Chapter 106 Just a Pawn 25
Xuanwei stared blankly at Xunque.
Past memories rose one after another like bubbles in boiling water, eagerly confirming his sudden idea.
Those warm memories that were once cherished have suddenly become shattered mirrors, each piece bearing countless sharp edges, cutting deep, bloody wounds into my heart. Every time I recall them, the pain is so intense that even my breath carries the stench of blood.
The system noticed the change in Xuanwei's aura. [Host... Host!! He... He—! A demon!!]
The system spoke incoherently, but the central idea was clear: Xuanwei has fallen into demonic possession!
Ren Yi was so close to Xuan Wei that he could perceive it more clearly. He even saw a fleeting dark bloodlust in those eyes that should have been cold and aloof. Before Ren Yi could react, he saw Xuan Wei skillfully suppress the surging demonic energy around him.
—Skilled, proficient, and adept!
Ren Yi: ? ? ? ! ! !
Is this little world doomed?!
*
Xuanwei's descent into demonic possession and his potential to unify the world have everyone on edge.
If Xuanwei truly falls into demonic possession, this world, where even the Chosen One's faction has changed, will definitely be classified as a high-risk type of world line anomaly, and will definitely be categorized as a special type and specially sealed off by the Transmigration Bureau. Even if the system is restored then, Ren Yi probably won't be able to escape the world so easily.
Fortunately, Xuanwei seemed unsurprised by his situation and handled it with ease, quickly suppressing the demonic energy before it worsened.
Ren Yi: "..."
Logically, it should be a good thing, but upon closer reflection, one feels that this behavior is full of chilling and terrifying implications.
Xuanwei's problem was indeed a problem, but Ren Yi himself was in a dangerous state where suspicion had not yet been eliminated. He really didn't want to add any extra burden to the unexpected situation, so he simply pretended that he had just woken up and his mind was not clear for a while, and directly ignored the fact that Xuanwei had become a demon.
Beside him, Xuanwei continued to watch Ren Yi.
Just like Yi Yitong, who was desperately trying to find a solution to the current predicament, Xuanwei had also thought a lot.
Emperor Li wanted to protect Xun Que, and even went so far as to use Yuan Que's existence as a cover.
Since the intention is to swap fates and conceal the secrets of heaven, the safest course of action would be to keep Xun Que's original name as...
Xuanwei's expression darkened for a moment, but he finally spoke, "Yuan Que."
Ren Yi: !
I got away with it!! What a relief! (Image)
Ren Yi at least remembered the amnesia persona he had created, and he suppressed his overjoyed reaction of wanting to agree immediately. He simply acted as if he was very familiar with the name, and as expected, Xuan Wei did not have any other excessive reaction.
Ren Yizheng breathed a sigh of relief, but he never expected that at the very moment the crisis was over, he would be knocked unconscious by Xuanwei.
Ren Yi: ? ? ?
--why is that? ! !
Xuanwei looked down at the person who had fallen asleep on the bed, thinking about Aque's completely different reactions to the two names.
Throughout, he only acknowledged one name, and even harbored a vague aversion to the forced name "Xun Que".
What about him?
Xuanwei gazed at Xunque, who was unconscious and drowsy, just like the puppet had been before it woke up.
What was he thinking back then? As long as A-Que could come back and see him again, it would be fine no matter what... even if he hated him.
But it didn't happen.
Aque had indeed returned. He didn't remember the past, and although his gaze was unfamiliar, it still held a sense of closeness. It was a beautiful dream that even the best illusion in the world couldn't weave, and he even wanted to greedily seek more within that dream.
But a dream is just a dream, and there will always be a moment when you wake up.
When the dream ends, it is so cruel that even those illusory past events are shattered completely.
Xuanwei stared at Ren Yi with a somewhat dazed expression.
He was reminded for a moment of the tender and adoring gaze A-Que had given him in the Nine Heavens, and then of the illusion in which A-Que had taken the initiative to kiss him... But in the blink of an eye, all these images were shattered. He saw A-Que's smile as she fell off the Execution Platform, her dry heaving on the ground, and finally, carrying the sword imbued with the spirit of immortality, she resolutely leaped into the boundless flames...
Xuanwei's aura fluctuated again, suppressing the surging demonic energy, but the entire sky of the Ninth Realm was now filled with blood-red shadows. This was no longer the otherworldly paradise Ren Yi had seen before; instead, it resembled a monster's lair in some abyss, eagerly waiting to devour its slumbering prey.
Xuanwei stared at Ren Yi for a while, then lowered her eyes as if she had made a decision.
*
When Ren Yi regained consciousness, the first thing he heard was the name "Yuan Que".
He breathed a huge sigh of relief: given Xuanwei's reaction of "not saying a word and just knocking him unconscious", Ren Yi almost thought he would never have another chance to "wake up".
Having learned from his previous experience of being suspected, Ren Yi was more cautious this time. The moment he opened his eyes, he made a subconscious response to the name "Yuan Que" while half-asleep.
With his identity crisis resolved, Ren Yi thought things would be more stable this time, but as it turned out, Xuan Wei always had a "big surprise" in store for him every time he opened his eyes.
Ren Yi stared blankly at Xuan Wei, so shocked that he didn't even notice the darkening of Xuan Wei's gaze after hearing his response.
If he wasn't mistaken, Xuanwei, he... he...
The system screamed, "[What did he do?!]"
Then came another series of half-collapsed, repeated murmurs: "[I'm dirty, I'm dirty...]"
As for what Xuanwei actually did?
—He forcibly bound that system fragment!
Is this possible? Is this feasible? Is this real?!
Ren Yi's series of questions ultimately boiled down to... Was he really awake? (I'm afraid I'm dreaming.jpg)
Ren Yi was in a daze as Xuan Wei examined his soul injuries. He heard Xuan Wei say, "Go to Senior You Yuan's place again in a while." At this moment, Ren Yi had no mind to think about how the illusions he had created were actually due to the favors he had made with You Yuan through his alternate account. His mind was full of how Xuan Wei had managed to do it.
Xuanwei looked at Ren Yi, who seemed dazed, and assumed he was still weak.
Looking at it, he reached out and gently picked up the puppet, infusing it with a little immortal power. After a short pause, he tentatively kissed Ren Yi's lips.
Xuanwei did not close his eyes, but observed Ren Yi's reaction with a scrutinizing attitude.
Ren Yi's reaction was to not react.
What other reaction could he possibly have?! The unified system was already overwhelmed with the issue of merging the fragments, let alone Ren Yi. Even the system, which was always on high alert against such "taking advantage of the host," didn't have any spare memory to spare for such a small action.
Xuanwei lowered his eyes.
—Aque did not resist.
He thought.
The scene of Xun Que retching while leaning on the ground in the illusion flashed before his eyes again. Xuan Wei's expression was momentarily gloomy, but soon, his expression and the white-kneed fingers he had been clenching relaxed together.
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter if Aque admits his mistake.
As long as the immortal soul remains in his body, A Que can continue to mistake him for someone else. Once he has completely refined that immortal soul, in the future... A Que will only have eyes for him.
*
Ren Yi and the system analyzed Xuan Wei's sudden shock for a long time, ultimately attributing it to the plot point where "the protagonist refined the Immortal Soul." However, the original "Immortal Soul" was merely an energy crystal left behind by Ren Yi; refining it was one thing, but this one was different! The system fragment was still inside!
Even before Xuanwei was bound, the system couldn't keep up with the demand, let alone after it was bound.
Ren Yi gradually discovered something even more terrifying: it wasn't just a binding; Xuan Wei was truly "refining," or, to put it more easily, "devouring."
Ren Yi: !!!
Is this thing something you can swallow? What's wrong with the world's consciousness? Doesn't it care about its own offspring?!
The issue Ren Yi and the system are now facing is no longer whether they can "get back" this system fragment, but whether the fragment even "exists."
He had to get his hands on the item before the fragment was completely swallowed up!
That's what they say, but how to snatch back the immortal soul that was being refined right under Xuanwei's nose is a problem that can't be described as a nightmare or hellish difficulty level.
Ren Yi had been trying to find a solution all this time, but he was distracted and inadvertently plucked a petal from his hand.
Xuanwei seemed convinced that Ren Yi liked the Purple Jade Flower. Not only did she use her immortal power to maintain the flower field outside, but she also changed the flower branches in the vase in the room every day. The purple of the petals became deeper day by day, and now it was so purple that it was almost black.
Purple Jade is sensitive to immortal power. Ren Yi had never seen such a deep purple color before, so he could only infer from this that Xuan Wei's cultivation had changed, probably improved. Ren Yi was quite indifferent to this, since there was not much difference between a level 100 boss and a level 110 boss to him, neither of which his current level 10-something alt account could defeat.
Being absent-minded always leads to some oversights, big or small. Ren Yi felt a little guilty and lifted the purple jade flower branch that he had torn up, then put the petals that had been pulled off his fingers back together and tried to restore it with magic.
But the moment the petals and the notch aligned, Ren Yi froze for a moment.
Instead of immediately using magic, he raised the petals again, completely pulled the flower stem with the missing petal out of the vase, and turned it upside down onto the petals.
Ren Yi stared at the flower that had been pieced together again for a long time, then suddenly asked the system, "[What if we send it over?]"
Like this, place the whole flower at the position where the petals have been torn off.
The system responded with a "[Hmm?]" sound, seemingly not understanding.
As Ren Yi casually used his magic to restore the purple jade to its original state and placed it back in the vase, he explained to the system: "[Xiao Yi, you said before that you couldn't get that fragment back from Xuanwei, so how about we do the opposite? We'll send you there and have you fuse directly with Xuanwei.]"
system:? ? ? ! ! !
What did it hear?! The host wants to send it away!
The system was momentarily stunned, and before it could react, tears were already streaming down its face as it sobbed to express its loyalty: although that fragment was disappointing and had been forcibly bound to someone else, it was different; it would never betray its host.
The host isn't going to abandon it just because it's dirty, is it?!
The more the system thought about it, the more sorrowful it became, and the whole system started to wail and cry.
Ren Yi: [...]
He felt the system was thinking a bit off-track and had to continue explaining, "[You're currently incomplete because you're missing a part, so you can't send location coordinates to the bureau, right? But once you fuse that fragment, whether it's with me or Xuanwei, you can contact the bureau, and then we can leave.]"
Ren Yi had completely given up on his initial plan to escape on his own, but at least he had to send out a distress signal!
The system's crying stopped abruptly, and it remained silent without replying.
Ren Yi, keep trying! [Is that okay?]
The system hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, its voice trembling with a hint of tears, but unusually serious: "[This is dangerous, host.]"
[If I fail, the host may never be able to leave this world again.]
Whether it's binding or unbinding the system, it's not as easy as just saying it. That's why they were so surprised when they learned that Xuanwei had bound a system fragment.
The system knows that what the host said is indeed a solution, but the risks involved are far too great.
If it fails, even the possibility of the Transmigration Bureau determining the host's location using the incomplete system will be eliminated, and the host will be completely unable to leave.
Ren Yi: [We have to try. Otherwise, once Xuanwei really refines that fragment, we...you and I won't be able to leave either.]
There are so many small worlds out there. If they passively wait for the bureau to find this place, who knows how long it would take? Ren Yi never placed any hope on this from the beginning. Moreover, they had already been suspected once for using the false identity of "Yuan Que," and it was hard to say how much longer they could hold out.
system:[……]
It's all the fault of this world's chosen one!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
