Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 356

Chen Xiyuan bent over, tilted her head, and smiled as she looked at the short, stout old man in front of her.

When she uttered those words, she felt a cool sensation rise from the bottom of her heart and soar to the top of her head.

It was as if the world before my eyes had gained a different color from that moment on.

original,

So this is how you all travel along the river?

Feng Lushan's charred skin continued to peel off, and foul-smelling pus gushed out.

He is in a bad state. The explosion just now almost destroyed his once proud physique.

The fact that it didn't completely fall apart is the result of his gritted teeth and hard work to keep it afloat.

Regardless, the girl's smile made him feel humiliated.

He could accept sarcasm or mockery, but he could sense that the girl was genuinely smiling.

His temper flared up immediately and became somewhat uncontrollable.

Part of the reason is the dense demonic resentment permeating the air. When he was still in his normal state, he could subconsciously isolate and cleanse it to minimize the impact. Now that he is covered in wounds, the demonic resentment is almost everywhere, forcing him to gradually slip into madness.

"Whose maid are you... so rude!"

Feng Lushan felt a tightness in his throat, white steam rose from his body, and he quickly stood up.

He was already seriously injured, but if he went back and recuperated properly, along with various precious tonics, he could fully recover from his injuries.

But now, he has used a secret technique, which means that he will never be able to return to his peak in the future, and the overdrawn life force will cause his body to decline prematurely.

Feng Lushan, who had stood up, was somewhat dazed and seemed to not quite understand why he had done this.

Behind the three buildings, Li Zhuiyuan squatted on the ground, holding the Jiaoling Array Flag in his right hand and a writing brush in his left.

Several blank talisman papers were laid out on the ground, and the boy was drawing talismans.

Gradually, a giant eyeball emerged beneath the boy's feet, drawing in the surrounding demonic resentment, and the eyeball slowly turned red.

The battle flag clutched in the boy's right hand was also helping to speed up this process.

If one were to observe from a distance, one could see the malevolent aura permeating this large area rapidly converging towards a single point, like a whirlpool appearing in the depths of the ocean.

Li Zhuiyuan was extracting these demonic grievances as materials, attempting to apply them to talisman paper.

After finishing one drawing,
"Snapped."

The talisman paper shattered.

After drawing another one, the talisman paper turned black.

Keep drawing.
"Buzz!"

The talisman paper caught fire immediately.

He hadn't been able to finish drawing it, but the boy kept trying.

Furthermore, after each failure, the boy would let out a sigh of regret, or perhaps give himself a pep talk.

such as:

"Sigh, let's do it again."

"Definitely next time."

"Keep going."

"I don't believe it."

In fact, he knew he couldn't possibly succeed in drawing it; he was "lacking" in that area.

However, drawing the talisman was not the boy's goal in the first place.

Li Zhuiyuan needed a legitimate reason to draw the demonic resentment from the surrounding area. He was at the center of the vortex, but Chen Xiyuan and the short, fat old man were also very close to him.

Therefore, influenced by him, the flow of resentment over there was also increased, which was equivalent to a large amount of demonic resentment washing over the short, fat old man's body like a rushing torrent, affecting him with greater efficiency.

Tan Wenbin stood on the roof of the building in front of him, sticking half his head out and staring at the short, stout old man.

With the red thread connecting them, Li Zhuiyuan could clearly see the condition of the short, stout old man through Tan Wenbin's snake eyes.

The flow rate cannot be too high. If too much demonic resentment is injected, causing the short, fat old man to go completely mad, then he will be completely under my control, and theoretically, I will be able to directly attack him.

We need to be precise in how we handle things. It should have an impact on him, but not be entirely influenced by me; rather, it should be a decision made by him himself.

It's like you can provoke him with words and make him hit you, rather than you hitting him first and then making him retaliate. The rulings here are completely different.

Admittedly, Chen Xiyuan could have attacked him when she shouted "Demon, show yourself!"

Even if Chen's daughter is naive, she wouldn't stand there dumbfounded and laugh at a seriously injured opponent.

Li Zhuiyuan told her not to make the first move, but to wait for that old guy to attack you first.

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to test the effects of causal backlash on individuals and the families and sects behind them.

Jiang Shui set up a fighting arena at the Yu family's residence, where each group had its own set of rules and constraints.

Li Zhuiyuan is now taking advantage of this rule.

The whole process was much simpler than expected, because Chen Xiyuan's "smile" fueled the short, fat old man's anger, making him very agitated from the start.

Li Zhuiyuan only needs a little more push here.

After ruining another talisman, the boy put down his brush, the array flag in his right palm disappeared, and the giant eye beneath his feet vanished.

"Sigh, it seems I really don't have the talent for drawing talismans. I'm so stupid."

Then, the boy stood up and shouted to Tan Wenbin on the rooftop:
"Brother Binbin, how's that pig demon doing?"

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I'm keeping a close eye on things and am ready to support Miss Chen at any time."

Meanwhile, Feng Lushan, who had just been pondering why he had impulsively decided to use the secret technique, suddenly forgot what he had been thinking about.

When his attention fell on the young girl in front of him again, a host of emotions, including crisis, shame, and anger, surged into his mind. His mind went blank for a moment, but his body reacted instantly, raising his fist and throwing it.

Chen Xiyuan's eyes lit up.

The domain unfolded in an instant. Feng Lushan's punch contained terrifying power, but it only slowly distorted the view in front of him. Chen Xiyuan calmly retreated and strolled back, and the domain expanded backward.

"boom!"

A large number of floor tiles behind were swept up and crushed by the force of the punch.

The force of this punch, seemingly aimed at Chen Xiyuan, was actually diverted by the domain.

After throwing that punch, Feng Lushan came to his senses, because he felt a huge sense of crisis.

It didn't come from the girl in front of me, but from something in the dark.

His heart began to race, his eyelids twitched violently, and a deep sense of foreboding washed over him.

When he saw Chen Xiyuan, he no longer had the right to attack her, especially since he had asked her, "Whose girl are you?"

Now, he is essentially making a move against a river traveler on the river, and his own junior is also nearby. All these factors combined mean that he is directly interfering with the river traveler and paving the way for his junior.

"I……"

Feng Lushan's hands trembled. If the karmic repercussions only fell on him alone, that would be fine. But he knew very well that the fate of his clan would also be affected by his actions.

These old guys were already tacitly doing something risky here, and now, he accidentally plunged his hand deep into the red-hot coals.

Having deflected Feng Lushan's punch, Chen Xiyuan launched an attack.

"Little girl, I admit it..."

The domain unfolds once more.

Before Feng Lushan could even utter the words "I've mistaken you for someone else," he felt as if he had been thrown into water, making a "glug glug" sound.

He suddenly realized the girl's true identity.

The Dragon King Chen Family!

Chen Xiyuan drew her jade flute from her waist and smashed it at Feng Lushan's head.

Feng Lushan had no choice but to exert his strength again and retreat. Although it felt like entering a swamp, he was still able to appear relatively agile.

However, as he moved, the domain also moved, continuing to encompass it.

If he were at his peak, he could forcefully expand this domain by brute force. Even under immense pressure, he could still make the Chen family woman deeply wary and dare not approach him.

But right now, he's only in a state of temporary exhaustion. To forcefully break through the domain, he needs to increase his physical strength first, but his current broken body just can't do that!
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Every time the flute fell, Feng Lushan blocked it with his arm.

Feng Lushan was retreating, while Chen Xiyuan was advancing.

Tan Wenbin clicked his tongue and said, "That's unreasonable, really unreasonable."

He could tell that although the old man was in very poor condition, he still had the strength to fight back; even a cornered beast fighting back was frightening.

If it were him, Runsheng, and Lin Shuyou joining forces, they would only dare to harass and surround him, slowly wearing him down.

Because these old guys have many tricks up their sleeves and are very experienced, if you go in and try to fight them head-on, they can easily take out one or even two of you before they die.

But Miss Chen had no such concerns at all; she used the flute as a weapon, whipping it repeatedly!
Taking advantage of his illness to kill him, with her domain providing suppression and protection, she wasn't worried at all about his dying counterattack.

Tan Wenbin could see the despair in the short, stout old man's eyes.

The body, which had barely managed to stay afloat by its own efforts, began to show numerous new cracks under the constant pounding of the young girl.

He wanted to break free, but couldn't. He wanted to fight back, but when he retaliated in front of the girl, his attacks were weakened to the point that she could easily neutralize them.

Experience and methods become powerless at this moment, because your every move is clearly known to the other party.

The smile on Chen Xiyuan's face had long since vanished; now, all she felt was a strong urge to beat the old man in front of her to a pulp.

Ever since she met the little brother, she has either been beaten or rescued, and she feels embarrassed and ashamed when she realizes the consequences of her actions.

Now is her chance to get revenge as the older sister. She wants to show her little brother that even if she's not as smart as him, she can really fight.

So, you old codger, why are you still holding on? Why don't you explode yet? You're making me lose face in front of my little brother!
Chen Xiyuan's hair fluttered continuously, and influenced by her emotions, her domain was constantly solidifying, while the force with which she wielded the emerald flute was also constantly increasing.

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, is she playing harder and harder?"

Chen Xiyuan had no reason to hold back. Apart from the fact that she could not use the secret technique with side effects, she would definitely go all out from the beginning. Therefore, her attack power was likely at its peak from the start. It would be very difficult to maintain this intensity smoothly. In fact, most people's strength actually decreases as the battle goes on.

Only someone like Runsheng, who practices the "Qin Family Observing Dragon Method," can continuously build up power under pressure, but the problem is that the girl's surname is Chen, not Qin.

Li Zhuiyuan: "She has made progress, which can also be interpreted as a small breakthrough."

Tan Wenbin: "That's... a breakthrough?"

Li Zhuiyuan:
"The essence blood of the Four Mysteries Sect sacrificed within the pearl powder not only helped her recover from her injuries but also further strengthened her body."

In addition, she has been following us recently and has gained a new understanding of the River Walker. This understanding of the River Walker contains the principles of heaven and earth. She is also a cultivator of domains, like a small world. Her deeper understanding of the real world makes it easier for her to construct a more delicate and stable domain.

Add to that a bit of emotional stimulation, which acts as a catalyst, allowing her to integrate her physical progress with the advancement of her domain.

This is normal.”

Tan Wenbin's lips twitched: Is this normal?
That's true; in Xiao Yuan's eyes, this is indeed normal.

In comparison, the three of them were raised to this level by relying on Xiao Yuan's planning and classes, so they naturally cannot empathize with the way a true genius progresses.

Chen Xiyuan's hair was loose, and her jade flute emitted a burst of green light.

"boom!"

The skin and flesh on Feng Lushan's arms completely tore off, leaving only two white bones.

"boom!"

Feng Lushan suffered a fracture of the white bone in his right arm.

"boom!"

The left arm was broken.

"boom!"

The chest is sunken.

"boom!"

One leg tried to lift to block, but was smashed to pieces, flesh and bone alike.

Even without the domain, Lin Shuyou would still lose to Chen Xiyuan in an arm wrestling match.

That night at the entrance of the hot spring restaurant, she used the sound of her flute to open up the domain in order to control the gray fog and prevent ordinary people around her from being affected or harmed.

The Chen Xiyuan of that night was not the real Chen Xiyuan.

Normally, her preferred method is to suppress others with her domain, then empower herself, and finally, within her domain, kill them in the most primitive way.

High-level battles often appear so simple and unadorned.

Tan Wenbin felt that if he had that ability, he wouldn't bother with any fancy tricks. If he could crush all his opponents, he wouldn't bother with any planning or strategy.

This shows that when Chen Xiyuan walked the river before, she could almost ignore the background of the waves and didn't need to figure out any underlying reasons. She only needed to find the evil spirit that the river demanded she deal with in that wave.
Then... trap it and smash it to death!

She truly orchestrated all the waves in the same rhythm, using a fixed pattern.

In short, no matter how the river changes, I will only stick to this one approach.

Feng Lushan felt incredibly frustrated, and what made it even more frustrating was that he couldn't even utter a sound.

The girl before me is so young, yet she possesses such talent—no, she can no longer be described as just talent, she is already very powerful. Furthermore, being on the river makes it easy to gain merit and encounter fortuitous events, which means that her strength will experience an even more rapid increase in the future.

This is why every generation of outstanding individuals chooses to light a lamp and walk across the river in their youth. Although most people will end up as fish and shrimp sinking to the bottom of the river, your potential can be further elevated through the river, and your talent can be realized more quickly. Even if you fail to win the Dragon King title in the end, as long as you can light a lamp and admit defeat in advance, your strength level will be superior to those of the same level who did not light a lamp before.

Feng Lushan: How could you allow her to continue living? You should have killed her first. If you let her continue to grow, would there be any suspense about who will become the next Dragon King?
As expected, although the Chen family didn't produce many dragon kings in history, each time a dragon king rose to power, he completely crushed his contemporaries. Feng Lushan gave up, standing there on one leg, like a golden rooster standing on one leg.

Die, I accept it, I won't resist anymore.

The Feng family is renowned throughout the martial arts world for their body-refining techniques.

There was a rumor in the martial arts world that when it came to the art of body tempering, the Dragon King Qin was the best. Generations of the Qin family had traveled alone along the river, relying on their own fists to fight their way to the position of Dragon King for countless generations.

Below the Qin family of the Dragon King, there are several families on the same level, making it impossible to determine their exact strength; it is only known that they are in the second tier, and the Feng family is among them.

The Feng family members are known for their fierce nature and relentless pursuit of physical development. Their descendants are often indomitable, as those with weaker temperaments are often tortured to death during the early stages of their cultivation.

But now, this highly respected elder of the Feng family has been crushed both physically and mentally by a young junior.

Chen Xiyuan's dissatisfaction deepened. Why didn't you just give in and let me smash your head with my flute? That would have made me look much more classy in front of my little brother. Why did you have to put up with it for so long and let me hit you for so long? Your little brother is probably getting sleepy from watching!

Feng Lushan opened his mouth, not to try to speak again, but a golden thread flew out of his mouth. Then, from his tattered and nearly empty body, golden threads sprouted everywhere like weeds.

Immediately, Feng Lushan's chest jerked, and he shattered his own heart.

Death did not come in time; even now, he can still linger on for a little while longer.

He smiled wryly.

"boom!"

Chen Xiyuan's jade flute struck him on the head.

This attack was Chen Xiyuan's full strength, and it was also her best performance after this small breakthrough.

Feng Lushan's head exploded and turned into dust.

He was already dying, and now he's dead as good as dead.

"call……"

Chen Xiyuan breathed a deep sigh of relief as she closed her domain.

Turning around, she looked at Tan Wenbin, whose head was peeking out from the roof of the building. Chen Xiyuan waved to Tan Wenbin somewhat shyly.

She knew that her little brother could see her through Tan Wenbin's eyes.

Lin Shuyou and Runsheng have returned; they were previously sent by Li Zhuiyuan to retrieve the damaged talisman armor.

Li Zhuiyuan originally planned to retrieve only two items, as these two were damaged nearby, and the third item, which was killed before it could attract the cat, was a bit far away.

However, Lin Shuyou has one, while Runsheng has two.

“Xiao Yuan, I didn’t deliberately look for it outside; it just happened to be nearby.”

Runsheng didn't want Xiaoyuan to misunderstand that he was disobeying orders and going on a risky trip to the outer areas because he couldn't bear to part with his family's possessions.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Then it must be that General Zeng managed to get himself out of there before he was killed."

This move is to increase the rate of talisman armor recycling. After all, General Zeng is different from General Sun. He has two incarnations, and when the number of talismans armor decreases, it will have the greatest impact on his future.

Li Zhuiyuan examined it carefully and found that the talisman armor was damaged, but not to the point of being irreparable. With some materials and effort, there was a certain probability that it could be repaired.

This is because those old folks kill "people" from a great distance, and after they finish, they mutter "slaying demons and eliminating evil spirits." They don't bother to come closer to check; as long as they didn't see it, then they believe they killed a demon.

However, even if they are repaired, these three talisman armors can only exert 30% to 40% of their original carrying capacity at most, which means that the combat power of the two generals who descended by spirit has been reduced by more than half.

If they were to serve as the last line of defense before him, they would be incapable of fulfilling their duties and would only be used as scouts.

However, it's already quite good that I was able to recover it without completely losing it; I really shouldn't have been greedy for more.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's go, there's still one more thing to deal with inside."

Chen Xiyuan was still standing there, clutching a handful of gold thread in her hand.

“Little brother, this was punched out of that old guy’s body.”

Li Zhuiyuan accepted the gold thread.

Chen Xiyuan: "This should be something he used to assist in body tempering."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, it strengthens the tendons and veins and stabilizes the body. This is the foundation he uses to strengthen his bones."

This thing is very precious. In this family, each person can only worship this one in their lifetime. Moreover, the old man has a high status and is very old. His gold thread can be considered a top-grade item of this kind.

Chen Xiyuan: "Little brother, you should be of use, right?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I can give it a try and see if I can use it to reinforce my damaged armor. Maybe I can restore its load-bearing capacity, or even improve it further."

Whether or not this can be done remains to be seen; we'll have to let Ah Li decide once we get home.

If they can be successfully integrated, then each card in each set of these playing cards will be connected by a gold thread.

Chen Xiyuan: "As long as you're useful."

Li Zhuiyuan: "This thing is very precious, and there is no market for it."

Chen Xiyuan waved her hand and said, "No need, no need. I follow the righteous path, not the crooked one."

"No, no, no!" Chen Xiyuan waved her hand again. "That's not what I meant. I can't do these delicate and intricate things, so this material is useless to me. I can't even sew up my own dress when it's torn."

After a pause, Chen Xiyuan continued, "I plan to go and learn some needlework from Grandma Yao before I leave Luoyang after this trip is over."

The girl was afraid the boy would misunderstand, so she explained so much at once.

Li Zhuiyuan: "After this wave is over, pick out a few cultivation manuals, and I'll give them to you."

Although Chen Xiyuan had said before that she would save up what she got from traveling the river and give it to him, Li Zhuiyuan didn't like taking other people's things for free.

Chen Xiyuan: "Little brother, really, you don't need to. This thing isn't really that valuable to me."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's alright, the cultivation techniques and manuals are here with me, and they're very cheap."

Chen Xiyuan blinked: "But didn't you say that you were forced to light the lamps ahead of schedule due to an accident, so the old lady from the Liu family didn't make any arrangements for you?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "My great-grandfather's basement had a large collection of books."

Chen Xiyuan's eyes turned serious: "Your great-grandfather is..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "A corpse retriever from Shinan Town, Nantong."

Chen Xiyuan: "A corpse retriever?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I put all the martial arts manuals I've collected since I came to the Yangtze River in my great-grandfather's basement."

Chen Xiyuan: "Oh, I see."

There's really no way to explain the basement of my great-grandfather's house to outsiders.

Who could believe that those were really books that the old man had entrusted to others for safekeeping? What's even more incomprehensible is that "Qin's Method of Observing Dragons" and "Liu's Secret of Observing Qi" were only two of them.

For a long time, my great-grandfather complained that the boxes took up too much space, so he had to dig a basement when building the new house to accommodate them.

People in Nantong don't have the habit of digging cellars. When normal families build houses, they don't dig down into the ground at all. It's fortunate that my great-grandfather was good at making money and was willing to spend money when building the house.

In other people's homes, they would probably have put these books in the kitchen to start a fire and burn them.

Li Zhuiyuan paused slightly as he wrapped the gold thread around himself, preparing to hand it to Runsheng for safekeeping.

The boy stared intently at the gold thread again, stroking it repeatedly with his fingertips.

Chen Xiyuan: "What's wrong?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "He deliberately spat out the golden thread before he died. He had been raising this golden thread for so many years. Under normal circumstances, when he died, the golden thread would have disappeared along with him. Brother Binbin, check his body."

"Yes!"

Tan Wenbin walked up to Feng Lushan's body. It was a very simple task, because the old man's body was very simple.

It has no arms, no legs, and no head; only the middle section remains.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, his heart has turned into minced meat."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then he must have committed suicide beforehand, in order to leave behind this gold thread."

Chen Xiyuan asked in confusion, "Why would he do that?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "In order to atone for my sins, I am apologizing to you by giving you gifts, hoping to reduce the karmic consequences on him... and the backlash from the sect behind him."

The old man's experience in the world and his understanding of cause and effect are indeed remarkable.

His mistake was that he took the Yu family for granted, treating them as a playground for these old folks.

Not to mention the evil spirits that the Yu family has suppressed for generations and that are poised to awaken at any moment, as well as that old dog, just looking at the Jiangzuo team, each of the teams that came in this time is an elite force. A single team might not be able to defeat a single old man, but what if they join forces?
Including himself, Zhou Yunfan, and Chen Xiyuan, this old guy was essentially fighting against three teams at the same time.

Chen Xiyuan: "Little brother, you know what? Sometimes I really don't know how to describe you. Anyway, if I have to run into you in any wave in the future, I'll light the lamp again."

The young girl didn't know how to face such an opponent, who could use the rules to make a person who was destined to die actively squeeze out his own resources before he died.

"Stop saying such discouraging things. The path to becoming the Dragon King cannot be given up so easily."

"I'm not discouraged, I'm just convinced."

“Stay on the river. I’ve said before, I need you to help me eliminate my rivals. Besides, if something happens to me and I die someday, the Dragon King’s throne will fall into someone else’s lap if you don’t fight for it.”

Chen Xiyuan: "This one, there's still a queue?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yeah, you're not the only one in line."

A smile appeared on Lin Shuyou's lips.

Tan Wenbin nudged him with his elbow and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Lin Shuyou: "I was reminded of the scene where Three-Eyed was only in high spirits for a few days before he ran into this guy in the next wave."

Tan Wenbin: "Have you ever considered that his happiness is contingent on the fact that we're all gone?"

Lin Shuyou paused for a moment, clearly realizing it now.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the "sun" in the sky.

Chen Xiyuan: "Let's go in, there's one more inside."

Li Zhuiyuan: "If I were in a hurry to go in, I could have gone in before you even started. I deliberately gave him time to properly comprehend this round of 'sun'."

Let's wait a little longer; he hasn't grasped it yet.

Chen Xiyuan: "Why?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Although the 'sun' above is still running, it is already severely damaged. The central mechanism in this pagoda can only perfectly demonstrate the working principle once at most."

If I had gone in beforehand and interrupted him, this legacy of the Yu family's mechanical arts would have been lost forever.

Chen Xiyuan: "I didn't expect you to be so respectful of tradition and so open-minded. My grandfather will definitely like you a lot, because he is the same kind of person as you."

Li Zhuiyuan: "That would be a disgrace to Grandpa Chen. I don't want to give up this tradition; I want to have it."

Chen Xiyuan: "I understand. When I go in later, I'll be careful and try to capture him alive. But what if he absolutely refuses to hand over the inheritance to you?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "No need. Once inside, just kill him."

Chen Xiyuan: "Then he's a dead man."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm better at communicating with the dead."

Chen Xiyuan's gaze fell on Ding Luoxiang on the ground. She was covered in wounds and, in theory, should have been beyond saving. But what really made her die quickly was the two bloody holes that pierced through her chest, through which small, underage finger marks could be seen.

The only children here, besides the little brother, are that girl named Ahui.

Chen Xiyuan: "If we had attacked them inside the stone gate, wouldn't we have been the ones blown up?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

Chen Xiyuan: "Is she a mechanical doll?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes. Ding Luoxiang fell backward, which means she was killed by someone inside the door while facing it. That doll was her maid, but the person who made her must have had the highest authority."

Chen Xiyuan: "I can tell that she really likes Zhou Yunfan, it's not fake. In the end, she was even risking her life to guard the goal for him."

"Sigh, you say you're going to walk along the river, so why bother with romance? I don't understand, I can't get it, you're out of your mind."

Upon hearing this, Tan Wenbin turned his face away, Lin Shuyou lowered his head, and Runsheng closed his eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up again at the "sun" in the sky.

At that moment, the "sun" in the sky went out.

The entire Yu family was plunged into darkness and despair.

Li Zhuiyuan realized that those old men would become even more unscrupulous in their killings of the young people from other families.

In complete darkness, who can tell whether what's in front of them is human or demon?
"Brother Runsheng."

"Ah."

Runsheng stepped forward, reached out and pushed open the pagoda's door, and the group went inside.

Above, Zhou Yunfan stood on a wooden ball that had stopped spinning, his body covered with dense yet orderly square patterns.

Zhou Yunfan stomped his foot, and the wooden ball beneath him burst into flames, illuminating the inside of the pagoda.

"As expected, you didn't die in the tunnel."

Zhou Yunfan's gaze swept over the crowd below, lingering on Runsheng for a moment. Then, he performed the Zhou family salute to Runsheng and said:
"The ink line measures the sky, the clouds are measured by the ruler, and the axe cuts the moon and leaves traces of dew."

Zhou Yunfan, the founder of the Nine-Bend Mechanism.

Please grant me your name!

Runsheng took a step diagonally forward, revealing Xiaoyuan behind him.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Zhou Yunfan, and without returning the greeting, said directly:
"The Qin family, remembering their ancestors."

(End of this chapter)