At the moment before Eve fell to the ground, a pair of hands reached out and took her.

Qi gently put his arm around Eve's shoulders and let her lean against him. His dark eyes stared at her unconscious face, and the blood color gradually disappeared from her face like the receding tide.

"roar--!"

The next second, he let out an earth-shaking roar, which fell into everyone's ears. They felt as if thunder was rolling past, and their whole bodies were chilled.

"Seven!" Song Shuye said, "Calm down first..."

Qi looked up and glanced at him coldly.

When Song Shuye met his gaze, he couldn't help but take a step back.

What kind of look is that...

There seemed to be a chill of winter in his eyes, and just one glance was enough to freeze a person's internal organs. But underneath that was a bloodthirsty murderous intent, as if anyone dared to stand in his way, Qi would eliminate the other person without hesitation.

In the end times, only the strong and ruthless can survive. Song Shuye knows that the Seven Strong are powerful and difficult to deal with, but after getting in touch with them along the way, he found that he was not as cold as he appeared.

But……

He is now so strange that it is frightening.

Qi held Eve in his arms and slowly stood up. This action made everyone else hold their breath.

"You..." He faced Fang Yong and spoke softly.

This was Qi's first time speaking in front of a crowd, but no one cared. Fang Yong, who was called out by name, took a sharp breath and trembled, "...What?"

"Give her... treatment..."

Qi was like a person who had been mute for more than ten years and suddenly could speak. His voice was low and hoarse, and each word seemed to be wrapped in a layer of unclear barrier. Fang Yong needed to carefully distinguish it to understand what he meant.

He hesitated and said, "You want me to treat Eve?"

Qi pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

Fang Yong was slightly relieved and made a move to take Eve. Just as he stretched out his hand, Qi suddenly closed his arms and hugged Eve tightly.

"If you...hurt her..."

He spoke word by word, his dark pupils reflecting Fang Yong's astonished face.

"……kill."

As the word fell, Fang Yong couldn't help but swallow.

He probably didn't even realize how badly his hands were shaking when he took Eve. He could barely hold her shoulders. It was only with the help of Seven's shadow tail that Eve barely avoided falling to the ground.

"Okay..." Fang Yong tried hard to ignore his inner fear and forced a smile, "We are teammates, we will definitely not harm her..."

"Don't touch her!"

Suddenly, Bai Shuichuan shouted.

Qi and Fang Yong paused and turned back subconsciously.

Bai Shuichuan stood at the end of the team. For some reason, his face looked terrible, his lips were pale, his hands were shaking, and he looked like he had just been fished out of the water. When he met Qi's gaze, he took a deep breath.

"Don't touch the black smoke. It's Yu Kui's medium," he said quickly. "Once you touch it, you'll be immediately dragged into the illusion he created. If you can't break the illusion, you'll be trapped inside forever."

"Illusion?" Song Shuye asked, "Does this mean he has psychic abilities?"

Lin Bing frowned: "Then why didn't you say it earlier?" Then Eve wouldn't have fallen into the trap.

"I..." Looking at Bai Shuichuan's expression, it was as if someone had stuffed a hot iron into his throat. He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but could only squeeze out a few words, "I... I can't do it..."

"Can't do it?" Song Shuye was stunned for a moment, "What do you mean?"

Bai Shuichuan hesitated for a moment and was about to speak, but his face suddenly changed the next second, as if he had seen something terrifying. He slammed his knees on the ground, holding his head and screaming.

"don't want!!!!"

"Bai Shuichuan?!" Everyone was startled and rushed forward, "What's wrong with you?!"

"No... No! Don't come over here!" Bai Shuichuan seemed to have mistaken them for other people and waved his arms like crazy, "Go away! You bunch of executioners! Don't come over here! Don't come over here!"

"What is he doing?" Who could have expected this seemingly skinny and weak boy to burst out with such tremendous strength? Fang Yong was pushed directly to the ground, still in shock, "Why did this happen suddenly?!"

Song Shuye's face was not good: "I don't know, could it be..."

Before he finished speaking, Bai Shuichuan, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly stood up and rushed to Shoufeng beside him: "Auntie!"

Shoufeng was obviously stunned.

Fang Yong hesitated and said, "Aunt...Aunt?"

But Bai Shuichuan didn't realize his outrageous choice of words at all. He clung to Shoufeng's arm tightly, like a drowning man seeing a lifeline: "Auntie! Please! Don't let them take me away! I... I'm willing to do anything! Please! I can make a lot of money... more... than what they can give..."

He couldn't continue and let out an almost broken sob. Sweat, tears and saliva mixed with the saliva from the corners of his mouth gathered into a shocking pool on the ground.

Baishuichuan's condition is not right.

Even Lin Bing hesitated and held down his trembling shoulders: "Bai Shuichuan...?!"

He suddenly let go.

A wisp of black smoke slowly emerged from Baishui's collar, first one wisp, then another, and then several black smoke spread out along Baishuichuan's limbs like living worms. If you look closely, you can find that his skin is full of wriggling black smoke, eager to come out.

"This...this...?!" Fang Yong was disgusted. "Is this also Yu Kui's ability?!"

Song Shuye thought for a moment and understood: "It may be the restriction that Yu Kui placed on Bai Shuichuan. Once he finds something wrong, his supernatural power will be triggered."

No wonder Bai Shuichuan refused to tell about Yu Kui's special abilities and always looked so anxious - like a dog on a chain, he had already been shackled.

"But what kind of supernatural power is this?" Lin Bing bent down, carefully avoiding the black smoke on Bai Shuichuan's body, and examined his eyelids. "Why can it control people to such an extent?"

Bai Shuichuan was already unconscious. If he hadn't relied on Shoufeng for support, he would have collapsed long ago.

Song Shuye hesitated: "I don't know..."

“Hehehe…”

At this moment, a gloomy laugh suddenly sounded.

Song Shuye's expression changed drastically: "Yu Kui?!"

Qi jumped up directly, and before everyone could even see his movements clearly, Shadow Tail swung in the air, and a box not far away exploded.

A dark shadow jumped out from the flying debris, but immediately disappeared into the shadows of other buildings.

"Don't waste your energy," the shadow—Yu Kui—sneered, "If you have time, you might as well pay attention to your little lover."

Qi subconsciously lowered his head.

Eve lay in his arms, her eyes tightly closed, a faint dark aura shrouding her brows. She seemed to be experiencing something extremely painful. Her lips were bitten until they bled, leaving a shocking red against her snow-white skin.

"...What did you do to her?" Qi raised his eyes and said hoarsely.

"Nothing," Yu Kui said calmly, "Just like Bai Shuichuan said, I just wove a little illusion for her."

"It's just that," he chuckled softly, "that illusion—it was filled with her most terrifying memories."

***

Eve opened her eyes and found herself lying on the ground, with her cheek pressed against the cold marble tiles. The tiles had patterns on them that hurt her skin.

Her brain also ached, as if a mass of sticky lime had been poured into it and someone was desperately stirring it with a wooden stick, shattering all her formed thoughts into a scattered pile.

"She's awake."

Two pairs of black boots came into view - high-top, dragon-hide.

Eve's gaze followed the two women's long robes dragging on the ground and met the faces of two women.

A younger face with a look of disgust, and long dark green hair hanging beside his face like seaweed swaying on the seabed.

The other one looked even older, with no expression on his face, but his light grey eyes reflected a sharp gleam that made people dare not underestimate him.

Eve was about to close her eyes and pretend to be unconscious, but when she was stared at by those eyes that seemed to see through everything, she paused for a moment and slowly sat up.

Eve looked at the old woman and almost subconsciously called out, "Master Ian."

The woman she called Ian nodded reservedly: "Eve."

"Eve!" the dark green-haired woman said, "Why are you still sitting on the ground after seeing the Great Witch? Why don't you stand up and salute?!"

Eve glanced at her and slowly shook her head: "The Great Witch said I don't have to salute."

Dark green-haired witch: "You...!"

"Mary," said the Great Witch Ian, "don't force her—I did give her permission."

Mary's strong expression weakened a little, but she still said to Eve, "Anyway, you should stand up first. How can you lie on the ground?"

Eve blinked and stood up with her arms, but just as she stood up, her eyes caught a spot and she paused slightly.

Ian noticed it keenly: "What's wrong?"

"...It's okay," Eve shook her head. "My legs are a little numb from lying down for too long."

She quickly stood up and bowed her head obediently before the Great Witch.

Ian stared at her, his sharp eyes sweeping across Eve's face, and said slowly: "I told you to stay in the corpse room, where did you go?"

Mary chimed in, "Eve! This is the third time!" She glared, "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because your witch heart is stronger than others. If the Great Witch didn't favor you, you should have been thrown into the Dark Abyss long ago for repeatedly breaking the tower rules..."

Before she finished speaking, Eve suddenly raised her head.

"I didn't!" she cried. "I didn't leave the morgue—I went to another world!"

Upon hearing this, the two witches' expressions froze.

Ian didn't change much, his light gray eyes looked at Eve scrutinizingly, but Mary had an annoyed expression, as if saying, "Why are you here again?"

"Then tell me," she crossed her arms, "what is this 'other world' like?"

Eve thought for a moment and replied, "I...I don't know," she interrupted before Mary's eyebrows rose, "I've been staying in a room that's made of pure silver. The walls and floor are made of a material I don't recognize - not silver, not crystal, and the things in it are strange too. They glow red."

Mary and Ian exchanged glances, and Mary continued to ask, "And then? How did you get there?"

This time Eve looked confused.

"I... I don't know..." she whispered, "I just... felt that the place where I was bitten by the zombie was too painful. I need to get out of the corpse room. When I open my eyes... I will be there."

Mary seized the loophole in her words: "So you still want to run away!"

"I didn't!" Eve raised her head suddenly. "You stayed outside the whole time. Did you see the door of the morgue open?!"

Marie paused.

This was also what puzzled her and Ian - after the corpse chamber was closed, the door could not be opened at all unless the eight restraints were removed. Moreover, there were two high-level zombies guarding the door, and they would immediately notify her if there was any movement. No one could get out without being noticed.

At least for a six-year-old apprentice witch, it was an impossible task.

Ian had been staring at Eve quietly. Seeing that Mary was speechless, his old lips moved and said, "Enough."

Mary's expression faltered and she lowered her head respectfully.

Ian held out his hand to Eve: "Let me see."

Eve hesitated, then held out her hand.

Ian covered Eve's small hand with his hand, which was layered like tree bark. He pondered for a moment and opened his eyelids: "...there are magical fluctuations."

Eve explained: "Before I went to that world, I was taming a zombie."

Ian stared at her, her light grey eyes seeming to try to gauge the truth in Eve's words. After a long moment, she finally let go of Eve. "I understand. If you discover that world again, you must inform us immediately."

Upon hearing this, Mary immediately showed an expression of dissatisfaction, while Eve glanced at her calmly and smiled sweetly: "Understood, Great Witch."

But the next moment, Ian said, "But you have indeed skipped the Corpse Chamber Trials repeatedly. This is not only unfair to the other witches, but also sets a bad example for them. From now on, everyone will begin to disregard the rules of the Witch Tower, and the order set by the God of the Dead will be broken."

The smile on Eve's face froze.

"But... Grand Witch...!"

"Eve," Ian interrupted her calmly, "If you do something wrong, you must be punished. This is the rule of the Witch Tower."

She tilted her head again: "Mary."

Mary took a slow step forward with a victorious smile on her face.

Ian said calmly, "Take her to the morgue on the ground floor and put her in solitary confinement for twenty hours."

"The bottom floor?!" Eve raised her head sharply, "But there are only high-level zombies there...!"

"Bang!"

Ian raised his cane and pounded it hard on the ground.

"You are the most talented among this generation of witch apprentices," she said calmly to Eve, "It's just a few hundred high-level zombies. It should be no problem for you."

Eve stared at her, something rapidly forming in her clear green eyes.

"What if," she said slowly, "I die?"

Ian looked back at her.

"In the Witch Tower, the strong prey on the weak, and only the fittest survive." Her gray eyes were like a deep frozen pool, without a ripple. "Do I need to remind you again?"

Eve stared at her for a few seconds, then looked away and smiled slowly.

"Okay." A strange smile appeared on her face, like a blooming Lycoris radiata, but infinite poisonous intent was hidden under the gorgeous petals.

"Mary," Eve turned her head, met Mary's astonished gaze, and smiled, "What are you waiting for? Take me to the morgue."

***

The Witch Tower has about twenty floors, but its underground area is much larger than the surface area, so no one knows where the stairs that continue to extend downward will eventually lead to.

After two hours of going deep underground, Eve and Mary finally stopped in front of a two-meter-high stone door.

Unlike other corpse chambers, this stone door called the "Abyss Corpse Chamber" is made of a whole piece of blood dragon rock. The bright red surface of the stone door looks like blood is about to seep out, and there are densely packed spells engraved on the door. Under the dim, swaying light, those black characters seem to be alive, swaying slowly, like wriggling worms, which makes people's scalps numb.

Mary stopped in front of the stone gate.

"Eve," she changed her tone and looked at Eve earnestly, "Now that we've come this far, aren't you ready to confess?"

"What?" Eve turned her gaze back from the stone gate, confusion in her green eyes.

Mary clenched her hands tightly behind her back, as if trying to suppress the urge to hit Eve. She said, "That's how you escaped from the corpse room."

The Tower of the Dead Witches has been around for a hundred years. Since its construction, every witch apprentice must enter the corpse chamber for trial, and there has never been any amnesty. People like her and the great witch Ian also climbed up step by step.

The corpse chamber is equivalent to the foundation of the witch tower, so the defense is naturally extremely strict. No witch apprentice has ever escaped in the past hundred years - no, they have not even thought of this possibility.

But Eve made this exception.

If Mary hadn't discovered something wrong when counting the number of zombies in the morgue, none of them would have expected that the little witch would sneak out of the morgue without anyone noticing.

Mary's hand holding the lantern trembled slightly. She took a deep breath and said, "While there is still a chance, confess everything. Then the Great Witch might show some mercy to you."

"Do you know what's in the Abyss Corpse Chamber?" Seeing Eve didn't say anything, she added fuel to the fire. "—It's full of monsters captured from the Abyss. The necromancers refined them into zombies, but they're still uncivilized, so they're just stupid creatures that devour flesh and blood."

Eve listened quietly, her cat-like green eyes reflecting a charming and enchanting brilliance under the light of the lantern.

Mary's tone trembled at the light, but she quickly suppressed it. "Not to mention an apprentice witch of your level, even I wouldn't dare to go in rashly," she lowered her voice. "So don't be stupid again, and tell us how you got out of the morgue. You know the Great Witch hates liars the most."

Due to the restrictions of the morgue, they could not follow Eve into the morgue, so they could only let her tell the truth on her own initiative.

"Eve," Mary whispered, "You are the most talented witch in the past hundred years. You will definitely replace everyone and take over the position of the Grand Witch. Grand Witch... Ian certainly wouldn't want to see you die in the Abyss Corpse Chamber. Why would you ruin your bright future in vain?"

Eve said, "Then you don't have to send me to the morgue."

"Of course," Mary replied quickly, "if you tell me the truth."

She stared at Eve, who just happened to be looking back at her.

Eve stared at her, a flicker of mockery in her eyes.

"You're right," she said, as if she had suddenly changed her mind. "I was really stupid just now."

Mary showed a relieved expression, and Eve stared at her, her mouth slightly relaxed.

——What she did just now was really stupid.

Why did Mary and Ian go to such great lengths to get the truth out of her about how she escaped from the morgue?

In fact, it is very simple. The corpse chamber is the foundation of the necromancer tower. Through it, the witches created new generations of necromancers. Ian and his friends have protected the secret of the corpse chamber for so long. Now Eve, who can come and go freely, suddenly appears. They will definitely regard her as a difficult person.

Because of this, she could never tell them the truth.

Eve knew these people. They were the most insidious and cunning witches hiding in the darkness. As long as something even slightly hindered them, they would never let anyone go, even if it meant killing innocent people by mistake.

Thinking of everything she saw in that mysterious silver room, Eve's eyes darkened slightly and her fingers tightened inch by inch.

She couldn't let them touch what was inside.

She must protect.

——She swore an oath.

When she raised her head again, the dark color in Eve's eyes had faded away. Meeting Mary's expectant gaze, she smiled brightly.

"Then lock me up," she said lightly, "I don't care."

Opposite her, Mary's face darkened gradually. She looked like a poison bomb about to explode, with gloom covering almost every corner of her face.

"Eve!" she roared fiercely, "This is your last chance, don't refuse my toast and drink the penalty!"

Eve shrugged.

“Please, Miss Mary,” she said with a smile. “Those zombies probably can’t wait any longer. I can hear their roars—even the Blood Dragon Gate can’t suppress them.”

Her light-hearted provocation finally succeeded in irritating Mary, who roared, "Then I'll do as you wish!"

She slapped the stone door hard, and with Mary's palm as the starting point, circles of dazzling red light spread outward like ripples. The stone door started to move and slowly moved to both sides, revealing the dark interior.

Mary: "Come in...ah!"

She was about to push Eve in, but the little girl suddenly grabbed Mary's wrist and pulled her in.

"Mary, please don't go," she said softly. "It's so dark in there. Please come in with me."

"...You!" Mary had sent away so many apprentices, and this was the first time she encountered someone who dared to attack her. She was immediately furious, "Hu Bo!"

"roar--!"

With a sharp howl, a black shadow attacked from above and landed heavily on the ground - a two-meter-tall iron-blue zombie roared and rushed towards Eve.

Eve raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Are you so kind?" she said, grinning, "that you bring me a helper?"

Looking at the smile on her face, Mary realized something was wrong and said, "...No! Hu Bo! Don't go over there!"

But her instructions were still a step too late.

Hu Bo was extremely fast and rushed in front of Eve in a few blinks of an eye. Just as his sharp long nails were about to touch her heart, the latter quickly raised one hand and hit Hu Bo in the chest.

“Bang!”

Even though Eve only tapped him lightly, Hu Bo staggered back as if he had been hit hard by something, his body leaning back and almost bending in two.

It howled in pain, half-knelt on the ground, holding its head and shaking it violently, as if it was trying hard to resist something.

Mary trembled and said, "What...what did you do to it?"

Eve tilted her head and smiled slightly.

"You are its owner," she said briskly, "shouldn't you know better than me?"

"Tick-tock", "tick-tock".

A slight sound of dripping water rang out in the silent basement. Mary was startled and subconsciously lowered her head.

There was a big wound on Eve's hand, and blood was flowing down her arm.

Mary seemed to understand something, her face turned anxious, and she yelled at Hu Bo: "Hu Bo, you...!"

The next moment, Hu Bo raised his head suddenly, his scarlet eyes stayed on Eve for a moment, and then suddenly turned to Mary!

Mary's heart trembled and she couldn't help but take a step back.

...broken.

She could feel the contract between herself and Huber being forcibly severed.

how so? !

She looked at Eve with horror. This girl had clearly only been in the Witch Tower for less than a year, and yet she had already forcibly erased her spiritual contract?! Hu Bo was a high-level zombie; it had taken her a year just to tame him!

"Are you surprised?" Eve seemed to see through her heart and winked at Mary. "You shouldn't be. Didn't you say that yourself?"

Mary trembled and said, "Wha...what?"

"I'm the most talented witch in the past hundred years," Eve said, slowly playing with a strand of her red hair, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, like a black cat playing with its prey. "So... before you provoke me, you should be mentally prepared."

"Gulp!" Mary heard the swallowing sound coming from her tightened throat.

"What will happen if you challenge a witch who is stronger than you?"

Eve let go of her hand.

"Hu Bo!" she shouted, "Drag her in!"

“What…!?” Mary struggled desperately, “No! Eve! You can’t do this!”

"Don't forget! I'm your apprentice witch! Who picked you up from the streets of Bona?! Without me, you would have starved to death on the streets!"

"Yes," Eve said softly, "using a piece of bread to exchange for a dog's life, it seems like a good deal no matter how you look at it."

From under her wide sleeves, one could vaguely see that her arms were covered with dense wounds. Eve fiddled with her sleeves nonchalantly and covered her arms again.

Mary caught a glimpse of her expression and despaired.

"No... You can't do this... I'm the Great Witch's disciple..." Her murmur gradually turned into a heartbreaking scream, "If I die, the Great Witch will definitely not sit idly by! Let me go! Hu Bo! Kill her!!"

She screamed like a trapped beast, but the former zombie slave was no longer loyal to her and pushed Mary in without hesitation. Eve pulled Mary in and the two witches disappeared into the darkness.

The bloody gate slammed shut behind them.

In the dark corridor, only Hu Bo was left standing at the door with a dazed look on his face.

“Snap!”

A sound came into its ears, and it lowered its head slowly, and saw something soft lying under its feet.

——A man with a severed palm was lying on the ground. His pale skin contrasted with the damp and dark ground, making him look particularly eerie. There were some silver rings on several of his fingers, and the bulging blue veins on the back of his hand made him look a little hideous.

Silver rings are a symbol of status.

Eve was just an apprentice at the lowest level of the witch tower, and this hand could only belong to the high-level witch Mary. It seemed that the stone door closed too quickly and directly pinched her hand off.

Hu Bo stared blankly at the white hand for a long time, and suddenly let out a vague cheer.

It bent down, picked up its former owner's severed hand and began to chew it.

The author has something to say:

The temperature is dropping!!

Keep warm, kids!