Chapter 30 The Man Behind the Scenes
There's another person? No way!
Chu Jianshan's breathing became heavy, his heart pounded, and his gaze slowly focused on the barrier in front of him.
That's right. I was only focused on Cheng Yuan and didn't realize that such a powerful barrier could never exist in a pre-set formation. Besides, although blood formations are rare, I've never heard of such a barrier appearing.
So Bai Qianfan was right, there was another person preventing him from rescuing Cheng Yuan, and this person was definitely powerful.
A terrible thought suddenly occurred to Chu Jianshan.
Snap—Snap—Snap—
A slow, rhythmic clapping sound came from behind him.
"Chu, Jian, Shan"
The man calmly and repeatedly murmured Chu Jianshan's name, as if he were savoring something interesting.
"This name is good, and it sounds interesting."
Chu Jianshan mechanically turned his head and saw the person in front of him clearly—no, actually he didn't see him clearly.
It is said to be a person, but it has no physical form. It is like a wisp of mist floating in mid-air, and you can barely make out a human shape.
When Bai Qianfan saw this, he tried to come over, but was suddenly frozen in place. The formation also stopped instantly, and the vines that were sucking blood stopped completely.
Now, only Chu Jianshan and the person in front of him remain.
"Sorry, I'm not comfortable with strangers being around."
The person's voice was strange, like that of an old man from hundreds of years ago, but upon closer listening, it also carried the air of a carefree young man who had never experienced the ways of the world.
After realizing that this person was behind it, Chu Jianshan tried his best to maintain his composure, straighten his body, and make himself look imposing. He then spoke his suspicions in a hoarse voice.
"The person behind the scenes of Linyi Gate?"
The man suddenly laughed. Although Chu Jianshan couldn't see his face clearly, he knew that the man was laughing—a ferocious, wicked laugh.
"Chu Jianshan, do you know what I admire most about you?"
"You are smart, but unfortunately, you never use your intelligence in the right way."
Chu Jianshan asked, "What do you mean?"
The man didn't rush to answer his question. Instead, he chuckled twice and then inexplicably started telling a different story.
"Betrayed by those around you, watching your loved ones die before your eyes, wanting revenge but powerless to do so, Chu Jianshan, in the end, we are actually the same kind of people."
Chu Jianshan couldn't understand what kind of kinship he was trying to claim, and denied it, saying, "I'm really not the same kind of person as you. At least I don't kill people randomly."
The man seemed amused by Chu Jianshan's words, and chuckled twice, saying, "Whether you believe it or not, killing people is quite painful for me. Watching them be swallowed up by death bit by bit makes me feel suffocated."
Chu Jianshan raised an eyebrow: "Since it's so suffocating, why not release Cheng Yuan and let you feel better?"
"Perhaps there is an even better way."
The man slowly floated down from mid-air, his body gradually taking shape. His clothes were strange, a style that Chu Jianshan had never seen before. A poorly made, rough bell hung on his waist, making a series of clear sounds with his movements.
The only thing that Chu Jianshan found familiar was the mask on his face—the kind of fox mask that you could buy at a regular market during the Lantern Festival, and it looked quite old.
This kind of attire always gave Chu Jianshan the illusion that he didn't look like a person from this era, or rather, he didn't look like a human being.
"I want to find someone who can suffer the same pain as me, so that I can feel better."
It was obvious who they were looking for. Chu Jianshan frowned slightly, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart: "What do you want?"
"Didn't you see what I was trying to do?"
He pointed in Cheng Yuan's direction: "If he were to die, would you make the same decision as me?"
"You dare!"
Chu Jianshan's eyes were filled with anger, and he felt more and more that the person in front of him was a madman. Not only was he crazy, but he also insisted on dragging others down with him.
But he was no match for him. He had a hunch that the person who had fought him under the guise of He Kun at Linyi Gate was probably this same person.
Even Chu Qingyuan at the peak of his cultivation would have a hard time facing him, let alone now that his spiritual core is full of cracks. If he were to withstand another surge of spiritual power, it would probably be completely shattered.
Chu Jianshan tried his best to regain his composure, took a deep breath, and asked, "What exactly is your purpose?"
"Didn't I say I wanted to see your reaction?"
Chu Jianshan interrupted him: "Don't play dumb. You know that's not what I'm asking. It's not just Qingyao City; you've been plotting against us ever since we came down from Chengyuan."
"You had the men in black deliberately leave conspicuous marks on your body, and then you managed to get us to the Spirit Realm by letting us know about Ghost Mountain Village, where we saw the ancient clan emblem of Linyi Gate. Then you poisoned me in Qingyao City, leading me to this point."
"You deliberately gave me your information, letting me know that you are the person behind Linyi Gate. Every step I take is within your calculations. What exactly do you want by hooking me up like this?"
The man didn't reply after hearing his words. Instead, he slowly approached Chu Jianshan, his eyes, visible through the mask, filled with unfathomable emotions—a mixture of hatred and anticipation.
Chu Jianshan had never seen such a madman before. He instinctively tried to back away, but was grabbed by the man. He gritted his teeth and said, "Because I care about your decision! So much time has passed, so many people have been involved, but only you! Only you are like me!"
"Chu Jianshan, I'm really looking forward to your reaction, but I'm also afraid you'll do something I don't like, so I can only teach you step by step, hoping you'll give me a surprise at the end."
Chu Jianshan broke the silence: "What if it's a fright?"
“Then I would like it even more, you know, I’m so bored in this world.”
Chu Jianshan nodded: "Yes, I can see that."
He was indeed bored, otherwise he wouldn't have kept harping on them, constantly provoking them, and devising so many things just to stage another exciting drama and see the ending he wanted.
Chu Jianshan continued, "So I'm very curious, what kind of reaction did you expect from me? And what decision did you make that caused you so much pain?"
He looked down at Chu Jianshan, his eyes seemingly shrouded in gloom, as if memories were drowning him. The fox mask trembled up and down with his movements as he spoke.
"I made the best decision ever, and I've never regretted it."
“No, you regret it,” Chu Jianshan retorted.
"Let me make a guess: what decision did you make? Murder? Wipe out your entire family?"
He didn't react until Chu Jianshan said again, "Or perhaps, you killed someone you shouldn't have killed?"
The man's expression changed subtly, though it was extremely small, Chu Jianshan still noticed it.
Chu Jianshan slowly approached him, beginning to regain control, and asked him in a seductive voice, "Who exactly did you kill? If you shouldn't have killed him, why did you let him die?"
The mysterious man took two steps back, creating distance between them again, and gave him a strange smile: "Knowing the ending beforehand makes this show less interesting."
Chu Jianshan continued, "So you have no right to predict my fate."
The person behind the fox mask slightly raised his eyes, as if he hadn't expected him to say such a thing.
Chu Jianshan pressed his advantage: "Actually, I can see that what you want is not just a show, but a contest, a contest between you and me, and between you and yourself. So, why not make this contest fairer? Perhaps that way you can find the result you want."
After a moment of silence, the man's eyes seemed to show more appreciation for Chu Jianshan: "I only saw your intelligence before, but I didn't expect that you were also quite good at manipulating people's hearts."
Chu Jianshan hurriedly asked, "Does this mean you agree?"
“Of course not,” he said firmly.
"You don't seem to understand who's in charge of this show. Even if you know a lot, you have no right to say you're going to quit."
Chu Jianshan said, "But I guess you'll offer some benefits."
The man smiled, raised his hand and made a gesture. The vines that had been stuck in Cheng Yuan's body began to gradually recede, and the surrounding scenery slowly began to return to how it was when they first entered.
"At least in this play, I can give you the justice you want."
The mysterious figure slowly began to blur again, becoming indistinct. Just before disappearing, he asked Chu Jianshan a question.
"I'd love to know what your reaction would be if he really died today?"
Chu Jianshan didn't answer this question until the moment he completely disappeared. Some time later, just as Bai Qianfan and the others were about to wake up, he finally murmured something under his breath:
"I think I'm going crazy."
Everything around them returned to normal. Bai Qianfan staggered forward two steps, paused for a moment, and then quickly ran to Chu Jianshan.
"What happened? Where is that person?"
"They ran away." Chu Jianshan replied simply before turning to check on Cheng Yuan's injuries.
Strangely, Cheng Yuan had no marks left from when the vines burrowed into his skin. Chu Jianshan immediately realized this and tried to feel himself as well. The burning sensation on his hands and the pain from forcibly condensing spiritual power in his spiritual core were gone. Now he felt refreshed and full of energy.
Upon seeing this, Bai Qianfan frowned for a moment before suddenly realizing, "I understand!"
Chu Jianshan turned around and asked, "What do you know?"
Bai Qianfan ran excitedly towards him, waving her hands wildly and breathing unsteadily: "There is no teleportation array, blood array or any other messy array. From beginning to end, there is only one array, the illusion array."
Illusion array? This thing has been lost for at least several hundred years. How could it suddenly appear here?
Since it was an illusion array, that meant that everything they had just experienced was an illusion, including that mysterious person. But Chu Jianshan had a feeling that the person couldn't be fake; the feeling was too real.
"What are you thinking about?" Cheng Yuan appeared behind him without him noticing.
This person could always tell in time that something was wrong with him, but Chu Jianshan couldn't tell him what had just happened. He could only smile and shake his head at him. He knew that Cheng Yuan wouldn't force him.
"Alright, stop standing there! Let's go."
Bai Qianfan was in a hurry to leave, but was stopped by Cheng Yuan.
"etc!"
"What else do you want to do?"
Cheng Yuan remained silent, instead turning and walking towards the ancient tree. He stretched out his finger and made a cut on the blade, from which blood immediately gushed out.
Chu Jianshan already understood what he was going to do, and followed him to his side.
Cheng Yuan placed his blood-stained finger on the spot marked with the Linyi Gate symbol. Instantly, the blood stained the symbol red and began to slowly emit a dazzling light. At the same time, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble.
Cheng Yuan reached out and grabbed Chu Jianshan's forearm: "Hold on tight."
Bai Qianfan behind him: "..."
Excuse me, could someone please help me up?
The trembling grew more and more intense, and Bai Qianfan simply lay down on the ground. But the next second, the cave turned upside down, like a mirror that had been flipped over. The three of them passed over the surface and fell straight into the underground current.
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