Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 362

Chen Xiyuan could sense that the little brother was earnestly teaching her things.

Moreover, the more you teach, the deeper and more advanced it becomes.

He not only saved himself twice in this wave, but he will also be able to survive and thrive in the waves to come.

She was very grateful for this.

Li Zhuiyuan, however, did not have these emotions. The main reason he did this was because Chen Xiyuan's tuition was too much.

The white flames made the cutting very smoothly.

From Chen Xiyuan's perspective, what was clearly a complex issue involving the soul was handled by her younger brother as if he were wielding a sharp kitchen knife and slicing a ribbonfish.

Simultaneously with the separation of the soul, in reality, Ming Qiushui gradually separates from the Blood Python's physical body.

Finally, accompanied by a sound:
"Crack!"

Ming Qiushui and the Blood Python were completely separated.

The blood python, though headless, remained active.

However, because Chen Xiyuan stepped on the snake's body, it could only make futile and laughable twitches.

Ming Qiushui's lower body was gone; the wound looked like beef jerky that had been forcefully broken in two.

She was calm, but her eyes were filled with despair.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed at Ming Qiushui's face and said to Chen Xiyuan:

"Remember this expression. It usually only appears at the very beginning when you are shocked. But if it lasts for too long, like the one she has now, it means she hasn't given up and is thinking of taking another chance to bite you."

On the kitchen cutting board, the chopped snake heads often lie there quietly, but if you're careless enough to rummage through them into the trash can, they'll bring you a "surprise".

Chen Xiyuan nodded vigorously.

The despair in Ming Qiushui's eyes instantly transformed into a venomous resentment.

After separating from the snake's body, although her vital energy was severely damaged, she was finally able to use her own methods again.

A point of light appeared between his eyebrows, and his soul power rippled rapidly, attempting to envelop the boy.

Chen Xiyuan was about to intervene when Cui Di was already raised, her fingertips placed on the mouthpiece. With just a slight rub, the music would pour out.

This flute is not only meant to be used as a stick to whip people, but Chen Xiyuan's domain is so powerful that simply using it as a stick is easier and more efficient.

The boy raised his left hand, indicating that Chen Xiyuan did not need to stop him.

He really wanted to experience Ming Qiushui's desperate struggle like a cornered beast.

The more she struggled, the more secrets of the Ming family she could uncover.

Ming Qiushui herself hadn't expected that everything would go so smoothly; she had actually managed to pull the boy into her consciousness.

Here, amidst drifting white clouds, Ming Qiushui stood perfectly still atop the clouds, with a verdant mountain behind her, surrounded by buildings, resembling a fairyland.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed that it must be the ancestral home of the Ming family.

"It's my bad luck that I fell into your trap, not that I lost to you."

"Young man, today I'm going to teach you that some opportunities, even if you can obtain them, may not necessarily be able to truly digest them."

After speaking, Ming Qiushui began to form hand seals.

The Dragon King Ming focuses on cultivating the soul, which is also the reason why Ming Qiushui still feels confident that she can bite back.

In an instant, the surrounding white clouds accelerated their movement, the cries of cranes were incessant, and the verdant mountains behind them emitted solemn bell tolls, as immense pressure pressed down on Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan saw through her intentions. She wanted to use the power of the Dragon King's court to plant a seed of fear in his heart and cut off his path on the river.

Because as long as there is fear in one's heart, it will be difficult to reach the end of this river.

Zhao Yi suffered the most from this aspect of his own actions.

He was able to stay on the river because he understood the mindset of his ancestors.

As for Chen Xiyuan... she has already said that if she encounters a wave that she must be on the opposite side of in the future, she will not hesitate to light the lamp again and admit defeat.

Therefore, as long as Li Zhuiyuan is still alive, the two of them have essentially lost any chance of continuing to compete for the Dragon King's throne.

But they are who they are; they can become obstacles for others, but they don't want one to be erected in front of them as well.

Of course, Ming Qiushui is not worthy of being an obstacle in her path.

To think that one can be forced to feel fear solely by the intimidation of the Dragon King's court is simply naive.

If he had come from humble beginnings and lacked a strong will, he might have fallen for her tricks. But the problem is, he is neither.

Li Zhuiyuan stood there, letting the mental pressure dominated by Ming Qiushui wash over him like waves.

The boy was like a rock on the seashore, unmoving.

Ming Qiushui realized something and asked in astonishment, "Whose child are you?"

Those with strong willpower can indeed resist this pressure, but the boy was far too calm, which means that he may not be holding on through his willpower.

More likely, he was simply used to this kind of intimidation.

Li Zhuiyuan did not answer. If Ming Qiushui only had this much to offer, he would be truly dissatisfied, feeling that he had wasted his time.

The boy decided to break through this move first, and then see if she had any new tricks up her sleeve.

He's not incapable of using his power to intimidate others.

Li Zhuiyuan took a step forward, and the Liu family's offering table stood to the boy's right.

Ming Qiushui: "Dragon King Liu? You're from the Liu family, that old hag Liu Yumei..."

The Qin family's offering table appeared directly above Ming Qiushui's head. Although the memorial tablets on it were decayed and cracked, they still exuded an ancient and solemn aura, pressing down directly on her!

Ming Qiushui's body twisted, and she had no choice but to retreat.

Unlike in reality, in a battle of wits, not an inch can be conceded; whoever backs down first loses the upper hand.

When the offering table of the Qin family, the Dragon King, appeared, Ming Qiushui was already in a panic.

"The two families' lineages..." Though she was terrified, she still forced a scream and laughed, "Hahahaha, the Qin and Liu families really have no spirit left, no spirit left, hahaha!"

Li Zhuiyuan continued forward, pressing towards Ming Qiushui.

A dashing figure in a blue robe appeared in front of the boy, leaped up, and threw a punch.

Ming Qiushui: "Whose dragon king's spirit is this...?"

"boom!"

Ming Qiushui was sent flying by the force of the impact.

She had already lost this battle of wits, and now she was merely making a last-ditch effort, and Li Zhuiyuan was willing to grant her wish.

Since you laugh at the fact that there are no spirits, then I'll show you that there are spirits.

I can even show you those that are still alive!
The boy lifted his foot and landed heavily on the ground.

"Buzz!"

A gate to the underworld stood before Ming Qiushui, and as the gate opened, the sounds of ghosts wailing and howling filled the air.

An aged hand reached out from the gate of hell and grabbed at Ming Qiushui.

Ming Qiushui quickly retreated and dodged, only to find that the hand was not reaching for her, but rather for Cui Shan behind her.

With a clenched fist, the verdant mountain began to decay, the vegetation withered and turned yellow, and the original white clouds turned into black mist.

Ming Qiushui: "No, how could that be!"

She could accept her complete defeat in this battle of wits, but that was her own fault, and had nothing to do with the Ming family.
She didn't believe that the outcome of her game here would have any impact on the Ming family's ancestral home; therefore, the current changes in the scene could only mean one thing:

Something happened at the Ming family ancestral home.

The Dragon King's authority, which should have protected his family members and given them strength and confidence, became a burden instead of an asset.

This at least means that, for the time being, because of his connection with the Dragon King Ming, his fortune will be suppressed to a very low level.

Ming Qiushui: "What happened to my Ming family? What happened?!"

For large families that value lineage, this change is nothing short of a catastrophe, affecting every aspect of the family until it decays and falls into ruin.

Through gradual pressure, Li Zhuiyuan actually managed to glean some useful information.

Dragon King Ming, something has indeed happened.

Looking at it this way, the big commotion at the Yu family ancestral hall earlier must have been Old Dog's attack on Ming Yuwan.

Although the boy had foreseen this outcome before Yu Dibei Bai Ming Yuwan was made Dragon King, he did not expect that it would all happen so quickly.

No, if it's just used to whitewash old dogs... that's indeed too fast.

We should wait until this wave has passed, or at least until it's nearing its end, and everything has settled down, before tearing off this pretense of civility.

"From this perspective, it seems that the old dog wasn't trying to clear its name."

"Ahhh!"

Ming Qiushui broke down and knelt on the ground.

First, he failed to absorb the blood python; then, during his struggle against the blood python, the boy took advantage of him; next, he was completely defeated in the battle of mental consciousness; and finally, he sensed the changes that had occurred in the Ming family...

Under the barrage of blows, Ming Qiushui's defenses were finally completely broken down.

White clouds, dark clouds, green mountains, and barren mountains all vanished at this moment, and Li Zhuiyuan also dissipated everything he had conjured in his mind.

Here, it was pitch black, with only himself standing there and Ming Qiushui kneeling there.

But strangely enough, this illusion has not yet dissipated.

But Ming Qiushui's current condition is not faked.

This means that within Ming Qiushui's body, there is another force that is maintaining the order of things here in her place.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that he was about to come into contact with the Ming family's true core secrets.

The practice of this fundamental technique, which allows the soul to proliferate, is so effective that even if it means severing the lineage with the secret art of burning the soul, the benefits must far outweigh the side effects.

The boy suddenly turned around and found another figure behind him who looked exactly like Ming Qiushui, but with an indifferent expression.

She pointed her finger at the boy and said coldly:

"The cause sown today will bear fruit tomorrow; the living soul never ceases, the spirit's thoughts are in turmoil; I am the cause, I am the one, I am the infinite..."

With an indifferent expression, Ming Qiushui's figure instantly transformed into countless forms, all chanting some kind of scripture, their fingertips pointing at the boy.

The real Ming Qiushui has failed, but the other Ming Qiushui has unleashed the real killing move.

Li Zhuiyuan admitted that he had indeed underestimated the Ming family.

This cornered beast fought back, and it truly displayed an extraordinary level of skill.

If it were Chen Xiyuan who was arrogant today, instead of herself, she would inevitably pay a heavy price for it.

It seems that once I'm fully awake and open my eyes, I'll have to teach Chen Xiyuan a lesson: next time you encounter an opponent, just smash them to death as soon as possible, and don't try to use your brain too much.

As for himself, Li Zhuiyuan began to silently recite the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra in his heart, using Buddhist methods to stabilize his mind and resist the mental attack from the other party.

At the same time, the boy also felt a mix of doubt and familiarity.

This way of switching and coexisting is really familiar.

A dense array of indifferent faces, like those of Ming Qiushui, enveloped the boy.
They shouted in unison:

"Now I am the fuel, to ignite your soul, to disrupt your realm, and to shape your inner demons!"

In a distant corner, Ming Qiushui, who was still in a state of collapse, began to burn.

Next, all the bright autumn water around him began to burn.

A powerful surge of spiritual energy rushed in, attempting to break through Li Zhuiyuan's Buddhist defenses and invade his consciousness.

Faced with such a terrifying move, Li Zhuiyuan not only did not seek other methods, but also did not continue to strengthen this Buddhist technique. Instead, he took the initiative to remove all defenses.

Listen to what she and they just said.
They want to burn their own souls to help shape and strengthen their inner demons.

Li Zhuiyuan himself... is a demon in his own heart!
This is no longer a life-or-death enemy; even an elder in your family would find it difficult to be so open and honest with you, willing to sacrifice themselves just to help you advance further.

What else needs to be resisted?
Not a single bit can be wasted. These methods of nourishing inner demons must not be wasted on a stalemate; they must be fully absorbed by oneself.

The boy sensed that powerful spiritual forces were surging wildly into his body.

Divide, encourage, sow discord, alienate, indoctrinate, support...

Even Li Zhuiyuan had to marvel at the skill with which the cold-faced Ming Qiushui had executed this technique.

In terms of pure skill and tactics, Ming Qiushui's previous attempt to use the power of the Dragon King's faction to oppress him was nothing but a facade.

It was only when Ming Qiushui was in a cold and indifferent state that she truly displayed the level of skill expected of an elder of the Dragon King Clan.

Moreover, this was all under the premise that Ming Qiushui was already severely injured in reality, and the space for her to do things was extremely limited, yet she still managed to pull off a thunderbolt out of nowhere.

To be even more cunning, all of Ming Qiushui's previous actions were paving the way for the cold-faced Ming Qiushui, so that this move could be even more unexpected.

They really do look alike...

Like the relationship between oneself and one's true self.

The Ming family actually took this route.

However, there are still differences, and huge differences at that.

Their roles are clearly defined, and Ming Qiushui, with her indifferent expression, seems more like a tool "refined" by the real Ming Qiushui.

The Ming family's fundamental technique involves continuously regenerating the soul and then using a secret method to melt it down and feed it to this "device".

The Ming family's cultivation method is essentially weapon crafting, except that the weapon is not a physical object, but is hidden within their own bodies.

Therefore, the Ming family did not need to worry about the problem of backlash at all. The probability of an object backlashing its owner was not nonexistent, but it was extremely low, so low that it could be ignored.

What the Ming family should worry about is that this kind of operation becomes more difficult as one's skill level increases. Sometimes, a certain amount of luck is required. If one's luck is insufficient, it may lead to the destruction of both the person and the tool.

So, if Dragon King Chen relied on talent, then Dragon King Ming relied on luck!

Once the family's fortunes decline, it will be a devastating blow, trapping them in a vicious cycle where the more they try to develop and strive, the more they will decline.

Li Zhuiyuan and the original body are two sides of the same coin.

There was no relationship of one supporting the other, nor of master and servant. It was more like one person choosing different paths, and each of them embarked on the path they chose.

The reason they didn't fight each other was simply because they were both too calm at heart, so calm that they tacitly skipped the part of infighting and killing each other.

However, Li Zhuiyuan was quite envious of the Ming family's "relationship".

If one could treat one's "body" as a tool, taking it out when needed and putting it back into the body when not needed, thus establishing a master-servant relationship, how wonderful that would be.

Despite her indifferent expression, Ming Qiushui was indeed calmer and more perceptive than the real Ming Qiushui; she noticed the problem.

"Why……"

Why is it that even though I've used such a vicious move, my opponent hasn't reacted at all?

Those with a steadfast mind like a mountain can indeed slay their inner demons to temper their minds, but you should at least try to slay them first, right?

Why is it that after sacrificing such a huge price, I can't see any results at all?

A bold and absurd guess arose in the mind of Ming Qiushui, whose face remained indifferent.

"You... are you a demon in your heart?"

Li Zhuiyuan did not respond.

He wants to continue.

Originally, the boy planned to strip Ming Qiushui of her soul and throw it into the wordless book for the "evil book" to torture and interrogate her.

Now it seems unnecessary. If it can be directly converted into nourishment to nurture one's spirit and consciousness, why bother going through a roundabout way?
The figure of Ming Qiushui, with her indifferent face, began to disappear rapidly. She knew she couldn't continue like this; she might be taken advantage of by him.

Li Zhuiyuan realized her intention. He was enjoying the process of absorbing the essence, so how could he allow her to stop now?

"Can you start whenever you want and stop whenever you want?"

In reality, Chen Xiyuan saw the boy with his eyes closed, and a larger white flame was released from her fingertips, directly enveloping Ming Qiushui.

In his mind, two ghost pillars appeared behind the boy, and rusty chains lashed out, binding the indifferent figures with clear, bright faces, preventing them from disappearing.

While accelerating the burning sacrifice of Ming Qiushui, they also controlled the input port to prevent it from closing.

Li Zhuiyuan was using extremely brutal methods to forcibly squeeze out the last bit of value from Ming Qiushui.

Finally, Ming Qiushui's remains in reality began to rot and swell.

In her mental consciousness, Ming Qiushui's indifferent face collectively faded, and in her final moments, she uttered this question:

"Your lineage and the Ming family lineage have..."

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

In their spiritual consciousness, the real Ming Qiushui vanished into nothingness, while the indifferent Ming Qiushui collectively exploded.

In reality, Li Zhuiyuan slowly opened his eyes.

Yes, I've also discovered that my illness is definitely related to the Ming family's heritage.

Chen Xiyuan noticed that her younger brother had not only fully recovered from the exhaustion of rescuing the Yu family, but the fleeting sharpness in his eyes also indicated that he had made further progress.

Looking at Ming Qiushui, who had turned into pus and burst open everywhere, Chen Xiyuan subconsciously swallowed.

The little brother was truly terrified of poverty. While others merely squeezed his bones and marrow, he would even suck the remnants of a soul.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the spot where the Autumn Water had exploded and said:

"Remember, my behavior just now is a negative example. Don't follow my example of being overconfident and taking risks."

Chen Xiyuan: "I would smash her to pieces without hesitation the moment I see her."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Hmm, if you want to talk, wait until the enemy is dead, then you can talk to them slowly."

Chen Xiyuan: "I've got it."

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and felt the fullness of his spirit.

As expected of a centipede that doesn't die easily, Ming Qiushui, despite being severely weakened, was still able to replenish herself with so much energy and even help expand her energy reservoir.

It's important to understand that once one's mental and spiritual awareness has been honed to this level, further improvement becomes extremely difficult.

The Ming family is truly a treasure. Unfortunately, in the martial arts world, most high-class families only assign one person to travel the river in each generation, because those who are from the same school or clan are easily matched up by the river in the early stages, and a winner among fellow disciples is determined.

Fortunately, he had a feud with the Ming family.

When Ming Qiushui discovered that she came from the Liu family, she did not immediately try to get close to them. Instead, she directly called Grandma Liu "old hag".

This shows that, in her subconscious, the Liu family and the Ming family have an irreconcilable feud. They may be able to tolerate each other in public, but in private, they will never let go of the opportunity to kill each other.

Grandma Liu was ultimately too conservative.

Although they had already taken me to the meeting at "Wangjiang Tower" and even lifted the curtains to let me see my enemies clearly, they hadn't told me the specific names of my enemies.

This forces you to discern from your opponents' reactions which are legitimate competitors and which are your enemies.

Perhaps even Grandma Liu didn't expect that she would be able to start taking revenge so quickly.

In this light, Zhao Yi's recommendation of Yu Dibei to Ming Yuwan, allowing the Ming family to suffer the backlash of the calamity, actually helped him a great deal.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that this was definitely not a fluke, but the result of Zhao Yi's careful selection.

After this wave ends, it's time to invite Zhao Yi to Nantong again to experience his dojo.

Zhao Yi is helping the Qin and Liu families avenge their deaths, and Li Zhuiyuan has to reward them on behalf of Grandma Liu.

Of course, that's assuming Zhao Yi survives this wave.

At present, Zhao Yi should still be alive and well. Given his personality, he probably hasn't even entered the inner area of ​​the Yu family yet, and is focused on searching for the corpses of high-level demonic beasts on the outskirts.

He might even count on his fingers, smugly boasting about how many teams would perish in this wave, claiming he was the most clear-headed one.

Little did they know that in this Yu family ancestral home, if you really didn't do anything worthwhile, there was a very high chance... you wouldn't survive to see the Yu family again.

Li Zhuiyuan regained his composure and pointed to the headless blood python at Chen Xiyuan's feet: "Freeze it."

Without saying a word, Chen Xiyuan inserted the jade flute in her hand into the blood python's body.

Even Li Zhuiyuan had to sigh at this, realizing that such an exquisite item was truly suffering under Miss Chen's care.

However, this also allowed the blood python to be completely suppressed, turning it into meat on the chopping block, and the kind that was harmless after its head was removed.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his right hand, and the dragon spirit excitedly coiled itself into a mosquito coil in the boy's palm.

It knew the rules well; even with a feast right in front of it, it still waited for the final instructions from the boy.

"Go eat. How much you can eat depends on your ability."

The dragon spirit immediately coiled up and disappeared into the blood python's body. The huge difference in size between the two made the dragon spirit look more like a small parasite.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, took out a black array flag from his backpack, and began to set up the surrounding area.

Temporary formations have a certain probability of error, so the young man planned to make sure Chen Xiyuan was on the safe side.

Chen Xiyuan followed closely beside him, ensuring that her domain energy always covered the young man.

She had always wanted a younger brother, but unfortunately her parents were not lucky enough to have one.

At first, Li Zhuiyuan really fit the image of her dream younger brother. However, after getting to know him better, she felt like she was becoming a little sister and needed this "older brother" to take care of everything for her.

No wonder Tan Wenbin and the others call him "Brother Xiao Yuan," it's really fitting.

"Alright, expand the domain a bit more, and I'll activate the formation immediately. Try your best to maintain it. Don't just resist; instead, try to comprehend a new dynamic stability through the confrontation."

"Okay, I understand."

"If you feel you can't go on, tell me in advance."

"Don't worry, little brother, I will definitely hold on until the very end and will never let you down."

"The result of holding on to the last moment is that your domain will be shattered, and I will be drenched in blood transformed from demonic resentment. You may only be seriously injured, but I will surely die."

"Okay, I get it now……"

"let's start."

Li Zhuiyuan activated the formation.

The blood in the pool was drawn over and, like a fountain, splashed onto Chen Xiyuan's domain.

The area began to shake and tremble in an instant, and Chen Xiyuan's face showed pain.

Chen Xiyuan didn't need to worry about cultivation and enlightenment.

Li Zhuiyuan focused on his own task, his fingertips reaching outwards to the critical point of Chen Xiyuan's domain.

The blood that dripped onto Chen Xiyuan's domain was gradually drawn to the boy.

Li Zhuiyuan needed to adjust his fingertips according to Chen Xiyuan's condition, moving them forward and backward to ensure he was in contact with the blood without actually touching it.

It is indeed troublesome, but it is the best solution.

The Black Book Secret Technique, in operation.

The intense, overwhelming resentment within the blood began to surge wildly into the boy's body.

deep in consciousness.

The main body stood by the fishpond, looking up as large amounts of bloody water fell from the sky and crashed into the fishpond.

The fish fry in the pond seemed to have gone mad, and began to devour the red things.

However, the feeding speed here is significantly lower than the rate at which "feed" is added.

Before long, the entire fishpond began to turn slightly red.

As time went on, the fishpond changed from slightly red to pale red to normal red and then to deep red.

In reality, the bleeding stopped.

This means that Chen Xiyuan persevered to the end.

Li Zhuiyuan withdrew his hand and looked at Chen Xiyuan standing behind him, whose body was covered in blood.

Under immense pressure, her skin bled repeatedly, and the layers of blood on her body were clearly visible.

The edges of the domain she supported became very blurred.

At first glance, it seems that the domain has become smaller, but in reality, the scope of the domain can be expanded to be larger and more freely and naturally.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "It's over."

The scabs on Chen Xiyuan's face fell off, and she looked at the boy.

Although she looked incredibly disheveled, her eyes remained bright and lively.

This shows that she was indeed obedient and did not deliberately persist until the last moment, but always reserved some energy to remind the boy to finish early.

She didn't risk her life to seize an opportunity, nor did she have the determination to stubbornly climb to the top, yet she still succeeded.

That's talent.

Even more surprisingly, the very first thing she said was:

"Little brother, am I ugly now?"

"Ah."

Chen Xiyuan was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to rush out of the cave to take a bath in the pond, but she held back.

Beside him, the blood in the pool of blood had dried up.

The blood python was still there, pinned down by the green flute, motionless.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

I arrived at the fishpond deep within my consciousness.

The water in the fishpond was no longer just a deep red color; it had thickened to the point that it resembled a whole fishpond shaped like a spicy Sichuan dish.

Moreover, the height of this spicy blood curd dish is much greater than the height of the fishpond bank.

The fish weren't just swimming around; they were diving in and out, literally immersed in a sea of ​​food.

The main body walked over from behind and said, "It's good that it's over. If it had continued, this fishpond wouldn't have been able to hold on, and it would have definitely flooded outwards."

If the floodwaters overflow, it means Li Zhuiyuan will be afflicted by demonic resentment and go mad.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You can make the fishpond bigger, or put in more fish fry."

The original entity said: "I can't eat them all, I can't afford to raise them, and I dare not raise them. The current number is just right. If they get too big, they will get out of control."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You're also afraid of backlash?"

The original entity: "Aren't you just a product of my backlash?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "For now, this should be enough, right?"

The main body said, "The resentment of most of the demonic beasts that died in the Yu family is here. It should be enough."

Li Zhuiyuan: "That's good."

Seeing that the situation here was relatively normal, Li Zhuiyuan left the depths of his consciousness and returned to reality.

Chen Xiyuan was pulling out her jade flute.

"Pfft..."

The blood python's massive body seemed to be filled with water, and a large amount of foul-smelling liquid spurted out from the mouth of the jade flute.

The python's entire body quickly withered, leaving only its skin and scales.

The dragon spirit wobbled as it flew out of the mouth. It was originally only the size of a mosquito coil, but now it was the size of a small snake.

When it tried to coil itself in the boy's palm as usual, it found that the boy's palm was not big enough, so it simply changed its position, wrapping its body around the boy's wrist, leaving only its head lying in the boy's palm.

Li Zhuiyuan could touch its head with his fingertips pointing downwards; the touch was cool and refreshing, yet it carried a certain heat and ferocity.

It is, after all, a dragon, not an ordinary pet.

Of the four spirit beasts inside Tan Wenbin's body, none can compare to it in terms of rank. Currently, only Li Zhuiyuan himself can control it. If it were placed inside Tan Wenbin's body, it would rebel even if it died.

Seeing this, Chen Xiyuan couldn't help but remind him:

"Little brother, you have to be careful if you raise it."

Jiaoling understood the deeper meaning behind her words and immediately raised her head, intending to unleash her malice upon her.

The boy tapped it with his fingertip, and it immediately lay back down obediently, even nuzzling affectionately against his finger.

Li Zhuiyuan calmly replied, "Is raising a dragon a threat?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's alright, Jiao. I've already raised more than one."

Chen Xiyuan: "Hehe, little brother, you have a pretty high opinion of your older sister."

The boy put away the battle flags and returned them to his backpack.

Before the two left, Chen Xiyuan affixed a talisman to the headless female corpse and her subordinates. The talisman spontaneously combusted, incinerating their bodies as well.

Even though it was clearly out of kindness, and fearing the boy might misunderstand, he added an extra explanation:

"She actually dared to ambush and kill me in the museum, so I'm going to grind her bones to dust."

As we floated upwards after leaving the cave, we saw a huge black shadow above us.

Chen Xiyuan became wary, but Li Zhuiyuan patted her wrist, signaling her not to act impulsively.

The dark figure opened its eyes, its massive body vanished, revealing a normal figure—it was Runsheng.

As Li Zhuiyuan absorbed the purest resentment in the blood pool, it was as if all the surrounding demonic resentment was frantically gathering towards him. Runsheng's position was like the filtered water in the water pipe of an old man in the countryside.

Using the light from Xiaoyuan, he thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of his resentment washing over his body.

As the original source stated, the demonic beasts in the Yu family's ancestral home had just undergone a large-scale massacre. In reality, if you dared to create such a large-scale, high-quality hellscape... you'd see if you were struck by lightning.

Runsheng carried Xiaoyuan to the surface of the water, and Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou immediately came over to join him.

After the two got ashore, they still hadn't seen Chen Xiyuan.

Lin Shuyou asked, "Where is Miss Chen? Did something happen to her?"

Runsheng:

"She's taking a shower."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shuyou took out an unopened bar of soap from his backpack and threw it into the center of the pond.

"Pfft!"

The soap sank to the bottom.

Tan Wenbin looked at Lin Shuyou: "That's strange. Why aren't you this attentive to your Linlin?"

Lin Shuyou: "I don't understand either. When I'm with her, I often don't know what to do with my hands and feet."

Tan Wenbin: "Heh, that's good."

Lin Shuyou shone a flashlight on Runsheng and asked:
"Runsheng, you look a bit darker now?"

As I spoke, I reached out and touched my fingertips again, and found a stinging sensation.

Tan Wenbin also reached out and touched it: "Hiss..."

The two knew that Runsheng had just benefited from what was happening down below.

The Yu family truly embodies the saying, "When a whale falls, all things are born."

After a while, Chen Xiyuan surfaced from the water, her beauty like a lotus emerging from clear water.

In her hand, she was holding a half-used bar of soap.

Chen Xiyuan: "You guys have brought really complete equipment for crossing the river."

Tan Wenbin: "Next time, I'll send you a hiking backpack according to our equipment standards."

Chen Xiyuan smiled and said, "Okay, thank you so much."

Tan Wenbin: "It's nothing."

When Miss Chen used to walk along the river, she didn't even bring an extra set of clothes to change into, because she could often walk through a wave without her clothes getting dirty.

The remaining half bar of soap was not suitable to be returned, so Chen Xiyuan found a lotus leaf to wrap it up and kept it for later use.

Li Zhuiyuan took out the Purple Gold Compass, and the Jiaoling took the initiative to lie on the compass. To the naked eye, one could see that the compass was rapidly changing in a more precise way.

Having eaten its fill and had nothing better to do, the dragon spirit's enthusiasm for work increased even further. It even lay on the compass, folded its own body, and "drew" a route map with itself.

After recalibrating the position, Li Zhuiyuan spoke:

“There is a shortcut to the ancestral hall. Follow me.”

To take the shortcut, you need to go through some building complexes.

The closer you get to the Yu Family Ancestral Hall area, the fewer buildings there are that kind of buildings that serve a traditional function. Most of them are residences for the core members of the family, as well as other areas for worship.

A closed gate blocked Li Zhuiyuan and his group's way.

This is one of the few places where the door could still be intact after being occupied by monsters.

Without any formations or restrictions, it was much simpler and more austere than the residences of the Yu family.

Li Zhuiyuan gestured for Runsheng to open the door.

As soon as the door was pushed open, the strange layout of the courtyard was revealed to everyone.

It has no houses; from the outside, it looks more like a decoration built to make it appear normal. In fact, inside, it's just this one big courtyard.

In the courtyard, five human-shaped stone statues were kneeling.

One person was in front, and four people were behind. On the shoulder of the person in front, an eagle was perched.

Behind the five people were five coffins, which, although not appearing to be rotten, were quite old.

In front of the five people was a stone tablet with a sword mark on it.

Although it is unknown how many years have passed, the sword's essence still lingers.

Upon approaching, Li Zhuiyuan clearly sensed the aura of the "Liu Family Qi Observation Technique" within the sword's essence.

There are inscriptions on both sides of the stone tablet:

One side reads: Reflect on your mistakes and repent.

On the other side is: Liu's Dragon King.

Chen Xiyuan: "Why is there a stele for the Dragon King of the Liu family in the ancestral home of the Yu family?"

The five people kneeling there, especially the one in the first row, are clearly from the Yu family, and most likely from the Yu family's generation of river-walking team.

Chen Xiyuan continued to speculate: "Little brother, in history, which dragon king of the Liu family ever punished the Yu family?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Chen Xiyuan: "Judging from this situation, the Yu family took the initiative to hand over the river travelers of that generation for the Dragon King to judge. Moreover, it is very likely that the Yu family killed them on their own initiative to appease the Dragon King's anger and set up this courtyard separately, which has been preserved to this day."

There are only a few words on the stone tablet, without any background or explanation, so we don't know exactly what happened back then.

Under normal circumstances, the Yu family, as a family of the Dragon King, would give way to the current Dragon King, but they should not have to suffer such humiliation.

Moreover, judging from the Yu family's attitude in handling this matter, the fact that the Yu family has always kept this courtyard, and that no one in the martial arts world has ever heard of this incident... it can be deduced that the Yu family is in the wrong in this matter. Therefore, the Yu family has very rarely bowed down to the Liu family's Dragon King of that generation and carried out their own family discipline.

This courtyard is not protected by any array or restrictions, allowing members of the Yu family to enter and exit freely. This is intended to educate future generations and serve as a warning.

In this matter, the Yu family indeed acted very openly and honestly, demonstrating the proper conduct of the Dragon King family.

When the Dragon King of the Liu family arrived at the Yu family and saw this scene, he left this sword energy on the stone tablet, declaring the matter closed.

Li Zhuiyuan could already guess who that Liu Family Dragon King was.

After successfully crossing the river and becoming the Dragon King, she did not choose the path of magnanimity. Instead, she took up her sword and took revenge on her enemies on the river one by one, even if they had already surrendered and gone ashore twice.

This is an ancestor whom even Grandma Liu, holding the memorial tablet, didn't know how to describe.

Liu Qingcheng, the Dragon King of the Liu Family.

---

There is another chapter tonight.

(End of this chapter)