A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

"certainly!"

Ji Zhengdao thumped his chest loudly, his face beaming with the words "Honesty is the foundation."

"In this world, loyalty is everything! I swore an oath before the statue of Guan Yu! If I said I'd resurrect you, I definitely will! I keep my word, no deception, young or old!"

His eyes were so sincere, his tone so earnest, and even the fluctuations in his soul exuded the pure aura of "I am an honest demon".

The eerie struggle gradually weakened.

The authority... seems to be starting to falter.

A wisp of grayish-white light, containing the fundamental rules of this land, began to peel away from its collapsing core and slowly flowed toward Ji Zhengdao's soul.

"That's right, that's more like it! A wise person knows when to yield!"

As Ji Zhengdao happily absorbed the power, he sneered inwardly:

Resurrect you?

They definitely need to be resurrected.

I, Ji Zhengdao, am a man of my word. If I say I'll resurrect you, I will definitely bring you back to life!

This area is in dire need of rebuilding and is missing a group of high-quality laborers who are willing to work tirelessly, around the clock, without pay, and who can even reload their save file if they die...

Then we'll see how I properly "use" you!

Dare to slack off?

I'll whip you, you bastard!

Dare to complain?

Do double the work!

He could almost see the future, with his legs crossed, a small leather whip in hand, watching the former mountain king work tirelessly and without rest on this land.

The smiles became more sincere and radiant.

Outside, however, time seemed to stand still.

A charred humanoid skeleton stood alone in place, poised in its final, deadly pose, motionless.

It was Ji Zuodao.

The two bright red lights in his eyes had completely died out, leaving them empty and somewhat eerie.

Occasionally, one or two small, fleshy bumps will appear on the surface of the skeleton, or a dark, sinewy vein will appear, attempting to connect to the bones.

However, these newly formed flesh and blood tissues often wither and dissipate quickly due to a lack of subsequent nutrients, just as they begin to emerge.

It was futile to leave a deeper dark mark on the charred bones.

Nothing.

The blood flames burned him completely, inside and out. His spiritual sea was almost dried up, his blood essence was gone, and even his soul was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; a skeleton needs something to grow flesh!

"Brother..."

"Give it your all, push yourself... Whether I turn over a new leaf or get reincarnated depends entirely on you..."

Ji Zuodao dared not move at all.

The fire is out, but this skeleton, after being burned and tempered just now, is now as brittle as an over-fried potato chip. It would crumble at the slightest touch, and with a little rough movement, it might fall apart on the spot.

That is, Ji Zuodao, who was repeatedly beaten and tempered by those three old scoundrels from childhood using all sorts of evil methods, has a solid foundation and has managed to keep the last bit of his original essence from dissipating.

If it were someone else, burning up to this extent, they would have already been queuing up for a VIP number to get the soup of oblivion.

"Waaah... Brother..."

"Brother isn't moving..."

A childish, sobbing voice came from nearby.

Qi Qi and her inner demon girl had somehow gotten there and were standing next to Ji Zuodao's charred skeleton.

The two little girls looked up at the lifeless skeleton in front of them, which seemed as if it could collapse at any moment.

Her big eyes were brimming with tears, her eye rims were red, and she was so anxious that she kept wringing the corner of her clothes, but she had no idea what to do and could only helplessly let the tears fall.

Seeing the two girls' pitiful state, Ji Zuodao barely managed to lift his skeletal right arm, raising it extremely slowly and carefully, wanting to pat the two little girls' heads and comfort them.

Her movements were so gentle, comparable to a young woman embroidering.

however--

"Snap... Splash..."

A faint yet distinct cracking sound.

The arm bone that was halfway up couldn't hold on in the end.

Starting from the elbow joint, it cracked and broke apart, turning into more than a dozen charred bone fragments of varying sizes, mixed with some bone debris, which fell off with a "rustling" sound.

Just then, two little girls, their faces upturned and gazing at him expectantly, were covered in the filth.

Qi Qi: "..."

Qi Qi's inner demon: "..."

The two girls froze simultaneously, feeling the rough, charred texture on their heads and faces, and stood there stunned for two seconds.

immediately--

"Wow--!!!"

The crying instantly rose eight octaves, and tears gushed out like a floodgate opening!

It wasn't fear, it was heartache. Seeing my brother shattered, I was anxious, scared, and sad. I completely broke down!

"..."

Ji Zuodao sighed inwardly.

Well, instead of offering comfort, I've only made her more defensive.

He decided to go all out and, using his still relatively intact left leg, kicked towards Ji Zhengdao's buttocks, which were not far away.

"Damn it, are you done yet? Stop dawdling. Let me tell you... I'm definitely going to drag you down with me before I die..."

The fragile leg bones could not withstand the weight.

"Snap!"

A small section broke off from the ankle.

Ji Zhengdao opened his eyes, grinned, and threw a punch with his backhand!

"Damn it! What's with the rush! Can't you see we're busy?"

"Splash—!!!"

A crisp, melodious sound, like the sound of an entire set of exquisite bone china being shattered.

Ji Zuodao's charred skeleton was solidly "grabbed" by this punch.

The next second, like a toppled tower of building blocks, or a sandcastle kicked apart by a naughty child, it collapsed with a bang, shattering into countless charred bone fragments of varying sizes, scattering all over the ground with a clatter.

The worst part is that many bone fragments turned into finer, grayish-white ashes the moment they hit the ground, piling up into a small clump.

Thankfully, there's no wind right now.

Otherwise, there probably wouldn't even be any ash left.

The world fell silent.

Qiqi and her inner demons instantly stopped crying.

The two little girls stared wide-eyed, still glistening with tears, at the small pile of bone fragments and ashes on the ground.

It was as if they couldn't understand how their older brother, who had just been barely a skeleton, had suddenly become... construction waste?

Immediately, boundless anger and sorrow welled up inside me!

His eyes instantly turned red, not from wanting to cry, but from a surge of murderous intent!

Two slightly immature yet majestic and awe-inspiring phantom images of the Black and White Impermanence silently appeared behind them, their mourning staffs and soul-snatching ropes faintly aimed at Ji Zhengdao!

"Eh?! Just kidding! Just kidding!"

Ji Zhengdao felt a chill run down his spine and quickly raised his hands.

"See, everything's fine, isn't it?"

He had barely finished speaking—

"Whoosh!"

In the distance, the human skin bag that Ji Zuodao had deliberately thrown out and landed in a safe corner automatically popped open.

A dull, unremarkable resurrection coin shot out as if summoned, tracing a smooth arc before precisely disappearing into the pile of ashes on the ground.

next second.

Om-!

Familiar, faint ripples of time and space spread out.

A flash of light.

Ji Zuodao's figure reappeared in the same spot, completely unharmed and full of energy.

He stretched his neck, twisted his wrists, and revealed his signature sly and arrogant smile.

"hey-hey!"

He cleared his throat and declared in a strong voice:

"I, Daoist Master, am back!!!"

The two Qiqi stared at him blankly, blinked, and blinked again.

Then, with a "waaaah," she cried and rushed over with her short legs, hugging his legs tightly on both sides.

This time, she cried tears of joy.

Ji Zhengdao pursed his lips, withdrew his raised hands, and muttered under his breath:

"Virtue..."

Deep in his eyes, however, a barely perceptible hint of relief flashed across his face.