Chapter 296

Zhai Lao's hand withdrew awkwardly, his gaze darting to an empty space, restless.

What he had done was indeed unprincipled; he had gone back on his word.

Even now, Zhai Lao wasn't sure why he had suddenly decided to do this. It seemed inexplicable; after he woke up in the early hours, it had become a growing obsession in his heart.

Even more awkward, in fact, was Luo Tingrui.

Admittedly, giving a report at such a high-level meeting was indeed a significant addition to one's personal resume. However, neither he nor Zhai Lao truly needed it, and even Xue Liangliang didn't need it much anymore.

Xue Liangliang was not only highly capable but also extremely versatile. A young person who could excel in both professional and organizational aspects was a rare talent in any field, and it was almost certain that he would lead major projects independently in the future.

"Liangliang, Liangliang!" Engineer Luo raised his voice.

Cold sweat beaded on Xue Liangliang's forehead.

It wasn't that he was frightened by his teacher, but rather, in that moment, his heart suddenly fluttered, and he instinctively didn't want to hand over the report.

In his mind, he heard what Xiaoyuan had specifically told him yesterday:

"Brother Liangliang, learn from this lesson and hold on a little longer this time."

Previously, when facing Lady Bai, Uncle Qin was on the verge of single-handedly conquering Baijia Town, a sure victory. Yet, unexpectedly, Xue Liangliang preemptively signed a surrender treaty as the "victor."

At the time, Xue Liangliang had proudly believed that his firmness had forced Baijia Town to concede, and that he had sacrificed himself to protect Nantong from Lady Bai's harm.

Xue Liangliang wasn't aware of the specific details, but Li Zhuiyuan had hinted at this general sequence of events to him.

However, if he could have foreseen the future at that time, Xue Liangliang would not only not have persisted but would have signed the most stringent and frequently invoked "humiliating and sovereignty-ceding" treaty even sooner.

But the incident itself was indeed a lesson.

Xue Liangliang knew that Xiaoyuan and his companions weren't just there for this project. Xiaoyuan's specific instruction to him was full of trust.

Therefore, he dared not hand over the report—no, not just the report, but also the identity of the presenter.

"Liangliang, are you feeling unwell?" Engineer Luo reached out with his right hand to touch Xue Liangliang's forehead and with his left hand to take the report, offering him a graceful exit.

But Xue Liangliang stepped back two paces and firmly stated, "No, Teacher. You may not care about this report, but this is my chance to make an appearance."

Luo Tingrui frowned deeply. The Xue Liangliang before him felt completely unfamiliar to his teacher. This child had always been farsighted and discerning; how had he suddenly become like this?

Zhai Lao rubbed his knees, wanting to leave, but after just standing up, he inexplicably sat back down. He looked up again at Xue Liangliang and said:

"Comrade Xiao Xue, I know I've put you in a difficult position. Don't worry, after this matter, I will compensate you in other ways to the best of my ability."

The first half was addressed to Xue Liangliang, while the second half was for Luo Tingrui.

Luo Tingrui knew that if this matter wasn't resolved soon, Zhai Lao might think he was intentionally hinting to his student to refuse, playing hard to get.

Xue Liangliang himself, upon hearing Zhai Lao's words, immediately relaxed.

He wasn't fighting for this presentation opportunity in the first place. In his hazy state, a certain persistence was forgotten and smoothed over. Xue Liangliang smiled and, as he proactively handed over the report, began to say:

"Old Zhai, look at what you're saying, I was just joking with you..."

His relaxed state of mind suddenly tensed up again.

Like a drowning person surfacing, Xue Liangliang gasped for air and immediately corrected himself:

"I was just joking with you. The truth is, my teacher and I have prepared for this report for a long time. If you take it at the last minute, our preparation will certainly be insufficient, and errors will inevitably occur during the presentation."

Ghost Street.

The young man still sat there, watching as Brother Runsheng, with his battered body and all his energy gates open, struck several gaping holes into the iron lion.

Each strike made the iron lion howl in pain, but quickly, its chains would re-form, covering and mending the breaches.

Runsheng, having finally exhausted everything, was struck by the iron lion's tail and flung to the ground. With both arms, he raised the Yellow River Spade, blocking the iron hooves that threatened to stomp on him.

"Crack... crunch... snap..." Bones shattered, flesh burst.

Finally, "Bang!" Runsheng exploded, and the iron hooves landed.

This final sound was like a heavy drumbeat, striking the young man's heart.

However, the young man's eyes remained calm, without a ripple of emotion.

Before he died, Zhao Yi had asked him if he had considered the consequences of losing the gamble. The answer was yes, he had.

But whether before, during, or after his companions' deaths, Li Zhuiyuan had shown no emotion.

Deep within the young man's consciousness.

His true self emerged from the basement, locked the door. It wasn't raining outside, but he took an umbrella as he walked out.

The vast fields were dotted with residential houses, but in reality, other houses were only visible from a distance, serving merely as background. If one shifted perspective, it would become apparent that these houses had no interior decoration or signs of human activity; they were just external walls, visible only from the outside.

Here, the only two "complete buildings" were his great-grandfather's house and the fish pond.

His true self walked along under bright sunshine, but as soon as he pushed open the fish pond's gate and stepped inside, rain began to fall above his head.

Opening the umbrella, his true self came to the edge of the pond. Besides the ripples caused by the falling rain, there seemed to be several murky undercurrents, carrying mud, flowing into the pond from below the surface.

In the past, no matter how much emotional "junk" Li Zhuiyuan poured into it, the fish fry here would excitedly consume it all very quickly.

This time, however, they were clearly eating and digesting very slowly, even appearing listless and sickly.

This was because previously, Li Zhuiyuan had introduced external emotional "junk" here, but this time it was different.

His true self said, "Haven't you always yearned for emotions? Why, when these emotions are so strong this time, have you voluntarily cast them in here?"

He squatted down, his right hand still holding the umbrella, while his left hand stirred the water's surface back and forth a few times.

"You've already affirmed that there can be no surprises in your cognition; it's merely following a procedure. Yet, has this process still made you feel uncomfortable?"

"You pursue these meaningless emotions, yet you fear they will affect your state and so discard them. I cannot understand what meaning there is in such a futile endeavor."

"Being human is truly boring, nothing but burdens."

Back on Ghost Street in reality.

After Runsheng's death, the iron lion began to attack the Yin family members. Its terrifying defense and explosive power meant that even the deceased ancestors of the Yin family from previous generations couldn't truly defeat it; they could only be crushed and shattered one by one.

Furthermore, the ghosts in the waters below the pier were almost inexhaustible. Although a large number had already been eliminated by the Yin family, they continued to surge forward endlessly.

Too many ants can indeed kill an elephant, and moreover, there was now a formidable iron lion within the opposing ranks.

When the Yin family members first appeared, they were clearly divided by strength, arranged by the chronological order of their deaths, with those who died earlier positioned at the front.

This strategy was well-suited for street gang fights: the fiercest and bravest would charge forward, gaining momentum and energizing the weaker subordinates behind them.

However, it was somewhat inappropriate here. To maximize benefit, the weakest group should have charged in the first row, serving as cannon fodder to scout the way and gather information for those behind them, allowing for the adjustment of more suitable tactics.

Yet, this illogical formation, though self-organized, was also entirely understandable.

The elders went first, the younger generations stayed behind. After all, they were generations of Yin family members; their seniority was paramount. To the Yin family members in the front, weren't those behind them their own children?

Yin Meng's grandfather naturally ended up at the very back, as he was the youngest "child" among them.

"Pfft!" Li Zhuiyuan opened a can of Jianlibao soda. As he drank, he pulled out a handful of "last one" or "last two" pills.

Before Zhao Yi went to his death, he left a bag behind containing several tools and, yes, mostly a packet of these pills.

These extremely precious pills were now being eaten like candies by Li Zhuiyuan, with soda as the "medicine primer."

Good things would go to waste if not consumed, and besides, there was no need to worry about being too weak to handle the nourishment at this moment.

Under the onslaught of ghosts, pouring in like a breached dam, and the iron lion's sweeping attacks, which were almost like cheating, the number of fallen Yin family members was rapidly dwindling.

It was normal for Mengmeng, as a party involved, to harbor resentment towards the Great Emperor. Yet, even she wouldn't openly proclaim it, because in this world... most people's ancestral graves and ancestors for whom paper offerings were burned held little substantive meaning.

Rather than saying the Yin family members were repaying their ancestor Yin Changsheng, it was more accurate to say they were fulfilling their family name's commitment.

Other families didn't have the opportunity for such a gathering of all their members, but if they did, they would likely act the same way. This was the cohesion of a clan.

Having finished the can of soda and all the "candies," the young man's hair became damp, and steam began to rise from him.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the sky. The disintegration of numerous ghosts and the demise of the Yin family members caused the ghostly aura and resentment swirling above to become increasingly dense and vast.

Lowering his head, the young man's gaze fell upon the iron lion.

Everyone knew what it specifically was, but it was deliberately obscuring itself.

When it appeared here, it was an embodiment of the Bodhisattva's will.

In myths and legends, many things are significantly distorted from reality, but it must be said that the backing of mythological origins aroused greater excitement when one saw it, especially when one was preparing to attempt to suppress and kill it.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, walked to the altar, and re-lit the incense.

The Yin family members could no longer hold them back. With the demise of the elders in the front row, the younger generations' resistance time rapidly shortened, perfectly illustrating what it meant for descendants to be unproductive.

Yin Meng's grandfather finally got a chance to act. After successively eliminating many ghosts, he was crushed by a single hoof of the iron lion.

"Boom!" He was the last one. That stomp signaled the complete failure of this wave of resistance.

Li Zhuiyuan inserted the incense into the censer.

What kind of existence the Great Emperor truly was, he had always been in the process of exploring.

However, one thing the young man could confirm was that the Great Emperor genuinely did not care about his descendants.

This had nothing to do with whether or not the descendants had been cursed. Even from the Great Emperor's perspective, if descendants chose to become fallen spirits after death to assist Him, the Great Emperor would not show the slightest emotional fluctuation.

The longer one lived, the less human one became; you couldn't apply human templates to Him.

From a hindsight perspective, whether it was his initial use of karma to slander the Great Emperor, causing Him to issue an order for a family's eradication, or later Yin Meng's sacrifice, including the pair of "dog sloths" Zhao Yi presented—

—was the Great Emperor truly enraged?

Previously, Li Zhuiyuan had been uncertain, but yesterday, at Zhai Lao's door, when he heard the Bodhisattva refer to him as a direct disciple during a conversation with the Great Emperor,

the young man confirmed that the Great Emperor was not a living, breathing person.

Both used him as a blade; the only difference was that the Great Emperor's way of wielding the blade was more familiar to Li Zhuiyuan, while the Bodhisattva's habit of discarding it after use made it difficult for the blade to develop any particular inclination towards her.

Ghosts surged like a tide, rushing towards Li Zhuiyuan.

The iron lion was also running among them.

Li Zhuiyuan formed hand seals, then raised his left arm, pointing towards the sky.

Among the orange-yellow lanterns overhead, one transformed into a massive eyeball.

Li Zhuiyuan covered his right eye with his right hand again. Blood flowed out, this time not from the blood mist in his palm, but from his actual eye socket.

The eyeball overhead also bled, shooting out like sparks, igniting the intensely dense ghostly aura and resentment above.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Pillars of karmic fire descended, incinerating countless ghosts on the street.

Several pillars struck the iron lion, forcing it to lower its head in defense.

Li Zhuiyuan left the altar and began to run. He hadn't practiced martial arts, so his speed wasn't exaggerated, but amidst the street full of karmic fire, he was paradoxically the safest one.

The iron lion, prostrate there, seemed to sense something and slightly raised its head. But just then, another pillar of fire happened to strike, engulfing its entire body.

Once the karmic fire dissipated, Li Zhuiyuan was already in front of it.

The iron chains were the best ladder. Since it was also lying prostrate, Li Zhuiyuan, in one breath, directly "climbed to the upper floor," reaching its head.

Its massive tail had silently coiled over, very, very close to the young man.

Li Zhuiyuan's mind replayed the way it had killed Zhao Yi: it liked to ritually devour and chew those it hated.

If it hated Zhao Yi so much, there was no reason it wouldn't hate him, and it would only hate him more.

The young man's hand, which he had been about to extend, retracted.

The tail appeared, binding the young man.

The iron lion opened its maw, intending to chew and swallow the young man.

Li Zhuiyuan had been waiting for this opportunity. His hand pointed towards the gaping, bloody maw below.

The lanterns overhead instantly transformed into many eyes. The karmic fire that hadn't yet fallen from above now, as if guided, converged into a thick beam, specifically directed to strike into the iron lion's wide-open mouth.

"Buzz!" The karmic fire burned, completely melting the chains on the iron lion's body, then incinerating the illusory concealment of its next layer.

In an instant, Li Zhuiyuan saw its true form: tiger head, single horn, dog ears, dragon body, lion tail, qilin feet — it was a Di Ting!

Revealed in its true form, it was like a peeled egg.

It began to wail, its body constantly twisting and cracking.

At this point, it was meaningless for it to pay attention to anything else. Li Zhuiyuan was flung away by its tail. As he landed, the young man quickly rolled sideways to dissipate the force, avoiding immediate death by impact, but still ending up with a bruised and bleeding head.

"Thud!" The Di Ting's body collapsed to the ground. It was like a piece of fatty meat thrown into a frying pan, being refined.

The scorching flames splattered everywhere, creating an indiscriminate coverage. Li Zhuiyuan was caught within it, unable to escape.

The young man looked down, watching his hands wrinkle at a visible speed. He felt like a piece of clay about to dissolve in water.

He was tired, too lazy to struggle anymore. If he died, then so be it. At least he had dragged this one down with him before dying.

"Clang!" A thick iron chain emerged from beneath the water, powerfully wrapping around one of the Di Ting's legs, then rapidly pulling it down.

Li Zhuiyuan, who was about to be incinerated to death, thus... escaped the scorching range.

Instead, during the descent, the remaining ghosts on the street were also incinerated along with it. After the Di Ting was dragged beneath the surface, the water boiled, emitting endless shrill screams.

Countless ghosts still at the bottom of the water, who hadn't had the chance to come ashore and worship, lost their opportunity forever.

Li Zhuiyuan sat on the ground, unable to move from that position, because his flesh had severely shrunken and stuck together in many places. The slightest movement would be equivalent to actively tearing his own flesh.

Ahead of him, the street was impeccably clean. All clutter and filth had been thoroughly cleansed by the flames, as if nothing had happened that night.

"Ah..." A low moan escaped Li Zhuiyuan's throat.

He closed his eyes, entering his dying moments.

For an ordinary person at this stage, consciousness repeatedly slips into intermittent unconsciousness, like frequent dozing, awaiting only the final, longest period of "eternal sleep."

But as Li Zhuiyuan's consciousness blurred, he saw another scene.

He saw himself sitting naked in the passenger seat of a large truck, without a stitch of clothing.

The truck was still moving forward, but outside the window was not a road. The truck seemed to have sunk to the bottom of a river, with yellowish river water filling the surroundings.

"Ah..." Li Zhuiyuan's consciousness returned to clarity, and his vision shifted back to Ghost Street.

Buddhist chants resonated once more, coming from the pier.

A solemn and dignified aura began to gather. Emerging from the water next were no longer ghosts, but monks clad in kasayas, chanting as they lined up in eight neat rows, coming ashore from the pier and proceeding along Ghost Street. Their numbers grew, simply endless.

A colossal palanquin was lifted, carried by a host of Arhats.

On the palanquin lay a dog, its fur singed and looking utterly wretched, its state of life unknown. One could faintly discern that its original fur color must have been white.

On the dog's body rested a golden Bodhisattva statue, the size of an infant.

After eliminating all obstacles, the Bodhisattva came ashore, prepared to enter the Ghost Gate, proceed to the Underworld, and govern Fengdu.

The Buddhist chants were painful to Li Zhuiyuan's ears. He couldn't catch his breath, a long groan escaped his throat, and his consciousness re-entered the other side of his dying moments.

Still beneath the yellowish water, still in the truck, still naked, but this time he saw crystal-clear white skeletons in the driver's cab. They grabbed onto their own bodies, completely enveloping themselves. Skeletons behind them couldn't reach him, only grasping the skeletons in front.

This chain of grasping skeletons extended out of the truck windows, forming an unimaginably long queue outside, constantly swaying beneath the water.

This time, Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at the driver's seat.

Zhao Yi's left hand rested on the steering wheel, his right hand holding a burning cigarette. The cigarette butt hadn't extinguished in the water; it remained bright but no longer burned.

Similarly, Zhao Yi was also naked, surrounded by numerous skeletons grasping his body, extending endlessly out of sight.

The difference was that Li Zhuiyuan's extension went out the passenger window, while Zhao Yi's went out the driver's window.

Against the backdrop of these exaggerated long chains of skeletons, the truck appeared as miniature as a toy.

Consciousness returned to reality once more.

He caught his breath again.

Li Zhuiyuan was back on Ghost Street. He should have died, because being alive right now was extremely painful.

Even Zhao Yi's boneless flexibility during his most agonizing moments was far better than the young man's current state. He felt like a thoroughly stewed spare rib, ready to fall off the bone with the slightest touch.

However, at this moment, Li Zhuiyuan erupted with a surprisingly strong will to live, because he wanted to preserve an additional perspective.

Although, this was becoming increasingly difficult.

His next breath was again hard to sustain.

Li Zhuiyuan's vision returned to the truck. This time, he immediately exerted maximum effort to turn and look through the middle window into the back compartment.

Tan Wenbin, Lin Shuyou, and Liang Yan, Liang Li sat facing each other. Tan Wenbin was teasing Lin Shuyou about something, and the sisters were whispering.

This was originally a very normal still image, but everyone was naked... Coupled with the smoky yellow hue, it truly felt like looking at an oil painting.

Moreover, everyone was surrounded by transparent, crystal-clear skeletons, packed tightly, filling the entire back compartment. This made the scene even more bizarre.

Li Zhuiyuan saw Runsheng lying there, receiving the same treatment, but he didn't see Yin Meng, who should have been lying beside Runsheng, and who had also been unconscious upon arrival.

Additionally, the stretcher beneath Runsheng was gone. In short, everything that was supposed to be taken off the truck later was now missing from it.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he had bet correctly.

Here, death was just a new beginning.

The biggest difference between the Great Emperor and the Bodhisattva was that the Great Emperor provided a basic minimum standard of treatment for subordinates who worked for Him.

"Static... static, static..." The car radio in the truck's cab emitted static.

It was blurry at first, then gradually became audible, and a familiar voice emerged.

"Liangliang, Liangliang?"

"No!" Xue Liangliang refused.

A slight curve appeared at Li Zhuiyuan's lips. Brother Liangliang had heard and understood his hint.

"Comrade Xiao Xue, I know I've put you in a difficult position. Don't worry, after this matter, I will compensate you in other ways to the best of my ability."

The moment Zhai Lao's words came through the radio, Li Zhuiyuan felt an intense pain surge through his body.

His own body in the passenger seat, flesh shriveled, had actually become "stewed soft" just like in reality.

This left Li Zhuiyuan somewhat helpless. His dying moments were supposed to be a way to escape the agony of his real-world suffering.

Now, things were just as bad; both sides of his dying state were the same, and he still had to endure this torment.

Zhao Yi, in the driver's seat, had twisted, irregular cracks appearing on his body; he had been bitten to death by the Di Ting.

Liang Yan and Liang Li, the upper half of both women's bodies were covered in blood; they had been stomped to death by the Di Ting.

Tan Wenbin's body was also covered in blood, but the redness had distinct layers, gradually fading from top to bottom. This was because Tan Wenbin had been wrapped by the Di Ting's tail and smashed onto the ground, turning into a bloody mist, so there was always a primary point of impact.

Runsheng's body had several lines of blood; though he had been stomped to death, he had been resisting before then. He died in the midst of his resistance.

The only one with a normal appearance was Lin Shuyou.

Because he was the only one who died standing, with his body intact.

Among the wax figures of naked bodies in various states of misery, Lin Shuyou appeared remarkably unique and prominent.

In front of him, the translucent skeletons that had been closest and grasping him began to dissipate continuously, shimmering fragments entering his body.

Everyone's chain of skeletons was long enough; when the front skeletons cracked, the ones behind immediately moved up.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that all of this came from Zhai Lao's concessions heard through the radio.

But, "Brother Liangliang, it's not enough. This is just basic salary..."

Just getting their lives back and relying on merits to heal their injuries—what kind of reward was that?

In Li Zhuiyuan's opinion, this was merely what they deserved.

Therefore, the Great Emperor had essentially given nothing!

The voice from the radio continued.

Xue Liangliang: "If you take it at the last minute, our preparation will certainly be insufficient, and errors will inevitably occur during the presentation."

Brother Liangliang had held out through another round.

Li Zhuiyuan deeply understood how difficult it was to hold out.

This was a "request" from that entity; refusing it was already extremely difficult. To refuse again after that entity had made a concession required a conviction far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Fortunately, that entity couldn't use force. It wasn't that He couldn't, but that He required a legitimate and righteous justification.

Whether it was Xue Liangliang, Engineer Luo, or those participating in the meeting, or even the meeting itself, all were part of that righteous justification.

Therefore, if that entity wanted the assistance He desired, He had to respect this procedure.

That night, in Zheng Hua's room, Zheng Hua asked Li Zhuiyuan to help organize Zhai Lao's introduction booklet.

This was Zhai Lao's instruction, but the problem was that Zhai Lao couldn't have given this instruction in advance, as he wasn't the main speaker.

At the time, Li Zhuiyuan knew that future developments would inevitably follow this procedure. The role of main speaker, even if pushed out initially to avoid tipping off others, would certainly have to be reclaimed later.

Because the one who needed to give this report was not Zhai Lao, but Him.

As for why such an obvious flaw was exposed, it can only be said that, on the basis of respecting the procedure, such a flaw was unavoidable.

If you wanted to play this game disguised as a white dragon, then ordinary people in this game would naturally be on the same level as you.

Furthermore, he had to be grateful that Zheng Hua's door lock was broken that night. Otherwise, Zheng Hua wouldn't have asked Li Zhuiyuan to come into his room and watch the door while he went out to get hot water.

This was... luck.

Zhai Lao: "Comrade Xiao Xue, I understand your concern. How about this: you become my report assistant?"

The next moment, "Ah!!!" Li Zhuiyuan cried out in pain.

Earlier, when he was being scorched in reality, Li Zhuiyuan hadn't even whimpered; he could suppress that searing pain.

But being able to endure changing from raw to cooked didn't necessarily mean he could bear changing from cooked to raw.

It was like a piece of stewed beef, whose fibers could be seen when peeled apart. Now, it not only had to become fresh and tender again but also had to reattach to the cow.

In front of him, large numbers of skeletons shattered, and the replacement skeletons behind him accelerated.

The same was true for the others; the red-line injuries on their bodies were rapidly fading.

Zhai Lao's second concession not only saved Li Zhuiyuan and the others' lives but also restored their injuries.

Runsheng's injuries, the Liang sisters' injuries, and their lost lifespans were also compensated at this moment.

Even Zhao Yi's most cherished scars were perfectly erased.

From the radio:

Luo Tingrui: "Liangliang, Zhai Lao has gone this far. You should sober up a bit."

Clearly, Engineer Luo was truly angry.

Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, continued to anticipate.

After a brief silence, Xue Liangliang's voice came through:

"What kind of talk is that? I'm not even your student, why should I be your assistant? Anyone who doesn't know might think my teacher has been suppressed by you!"

Brother Liangliang held firm again, persisting.

It should be known that Xue Liangliang didn't know the specific purpose of this persistence, yet he was willing to ruin his image in front of his teacher just because of his own reminder from yesterday.

Brother Liangliang was staking his future on fulfilling his promise to him.

If he lost this future, Brother Liangliang would only be able to live the rest of his life as a very wealthy dilettante.

For others, this might already be the pinnacle of a good life, but Xue Liangliang had always pursued higher ideals and aspirations.

Zhai Lao: "Comrade Xiao Xue, before the report, I can publicly state that your teacher is the one making the contribution, and I am merely holding the role of presenter due to my old age."

A third concession.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Skeletons shattered in quick succession, not even having time to touch the human bodies.

An extremely pleasant sensation of comfort washed over them; both their minds and bodies were receiving special nourishment.

Li Zhuiyuan instinctively activated the Qin Clan Dragon-Gazing Art, transforming the surging nourishment into his fundamental foundation.

The flower bud at the "life-death seam" on Zhao Yi's chest began to bloom. However, this time, the peach blossoms that opened bore swirling black and white colors.

This meant that Zhao Yi's "life-death seam," having accumulated power previously, had now formally ascended to a new level.

From a flaw that initially suppressed his physical capabilities, it transformed into a technique he could normally master, and now, into a true pillar he could rely on.

It must be said that Zhao Yi truly profited immensely from this wave of events.

Of course, he deserved it.

Four spiritual beast phantoms appeared on Tan Wenbin's body. After becoming more solidified, they once again merged back into his body.

This was equivalent to saving Tan Wenbin time in cultivating his spiritual beasts, offering hope that they would soon recover to their state before that "wave."

Liang Yan and Liang Li emitted faint white light. It was evident they both had "gaps," caused by their own Liang family secret technique experiments. In both soul and destiny, they each possessed a part of the other.

Currently, the synchronized understanding the sisters pursued was still present, but the flaws that had emerged from forcibly enhancing that understanding in the past were also being rectified.

On Runsheng's body, his energy gates opened, and like a volcanic eruption, first the fallen spirits' resentment surged, then malevolent energy burst forth, and finally, ghostly energy harmonized.

These three forces now formed a tri-force dynamic, separating or merging, flowing in and out of Runsheng's various energy gates.

Whether Runsheng woke up or not, this integration was unaffected. Even if he were awake now, he could only sit there watching himself, unable to intervene, nor would he.

When Uncle Qin used coffin nails to help Runsheng open his energy gates, he probably never imagined that Runsheng could, step by step, reach this point using such a rigid and forced method.

Others had to diligently and exhaustively comprehend cultivation methods, sacrificing sleep and food for even the slightest progress. Runsheng, however, sculpted his body into the form most favored by the cultivation method.

The most significant change was observed in Lin Shuyou.

He simply sat there, his face still faintly flushed from when Tan Wenbin had teased him.

The divine phantom of the White Crane Immortal Child appeared before Lin Shuyou.

The Immortal Child also had its eyes closed, completely unconscious.

The reason Li Zhuiyuan could observe everyone here was that, in reality, he hadn't fully died yet.

Firstly, the White Crane Immortal Child's form became more solidified than before, which was similar to what Tan Wenbin's spiritual beasts gained.

However, a black ray of light, upon striking the White Crane Immortal Child's glabella, was bounced back.

The Immortal Child's divine phantom immediately trembled.

It struck again, but still bounced back.

The Immortal Child's divine phantom trembled more intensely.

At first, Li Zhuiyuan didn't know what this black light was, but soon he realized: it was... an investiture.

However, the investiture failed.

This was because the Immortal Child's affiliations were too complex: former general leader, current True Monarch, simultaneously revered by Li You, a Nantong corpse-retriever, and also acknowledged Li Zhuiyuan as the Dragon King's River-Walker.

Nevertheless, even though the investiture wasn't successful, each time the black light struck and rebounded, it solidified the Immortal Child's divine body—and these were purely "freebie" instances.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" If Li Zhuiyuan could move normally now, he could perhaps find a way to help the Immortal Child accept this investiture after its solidification. But the problem was, in his current state, Li Zhuiyuan could only perform basic movements; he couldn't even leave the driver's cab.

But fortunately, the Immortal Child wasn't alone. After repeated failed investitures, the black light significantly dimmed. Finally, it no longer targeted the Immortal Child but bypassed Him, striking Lin Shuyou's glabella instead.

This time, it successfully entered.

A set of armor, identical to what had been seen on the Ghost Commander previously, materialized on Lin Shuyou's body.

At Lin Shuyou's glabella, while the White Crane True Monarch's imprint flowed, a black pattern also appeared, and the two began to intertwine and clash.

A-You was unlike Runsheng, who had carved out his own channels. A-You's current state would likely require considerable effort to adjust and sort out in the future.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze once again swept across the entire rear compartment, and he also tried his best to look into the area behind the compartment, but he still couldn't see Yin Meng.

At the back of the truck, apart from the endlessly long mass of skeletons, there was only yellowish-brown river water.

Yin Meng had clearly gotten into the truck, yet now she wasn't inside.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly thought of a possibility: if Yin Meng had offered herself as a sacrifice, then shouldn't Yin Meng be... on the Great Emperor's altar right now?

The car radio reverted to static.

Li Zhuiyuan was satisfied.

Brother Liangliang had persisted in refusing three times in reality, securing three instances of compensation and benefit for his side.

It was extremely difficult, and very impressive.

Each refusal doubled the immense pressure. One must know that most ordinary people, standing before Him, would willingly be at His command.

What's more, Xue Liangliang was facing His active demand.

This was literally bargaining with the King of Hell.

And His status was far, far superior to that of the King of Hell.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You've worked hard, Brother Liangliang."

However, when sounds emerged from the radio again, even Li Zhuiyuan was startled.

"Wuwuwu... Wuwuwu... Wuwuwu..." Brother Liangliang had broken down. He was crying.

Along with that came the sounds of tables and chairs being pushed, and hands slapping and feet kicking the floor.

Listening to the sounds, one could visualize the scene.

But Li Zhuiyuan still found it hard to imagine that someone like Xue Liangliang would act like a child, sitting on the floor hugging the report, constantly crying, and throwing a tantrum.

Li Zhuiyuan began to reflect: had his reminder yesterday... been too much?

Or perhaps, he had underestimated his own importance in Brother Liangliang's heart.

The young student who, by the river construction site, once confidently spoke his mind by the campfire, heedless of his classmates' teasing, was now in tears, curled up in a corner. As Engineer Luo and Zhai Lao approached to pull and help him up, he wildly shook his head, swung his body, and kicked his legs, sobbing:

"Wuwuwu... I won't give it to you... I just won't give it to you... I absolutely cannot give it to you!"

Seeing this, Engineer Luo's previous displeasure vanished completely. He began to worry if Xue Liangliang was under too much work pressure recently, or if something was wrong with his mental state. His eyes reddened with heartache, yet he didn't know what to do. He couldn't call for help, couldn't let outsiders see this; if word got out, the child's future prospects would be severely affected.

At this moment, Engineer Luo cared nothing for peer camaraderie, senior-junior relationships, or high moral integrity. Xue Liangliang was not just his student, but in his eyes, his "son."

"Liangliang, don't give it, we won't give it! Your teacher will lead the report with you, not for anyone else, not for anyone else anymore!"

Zhai Lao stood by, the awkwardness, worry, and other emotions on his face gradually fading.

Looking at the man before him, who was clutching the report and nearly insane, Zhai Lao's eyes even showed a hint of profound amusement.

The most difficult part, ironically, had gone the most smoothly.

Yet, it was precisely the simplest part that had gone wrong.

It was said to be a "clash of immortals," yet this mere string, serving only as a connector, had unexpectedly shown astonishing autonomy.

He was not only unwilling to merely be a string but was also actively stirring things up, frantically and boldly pulling benefits into his own bowl.

He had clearly served him meal after meal, yet he remained insatiable.

Inside the truck. Li Zhuiyuan, also in a state of shock, heard a majestic and oppressive voice beside his ear. This voice represented a supreme will, inviolable; to touch it was to perish.

"How vast is your appetite, truly?"

The terrifying pressure that descended paradoxically made Li Zhuiyuan quickly calm his mind. The young man didn't answer the