Chapter 365

Memory needs a subject to support it.

It was like when Tan Wenbin took photos, tying the camera to his forehead; the photos taken this way could at least barely be considered his own first-person perspective.

The old dog had filmed the life of Yu Tiannan in its eyes from its own perspective.

Implanting this kind of memory into a person's brain, he simply didn't possess the conditions to become a "human."

At first, Li Zhuiyuan also felt it was inconceivable why the old dog would make such a low-level mistake.

In order to resurrect Yu Tiannan, it spared no cost, smashing and crushing so many things, yet it made such a big slip in the most critical place.

But after truly seeing the old dog, Li Zhuiyuan had some enlightenment.

Because the old dog itself was a mistake.

When Yu Tiannan fell, the true Yuanbao was actually already dead.

The carrier of life was sometimes very thin, but no matter how thin, it absolutely wasn't something that could be fully supported by a single segment of memory.

When the old dog decided to collude with that memory evil spirit under the cave and replicate its own memory into Yu Tiannan's body, it factually marked the end of Yuanbao.

Next, the one controlling Yu Tiannan's body to return to the Yu family could be understood as a kind of mental memory influenza virus.

This virus entered the Yu family and spread and infected within the Yu family, eventually causing an irreparable and terrifying disaster for the Yu family.

A beginning that was a mistake from the starting point, no matter how much correctness was contained in this process, could not achieve the desired result.

When Yuanbao became an old dog, Yu Tiannan changed from a Long Wang on the river to the master of an old dog.

Because what the old dog wanted to resurrect was never that Yu family Long Wang who suppressed an era.

That Yu family Long Wang would not allow the Yu family to suffer such a great disaster, the Long Wang gate to fall, demon beasts to ride on the heads of humans, or himself to be resurrected after death.

But the old dog didn't care about this at all. It was clear that the first thing the master would do upon waking up was to kill himself, this great contributor who resurrected him, with the most cruel means.

But what it wanted was just for Yu Tiannan to open his eyes in front of it again.

This should be the obsession deep in the old dog's heart.

When it suppressed that evil spirit together with Yu Tiannan and discovered the Yu family Long Wang, whose lifespan was exhausted, closing his eyes and stepping into death, it was almost crazy.

It couldn't accept that as a companion demon beast, the master would die before it.

This was inconsistent with the Yu family tradition, inconsistent with its belief since childhood, and inconsistent with the friendship relationship between it and the master.

The ultimate purpose of everything it did next, after peeling the cocoon, was wanting to do it one more time.

This time, it wanted to die before the master.

Therefore, the old dog didn't implant the wrong memory; it kept it in mind, not hesitating to forget and sever other redundant memories, just for the "master memory" under careful care—this was it, this was the Yu Tiannan in its eyes.

And the current Yu Dibei was equivalent to being suddenly implanted with a magnificent life of a Long Wang in his limited and thin life.

Yu Dibei wasn't replaced or covered; he was completely trapped, trapped in the life waves of the Long Wang, bewildered and chaotic.

But in the current situation, if "Yu Tiannan" couldn't be made to wake up, then today's disaster of the Yu family would inevitably overflow, brewing a catastrophe.

The true Yu Tiannan was already dead and couldn't truly wake up and return, but even a "fake" one, even one that was only a few parts similar, was enough to eliminate this great robbery before his eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan gradually corrected his previous judgment through the clues before, discovering that the old dog wasn't doing it to whitewash itself. When walking to the Yu family ancestral hall, the youth also guessed who the old dog truly wanted to resurrect.

But the youth truly hadn't expected that he could actually unify the front with the old dog so quickly and have to help it.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan finally realized why Heaven had laid out the Yu family for him so early in the previous waves.

From Yu Miaomiao met in Lijiang, to the evil spirit under the Dujiangyan cave...

Although he could guide and push the waves, the final choice was actually still in the hands of Heaven.

That pair of eyes above his head had long since arranged the position of the knife edge where he, this knife, should fall.

If he hadn't been able to walk here and died halfway, it would be happy; if he walked here and completed this knife, it would also be happy.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Di Ting in front of him,

And opened his mouth:

"I will help you resurrect Yu Tiannan."

Underground graveyard.

Zhao Yi and the others were still immersed in this state of being shocked.

Every Long Wang was a legend of an era, and because of their special nature, the companion demon beasts beside the Yu family Dragon Kings were more intimate than the followers beside other era Dragon Kings.

On them, one could see the slight demeanor of the Yu family Long Wang back then.

Zhao Yi licked his lips.

He walked to the snow wolf he saw at first sight and reached out to touch it.

"Hiss..."

An invisible sharpness left a white mark on his palm.

Fortunately, he was half a flood dragon body; if it were an ordinary person, this touch would have cut off half a palm.

"Fresh... truly fresh..."

These words were somewhat disrespectful.

But Zhao Yi was from the bottom of his heart.

He felt that he should have been spoiled by that "poor wretch" surnamed Li.

Facing such a majestic existence, the first thought wasn't to admire it properly, but to check if this meat quality preservation was intact.

Sure enough, when a person was financially strapped, many things naturally became less particular.

The demon beasts here didn't die in battle, but were ordered to be buried with the master before the Yu family Long Wang's lifespan was exhausted.

The Yu family was at least an orthodox Long Wang gate back then; various resource means wouldn't be lacking, so their corpses obtained extremely good preservation conditions.

Even if it continued to this day, they didn't rot or fall. Since the sharp cutting sensation on the fur was still there, then the blood energy in their corpses must be incomparably fresh, just like when they were alive.

Relatively speaking, the quality of their fresh blood was higher than the demon beasts slaughtered outside, because they accepted death peacefully, without struggle or resistance.

Just right for... A-Jing to eat.

Zhao Yi: "A-Jing, hurry up and come over, choose one."

"Ah?"

After knowing the identities of these demon beasts, Chen Jing had never thought that he could actually "taint" them.

Not just Chen Jing, even Liang Yan, Liang Li, and Xu Ming were shocked by their boss's decision.

They were subordinates of the Long Wang back then; eating them, wouldn't that be a great disrespect to the Long Wang?

Zhao Yi: "The Yu family has suffered such a great disaster; we have come here to rescue the Yu family from their dire straits and to uphold the righteous principles of humans and beasts. I think that if these great demon beast lords could be resurrected and see the scene currently unfolding at the Yu family, they would inevitably be heartbroken and incomparably furious."

We are not desecrating these demon beast adults, and even less disrespectful to the Long Wang, but taking from the Yu family and using it for the Yu family.

I think the spirits of the Long Wang and the demon beast adults in heaven will also feel gratified and recognized for this.

This is Heaven's will... no, it is Yu's will."

The boss's words could indeed make sense.

But everyone's heart was still a bit anxious.

Chen Jing's brain was still "buzzing," pushed forward by Brother Yi.

"A-Jing, hurry up, choose a demon beast adult."

Chen Jing didn't know specifically which one to choose, so he could only ask:

"Brother Yi, what are the differences between these demon beast adults?"

Zhao Yi didn't know.

Historically, the Jianghu families' records of the Yu family Dragon Kings were indeed recorded, but such records often focused more on people, and the followers beside them were all brushed over.

Furthermore, Jianghu rumors weren't necessarily accurate; he, Zhao Yi, was the best example.

"A-Jing, don't be attached; not only are you choosing a demon beast adult, but the demon beast adults are also choosing you.

You are about to inherit the legacy and blood energy of that demon beast adult, and in the future on the river, reappear the glory it had back then.

Follow your heart; don't have too many distracting thoughts."

"Hmm, I understand, Brother Yi."

Zhao Yi nodded with gratification, although he didn't know what A-Jing understood.

But sometimes, to lead a team, besides developing members into family members, it truly required a bit of leadership art.

This was also a method with no other way; after all, in this point, he couldn't compare to the one surnamed Li.

The one surnamed Li could arrange the development of every step of the people around him clearly, wave by wave of improvement, with a clear rhythm.

He, Zhao Yi, could also help, but he could only build the foundation; the final sublimation could only rely on his subordinates themselves.

Chen Jing walked among these dead demon beast adults and finally walked back.

Zhao Yi thought this child still hadn't been able to make a choice and was about to open his mouth to designate, but saw Chen Jing standing in front of the snow wolf he saw at first.

"A-Jing, is this your choice?"

"Hmm!"

"It seems you have a fate with this snow wolf adult, and the snow wolf adult is also fond of you."

"Brother Yi, because..."

"Alright, kneel down and salute the snow wolf adult; express your determination for the future to the snow wolf adult."

Zhao Yi didn't want to hear Chen Jing's reason for choosing the snow wolf at all, because he knew this child would definitely say it was because the snow wolf was the best-looking and coolest among this group of demon beasts.

Such a serious atmosphere must not be broken; everyone should hold on. If any accident happened, there would still be room for maneuver.

Chen Jing knelt down to the snow wolf and saluted, stating his outlook for the future. The general meaning was that he wanted to work hard to improve his strength so he could truly help Brother Yi and help Brother Yi River Walk.

A-Jing originally wanted to say helping Brother Yi become a Long Wang, but as soon as this sentence reached his lips, Brother Yuan's figure appeared in his mind.

Zhao Yi knew this clearly, but he wasn't angry in the slightest.

He himself, as the boss, was always suppressed by the one surnamed Li; it was completely normal for his subordinates to have a "psychological shadow" toward the one surnamed Li.

The simple process was finished, the ceremony was done, and it was time for the soldiers.

Zhao Yi asked Liang Li for a dagger, preparing to open a mouth for the snow wolf so it would be convenient for the fresh blood to flow out.

Liang Li: "Boss, let me do it."

Zhao Yi touched Liang Li's face: "Alright, after spending so much effort, it was not easy to restore you two to recovery; don't create a body full of scars again. If I can't get it up in bed in the future, I'll still be scolded for having no conscience."

This work could only be done by Zhao Yi himself; anyway, he had thick skin and was scratch-resistant.

Chen Jing was already sitting cross-legged, operating his cultivation technique, his aura revealed, preparing to eat.

Just at this time, a crack opened on the snow wolf's chest position where there was a patch of white fur, and fresh blood flowed out from inside, gurgling.

Zhao Yi, who was halfway there, stopped his steps, quickly put away the dagger, and saluted the snow wolf:

"Many thanks to the snow wolf adult for the fulfillment."

Whether the previous scene words and etiquette were effective couldn't be determined; Zhao Yi felt this possibility was very low.

A dead demon beast was just dead.

Zhao Yi guessed that it was mostly because Chen Jing's bloodline had some relationship with that old dog, and before that old dog went crazy, it was at the same level as these demon beasts.

Among the big guys, not only was there no rejection, but there was a tacit understanding of mutual help, which made this process become so smooth.

However, he was truly lucky to be able to come here by coincidence.

There should be "spirit tablets" worshipped for these demon beasts in the ancestral hall, and there were no traces of sacrifice here, so the Yu family wouldn't easily open this place. In the past, most Yu family members themselves didn't know that there was such a Long Wang demon beast mausoleum deep in the ancestral home.

Zhao Yi turned his head to look at that huge pangolin.

He brought relief to those Yu family children earlier, and by the way, sent those cute and smart little demon beasts to heaven to play together.

As a result, he was pushed here by this pangolin.

It was hard to say that there was no relationship between these two things.

"It seems that in this Yu family ancestral home, one cannot just wander around without doing proper work."

The fresh blood flowing from the snow wolf's body, like a small waterfall, washed down toward Chen Jing below.

Chen Jing let go of everything and swallowed madly.

He had already absorbed many demon beasts before, almost reaching the edge of his throat.

But he couldn't refuse this great opportunity, and no one could refuse it. Even if it were a ninety percent death probability, it was worth fighting for that one percent success!

Unsurprisingly, Chen Jing went into demonic possession again.

The iron chains on his body appeared, suppressing him.

But accompanied by the snow-white fur gradually growing on his skin, the "clatter" sound of the iron chains rang out continuously.

This was about to be unable to suppress it.

The one surnamed Li wasn't here, so he could only temporarily suppress it.

Zhao Yi took a few steps forward, released white flames from his fingertips, placed them on his own forehead, opened the Heavenly Lamp, and the light fell on Chen Jing.

The violence on Chen Jing subsided a bit. Although his eyes were red and his face was twisted, at least he could continue to stand there obediently, maintaining the inertia of swallowing.

Zhao Yi knew that he couldn't possibly win against the one surnamed Li in head-on competition, and what he had to do was not to have a generational gap in team strength with the one surnamed Li's side.

If Chen Jing could absorb this snow wolf, it would almost be the limit of his current "pulling seedlings to help them grow," but it was enough for him to become the Runsheng in his team.

Having Runsheng or not having Runsheng, for a team, were completely two concepts. Only with a sufficiently solid camp could one calmly use various means and methods, no longer needing to rush up and fight for his life every time.

Why was his team always severely injured in the first few waves, and why did they have to spend a lot of time and energy on healing and recovery between waves? The problem lay here.

However, even after lighting the Heavenly Lamp, this suppression effect didn't last for too long.

After Zhao Yi's forehead lamp flame flickered, it went out.

Chen Jing: "Roar!"

He lost control completely.

The snow-white fur on his body grew further, and the crimson in his eyes turned into an indifferent white.

However, this time Chen Jing didn't directly go on a rampage to attack his companions, but actively jumped to the position of the snow wolf's chest, tearing the mouth even wider with both hands, letting more fresh blood flow out to be absorbed by himself.

He now truly looked like a wolf cub waiting to be fed.

Finally, the snow wolf's body shriveled, and the seemingly soft fur also presented a withered state.

"Thud!"

Chen Jing jumped down with satisfaction, turned around, and swept his gaze across everyone around him.

A crescent mark appeared on his forehead, and his eyes made his companions feel strange.

He lost control, lost control very thoroughly.

Zhao Yi: "A-Jing..."

"Hum!"

The next moment, Chen Jing appeared in front of Zhao Yi. He didn't stop, directly crashing into him.

Zhao Yi reacted very quickly, immediately tightening the skin and flesh on his body, welcoming him sideways.

"Bang!"

Zhao Yi flew backward, sliding a long distance on the ground, and the side that collided with Chen Jing was dripping with blood.

After crashing, Chen Jing stood in place, and his center of gravity crouched down; looking at the posture, he was preparing to continue launching an attack on Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi was very happy in his heart, because the wild ambition he had laid out for several waves had finally become reality, and it was over-realized.

But the happy troubles followed, which was that Chen Jing wanted to kill all of them.

Zhao Yi stood up, spat out a mouthful of blood foam, raised his hand, and signaled the Liang sisters and Xu Ming to cooperate with him to see if they could suppress A-Jing again.

Just at this time,

"Boom!"

A violent vibration came from above, followed by the wanton roars of unknown how many powerful evil spirits.

The white in Chen Jing's eyes appeared to fluctuate, as if drawn by some kind of inertia in his bloodline. When he heard the sounds of these demon beasts, an instinct made him want to tear them to pieces.

The desire to kill evil spirits exceeded the desire to kill the people in front of him.

The ceiling kept collapsing, appearing one after another large and small cracks. Chen Jing leaped, stepping on the rock wall and rushing upward.

Zhao Yi waved his hand and greeted:

"We follow!"

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the council hall and came to the offering table of the ancestral hall in front.

Di Ting followed behind.

As for Chen Xiyuan, Runsheng, Lin Shu You, and Tan Wenbin, they followed behind Di Ting.

The youth raised his head and looked at the spirit tablets of the past Yu family Dragon Kings on the offering table.

At this moment, all the spirit tablets had cracked, meaning these Long Wang spirits were suffering from intense impact.

Compared to the spirit tablets he saw in A-Li's dreams, they were still quite a bit better; after all, the spirits of the Qin and Liu families were completely gone.

Li Zhuiyuan took three sticks of incense from the offering table with his right hand, and flicked his left hand, and the incense fire ignited.

After inserting the incense into the incense burner, the youth opened his mouth and asked Di Ting:

"Where is Yu Tiannan's spirit?"

Di Ting lowered its gaze, falling on a black box under the offering table, with a spirit tablet placed on top of the box, on which was written "Yu Tiannan."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "The spirit is not on this."

Di Ting: "Master, didn't leave a spirit."

Li Zhuiyuan: "What do you mean?"

Di Ting: "Master, didn't leave a spirit."

Di Ting: "Master, no spirit was left behind."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yu Tiannan, did he sacrifice his own spirit in advance?"

The spirit of a Long Wang is a unique existence; it is fundamentally different from other existences that carry the suffix "spirit."

Di Ting: "I don't know, and I don't remember either."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then it was a sacrifice, down in that karst cave at Dujiangyan."

Many Dragon Kings, before their oil runs out and their lamps go dry, choose a great evil to suppress, using it as the curtain call for their own era.

In that mural beneath the karst cave, Li Zhuiyuan had once witnessed Yu Tiannan's demeanor from back then, and had also caught a glimpse of the terror of that memory-eating evil spirit; at that time, the evil spirit was billowing with thick fog, almost obscuring the entire mountaintop.

Compared to the one he solved later when he arrived, it was simply a world of difference.

In other words, the memory-eating evil spirit he killed was an existence that had been profoundly and severely wounded by Yu Tiannan to the point of near-death, just like the "legacy" of the Dragon Kings of the Qin and Liu families he had fished out in A Li's dream before; those evil spirits were certainly powerful back then, but when he faced them, their states were no longer what they once were.

But if Yu Tiannan's spirit was also sacrificed in that battle, it means that this evil spirit exceeded the control of Yu Tiannan's era.

Time makes people old; Yu Tiannan may have underestimated the strength of that evil spirit and also mistakenly identified himself as being younger.

Therefore, he had no choice but to sacrifice his own spirit to strengthen the suppression, preferring that not a single trace of his existence remain in the world after his death, and preferring that his family be unable to receive his protection, just to suppress and kill this evil spirit.

In principle, this is perfectly fine, and it embodies the responsibility and commitment of a Long Wang to the fullest.

His only mistake was that he shouldn't have softened his heart for that one moment and failed to follow tradition by having Yuanbao buried with him in advance.

Or perhaps, he felt that he could choose a shared curtain call together with Yuanbao.

Even when stalemated with that memory-eating evil spirit until the very last moment, he might have believed that even if he died, his Yuanbao could continue the relay, finish the last short stretch of persistence, and completely wear this evil spirit away to nothing.

A beast is, after all, a beast.

This is what Wei Zhengdao said to Sun Baishen while pointing at the monkey back then.

This is determined by humans, and even more so by the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Dao's suppression of demons is clearly even more severe.

The Yu family's ancestral instruction to have companion demon beasts buried with them is actually a way to make up for this "debt."

Di Ting: "If Master's spirit were still here, do you think I would need to expend such great effort?"

Li Zhuiyuan remained silent.

Di Ting: "If the method you speak of refers to this, then it seems there is no use in keeping you alive either."

Li Zhuiyuan: "How much of that memory-eating evil spirit's abilities have you actually learned?"

Di Ting: "I don't know either, but it's enough."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I have mastered definitely more than you."

Di Ting: "Child, don't talk big; Yuanbao is stupid, but that is only when compared to the Master."

Li Zhuiyuan: "That evil spirit, in the end, was 'swallowed' by me."

Di Ting's right eye narrowed.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Besides, you are already dead; a dead person learning things—how could it be faster than a living person?"

Di Ting: "If the resurrection of the Master is successful, I die and you live; if the resurrection cannot be successful..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I am walking the river; you should know what that means. If we fail to stop this catastrophe, then the karma triggered by it will all have to be borne by us, the river-walkers of this wave.

By then, you won't even need to kill me; I myself will live a life worse than death under the backlash of karma.

So, there is no need to bring up such meaningless threats again."

Di Ting smiled; this topic evoked memories of its past river-walking days with the Master.

Li Zhuiyuan: "For the matter of resurrecting Yu Tiannan, it is enough for me to stay here alone."

As he spoke, Li Zhuiyuan turned around, his gaze sweeping toward Chen Xiyuan, Runsheng, Lin Shu You, and Tan Wenbin.

"The great formation has now been breached by a dog; now, I want you to go there, plug the gap, and buy me time. Tan Wenbin will be in temporary command."

The last sentence was said to Chen Xiyuan.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

With the previous order to "lower their guard" in front of the old dog, everyone was now much less resistant to the order of leaving Brother Xiaoyuan here alone.

Runsheng and the other two turned to leave; only Chen Xiyuan, before turning, took another earnest look at her little brother.

Miss Chen had a delicate and easily wandering mind; who told her that she had practiced her domain since childhood by listening to the gossip of private residences?

Therefore, she felt that at this moment, her little brother was practically glowing.

Staying alone in a dragon's den and tiger's lair, while sending them out to protect the common people.

Di Ting's figure flashed, blocking their path. He looked at the youth still standing before the offering table and spoke:

"Kid, aren't you taking me, this dog, a bit too lightly?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your goal is to have Yu Tiannan awaken, not to incite this catastrophe. All the destruction you deliberately caused earlier was nothing more than using moral responsibility as a threat to force your master to open his eyes.

Now, I have already told you, it's not that he doesn't want to wake up, but that he cannot wake up.

What is the use of you blocking my people from stopping the catastrophe?

I don't want my people to die, I don't want the karma generated by the catastrophe to fall upon me, and I don't want my river-walking to fail. Right now, I want the Long Wang Yu to awaken even more than you do.

So,

Move aside, you stupid dog!"

At this shout, not to mention Chen Xiyuan feeling a ripple in her heart, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shu You also unconsciously puffed out their chests, and even in Runsheng's eyes, a light emerged.

Those not involved cannot experience this feeling.

The mastermind of this wave, the "great evil spirit" who created all of this, was called a "stupid dog" to its face by their own Brother Xiaoyuan.

You have to know, Brother Xiaoyuan wouldn't even be this stern or impolite to the little black dog he raised himself.

Di Ting's right eye flickered continuously.

He could not refute, because what the youth said was indeed the truth.

The golden color in the left eye began to boil; clearly, the true "Di Ting" had been suppressing its anger for a long time.

Although it didn't know why, this golden left eye had felt a great aversion toward this youth from the very first time it saw him.

A hatred for no reason, and the kind that goes deep into the marrow.

If it weren't for the yellow right eye—that is, the little yellow dog—having complete control over this body, and if it had been in the big white dog state from before, Di Ting would have pounced and torn this youth to shreds at the second glance.

This feeling was not without cause, because Di Ting's step-by-step descent from a high-and-mighty existence under the Bodhisattva to a plaything whose memory was wiped by the old dog was all thanks to Li Zhuiyuan.

The yellow gaze became firm, and the left eye closed.

The anger of the "true Di Ting" was, at this moment, not worth mentioning.

Di Ting cleared the path.

The four of them, Tan Wenbin included, walked out of the ancestral hall.

Chen Xiyuan couldn't help but sigh: "In the past, when reading the notes of our ancestors and seeing their flowery praise for that generation of Dragon Kings, I always felt it was a bit overly sycophantic and fawning. Now I finally realize that this was already a very restrained expression."

Tan Wenbin: "That is indeed true. However, I seem to have noticed that when Brother Xiaoyuan called the old dog a 'stupid dog,' the old dog wasn't angry, but rather a bit excited?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Really?"

Lin Shu You: "Yes, it was the same reaction I had when Brother Xiaoyuan first called me A-You."

Tan Wenbin: "I suspect this was the nickname Long Wang Yu used for Yuanbao in the past; Brother Xiaoyuan just deliberately added this term of address to make it agree to let us pass."

Chen Xiyuan: "Even the words used to curse someone have to be so carefully considered? Little brother lives such a tiring life."

Tan Wenbin: "Do you feel tired when you breathe?"

Chen Xiyuan: "That makes sense."

Tan Wenbin: "Alright, let's go, we should go plug the gate."

Chen Xiyuan: "I'll listen to you; little brother said to let you command."

Tan Wenbin felt a headache upon hearing this; if he could still command in a decent manner before, now that everyone was becoming stronger and their work more delicate, plus having Chen Xiyuan here this time, he truly didn't know how to command properly.

But as it happened, among the four people present, no one else could shoulder this responsibility besides himself; should he let Runsheng command or A-You command?

If he let Miss Chen command, I'm afraid that once her domain opened and her flute was raised: Brothers, follow this lady!

Then there would be even less of a game to play.

Tan Wenbin: "Sigh, if the former external team hadn't died, it would be great if they could run over to plug the gate later."

Lin Shu You: "Three-Eyes might not have that much guts."

With Three-Eyes' brain, it shouldn't be difficult to mix his way to the ancestral hall; since he didn't appear here, then according to Lin Shu You's understanding of him, I'm afraid he has been slacking off on the periphery the whole time.

Tan Wenbin: "He is the former external team after all, one has to have some expectations; what if he really acts like a man this time?"

Lin Shu You curled his lips, clearly not believing it.

Chen Xiyuan: "There must be many people at the Yu family's main gate now; don't expect too much from the old fogies, but the remaining river-walkers can be won over.

So, whose banner should we fly later, Long Wang Qin's or Long Wang Liu's?"

Tan Wenbin: "Neither."

Chen Xiyuan: "Then how do we rally people, or do we just rely purely on ourselves?"

Tan Wenbin:

"Fly the banner of Long Wang Chen."

After the stone tablet of the Yu family Long Wang fell, the originally pitch-black Yu family ancestral residence was gradually shrouded in red light; the darkness was driven away, and visibility improved accordingly.

Everyone had fled here, and there were many eyes; the things they could sneakily do when alone earlier were no longer possible to carry out at this moment.

The elders had all arrived outside the Yu family's main gate, with those from the Long Wang gates of Tao Wanli and Ling Zhuhang as the main ones.

The two looked at each other; many young river-walkers had been lost, which was not surprising, and there was no lack of their own dirty work in that, but even they, this bunch of old fogies, had actually suffered quite a few losses.

Even more frightening was that Ming Qiushui still hadn't appeared.

When attacking the Yu family earlier, the three of them were the main force; after blasting open the Yu family gate, they went on a killing spree, while the others were responsible for following, slaughtering most of the demon beasts entrenched here in a short time.

Tao Wanli: "Tell me, did Ming Qiushui fall into some opportunity, or..."

Ling Zhuhang: "What kind of opportunity would be worth someone of her background taking a risk?"

Tao Wanli: "Heh, then that would be extraordinary."

As he spoke, Tao Wanli's gaze fell upon Ling Wuxing, who was sitting on the steps; Ling Wuxing had lost an ear and had bloodstains on his face, and of the four people originally by his side, only two remained.

However, there were several aura fluctuations on Ling Wuxing; he should have just harvested something that he hadn't yet been able to fully absorb and suppress.

As far as it looks now, his harvest is immense, and this is just from simple perception.

Ling Zhuhang knew what Tao Wanli meant, and his gaze deliberately glanced toward Tao Zhuming.

Tao Zhuming was also sitting on the steps, with all four people by his side still present, and he looked to be in quite good condition.

Tao Wanli: "Look, our Zhuming is empty-handed, and his clothes aren't even dirty; it's as if he just strolled around inside."

Ling Zhuhang: "I am Zhuming's godfather; when Zhuming was born and I went to your house for the full-month celebration, I saw that this kid was extraordinary, so I forced you all to accept the god-kinship and even added my 'Zhu' character to his name.

This kid Zhuming has a mind like the sea; even if he obtained some opportunity, he wouldn't show it. He is a natural talent for doing great things."

Tao Wanli: "What about your Ling Wuxing? Didn't he also get your character? And he is your own nephew's grandson."

Ling Zhuhang shook his head.

The two old men's gazes swept around again.

A youth holding a spear, supported by a maid, was barely standing against a pillar, his chest a bloody mess; he had clearly been disemboweled.

He was in a miserable state, but his true situation was hard to hide from the eyes of the two old fogies; he appeared weak and listless, but in reality, he could still strike with his spear like a dragon.

A bald man was squatting there, half of his body severely scorched, including the top of his head; his two subordinates were helping him tear off the charred skin on his head.

A gray-robed scholar was sitting on a stone lion, with an old servant serving meat beside him, and a page boy handing him water.

It wasn't just Tao Wanli and Ling Zhuhang who were observing; the other old fogies around were also observing.

So many people went in together, and at this moment, only these five groups remained.

Among the young people who died, I'm afraid those who died searching for opportunities were a very small minority; demon beasts had been entrenched and living here for so long, so how many dangerous opportunities could there be?

The vast majority should have died at the hands of the old fogies, or from mutual slaughter among the young people themselves.

Some old people were comforting each other; perhaps the old man being comforted was the very one who killed the other's junior.

Tao Wanli sighed: "This is river-walking; it is indeed cruel."

Ling Zhuhang glared at him irritably; you old fogey, you haven't killed any less, so what the hell are you sighing about here?

In the distance, the aura of evil spirits grew more and more intense; although most of the evil spirits were held back by the Long Wang stone tablets, a small batch remained unaffected and were already approaching the main gate.

Tao Wanli: "What do you say, shall we block them or not?"

Ling Zhuhang: "You set an example first."

Tao Wanli: "We two are from Long Wang families after all; the previous posture was fine to just run, but the number of evil spirits now isn't that large yet, so there is a chance to block them."

Ling Zhuhang: "Those Long Wang stone tablets cannot block the other evil spirits for too long. Once the tablets crack and the subsequent evil spirits pour out all at once, if we get entangled, we won't have a chance to run again."

Tao Wanli: "But, it's too shameful."

Ling Zhuhang: "Life or face, which one do you want to lose? Heh, if you and I really cared about this face, our families wouldn't have sent us out."

Tao Wanli: "That's what I said, but we can leave, these children..."

"The Yu family's matter is urgent; I will go notify my sect to prepare early and then come up with a plan. I take my leave first!"

"For the sake of the common people, I must take the first step!"

"For the sake of the righteous path, this should be discussed at length; everyone, don't blame me!"

Some old fogies had already left directly; the number of old fogies who came to the Yu family this time was already much larger than the young people, and many of them had no juniors river-walking here. Their original intention was to come to the Yu family to stake out territory and grab resources; seeing that the situation was beyond control, they naturally left without any attachment.

Some had their own juniors lost inside, so there was no point in them blocking the evil spirits here; they even wished that the remaining young people from other families would all die quickly so they would feel better, so they left quite decisively.

"Boom!"

The huge existence could already be seen; it was a mountain of flesh covered in maggots. It was impossible to see clearly what its true form was, or perhaps, due to long-term decay and proliferation, even it itself couldn't distinguish what kind of existence it was.

Wherever it went, a large amount of white and yellow maggots shook off like a cascading waterfall, and the large-scale writhing under its feet was like flowing water.

Ling Zhuhang: "Can we light the lamp a second time?"

Tao Wanli: "Lighting the lamp a second time depends on the timing; if we had lit it earlier, maybe nothing would have happened, but in the current situation, even if we admit defeat and leave the field, we will suffer karmic backlash, and I'm afraid we'll end up in a life worse than death."

Ling Zhuhang: "Actually, if our families pay a little more price to help the children dissipate it, it's not impossible."

The foundation of the Long Wang gates indeed qualifies them to say this.

Tao Wanli: "First, the family foundation isn't meant to be consumed here; a talent abandoned by the Heavenly Dao has already lost the necessity for the family to continue investing in them; second, you have to ask these children first if they are willing to admit defeat."

Ling Zhuhang: "Heaven's will is like this; creation plays with people."

At this moment, Tao Zhuming stood up and walked toward Ling Wuxing.

"Brother Ling, have you seen Brother Zhao?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid Brother Zhao is..."

"No, I observe Brother Zhao, and it seems he never had any intention of going deep into this mansion."

"Then where is he now?"

"Who knows."

"Look, the old fogies are starting to leave."

"I just counted, I'm afraid the losses among the old fogies are no less than us young people. How many did you take out?"

"A few? Brother, you think too highly of me; just one. Before that old bastard died, he even tore off one of my ears."

"I only got one too."

"You look quite relaxed."

"It's an act; I have severe injuries on me right now."

"The injury on that person's chest and the charred skin on the bald man's head weren't the work of demon beasts either."

"Then let's just count it as one each."

"The meat that person is being fed by the old servant looks a bit old."

"That counts as one too. But calculating it this way, the numbers don't match up; either someone died together with an old fogey, or someone killed more than one old fogey—two, or even three."

"A guy who can kill three old fogies—who is the real old fogey?"

"It's quite frightening, really; however, if one person hasn't died and also came in, maybe it's possible."

"You mean that person from the Chen family? She really might be capable of it."

"The people from the Four Profound Sects went missing and died in the Luoyang city area without a sound; they must have left a mark on her behind our backs, wanting to chase and kill her to eat alone, only to be counter-killed."

This shows that either that person from the Chen family is even stronger than we imagined, or there is another group of people protecting her."

"I suspected it the day the museum formation collapsed, but Zhao Yi and Lu Xuan both said it was the Yu family demon beasts attacking the formation from the outside."

"Listen to their bullshit; if demon beasts could play with formations, how could our elders have broken into this Yu family?"

"They're here, they're here; what do we do?"

"I won't admit defeat; besides, lighting the lamp a second time at this moment is better to just die."

"I think the same."

After their gazes met, both stood up, each facing their own elders—that is, Tao Wanli and Ling Zhuhang—and bowed, saying:

"The Yu family disaster will spread to the human world. Thank you, Elders, for the sake of the dignity of our Long Wang gates, and for the sake of the righteous path, for helping us guard the gate for the common people!"

Tao Wanli: "..."