Chase Game

The pavilion has 6 floors.

Servants carrying water and ice kept coming and going in the stairwell, and Ling Yi was thinking about an opportunity.

"First, get the key, then go to the fourth floor manufacturing point and make a scene to lure everyone there. That way, I'll have a chance to open the door."

After considering it for a while, Ling Yi felt that the method was feasible, and then went downstairs.

He went down to the fourth floor, found a servant's room, took out a box of matches, apologized in his heart, and then lit the bed sheet.

There were many servants coming and going from the top of the pavilion, and they were carrying water, so there was no need to worry about the fire getting out of control.

The concern is that if it's discovered too early, it will be extinguished immediately, preventing anyone from getting there.

After making some special arrangements, Ling Yi went upstairs and entered Uncle Meng's room.

The bunch of keys was hanging on the coat rack behind him. Uncle Meng could see at a glance whether the keys were still there or not as soon as he turned around.

Therefore, Ling Yi was in no hurry and decided to wait until he heard the commotion below before taking action.

While he waited, the two people in the suburban courtyard were already ready.

Hearing Ding Guifang rustling as she got up, Zhou Jie also returned from his meditative state.

He turned his head to look at Ding Guifang, only to hear the old woman say, "Let's go, it's almost time."

Although somewhat reluctant, Zhou Jie didn't say anything for the sake of the divine bird egg.

He stood up, put away the [Return to Origin Futon], and stretched his limbs. Although it wasn't perfect, it was about 80-90% complete.

He then turned to Ding Guifang and asked, "So where exactly is the jade pendant?"

Ding Guifang did not answer. She stared at the puff of smoke above the oil lamp and murmured, "The gods will tell us..."

Zhou Jie rolled his eyes, thinking to himself: Here you go again with your mystical nonsense.

However, what happened next was quite peculiar.

A large cloud of bluish-gray smoke accumulated on the oil lamp slowly flowed and changed, eventually transforming into a building.

Zhou Jie felt the place looked familiar, and after a moment's thought, he said, "This... seems to be the Heavenly Pavilion in the Meng Manor?!"

"Not bad..." Ding Guifang nodded as well.

After the smoke condensed into a celestial pavilion, it gradually faded away. At this moment, Ding Guifang made her move again.

She uttered several incantations that Zhou Jie couldn't understand, and then the small flame inside the oil lamp flickered as if it were being pulled.

As it was shaken, the little flame flew down and drifted all the way to the Smoke Pavilion.

Finally, it stopped on the 7th floor of the Sky Pavilion.

Ding Guifang's gaze sharpened, and she said, "This is it!"

As she finished speaking, a wisp of smoke touched a small spark and was instantly ignited, burning completely before it could dissipate.

Ding Guifang extinguished the spark again, picked up the oil lamp, turned and went out first, saying without looking back, "Hurry up and follow!"

Zhou Jie shrugged, unconvinced.

"So what if I let you go first? With your old bones, don't hold me back or get left too far behind... Huh? Holy crap!!"

Before he could finish speaking, flames erupted from beneath Ding Guifang, transforming into a firebird that carried her into the sky.

Zhou Jie felt the heat wave hitting him and knew he definitely wouldn't have a chance to get on.

Watching Ding Guifang walk away, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn, she can do that... She's cheating, isn't she...?"

Without further delay, he untied the horse tied to the door and leaped onto it.

The shouts of "Giddy up! Giddy up!" echoed through the countryside, but no matter how hard he urged, he could never see Ding Guifang.

He felt a surge of shame and indignation when he thought about the things he had said before, such as "can't keep up" and "hold back".

About fifteen minutes later, Ling Yi finally heard a commotion coming from downstairs.

Ling Yi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "It seems to have succeeded. I was worried that the fire had been discovered beforehand or had gone out on its own after so long without any movement."

Footsteps echoed outside, followed by the sound of footsteps descending the stairs, until finally all the sounds converged downstairs.

The time has come!

Ling Yi didn't wait any longer. Taking advantage of Uncle Meng's anxiety and confusion, he took the key and ran out in a flash.

He glanced around and found that the entire sixth floor was empty. He then deftly unlocked the door and slipped inside.

He also made sure to take the unlocked lock to the seventh floor before gently closing the door.

He didn't have much time. Once the fire downstairs was brought under control, a servant would surely come upstairs to report the news.

The lock on the outside of the door had been opened. Even if one or two people wouldn't notice, with so many people coming and going, someone was bound to notice what was going on here.

So, hurry up!

As Meng Dong had said, the 7th floor was indeed a large council chamber, but there were also two dark rooms.

However, there's no longer a need to check it in the darkroom.

Right before Ling Yi's eyes, a huge heart, as big as a small car, hung in the center of the council hall.

Boom!

Boom!

……

Perhaps to conceal himself, his heartbeat was silent, and Ling Yi was only able to hear it with the help of [Ten Directions Grand View • Observing the Sun].

Now, standing before his heart, the [Ten Directions Grand View] has successfully completed its mission, and the pounding heartbeat in his mind no longer echoes.

The heart was still beating, displaying its vitality, but apart from the commotion downstairs, the entire 7th floor was eerily quiet.

Ling looked solemnly at the heart that was as big as a small car.

The entire heart emitted a faint red glow, its interior appearing and disappearing indistinctly. Ling Yi examined it carefully, inch by inch, not missing a single detail.

"There seems to be someone in here?"

Looking at the faint shadow inside his heart, Ling Yi thought uncertainly.

To get a better look, he cautiously took a few steps forward.

During Ling Yi's observation, the commotion downstairs had gradually subsided.

Many hands make light work; by pouring buckets of water on the fire, it was quickly extinguished.

The junior managers began directing the servants to resume normal work in an orderly manner and went to report the situation to the elders.

On the sixth floor, Uncle Meng was instantly enraged after hearing the servant's report.

His entire body of fat trembled, and he roared as if a heavy truck were being jolted about:

"Fire! Fire! That's fire!!!"

"What if it gets out of control? What if it catches fire?!"

If it catches fire, with all that fat on their bodies, the elders of the family are probably doomed, especially Uncle Meng, who insists on living on the 6th floor to show off his superior status.

Clearly, Uncle Meng still has this self-awareness.

He calmed himself down a bit and said:

"Summon the acting patriarch and the young patriarch here. Tell them to investigate, and do it right now! How did the fire happen? I need results!"

"Yes! Yes!"

The junior managers nodded and bowed repeatedly.

After kicking everyone out, Uncle Meng collapsed into the water as if he had survived a disaster, letting out a long sigh of relief.

If you ask them what they fear most, it's definitely fire.

It wasn't just because they lived too high up to escape a fire, but also because of the daily agony of being burned by flames.

That's terrifying, absolutely terrifying!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Lying in the water, Uncle Meng felt his heart pounding violently, as if it were about to jump out of his chest.

and many more!

This doesn't sound like my own heartbeat!

Uncle Meng suddenly realized that the heartbeat was clearly coming from the outside world, from...

He listened carefully, then suddenly looked up—the sound was coming from above!

He immediately looked at the keys on the coat rack behind him, but there was nothing there.

It's gone! There's a thief!

"Help! Help!!"

Uncle Meng frantically tried to stand up from the wooden basin, but the water was slippery and his body was too large. He lost his balance and fell in with a thud.

He must have hit something on his head before he felt a sharp pain and then passed out.

Ling Yi, who was upstairs, naturally heard the sound of a heartbeat.

And what's worse, the first heartbeat broke his [Silence] and [Stealth] skills.

This indicates that the sound of a heartbeat has a weak range of aggression, similar to the Tibetan Mastiff's previous ability to break his barking skills.

Even so, Ling Yi still did not leave, after all, in addition to the high-tech method of invisibility, he had another layer of invisibility as a guarantee.

That was the primitive method of disguise: wearing all black and a mask.

Of course, the real reason was that he wanted to find out exactly what this heart was.

Ling Yi frowned slightly, thinking:

"If the silence was to conceal oneself, then why is such a loud sound being made now?"

There are only two possibilities: either it can't be hidden, or there's no need to hide it.

Looking at the intense pressure from the violently beating heart in front of him, anyone would probably think it's the second scenario.

At the same time, the red light emanating from the heart grew stronger, and the shadow inside became clearer.

It's just one person!

He couldn't tell who it was, but one name immediately popped into Ling Yi's mind—

Wang Yun!!

He came looking for the jade pendant, which was on Wang Yun, who had then disappeared.

After all this, the first person that would naturally guess was Wang Yun.

Anyway, he's ready to use the [Reverse Hourglass] at any time.

Uncle Meng downstairs gradually awoke amidst the anxious calls of his servants.

He was initially a little confused: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

But soon, the pounding of his heart brought him back to his senses.

Despite the excruciating pain in his head, he hurriedly gave instructions:

"Quick! Go to the 7th floor and check! A thief has stolen the key!"

"Huh? How could this happen?"

"There's nothing good on the 7th floor, why would a thief go there?"

"You know what, those banging sounds really did come from upstairs!"

Although the servants whispered among themselves, none of them dared to delay. They immediately grabbed whatever tools they could find and the group hurried toward the stairs leading to the 7th floor.

"It's true! The locket fell down!"

"I remember it being here not long ago?"

"They must have sneaked in during the chaos when the fire broke out on the fourth floor!"

Someone stepped forward and gently pushed the door, but found it wouldn't budge. They pushed it harder, but it still wouldn't budge!

The person who pushed open the door asked in confusion, "This...it looks like the latch is inserted from the inside?"

"Oh? Then quickly go ask everyone what to do!"

So the group went back in a grand procession, and everyone else, trembling with rage, pointed at the group and started cursing:

"Break down the door! Break down the door like a f***ing madman!!"

The group received the order and turned back.

Don't be surprised that they look like "human machines"; it's because without the master's permission, who would dare to damage the master's property?

Besides, even if there really were thieves, it was the homeowner who got robbed, what does it have to do with them?

It's not worth risking your life for two salaries.

Of course, since we've received the order, we have to carry it out.

So the crowd elected a strong, muscular man to be tasked with breaking down the door.

boom!

boom!

Two muffled thuds followed, and the wooden door loosened slightly, indicating that the door was about to be broken down.

"come on!"

"Give it another shot!"

"Hurry, hurry, just one more shot and the door will break!"

The burly man who had slammed the door rubbed his aching shoulder and cursed angrily:

"You bunch of easy-going fools, if you're so capable, come and crash into it yourselves! One crash? I bet you can crash into it ten more times and it still won't break!"

"Hey! It's not that dramatic. We'll just crash into it with you and give you a hand!"

Then came several more thuds, perfectly echoing the pounding of the heart on the seventh floor.

Ling Yi turned his head and glanced at the situation at the door. The latch was loose, and it seemed that the door would indeed be breached soon.

"I wonder how long this heart will stop beating."

He whispered that if breaking the door didn't yield any results, he would have no choice but to retreat.

At this moment, Meng Dong and Zhang Qiang had also arrived outside the Heavenly Pavilion.

The two naturally heard the thumping sound from the 7th floor. After exchanging a glance, they rushed upwards.

At this moment, a fiery cloud had already arrived above the Meng residence.

Zhou Jie rode his horse at a slightly slower pace, but he still managed to enter the inner city.

Inside the seventh floor of the Heavenly Pavilion, Ling Yi looked at the condition of the latch and estimated that it could withstand two or three more hits at most before it would have to be taken offline.

At this moment, the unexpected change he had been waiting for finally arrived.

The heart suddenly stopped beating, and a bright red light emanated from within!

Ling Yi suddenly recalled the earth-shattering explosion in the underground palace. Could it be...?

He frowned as he looked at the heart, but finally, without further hesitation, he used [Reversed Hourglass] to unleash his Vajra Body.

At that very moment, the light emanating from the heart suddenly receded.

At that moment, the person banging on the door outside also launched a final attack on the door leading to the 7th floor.

boom!

The pin flew off, and at the same time, a gash appeared in his heart.

The servants marched upstairs, but the one at the front was startled by what he saw and slammed on the brakes. However, the people behind him were still pushing and shoving, and everyone was thrown into chaos again.

Ling Yi ignored them and stared intently at the crack in the heart.

As time passed, the cracks grew larger and larger, and the entire heart gradually shrank from its full state, as if someone had drained its nourishment.

In just ten seconds, my heart split in two like a withered flower.

A glowing jade pendant and a naked, curled-up man with his eyes closed emerged from it.

Ling Yi saw clearly that the jade pendant was the family head's jade pendant, and the man was none other than Wang Yun!

Regardless, Ling Yi rushed forward in one stride, intending to snatch the jade pendant.

But the jade pendant suddenly trembled and emitted a buzzing sound.

A ripple spread out, gentle yet seemingly possessing boundless power.

Even Ling Yi in his Vajra form had to be pushed away, let alone the group of ordinary people next to him.

When the ripples passed over this group of ordinary people, not one of them could withstand it and they all fainted.

Exactly!

Ling Yi had been thinking that these people were in the way, so it was a good thing that they were being cleared away without any serious danger to life.

After one buzzing sound, Wang Yun's body also trembled.

Ling Yi attacked again, heading straight for the jade pendant, but was once again repelled by a buzzing sound.

After the second buzzing sound, Wang Yun's eyebrows twitched, and his body relaxed.

Ling Yi frowned slightly and made his third move. This time, in addition to the third buzzing sound, there was also a flame blocking his way!

The flames came from outside the window. When Ling turned around, he saw Ding Guifang standing on the firebird.

And as the third buzzing sound passed, Wang Yun slowly opened his eyes, but his gaze was still somewhat blank.

The jade pendant slowly descended into Wang Yun's outstretched palm.

Ling Yi snorted coldly: "How could I possibly leave empty-handed with just a mere prop?!"

Ling Yi's aura suddenly surged—

Cause marking!

【Good Deeds • Vajra Arhat Body!】

With the second karmic blessing upon him, Ling Yi's strength surged across the board, and he charged toward the jade pendant for the fourth time.

Ding Guifang's expression changed as she looked out the window, and she hurriedly launched a move at Ling Yi.

Ling Yi didn't turn his head back, letting the flames hit him.

The flames burned his clothes, but they could not harm his Vajra Arhat form!

The flames could no longer pose a threat to him, but he still had one hurdle to overcome: the fourth hum of the jade pendant.

Ling Yi felt an extremely strong resistance blocking his progress, but this time he was not directly pushed back, but instead managed to stand firm.

He strode forward, like swimming upstream in a turbulent river, with flames constantly attacking him from behind.

At this moment, Zhang Qiang and Meng Dong also realized that they were shocked by what they saw, and then instantly understood Ling Yi's situation.

Zhang Qiang shouted and suddenly transformed completely into a [Water Ape].

Although he cannot fly, he can shoot out streams of water to block Ding Guifang's flames.

With such assistance, how could Ling Yi possibly fail to obtain the jade pendant?!

He was just one step away from obtaining the jade pendant!

If the first three buzzes awakened Wang Yun's body, then this fourth buzz was to awaken his consciousness.

His blank stare gradually brightened, and as his eyes moved, he first saw Ling Yi in front of him, then Zhang Qiang, Wang Yun, and Meng Dong.

Finally, there was the jade pendant floating in front of me.

He tried to reach out and grab it, but someone had already beaten him to it—it was Ling Yi.

He reached out his large hand, grabbed the jade pendant, and pulled it back in an instant!

Seeing this scene from outside the window, Ding Guifang knew that the situation was hopeless and that she would have no chance of getting the jade pendant.

But how could I bear to leave like this?!

Her anger surged, and it manifested as flames flying from her hands.

These flames did not strike Ling Yi and the others, but rather spread throughout the Heavenly Pavilion!

She actually wanted to burn down the Heavenly Pavilion!