Chapter 74 Your senior brother doesn't want you anymore, Sect Leader Xiao, it seems your relationship is...
Tap tap tap...
Fu Ming was pulling Xiao Huaiyuan's hand and running wildly.
The crowd followed like ghosts, impossible to shake off.
He had remained still, observing the numerous figures. Their faces were deathly pale, their hair jet black, and their eyes were lifeless and unblinking. Fu Ming tried hard to discern if he recognized any of them, but they all looked like scalded water ghosts, making it impossible to discern their features.
This enemy was unlike any they had ever faced before; it was not like a wild beast that would pounce and bite, nor like a mortal that would throw punches and kicks.
They surrounded Xiao Fu and his companion, watching them with sinister eyes, but that was all.
It doesn't seem to have much of a lethal effect.
Fu Ming decided to draw his sword and test him, to cut a gash in the ground to see if he was dead or alive, human or ghost.
However, just as his knife was about to touch the figure, in those milliseconds, his face instantly changed, becoming something else entirely.
His upright and austere face appeared bluish in the aurora; it was Xiao Huaiyuan's face: "Senior brother, I'm here."
These words struck Fu Ming like a thunderbolt, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. He reluctantly withdrew his blade, enduring the impact of his true energy and the reverse flow of energy through his meridians.
He wasn't 100% sure it was Xiao Huaiyuan, but what if it was?
Therefore, Fu Ming specially used his divine sense to ask, "Junior brother, what is your favorite food?"
Xiao Huaiyuan answered fluently: "I have been fasting for a long time and do not have any favorite foods."
It sounds plausible.
Fu Ming then tested him with another trick: "Wrong, kid. Your favorite is the incredibly sour candied hawthorn from that shop at the foot of the mountain."
Xiao Huaiyuan immediately changed his tune: "Senior brother is right."
This... shouldn't be an imposter; it must be Xiao Huaiyuan himself. The speaking style is exactly the same, and divine sense can't be faked, can it?
Fu Ming's heart calmed down slightly, but then suddenly jumped into his throat again.
Having lived in Bao's room for so long, he had become desensitized to the stench, and after being bathed in the eerie gaze for so long, he had almost forgotten the existence of the shadowy figures around him. But when he came to his senses, he suddenly realized that his trouser cuffs had inexplicably grown longer.
Coincidentally, Xiao Huaiyuan also became shorter, and the height difference between them decreased from half a head to just one finger.
Their height has shrunk, or more accurately, their appearance has become much younger.
Rejuvenation should be a good thing, but the fact that their cultivation and spiritual strength also return to square one overnight is not good.
At this moment, Fu Ming finally understood the shadowy figure's gaze—a gaze filled with malice, a desire to assimilate them into his own kind. It wasn't a magical attack, nor was it damage to the soul; it could be cast without physical contact or the use of spiritual energy, making it indeed difficult to resist.
There is only one solution for now.
run! ! !
Thus, the comical scene unfolded: the two strongest beings in the Three Realms were chased so relentlessly that they leaped and bounded, plunging through mountains and seas, their soaked clothes clinging to their skin, revealing glimpses of their alluring flesh.
Xiao Huaiyuan was quietly led by him, only occasionally giving him brief directions. The bright Big Dipper and the North Star corresponded to each other in the distance.
"southeast."
"The west."
"Due south."
Fu Ming escaped in a planned and organized manner. Since the figures were casting spells through sight, they could offset most of the impact by using cover to conceal their figures.
That's physics.
But his purpose was not to hide, but to seize the opportunity to break through as soon as possible: "System, help me find out how to break through the second layer of the mental domain."
"Sorry, you do not have sufficient permissions."
"What nonsense are you spouting? If you don't tell me, I'll tear you apart. I mean it."
Normally, no matter how meticulous the system is, it wouldn't fail to provide even the necessary information. Fu Ming simply didn't have the patience to waste any more time with it.
"..."
"Once you see through the true nature of things, you will reach the Eye of the Ruins."
The system finally relented.
Although it's still a fragmented riddle, it's enough.
Amidst the rustling of pine trees and the jagged rocks, Fu Ming paused atop the snow-capped mountain, watching the water ghosts climb the cliffs.
The northern slope of the coastal area of the snow-capped mountain is gentler, and most people are climbing hard on this side. Once they are about to reach the summit, Fu Ming will strike them down with his sword, thus waiting for them to tire themselves out.
People fell into the sea like dumplings being dropped into a pot, sinking calmly without splashing a single drop of water.
It was in the same condition as the pond in Boyun Village.
When Fu Ming got tired of hacking, he flicked his wrist and shouted at the swarming black shadows, "Mo Shi, how dare you hide among a bunch of living dead? I'm annoyed even if you're not."
Perhaps because he was bored in the palace with no one to talk to, Mo Shizhen was tricked into revealing himself: "I thought I had hidden it quite well."
Fu Ming chuckled: "Come on, do you think a ghost that hasn't developed any consciousness can plan the optimal path based on the terrain?"
As an ancient person, Mo Shi certainly couldn't understand what the optimal path algorithm was, but he still roughly grasped the meaning.
With so many ghostly figures at his disposal, he was like a fish in water, a mouse in a rice jar. He was so used to them that he sometimes became carried away with his success.
Seeing Fu Ming tirelessly kicking the ghostly figures off the cliff, he advised, "What's the use of throwing them all into the sea? They'll just come back later."
Spending a long time in this place where time no longer flows, Mo Shi's temperament has become much calmer.
Fu Ming looked at his former fellow disciple and sneered, "This is the eternal life that Lord Yun promised you? What kind of paradise is this? I think you're just like walking corpses. What kind of happiness is there to speak of?"
Mo Shi seemed to be persuaded for a moment.
But he didn't regret it. Back when he was still in the Tianyan Sect, he was known as the King of Finding Bargains. Things obtained through bargain hunting are always more attractive than rewards that are not guaranteed even after going through countless hardships.
He's not a genius like Fu Ming or Xiao Huaiyuan; his talent is miles behind Xu Yan's. He might as well risk his life for a possibility.
Failure is failure, but success is like a meteoric rise.
Now that things have come to this, Mo Shi has no need to hide anything. He emerged from the shadowy figures, slowly rose, and finally looked at Fu Ming at eye level: "Bringing the souls of the dead to the Land of Bliss is only the first step. Lord Yun has been planning in every way to create a new world of salvation in this world of great calamity."
Fu Ming rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Nonsense. What kind of patriotic old man is he who instigates servants to commit illegal experiments on children and sells human bodies and human parts?"
Is Lord Xinyun a good person, or do you believe that Fu Ming is Qin Shi Huang?
Further words are useless; only war will suffice.
A moment later, the longsword pierced Mo Shi's chest once again. Although both were at the Nascent Soul stage, Mo Shi was still much easier to deal with than Yang Pei.
Exhausted and collapsing to the ground, Mo Shi said with a wry smile, "I've always... been very jealous of you geniuses."
"You can become an elder of the Tianyan Sect, aren't you a dragon among men? Many people never enter the Dao in their lifetime, yet they still live very well. You are just too greedy."
Fu Ming couldn't quite understand this person's thought process. He drew his sword, but not a single drop of blood came out. He tried to circulate the Primordial Devouring Heaven Record, but what came out was a viscous black liquid.
Demonic energy?
He beckoned Xiao Huaiyuan to come and identify it: "Xiao Huaiyuan, come and see what this is."
They were not far apart, and Xiao Huaiyuan acted as his assistant. The golden light always landed precisely where Fu Ming's blade was pointing, just like before.
As if he had overheard his thoughts, Xiao Huaiyuan also felt the same way: "It looks like demonic energy."
Fu Ming is somewhat chauvinistic and always hopes that his partner will be more obedient, preferably someone who understands him perfectly and has a deep tacit understanding, so that they can go out together.
His junior colleague seems to fit his criteria for choosing a partner as well?
Fu Ming casually patted Xiao Huaiyuan's head again and found that the feel was very similar to the Border Collie he used to have, and the eyes were similar too.
After being rolled and flattened, a rare smile appeared on Xiao Huaiyuan's face, as if the ice and snow had just melted.
The two stepped on water that turned to ice and set off into the deep sea.
The mountains and coastline are hidden in the inky waves, surrounded only by pitch-black seawater, creating the illusion of falling into nothingness.
He seems to have overlooked something.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they saw the two sisters, Yang Huan and Yang Pei, again. The two women were kneeling together on a piece of floating ice, their flowing sleeves piled up, and the pomegranate red patterns unique to the Rihua Palace were particularly eye-catching.
As he got closer, Fu Ming noticed that the dazzling red was getting thicker and thicker, eventually flowing onto the white ice.
It turned out to be blood.
Yang Pei's own soft sword pierced her heart, yet Yang Huan still gently wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and stroked her trembling back.
“Sister, seeing you suffer breaks my heart. Since that’s the case, why don’t we go together to a place where there is no pain? You will listen to your sister, right?”
bass.
A sharp blade of energy flew toward Yang Huan's throat. Yang Huan retreated hastily, and the giant hand formed from his true essence grabbed the half-dead Yang Pei and pulled him to Fu Ming's side.
Although Fu Ming didn't particularly like Yang Pei's irritable and unreasonable nature, as one of the few living people in the Imperial Palace, Fu Ming sincerely hoped that she wouldn't die here.
Fu Ming infused his true essence into her heart meridian, which was now divided into two parts. This was a skill he had honed while sorting out Xiao Huaiyuan's soul.
Yang Pei said in a daze, "I thought... she was the reunited soul of my elder sister. My elder sister and I have been separated for a hundred years. If we miss each other now, I will never be able to see her face again in this life."
"She's just a monster disguised as your own sister."
Upon reaching the Mahayana stage, Fu Ming was able to manipulate the longsword freely from a distance, as if it were an extension of his own arm. Once the longsword cut a gash in Yang Huan's skin, it gushed out black liquid formed from demonic energy, similar to Mo Shi's.
Fu Ming recalled his sword, dipped his fingertip in the demonic liquid and smelled it. A stench of decay, even stronger than that of his old home in the Demon Realm, hit him, causing him to frown.
He realized that the tasks issued by the system were more or less related to demonic energy. Could it be that the sudden emergence of the demon realm was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one?
That happened hundreds of years ago. If that's true, then Lord Yun's plan is far too ambitious. Just who is he?
At that time, a fierce wind arose, and turbid waves surged into the sky.
Yang Huan stood gracefully in the middle of the water, all her wounds healed, her body bathed in rainbow light, her eyes filled with compassion, radiant like a goddess.
She waved her arms and sleeves, and a dense mass of figures emerged from the water. Among them were nameless ghosts chasing Fu Ming, as well as Mo Shi, a disciple of the Rihua Palace who had died a hundred years ago. After being resurrected, he was much more dazed and followed closely behind her, showing her noble status.
The color drained from Yang Pei's face instantly. The thought of her closest relative being possessed by a strange, evil entity filled her with fear and disgust. Her elder sister was the kindest woman, treating her disciples like brothers and sisters; how could she possibly enslave her disciples?
Yang Huan's voice was gentle yet highly seductive: "No need for arduous cultivation, no need for risks, everyone can live forever, isn't that wonderful?"
"Living in the mortal world inevitably brings suffering; only by dying in the Pure Land can one attain eternal bliss. The world will inevitably collapse, and no amount of repair will be of any use."
The words echoed in the tide, and then all the ghosts cried out in unison. Soft, dense murmurs of prayer, weeping, and cursing rose and fell, and the ensuing resentment, hatred, greed, and delusion almost overwhelmed Fu Ming and the others.
Fu Ming immediately cast a protective barrier, severing his five senses and relying solely on his divine sense to perceive things.
Suddenly, the vengeful spirits smiled in unison.
...
"Sect Leader Xiao, it seems your marital bliss is nothing more than this. Fu Ming didn't even recognize that it was an imposter." Lord Yun mocked the person in front of him with schadenfreude.
"The strategy of sowing discord is useless against me."
Xiao Huaiyuan remained unmoved, his breathing not even slightly disordered.
To say he wasn't jealous would be a lie. But those dark and deep emotions had been with him for so long that he had long since become accustomed to suppressing them, and he wanted to... trust his senior brother one more time.
This place is of a peculiar form, surrounded by endless, extending nothingness, yet one can glimpse the state of the first and second levels of the Heart Domain from the celestial canopy. Apart from a handful of people like Fu Ming and Yang Pei, the vast majority of high-level cultivators are struggling on the first level, including Xu Yan and the newly promoted Nascent Soul cultivator from the Heavenly Restoration Society.
Guixu should have been Lord Yun's home turf, but his spiritual tendrils were surrounded and blocked by dazzling golden light, hindering him at every turn, which made him very irritable.
"I don't know how you got here. Is it because of you?"
Lord Yun's pause was quite intriguing. He turned his face to the front, and without the cover of a mask or fake face, his true appearance was revealed. It was a blurry and stiff face, as pale as a paper figure buried with the dead.
"Have I been reborn?"
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Author's Note: Lord Yun: Your senior brother doesn't want you anymore.
Xiao Huaiyuan: I don't believe it.
Fu Ming: Why does my butt suddenly hurt a little? It's a really bad feeling.
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