Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 497

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at the three lamps in the Chen Family Ancestral Hall.

Throughout the entire incident, the behavior of Chen Jialong's spirit was very subtle, even strange.

The spirit of the Dragon King is not the Dragon King; it has great limitations. If one can grasp its characteristics, one can create a situation that is advantageous to oneself, which is the so-called "a wise man can be deceived by his own methods."

A similar scene had occurred in the Yu family of the Dragon King. Even though the Yu family was overthrown by a demon beast and the dog defiled the Dragon King's residence, the spirit of the Dragon King of the Yu family remained unmoved until the evil spirits of the Yu family collectively rioted. Only then did they fly out of the ancestral hall to suppress and seal the Yu residence to prevent the evil spirits from overflowing and harming the human world.

However, at present, the four Dragon King Domains of the Chen family are being destroyed, and the evil spirits are about to start a riot. Logically speaking, the spirits of the Chen family's Dragon Kings should have taken some action.

Furthermore, through the red thread binding Chen Xiyuan, Li Zhuiyuan had previously "witnessed" five figures in the deepest part of the dungeon's restrictions.

There are four Dragon King Domains in the dungeon, belonging to Chen Yunhai and three Chen family Dragon Kings, plus Chen Pingdao... Who is the faceless man attached to? What is its true form?

Recalling what was seen in the Faceless Man's ancestral tomb—the tunnel it left by penetrating the rocky mountain with its physical body, the indelible mark left by being struck by lightning, and the experience of almost meeting it at the Zhou family's residence—it must have gone to the Zhou family to seek the repair of its body.

Others' dream of becoming an immortal involves shedding the old shackles of the body and ascending to heaven. The faceless man, on the other hand, sacrifices the spirits and flesh of others in exchange for his own physical immortality.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Why did it want to kill me?"

Zhao Yi: "Because you made its path to immortality incomplete, it hates you."

After a pause,
Zhao Yi continued, "But that shouldn't be its reason for killing you. The past is the past. I think it's because it believes that you will inevitably be pushed towards it in the future, blocking its path to immortality."

I must say, it has a really good eye for people.

Li Zhuiyuan: "To subvert a Dragon King's clan by immersing it in its deepest depths is more difficult and more costly than to directly attack a Dragon King's clan."

Zhao Yi: "It can't face you. It's afraid of being seen by you, and afraid that it will be seen by the Heavenly Dao. When I was looking at the painting of the goddess ascending to heaven at Chen Yueying's house, if I hadn't covered Tan Daban's eyes in time and Tan Daban hadn't immediately understood and retreated, it wouldn't have spoken to me."

Therefore, it can only drown you by using others' hands or creating waves.

Li Zhuiyuan: "They want to kill me so they can become an immortal. Becoming an immortal is their priority in killing me."

Zhao Yi: "This is not contradictory... Oh, right, that's right. I understand what you mean. Under certain circumstances, it is indeed not contradictory, but this time, it has clearly paid a much higher cost, which can be considered a desperate gamble."

Such a significant investment, if all it gets in return is someone killing you, is equivalent to a thousand years of accumulation being destroyed in an instant, and then its path to immortality cannot continue.

But if you cannot become an immortal, or give up on becoming an immortal, then it has no reason to kill you.

Its true intention is still to become an immortal, but before that, it'll kill you in the process!

Li Zhuiyuan: "The riot is about to begin, and Chen Pingdao is making a final stand. If I integrate all the array formations and restrictions in the Chen family's ancestral home, and turn the ancestral home into a new cage like the Yu family did, to prevent evil spirits from overflowing, then what will this cage resemble?"

Zhao Yi looked around and slowly said, "It looks like a new... Ascension Tower."

The terrifying image of lava erupting and pouring down beneath the snow-capped mountain palace resurfaced in Zhao Yi's mind.

Zhao Yi: "Its goal has always been Dragon King Chen. It wants to fill in the gaps it lacks here."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You know what to do next."

Zhao Yi looked at the boy in front of him: "I'd love to say I know, but could you give me a little more hints?"

Li Zhuiyuan spoke to Chen Xiyuan, who was in the dungeon, through the red thread:
"return!"

Chen Xiyuan stared intently at the five dark figures before her. She could sense her grandfather spreading his domain to maintain the precarious situation, but she still silently responded in her heart:

"it is good!"

Soon, Chen Xiyuan left the dungeon and stepped out from the stone tablet. She was anxious but not flustered, because her little brother was there. She didn't need to make decisions about what to do next. She just needed to take the flute and follow her little brother's instructions to knock on people or evil spirits.

But what her little brother said next left her completely bewildered.

"Chen Xiyuan, from this moment on, Tan Wenbin, Lin Shuyou, Runsheng, Liang Yan, Liang Li, Xu Ming, Chen Jing, and Wang Lin are all under your command!"

Chen Xiyuan seemed to think she was hallucinating. She was commanding?
Ms. Chen herself never expected that her name would be associated with the word "commander".

However, she instinctively accepted it:

"it is good!"

"When I give the order, you take them and leave the Chen family immediately. Find me a body and destroy it!"

"understand!"

Zhao Yi: "I think I can lead the team to find that body."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Are you as lucky as her?"

Zhao Yi: "Then I can be the deputy commander and help her coordinate the operation."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It seems you know what you're going to do next."

Zhao Yi: "You bastard, you surnamed Li!"

Li Zhuiyuan ignored Zhao Yi's emotional outburst and instead said to Chen Xiyuan:
"Go and tell your grandmother to send all the blueprints of array formations and restrictions, as well as the hub compass, from the Chen family ancestral home to me."

Chen Xiyuan's notification was quickly met with a positive response from Jiang Xiuzhi. Without the slightest hesitation or reservation, she handed over the most fundamental core of the inherited power to an outsider.

The Chen family follows the orthodox Dragon King lineage in its selection process, and the position of family head is based on strength. In this respect, the young Master Chen must have been exceptionally talented.

Add to that the Chen family of Qiongya's style of staying away from the conflicts of the martial arts world, and the fact that Old Master Chen spends his days watering and pruning willow trees, drinking and fishing for sharks, that in terms of the quality of the head of the family, he is really far inferior to those of other families. Even Ming Qinyun, who often appears as a crazy woman, is several levels above him in terms of methods and abilities.

However, the value of marrying a virtuous wife was fully demonstrated in Mr. Chen's case. At the crucial moment, Jiang Xiuzhi's decisive and wise side was revealed, showing the same quick and ruthless style she had when she snagged the landlord's foolish son.

However, there is an awkward point: while Jiang Xiuzhi is busy integrating the formation of her ancestral home with Li Zhuiyuan, very few of the people in her Chen family are truly proficient in formations.

It's not that I don't know how, it's that I can't handle such advanced operations.

Jiang Xiuzhi then suggested again whether or not to send people from the family's array formation lineage back to provide support.
Li Zhuiyuan refused. First, although the work was high-end and complex, he had already been given the blueprints and key components, which was equivalent to him having the key to the Qin family's ancestral home, so it wouldn't be too difficult for him. Second, there wasn't enough time. Third...

"This ancestral hall courtyard is only so big; it can't accommodate too many people."

Jiang Xiuzhi tried to understand the meaning behind the boy's words. He probably meant that once his old man couldn't hold on any longer and the evil spirits started to riot, this ancestral hall would be the last piece of pure land in the Chen family's ancestral home.

However, when her son-in-law Chu Qiufeng stepped forward to offer his help, and the boy let her try, and expressed his approval, Jiang Xiuzhi felt somewhat comforted.

When his daughter brought him back in serious injury, the old man felt that he should repay her kindness by marrying her, but she objected.

It wasn't that she felt the kindness shouldn't be repaid, but rather that she knew gratitude had an expiration date, and she worried that her daughter would look down on the person after the gratitude faded.

Fortunately, her son-in-law was also intelligent and managed his life well. In her spare time, she liked to invite him over for tea, where the two generations of fishing champions would share their experiences of catching Chen Jia Daizi (a character from a popular fishing game).

Li Zhuiyuan was very surprised by Chu Qiufeng's skill in formations.

Although age and accumulated resources played a role, Chu Qiufeng's talent, even if transferred to this generation, would probably not be much worse than Luo Xiaoyu's.

In other words, such a person has a certain probability of trying to seize the Dragon King's throne.

Li Zhuiyuan: "The Chen family is truly a place where dragons and tigers hide."

Chu Qiufeng shook his head: "I only benefited from staying longer. It was the senior who showed me what the way of formations is. There are always higher levels to reach."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Are you really willing to accept this?"

Chu Qiufeng: "Senior, you stand too high. When you look down, you feel that these mountains are not too low. But in reality, even if we ignore the highest peaks, there is a clear difference in height between us. I have no chance."

Furthermore, I come from humble beginnings. Even if I were to be blessed by heaven and become the Dragon King, wouldn't I still have to establish my own lineage? Unlike now, I'm already part of the Dragon King's clan.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I've learned a lot."

Chu Qiufeng smiled, then his smile froze. Recalling the identity of the young man in front of him, he realized that his words had just mocked two people at once.

Fortunately, the boy remained calm and continued to manipulate and set up the formation, clearly not taking it to heart.

Li Zhuiyuan had handled the general direction, and the rest was left to Chu Qiufeng. The young man reached out and patted Chu Qiufeng on the shoulder before getting up and walking toward Zhao Yi, who had been sitting cross-legged there, adjusting his posture.

Zhao Yi is versatile and highly skilled in formations, but the young man did not involve him in any work just now.

"Have you rested?"

Zhao Yi: "Pick as much as you like."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's begin."

The boy walked up behind Zhao Yi, and this time, he placed his hand on Zhao Yi's head.

This means that this time it's not about borrowing his brain, but about using it to our advantage.

Zhao Yi opened the door between life and death on his chest, letting down his guard against Li Zhuiyuan.

Both of them closed their eyes at the same time.

Ah Li sat in front of the two, holding the blood-stained porcelain bottle.

Chen Xiyuan stood in the courtyard, surrounded by a crowd of people.

The little brother has already assigned himself command and tasks, so now he must be confirming the target location for himself.

If that's all there is to it, it shouldn't be difficult. Once you have a specific location, all you need to do is lead everyone and charge forward. Jiang Xiuzhi, leading a group of Chen family members, stood by with nothing to do. This situation—being an outsider even though it was her own home—was quite awkward.

The only ones who could ease the awkwardness a little were Chen Yueying's family. Chen Yueying was wiping her husband's sweat, and her three children were helping to pass things around, showing some sense of participation and involvement.

"boom!"

Based on the Chen family's ancestral home, the first "iron fence" was erected.

The vibrations were loud enough for the faceless man underground to sense.

Faceless Man: "Very good, let's begin. Yes, that's it. Treat the Chen family as a new prison, so that even if these evil spirits escape, they won't be able to get out for the time being."

The domain on Chen Pingdao's body had shattered by half, cracks appeared on his face, his consciousness was waning, and only instinct remained.

The faceless man raised his hand, and a string of bells appeared in his hand.

The bell jingled slightly, and the three remains of the Dragon Kings, including the remains of Chen Yunhai, to which he himself lay, all trembled slightly.

However, it did not intend to manipulate the Dragon King's remains or desecrate his body; this would be extremely difficult for it and would not achieve the desired effect.

“Gurgle…Gurgle…Gurgle…”

It was as if water was flowing continuously into its body and the three nearby remains of the Dragon King, making these four bodies, which should have been decaying, full again.

The faceless man said, "This Dragon King Chen family is simply the perfect place for me to achieve immortality. My thousand years of accumulated merits have turned into oil, and the Dragon King's remains and the Dragon King's domain are the fuel."

All you need to do is help me trap these evil spirits within the Chen family ancestral home, and I will burn them to ashes. Through this merit of suppressing the chaos caused by the evil spirits, I can replenish the thread of my loss in the flames.

Transformation is completed amidst annihilation, shaping my immortal body!
Li Zhuiyuan, I not only want you to die from the trampling of evil spirits, but I also want you... to help me become an immortal!

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"Haha, good, yes, that's it. Make the fence even stronger, really strong, and make sure there are no gaps so they can get out!"

For the faceless person, being stuck at this stage is incredibly painful, and it desperately longs to go further.

As long as that last bit can be completed, its body will achieve final perfection, and it will be worth sacrificing everything else for it.

Even if it falls into a long slumber after success, it will eventually awaken again and officially return.

It was going all in, throwing everything away to try and advance in rank. Even if it couldn't be like the Emperor of Fengdu, ruling over the underworld and commanding the wind and rain, at least it could at least manage to lie down on the same level as the Emperor.

"Ok?"

The faceless man seemed to have discovered something. It shook the bell again. An invisible red rope was tied to the bell. This red rope wrapped around it and the other three dragon king remains, and extended upwards, all the way to an underground area outside the Chen family's ancestral home, where its body was located.

Its soul, its merits, and everything it has in the dungeon all need to be supplied by its body, so its body is destined not to be too far away. Of course, it cannot be placed in the Chen family ancestral home either, because the ancestral home is destined to become a ruin of evil spirits.

Now, it realizes that someone is tracing its red thread in a similar way, trying to find its way back to its own body.

"You actually learned... my secret technique?"

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall.

Li Zhuiyuan was enveloped by invisible red lines, which began to spread outwards.

They are all intangible things, inherently untouchable, but since they come from the same school, as long as they touch each other, they can greet each other invisibly and become entangled.

Zhao Yi, sitting cross-legged in front of Li Zhuiyuan, looked perfectly normal.

This indicates that Zhao Yi's mental state has been strengthened during this period.

Apart from Li Zhuiyuan, everyone on the river could earn merit by walking along the river and exchange it for opportunities, so Zhao Yi was enjoying the benefits from both sides.

Moreover, Li Zhuiyuan also discovered that Zhao Yi had recently been spurred on by him, and he was probably using all his merits on himself in order to seek rapid personal growth.

On the contrary, the Liang sisters and Chen Jing have seen little improvement recently.

This doesn't mean Zhao Yi has changed his strategy and stopped building a team as a whole... Li Zhuiyuan suspects that he intends to hand over his subordinates to him for improvement, just like he helped Runsheng and the others.

With his eyes closed, Zhao Yi probably knew that the young man behind him had grasped his true strength and weakness. A smirk played on his lips as he countered with a question:
"Isn't it okay?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "At this time, it is not appropriate to discuss terms."

Zhao Yi: "I'm afraid I won't be able to talk later."

With a flick of his finger, Li Zhuiyuan caused the red thread to wrap around the red rope.

"North of the ancestral home... is..."

Just as Li Zhuiyuan was about to confirm the exact coordinates, a roar came from deep underground from the faceless man:

"presumptuous!"

His transmission is complete, and he can now sever the connection with his body.

The red rope broke.

The red thread broke as a result.

A powerful backlash instantly surged along the red line towards Li Zhuiyuan… and Zhao Yi in front of him.

"puff……"

Zhao Yi bled from all seven orifices, his soul seemingly burning.

Just then, a loud tremor came from underground.

Chen Pingdao's domain completely collapsed, and he collapsed to the ground. His consciousness was already blurred, but at this moment, he seemed to realize that the other party had actually already completely permeated all four Dragon King Domains.

One after another, depressions appeared within the Chen family's ancestral home, as the unrestrained evil spirits eagerly prepared to rush out.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Chen Xiyuan: "Go to the north to look for them."

Chen Xiyuan opened her eyes wide. North? What are these detailed coordinates?
However, Ms. Chen's body momentum outweighed her consciousness, and she immediately rushed towards the north gate of the ancestral home, with the others following behind her.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

One after another, evil spirits peeked out. Above the Chen family's ancestral home, where the weather had been sunny and pleasant for a thousand years, dark clouds gathered for the first time today.

Chu Qiufeng, pale-faced and trembling, handed a magnificent compass stained with his own blood to Li Zhuiyuan.

"I have successfully completed the integration of the ancestral home's grand formation."

Li Zhuiyuan took the compass. If the evil dragon's blessing was not taken into account, the quality of this compass was several levels higher than his own purple-gold compass.

Evil spirits kept emerging, and their first reaction was not to search for and kill the people in the Chen family's ancestral home for revenge, but to yearn to go out and gain freedom.

Only there can one find vast open spaces and fresh food.

underground.

Faceless Man: "As expected of the most handy blade used by Heaven, hehe. But even if you noticed, so what? It's too late. Can you just stand by and watch these evil spirits run away and wreak havoc on the world?"

on the ground.

Chu Qiufeng: "Please, senior, activate the formation to seal off the evil spirits."

Jiang Xiuzhi led the Chen family members in saying in unison:
"Please, Patriarch Li (senior), activate the formation to seal off the evil spirits!"

The Chen family ancestral hall is the core of the formation. Those evil spirits that want to break through the cage will inevitably turn around and attack here like madmen. They are located here, which is equivalent to their survival hanging by a thread. Moreover, this action will inevitably cause the Chen family ancestral home to suffer the most serious damage, but they will not hesitate.

However, Li Zhuiyuan casually tossed the blood-stained compass behind him and said:
"not open."

underground.

The faceless man raised the bell, and flames flickered on the bodies of the three dragon kings, including itself. As long as it crushed the bell, lava similar to that beneath the snow mountain palace would gush out, and it would "perish together" with these evil spirits. It would "sacrifice itself for righteousness" to resolve this turbulent disaster!

But no rush. Let the evil spirits kill that little guy first, and break the sword of Heaven's Way.

The faceless creature gently stroked the bell with its fingertips, feeling quite pleased with itself as it was about to achieve its ultimate goal.

until,

The first corpse demon to break through the ground ran out of the Chen family ancestral home, but the Chen family ancestral home's grand formation did not activate to stop it!
Faceless Man: "..."

---

Sorry, I'm currently in Kashgar but my mind is wandering.

There will be regular updates tonight.

(End of this chapter)