Liu families.

Although the spirits of the ancestors of both families no longer existed, the status of the two Long Wang sects all rested upon Li Li Zhuiyuan.

Therefore, the boy was qualified to use this lamp.

And this lamp had long ago been imbued with properties by Zhao Luhai; its flame had been transferred to the center of Zhao Wuyang's brow deep within the amber by a special method.

Li Li Zhuiyuan did not know this special method, nor could he possibly know it.

The boy guessed that this had to do with Zhao Luhai being a descendant of Zhao Wuyang, and also with the arrangements made when Zhao Wuyang fell.

Even a Long Wang whose lifespan was nearing its end would not think of lying quietly on a bed, but rather seek out an evil spirit of sufficient weight to act and achieve the twilight of his own fall.

This was the pride of a Long Wang.

Li Li Zhuiyuan suspected that before Zhao Wuyang fell, he must have handed over part of the "control" to his descendants in order to suppress something, much like the eye of a formation.

In that wave of the Old Woman, the boy had seen the stone tablet left by Zhao Wuyang, on which was written: Wait for my Zhao descendants to come and subdue the demons...

This Long Wang had extremely high expectations for his descendants.

He hoped his descendants would inherit his legacy, follow in his footsteps, and take subduing demons and protecting the human world as their own responsibility, much like the "sons and grandsons without end" of the Foolish Old Man.

Since he had such thoughts, it was understandable that he would leave behind some means for his descendants to help him completely suppress some fierce object.

Unfortunately, the performance of the Zhao descendants had disappointed this Long Wang, who had risen from the grassroots.

Zhao Luhai must have used the means Zhao Wuyang left for his descendants to steal Zhao Wuyang's skull from the place of suppression and move it here.

He had turned Zhao Wuyang's great ambition of suppressing a region and protecting the peace of one side into something that only looked after the Zhao family.

The fire had already burned to Zhao Luhai's knees; he was indeed holding on hard, asking the question he most wanted to know:

"Why did the flame of your second lighting of the lamp go out?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan did not answer in a hurry, just looking at him calmly, as if deliberately keeping him in suspense.

In reality, the boy was already running the Black Skin Book secret art in reverse.

Deep in consciousness.

The main body walked out of the basement, stood on the dam, and looked in the direction of the fishpond.

Although the distance was great, fortunately, the main body had always been too lazy to arrange the scenery of unimportant places in his consciousness, so he could see very clearly what was happening at the fishpond.

The main body saw:

Above the fishpond, fish were flying.

Zhao Luhai: "Tell me, what exactly is this? Why did your second lighting of the lamp fail? Why!"

Li Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head to hide the absolute coldness now appearing in his eyes.

Lin Lin Shu You, worried that Brother Xiaoyuan was feeling unwell, bent down and tilted his head, wanting to see Brother Xiaoyuan's complexion.

When A You saw those eyes, his body stiffened in fright, and he subconsciously took a few steps back.

He was afraid of this boy; he had been afraid since he first met him, and he was afraid even now. Of course, it could now be described as a kind of awe.

Therefore, when the boy revealed such a gaze, for A You, it felt like all his past psychological shadows were being concentrated and erupting at once.

Zhao Luhai: "Speak, speak, why!"

When the premise that a lamp is lit, but the flame is not on the lamp itself, is established, theoretically, this lamp indeed does not have the possibility of being extinguished.

Li Li Zhuiyuan accepted the process Zhao Luhai had formulated and chose to respect it.

Therefore, when the boy actively used this lamp as the vessel for his second lighting, that initially ignited flame would inevitably transfer to the center of Zhao Wuyang's brow under this process.

Two kinds of flames burning on one lamp would inevitably fuse together.

In the traditional river-walking ceremony, when one admits defeat during the second lighting, the lamp flame will change; for some, the change is obvious, for others, it is faint. The first change occurs when you "proclaim to the heavens," and the heavens tell you through the change in the lamp flame that it has heard your prayer.

After you finish your proclamation, this change disappears, and the lamp flame returns to its normal appearance, meaning your admission of defeat and departure from the river surface have been approved by the Heavenly Dao.

Then, if the Heavenly Dao does not approve... this was precisely the part Zhao Luhai could not understand, because in his perception, there simply did not exist a situation where one admits defeat during the second lighting and the Heavenly Dao does not approve!

Admitting defeat at an inappropriate time, such as choosing to retreat before a wave is completed, the karma caused by this wave will still fall on you, but this lamp will still let you light it normally.

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Because I was certain that my second lighting of the lamp would inevitably fail."

In Zhao Luhai's eyes, terror had already appeared; he had sensed that he was facing a very terrifying matter, a matter involving a very high level, to the extent that even he, a person destined to die, felt a tremor from the level of his soul:

"Why... why... why?"

"Because the lamp I used to walk the river wasn't even lit by myself."

A long time ago, Li Li Zhuiyuan knew that the Heavenly Dao would not give him a chance to leave the river surface.

It is hard to imagine how deeply Wei Zhengdao had hurt the Heavenly Dao back then.

But... it was also understandable.

Not to mention anything else, just the way Wei Zhengdao walked the river silently, became a Long Wang, and then didn't do a single thing a Long Wang should do, didn't take a single responsibility, as if he had forcibly pinched out that generation of Long Wang.

If he were the Heavenly Dao, he wouldn't allow a second "Wei Zhengdao" to appear either.

Perhaps the Heavenly Dao felt that it wasn't yet time to kill the donkey after the millstone was used;

The Heavenly Dao still wanted to continue using him as a blade and couldn't bear to destroy him now.

Or perhaps, the Heavenly Dao felt that even in such a desperate situation with Zhao Luhai in front and the Great Elder behind, they might not necessarily be able to kill him.

If he happened to run away, the lamp went out, and he was no longer on the river but on the shore, no longer affected by the river water, then he would be completely out of control.

In short, the Heavenly Dao rejected his application to admit defeat...

And the lamp,

it extinguished it.

These flames, wrapped together and indistinguishable from each other, naturally could not be extinguished separately; to extinguish them, they had to be slapped out together, which incidentally extinguished that flame on Zhao Wuyang's skull as well.

The Heavenly Dao is formless; this has always been the style of the question-setter.

Therefore, this matter can also be understood as Li Li Zhuiyuan using the status of the two Long Wang sects of Qin and Liu to forcibly offset the spiritual thoughts left by Zhao Wuyang.

Li Li Zhuiyuan suddenly fell to the ground in pain, bleeding from his seven orifices; this was also the backlash from the collision of the three Long Wang statuses, not the Heavenly Dao giving him a slap after refusing him.

But Li Li Zhuiyuan knew in his own heart what the real reason was.

Actually, to avoid getting this slap, the boy had sat on the ground earlier and tried every method on that lamp.

As a result, all were ineffective.

Therefore, when Li Li Zhuiyuan stood up and finally decided to use this lamp for the second lighting, there was a touch of helplessness in the boy's heart.

Sigh,

this slap was destined to be unavoidable.

Zhao Luhai: "You didn't light the lamp yourself... what does that mean?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "You can understand it as my fate being tougher; I snuffed out Zhao Wuyang's lamp and cursed you to death."

Zhao Luhai: "Fate... hard?"

At this moment, the fire had already burned to Zhao Luhai's waist.

He couldn't delay any longer; if he delayed any longer, he would be burned away, and Li Li Zhuiyuan was finally ready.

The boy raised his head, and when those cold eyes looked at Zhao Luhai, Zhao Luhai felt a palpitation.

"You..."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "You deserve to die, but you don't deserve to die so cheaply."

The boy pressed his index and middle fingers together and walked toward Zhao Luhai.

During the journey, Li Li Zhuiyuan said:

"A You, lend me a ladder!"

Lin Lin Shu You instinctively leaned forward, his right knee raised.

Li Li Zhuiyuan stepped on Lin Lin Shu You's knee, leveled the height, and pointed his finger at the center of Zhao Luhai's brow.

It didn't have to be actual contact; it could also be triggered from a distance.

But this was, after all, a new secret art he had just deduced, and he hadn't done a single test; moreover, the implications of this secret art were too great, and Li Li Zhuiyuan was worried that if he handled it improperly, the secret art would spread and affect his companions nearby.

Deep in consciousness.

The main body was still standing on the dam, looking in the direction of the fishpond.

He saw:

Many, many fish, in shoals, flying from the fishpond toward the sky.

At the tip of Li Li Zhuiyuan's finger, a black circle appeared, and within this circle, a despairing blackness permeated.

It was as if everything with a spirit in this world, in the face of this blackness, was like rice paper soaked in water; this blackness was like ink, entering upon contact.

In an instant, Zhao Luhai felt his consciousness being split into countless fragments, each fragment independently performing various extreme emotions, and these emotions would all eventually synchronize and transmit to him, making him empathize with every single one.

At this moment, he ignored time; every second was an infinitely prolonged length.

The selves in countless fragments were wailing, kneeling, and begging, hoping to end this torture that seemed to have no end.

Death, in the face of such torture, was truly a reward like longing for sweet rain: the so-called "life worse than death" could not describe even one ten-thousandth of this.

This was... a Shura hell on the level of consciousness.

Because Zhao Luhai was the primary carrier of this domain, what he was experiencing would also be equally diffused and shared with all the Zhao ancestors deep underground.

For a time, below, all the physically disabled Zhao ancestors experienced pain a thousand times more intense than when they were burned by fire earlier!

There was no wailing, no crying; even those who had been crying to heaven and earth earlier all stopped their movements at this moment.

But this silence could convey a terrifying meaning that all living things in the surroundings could perceive.

Lin Lin Shu You subconsciously closed his eyes and covered his ears; he didn't know what he was blocking, but instinct made him perform self-protective actions—it had no practical use, just seeking a sense of psychological security.

The Master Tongzi was even screaming madly in A You's heart:

"No wonder he is the successor of the Great Emperor of Fengdu; he should be in Fengdu, he should be in Fengdu!"

Tan Tan Wenbin's five senses were already sharp; at this moment, he simply closed off his perception and shut himself in.

And those four spirit beasts that had already become submissive became even more timid at this moment, all of them prostrating themselves before Tan Tan Wenbin's consciousness, shivering.

They were very afraid that if they made a mistake next time and didn't listen, that person would use this method to punish them.

Only Lu Runsheng stood there, his expression unchanged.

The Great Elder, standing on the periphery of the amber color, was the most stimulated.

First witnessing Zhao Luhai's sudden failure,

then discovering that the resting place he had dreamed of and paid a huge price for was about to collapse,

then sensing the invisible pain radiating from the entire Zhao family.

"Thump!"

The Great Elder knelt on the ground.

They say there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart; at this moment, he was a gathering of many sorrows.

His eyes became dull, saliva flowed from the corners of his mouth, and his lower body, which had regained much of its youthful vitality, seeped with dark liquid, wetting his pants.

He had gone mad.

This was something even Li Li Zhuiyuan hadn't expected.

Because the Great Elder, as he was now, after being replenished, was the undisputed number one living person of the Zhao family.

While Li Li Zhuiyuan was inflicting torture on Zhao Luhai, he had already been thinking about how to face the Great Elder next; this should have been the most tragic fierce battle in this wave.

As it turned out, he had gone mad, his spirit had become disordered.

Ordinary people might be afraid of a madman, but at their level, a lack of mental clarity inevitably meant a greatly reduced threat.

"Two dragons, two dragons, hahahahaha, I saw them, two dragons, haha!"

The Great Elder began to slap his own knees, crying and laughing.

Such a sudden change, placed at other times, would be extremely abrupt, but thinking about it, this was the Zhao family ancestral home, these were Zhao family members... and it felt somewhat reasonable.

This whole family, cut off Zhao Yi's tail, then pinched off Zhao Wuyang's head;

this big lump in the middle was just a group of goods that couldn't be brought to the table.

Well, it saved a fierce battle; this was originally a temporarily inserted wave, and not letting everyone lie down with serious injuries could be considered normal.

Calculating carefully, Li Li Zhuiyuan discovered that it seemed in this wave, he had suffered the most damage in the team.

Finally, Zhao Luhai's last bit of skull was also burned clean.

Simultaneously cremated were those Zhao ancestors below.

Li Li Zhuiyuan withdrew his hand.

For however many years of "happiness" they had enjoyed, Li Li Zhuiyuan had returned countless times more of extreme torture in consciousness perception.