Chapter 28: He didn't die, he came back to life.
The moment her body was airborne, Huali smelled a strong stench of blood.
Three thousand golden rays burst forth from the lamp wick, and the scorching heat enveloped the internal organs, shattering them into a bloody mist.
From Karin's final perspective, she sees her own arm reduced to ashes, the red rope on her wrist shattering into dust in the firelight.
The darkness lasted only for the duration of one heartbeat.
The next second, Karin suddenly opened her eyes.
The yellow sand enveloped Chenliu City, which was displayed in the afterglow of the desert sunset. She suddenly knelt down in the sand, her palms brushing against the rough sand, revealing the pale bones that had been buried.
"Huff, huff, huff," Huali was pale and panting heavily.
Looking up, the guards at the city gate were yawning and leaning against the wall, talking.
Lian Zhuo and Rong Xing, who were with her, disappeared without a trace. The eerie and bone-chilling cold in the vast desert was terrifying.
"Host!" Ao Bai poked his head out of the sand. "What's going on?"
Karin was also stunned. The feeling of facing death lingered, and her body was trembling uncontrollably.
"Where am I? Am I dead?"
Ao Bai's expression was solemn. "The host was indeed on the verge of death just now, but his body was not damaged."
Turning to ash isn't considered damage? She saw her arm turn to dust with her own eyes, and Karin subconsciously lowered her head.
Both hands, all ten fingers, were intact, except for a small cut when she helped Songran wash vegetables in the morning, there were no other injuries.
Huali opened her eyes wide and rolled up her sleeves. The red string on her wrist was still there, and the black Buddhist beads were quietly hanging on it.
"How could this happen?" Huali murmured to herself.
In an instant, the little half-demon's words suddenly popped into her mind.
—My lord! Chenliu is now in ruins; the task you entrusted to me has failed.
"Chenliu...is now...ruins?" Huali looked up and rushed into the city without saying a word.
She passed through without any obstruction; the guards at the gate didn't even glance at her, as if they hadn't seen her at all.
Colorful lanterns still swayed in the wind throughout the city, and vendors' cries echoed incessantly. Children played at the foot of the city wall, tossing colorful balls, while the three-story Mingyue Pavilion stood tall as ever.
"Little girl, would you like to try some freshly made wontons?"
Huali got goosebumps all over her body, and when she turned around, she saw the wonton stall owner smiling and greeting her.
Ao Bai's fur stood on end. "Meow, this is terrifying."
Huali composed herself and walked towards Mingyue Pavilion.
Along the way, I could hear people excitedly discussing, "Tomorrow is the God-Celebrating Festival, is your ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) finished?"
"It's been finished for a while now. Where's your rabbit lantern? Did Young Master Xiao make it?"
"That's right, Xiao Lang has already told me that I'll propose marriage to him after the God-Celebrating Festival..."
The Feast of Celebrations? Tomorrow?
Hua Li was completely confused when she arrived at Mingyue Pavilion. From afar, she saw Wen Tingyun standing at the entrance.
Seeing Wen Tingyun's rosewood, she remembered something and quickly took out her wood-type card. A small yellow star on it twinkled forlornly, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
But here's the question: if what she experienced was real, why is Chenliu City, which was bombed into ruins, still intact?
Karin was lost in thought when a hand landed on her shoulder from behind.
"The Buddha's relic prison, freeze!"
Huali was startled and immediately activated her skill. A familiar shout came from behind her, "It's me! Rongxing!"
Rong Xing was sealed in place by the barrier, and his expression was even more surprised than Hua Li's. "You can actually use magic? Didn't you have no spiritual power?"
Huali didn't answer him, but looked behind Rongxing.
Lian Zhuo stood a step away. After seeing that Hua Li was unharmed, the worry in his eyes faded, revealing a compassion that was not in keeping with his age.
"Lian Zhuo..." The anxiety in her heart was completely relieved in an instant. "Are you alright?" Hua Li ran over and circled around him, only feeling relieved after confirming that there wasn't a single bloodstain on his snow-white kasaya.
Ignored, Rongxing spoke up resentfully: "Flower! Pear!"
With a wave of her hand, she removed the barrier and asked without hesitation, "What happened? Do you remember the explosion just now?"
Upon hearing this, Rong Xing immediately became agitated: "How could I not remember! My head, my head was completely separated! This is the first time I've ever died in my life, I thought my life was over!"
Huali looked at his pale face and nodded empathetically.
"I died, but the moment I opened my eyes I found myself alive again, still in Chenliu City, but time had changed."
"Has time changed?"
“Didn’t you hear them say that tomorrow is the God-Celebrating Festival?” Rong Xing pouted. “According to the date, today is the day we just entered Chenliu City. Last time, the God-Celebrating Festival was held the day after tomorrow, but this time it was moved to tomorrow.”
"Time seems to have sped up."
“I found the mage first, and when he saw you weren’t there, he immediately went to look for you.” Rongxing rubbed his neck. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen a mage so anxious.”
Huali looked at Lianzhuo with emotion. Her child had grown up and knew how to care for others. She felt proud and honored.
Lian Zhuo listened quietly to the two of them finish pouring out their grievances before speaking: "Chen Liucheng is trapped in the Sea of Time."
An elderly man from Huali Subway Station, who is not in the know, was looking at his phone, while a local resident named Rongxing immediately upgraded to 5G network. "The legendary Sea of Time? This is a miracle!"
Seeing that Huali didn't understand, Rongxing explained: "Throughout history, time has flowed like a river and never returns. However, there are some people who are unwilling or have too much obsession in their hearts. Their karma has not been completed, so they rely on the burning of their own essence to go back to the sea of time."
"The people in the Sea of Time are constantly busy fulfilling the unfinished wishes of the person behind its creation, in an endless cycle, until the host's wishes are fulfilled, at which point they will disappear. We, however, are those who stumbled into the Sea of Time by mistake and are not under its control, which is why our memories remain even after the explosion."
"Did someone deliberately create the Sea of Time in Chenliu City?"
So what the half-demon saw was ruins. "Then why didn't we notice it at first?"
“It’s Lingwu Mountain,” Lian Zhuo said. “Anyone coming to Chenliu City must pass through Lingwu Mountain. If a maze is set up on Lingwu Mountain, it will be difficult for others to see through it.”
"To end this cycle, we must find the person controlling the array's core within the city. We need to find him before he activates the Blessing Lamp to self-destruct."
Rongxing, who was just surfing the 5G wave at the beginning, started looking at his phone like an old man on the subway when he heard this, saying, "Isn't this Blessing Lamp a divine artifact that hasn't recognized a master? Who can control it?"
Lian Zhuo looked towards the North Garden of the City Lord's Mansion, "With such powerful spiritual energy, it might be worth a try."
*
Tuowu stood on the roof and looked down. The moment the explosion rang out, the surroundings transformed into a hellish landscape.
The wails and screams were like a silent and terrifying painting, which was then kneaded into the sea of time, curled up, and reopened.
As night turned to dusk, hell once again became a bustling city.
"The sixteenth time."
The next second, his figure disappeared and appeared in the North Garden of the City Lord's Mansion.
Wen Jin opened his eyes, looking expressionlessly in the direction of Mingyue Pavilion, "Tan Chen?"
This Chenliu City is quite interesting; it actually dragged him into it too.
After swallowing all the Burning Heart Pills, the Demon Lord closed his eyes again, and strange, mysterious runes crawled down his spine to the back of his neck.
*
Inside the Bright Moon Pavilion.
Wen Tingyun closed the fan in his hand and smiled gently: "Ranran, did you see that?"
A beautiful woman appeared and disappeared in the water mirror, toying with cards in her hand. She looked up when she heard this: "Is this your important matter?"
Wen Tingyun nodded, as if he had thought of something interesting. He said in a gentle voice, "Speaking of which, I have met a strange woman. Perhaps she can end this endless cycle."
"Oh? What kind? Tell me about it."
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