A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

"...So you've made up your mind to help her? Why? What's your reason?"

Lan Yingying remained silent for a few seconds after hearing this, her eyes revealing extremely complex emotions. She took a deep breath and asked Chen Yulu one last question.

"Reason? But... isn't it normal to lend a helping hand to cultivators in distress? Just like how you've always helped me in every way, even though there's no real reason, you've still been supporting and caring for me, haven't you?"

Chen Yulu answered naturally, looking at Lan Yingying very seriously.

"So you mean, you treat her the way I treat you?...Okay, very good..."

Lan Yingying finally couldn't bear it any longer. She stared intently at Chen Yulu for a few seconds, making him inexplicably flustered. Then she shifted her gaze to Zhou Ke'er, who was pretending to be unconscious, and said coldly, "You really do look pitiful. No wonder so many people both love and hate you... You truly are worthy of being called Lan Yanran!"

After saying this, Lan Yingying suddenly flung her sleeves and turned to leave in a huff, while saying meaningfully to Chen Yulu, "Since you have made up your mind and have someone you love, then I will not disturb you any longer. After this parting, we will still be fellow cultivators, but only fellow cultivators."

Chen Yulu was taken aback upon hearing this, wondering to himself, if he and Lan Yingying weren't fellow cultivators, then what were they? What did she mean by that?

Chen Yulu was about to catch up and try to stop her, and also ask her what she meant, but Lan Yingying suddenly turned around, stared at Chen Yulu, and said in a cold tone, "For the sake of our past relationship, I'll tell you something else. Cultivators who have been to this inheritance site before know that the entrance from the second to the third level is not only the entrance to the next level, but also the exit of the entire inheritance site. No matter how many levels you go in, you have to return to the second level and go out through the magic array."

At this point, Lan Yingying paused, glancing at Chen Yulu's expression. He still looked completely bewildered, as if he hadn't understood her at all. She could only helplessly explain, "So that means... those cultivators who have grudges against Lan Yanran are likely gathered at the exit of the second level, waiting for her to walk right into their trap. Even if Lan Yanran realizes this and keeps delaying going there, after the inheritance grounds close, all cultivators will still be forcibly teleported to that exit..."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Chen Yulu understood them, but even Bai Feng and Ye Chen, who were eavesdropping nearby, couldn't help but frown.

If that's the case... then it's terrible! If a large group of cultivators gather there, waiting for Zhou Ke'er to walk into their trap... even with him and Ye Chen there, they wouldn't be able to fight against them.

After all... no matter how strong he is, he is only at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and he is also suffering from Gu poison. Although it has been suppressed for the time being and the effects have not yet manifested... he can fight two or even five opponents at once, but if he is facing a large group of Nascent Soul cultivators... he can only run away.

He and Ye Chen exchanged a glance, both looking hesitant.

Zhou Ke'er naturally heard about this as well, and it seems there's no chance for him to continue slacking off.

So she quickly opened her eyes, reached out and patted Bai Feng's head, "Okay, I'm awake, put me down."

"You don't look like you just woke up."

Bai Feng was taken aback when he saw this. He put Zhou Ke'er down and teased her.

"Yeah, you found out. I was almost awake when they appeared in front of you. Hehe, I didn't expect you to still speak up for me even though you know I'm not the real Lan Yanran. Good boy, good boy."

Zhou Ke'er chuckled and patted Bai Feng's shoulder—she originally wanted to pat his head, but after being put down, she realized she couldn't reach him, so she could only pat his shoulder instead—and answered in a very frank manner.

Although in fact, he was still lying.

Bai Feng didn't resist, but merely smiled slightly. "Since that's the case, you must have heard what that woman over there just said. So many cultivators are preparing to gather together and wait for you... What are you planning to do? Do you have any ideas?"

"Hey, relax. Things might not be as bad as you think. There might not be other cultivators lying in wait for me there..."

Zhou Ke'er, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned, and said with a serious but playful smile, "And there's a possibility that some of them are waiting for you."

"Ha, I almost forgot about that. There's someone chasing me. Thanks for reminding me."

Bai Feng exaggeratedly pretended to be someone who only realized what was going on after being reminded, and gratefully reached out to pat Zhou Ke'er's head.

"You're welcome, it's what I should do."

Zhou Ke'er accepted Bai Feng's thanks without any shame, and then seized the opportunity to turn to Chen Yulu and say, "Hey...you...what's that guy's name again, oh, Chen Yulu, right? Your senior sister left looking back every few steps, aren't you going to go after her? Be careful, or you might really break up with her."

"Hmph, if I leave... what will happen to the real Lan Yanran?"

Chen Yulu stared at Zhou Ke'er and said with great determination.

"Sigh, I really don't understand what's so good about the weak, helpless, and innocent type. Actually, I quite dislike this type... to be honest, it's a bit disgusting."

Zhou Ke'er reached out and slapped away Bai Feng's hand, which was still not leaving, and couldn't help but complain before continuing to say to Chen Yulu, "But the problem is... don't say that if you leave, no one will help her. Even if you stay here, it's not like you can help her at all? You little Golden Core cultivator, you're quite courageous, aren't you?"

## Chapter 406 401. The Villainous Female Supporting Character is in Crisis... Just kidding! (Part Two)

Chen Yulu choked upon hearing this—it really made sense. He had almost forgotten that he was just a minor Golden Core cultivator. If Bai Feng and the others were too lazy to bother with him, that would be fine; he could just follow behind and remain invisible. But if their differing motives led Bai Feng and the monster possessing Lan Yanran's body to attack him...

Then he really wouldn't have any chance to fight back, he'd be completely outmatched...

Thinking of this, Chen Yulu quickly racked his brains, while trying to explain aloud, "No... the situation isn't as simple as you think. Although our ultimate goals are different, it doesn't mean we have to turn against each other right now! You see, although my goal is to help the real Lan Yanran, I really don't have a way to save her right now, right?"

After a pause, seeing that no one else interrupted him, Chen Yulu, whose thoughts had been sorted out, continued to persuade him fluently: "Besides, isn't there something more urgent now? That is, we can't let Lan Yanran's body die, otherwise I won't be able to achieve my goal, right?! Since that's the case, then our current goal is the same, which is to help 'Lan Yanran' escape the pursuit of those enemies."

"So, at least for now, we have the same goal, so there's no need to break up so quickly, right? Even if I'm just a Golden Core cultivator, and you might think I'm useless... it's always better to have one more person than one less, isn't it?"

Chen Yulu took a breath and said with certainty, "Moreover, I think... 'Lan Yanran did those things because her body was possessed by a monster,' which can also be used as a reason to persuade those enemies, right?"

"While what you said earlier does make a lot of sense, and we do agree on our goals, having you here is always better than having none... but about that last sentence..."

Bai Feng shrugged. "I don't think those guys who are blinded by hatred would believe such a thing. It's not like they witnessed Lan Yanran being possessed, or regaining consciousness and then being possessed again. Besides, they're unlikely to be some kind of love-struck fool... There's no way they would believe such a thing."

"...? I suspect you're subtly criticizing me?"

Ye Chen, who was standing nearby, sensed something was wrong and immediately protested, "My mind isn't confused!"

"Da-ka, Kou-kou-wa-lu!"

Just then, Zhou Ke'er, with a righteous and indignant air, declared, "Good heavens! You've made me, the monster who possesses Lan Yanran's body, save my life by telling others that I've incurred your wrath because I possessed her body... You're quite the strategist! Let's not even talk about whether they believe it or not. Even if some mentally unstable people do believe it, what if there's a cultivator among them who specializes in targeting the soul, and they rush over to try and capture or bind my soul? Wouldn't that be like walking right into a trap? Besides..."

"Is capturing souls useful? You should have said so earlier."

Before Zhou Ke'er could finish speaking, Bai Feng interrupted her, and casually unleashed a Soul-Binding Technique at her, the name of which was unknown.

The moment Bai Feng made his move, Zhou Ke'er felt a momentary daze in her mind, but as the source of evil within her body circulated rapidly for several cycles, she instantly shook off the daze.

Instead, Bai Feng's face turned pale, and he immediately abandoned his portion of spiritual power, throwing it into Zhou Ke'er's body, where it was absorbed and devoured by the source of evil.

"No way... If someone actually transfers spiritual energy into Yanran's body, unless they are as quick-witted and decisive as I am, their entire cultivation will be ruined!"

Bai Feng paused for a moment before speaking with lingering fear. Fortunately, he had only invested a small portion of his spiritual power to avoid harming Zhou Ke'er, and he had only intended to try it out. Otherwise, if he had used the Spirit Binding Technique with all his might, all that spiritual power would have been contaminated and cut off within Zhou Ke'er's body. Even if his cultivation level didn't drop by a small realm, he would have suffered severe internal injuries.

"What happened? What's going on?"

Unaware of what had happened, Ye Chen and Chen Yulu both hurriedly asked.

Zhou Ke'er glanced at Bai Feng speechlessly. Good heavens, he actually dared to put spiritual energy directly into the source of pollution that was specifically designed to counter spiritual energy. You're really brave.

"The spiritual energy within Yanran's body... I'm not sure if it's actually spiritual energy, but... it's a very malevolent kind of spiritual energy that corrupts and erodes any other spiritual energy that tries to invade it! And it's incredibly fast. If I hadn't decisively cut off that portion of spiritual energy just now..."

Bai Feng gasped for breath, having forcibly severed a portion of his spiritual power. Moreover, that portion of spiritual power also contained a small amount of divine consciousness, which had been attached to it in order to cast the Spirit Binding Technique. The backlash from this outcome was quite severe. "That evil spiritual power will probably rush into my body directly along with my original spiritual power, polluting all the spiritual power within me and assimilating it into that kind of... then I'm finished! My entire cultivation will be destroyed!"

"How terrifying... This is even more sinister than the techniques of your demonic sect!"

Chen Yulu couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"What are you saying! The cultivation methods of our Demonic Sect are not inherently evil or heinous. They are merely unorthodox, taking shortcuts or copying the path, or going against the grain... Those so-called evil cultivation methods of the Demonic Sect in your minds are actually the work of traitors to your own righteous path. They practiced the wrong methods, and as a result, they betrayed the sect and gave themselves the name of the Demonic Sect, as if they had found a powerful backer..."

Bai Feng retorted angrily, "The reputation of the Demonic Sect has been ruined by you righteous people! Moreover... those so-called 'Demonic Sect members' who forced me to flee here and seek refuge in this land of inheritance are mostly like this! They even wanted to directly seize the Demonic Sect's mountain gate and usurp the throne! Now, the Demonic Sect is occupied by you righteous people, are you happy to death?"

That's certainly a possibility. After all, if you think about the Demonic Sect back then, they were quite law-abiding, refined, and easygoing. If they did something wrong, they would copy the sect rules. It's hard to imagine that they would do something like murder, robbery, or usurp the throne.

"Goodness, this sounds like a conspiracy! Could it be that those righteous leaders, those old fogies, are always looking down on your demonic sect, so they orchestrated this whole thing—a traitor from the righteous path joining the demonic sect...?"

Ye Chen and Chen Yulu were both stunned by these words, unable to react for a moment. Zhou Ke'er, however, analyzed with great interest: "Then, when the forces that joined in became powerful enough, they would coordinate from within and without, seize power in one fell swoop, usurp the throne, drive you away, and monopolize the Demonic Sect... In this way, even the Demonic Sect would become an appendage of the righteous path..."

## Chapter 407, Section 402. The Villainous Female Supporting Character is in Crisis... That's Impossible (Part 3)

"Hey, hey, hey...do you have to be so conspiratorial?...Even the righteous path isn't as bad as you say..."

Ye Chen shuddered upon hearing this. If what Zhou Ke'er had just said was true, then those old fogies of the righteous path were truly terrifying... If even the demonic sect had fallen to such methods, who knows what might have happened to some of the righteous sects destroyed over the years...

"Who knows? I was just saying it offhand. Besides, there's no point in worrying about this now. Let's go, do you know where the exit is on this floor? Let's go check it out first."

Zhou Ke'er shrugged, not intending to get entangled with Ye Chen on this topic, and casually changed the subject.

"Huh? Are we just going to go there right now? Shouldn't we make some preparations based on the current situation before we go?"

Chen Yulu was startled upon hearing this and quickly asked. Although he did hope that the monster that had taken over Lan Yanran's body would die quickly, if he rushed over recklessly, he might end up killing Lan Yanran herself as well, which was not what he wanted.

"Prepare? Sure. So, what do you suggest we prepare? How should we deal with the current situation?"

Zhou Ke'er didn't refute, but instead nodded to Chen Yulu with a "please begin your performance" look on her face.

"what...."

Chen Yulu was now at a loss. Although he hoped to be fully prepared before going, if asked what he should prepare, he didn't know what to do... because he didn't know how to deal with the current situation, and he didn't even have a plan, so naturally he didn't know what to prepare.

"Without even a plan, what's there to prepare? It's better to go there quietly and find out the situation first, and then formulate a plan based on the actual situation."

Bai Feng scoffed, "You didn't even investigate the actual situation beforehand. Is reckless recklessness all you righteous cultivators have in your heads?"

"..."

Although Chen Yulu wanted to refute, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Alright, since there are no objections, let's set off now! Who will lead the way?"

Zhou Ke'er put her hands on her hips and said aggressively.

However... after waiting for several seconds, he did not hear any response from the others.

Why did the air suddenly become so quiet?

Zhou Ke'er turned her head to look at the other three in confusion, but was surprised to find that... they were frozen in place as if they had been hit by a Zavaro. Ye Chen, who had opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, also remained motionless.

Just then, Zhou Ke'er suddenly sensed instinctively that a gaze was coming from behind him. He quickly moved forward a short distance while turning around to check the situation—as for those three people... if he was in a situation where he himself could hardly protect himself, why should he care about them?

Turning around, she saw a young man in a white robe walking slowly towards Zhou Ke'er. Although his expression was very indifferent and calm, there was still a hint of excitement hidden deep within him.

Good heavens, isn't this Mo Bugui, the guy Zhou Ke'er met briefly after joining the module?! How did he suddenly appear here, and why is he smashing Valudo?

Weird!

Zhou Ke'er narrowed her eyes, about to ask a question, but Mo Bugui finally couldn't help but speak, saying with a certainty mixed with a hint of expectation, "You...you're not 'Lan Yanran,' are you?"

"?"

Zhou Ke'er was stunned by his words, which startled him. He had even used the "Za Warudo" technique, and all he got was this? This? If you wanted to talk, you should have said so earlier. He had never backed down when it came to fooling people.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ke'er had already written a tragic script of tens of thousands of words in her mind and was about to pour out her heart with tears in her eyes when Mo Bugui beat her to it.

Before Zhou Ke'er could answer, Mo Bugui, seeing only a flicker of surprise in her eyes, seemed to have gotten his answer and continued excitedly, "From the moment I met you after you entered this inheritance land, I've followed you all the way... Sure enough, I've discovered that your methods and thought processes are completely different from the original Lan Yanran! If I'm not mistaken..."

Are you suggesting I've possessed Lan Yanran?

Seeing that Mo Bugui was having a good time, Zhou Ke'er didn't interrupt him. She just silently complained in her heart, "And what do you mean by following me since we met? Isn't that just like a stalker or a peeping tom? And... I remember I was inexplicably teleported away by a teleportation array back then, right? I knew there was no such coincidence. It turns out this guy was behind it!"

"If I'm not mistaken, you, like me... have broken free from the 'prescribed path' and truly awakened your own consciousness!"

Mo Bugui excitedly uttered words that even Zhou Ke'er found somewhat shocking.

Good grief, it even awakened its true consciousness? Detroit: Become Human?

"What do you mean?...How did you find out?"