Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 357

They only mentioned their family name, not their surname.

Li Zhuiyuan wanted him to know: the Qin family had arrived.

The previous generation's mistakes are now being settled by this generation.

After receiving the final confirmation, Zhou Yunfan's eyes revealed deep resentment.

Chen Xiyuan looked puzzled. Wasn't it the man above's father who was behind the scenes who orchestrated and planned the attack on the Qin family's river travelers back then?

"No, what exactly is he resentful about?"

Chen Xiyuan had a similar experience to Uncle Qin recently at the Ancient Tomb Museum.

That is, on that day, the other side had a large number of people and was powerful, so he could only escape with the help of his younger brother and was unable to actually kill or cripple anyone.

But what if I really killed someone, and years later, that person's descendant suddenly appeared before me, looking at me with resentment, and said:
It's because you killed my father (mother) that I'm living such a miserable life. I hate you!

Chen Xiyuan was so angry she almost laughed.

"Heh, who exactly is this person?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "A filial person."

Chen Xiyuan blinked, then covered her mouth and nodded with a smile, saying, "Yes, that's right."

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Zhou Yunfan and asked:

"How is your father?"

Zhou Yunfan didn't answer, but after hearing the question, his originally handsome face turned ferocious.

Li Zhuiyuan: "My uncle is not doing well either. The old lady always thinks he is stupid and useless. She often scolds him and makes him work hard all day long, without a moment's rest."

Zhou Yunfan clenched his fists, and the veins on his exposed skin were clearly visible.

Li Zhuiyuan continued:

"My uncle has always had a great regret in his heart, a regret that can never be undone in this lifetime."

After all,
Your father is just paralyzed in bed and lives worse than a dog, but my uncle has lost all his dreams.

Black energy rose from Zhou Yunfan's body, enveloping most of him.

Chen Xiyuan looked at the boy beside her in surprise. The little brother was usually not talkative, but she didn't expect him to be so aggressive when he started talking.

Chen's daughter was like a sponge, constantly absorbing moisture every day since she met Li Zhuiyuan.

She noticed Zhou Yunfan's emotional fluctuations, but what she wanted more was for her little brother to be happy at that moment.

What Chen Xiyuan didn't know was that Li Zhuiyuan actually found it difficult to find happiness in this way.

Zhou Yunfan: "Hehe, it seems the Qin family has really fallen into depravity, even their journey across the river requires such a grand display."

Throughout the long history, each generation of Qin family dragon kings has been a lone figure navigating the river, either being buried in obscurity or defeating a generation of heroes.

This was not a deliberate attempt to show off, nor was it due to the arrogance of the Qin family. Rather, the "Qin Family Observing Dragon Method" requires individuals to face countless desperate situations with thousands of troops time and time again in order to gradually rise to the highest level.

Whether it's partners, subordinates, or other external forces, they may provide assistance in the short term, but in the long run, they will become a hindrance.

Moreover, if one person walks the river alone, and one person takes on the merits of the entire team, even if they are injured or encounter some accidents, they can make up for it as much as possible through the opportunities generated by the merits.

Throughout history, the Qin family has always regarded traveling along the river as their whetstone.

However, despite this deeper reason, the courage to travel alone across the river is indeed worthy of admiration in the martial arts world.

However, Zhou Yunfan's blatant ridicule and mockery, which extended to the Qin family, was of no use to Li Zhuiyuan.

Because if Heaven allows me to practice martial arts after I reach adulthood, then I can decide when to light the lamp and walk across the river.

Li Zhuiyuan would also walk along this river alone.

Li Zhuiyuan calmly said, "I am walking along the river alone."

Zhou Yunfan pointed at the group of people around the boy below: "Are you lying through your teeth? You're walking the river alone, so who are they?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Before today, had you heard that the Qin family had produced another person who had traveled to the river?"

Zhou Yunfan was stunned.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I assure you, after today, there will be no more news of the Qin family traveling across the river."

Zhou Yunfan understood the meaning behind the boy's words.

As long as the boy kills everyone who knows his identity to silence them, the Qin family's tradition of traveling alone across the river will continue.

Zhou Yunfan: "It seems that the Qin family has indeed learned from past mistakes and become smarter. But can the Qin family, who have become smarter, still withstand the 'Qin Family Dragon Watching Method'?"

In you, I see the decline of the Dragon King Qin.

Li Zhuiyuan: "In you, I see the demise of the Zhou family of the government and the extermination of the Ding family of the river valley not long after."

Zhou Yunfan: "Do you think my father was the only one who made a move back then? Now, even when Dragon King Qin is seeking revenge, he has to pick on the weak?"

Li Zhuiyuan:
"Eat one bite at a time, do one thing at a time, and avenge one grudge at a time. I'm still young, I'm not in a hurry."

Besides, you idiot, you deserve to be the first to die.

I'm guessing your father was just a lackey back then, easily fooled into thinking he could stand with those people. In the end, he paid the heaviest price, and when the Qin family settles accounts later, he'll be the first one they look for.

You are the same.

You shouldn't have started fishing immediately after realizing that one of us knew the "Qin Family Dragon-Watching Technique".

What happened back then,

Before the Qin family has even started implicating innocent people, you've already begun to drag the Qin family into it.

You are very smart.

but,

You're really stupid too.

Zhou Yunfan took a deep breath, raised his hands, and the burning wooden ball under his feet crashed down with a "boom".

Runsheng rushed forward a few steps, leaped up, and slammed the wooden ball hard with the Yellow River shovel in his hand.

"boom."

The wooden ball shattered, but the flames attached to it dispersed and formed a huge net in mid-air, descending downwards.

Lin Shuyou activated his vertical pupils, leaped forward, and instead of taking out his golden mace, he made a grasping motion with both hands, causing two illusory tridents, longer than ever before, to materialize.

Baihe Zhenjun's figure turned, and the afterimage of his trident danced, tearing and shredding the fire net falling from above.

Tan Wenbin looked up at Zhou Yunfan, who was still standing above him, and was utterly awestruck.

The resentment in Zhou Yunfan's eyes flickered slightly, but quickly subsided.

Tan Wenbin thought to himself, "Brother Xiao Yuan, his will is so strong!"

Li Zhuiyuan thought to himself, "Yes, he shouldn't have lost his temper in the first place."

Runsheng came down below Lin Shuyou and picked up the Yellow River shovel.

When Lin Shuyou landed, he first pulled out his double maces, and then pushed off with one foot.

The next moment, Lin Shuyou shot upwards at a terrifying speed like an arrow released from a bow.

Chen Xiyuan pursed her lips.

She knew perfectly well that her little brother's secret technique for communicating privately was not just for whispering secrets.

But when its actual combat effects were presented before her eyes, she was still shocked.

The finesse in controlling the force, amplitude, timing, and other details has long since transcended the realm of practice makes perfect, because this kind of force is simply impossible to practice. If you fail even once, Lin Shuyou's leg will be smashed by Runsheng.

Their ability to achieve such natural success is entirely due to the younger brother who is strategizing and controlling things behind the scenes.

In this approach, the overall team strength will be several orders of magnitude greater than the sum of individual strengths.

At that moment, Chen's daughter felt an urge to be hit by the secret technique again. She wanted to see how much strength she could unleash under her little brother's command.

The little brother definitely has this ability. The premise that his group of partners can cooperate so well is that the little brother has completely mastered all their characteristics.

Perhaps, the younger brother will even provide them with specialized, individualized instruction.

Such an existence would be regarded as a treasure by any faction in the martial arts world.

Because of him, the family's heritage can be advanced to a higher level as a whole.

No wonder the old lady of the Liu family was so generous to her little brother, entrusting both families and her granddaughter to him.

If it were my own grandfather, seeing such a terrifying treasure, he probably would have come up with a plan too...

Chen Xiyuan shook her head:

No, my grandparents have always been planning to find a son-in-law to live with them.

With the boost of extreme speed, Lin Shuyou charged straight at Zhou Yunfan above.

Zhou Yunfan lowered his hand, and one of the two wooden balls below, which had been dead and immobile, immediately cracked open, forming neat strips of wood that sliced ​​towards Lin Shuyou.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Lin Shuyou brandished his double maces, smashing away all the obstacles, and continued his unstoppable advance until he reached Zhou Yunfan.

Zhou Yunfan pulled out a black ruler from his sleeve and sparred with Lin Shuyou, holding his own against him.

This means that Zhou Yunfan's personal strength is very high.

To him, Miss Ding and her maid were merely ornaments, so whether in the passageway or during his previous seclusion for enlightenment, he didn't care much about the life or death of Ding Luoxiang and the others.

In this respect, he is indeed very similar to Zhao Yi in the past.

Moreover, they were both very good at charming and deceiving women.

However, Zhao Yi has changed a lot since learning from his ancestors. He is willing to be more patient with Chen Jing and wait for him to grow. He has also come to regard the Liang sisters as his own family.

"Tan Wenbin, go up."

Tan Wenbin unleashed the power of the Blood Ape within him and charged toward Runsheng. Runsheng bent his knees and leaned forward. After Tan Wenbin, like an ape, stepped on Runsheng's knees and back and reached the top of his head, Runsheng threw a punch upwards, which collided with the soles of Tan Wenbin's feet.

"boom!"

Tan Wenbin also leaped up at an extremely fast speed, but his posture and physique were not as elegant and graceful as those of the White Crane True Lord.

After all, this is an ape's instinct, a characteristic of combat that cannot be changed. Forcing it to change would only prevent maximizing its effectiveness.

With Tan Wenbin joining the fray, the situation became one against two, and Zhou Yunfan immediately found himself at a disadvantage, unable to retaliate and only able to defend.

That ruler was really a good thing.

It's not an old item, it's a new one. It should have been made by Zhou Yunfan himself. With the Ding family providing him with resources, he was indeed able to fully utilize his talent for mechanical devices.

Chen Xiyuan: "Little brother, shall I go and snatch that ruler from you and give it to you?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhuiyuan began to reflect on his actions.

He was probably terrified of being poor, so whenever he saw something nice, he couldn't help but take a second look, which even Chen Xiyuan noticed.

Chen Xiyuan made a move to rush forward, wanting to experience the feeling of being helped up by Runsheng.

Most importantly, she felt that if she went up there, the battle above would end quickly.

In her opinion, Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin's playing style was still too conservative.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Chen Xiyuan, then looked back again.

Although there was no connection, there was no need to speak; the message was simply to have her stay in the back.

Chen Xiyuan turned her head to look at the doorway and whispered:
"Could someone else be coming from outside?"

The boy nodded slightly.

It's unlikely that any other teams from the Jianghu will come here in the short term, since the art of mechanical manipulation is a relatively niche skill.

When everyone arrived at the Yu family, they either followed Yu Dibei to pursue the greatest "opportunity," or they had to seize the time and choose the option that best suited them.

Although the Dragon King Yu had closed his gates for sixty years, he would still have normal exchanges with the martial arts world when things were normal. Naturally, people would come to visit him. Those who traveled the rivers only needed to go back and look through the notes of their ancestors to understand some of the internal situation of the Yu family in advance, so that they could set their own goals early and not run around like headless flies.

But this place has just attracted two cats. The short, fat cat died after being severely injured in the explosion. The other cat is healthy and has left, but it probably didn't go far.

The old Taoist priest knew that there were still people inside the pagoda.

As darkness falls, he might "accidentally" wander in to take a look, which could be explained as a guilty conscience wanting to collect the body of Ding Luoxiang, whom he "accidentally" killed.

Without a doubt, Chen Xiyuan is the strongest individual on our side. Only she has the chance to intercept the old Taoist priest who may return at any time.

Runsheng did not join the battle, but stood quietly below and watched.

The tension above did not last long.

As Tan Wenbin seized another opportunity, his Five Senses Intimidation successfully interfered with Zhou Yunfan, and Lin Shuyou's Golden Mace finally broke through the opponent's defense and struck his chest.

In a normal one-on-one fight, purely a contest of fist and foot skills, Lin Shuyou might not be able to defeat his opponent. It can only be said that the Jiang team that entered the Yu family this time has a very high minimum standard. Even though their main skill is mechanical arts, they do not have any obvious weaknesses in other aspects.

But this does not mean the end, but rather the real beginning.

As Zhou Yunfan fell, he made a fist with both hands, and black energy burst forth from his body, drawing out the surroundings.

In an instant, the entire pagoda began to tremble.

In fact, this pagoda can be seen as a large-scale mechanism.

Having successfully comprehended the workings of the sun, Zhou Yunfan is now the absolute ruler here.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Inside the pagoda, the walls began to rotate, and staircases that were not originally there suddenly appeared, strangling Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin, who jumped down to continue the pursuit.

Lin Shuyou was agile, and the Blood Ape was even more nimble. The two quickly maneuvered in the air to evade.

The ground of the pagoda began to sink, and black gears appeared. As they spun rapidly, they first split in the middle and then formed a huge gear that crushed towards Li Zhuiyuan's location.

Runqi opened the valve, lowered his center of gravity, and took a step forward. At the same time, he held the Yellow River shovel with both hands and wedged the shovel handle into the gear groove.

“Ka…”

The ear-piercing scraping sound was like countless people screaming at the same time.

The lines on Runsheng's body flowed rapidly, and he began to gather strength.

Although Chen Xiyuan was still standing behind the boy, she had already put one hand on his shoulder. If Runsheng couldn't support her, she could still help the boy escape safely.

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed her hand, moved it away, and said:
"Go outside and take a look at the changes in the architecture."

Chen Xiyuan tiptoed and moved quickly backward, exiting through the gate. After a quick glance, she immediately returned. Her speed was no slower than when Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin borrowed Runsheng's strength.

"Nothing has changed outside the pagoda."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, indicating that he understood.

An altar appeared on the ground below Zhou Yunfan. The altar kept piling up and "growing taller" until it steadily caught him.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Yunfan's hand seals became faster and faster.

First, the large black gear that Runsheng was forcibly jamming was gradually turning red, and the temperature was rising.

The air emanating from Runsheng's vents turned into white steam.

However, Runsheng still didn't back down, keeping the gear firmly in place.

On either side, diagonally above, first at Lin Shuyou's location, two giant hands pieced together from materials inside the pagoda appeared, one with its five fingers outstretched to grab, and the other with its fist clenched to smash.

Having two options should theoretically have better blocked Lin Shuyou's escape routes, but Lin Shuyou was still able to dodge quickly without getting hurt, and didn't even have to confront him head-on.

Zhou Yunfan looked surprised: This young man with vertical pupils actually knew about mechanical arts.

On the other side, Tan Wenbin faced a series of gray pythons formed from wall bricks. Each brick on the python's body was covered with runes, its eyes were two ever-burning lamps, and its fangs were railings for supporting three wooden balls. These were all made of solid and refined materials.

However, Tan Wenbin continued to leap and dodge, sometimes jumping onto the snake's head and then sliding down its body. The situation was dangerous, but he was never hurt.

Zhou Yunfan: You actually know about mechanical arts?
After acquiring this part of the Yu family's inheritance, this pagoda can be considered Zhou Yunfan's home turf.

For a mechanical engineer, it was practically a battlefield of dreams.

Any other team that ventured into the river would have faced a formidable suppression from Zhou Yunfan, who would have used his home advantage to enter this tower.

While not to say it would completely overwhelm the opponent, it could at least inflict serious damage when it suddenly strikes.

However, this situation did not occur.

Their various preemptive movements completely avoided all threats, which were gradually closing in on them.

Even Runsheng below, after enduring the giant gear for a long time and accumulating enough momentum, began to exert and withdraw his force at a certain frequency.

From the gears, a squeezing sound gradually came, and some of the small gears below had already deformed.

Zhou Yunfan stared intently at Runsheng below. This was even more outrageous, because this guy was not only fighting against the basic operation of the entire pagoda, but also interfering with and disrupting its operating logic.

Is this a mechanical master with an astonishingly strong physique?

Zhou Yunfan didn’t believe that so many peers with an understanding of mechanical arts as good as his suddenly appeared in the niche mechanical crafting path, and that these peers happened to be concentrated in a river-traveling team. It couldn’t be that their hobby was to get together and study mechanical arts during their breaks from traveling the river, could it?
The man's gaze fell on the boy who had been standing there the whole time.

Based on his intuition, he guessed that although the boy hadn't moved at all, he was present everywhere on the battlefield.

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Yunfan created round holes in the altar steps beneath his feet, sending sharp, javelin-like projectiles hurtling toward the boy.

He now has to deal with pressure from three parties, so he can't spare any more resources at this time. This move is just a test.

Chen Xiyuan kept an eye on the boy's expression out of the corner of her eye; all the little brother had to do was pout, and she would go for it.

Li Zhuiyuan did not, but simply raised his right hand and pointed his index finger downwards.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

The javelins all struck the ground in front of him neatly, like rice seedlings planted in the ground.

The ancestors of the Qi family were absolutely remarkable in that era. It's just a pity that the family's development path was flawed. After distancing themselves from the secular world and the martial arts world, they moved to a small mountain village with excellent feng shui. They devoted themselves to studying spatial rifts, but as they declined generation after generation, they were eventually replaced by the Tian family.

If the "Qi Family Spring and Autumn Annals" is regarded as the basic manual, it is absolutely no less than the Zhou family, which specializes in mechanical arts.

Furthermore, Li Zhuiyuan is proficient in formations, wind, and techniques, which can effectively aid in understanding mechanical arts.

In terms of the many derivative methods of mechanical arts, Li Zhuiyuan is far inferior to Zhou Yunfan, but if it is just a matter of putting a problem in front of him and solving it, it is really simple for the boy.

Zhou Yunfan: "How rare! The Qin family has actually started learning mechanical arts?"

Chen Xiyuan, standing behind the boy, wanted to interject: What's even more surprising is that the Qin family doesn't practice martial arts.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Hurry up, there's still a lot to do."

The boy had barely finished speaking when

Above, Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin accelerated further, rapidly closing the distance between themselves and Zhou Yunfan.

Below, the smaller gears beneath the large gear broke one by one. With a loud roar from Runsheng, cracks appeared on the large gear in front of him, the red color faded, and the high temperature decreased.

This directly caused a stagnation in Zhou Yunfan's grasp of the pagoda's internal mechanisms.

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou broke through the barriers and arrived at the altar.

Zhou Yunfan was struck down again by Lin Shuyou's mace.

Runsheng raised the Yellow River shovel, stepped on the gears in front of him to go up, and chased after Zhou Yunfan who was falling down and shoveled him.

"boom!"

That shovel strike was solid and powerful.

The moment the shovel struck, various accessories appeared on Zhou Yunfan's body, just like the group of protective devices that automatically protected Ding Luoxiang when she faced that "old thing's" finger behind the stone gate.

It can only be said that the Ding family is truly rich in resources, and Zhou Yunfan, as a son-in-law who married into the family, has quite a few life-saving tools on him.

Even so, facing Runsheng's solid shovel strike, Zhou Yunfan was still sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the pagoda wall.

All the mechanisms that had been manipulated earlier were now back in place, and the environment inside the pagoda was restored to its original state, except for some dents in the walls and a few depressions in the ground.

"puff……"

Zhou Yunfan clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.

He stared intently at Li Zhuiyuan:
"You freak!"

A member of the Qin family defeated him without even engaging in close combat.

Lin Shuyou landed smoothly, his double maces held at an angle. Tan Wenbin landed on all fours and scratched his neck.

Runsheng's valves kept opening and closing. The momentum he had built up first jammed the large gear, and then he slammed it into Zhou Yunfan. Now, he also needed to catch his breath.

This match may not seem that fierce, but the team actually used all their strength when they were not in extreme situations.

Zhou Yunfan: "Do you want to know what the Yu family's mechanical arts inheritance is? I can only say that, as expected of the Dragon King's family, their foundation is truly astonishing. This part of the inheritance is simply a treasure of our path."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I want to."

Zhou Yunfan: "But I won't tell you. No matter what you threaten me with, no matter how you torture me, I won't tell you. Forget about it, haha!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's alright. Even after you die, I can still get what I want."

Zhou Yunfan's expression froze, and he said in disbelief, "You actually possess such a secret technique?"

Like a red shadow, Tan Wenbin suddenly rushed forward, one hand outstretched and the other behind him, as if he were about to break Zhou Yunfan's neck.

Zhou Yunfan shouted sternly, "Don't even think about making a fuss about my corpse! I'm going to bury this legacy with me, hahaha!"

Tan Wenbin was fast enough, but he was still a step too late.

Lying on the ground, Zhou Yunfan raised his palm, blue flames overflowing from it, and slapped it down on his chest.

The flames quickly engulfed his entire body, illuminating his grinning, ferocious face.

When Tan Wenbin appeared in front of him, Zhou Yunfan had already become ethereal, and as the blue flames dissipated, only a humanoid ash remained in the spot.

Chen Xiyuan couldn't help but want to question the boy: How could you tell him directly that you could search his corpse's memories?

But she still held back!
She looked at Tan Wenbin:

"How could you make such an obvious move beforehand? Isn't that blatantly telling him that you want to preserve his body for your own use?"

Tan Wenbin stuck out his tongue and smiled somewhat awkwardly.

He's now experiencing the treatment that foreign team members are getting.

This Miss Chen is truly a person of strong character. Once she has a good initial impression of you, she will always apply double standards to you and continue to show favoritism to the end.

But it must be said that this somewhat unreasonable subjective style is actually quite restraining of his own Xiao Yuan's objectivity and rationality.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to the human-shaped ashes and looked down at them.

Chen Xiyuan followed slowly, keeping an eye on the direction of the gate while half-turning to the side, and comforted him:
"It's alright. Even if you didn't get the inheritance, at least you've taken your revenge. I don't know if my Chen family has any treasures related to mechanical arts. If you want them, you can steal them yourself when I take you to my ancestral home next time. I think the array and restrictions of my ancestral home shouldn't be able to stop you... Just don't tell me when you make your move."

Li Zhuiyuan lifted his foot and brushed aside the ashes below.

The boy frowned slightly, and the ruler was burned to ashes.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at Chen Xiyuan.

"Forehead……"

Chen Xiyuan pointed to her face. She'd gotten somewhat used to this feeling lately, and could only cautiously ask:
"Am I being stupid again, sister?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Chen Xiyuan: "He's not dead!"

The boy raised his hand and pointed to the sky.

There were originally three wooden balls there. The one that was burning at the beginning was smashed by Runsheng with a shovel when it fell, and another one was broken apart when it stopped Lin Shuyou from rushing up.

Right now, only a wooden ball remains, still hanging there.

Chen Xiyuan: "Little brother, when did you find out?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I told you, nobody likes talking to themselves. Talking so much to a dying person is also talking to yourself."

When Li Zhuiyuan stepped into the pagoda and was met with Zhou Yunfan's resentful gaze, he began to have doubts.

Although we haven't had much contact and only met today, how could someone who was expelled from their family as a child but was able to rise again in another family be so unbalanced in character?

Not to mention his cautious behavior of repeatedly fishing in the tunnel, he is a very deep-thinking guy, and keeping his emotions hidden should be his basic quality.

To put it another way, since ancient times, one really can't be a live-in son-in-law without a temperament that can endure grievances and pressure.

Of course, there is also the possibility that the label of "Qin family member" has long been a shadow in his heart.

Perhaps in order to keep himself striving to climb the social ladder, he has repeatedly instilled in himself hatred towards the Qin family since childhood, causing resentment to seep into his bones and form a reflex that he cannot control.

To rule out this possibility, Li Zhuiyuan chatted with Zhou Yunfan for a few more minutes.

The funny thing is, Zhou Yunfan was quite cooperative.

Every time he made a sarcastic remark, Zhou Yunfan would cooperate by making himself appear even angrier.

The rhythm and responsiveness are very strong, ensuring that there is never a dull moment.

At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan was completely certain that the other party was intentionally paving the way for his impending "death".

To be honest, his acting skills are quite good; after all, he managed to fool the Ding family into investing in this inherently selfish and cold-blooded version of himself.

In terms of acting skills, Zhou Yunfan could never compare to himself, an actor who started acting at an age when he could only crawl and not walk.

Moreover, she has had a "mother" who is a veteran actress since she was a child, and she has been acting opposite her all the time.

Furthermore, when Zhou Yunfan was fully immersed in his comprehension, he was unaware of what was happening outside, which meant that his understanding of the boy was far less profound than the boy's understanding of him.

He couldn't have died so easily, so uneventfully; it was also a form of affirmation from the boy.

Although he certainly didn't want this kind of recognition.

Finally, the fact that Tan Wenbin's five senses were intimidating to him, yet he resisted with unwavering will, is also evidence of this.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Are we going to keep hiding? It's pointless to keep hiding."

"Crash..."

The wooden ball peels back layer by layer like an onion, revealing Zhou Yunfan inside, completely naked.

His face was ashen as he looked down at the boy.

Chen Xiyuan sighed inwardly. She thought she had already grasped the basics of walking the river, but the boy repeatedly refreshed her understanding, making her realize that she was still a novice.

It turned out that when the little boy and that person were talking, she was the only one who was really involved, and she even became just a background figure in their conversation.

Chen Xiyuan: "What I just did was really ridiculous."

She also gave Tan Wenbin some pointers on the movements.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You gave him hope, which will only make him more desperate."

Chen Xiyuan: "This river is getting harder and harder to navigate."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Remember that you will die, and then learn slowly."

Tan Wenbin couldn't help but glance over here; Xiao Yuan was clearly more patient with Miss Chen.

Tan Wenbin could understand this perfectly, since Miss Chen was not only kind-hearted but also generous.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and waved it gently towards the gate.

Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou rushed forward again to launch an attack on Zhou Yunfan, while Chen Xiyuan returned to the doorway to stand guard.

Zhou Yunfan: "One should be lenient when possible; why press them so hard?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Back then, was my uncle able to survive being surrounded by your father's gang because your father and his men showed mercy?"

Zhou Yunfan: "When will this cycle of revenge end? I'm willing to give up the mechanical arts I just learned to exchange for my life!"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "You're not even willing to leave that ruler to me."

Runsheng and his two companions completed the encirclement.

Zhou Yunfan tilted his head back, and with no clothes to cover him, the neat lines on his skin could be clearly seen, like individual grids of flesh and blood, beginning to move.

He leaned forward and landed.

Runsheng brandished his shovel and was the first to rush forward.

Zhou Yunfan swung his right arm, instantly extending its length, and with a "bang," the impact stopped Runsheng's movement.

When Lin Shuyou launched an attack from the side, Zhou Yunfan's body was stretched again, allowing him to dodge the attack while also launching a counterattack in an unbelievable way.

As one progresses through the ranks, the number of ruthless individuals encountered becomes increasingly numerous. Currently, it seems that even Zhao Yi, who enjoys ruthless exploitation, is no longer a respectable figure.

The Ming family's son-in-law enjoys melting away his own soul for fun, and this Ding family son-in-law in front of us has actually disassembled his real body into a mechanical puppet.

They are all people who pursue progress and power at all costs. They are all geniuses. But the closer they get to the end, the more they discover a cruel fact: for these geniuses, their effort is not only maxed out, but collectively overflowing.

However, if he had the confidence to charge out, he wouldn't have needed to use the feigned death tactic in the first place.

Zhou Yunfan could sense that the guy whose body was red had probably used all his strength, but the tall guy with the shovel and the young man with vertical pupils still had some terrifying trump cards up their sleeves.

Furthermore, their teamwork was strangely harmonious; under the combined attack of the three, I not only couldn't find any opening, but was also constantly pushed forward and pressured by them.

The worst part is that he can't maintain this state for very long.

The boy was clearly aware of this, yet he still chose to waste his time.

This is indeed Li Zhuiyuan's favorite way, not only because he cherishes every companion, but also because he has worked hard to improve and train for so long. He even figured out the Red Thread Secret Technique for this purpose, just so that he could "overwhelm others with his power" at the lowest cost when fighting.

If every battle ends in injuries and everyone rushes in to fight separately, then all the preparations become a joke.

Not aiming for brilliance, but for a sure win.

Runsheng and the others carried out Li Zhuiyuan's instructions very well. Every time Zhou Yunfan tried to gain momentum, Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin would step back, leaving Runsheng to handle the situation alone. Then, Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin would quickly step in at the next moment to interrupt Zhou Yunfan's rhythm.

Only those directly involved can truly understand this sense of frustration and powerlessness.

Zhou Yunfan shouted, "I want to live!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You must die."

Zhou Yunfan: "Besides the Yu family's inherited mechanical arts, I also have a secret about the Yu family's demonic beasts. I can tell you that the true master of the Yu family is a dog."

As long as that dog hasn't shown up, everyone in the Yu family ancestral home is in danger of being wiped out!

Li Zhuiyuan did not respond.

Runsheng and his two companions continued to exert their oppression.

Zhou Yunfan: "You already knew?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

Zhou Yunfan: "How could the Qin family produce someone like you? I really doubt if you even have the Qin surname!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Now, you should consider committing suicide."

Zhou Yunfan: "I will leave you a complete corpse. You should leave a glimmer of hope for the Zhou and Ding families, and preserve their lineage and bloodline."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Choose one of the two."

Zhou Yunfan: "The Zhou family!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay."

Zhou Yunfan: "You agreed?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The choice between the two means which family to eliminate first. I will eliminate the Zhou family first."

Zhou Yunfan: "Hahahahahahaha!"

Zhou Yunfan already knew the answer before asking; he was simply confirming it.

Zhou Yunfan threw a punch at Runsheng. This time, his entire right arm began to fold and then crack as he threw the punch, which successfully knocked Runsheng back, and his body slid dozens of meters on the ground.

With his second punch, Zhou Yunfan made a gesture to strike Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin did not have the physique of Runsheng. If he were to take the punch head-on with the severed limb, he would definitely be seriously injured. After hearing Xiao Yuan's voice in his mind, he immediately retreated.

However, Zhou Yunfan's attack was a feint. His left arm did not break, but two of his three arms were gone at once. He then began to sprint towards the pagoda gate with all his might.

This must have been a desperate sprint for him, because Chen Xiyuan was the one guarding the goal all along.

Zhou Yunfan could definitely tell that this person was the strongest among them.

There was no way he could break through the gate guarded by this person, but a cornered beast will fight on, which means he will do whatever it takes to try and win again.

Chen Xiyuan was preparing to expand her domain.

In fact, if she had joined the battle from the beginning, both rounds of fighting would have ended quickly. However, Chen Xiyuan underestimated Li Zhuiyuan's caution.

The boy entrusted her with guarding the gate, and he would never let her be distracted.

Whether it truly exists or not, in Li Zhuiyuan's mental map, there is always an old Taoist priest standing in the shadows outside the pagoda, with his eyes closed, listening to the sounds inside.

Placing Chen Xiyuan near the entrance and keeping her from making any fighting noise was a deliberate move by Li Zhuiyuan to the old Taoist priest.

Even if darkness provides cover for you, if you cannot deliver a fatal blow and are slowed down until your side reveals their identity, you will not have a second chance to deceive the cause and effect.

Admittedly, this might be nothing but worrying unnecessarily, or perhaps a battle of wits with thin air, but Li Zhuiyuan was still willing to do it.

Therefore, Chen Xiyuan still didn't get a chance to make a move. Before she could even open her domain, Lin Shuyou had already inserted four talisman needles into his body.

Li Zhuiyuan would rather let Lin Shuyou overdraw his resources than have a breach in his own warning line.

Baihe Zhenjun rushed up and caught up with Zhou Yunfan. As he swung his mace, he also brought with him nine phantom images of tridents.

"what!!!"

Zhou Yunfan's pent-up frustration was about to explode, because the other party wasn't even willing to give him a last desperate gamble.

The fist collided with the golden mace, and the other arm shattered. The terrifying force caused the golden mace in the hands of True Monarch White Crane to fly away, and the trident phantoms also dissipated.

However, Zhou Yunfan's momentum was also stopped. After staggering back a few steps, Baihe Zhenjun raised another golden mace and continued to charge forward.

After successfully blocking the attack, Runsheng and Tan Wenbin also joined the flanking maneuver. Zhou Yunfan, having lost both arms, was like a sophisticated puppet machine that had lost two important components.

The three men's attacks rained down on him.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the boy who had been standing there the whole time.

My father lies in bed, often having nightmares and talking nonsense.

The most common phrase was: "The Qin family...despair...the Qin family...despair..."

On the night Uncle Qin returned, seriously injured and on the verge of death, Grandma Liu sat alone at the door all night with a sword across her lap.

The reason she was able to swallow her anger and bear this grievance was twofold: first, to preserve the last vestiges of glory for both Dragon King families; and second, because although Uncle Qin was plotted against and besieged, he had managed to break through the encirclement.

The “killing” here refers to actual killing.

What was supposed to be a sure-fire hunt turned into a nightmare as they watched their own people being killed and shattered one by one by the Qin family. Many people's morale collapsed at that moment.

At this moment, Zhou Yunfan experienced the same feeling as his father had back then, although the methods were opposite, the feeling of despair was the same.

Finally, as Zhou Yunfan's body twisted rapidly, a white light flashed, followed by a tremendous roar.

Runsheng, Lin Shuyou, and Tan Wenbin quickly retreated. Li Zhuiyuan glanced around, raised his hands, pulled them in front of him, and shouted:

"Go outside and guard the gate!"

Without hesitation, Chen Xiyuan stepped forward and stood outside the pagoda gate.

Inside the pagoda, staircases descended from the sky, surrounding Zhou Yunfan. The explosion caused severe damage, but most of it was mitigated by these obstructions.

"call……"

Runsheng had some bloodstains and minor external injuries, but the problem wasn't serious.

Tan Wenbin helped Lin Shuyou, whose legs were a little weak, and asked, "How are you?"

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, I need to take a break."

Tan Wenbin: "Drink a can..."

When this topic came up, Tan Wenbin remembered that Lin Shuyou had lost all the Jianlibao he carried to that Miss Chen.

Tan Wenbin took a can out of his backpack, opened it with a "pop," and handed it to Lin Shuyou.

Simply replenishing sugar has limited effect on their current recovery, but because Xiao Yuan has this habit, a can after being injured in battle provides them with tremendous emotional value.

Lin Shuyou took out a handful of pills, put them in his mouth, and swallowed them with his drink while chewing.

Tan Wenbin: "Didn't we make it ourselves?"

After the medicinal garden under the peach grove had a stable output, Old Tian began to make medicine, and Ah Li would also do it with him.

Lin Shuyou: "It's the last one that Three Eyes gave me last time. There are two handfuls left. I kept the ones made at home. I was thinking of taking the ones Three Eyes gave me first, because I was afraid they would lose their efficacy and expire if left for too long."

Tan Wenbin: "That's right."

Standing outside the door, Chen Xiyuan wanted to turn around and say that if she had taken action just now, there was a chance that he wouldn't even have a chance to self-destruct, but this time, she learned to keep quiet.

Nobody likes every word they say; they'll all become evidence of stupidity later on.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the tower gate and stood beside Chen Xiyuan.

Outside the door, there was a large crater, created when the mechanical doll named Ahui self-destructed in front of the short, fat old man.

Not far away, the short, stout old man's mangled remains lay, even the gold thread symbolizing his veins had been pulled out and was now in Runsheng's bag.

When Ah Hong and Ah Qing faced the simultaneous attacks of the two old men, one was smashed and the other was shredded.

On the ground, the relatively intact corpse was Ding Luoxiang.

At that moment, it was pitch black outside.

Moreover, it was even darker and thicker than before, which must have meant that something had happened somewhere inside the Yu family's ancestral home, causing the concentration of demonic resentment to increase further.

This is normal. It's impossible for only one person to be busy here. There must be other people elsewhere who are also focused on their own opportunities and making quite a commotion.

Li Zhuiyuan withdrew all his defensive measures and took a deep breath.

Chen Xiyuan also withdrew her defenses, took a deep breath, and felt that the smell of blood made her instinctively nauseous.

"Little brother, does this smell nice?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "If only the concentration of demonic resentment here could be increased tenfold."

The current concentration is far from enough. Li Zhuiyuan wants the kind of resentment that can directly affect people's emotions, so that he can use himself as a medium to transform them into fodder for the fishpond deep in the consciousness.

Such an opportunity is rare and hard to come by. Only the Yu family at this time could have so many demonic beasts slaughtered in such a short period of time, with their demonic blood and resentment merging to create such a scale.

Chen Xiyuan:
"This place should contain the most concentrated demonic resentment, such as an area where many powerful demonic beasts died in battle. However, a concentration of ten times the normal level will not only affect people's minds, but will also damage their bodies and cause them to become demonic."

However, little brother, you can stay within my domain, where my domain will protect your body, and then you can enter that area.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Thank you, sister."

Chen Xiyuan initially thought she was hallucinating, but after a moment, she couldn't help but laugh.

This thank you is deserved.

Because if such an area truly exists here and one wishes to venture deeper, one's physical strength is insufficient, requiring Chen Xiyuan's protection. Moreover, Chen Xiyuan would also bear immense pressure as a result, and even her domain would be damaged, essentially harming her foundation.

Miss Chen may not care, but Li Zhuiyuan cannot pretend not to understand.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Turn on a light."

Chen Xiyuan: "Oh."

The domain was opened, encompassing the boy and a large surrounding area.

Small flames rose and wandered around, illuminating the area.

Chen Xiyuan noticed that after the boy opened his domain, he waved his hand and threw a few small black array flags towards the west side of the pagoda gate, setting up a simple isolation array.

Having grown accustomed to seeing her younger brother casually arrange formations with a wave of his hand, Chen Xiyuan felt somewhat uneasy seeing him use formation flags to set up an array, even though the latter was the most normal way to do so.

Tan Wenbin and Runsheng came out with flashlights in their hands, but the illumination of the searchlights was very weak, only able to shine about two meters in front of them.

In other words, Chen Xiyuan's domain is very special, as it can shield the surrounding environment. Even if you use magic or other tools to illuminate the area, it will probably only be slightly better than a flashlight.

The old folks must be really happy right now, being able to turn their long-range attacks into attacks that are only a few meters in front of them.

It's very likely that the skills I used in the pagoda earlier have led to the deaths of more than one team at the hands of those old fogies.

Since we don't know if our own juniors are safe, we might as well do our best to slaughter the juniors of other families.

Tan Wenbin squatted down and began to examine Ding Luoxiang's body.

Previously, everyone stood outside the tower gate waiting for Zhou Yunfan inside to finish his enlightenment, and did not casually touch the corpse.

Ultimately, touching a corpse is a dishonorable act, and it's really unseemly to touch someone's body in front of their relatives.

However, once the people they care about are dead, it doesn't matter anymore, since nobody cares anyway.

"Ugh."

After touching him, Tan Wenbin sighed.

"Brother Xiao Yuan, it's free."

She survived once behind the stone gate thanks to the tools she carried, and then she fought again in front of the tower gate to protect Zhou Yunfan inside. Even though Ding Luoxiang had many good things on her, they had all been taken away.

This is also the main reason why her body was able to be preserved intact.

Chen Xiyuan reminded her, "I remember the dress she was wearing was made of a very special material. When it was stretched out, it could provide protection, and then it could shrink back down."

Tan Wenbin touched the tip of his nose:

"Well, I was planning to take off my clothes when you turned your back and walked out."

Chen Xiyuan: "What's there to be embarrassed about? There's no need to be so fussy. I'll do it."

Tan Wenbin waved his hand: "Just kidding. I checked this dress immediately. It seems to have a limited number of uses. Once it's taken back after exceeding the limit, it becomes a regular dress."

"Really?" Chen Xiyuan flicked her finger, and in her domain, a corner of Ding Luoxiang's white dress tore open, leaving her completely defenseless. "It really is."

Tan Wenbin: "What a pity."

Li Zhuiyuan did not leave, but continued to stand in the same spot, looking down at Ding Luoxiang.

Chen Xiyuan: "It's alright, little brother. In my room at the Chen family ancestral home, there's a wardrobe with formal attire for sacrificial rites. It looks like two pieces made of a special material. When you go to steal something from my Chen family ancestral home, just rummage through my room."

Tan Wenbin: "Sister Chen is so generous!"

Chen Xiyuan: "It's just a few clothes, nothing much."

Li Zhuiyuan remained in the same position, not moving.

Chen Xiyuan followed the boy's gaze with suspicion and looked at Ding Luoxiang's corpse again.

But no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't see anything unusual, so she could only reach out and pat Tan Wenbin's arm: "What's wrong?"

Tan Wenbin shook his head.

Chen Xiyuan: "Didn't you guys join forces?"

Tan Wenbin: "It's already broken."

The red line connection cannot last too long, otherwise Xiao Yuan's energy will be greatly depleted.

Chen Xiyuan smiled; it felt so good to not be "isolated".

Li Zhuiyuan said, "If you don't get up, I'm going to destroy the evidence."

Ding Luoxiang's body remained completely unchanged.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Runsheng, smash it."

Runsheng raised the shovel.

At this moment, Ding Luoxiang, who had died, opened her eyes.

Her eyes were completely white, with only tiny black dots visible.

Such eyes are usually only seen on the dead.

Moreover, as she opened her eyes, her skin, which remained fair even after death, first became full and then swelled, and gradually a thick liquid began to seep out and slowly spread out.

This truly is the aura of death.

Zombies are relatively rare and more difficult to form, while dead bodies are the opposite. Those with some skill in esoteric arts have methods to quickly transform ordinary corpses into dead bodies.

However, newly formed Deathly Hallows are generally very weak.

In the countryside, it would be fine, but in the current environment of the Yu family, no matter which group suddenly appears with a dead body, they can kill it with a wave of their hand.

But this corpse was clearly different. Ding Luoxiang's body began to struggle violently, much more forcefully than a normal corpse. Although she had leaked water, the amount was not large, and the entire body was still "fixed".

Furthermore, white "veins" appeared on her body.

Tan Wenbin: "She secretly absorbed the special material from the white dress into her body!"

He extracted the core of the white dress, a treasure, to bind and reinforce his body, thus raising the upper limit of this dead body. It must be said that he really thought things through very thoroughly.

It's highly likely that Zhou Yunfan had already planned this when he made the dress for his "beloved".

Ding Luoxiang is indeed quite pitiful. It was bad enough that she was used by this man while she was alive, but he also wanted to squeeze every last drop of value out of her after she died.

Chen Xiyuan: "It's him again? Why is he so hard to kill?"

Chen Xiyuan had seen people who were difficult to kill, but this was the first time she had ever seen someone this difficult to kill.

Li Zhuiyuan: "No, he is already dead. What's lying there now is just Zhou Yunfan's memory."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed immediately. The ability to modify and transplant memories was originally the method Yu Tiannan used to suppress the powerful evil spirit at the end. After Li Zhuiyuan killed the remnants of that evil spirit, it is currently known that only that old dog still possesses it.

Because it clearly used the same methods against Yudibei.

Now that Zhou Yunfan can do it too, it means that Zhou Yunfan and that old dog have been in contact for a long time.

Thinking back to the beginning, Zhou Yunfan's team was among those who had defected to the Yu family. At first, they thought they were like their own, deliberately smearing their identities in an attempt to infiltrate the Yu family in another way. Little did they know, they were actually criminals to begin with.

Ding Luoxiang and the others may not know, but Zhou Yunfan certainly does.

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, did Zhou Yunfan seal his memories inside his fiancée's body a long time ago, just waiting for her to die so that a series of backup plans would be made, her body would become dead, and her memories would be overwritten?"

Chen Xiyuan: "They are really ruthless."

At the same time, Chen Xiyuan also understood why, in the final moments of the battle, the boy had to use his mechanical skills to suppress the explosive force while simultaneously calling for her to guard the door.

Because only if she stands outside the door can she ensure that the dead body cannot escape and can only pretend to be dead.

Suddenly, an even more violent struggle began, but as Chen Xiyuan pressed down with her palm, relying on the domain, this newly ascended beast fell down and was suppressed completely.

Ding Luoxiang stopped struggling. The two black dots in her eyes moved up and down, and her Adam's apple bobbed as she made a salty, sticky sound.
"Who are you... no... Luo Xiang is dead... you killed her... you... you also killed me?"

I need to find... find Lord Yuanbao... Lord Yuanbao, save me... save me... I need to find Lord Yuanbao..."

Yuanbao was the name Yu Tiannan gave to that old dog.

Chen Xiyuan looked disappointed. It seemed that the memory was indeed sealed away from the past, so Zhou Yunfan did not recognize them or know the current situation. He might not even know that this was the Yu family.

Therefore, the inheritance of the Yu family's mechanical arts that the younger brother wanted was completely lost with the death of the real Zhou Yunfan.

However, it seems we can still get some useful information from the new Zhou Yunfan.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Ding Luoxiang and said:

"Stop pretending, your memory is complete."

"Who are you...who exactly are you...who are you all...?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The white light emitted during the self-destruction was to cover up your act of transmitting your memories, right?"

Ding Luoxiang fell silent. The small black dots in her eyes were slowly growing larger. Although they were still very different from ordinary people's eyes, they now held a thoughtful and profound meaning.

"How...did you know that?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Just guessing."

"you……"

Li Zhuiyuan squatted down and placed his palm above Ding Luoxiang's stomach.

As the boy's fingertips trembled slightly, the white lines within Ding Luoxiang's body began to boil, and a small, gem-sized shadow gradually appeared on her lower abdomen.

This should be an ornament on Ding Luoxiang's white dress, but it is alive.

Its triggering mechanism should be that after sensing Ding Luoxiang's death, it entered her corpse and hid there; these white lines are like silk secreted by it.

In other words, that's why the white dress worked before. It's not that the white dress is anything special, but rather that wherever this "little spider" attaches itself, that's where the defense mechanism works.

The boy raised his hand slightly, and a circle of white silk shadows appeared on Ding Luoxiang's chest. This was an evil formation used to absorb nearby resentment and accelerate the corpse's death. Li Zhuiyuan had used a similar method to turn the underground corpses into dead bodies in the bandit village before.

Ding Luoxiang was filled with intense resentment when she died, and the surrounding environment was filled with demonic resentment, so the evil formation was very effective.

As the palm continued to lift upwards, the "little spider" on the abdomen was pulled more and more violently, and white lines also appeared in Ding Luoxiang's head. This was not an array, but more like a kind of rune.

Thanks to this rune arrangement, Zhou Yunfan was able to send his memories at the last moment. If nothing unexpected happened, this must have been something that old dog taught him.

In this light, it's no wonder that Zhou Yunfan always sends Ding Luoxiang ahead to scout the way whenever there's danger. Only if Ding Luoxiang dies, or dies near him, does Zhou Yunfan essentially have a "second life."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Runsheng, give me Mengmeng's Gu worm."

"Buzz!"

Before Runsheng could respond, the Gu worm flew out of Runsheng's sleeve and came to Li Zhuiyuan. Clearly, it knew who the real boss was here.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the "little spider" inside Ding Luoxiang's abdomen and asked:

Are you confident you can eat it?

The two antennae on the top of the worm's head immediately stood upright, and then bent together, pointing to the spot the boy had indicated.

"Go."

The Gu worm flew down and burrowed into Ding Luoxiang's abdomen.

It was indeed very fierce, directly pushing the "little spider" out, and the two began to bite each other in mid-air.

The "little spider" can protect the host it attaches to, but it cannot face the tiny creature that is almost the same size as itself. Although the white silk is constantly waving, it is useless as long as the Gu worm keeps fighting it at close range.

After a fierce battle, the result was in. After all, this was an insect that Yin Meng had personally raised. If it hadn't been so tenacious, it would have been poisoned to death long ago.

After the Gu worm devoured the "little spider," it sucked all the surrounding white silk threads into its belly in one gulp, just like sucking up noodles.

Its belly immediately bulged out; what was originally the size of a fingernail now looked like a billiard ball.

With a "glug," it rolled to Runsheng's feet.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Runsheng, put it away."

Runsheng picked up the "table ball" and carefully placed it into the protective compartment of his backpack.

Tan Wenbin, who witnessed the whole thing, let out a sigh of relief and thought to himself: It seems that just touching corpses won't be enough from now on, we'll have to dissect them.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Ding Luoxiang's face and met Zhou Yunfan's gaze.

"I... I'll agree to anything... Please... let me live..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You are already dead. You are not even a living person now."

"I want to...live...I want to grow up...and go back...to the Zhou family."

"As long as I fulfill my long-cherished wish, it doesn't matter whether it's really me or not, as long as I use your name?"

“That’s right…yes…I’m going back…to make them regret it…to grovel at my feet…”

"What's the point of doing this?"

"Are you... really a member of the Qin family...?"

Li Zhuiyuan did not answer.

"What...is the significance of your...family...to you?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, tacitly agreeing with Zhou Yunfan's statement.

"I won't let you live."

"The Zhou family... if we protect them... we'll give you anything... the secret of that dog... the inheritance of mechanical arts..."

Aren't you afraid I'll break the contract?

"I want you to swear an oath to the heavens... an oath on the honor of the Qin family..."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, looked at him, and said decisively:
"You're dreaming."

"Then...you'll get nothing..."

Ding Luoxiang's body began to convulse, pus continuously oozing out, his resentment radiating outwards. He was choosing to dissipate his own suffering; this was his third suicide attempt today.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze narrowed slightly, and the rate at which the death dissipated immediately stopped.

"How...how could this be...no...how could this be..."

Zhou Yunfan was shocked to find that his body was out of control, and he was now completely unable to commit suicide.

Li Zhuiyuan said to Chen Xiyuan, "Put away your domain and take a break."

Chen Xiyuan obediently put away the domain, and the surrounding brightness suddenly decreased. Fortunately, the illumination from the two flashlights was barely enough.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

The boy's consciousness entered Ding Luoxiang's body, which was Zhou Yunfan's memory.

When they held a meeting in the village's wooden house, Li Zhuiyuan said that this kind of memory replication and transplantation is essentially a kind of infectious disease.

At this moment, "Zhou Yunfan" only had memories and experience, but no strength. He had no ability to stop the boy from controlling him, including reading his memories.

Having learned from his previous experience of investigating the cause and effect of "Di Ting" in the main hall of the Guanjiangshou Temple, Li Zhuiyuan skipped over the scene of Zhou Yunfan's contact with the old dog.

It wasn't that he didn't want to know, but he was worried about suffering a karmic backlash because of it. Besides, the old dog was also in the Yu family's ancestral home at the moment, so close that it would inevitably attract its attention.

The old dog itself is not that powerful or terrifying, nor can it be completely unapproachable, but the Dragon King's body that it now possesses retains some of the Dragon King's unique characteristics.

Furthermore, although Li Zhuiyuan has temporarily slowed down the dissolution of the body, its consciousness is still becoming increasingly blurred. For example, right now, there is a clear loss of memories about Zhou Yunfan's childhood, and this process is still ongoing.

The boy jumps to the latest enlightenment scene and begins a race against time.

Outside, Zhou Yunfan was still screaming in terror. Freed from the domain's suppression, his voice became louder and carried further.

"What are you? Are you a human or a ghost? What kind of evil magic is this? How could such evil magic exist in this world!"

"You are a demon, you are not human, you are an evil spirit in human skin!"

After shouting for a while, Zhou Yunfan suddenly changed his strategy and shouted:
"I never imagined that I, the inheritor of the Zhou family's mechanical system, would fall into the hands of a monster like you. I am not reconciled! I refuse to accept this!"

"My poor wife, the only daughter of the Ding family patriarch in the valley, the eldest daughter of the Ding family, actually died tragically at your hands! You demon, you monster, I will never let you live under the same sky!"

"You beast, aren't you afraid of divine retribution for your cruel methods? Heaven has eyes and will surely watch over you!"

Tan Wenbin stroked his chin, Runsheng closed his eyes, and Lin Shuyou's mouth bulged as he tried to suppress a laugh.

Chen Xiyuan's gaze swept curiously across the three of them. She didn't understand what was so funny about that curse.

She really wants to know: Did the three of you secretly connect again?
Besides, this guy is so noisy, I really want to shut him up.

But seeing the boy standing in front of "Zhou Yunfan" with his eyes closed, and seeing that Tan Wenbin and the other two were letting their leader be scolded without reacting, Chen Xiyuan had no reason to take action.

"You fiend, your actions will be condemned by the righteous path. Even in the underworld, I will curse you forever!"

Chen Xiyuan puffed out her cheeks, almost unable to hold back her laughter.

You were killed by him, and you actually want to go to the underworld?

If you actually go there, you'll find that the underworld belongs to him.

Of course, Chen Xiyuan knew that Zhou Yunfan's curse was a colloquial expression and did not specifically refer to the Fengdu Hell established by the Fengdu Emperor, but it was still very funny and made her feel very uncomfortable.

Li Zhuiyuan finally opened his eyes and looked at Zhou Yunfan.

Despite the perilous circumstances, the boy managed to read through that memory and memorize it all.

Zhou Yunfan wasn't lying; the Yu family's inherited mechanical skills were indeed exquisite and astonishing.

If this tradition is truly lost and not learned, then one will definitely regret it.

Zhou Yunfan's gaze had become somewhat dazed, but he still stared intently at Li Zhuiyuan. This time, his hatred was genuine.

After noticing the boy's eyes open, he smiled through his pus-drained mouth.

This person is indeed very intelligent.

He even discerned from his previous arrangement of having Chen Xiyuan guard the door and never participate in the battle that Li Zhuiyuan was wary of the old thing that might be spying on them from outside.

In the darkness, nothing can be seen, but sounds can still be heard.

He revealed his identity and loudly enumerated Li Zhuiyuan's "crimes" in order to hand a knife to that old man who might be hiding in the shadows, giving that man a sufficient reason to take action next.

A cold smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's lips.

At this moment, Zhou Yunfan realized that he could no longer open his mouth or make a sound.

Even in his murky, lifeless eyes, a glint of light shone through. This was the last moment of clarity in his life, or rather, in his existence as "Zhou Yunfan."

He finally realized that the boy could control all parts of his body, but he had just allowed his mouth to speak freely. This meant that what he had just said was actually something the boy had deliberately made him say!
"Put away your domain and take a break."

These words echoed in Zhou Yunfan's mind. He didn't want that person to rest, but rather to break the barrier that isolated his senses so that his voice could be heard.

He remembered that the boy had said he was smart, but he was also stupid.

Even in the final moments of his life, he was being used as a tool by him.

This is a tremendous humiliation, and also a great terror.

Ding Luoxiang always believed that her fiancé was the smartest person in the world, and Zhou Yunfan himself thought so too.

But today, Zhou Yunfan saw something that even he found exaggerated and absurd. At such a young age, with a not-so-tall body, it stood there, casting a huge shadow behind it.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand.

Although he didn't look at the memories of Zhou Yunfan's contact with the old dog due to lack of time and unwillingness to take risks, the fact that Zhou Yunfan was willing to interact with the old dog gave the boy another layer of information.

The intentions of Heaven have long been obvious.

Zhou Yunfan couldn't possibly be unaware of this, nor would he deliberately follow that old dog down a dark path.

Old Dog can rely on the Bai Ming family to travel the river and use the Dragon King's faction to whitewash himself. What should Zhou Yunfan do?
Therefore, Lao Gou must have had some undiscovered intentions in his goal of clearing his name. This intention made Zhou Yunfan feel that even if he made a deal with Lao Gou, or even stood behind him, he could still get away unscathed.

When you actually face the old dog, you must be on guard again. You have to be even more cautious of the dog you already think highly of.

The boy waved his hand.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The body began to turn into pus as it died, and its parts kept collapsing.

Ding Luoxiang deeply loved Zhou Yunfan during her lifetime. They were never formally married, but now, after their deaths, they can die in the same body, which is even more romantic than dying together in the same grave.

Sensing that his last trace of existence would be erased, Zhou Yunfan's eyes revealed a sense of relief.

He needs to hurry and make himself more comfortable.

Just like how each generation of Dragon King contenders eventually praises their contemporaries as the strongest of all time.

Only by acknowledging the victor who defeated you can you, as the loser, find the greatest solace.

Zhou Yunfan felt that if he had encountered another team instead of this boy, he would definitely have survived... he wouldn't have died.

"Snapped!"

With the last pus falling to the ground, Zhou Yunfan was completely erased.

Chen Xiyuan also breathed a heavy sigh of relief. This guy was really hard to kill, and also... really powerful.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "I have already obtained the Yu family's inheritance of mechanical arts. Now, I need to enter this pagoda and, with the help of its special environment, absorb and understand this inheritance."

This process must not be disturbed. You all help me protect the Dharma outside and do not allow anyone to enter.

"understand!"

"understand!"

Li Zhuiyuan walked towards the pagoda, and then the pagoda door closed.

A short while later, the sound of mechanisms operating came from inside the pagoda, very orderly and solemn.

Runsheng stood on the street in front of the pagoda, holding a Yellow River shovel, ready for battle.

Lin Shuyou stood behind Runsheng. Although he was a bit listless, he could still wield the mace.

Tan Wenbin stood on the steps in front of the tower gate, his senses heightened to their peak.

Chen Xiyuan looked left and right, then pointed to her own face before standing on the west side of the tower gate.

Time passed slowly, and the commotion inside the tower grew louder and louder, seemingly indicating that the inheritance, deduction, and absorption had reached a critical juncture.

"boom!"

A loud roar came from a great distance away, indicating that something unexpected must have happened there, but it shouldn't have affected this place.

But at that moment, Runsheng suddenly noticed the figure of an old Taoist priest appearing in the darkness two meters in front of him.

"You monster, how dare you wear human skin to harm my righteous young talents!"

The old Taoist priest waved his whisk at Runsheng, who instinctively raised his Yellow River shovel to block it. But a terrifying force struck, and Runsheng slid uncontrollably to the side. Although he was able to maintain his balance, he couldn't stop.

Lin Shuyou's vertical pupils had just opened when a mysterious aura descended, abruptly interrupting his spirit writing.

The old Taoist priest moved like a ghost, and Tan Wenbin stared at him. Before he could even be frightened, blood began to flow from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

Chen Xiyuan raised her jade flute, but under the old Taoist's raised hand and pressed down, Chen Xiyuan could only remain frozen in place, trying her best to resist this indescribable powerful force.

The old Taoist priest entered the tower by suddenly pushing open the door and entering without lingering in battle.

To catch the thief, first catch the king. If you kill the one who lights the way in the team, then the entire team will be ruined and will never be qualified to travel on the river again.

This approach yields the highest returns with the least consequences.

But the moment the old Taoist priest entered the tower, the entire external structure of the tower suddenly underwent a huge change. The bricks, tiles, windows and walls of each floor began to move and recombine. All the doors and windows were closed, and the external appearance of the tower also underwent a dramatic change, transforming from a tower shape into a huge human face sculpture.

This is a woman's face, dignified and solemn. She may not be the Dragon King of the Yu family, but she is the creator of the Yu family's mechanical arts lineage.

The old Taoist priest looked around, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. Finally, he looked at the boy standing on the towering altar ahead and questioned him:
"You monster, what are you doing!"

Li Zhuiyuan looked down at the Taoist priests below from his high vantage point and spoke:

"I thought I was wrong, that you weren't hiding outside. If you had come in any later, I would have been preparing to leave."

The old Taoist priest was named Li Hongsheng, one of the twelve peak masters of the Bixia Sect. He was in charge of killing and warfare, which is why the Bixia Sect sent him to participate in the extermination of the Yu family.

In the village, Li Jun, who was the first to negotiate the transfer terms of Yudibei with Zhao Yi, was a disciple of the Bixia School and also a contemporary river traveler of the school.

When Li Hongsheng made his move against Ding Luoxiang, he revealed his true form, which was then broken by Ding Luoxiang. He could only say, "Sorry, I made a mistake." After wandering around outside for a while, it got dark, so he returned and hid and listened outside.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze lingered on the old Taoist's whisk, the jade pendant at his waist, the gourd behind him, and other places on his body where he could hide treasures.

While the other travelers were busy dodging the terrifying attacks launched by the old men in the night at the Yu family ancestral home, Li Zhuiyuan had already started fishing for the old men to generate income.

"Demon, what do you intend to do?"

Li Zhuiyuan raised his arm, and in an instant, something seemed to break open above the roof, and white lava poured down from above. At the same time, the tall tower outside transformed into a woman's face, and a chilling white light shone from her eyes.

"I have initiated the self-destruction of this mechanical tower. Next, everything inside the tower, including the tower itself, will be annihilated."

Li Hongsheng: "I don't believe it. If such a method truly existed, why didn't the previous one use it?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Firstly, he didn't want to destroy his physical body unless absolutely necessary; secondly, when he made up his mind, I had also gained partial control of the tower, and he knew that he no longer had the chance to activate it."

White lava flowed down the four walls, bringing with it a heart-stopping and despair-inducing heat.

Li Hongsheng: "I still don't believe that you, you fiend, would be willing to perish together with me?"

"Of course I don't want to die with you, I can only offer my congratulations from here..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing on the altar, cracked and then disintegrated, turning into a pile of building blocks that rolled down the steps of the altar until it reached Li Hongsheng's feet.

Li Hongsheng: "May the Heavenly Venerable grant boundless blessings!!!"

Outside the government building.

Chen Xiyuan moved aside, revealing the boy standing behind her.

The darkness was the best obscuring, the isolation array was the best covering, the domain was the best protection, and finally, Chen Xiyuan herself stood in front of the boy with her body.

Li Zhuiyuan had actually been standing on the west side outside the tower gate the whole time.

The boy walked to the tower gate that had been there before, but now the gate was the jaw of a human face.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and knocked.

Continuing from the previous statement:
"Congratulations, Daoist Master, on your ascension to immortality."

(End of this chapter)