Chapter 160

Human consciousness is like a house: some appear tall but are actually frail, others are beautiful on the outside but rotten within, and some, though simply adorned, are tough and resilient.

What the Dream Demon does is destroy this house, then build a temple dedicated to itself on top of it, turning the person into its puppet.

It succeeded.

What it didn't expect was that some people, in addition to the house above ground, also possess deep foundations beneath it.

From a rational and detached perspective, one could even say... he himself was already another person's puppet.

No matter how you change the architectural style above, his underlying logic remains constant.

When these two elements clash, it's illogical for the house above to remain intact while the foundation collapses first.

What Run Sheng listened to most was Old Man Shan.

Old Man Shan told him: You must listen to smart people.

From the first time he saw Xiao Yuan at Old Man Li's house, Run Sheng knew this boy, though younger than himself, was very intelligent.

At that time, on the second-floor terrace, the boy was sitting with a girl, reading and playing chess. Run Sheng wanted to approach but felt uneasy and awkward.

One small reason was that he was dressed somewhat shabbily and casually, while the two children were very refined.

The fundamental reason was that he could sense the insight and wisdom radiating from their eyes.

Run Sheng was a very simple person; even complex matters could be condensed into a few words or a single sentence in his eyes.

Later, Old Man Shan told Run Sheng: You must listen to Xiao Yuan.

Run Sheng began to listen to Xiao Yuan.

He genuinely didn't believe his own mind was of much use, especially when there was someone with a better mind nearby.

He didn't care for formal yet correct sayings like "you must have your own thoughts," "you must have an independent soul," or "you must think for yourself." He simply couldn't be bothered with them.

He only knew that Xiao Yuan had a good mind but hadn't grown up yet, and he himself was strong and healthy, so he could carry Xiao Yuan on his back, bringing Xiao Yuan's head level with his own.

"Puppet" is a derogatory term, but what if the person concerned truly desires it?

This was what Li Zhuiyuan couldn't believe, because without memories of the "future," he didn't know how much his "future" self trusted this big man standing before him.

At all times, this big man would instinctively walk ahead of him.

Perhaps, having no "memories" isn't entirely bad; at least, it can filter out some of the purest things.

Li Zhuiyuan climbed onto Run Sheng's back.

The big man was sticky with blood, and his skin was cracked everywhere.

The forced suppression after his orifices were fully activated, combined with breaking free from the Dream Demon's puppet control, subjected Run Sheng to physical and mental torture that no ordinary person could endure.

Yet, he steadily carried the boy on his back.

There was no resistance, no defiance.

Li Zhuiyuan effortlessly led him out of this dream.

The amusement park.

Everyone was gathered.

Excluding the blurry figure, there were five people in total.

Everyone felt familiar and close, yet they didn't know each other, nor even their names.

The sky above the amusement park began to crack.

This meant the dream here could not be sustained much longer.

It was time to leave.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, left the core of the formation, and walked towards the figure.

The figure turned and walked forward, with Li Zhuiyuan following behind.

"Actually, we could skip this final farewell, because what we say now won't be remembered, and therefore holds no value."

Li Zhuiyuan: "If every word spoken had to be valuable, most people in this world would be mute."

"So, shall we go through the motions?"

"Essential rituals themselves hold great meaning."

"Heh, your current way of speaking reminds me of my younger days. Every time I wanted to do something meaningless or foolish, I had to find an excuse, a self-justification. We are smarter than ordinary people, but at the same time, we are also dumber than them. What others are born knowing, we have to meticulously explore and imitate, learning to crawl and walk. As for running, that's truly a beautiful dream beyond our wildest imagination."

The figure spoke, and Li Zhuiyuan listened.

The two, one large and one small, passed by the bumper car area, but the figure turned in another direction, not actually going there, but instead heading to the adjacent carousel.

The figure naturally pushed open the fence, found a cute little white horse, and sat on it. The white horse had rainbow ribbons hanging beneath it.

Li Zhuiyuan stood by and watched.

The figure urged: "Hey, have you rationalized it yet?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

"Then get on."

Li Zhuiyuan chose a penguin and sat on it.

The machine started, lights flickered, and a children's song began. The two of them, riding their "mounts," moved up and down rhythmically, circling around.

"I suppose I'm an elder?"

"By the duration of our condition, yes."

"Then I'll just put on airs and say some nonsense an elder should say. Just listen, it won't sink in anyway."

"Okay."

"Not much to say, just over ten thousand points."

"Okay."

"The first point is what's been said many times: Heaven and Earth are unkind; they treat all things as straw dogs. You can cooperate with it, oppose it, or even cherish a mutual appreciation. But never truly believe it has feelings. To give an inappropriate analogy, such people exist in reality; you can easily find examples. It will actively seek you out to play, joke with you, and laugh. But never mistake that for genuine friendship. Otherwise, when you naively think you're close, that your relationship has reached that level, you might go up, put your arm around its shoulder, and crack a joke it often made with you. It will immediately give you a cold look and retort: 'Are we close?'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It can't take a joke."

Figure: "It looks down on you."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I understand."

"That's the first point. The second is about your condition: like me, you have memory loss. Once you realize this, you can't clearly know how much you've lost. Therefore, regarding your condition, I truly have no good advice to offer. Perhaps, no advice is needed. Because the answer may be hidden within the process of arduous exploration and trial. Writing the answer clearly on paper and showing it to you, or even shouting it in your ear tens of thousands of times, would be meaningless, and might even be counterproductive. You are already trying to cure your condition, and I can see it's had some partial success, so keep at it. Not giving up, and fighting against your condition and the 'self' you don't want to appear within you, is itself a remedy."

"Okay, I understand."

"Third, let's talk about myself. Fortunately, after you leave this dream, you'll forget everything except what you've fully grasped, so you'll also forget that I'm dead. That way, in reality, you should continue to search for traces of me. If you find any sign that I'm not dead, you'll actively rush over and stomp hard on me, finishing me off. Thank you."

Li Zhuiyuan puzzled: "Is this point worth repeating?"

"It is. I died, and it wasn't easy, but in the end, I succeeded in dying. But who knows, some despicable people might want to revive me?"

"Revive you?"

"I'm very worried about that. So, you must watch out for me. Anyone who wants to revive me, don't listen to what they say, what they cry, or what they shout; just kill them all directly. Because those who truly understand me will want me to die completely."

"Indeed."

"Before I died, I should have made specific arrangements, fearing that someone might cause trouble for my deceased self later on. Under normal circumstances, this shouldn't happen. But after seeing you, I changed my mind. I started to worry. The further you go, the more excellent you become. To suppress you... I'm afraid it might truly bring me out as a sacrifice. If that happens, the next time we meet, it won't be this harmonious and friendly."

"I'm quite looking forward to it. If this is the final exam, I hope the person who understands me best will set the paper for me."

"Brat, you're happy, but what about me?"

"You know, people like us have no emotions."

Figure: "Don't say that. Even I, a dead person, am quite looking forward to it. It's even amusing to think that you and I, one after the other, separated by so many years and generations, can still force it to choose the lesser of two evils. But that's just a thought. If you ever discover this sign in the future, you still need to nip its attempt in the bud. Because it will anticipate, just as it pulled you onto the boat this time before you grew up. Likewise, it won't wait until you're at the very last step to hold its nose and bring me out. If you let it use me, the elder, to overpower you, the younger, you'll have no way out, understand?"

"Understood."

"Good, that word makes me feel comfortable."

"Naturally."

"Alright, that's all."

"Weren't there over ten thousand points?"

"The rest haven't been worked out yet."

"Hmm."

The figure waved a hand, the machine stopped rotating, and he and the boy dismounted from the carousel.

"This world, I've been here, and I've grown tired of playing. Now, it's your turn."

"Hmm."

"Play well, and whatever you do, don't get yourself killed."

Li Zhuiyuan returned to the original formation's position, and his four unfamiliar companions obediently gathered around him.

The boy activated the formation, and the five of them vanished from the spot.

The dream's main subject had left, and the amusement park accelerated its collapse.

The blurry figure stood in place, gradually beginning to dissipate, becoming even more indistinct.

He looked up at the sky and said, "You really are more shameless than before."

A "beep!" sounded.

A horn blast pulled all five people in the car back to reality.

No one had any concrete memory of this process; it felt as if their minds had briefly gone blank, and all the incidents from the dream had been erased.

However, there were still real-world effects.

Run Sheng, covered in blood, lay slumped in the back of the car. The moment he regained consciousness, he lost it again, falling into a coma.

Lin Shuyou knelt there in great pain, clutching his eyes, from which blood continued to flow.

Tan Wenbin was extremely tired, his mind felt numb. He yawned, his head hitting the steering wheel; the recent honk was caused by his head knocking it.

Yin Meng sat in her seat, head tilted back. She had a severe headache, reminding her of the consequences of secretly drinking her grandfather's homemade rice wine as a child.

Faced with this sudden change, Li Zhuiyuan frowned: "Did we already enter the dream? And now, is this truly reality?"

Regardless, they had to deal with the immediate situation first.

Li Zhuiyuan extended a finger and flicked both Tan Wenbin's and Yin Meng's foreheads, releasing them from their hypnotic states.

Though still uncomfortable, they were indeed much better than before.

Next, the three of them got out of the car and went to the back compartment.

Yin Meng asked with concern, "What happened to Run Sheng?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "He activated all his orifices. His life isn't in danger. Please attend to him."

"Okay."

Li Zhuiyuan then reached out and lifted Lin Shuyou's head.

"A-You, are you still conscious?"

"Brother Xiaoyuan, my eyes hurt so much."

Li Zhuiyuan examined Lin Shuyou's eyes. There were no wounds; the blood seemed more like a counter-surge, indicating that the spirit medium had suffered significant spiritual trauma after performing the ritual.

"Do you know what just happened?"

Facing the young man's question, the three still-conscious individuals looked at each other; no one could answer.

Li Zhuiyuan flicked Lin Shuyou's forehead with his finger, realizing A-You's hypnotic state had already been lifted.

The young man could only pull out a Cleansing Talisman and place it on Lin Shuyou's forehead.

"Rest first, get a good sleep, and don't exert your mind any further."

"Yes, Brother Xiaoyuan."

Lin Shuyou obediently closed his eyes and lay down next to Run Sheng.

Tan Wenbin asked, "Since A-You performed the ritual, can we find out what exactly happened from the spirit medium afterwards?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "I don't think it's likely."

They had undoubtedly just experienced something; there was no doubt about that.

But since they had no memory of it themselves, there should be no surprise from the spirit medium either. Lin Shuyou's current state made that clear.

Leaving Yin Meng to continue caring for the two seriously injured individuals in the back, Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin got out of the car.

The car stopped before a bridge, in front of which was a security booth. A sign reading "Equipment Maintenance, Temporarily Closed" hung in front of the booth, and there was no security guard inside.

Tan Wenbin lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep drag, and said, "Brother Xiaoyuan, this dream... this Boqi spirit-form, it's quite formidable."

They were still in the process of traveling from the school to the amusement park.

According to their original plan, they were heading for the "Boqi spirit-form," even though they knew the real targets were the Dream Demon and the hand behind it. Still, it wasn't appropriate to state that openly.

Li Zhuiyuan remained silent, quietly organizing his thoughts. He felt a huge sense of loss within him.

Tan Wenbin continued, "Just like that, without doing anything, we've ended up like this?"

"What do you think?"

Tan Wenbin pursed his lips: "I feel like we've already been through a lot."

"Trust your gut feeling."

"Okay, Brother Xiaoyuan." Tan Wenbin flicked the ash from his cigarette, then pointed forward, "So, are we still going in?"

"Yes."

"Alright!"

The two got back into the car, one in the driver's seat, the other in the passenger seat.

Tan Wenbin called out to Yin Meng, who was still in the back seat, through the small window: "We're going in."

Yin Meng nodded. She had just finished a rough clean-up of the blood on Run Sheng and then retrieved her leather whip from her backpack.

As she touched the whip, somehow, she had a peculiar feeling: it was both familiar and strange, with a hint of joy.

Yet, she was long accustomed to this whip. Although it had been damaged midway, the new whip was made in the same style.

Tan Wenbin started the car again.

The team's strength was already halved. Rushing towards a dangerous destination now seemed very unwise.

Li Zhuiyuan made this decision because they hadn't lost anyone yet.

Although they didn't know what exactly had happened, having no casualties was a huge victory.

Because the losing side would not be entitled to accommodate severely wounded individuals.

Since their side had already achieved victory, who then was the loser?

At this point, hesitating and retreating instead of moving forward would be the most foolish course of action.

The security booth's barrier blocked their way. Tan Wenbin leaned out the window to lift it, and then Yin Meng, from the back of the car, took over, allowing the vehicle to pass through.

After crossing the bridge to the other side, the ticket gate appeared before them.

Beside the ticket gate was a passage for internal amusement park vehicles, currently blocked by movable fences. Normally, there would be a ticket seller here, and outside vehicles wouldn't be allowed to enter this way, instead being directed to turn off to a nearby parking lot.

Tan Wenbin slowly drove forward, the front of the car pushing against the fences. The fences gave way, and the small pickup truck drove into the amusement park.

The amusement park was spacious, and since there was no one there today, driving inside was also very convenient.

Mainly, there were two seriously injured people in the car, and it was impossible to abandon them or assign their already scarce personnel to stay and look after them.

"Ah!!"

"Ah!!!"

Screams erupted from the haunted house ahead.

Immediately after, a group of grey-robed figures burst out of the haunted house door. They were disheveled and their expressions were ferocious, running and howling while tearing at their own skin with their fingers.

By the time they rushed towards the car, Tan Wenbin had already gripped his Yellow River shovel, and Yin Meng in the back had jumped onto the car roof, holding her leather whip in readiness.

Li Zhuiyuan appeared very calm: "They've gone mad."

And it was the most severe, vicious kind of self-mutilating madness. You wouldn't need to deal with them; they would quickly kill themselves.

Indeed, as this group ran within a dozen meters of the car, they all collapsed to the ground. Even then, they continued to mutilate themselves without stopping.

Some were gouging out their eyes, some were tearing at their bellies, and some were simply devouring themselves.

Their extreme methods varied, but all were desperate to end their lives.

Some blood even splattered onto the car windows, obstructing their view slightly.

Tan Wenbin pressed the windshield wipers, smearing the bloodstains across the front window, making it entirely red and obscuring the view ahead.

"Uh... I forgot to add windshield washer fluid."

Li Zhuiyuan opened the car door and got out.

Tan Wenbin quickly followed. Yin Meng saw that the two hadn't gone far, merely standing in front of the car, so she didn't get down.

They had seen plenty of dead people, but this manner of death was still quite shocking and eerie.

A normal person who self-mutilated to this extent would have died long ago, but they continued.

Intense mental stimulation and horrifying pain perception made them like snakes; even after being skinned and cleaned, they could still writhe.

However, Li Zhuiyuan's attention was more focused on the robes they wore.

Each robe had special patterns, likely inscribed with formations.

Li Zhuiyuan walked towards the nearest individual in front of him. This person had mutilated themselves beyond recognition but was still writhing.

The young man knelt, pulled back the bloody, intestine-covered robe, and observed the detailed internal patterns. This was a formation designed to isolate aura.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, shaking the blood from his hands.

The robe's material was exquisite and ancient, likely an heirloom passed down through generations. The various aura-isolating formations, whether drawn, patterned, or woven into its interior, were complex yet orderly and harmonious.

However, it was now tainted by the host's blood. This item was most vulnerable to blood evil, so it was completely ruined.

In well-preserved condition, possessing such a robe would be considered a family heirloom; even Li Zhuiyuan coveted it.

Not to mention, even if one were to wear it to steal something, even in front of the owner, the owner might suddenly yawn and not notice the act of theft.

To possess a dozen such robes at once... that truly signified genuine heritage and power.

Possessing such depth and meticulously avoiding karmic perception, the identity of this group naturally became obvious.

But seeing those he considered his most formidable adversaries all reduced to such ghastly states, the sense of incongruity was truly intense.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he was definitely one of the key parties involved.

Yet, he only saw the result and had no idea of the process.

Tan Wenbin gripped his Yellow River shovel, observing his surroundings carefully.

He also felt very strange inside, an immense sense of absurdity. What kind of move was this from the enemy, collectively committing suicide in front of them, trying to scare them away?

Gradually, all these people on the ground died.

Even in death, their corpses would occasionally twitch; this was their souls, still confined within their bodies, continuing to endure torment.

Moreover, as their bodies decayed or were damaged, the intensity of this pain would continue to deepen.

Of course, Li Zhuiyuan wouldn't meddle to relieve their suffering. He wished these individuals no peace even in death, and even hoped that the families of these people on the ground would suffer the same fate.

If they had acted honorably, that would have been fine, or if they had employed schemes and tactics, that would also have been acceptable.

Leaving aside other things, among the river-walkers of the Qin and Liu families throughout generations, certainly many had died at each other's hands, which is why the Dragon King families were fundamentally hereditary enemies.

But enmity aside, they at least acknowledged when one was outmatched, and at most, the next generation would send someone to regain lost prestige.

However, this kind of deliberate bullying of the weak by the strong, and the few by the many, specifically targeting the younger generation of river-walkers with dark attacks to sever their family lineage—that is what is known in the jianghu as a blood feud.

This kind of feud leaves no room for negotiation or compromise; once it begins, it's an endless struggle that must conclude with the complete annihilation of one side's family line.

If you act so maliciously and ruthlessly, you have no right to complain when others retaliate fiercely.

Unfortunately, their clothes bore no identifying marks, and their souls were too corrupted to be interrogated. If their specific identities could be uncovered, that would be great.

Just then, a cry rang out.

The Boqi spirit-form appeared ahead.

It continued to shift between bird and human forms, but whether transforming into a person or a bird, half of its body was scorched black.

Its gaze alternated between pleasure, pain, struggle, and terror.

"Gurgle... gurgle... gurgle..."

Its abdomen pulsed continuously.

Inside, the light of a lamp simultaneously illuminated a human figure.

Li Zhuiyuan recognized it: it was the Dream Demon.

But the Dream Demon had been swallowed by the Boqi spirit-form; it was already dead and being digested.

The Boqi spirit-form, which had devoured the Dream Demon, should have gained significant power, or at least largely recovered. However, like the people on the ground, it was also severely wounded, its aura very weak, and its thoughts extremely chaotic.

Seeing it, Li Zhuiyuan felt as if he had simply entered the amusement park to pick up heads and clear the battlefield.

He had deliberately lured the river's current, but even he hadn't anticipated that the impact of this current would be so remarkably effective.

To exchange two severely injured and two exhausted individuals for the success of this river-walking expedition, and simultaneously sever the hand behind the scenes, was simply too good a deal.

With a "thump," the Boqi spirit-form knelt before Li Zhuiyuan.

It began to kowtow, begging for mercy.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately commanded: "Tan Wenbin, Spirit Control Art!"

"Understood!"

Even though the opponent was clearly begging for mercy, and despite such a dominant situation, he was still ordered to expend his lifespan to use the Spirit Control Art.

Tan Wenbin didn't hesitate in the slightest. After patting his shoulders, he began to form hand seals.

The next moment, two surges of resentful infant energy surged, instantly disorienting Tan Wenbin's consciousness and distorting his facial expression.

There was no other way. Although Tan Wenbin could still stand there holding the shovel, he was actually very exhausted, and the two resentful infants hadn't had a chance to move around in the dream.

In this state of ebb and flow, Tan Wenbin, who should have been in control, lost direct command over his own body as soon as he activated the Spirit Control Art.

This wasn't the resentful infants rebelling through backlash; it was simply the two children feeling that their godfather was weakened, so it was naturally their turn to take charge and alleviate his worries.

However, in essence, it was indeed the effect of raising spirits backfiring.

Tan Wenbin's two eyes revealed different glints of consciousness. He grinned savagely, turned sideways, looked at Li Zhuiyuan, and let out a chilling laugh:

"Hehehehe... Hahahahaha..."

Li Zhuiyuan returned a calm gaze.

"Wuwuwuwu... Wahwahwahwah..."

The two resentful infants, who had finally managed to stand on their own, were immediately scared to tears!

Li Zhuiyuan's current age technically also made him a child. Children have a special sense among themselves; they clearly knew who among the group of children was truly not to be provoked.

The young man ignored the two resentful infants' reactions. He simply moved behind Tan Wenbin, standing there.

The next moment, the Boqi spirit-form, which had just been kneeling and kowtowing for mercy, suddenly lifted its head.

Invisibly, a wave targeting mental consciousness, like a bird's beak, struck down.

Its original target should have been the young man, but since the young man stood behind Tan Wenbin, Tan Wenbin naturally had to bear the brunt of the attack for him.

"Ah!!!"

Tan Wenbin let out a scream.

Boqi fed on dreams, so its attack method naturally involved pecking at spirits and souls. The two resentful infants were completely unprepared and suffered a great loss.

However, this also ignited the ferocity of the two resentful infants.

Tan Wenbin howled, lunged forward, then quickly crawled after landing, rushing towards the Boqi spirit-form.

The real Tan Wenbin's consciousness wasn't dominant, so some moves and spells couldn't be used. Allowing the two resentful infants to act freely naturally resulted in a childish fighting style.

Li Zhuiyuan stood still, hands clasped behind his back, his fingertips tapping lightly.

The young man knew when the Boqi spirit-form kowtowed for mercy that it was merely building momentum to launch a sneak attack.

Because it knew how it had been forcibly summoned from A-Li's dream, and what it had done in front of the girl previously, it naturally understood that it would never be pardoned.

But soon, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly frowned, his eyes revealing doubt.

The Boqi spirit-form was heavily wounded and its thoughts were chaotic, and it was currently being harassed by "Tan Wenbin." Logically, this was an excellent opportunity for him to use Wei Zhengdao's black leather book to try and control it.

And indeed it was, but Li Zhuiyuan suddenly noticed that this process had become very fast.

Previously, he would have needed at least five times more preparation time, requiring "Tan Wenbin" to hold out longer, but now, it was suddenly ready.

Anyway, Tan Wenbin wasn't at a disadvantage. Although the two resentful infants were pecked painfully, they could still hold their ground.

So, Li Zhuiyuan wasn't in a hurry to initiate control. Instead, he re-examined this technique of his, and after reviewing it, he even tried it again from the beginning.

It was still very fast, very smooth. Moreover, he didn't even need to go deep into the Boqi spirit-form's consciousness to tamper with its memories; he could directly create a new mental cage and try to pull the opponent in.

The essential result was the same: to achieve control.

The difference was, before, it was like a thief quietly entering a house; now, it was like a bandit openly smashing down the door.

If he hadn't been able to clearly see the Dream Demon still holding a light inside the Boqi spirit-form's belly, Li Zhuiyuan would have suspected that he himself had swallowed the Dream Demon.

In addition to this, one more thing greatly puzzled Li Zhuiyuan.

That was the Boqi spirit-form's mental state, which was extremely poor. Logically, it should have been behaving like the grey-robed figures earlier, hysterically self-mutilating, and shouldn't have possessed any intact self-awareness at all.

Yet now, it was actually trying to survive and even capable of launching sneak attacks?

This was like someone who should have died long ago but was stubbornly clinging to life, appearing perfectly fine. In such a case, you'd have to look closely to see if a ghost that was unusually slow to claim his life was standing behind him.

With various strange factors layered upon each other, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't make up his mind to control it for a moment, because controlling it meant his consciousness would connect with it.

If it was hiding anything else, that something would have an opportunity to climb up the pole towards him.

The confrontation between Tan Wenbin and the Boqi spirit-form gradually began to turn unfavorable from a heated stalemate.

If Tan Wenbin himself were in control, it wouldn't be like this, but the two resentful infants' fighting style was simply too primitive and unrefined.

"Ah!!!"

With another scream, Tan Wenbin rapidly retreated, then looked with a pleading gaze at Li Zhuiyuan, who still stood motionless.

Li Zhuiyuan showed no reaction.

One could say the young man had already aimed the gun at the Boqi spirit-form's forehead but was hesitant to pull the trigger.

Yin Meng saw that Tan Wenbin was about to give out and that there was only the Boqi spirit-form below, so she jumped down from the car, whip in hand.

"Brother Xiaoyuan?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, indicating his agreement for her to join the fight.

Yin Meng joined, swinging her whip. With each lash, various colored poisonous mists billowed, causing the already wounded Boqi spirit-form to writhe in pain.

Children are indeed talented at group brawls. Seeing reinforcements arrive, Tan Wenbin began circling the Boqi spirit-form, looking for opportunities to land a sneak attack.

But Li Zhuiyuan also noticed that the Boqi spirit-form was gathering strength again, preparing for a new round of sneak attacks.

If, after the next sneak attack, it didn't try to escape but continued to attack him, that would indicate a problem.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

Two invisible ripples spread out, like a bird's beak striking down again.

Tan Wenbin again let out a painful shriek, retreating while clutching his head, eventually simply sitting on the ground, tears streaming down.

The two resentful infants wanted to cry from the pain, but when "Tan Wenbin" secretly turned his head and saw that Li Zhuiyuan wasn't paying any attention to him, they stopped crying and stood up again.

Yin Meng also grimaced in pain, stumbling backward repeatedly, and finally knelt on one knee.

With both opponents driven back by its sneak attacks, the Boqi spirit-form did not lunge at Li Zhuiyuan. Instead, it turned into a bird, ready to flee.

Li Zhuiyuan: It anticipated my move; something is very wrong!

The young man controlled his impulse and still didn't act.

Just then, Yin Meng, kneeling on the ground, triggered "walking in the underworld" due to the stress of this spiritual attack.

She lifted her head in a daze and saw a distant, gradually receding black, damaged coffin.

The coffin seemed to sense her gaze and actively flew towards her.

From a real-world perspective, the bird, which had already flown some distance, was suddenly pulled back by an external force, reversing its flight.

Ultimately, it crashed in front of Yin Meng.

Obscure, difficult-to-understand runes flowed across the damaged black coffin, emanating an aura of majesty.

The Boqi spirit-form continuously wailed, desperately trying to break free, but to no avail.

Yin Meng immediately wrapped her leather whip around the Boqi spirit-form. With a slap to the whip's handle, all the poisonous mist within the whip dispersed, turning into a riot of colors. Even Yin Meng herself didn't know its precise effects.

Tan Wenbin saw that the bird had been caught and cried out, wanting to pounce and get revenge, but upon seeing the wide area of poisonous mist, he abruptly halted, not daring to enter.

From this, it was evident that the two resentful infants had indeed developed feelings for Tan Wenbin and still knew to cherish their godfather's body.

Yin Meng took out various bottles and jars from her bag. Too lazy to read the labels or even open the lids, she simply hurled them at the Boqi spirit-form. Upon breaking, the liquids of various colors splattered all over it, making it look like a dyeing workshop.

Li Zhuiyuan thought that if Yin Meng were given a large pot and firewood at this moment, and the Boqi spirit-form was put inside to boil, she could definitely achieve an even better effect.

With the black coffin suppressing it, the Boqi spirit-form couldn't break free and could only let Yin Meng continue to douse it in poison.

This was a truly despairing way to die: to watch helplessly as that woman splattered every conceivable item she could find on you.

You could even clearly see the bewildered and casual expression the woman wore while doing these things.

By this point, various inconceivable sensations of pain assailed you. You no longer wished to survive, nor to struggle, only hoping this woman would quickly find a way to grant you a quick and painless end.

But that, it seemed, was quite difficult for the woman before you.

Finally, Yin Meng had thrown everything she could from her whip, pockets, and bag.

Eventually, with nothing left to use, and the Boqi spirit-form still alive, she had no choice but to also stick an Evil-Breaking Talisman onto it.

Triggered by the evil aura on the Boqi spirit-form, the Evil-Breaking Talisman immediately began to burn. At that moment, the Boqi spirit-form's body also started to swell, growing larger and larger.

Yin Meng, having had similar experiences, immediately shouted to Tan Wenbin: "Quickly, retreat!"

Then, she quickly turned and ran to Li Zhuiyuan, shielding the young man.

After the Boqi spirit-form swelled to a certain extent...

"Boom!"

It exploded.

A large pool of red, green, black, and purple liquid splattered everywhere. A wide area around its center was corroded, leaving a significant crater in the ground.

Seeing this, even Li Zhuiyuan was surprised. To use poison to such an effect was truly astonishing.

If Yin Meng could continue to excel in the path of poison in the future, then when dealing with hard-to-kill malevolent spirits, they would have an additional method to choose from, as relying on time to suppress and grind them down was often a last resort.

The Boqi spirit-form was dead, scattered everywhere.

The black coffin, surprisingly, survived, though it was even more dilapidated than before, with many more dents and scratches.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, I just sensed that coffin. It seems to have some kind of resonance with me."

Li Zhuiyuan: "That coffin was left by your ancestor."

Emperor Fengdu had suppressed this Boqi spirit-form in his early years, and later, the Liu family's Dragon King supplemented that suppression, finally rendering the once arrogant entity completely unable to recover.

Yin Meng: "I'm a bit overwhelmed, a very strange feeling."

This feeling was like a child in a family who was originally unloved and treated as invisible, suddenly receiving a red envelope from the most senior family member during Chinese New Year.

However, by common sense, it wasn't strange for Yin Meng, as a descendant of the Yin family, to resonate with an artifact left by the Great Emperor.

The opponent was dealt with. Since the Spirit Control Art's duration hadn't expired, Tan Wenbin began to hop and play, even playing rock-paper-scissors with his left and right hands.

After determining a winner, he would cry for a moment, then laugh.

It was truly remarkable that Tan Wenbin could still sleep and study normally with these two entities residing within him.

"Click..."

A wisp of ghostly fire rose from the black coffin, and a peculiar aura emanated from it.

Tan Wenbin leaped high in fright. While he was still airborne, the two resentful infants immediately broke free from the spell's control and returned inside him.

"Thump..."

Tan Wenbin landed on his backside with a thump, constantly rubbing his buttocks. He hadn't sustained any substantial injury before, but now, he had somehow managed to get a work-related injury right at the end, and in the embarrassing coccyx area no less.

The black coffin melted in the flames, and four majestic, ancient characters appeared above it: "Return home to venerate ancestors."

Subsequently, the coffin completely turned to ash, the flames dissipated, and the characters remained for a while longer before gradually fading away.

Yin Meng's lips trembled. She looked at Li Zhuiyuan, pointed to herself, and asked, "Brother Xiaoyuan, does ancestor mean for me to go home and pay respects?"

Her thought was, if the ancestor truly left behind some inheritance, wouldn't she be able to better assist Brother Xiaoyuan in the river-walking after acquiring it?

Even if she couldn't learn those inheritances herself, she could transfer them to Brother Xiaoyuan, who would surely master them instantly.

Besides, she knew Brother Xiaoyuan had also been planning a trip to Fengdu sometime, wasn't this perfect timing?

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Yin Meng.

Yin Meng slightly shrank her neck. She couldn't quite decipher the young man's gaze.

In truth, Li Zhuiyuan's heart was complex.

He suspected that the four characters "Return home to venerate ancestors," while ostensibly for Yin Meng, the descendant of the Yin family, actually seemed to be specifically written for himself.

But as a Great Emperor, would he need to be so circuitous when expressing something?

Combined with the various strange behaviors previously displayed by the Boqi spirit-form, including the peculiar timing of this black coffin's activation—neither too early nor too late.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly had a bold conjecture. He spoke: "Fengdu cannot be visited; it holds great danger!"