Chapter 205

The Faceless Man sat up.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed a significant change in his appearance compared to when he first saw him.

While the upper half of his face remained the same, the lower half looked mottled, like a fragmented remnant.

It resembled an old Spring Festival couplet pasted on a door, which hadn't been completely scraped off.

The Faceless Man said, "You won."

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "What did I win?"

The Faceless Man pointed to the large bell and said, "Can't you tell?"

Li Zhuiyuan, of course, recognized it. This bell was the offering that Yu Zangsheng and the other two had yearned for.

Every covered pattern on it contained an extremely potent blessing of fortune.

It truly was a case of not fearing insufficient blessings, but fearing one's bowl wasn't large enough to hold them.

These accumulated blessings were enough to revitalize several declining aristocratic families and sects, and to elevate already powerful forces to new heights.

No wonder Yu Zangsheng and his companions were willing to sacrifice themselves for this; from the perspective of family development, it was indeed worth the gamble.

The Faceless Man sighed deeply, "Ah, isn't it ridiculous? They dare not dream of becoming immortals; their eyes are only on these offerings on the table."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "There's nothing wrong with being realistic."

The Faceless Man said, "If one cannot become an immortal, what is there to cherish about this mortal flesh, this worldly legacy?"

Li Zhuiyuan responded, "That's just your opinion, and it's not necessarily correct."

The Faceless Man chuckled, "Hehehe… In the end, they are just ants, only daring to crawl on the ground, never even daring to look up at the sky."

Li Zhuiyuan retorted, "Isn't it more ridiculous to think of flying to the sky when you haven't even figured out the ground?"

The Faceless Man said, "That's what I dislike about your Liu family, and the Qin family too. Although you are esteemed as top Dragon King families, frequently producing Dragon Kings, you only ever focus on this small patch of land on the river."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't respond to the question; instead, he reached out and grabbed at the Faceless Man.

The young man's hand passed straight through the Faceless Man's body.

The Faceless Man said, "If my physical body were still here, if I could leave this tall tower and act personally, those three would have no right to cause any trouble.

They are figures of their era, but their era ultimately pales in comparison to the one I experienced.

Your Liu family ancestor once subdued me."

Each generation has its own world of martial arts and chivalry.

Yu Zangsheng greatly admired Zhao Wuyang, while the Faceless Man greatly admired that ancestor of the Liu family.

As former competitors who lost, they naturally valued the ultimate victor who once defeated them; this was also a form of self-affirmation.

The view from the top floor was expansive.

This tall tower could have underground levels, but even if there were levels like B1, B2, B3, upon entering the door, it still felt like the first floor.

Similarly, although the young man was now standing on the twelfth floor, the view here was completely different from what he saw looking up from outside the tower.

From here, Li Zhuiyuan could see past the white imperial pathway, through the white jade archway, and gaze upon the enormous black water vortex.

Further out, the rock walls on all sides and above were entirely made of jade-like material, with countless dark shadows floating within.

The Faceless Man asked, "What are you waiting for?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "I have a general idea about some things, but there are still details that require verification and careful consideration."

As the young man spoke, he walked behind the window, deliberately keeping himself out of sight, and peered down at an angle.

At first glance, the people below were as tiny as ants, but upon closer inspection, the view seemed magnified, clearly showing Zhao Yi leading his team to block Xu Zhenrong, while Zhen Shao'an and Yu Miaomiao were locked in combat.

The intensity of the fight around Xu Zhenrong was not high; she was clearly getting frustrated.

As for Zhen Shao'an, with Yu Miaomiao's diminishing sense of fun, she began to intensify her assault on her prey, and Zhen Shao'an was becoming increasingly dishevelled.

Who would have thought that after the crane and clam fought to a mutual ruin, the three parties who entered with invitations would now be in control of the situation?

The Faceless Man asked, "Are you savoring the afterglow of being a victor?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and asked, "Where is your face?"

The Faceless Man touched the lower half of his face and said:

"It was I who brought forth the lower half of my ancestor's face, which allowed me to invite the Taoist priest out of the tower.

Unfortunately, what I thought was a sure victory only resulted in a 'best effort' in the end."

If it weren't for the seamless cooperation of Yu Zangsheng's three, plus the exceptional factor of the woman in black who, under Xu Zhenrong's puppet mastery, unleashed a powerful sword strike at a critical moment, the outcome truly would have been uncertain.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "And the other half of the face?"

The Faceless Man replied, "My ancestor's other half of the face is, of course, still beneath this skin of mine, but I no longer have the strength to bring it forth and summon anyone."

"Oh."

The young man nodded, but remained standing still, not moving to scrape off the "offerings" from the large bell.

At this moment, although the top floor remained stable, the view downwards began to intensely tremble.

When a rule is breached and not mended, the fissure only grows larger.

The young man gazed into the distance again; the jade-like walls were like the "sky" here.

At this moment, all the dark shadows within the sky became active, gathering like storm clouds towards this direction, gradually obscuring the green light emanating from the jade, as if an eclipse were occurring.

The sight was truly magnificent and awe-inspiring.

On the white imperial pathway, the voices of the geishas were no longer melodious, but instead carried an eerie shrillness; the dancers' movements were no longer graceful, but became distorted and strange.

Even from the two massive kneeling corpse pits beneath the tower, prayers filled with resentment and doubt began to emanate.

Faintly visible deep within the kneeling corpse pits, some bodies had altered their kneeling posture, which had remained unchanged for countless years, and began to climb upwards.

As for the interior of this tall tower, the turmoil would only intensify.

Li Zhuiyuan suspected that if he went down now, he might face a group of resurrected Xuanmen practitioners who had already stood up and begun moving.

The Faceless Man said, "Originally, I could barely suppress them, but now I no longer have that ability. This place is slowly spiraling out of control."

Li Zhuiyuan remained silent.

The Faceless Man continued, "Since you don't believe in the wish of becoming immortal, then do what you must. If you delay, it will be too late."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the Faceless Man with some confusion.

The Faceless Man said, "What, are you surprised? I did say that when I ascended to immortality, I would kill you as an aside, using your eyes as witness, your blood as a mark, and your life as a monument.

But now, hasn't the ascension already failed?

Rather than having this opportunity taken by outsiders, it's better to give it to you.

Heh heh,

His descendant,

ultimately needs my help to succeed."

The Faceless Man spread his palm, and a faint light flickered within it, a demonstration of a minor spell.

With this spell, the marks on the large bell could be peeled off more conveniently and quickly.

Even without his demonstration, Li Zhuiyuan would have a way to peel them off, but by showing him, he saved Li Zhuiyuan the time of deducing it himself.

One could say that Li Zhuiyuan was now like someone sitting before a table full of delicacies, with someone handing him a pair of chopsticks.

But Li Zhuiyuan still did not move.

After completing his demonstration, the Faceless Man withdrew his palm.

His figure, as a result, became fainter, almost translucent.

"What, you don't believe in ascension, and you don't want the offerings either?"

Li Zhuiyuan stared intently at the Faceless Man, as if trying to discern his eyes on his faceless countenance.

The increasingly fading Faceless Man seemed to be staring back at the young man.

Li Zhuiyuan confirmed something and was about to speak when the Faceless Man, as if anticipating what the young man was going to say, quickly raised his hand:

"Wait a moment. Say that sentence after I turn my back."

The Faceless Man turned around, gave a slight wave of his hand, indicating he was ready.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "You're truly pathetic."

The Faceless Man's translucent body began to tremble. If he had a face, it would likely show an expression of both enjoyment and nostalgia.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that the other party was taking him for the historical Dragon King of the Liu family.

This fellow truly found a strange pleasure in himself, whether in success or failure.

The Faceless Man did not turn his body back around, but quietly indulged, his body becoming increasingly faint.

The young man's voice rang out again, asking the same question as before: "Where is your face?"

The Faceless Man said, "I already answered that question."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "You misunderstood my question; your answer didn't address it."

The Faceless Man turned around to face the young man and asked, "Then what is it you truly want to ask?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "I wasn't asking about the remnants of your ancestor's facial skin on the lower half of your face. I was asking, where did your original face go?"

The Faceless Man stated matter-of-factly, "What do you think? I tore off my original face and replaced it with my ancestor's, but due to the rules here, I am forced to appear faceless."

"Then where did that original face of yours, which you tore off, go?"

"Of course, I..."

The Faceless Man froze, because he couldn't remember.

For so many years, he had grown accustomed to his "expressionless" state.

Anyway, he couldn't leave this tall tower, and inside were only dead people. He didn't need to communicate, didn't need to make expressions, and certainly wasn't so fragile as to talk to himself in a mirror to relieve loneliness. So, whether he had a face or not made no difference.

Yet, even if it was useless, where had he actually put his own face?

The Faceless Man clutched his head.

The young man's pointed question seemed to shatter a flaw in his consciousness, causing him anxiety and unease, because under normal circumstances, this shouldn't be possible.

He was already dead.

He continued to exist by virtue of the special nature of the secret realm, and he had no physical body, so his spiritual consciousness was his greatest current vessel, and memory was the most crucial component of that consciousness.

In other words, it was impossible for him to forget things.

In reality, if a ghost experiences memory loss, it usually only means one thing... damage to its soul body.

This situation is not uncommon among lonely ghosts and spirits in reality; after all, it's their first time being a ghost, and they lack experience.

But in the Faceless Man's case, it was very unusual.

He had prepared himself before entering here; he had consciously stripped away his own spiritual consciousness.

He couldn't possibly make such a basic mistake.

Most importantly, the only missing memory was the location of his own face; everything else was normal.

"Why is this happening... why is this happening..."

The Faceless Man began to murmur to himself.

His translucent body, due to these complex and intense emotions, began to ripple like the surface of a lake.

The Faceless Man pleaded with Li Zhuiyuan, "Tell me, why is this happening? You know, don't you?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "We met in a dream."

The Faceless Man said, "Yes, it was I who sought you out, I who invited you to represent the Liu family and witness my clan's ascension."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "In that dream, I couldn't see your face. I initially thought it was because you had no face, but later I began to suspect I had judged incorrectly.

What if the 'you' in the dream actually had a face but was deliberately hiding it?"

The Faceless Man exclaimed, "How is that possible? It was I who went into your dream; it was I who invited you!"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Yes, I didn't say it wasn't you."

The Faceless Man said, "Then you..."

The Faceless Man fell silent, as if finally realizing something. He stopped all movement and stood transfixed.

Li Zhuiyuan continued, "When I came up, I even suspected whether your true identity was that of your ancestor, for instance, if your ancestor had possessed you after you entered the ancestral tomb.

But after interacting with you, I found that wasn't the case. You are indeed still you, but not entirely you."

The young man spoke while reaching out and pinching his own facial skin:

"Even if the ancestor's facial skin needed to be covered, why bother becoming faceless? Wouldn't it suffice to just tear off your original face and then put it back on?"

The Faceless Man said, "Then who am I...?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "I said, you are still you."

The Faceless Man asked, "Then what about the other me? The one who kept my face, where is he?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "He should be here too."

The Faceless Man asked, "What was the purpose of me doing this? Why would I separate myself?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "The purpose of separating was to maintain relative independence, free from interference. Since you were convinced you could ascend to immortality, the other you probably didn't believe in such a thing."

"Hahahahaha!"

The Faceless Man let out a laugh, a somewhat desolate one.

He had already accepted the failure of his ascension, but he hadn't expected an even greater blow awaiting him.

He wasn't even a complete version of himself.

No, he couldn't even be called "himself." There was no separation; his existence was more like a fragment of memory, a clone, a puppet, or an obsession, deliberately confined here.

He was a part that had been stripped and discarded from the main body.

"I don't even know what I am, yet I've always longed for ascension to immortality, hahahaha."

Li Zhuiyuan allowed the Faceless Man to continue venting his emotions, while he himself remained on high, surveying the situation below.

He and the Faceless Man had met at close range a total of three times.

Once in Ah Li's dream, once on the third basement floor through a partially opened tower door, and once just now.

During their second meeting, Li Zhuiyuan merely grew suspicious.

By the third meeting, when he reached the top floor and saw him lying there, that suspicion turned into a certain confirmation.

When you lack concrete clues, you need to switch perspectives to see the truth behind the mist in front of you.

One important reason was that the black-robed figure in Ah Li's dream had a strong aura of death, with ten long, black, and sharp fingernails.

That aura, that style, was undeniable.

The Faceless Man in this tower did possess a similar feeling, but it wasn't strong enough.

The madness he displayed when they met at the base of the tower, and the calmness he showed in the face of failure when they met again at the top.

This madness and calmness were understandable, but they lacked depth and layers, as thin as a paper cutout, only capable of having a single color applied to both sides.

The one in Ah Li's dream exerted more pressure, had richer layers, and felt more like a living entity under a specific definition.

And from another perspective.

From the perspective of the exam setter, he had always held the initiative since the start of the shattered jade scramble, even though he had killed Xu Yijin midway and repelled Yu Miaomiao and the group that surrounded them at the end.

Including after entering this secret realm, despite encountering several changes, he still managed to reach this point relatively smoothly.

As a result, he was even placed on the third basement floor, watching the fighting above, and then he naturally reaped the greatest benefit.

He had been at the top of the tower for so long, doing absolutely nothing important, purely wasting time, yet Xu Zhenrong and Zhen Shao'an were still firmly blocked outside the tower door.

Certainly, all this smooth sailing was based on his extraordinary abilities, the result of his deductions and judgments, definitely not some windfall.

But the problem was, the exam setter knew his abilities and his past test scores.

The purpose of him giving Li Zhuiyuan someone else's exam paper must have been to make things difficult for him, not to let him exploit loopholes and gain an advantage.

Therefore, from a difficulty perspective, for him to simply become the ultimate big winner seemed abnormal.

Especially when he first came up, the Faceless Man said to him, "You won."

At that moment, an alarm went off in Li Zhuiyuan's mind, because such words are usually only heard when one is about to lose.

The Faceless Man walked to Li Zhuiyuan's side and stopped.

He was even more translucent than before, feeling so light that he might drift away with even a slightly strong gust of wind.

"You're right, I truly am pathetic, a... pathetic joke."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "If you keep dwelling on this, it will be more than just pathetic."

The Faceless Man said, "I understand what you mean now. You deliberately looked at me with those doubtful eyes just now, were you discerning whether I, this artificial being, possessed independent sentience?"

Li Zhuiyuan hummed in affirmation.

The Faceless Man said he had entered his dream and spoken the same words to him.

There were two possibilities: one, that he and the "man with a face" were essentially the same person, and they, as a combined entity, followed the causality of the past to enter Ah Li's dream and find him.

It was just that the Faceless Man hadn't realized that the "him" at that time was not merely him.

The other possibility was that the "man with a face" had entered Ah Li's dream, and then re-injected the relevant memories into the Faceless Man's spiritual consciousness, making him believe he had truly participated in the event.

The latter possibility was very low, because the Faceless Man was trapped in this tall tower. If the "man with a face" could freely enter and exit the tower to make various changes and manipulations to the Faceless Man, then he would already be the "Heaven" of this place and wouldn't need to arrange such a scheme.

The former meant that the two were essentially still one, just with one being the dominant part and the other the subordinate part.

This was also why Li Zhuiyuan had insisted on saying, "You are you, but not entirely you." This wasn't comfort, but a condition favorable to him.

Puppets and specters are easily controlled by their main body, but if it's an independent part, it can be won over and cooperated with, becoming an aid.

The Faceless Man asked, "You want me to help you?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "Yes."

The Faceless Man said, "But I'm already about to dissipate."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Your dissipation is because you were severely damaged after the old Taoist priest was dealt with, losing the ability to further intervene in the situation. Thus, you became disheartened and too weary to continue existing."

The Faceless Man didn't deny it, and his gradually fading form paused its change.

"But why do you think I would help you? Even if I am not entirely me, there's no real reason for me, an outsider, a descendant of an enemy, to disrupt the scheme of another part of myself.

Although I don't know the specifics of his plan, if he succeeds, doesn't that equate to my success?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "You will choose to help me."

The Faceless Man asked, "So confident?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "Because I am going to help you complete your ascension."

The young man didn't believe in becoming immortal, but he was merely helping the Faceless Man complete this ascension ritual, without guaranteeing its success.

At least for now, the dangers of not performing this ritual were already manifesting.

So many deceased Xuanmen practitioners within the tall tower were gradually losing control; the proliferation of their grievances was pushing them closer to becoming walking corpses.

The countless dark shadows within the jade, once completely out of control, would transform into numerous malevolent spirits filled with resentment.

If such a large group of beings were to break free from all constraints and emerge from the depths of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, what terrifying natural disaster would they cause?

The Faceless Man said, "Alright, I can help you. I want to prove to the other me that he didn't abandon me; I tore him off."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, not surprised by this outcome.

The Faceless Man was just a piece of paper; obsession was the root of his existence. By simply stirring up that obsession, he was easily persuaded.

It was just that Zhao Yi was still busy directing things below the tower and hadn't been able to come up and witness this scene. If he had, he would probably have reiterated his recent grumbling: "When it comes to playing mind games, Zhao Yi is second to none, except for that Li fellow."

The Faceless Man said, "Tell me, what do you want me to do now?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "No rush. The situation below is stalled. All I need to do is stay here and not make a move, and he'll be the one getting anxious."

The true opponent of this wave was still hidden behind the scenes, but fortunately, his motive could be discerned.

Li Zhuiyuan turned and looked at the large bell behind him.

The other party seemed very eager for someone to take the offerings from the table, as if doing so would trigger some condition.

The Faceless Man pointed at the large bell and asked, "How can you resist such temptation? Given the current state of the Qin and Liu families, they truly need its nourishment to achieve revival."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "Because I know the hope for the revival of the Qin and Liu families rests on my shoulders."

The Faceless Man said, "Now I truly believe you don't wish to become an immortal."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "If the purpose of this tall tower wasn't to ascend to immortality but to grow into a 'human,' I might genuinely be tempted."

The dark shadows within the jade walls overhead grew increasingly frantic, beginning to collectively scratch at the barrier.

The white imperial pathway, once leading to the Heavenly Palace, was now filled with a sinister aura; those singing and dancing were no longer celestial maidens, but ghostly apparitions.

Li Zhuiyuan once again concealed himself and looked down, saying, "If nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected should happen now."

With him continuously wasting time at the top of the tower and doing nothing, the unexpected finally happened.

The jade walls above the tall tower seemed unable to withstand the impact of such a large number of dark shadows and began to deform.

This scene caused Xu Zhenrong, Zhen Shao'an, Zhao Yi, and the others still fighting below to all stop their movements and look up.

Even Yu Miaomiao, licking the back of her hand, blinked her round eyes and curiously gazed upwards.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The ceiling-like wall overhead seemed to melt, constantly dripping in puddles.

The liquid jade that hit the ground formed thick pillars of varying sizes.

Upon seeing them, Zhen Shao'an's face first showed shock, then transitioned into ecstasy.

These pillars were precisely the layout from his classroom, having a solid form that could instantly switch to act as array cores, while also being manipulable and transformable.

For an array master familiar with this environment, it meant that array layouts could be created incredibly quickly and at will.

A large amount of jade, though condensed, ultimately did not drip down but formed long, inverted cones hanging from above.

Dark shadows were drawn into these inverted cones, as if, by some strange coincidence, they were making a kind of pre-arrangement.

And this was precisely the layout from Xu Zhenrong's classroom.

With these, Xu Zhenrong could effortlessly create high-quality masked figures, no longer worrying about raw materials.

Only a teacher returned to their own classroom could unleash their true... no, vastly amplified strength.

Zhen Shao'an commanded, "Wind gathers array! Collect, trap, lock, suppress!"

The stone pillars constantly changed in size, refracting a special luster, and an array, built upon reality, quickly took shape.

Immense pressure descended, and Yu Miaomiao let out a cat's yowl, immediately struggling to break free.

She succeeded, using her terrifying speed and astonishing reflexes to leap out of the first array.

But Zhen Shao'an simply opened his palm, and a second, a third, a fourth...

Under the layering of arrays, even if Yu Miaomiao could continually leap through them, it became increasingly difficult, and the arrays she had already cleared even began to resonate with the newly deployed ones.

Finally, with a defiant and mournful cat's cry, Yu Miaomiao landed on all fours. Though she struggled fiercely, her limbs gradually bent, bringing her chest closer and closer to the ground.

She didn't understand why the prey she had once toyed with suddenly became so sharp and powerful, actually pinning her down.

"Meow! Meow! Meow!"

Despite her confusion, she showed no sign of surrender; her bestial nature had long since overcome her humanity.

On the other side, Xu Zhenrong interlaced her fingers and pushed them upwards.

"Clack!" "Clack!" "Clack!"

Three white cocoons descended, formed by the condensation of ten, thirty, and sixty dark shadows respectively.

Xu Zhenrong clapped her palms together three times in quick succession.

The white cocoons stood up, then burst open, all in one smooth motion.

Inside appeared three puppets, their masked faces resembling Tan Wenbin, Lin Shuyou, and Runsheng.

Zhao Yi shouted in exasperation, "Are you looking down on me? Why didn't you make a puppet of me?"

Lin Shuyou chuckled, "Heh heh, she made me again."

Zhao Yi asked, "Is it because there's a limit to your control over high-quality, high-strength puppets?!"

Lin Shuyou thought: *Oh no, I gloated too soon.*

It was easy to understand why she didn't create a Yin Meng puppet; she couldn't deduce Yin Meng's poison, so there was no point in creating one.

But Zhao Yi felt, and it wasn't narcissism, that there was actually a necessity for him to be sculpted.

When the Gate of Life and Death closed, he was also very capable in combat, and unlike the Li family who only killed one Xu Yijin, many people had died either directly or indirectly by his hand during the escape with the shattered jade, enough to be recorded comprehensively and in detail.

Her not using him could only be due to certain limiting factors, most likely that the quality of one hundred dark shadows per round was already the limit of her manipulation and deduction.

Even so, the scale and strength of these puppets were astonishing.

Taking Lin Shuyou, who had previously taken the exam, as an example: the fake Lin Shuyou created from thirty dark shadows had physical attributes surpassing the real Lin Shuyou, and could maintain the effect of the "Spirit-Breaking Talisman Needle" for an extended period.

Tan Wenbin, created from ten dark shadows, was also quite respectable; after all, although Tan Wenbin practiced martial arts, he wasn't a truly initiated martial artist, so this puppet would probably also use ghost-controlling techniques.

As for Runsheng, created from sixty dark shadows... this puppet should be the most terrifying of the three.

If he could possess Runsheng's full qi-gate activation ability, it would already be incredibly astonishing; if he could have the ability to sustain full qi-gate activation... then everyone might as well just wait to be crushed?

Zhen Shao'an and Xu Zhenrong exchanged glances across the distance, then both looked up at the top of the tower.

Li Zhuiyuan had long since reached the top of the tower, but the young man had been careful not to reveal his presence, so the people below didn't know his current location. Even now, Xu Zhenrong and Zhen Shao'an also couldn't see anyone on the top floor.

The two therefore judged that although the young man had entered the tower early, he probably couldn't withstand the tower's repulsive force, either still struggling to slowly climb the stairs or possibly having died in agony within the tower.

It wasn't that they were overly optimistic or naive, but from their perspective, these were the only possibilities they could guess at, because they couldn't comprehend Li Zhuiyuan reaching the top floor and being indifferent to the large bell.

As for this sudden turn of events, which was extremely favorable to them, the two could only attribute it to the continuous weakening of the rules here, leading to a change in the environment that had always been maintained by those rules, plus another factor... perhaps the blessings of their ancestors, subtly assisting them at this critical juncture of securing opportunities and fortune for their families.

Their positions and perspectives were fixed; after so many years of covert efforts and prior significant obstructions, having gambled everything, they could only interpret all changes in a positive light. They genuinely had no energy, nor was it possible, to suspect anything else. Even if they knew it was a trap, they would have to pretend not to know and jump in with their eyes closed.

The "life-and-death seam" between Zhao Yi's eyebrows rapidly twitched: *An anomaly suggests something sinister. These two aren't simply lucky or favored; they've likely become someone's tools.*

*And that Li fellow, he could even pry loose the book from the scholar on the eleventh floor. Zhao Yi would never believe he's still struggling miserably to climb the stairs now.*

*Li, you must have already sensed something, deliberately waiting for the other party to make the first move so you can counter, right?*

*Yes, it must be so.*

Zhao Yi was trying hard to encourage himself. Essentially, like the two across from him, at this point, he could only think positively.

Zhao Yi took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and said in a deep voice:

"Prepare yourselves, a fierce battle is coming."

Top floor.

The Faceless Man said, "No wonder those three could infiltrate and even establish their teaching grounds here. So, there has always been a hidden mastermind pushing things from behind the scenes.

I was merely responsible for the normal operation and maintenance of the tall tower, while the other me must have been planning for a long time."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "There can be no absolutely precise and flawless scheme in this world. Look, didn't Yu Zangsheng die?"

It now seemed that Yu Miaomiao's act of killing Yu Zangsheng was probably unforeseen even by the hidden mastermind.

Indeed, a thousand strategies of the wise cannot compare to a fool's flash of inspiration.

The Faceless Man asked, "What was the purpose of him doing this? I mean, using such indirect, 'borrowed knife' tactics?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "Because he wanted to gain benefits without bearing the consequences, such as the natural disaster that might very likely be triggered by this."

The Faceless Man said, "Your people and that cat demon can't hold them back now. Aren't you going to do something?"

Li Zhuiyuan turned and descended the stairs. The eleventh floor was still violently shaking, with all its furniture, furnishings, walls, and floor covered in cracks.

The young man swayed with great difficulty to the sitting couch, and the Faceless Man floated over, following him.

The scholar still lay on his side, his hands empty, but the resentful malevolence on his face seemed to have formed a palm-sized dark cloud above his head.

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't there to apologize or sweet-talk.

At this point, apologies or kowtowing were meaningless.

The young man once again took out the blank book, flipping its pages with a "whishing" sound.

Stimulated by this, the dark cloud above the scholar's head gradually darkened.

Li Zhuiyuan spoke, "Do me a small favor, and I'll explain this book you can't understand to you."

In truth, Li Zhuiyuan had only casually flipped through this book when he had nothing to do on the third basement floor; he hadn't had time to understand it himself.

But the young man was confident that once he left this place and had enough leisure time, he would definitely be able to understand the book.

He would also keep his promise to explain the profound mysteries in the book to the scholar. It wasn't as if he had to explain it immediately; later, once he understood it, writing down the annotations on paper and burning them with ghost money for the scholar would be the same.

The dark cloud above the scholar's head did not dissipate, but it stopped darkening.

Li Zhuiyuan placed the blank book into the scholar's hand and calmly said:

"If not, then forget it. You toiled in study your entire life and researched after death without figuring anything out. No big deal, after you ascend to immortality, you can continue slowly grinding away in the Heavenly Court."

After Li Zhuiyuan finished speaking, he turned around, preparing to leave.

"Thud!"

Behind him, the sound of a book dropping to the floor echoed.

The entire eleventh floor stopped shaking.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and saw that the dark cloud above the scholar's forehead had dissipated, as if clouds had cleared and rain had stopped.

The Faceless Man suddenly found this scene a bit familiar, as if it had just happened on the top floor.

At this moment, he saw the young man's hand suddenly extend towards him.

The Faceless Man asked, confused, "What is the meaning of this?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied:

"Lend me the remaining half of your ancestor's facial skin."