Chapter 208

“Snap...”

The ground emitted an invisible grinding sound, followed by gusts of eerie wind blowing upwards from beneath.

Nothing in reality had changed, but in a spiritual state, one could see a sunken floor tile inside the pagoda gate, revealing a dark, downward staircase.

Upon seeing this, the Faceless Man floated over and said in disbelief:“I've been imprisoned here for so many years, yet I never discovered this downward staircase.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Do you want to go down together?”

The Faceless Man shook his head. His featureless face seemed to convey a myriad of complex emotions, but ultimately, he only let out a sigh:“Right now, I just want to ascend to immortality.”

“Alright.”

Li Zhuiyuan turned around, stepped forward, his left foot landing on the pagoda's threshold, followed by his right, bringing him to a stop. The threshold was high and thick; standing on it felt quite stable. At this moment, if a straight dividing line were drawn upwards from the threshold, half of the young man's body would be outside the pagoda and half inside.

“Drip... drip... drip...”

Black rainwater began to fall. Everyone looked up. The "sky," which had originally resembled an emerald dome, had inexplicably turned black, growing deeper and descending further. As it appeared, the dark figures within the surrounding emerald mass became frantic.

The singing girls and dancers on the white imperial path transformed into malevolent spirits, collectively floating towards the platform where the tall pagoda stood. Inside the kneeling corpse pits on either side of the pagoda, the bodies no longer maintained their former respectful prostrations. One by one, they straightened up and began to reach out, climbing upwards. The kneeling corpse pits were deep with smooth, sloping walls, but the bodies behind stepped on those in front, forming a ladder of corpses. Soon, some corpses climbed out, howling. Their faces were either ashen or deep black, their bodies emanated dense malice, and blood-tears streamed from their eyes.

Lin Shuyou asked, puzzled: “Why is the malice on them so much denser than what we've seen before?”

Tan Wenbin: “Didn't you notice they're all dressed in fine silks and satins? Those qualified to be buried in these kneeling corpse pits were high-ranking officials and nobles who offered sacrifices here many years ago. Abandoning a life of luxury and privilege to commit suicide here and wait for ascension to immortality—if they ultimately failed to ascend and felt cheated, their malice would naturally be much greater. After all, their lives were very valuable.”

Zhao Yi looked up at the black cloud overhead, his Life-and-Death Gap continuously twitching. He could feel a powerful will moving within it.

Under Li Zhuiyuan's control, the Scholar had now turned outwards, looking up at the sky. Zhao Yi's gaze fell back on Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing on the threshold, and he couldn't help but exclaim, “Damn it!” Then he slapped himself twice on the mouth, self-mockingly saying: “I deserved that!”

Tan Wenbin asked with concern: “Why do I feel like your emotions have been off since earlier?”

Zhao Yi: “You're like a wife who doesn't understand the pain of a mistress.”

Tan Wenbin reached out and patted Zhao Yi's shoulder: “Don't say that. You're at least our unofficial captain; we can't treat temporary workers as non-officials.”

“Cough, cough...” Zhao Yi suddenly started coughing. With each cough, blood streamed from his mouth and chest.

Tan Wenbin pulled out a bandage from his bag: “Let me bandage you up again.”

Zhao Yi pushed Tan Wenbin's hand away: “No need. It'll be stuffy. Bleeding can stimulate the mind for a short time.”

Tan Wenbin: “You're doing this on purpose? Tsk, your body's current state is good enough to be sent directly to a medical school as a cadaver for study.”

Zhao Yi gave a wry smile, then shouted: “Everyone, return to guard the pagoda gate!”

Everyone moved to the pagoda gate where Li Zhuiyuan was. More and more corpses had crawled out of the kneeling pits, then shambled towards the tall pagoda.

Ruan Sheng sniffed and shook his head slightly. Previously, these things would have been delicacies to him, but now, entities of this caliber could no longer whet his appetite.

Yin Meng took out her demon-dispelling whip and gripped it.

Tan Wenbin asked: “Are all the poisons used up?”

Yin Meng: “Yes. Since coming here, my stock has been depleted, and I haven't had time to replenish it.”

Yin Meng's methods for extracting toxins were diverse, mostly derived from nature. Back in Nantong, she could gather plenty of raw materials by herself from fields and rivers, then slowly extract them in her room. Gathering materials was simple, but the extraction process was time-consuming. After arriving in Lijiang this time, the frequent battles led to high poison consumption, and time was short. What she just threw at the fake Ruan Sheng was her last bit; now she had no stock left at all.

Tan Wenbin: “I recall the food you make also has toxins, doesn't it?”

Yin Meng wanted to refute Tan Wenbin's words but couldn't, only saying: “But that toxicity isn't strong enough. It's not as effective as toxins combined after extraction.”

“We have no choice, just make do with what we have.” Tan Wenbin then shouted to the others: “Everyone, take out all your food, drinks, and various seasonings from your bags and give them to Mengmeng!”

Yin Meng: “This...”

Tan Wenbin squatted down, set up a small pot, and lit a spirit lamp: “You start cooking.”

Yin Meng nodded, also squatting down. She opened a pack of compressed biscuits, threw them into the pot, mashed them with a small spatula, and then began to add vinegar.

Zhao Yi: “Everyone remember, from now on, we must guard this place and not let these creatures charge through the pagoda gate.”

Everyone: “Understood!”

“Meow!”

Yu Miaomiao did not follow them to the base of the pagoda. She was on the periphery and was the first to encounter the corpses. With a few swipes of her claws, Yu Miaomiao sliced the bodies into segments. However, the number of these corpses was truly overwhelming. Yu Miaomiao occasionally looked at the corpses continuously crawling out of the kneeling pits, and then glanced at the group at the base of the pagoda.

Zhao Yi waved at Yu Miaomiao, enthusiastically calling out: “Meow!”

Yu Miaomiao's cat eyes widened.

Zhao Yi told those beside him: “If that cat can't hold on and moves towards us later, we'll help her as much as we can, while ensuring our own safety.” After a pause, Zhao Yi added: “She can't die.”

Although the others didn't understand why, they all nodded. This was because Brother Xiaoyuan, standing on the threshold, had now closed his eyes. Everyone except Ruan Sheng could enter a spiritual state, so they naturally sensed that Brother Xiaoyuan had activated his ability. Ruan Sheng couldn't enter a spiritual state, but he immediately noticed that Xiaoyuan was no longer physically present. The number of corpses on the platform continued to increase, and the dark clouds above grew thicker, with a wave of oppressive force continuously crashing down.

Li Zhuiyuan, in his spiritual state, stepped forward and descended the staircase. The staircase was very deep, and it was also very cold inside. Logically, one shouldn't feel hot or cold in a spiritual state. The current sensation of cold meant there was some kind of suppressing restriction in this place.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan reached the bottom. The layout here was similar to other levels of the pagoda, but everything was long-saturated with corpse aura, as if coated in a thick layer of black wax.

The first thing to enter Li Zhuiyuan's sight was rows of stone carvings: chariots, soldiers, and palace maids, resembling a complete honor guard. Such burial items had been unearthed in many large tombs and were not uncommon. After passing them, Li Zhuiyuan found two side chambers, filled with coffins and sarcophagi.

In front of him, purple chains hung down from above, all converging on a massive black stone throne ahead. A person sat on the stone throne. This individual was tall and fit the throne perfectly, dressed in black robes, exuding an aura of majesty and dignity. It was him, the black-robed man who had once appeared in A-Li's dream.

The black-robed man slowly raised his head. This time, his face was revealed to Li Zhuiyuan. It was a sharply defined face; from his lips to his brows and eyes, a cruel and unfeeling nature was evident everywhere. So this was what the Faceless Man truly looked like.

In front of the stone throne was a stone table with a chessboard on it. The chessboard showed clear signs of use, and even the pieces had become almost transparent, evidently from being handled and worn down by corpse aura over a long period.

"Clack!"

A piece was placed.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to the stone table. The game was in progress, seemingly a self-match. Looking at the board, White had the advantage, and Black was heavily suppressed. However, Black held various possibilities for counterattack and reversal; in fact, if the game simply continued normally, Black's victory was almost inevitable. The piece that had just been placed was a black one. This implied that Li Zhuiyuan was meant to play with the white pieces. Li Zhuiyuan reached out, picked up a piece, and placed it without hesitation.

The black-robed man said, “You can't win.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “It's fine. On the chessboard, I'm used to losing.” The most frequent game he played with A-Li was Go. A-Li's Go skills were profound, and Li Zhuiyuan had never deeply studied the game, so he had never won.

The black-robed man: “The table is mine, the chessboard is mine, and the pieces are mine. What will you use to win?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I'll just overturn it then.”

The black-robed man: “You're truly like him, even your tone of voice is similar. Even if you're not related by blood to the Liu family, you act more like a Liu than someone named Liu.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “It just so happens that we've both forced you into similar situations.”

The black-robed man: “I told you, you can't win.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “If you're so confident, why did you open the downward staircase and call me here?”

“Mainly, I wanted to see you.”

“I've already seen you.”

“That wasn't me. He was just a lingering obsession I cut away after arriving here, he didn't even have a face.”

“But I think that was the real you.”

“Is that so?”

“Even if you have a face now, when you look in the mirror, can you truly recognize who you are?”

The black-robed man continued to place pieces. Outside the pagoda gate, the corpses were already pressing in.

Ruan Sheng wielded his Yellow River Shovel. With each strike, he either smashed or sent bodies flying, single-handedly clearing a wide area for the entire team. Lin Shuyou used his trident to deal with the smaller 'fish' that slipped past Ruan Sheng. Zhao Yi was still setting up defensive formations and had not yet made a move. Tan Wenbin stood beside Zhao Yi, observing the situation. Although they were engaged, the pressure wasn't too great. Ruan Sheng and Lin Shuyou alone were enough to form a defensive line. Yin Meng was diligently cooking.

The black-robed man: “Since you've entered the treasure mountain, how can you return empty-handed?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Because I've seen it's a trap, why would I keep jumping into it?”

The black-robed man: “Do you truly not believe in ascension to immortality at all?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “No, I don't. And neither do you, do you?”

“If I didn't believe, why would I lock myself here?”

“What you believe in is not the kind of ascension to immortality they imagine.”

“It seems you know everything.”

“Yes, I figured it out.”

“This is why I invited you down.” The black-robed man raised his hand, pointing to the two side chambers. “Those are all my kin. I will take them with me to become immortals. Now, I extend an invitation to you as well. Are you willing to ascend with me?”

The spirits formed by the singing girls and dancers floated over. Their songs were like wails, heartbreaking, and their dances were eerie. They hid among the horde of corpses, occasionally charging out.

Ruan Sheng continuously activated more 'Qi gates,' blocking the corpse horde in front of him. Under Zhao Yi's command, Lin Shuyou entered a trance, and the White Crane Child descended once more. This time, his vertical pupils were not as sharp, and his aura in the trance state was also listless. There was no pretense or performance; the Child could sense that the young man was "not here." He was truly tired. During this 'wave' of the young man's journey, he had been used like a dog from start to finish. But the closer it got to this moment, the more he needed to grit his teeth and push forward. Anyway, all the divine power loss would be compensated by the merits shared after this 'wave,' and there would surely be a surplus. As for the good impression left in the young man's heart, that was priceless.

The Child held the trident with both hands, performed 'three-step praise,' constantly moving in and out beside Ruan Sheng, continuously slaying the spirits formed by the dancing girls. It wasn't particularly difficult, but the sheer number was terrifyingly vast, and more were continuously joining from the rear. And... overhead. In between battles, the Child didn't forget to look up with his vertical pupils at the oppressive black clouds overhead.

“What ferocious corpse aura!”

Zhao Yi heard the Child's comment about the overhead black clouds, then looked at the Scholar still standing there, gazing up at the sky. Could this one left by the Li family block that? Never mind, he should focus on his own tasks. Zhao Yi glanced again at Yu Miaomiao, who was fighting in the tide of corpses, and said: “Tan Wenbin, it's your turn.”

Tan Wenbin began to call his adopted sons. Two resentful infants appeared on Tan Wenbin's shoulders. When the two children appeared this time, they weren't facing forward. Instead, they were both sitting with their backs turned, one making a face at Zhao Yi, and the other clenching a fist at him. After doing this, the two children finally turned forward. Before getting down to business, they had to express their resentment towards that hateful three-eyed fellow!

Little hands clapped, and a children's song began. The two resentful infants had grown plump and healthy by sharing Tan Wenbin's merits and consuming the murals' malice, especially with Tan Wenbin also providing them with prenatal education. The way they sang the children's song was truly chilling, not only making people shiver but also numbing and terrifying spirits. The singing girls' voices were immediately drowned out by the children's song.

Zhao Yi held a formation flag. He had to wait until the people at the front couldn't hold on any longer before activating the formation to block, giving them a chance to catch their breath. Yin Meng was still diligently cooking. Zhao Yi glanced down and saw green bubbles appearing in the pot. Even with his intelligence, he couldn't comprehend how the supplies and seasonings from everyone's backpacks could be cooked into such a form.

Faced with the black-robed man's invitation to ascend, Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: “I'm journeying the river; I don't have time to ascend with you.”

The black-robed man: “What's the point of journeying the river? Even if you eventually become a Dragon King, what's so great about it? You'd merely suppress a generation, and eventually, new generations would replace the old. You'd still experience birth, aging, sickness, and death, wouldn't you?”

“Completing one cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death is quite good.” Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the black-robed man's hand. Within his five long black fingernails, dense corpse aura was embedded. “Living like you, I have no interest.”

The black-robed man had once entered A-Li's dream, inviting the young man to a feast to witness his entire clan's ascension. And he truly hadn't broken his word. But his ascension was different from what ordinary people understood. Ordinary people were those above: in the tall pagoda, within the emerald, in the kneeling corpse pits... In their eyes, ascending to immortality meant shedding the mortal coil, escaping birth, aging, sickness, and death, and going to the Heavenly Palace, where life was more magnificent, carefree, unrestrained, and hedonistic. What they pursued was a mythical story.

However, the ascension the black-robed man desired was not to leave the human world, but to create his own earthly heavenly kingdom here, and within that kingdom, he would be an immortal. The good fortune on the large bell was reserved for himself. He had split himself. The Faceless Man at the top of the pagoda inherited his obsession with traditional ascension to immortality, his obsession with the Liu family member, and his obsession with victory and defeat. To put it plainly, the Faceless Man was a diligent gardener he publicly displayed to maintain the rules' operation and ensure the 'fruit' could ripen steadily. His true body, meanwhile, was self-imprisoned at the base of the pagoda, hidden in the deepest and most immediate part of the rules.

Yu Zangsheng, Xu Zhenrong, and Zhen Shao'an were pawns he arranged behind the scenes. In fact, their goals were similar: none of them were pursuing traditional ascension to immortality; instead, they wanted to pluck the 'offering fruit.' Therefore, Yu Zangsheng and the other two were destined to fail. Even if they eventually reached the top of the pagoda and began to scrape the large bell, not a single bit of its good fortune would fall to them; it would all be claimed by the black-robed man, who had the advantage of being closer to the source. This immense opportunity would ultimately fall upon the black-robed man and his deceased clan members entombed there.

Earlier, at the top of the pagoda, if Li Zhuiyuan had been greedy himself or followed the Faceless Man's advice to take the "offerings" attached to the large bell, it would have been the same—he would merely have been doing all the work for someone else's benefit. It was precisely because Li Zhuiyuan did nothing at the pagoda's peak, just idling, that the black-robed man at the bottom couldn't wait any longer. He didn't hesitate to intervene, change the situation, and allow Xu Zhenrong and Zhen Shao'an to receive the boost from the "classroom home field advantage" here. Because he couldn't wait, the rules here were being destroyed, like a large tree rotting and dying. When the tree fell, the ripe 'fruit' would also be crushed with it.

This place was arranged and built by the black-robed man's ancestor. He, as a descendant, concealed himself here to set up his plan. Reaching this point was his limit, as even he was bound by these rules. The thick, tough purple chains on his body were the best proof. Being at the base of the pagoda, the corpse aura of the deceased Xuanmen practitioners above permeated downwards, all absorbed by him, gradually transforming him into a powerful and terrifying zombie. He had himself chained because he feared that one day he might lose control and go berserk, clashing with the rules prematurely. Looking at the cracks on the chains and the scratches and pits on the surrounding walls, it was clear that such incidents had occurred many times in the past.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the upper half of his face and asked, “Did you guess he would give me your ancestor's face?”

The black-robed man: “He is not under my control; he is another me. I gave him the ancestor's face-skin, intending for it to help stabilize the rules here. I truly didn't expect him to give you the remaining half of the ancestor's face-skin. And you, not even of my clan, were actually able to wear it and summon helpers.”

The ancestor's face-skin was a stabilizer for the rules. The black-robed man's layout here, forcibly opening an underground chamber, clearly damaged the rules. Only this face-skin could compensate and stabilize them. He naturally knew that his other self could do things with this ancestor's face-skin, but he didn't care. This was indeed the case; even if the Faceless Man managed to summon the old Daoist priest, he was ultimately defeated by Yu Zangsheng and the other two acting together, and that was without the black-robed man interfering to favor one side. The quality of those three 'pawns' was indeed strong. Normally, Yu Zangsheng and the other two would certainly have succeeded. Who knew that first Yu Miaomiao would turn on them, and then Li Zhuiyuan would use the remaining half of the face-skin to summon the Scholar, dealing with all three of them?

The black-robed man: “Although this place was built by my ancestor, I don't believe it can truly succeed, and such transgressive behavior is not permitted by the Heavenly Dao, which will inevitably send down endless variables to prevent it.”

Li Zhuiyuan placed a piece and nodded: “You've thought this through very thoroughly.” Convinced that ascension could not truly succeed and would inevitably be disrupted by variables, the black-robed man simply opted for a fallback plan from the very beginning. Yu Zangsheng and the other two were no different. Even Li Zhuiyuan, who initially received the message about this 'wave,' thought his purpose was to stop this so-called ascension. This was, in fact, a pre-judgment of the Heavenly Dao's actions. Waiting for the Heavenly Dao to act, to trigger karma at the final critical moment, and interrupt the ascension. Then this group of people, having long since infiltrated this place, would open their mouths and receive the fruit. This was making the Heavenly Dao work for them.

The black-robed man: “I know you're journeying the river, but this 'wave' can be fooled. Just destroy the ascension ritual above. In fact, you could have seen through it and said nothing. How about this, I can promise to give you twenty percent.”

“Heh.”

“Twenty percent is my limit. I'm not going to haggle; you should be content.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “So, you invited me down for a meeting and a game of chess just to offer me terms?”

The black-robed man: “What else? You don't take it yourself, and you prevent Zhen Shao'an and the others from taking it. Isn't it because you know that with me here, you can't get it?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “If it's taken, that bell will be destroyed, and the rules will completely collapse. I imagine that outside, madness is already showing signs, and once it fully erupts, it will be a natural disaster. I don't want something like that to happen, especially when I feel I might have the ability to prevent it.”

The black-robed man slowly raised his head, straightening up slightly: “Is that your true intention?”

“Yes.”

“You're a smart person. You shouldn't do something so thankless. I've also journeyed the river; I know how much merit one 'wave' can bring, and it's nowhere near twenty percent of what's here. As long as my goal is achieved, and my entire clan ascends successfully, it'll be like a constant flow of Dragon Kings, but we'll be steadfast. This, isn't this enough to entice you?”

The black-robed man's "clan ascension" aimed to use the rich fortune from this tall pagoda to irrigate it, turning this place into another Fengdu, transforming himself into another Yin Changsheng, another Great Emperor of Fengdu! This was his desire, and also his ambition. Given genuine precedents, it wasn't a pipe dream. Also, considering this is one of the Nine Secret Realms, and Fengdu is also a secret realm. Li Zhuiyuan felt that the black-robed man truly had a chance to succeed. Isn't the Great Emperor of Fengdu also a true immortal god in the eyes of mortals?

The black-robed man had been observing Li Zhuiyuan's state. Seeing him in thought, he assumed he had swayed him, and spoke: “Not only will I give you twenty percent, but I'll also open the gates of convenience for you, allowing you to establish another dojo within my heavenly kingdom. At that time, both you and I can become figures akin to earthly immortals.”

“I said, I'm journeying the river.”

“That's simple. After this 'wave' passes, you can just light your lamp a second time and concede.”

Ruan Sheng was already panting. Even with all his 'Qi gates' collectively breathing, he couldn't prevent his fatigue from worsening. The White Crane Child could only wield the real trident now; he no longer had the strength to maintain the one conjured by magic. On Tan Wenbin's shoulders, the two children's song was still sung with gusto, but a chill was rising from Tan Wenbin's body, as if he had just climbed out of a freezer.

Zhao Yi felt it was almost time to activate the formation. It wasn't because the three people at the front were about to collapse and needed rest, but because the smell of the food Yin Meng was cooking had permeated the air. Even holding his breath, the scent seemed to bore into his body, causing his heart to ache.

“Yin Meng, it's ready, scatter it!”

Yin Meng wiped sweat from her forehead, stood up, and whipped out her leather whip. The whip wrapped around the pot, lifting it into the air in front of her. Then, she retracted the whip, and as the pot fell from the air, she sharply swung her arm to crack the whip at it again, striking the pot.

“Bang!”

A colorful mush exploded in the air, scattering over a wide area. All corpses that were splattered with this mush stopped advancing, raised their hands high, and began to wail. Yin Meng was right; without pre-extracted toxins, the potency wasn't as great. Except for a few bodies heavily doused with the mush whose skin began to melt, most only showed discomfort and didn't dissolve. But by a stroke of fortune, melting the corpses into bloody water wouldn't necessarily have been a good thing at this moment, as there were many more bodies following behind. Instead, this method of making the corpses "miserable to the point of death" caused the first few rows of bodies to stop advancing, effectively creating a temporary barrier of corpses that blocked further movement.

Zhao Yi twirled the formation flag in his hand. In this situation, there was no need to rush to activate the formation. But just then, Zhao Yi noticed the black cloud overhead beginning to descend. And the Scholar remained motionless.

Yin Meng: “Does anyone else have food in their bag?”

The black-robed man placed another piece. Black's momentum for reversal was evident, and White's situation rapidly deteriorated. Li Zhuiyuan placed his piece casually this time, seemingly somewhat resigned.

The black-robed man: “Have you thought it through?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Yes.”

The black-robed man: “You truly have good fortune. This place was set up by my ancestor, and I've painstakingly waited here for so many years. Yet you, just by coincidence, can take a share from me. Indeed, human fates differ greatly; one cannot envy another's. However, from now on, our destinies must be in our own hands. We can no longer be subjected to...”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I disagree.”

The black-robed man's gaze turned cold. The purple chains on his body began to shake violently, and streams of corpse aura emanated from him, extending upwards along the chains.

The black-robed man: “I gave you a chance.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Sorry, I'm not that keen on it.” Let alone serving under Yin Changsheng, even if given the opportunity to become Yin Changsheng himself, Li Zhuiyuan had no interest. Wei Zhengdao had later been preoccupied with suicide, clearly due to certain mistakes he made earlier. With such a precedent, Li Zhuiyuan didn't want to get involved in such matters. Such temptations, no matter how beautifully packaged, would be rotten and maggot-ridden once the wrapping was torn off.

The black-robed man: “Then I'll add another promise: when I succeed, I will personally suppress all malevolent spirits here, preventing them from going out and wreaking havoc.”

“You can't do that. I admit you're very strong now, but you and I both know how many corpses and how much malice are suppressed here. If they all erupt, you simply won't be able to suppress them.”

The black-robed man: “You are truly stubborn.”

The purple chains almost intertwined, and corpse aura, accompanied by his will, began to withdraw upwards. Li Zhuiyuan looked at the chess game that was almost lost and said, “Look, you have no pieces left in your hand; you'll have to act yourself.”

The young man understood what the black-robed man was doing. The black-robed man left his physical body here, extracted his corpse aura and consciousness, and prepared to 'charge the pagoda' outside. He decided to officially get his hands dirty and personally scrape off the good fortune from the large bell. Another reason he was unwilling to do so before was that the part of him he split off would not be able to inherit this opportunity; only the part remaining in the pagoda could. This would undoubtedly result in huge losses.

The black-robed man: “I will make you witness my ascension with your own eyes. Once I become an immortal, the first thing I will do is sacrifice you here, so you may eternally witness the glory I have created!”

Li Zhuiyuan pointed upwards and said: “Actually, the only difference between you and those people in the pagoda above is that they live on the upper floors, and you live in the basement.”

The black-robed man: “Like that person from the Liu family back then, your words are harsh and unpleasant. However, you are not him from back then, and I am not me from back then. This time, it's my turn to pity your fate!”

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the black-robed man in front of him, then looked up at the purple chains above. At this moment, the transfer of corpse aura and consciousness for this stage was complete.

“You've already projected thirty percent outwards, yet you only promised me twenty percent earlier. How unpromising, even tricking a child.”

Outside the pagoda.

The black cloud finally descended. The dense corpse aura transformed into a ghostly face and plunged into the sea of corpses below. All affected corpses first began to twist, then were stripped of their flesh and bones, gathering towards the central area.

“Grind... grind... grind...”

Soon, a massive ball of flesh emerged. It was still rapidly writhing, gradually forming the rudimentary shapes of a head and limbs. A voice also emanated from it, echoing all around: “This is my path to immortality! Anyone who dares to stand in my way shall suffer the divine punishment I bring down!”

Tan Wenbin: “The big one's here.”

Lin Shuyou: “Such powerful corpse aura.”

In the distance, Yu Miaomiao seemed severely frightened. She immediately tore apart the corpse in front of her and involuntarily edged closer to the pagoda gate, though her movements were slow. If the flesh ball's target wasn't her, she wouldn't move. But if it came for her, she would immediately accelerate and run towards the group in front of the pagoda gate.

Zhao Yi looked at the Scholar again. The Li family member had departed in his spiritual state. In this condition, still so far away, did he have enough remaining power to continue controlling this body?

Just then, the Scholar finally moved. He pulled out the blank book tied to his waist. This time, although still controlled by Li Zhuiyuan, the young man intended to use the Scholar's own abilities, specifically by awakening his muscle memory. After all, it was time for a head-on clash.

The Scholar began to run, directly knocking away all corpses blocking his path. Then he leaped into the air and descended towards the flesh ball, his blank book rolled into a cylinder, and he violently struck it!

“Bang!”

The flesh ball was heavily struck and sent flying.

The Scholar stood amidst the tide of corpses, his voice resounding like a great bell: “The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical feats, disorder, or spiritual beings!”