Without saying a word, I shoved the diary into the man's mouth.

Old Dao was shocked when he saw me do that.

"No way, Brother Chen, are you really that violent?!"

Old Dao was trembling with fear; clearly, he had never seen me in this state before.

This wasn't a whim of mine; it was inspired by what I just saw.

As the saying goes, the one who tied the knot must untie it; to crack this secret, we need to look through the diary.

If this man is a lock, then this diary is the only key.

The man's mouth was agape, and his eyes were wide open like saucers. He probably never expected me to resort to such tactics.

I could see a hint of fear in the man's eyes; he was terrified of the diary.

"I'll talk, I'll talk!"

The man's voice grew weaker and weaker, as if he were begging me for mercy, but I ignored him.

It's too late to beg for mercy now; you've already got snot in your mouth, and you're trying to shake it off.

I continued to grip his chin tightly and shoved the entire diary inside.

And then something amazing happened: the diary became like a part of the man's body, merging directly with him.

The man's body also began to dissipate in an instant, like a bubble, disappearing without a trace in a moment.

I observed with my divine eye and found that the man had left behind only that yellowish-green energy.

"Brother Chen, what's going on!"

Old Dao was so frightened by what he saw that he wet himself. He was probably scared by my violent methods, or he was horrified by the way the man died.

I didn't answer Lao Dao, but instead closed my eyes and felt that strange energy.

The energy grew stronger and stronger, and I raised my hand, sending the lightning sword flying out.

Immediately afterwards, the Thunder Strike Sword became like a bottomless pit, continuously absorbing the yellowish-green power.

It took about 10 minutes to absorb all the power.

Old Dao sat right next to him, watching all of this unfold with wide eyes.

"Brother Chen! Is your sword absorbing some kind of energy?"

Old Dao swallowed hard and mustered up his courage to ask me.

It seems that Lao Dao doesn't have a third eye; only I can see this yellowish-green energy through my third eye.

I nodded, and then told Lao Dao everything I had just seen.

It took Lao Dao quite a while to process what he had just learned before he finally realized what was happening.

"I understand, Brother Chen. You mean this yellowish-green energy isn't evil, but can directly enhance your Thunder Strike Sword?"

Old Dao asked tentatively.

"That's right, that makes sense! It seems my previous judgment was wrong. Rather than calling it a ghost school, it's more accurate to say it's a huge energy field!"

I got more and more excited as I talked.

The puppets we encountered before had a lot of similar energy within them.

If I can absorb all of this energy, it will definitely greatly enhance my strength.

Now, absorbing just a tiny bit has greatly enhanced my power.

"Wait, Brother Chen, calm down a bit!"

Old Dao noticed something was wrong with me and quickly pulled me back.

"I sense something's not right! You're acting a bit like a heretical cultivator!"

Old Dao's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

I was stunned; Lao Dao's words had indeed reminded me.

To be honest, thinking about it carefully, my current state is indeed a bit off.

All that exists is a thirst for power.

"Brother Chen, you've offended me!"

Old Dao gritted his teeth, bit his finger until it bled, and then smeared the blood on my forehead.

At that moment, I suddenly felt my body become cool.

Large beads of sweat appeared on my body, and I became much calmer than before.

Looking back on my impulsive actions, I feel a little scared.

"Thank you so much, Lao Dao!"

I turned around and clasped my hands in thanks to Lao Dao, expressing my heartfelt gratitude.

If Old Dao hadn't intervened, I probably would have been bewitched by the powerful energy within me.

Thinking of this, I wiped the cold sweat from my cheek.

Even now, I still feel a bit of lingering fear.

This yellowish-green energy is extremely powerful, but it can also subtly bewitch people.

"Brother Chen, to be honest, you really acted like a pervert just now!"

Although that energy can continuously increase your strength, the increase is a bit abnormal!

You were like a heretical practitioner back then!

Old Dao was overjoyed to see that I had returned to normal.

He started reviewing what had just happened with me.

I nodded. Although I was a little out of sorts just now, I still remembered what had happened.

I admired that kind of power so much that I lost myself in it.

"I understand now. Even the pursuit of power has its limits. If one excessively pursues power and abandons one's own self, then one is no different from a puppet!"

I stood there motionless, took a deep breath, and shared my thoughts.

That's right. If you excessively pursue power and abandon yourself, you'll become a walking corpse.

And those puppets in the school are very likely students who have given up on themselves.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, and I realized a possibility.

"Old Dao, I understand! I finally know what agreement Cao Dajun reached with that Xu guy!"

I excitedly grabbed Lao Dao's shoulder and shouted.

The knife was like a helpless little chick, constantly being shaken by me. Only after my excitement subsided did it remind me of something.

"Old Dao, I think that Cao Dajun made a deal with the guy surnamed Xu. What he sold wasn't the students' souls, but his own!"

This is why the students who came after that all achieved even better results!

It's because they've already betrayed themselves!

The more I think about it, the more I believe my theory is correct.

Just as I was about to take Old Knife out, my gaze fell upon the bronze mirror again.

"If my idea is correct, then the soul in the mirror shouldn't be Lin Momo!"

I took out a mirror, stared at the figure in it, and slowly spoke.

I could see Lin Momo in the mirror, but at that moment, Lin Momo was huddled inside the mirror, pretending not to hear what I said.

Old Dao was startled by what I said.

"Brother Chen! If he's not Lin Momo, then who is he?"

Old Dao looked at me with a puzzled expression.

He held up two fingers and gestured in the mirror, then quickly pulled.

Lin Momo was thrown out.

"You are not Lin Momo, you are Long Xiyue!"

I stared at the spirit before me and spoke slowly and deliberately.

Lin Momo's pupils contracted.

They clearly didn't expect me to say something like that.