Chapter 131 Night Candle Rules 9 "I am a mystery."
This sudden attack caught everyone off guard. Even someone as powerful as Zhang Jin couldn't defend against it. The bullet pierced his left chest, and he coughed up blood, staggering as he walked.
Even the most powerful reincarnator is still human after all. Suffering such trauma, his eyes momentarily lost focus before quickly regaining their clarity.
In just a short while, the surroundings had become chaotic.
"Kill them all!" Dong Zhizhuan shouted. "These outsiders are all—"
His words were cut short as Zhang Jin grabbed his neck and, without breaking a sweat, ended a life in his hands.
"idiot!"
Zhang Jin was burning with rage, but his expression grew even calmer. He coldly watched Dong Zhizhuan die, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if the heavy impact was merely the fall of a stone.
A moment of silence fell, then chaos erupted with Dong Zhizhuan's death.
Dong Zhizhuan was the first secretary of the former mayor of Wuchun Town. He went to the countryside to maintain grassroots work, and many people knew him. He was kind and gentle, and after the apocalypse, he wholeheartedly protected the shelter. He had a good reputation among the people. Now he was killed in front of everyone, and all the natives were furious.
"He killed Secretary Dong! He killed Secretary Dong!"
"Kill them!"
Killing Dong Zhizhuan was easy, but the chain reaction that quickly followed was beyond the expectations of Zhang Jin and the other reincarnators. The artillery fire that was originally aimed at Nanmen Jue was all redirected to them, and the defensive walls were engulfed in a fierce battle.
The situation was extremely chaotic. Even the reincarnator who was controlling Wei Chongru had to let go of him. Wei Chongru was now left unattended. He hunched his neck to dodge bullets, but his expression became excited. Because he was standing close by, he even firmly believed that he had taken advantage of the chaos to kick Zhang Jin.
What should he do next? Kill Zhang Jin? As soon as this impulsive thought crossed his mind, Wei Chongru shook his head vigorously to clear his head of the water.
Even if Zhang Jin is shot, he's still not someone a mere purple-named warrior like him can shake! What he should do now is run!
Wei Chongru closed his eyes and steeled his resolve, about to jump off the defensive wall, but as soon as he jumped, someone grabbed him by the back of the neck.
The next second, the ropes binding him were cut.
Ordinary ropes could not bind a purple-named person. What was used to bind him was a tool that could not be cut by a knife or burned by fire. But what was used to cut him was a reinforced white bone knife, which was also produced by the main god.
Wei Chongru's expression brightened, then froze again, "Brother Nanmen..."
"Go!" Nanmen Jue kicked him off the wall.
She lurked in the crowd, utilizing the results of her special training with Ying Yao, moving silently through the hail of bullets to approach Zhang Jin.
Zhang Jin wasn't killing anyone. He had the other reincarnators come and block them while he quickly healed his wounds.
A bullet piercing his chest was something even Jin Ming couldn't withstand; he needed time to heal.
Nanmen Jue approached him from behind, the white bone knife between her fingers. With a determined mindset, she leaped up from the crowd and jumped onto Zhang Jin's neck!
Just as Nanmen Jue's thigh was about to clamp down on Zhang Jin's neck, a huge eye suddenly grew out of the back of Zhang Jin's head!
The eye instantly fixed on Nanmen Jue, and the malice within it sent a chill down Nanmen Jue's spine. But she didn't hesitate at all. In the instant Zhang Jin dodged to the side, she threw the knife in her hand at the eye.
Just as it was about to strike, a strange look appeared in that eye. Then, Zhang Jin's body twisted at an incredible angle like a boneless water snake, managing to escape from Nanmen Jue's attack from both sides.
In the midst of the chaos, the two men stared at each other silently, a murderous intent rising between them, but neither of them made another move.
For Zhang Jin, his chest was still bleeding, and he wouldn't make another move unless he was sure of success. As for Nanmen Jue, she knew not to pursue a desperate enemy, especially since Zhang Jin was far from being a desperate enemy.
Her sneak attack might have only succeeded in that one moment. Since it failed, there's no need to continue. Otherwise, it would be a lose-lose situation, and neither of them would benefit.
“You’ve surprised me,” Zhang Jin said. “I thought a young man like you, who has risen to the top of the pyramid at rocket speed, would be eager to prove his strength and be at the peak of his self-confidence. But I saw concerns and considerations in your eyes. You’re thinking the same things as me. What is this, tacit understanding?”
"I was thinking, it's a real shame you survived a gunshot wound to the heart." Nanmen Jue twirled the bone knife between his fingers, a strange smile appearing on his face. "You were thinking about that too?"
"Luckily, my heart isn't completely tilted to the left," Zhang Jin casually revealed, a hint of provocation in his eyes. "Want to try and see where my heart is located?"
Nanmen Jue paused for a moment. She felt that this person was more like teasing her than provoking her, but she had no proof.
These guys are all crazy, why are they harassing men!
Nanmen Jue felt a chill run down her spine. She narrowed her eyes slightly and decisively stopped dwelling on the topic. "You don't lack those points and items, so why do you want to kill me?"
Zhang Jin was quite surprised. "Who told you that I don't need these things?"
“You and I use the same method, so of course you can’t be short of points.” Nanmen Jue cleverly responded to Yao’s words, “I heard that you are the longest-surviving reincarnator currently alive. With that much time and accumulation, you’re telling me you’re short of items?”
Zhang Jin looked at her for a moment, then raised the corner of his mouth and said, "You know that the props Cheng Xiuye used were given to me."
Nanmen Jue didn't answer. He took out the glasses he had snatched from Cheng Xiuye, waved them, and then quickly put them away. "That's why I was wondering why you had your eye on me for so long. Back then, the reward for killing me was only 50,000 points. Would you have been tempted?"
Zhang Jin looked at her with great interest and asked again, "Who told you that I gave Cheng Xiuye the props?"
Nanmen Jue sensed something unusual in his expression, and her face darkened, while Zhang Jin's smile widened.
"Of the people who know about this, there are fewer than three still alive," Zhang Jin said softly. "Nanmen Jue, guess who those three are?"
Which three people? Judging from Cheng Xiuye's previous demeanor, Zhang Jin clearly didn't want others to know about his connection with Cheng Xiuye. She had been mainly recruiting Cheng Xiuye before, and wasn't in a hurry to kill him. It wasn't until she took off his glasses and discovered his connection with Zhang Jin that he truly became her mortal enemy. She originally thought that Cheng Xiuye was worried about being discovered by Zhou Yiming as a traitor, but now it seems that it was Zhang Jin's order?
Who else could know about this and not be killed by him... besides the four guild leaders who are also from the Golden Name?
It turns out that Zhou Yiming wasn't unaware that Cheng Xiuye was a traitor. No wonder he let her beat Cheng Xiuye up in the main hall until she was actually about to kill him before he intervened...
Nanmen Jue seemed to be deliberately avoiding thinking about a certain possibility, letting this matter occupy his mind first.
"Judging from your expression, you probably don't know who he is?" Zhang Jin's voice rang out like a demon, directly attacking Nanmen Jue's psychological defenses. "I heard that he was always by your side in the previous world, and he actually kept his identity a secret from you? Nanmen Jue, what do you think he's after, hiding his identity and lurking by your side?"
Nanmen Jue gazed at him calmly.
"Think it over carefully, Nanmen Jue. He's not trustworthy," Zhang Jin tempted. "If he truly cared for you, why wouldn't he tell you who he is? What's the point of hiding it from him?"
Nanmen Jue finally spoke, "What do you want to say?"
“Cheng Xiuye isn’t one of my people. He’s a joke, a clown. He’s just a link in the chain of my deal with Zhou Yiming. He thinks he’s betrayed Zhou Yiming and can one day step on Zhou Yiming’s head. He also thinks he can fool me.” Zhang Jin chuckled. “It’s just an orange-level item. I gave it to him casually. Anyway, if he can really scam some Jinming, it won’t hurt me, right?”
"I'm telling you this out of sincerity. You know I believe in equal exchange. I want to ask you something, so I'll tell you some information you want to know first."
Nanmen Jue also curled up the corners of his lips, as if he had thought of something funny.
Zhang Jin stopped smiling. His gaze turned somber, and a glint of light flashed from his earring. Those around them seemed to feel an invisible force pushing them away, creating a small vacuum around the two of them.
Even though his chest was covered in blood, the aura he exuded in that instant made people believe that he was the strongest reincarnator in the reincarnation space.
Nanmen Jue reacted calmly. She did not retreat, but stared sharply at the strongest reincarnator, like a young and arrogant kindergarten teacher staring at the lion king's crown.
"You have a connection with the White-Robed Saint, don't you?" Zhang Jin asked in a deep voice.
In that instant, countless thoughts flooded into Nanmen Jue's mind. Among them, her strongest thought was that Zhang Jin actually didn't know Nanmen Yu's true identity!
That makes sense. If Zhang Jin knew that Nanmen Yu was the White-Clad Saint, given the time it took him to notice her and the equally terrifying influence of the four major guilds in reality, it was impossible for him not to know that Nanmen Yu was her sister.
He might even have uncovered her true gender.
Realizing this, she felt a surge of relief.
Nanmen Jue's emotional outburst lasted only a fleeting moment, but it was enough for Zhang Jin to catch it. He said with certainty, "As expected, what is your relationship with the White-Robed Saint?"
Nanmen Jue said, "Why do you care about this? What is your relationship with the White-Robed Saint?"
A strange look flashed across Zhang Jin's face, which disappeared just as quickly, but it was also noticed by Nanmen Jue.
"So, he approached you because of the White-Robed Saint." Zhang Jin switched to that very seductive tone again. "He's using you to find someone. Nanmen Jue, he has never trusted you."
"..." Nanmen Jue found it hard to describe her feelings. After a moment of silence, she followed her heart and asked the question that had been lingering in her mind, "Zhang Jin, are you gay?"
"Huh?" Zhang Jin's expression froze completely.
"Why are you so concerned about whether Ying Yao trusts me? Are you secretly in love with him or with me?" Nanmen Jue said. "Neither of us is interested in you, so I'll politely decline."
"..." This time, Zhang Jin fell into a long silence.
After a long pause, he spoke again, "Nanmen Jue, I'm not joking with you, you don't understand him at all..."
Before he could finish speaking, a powerful gust of air descended from the sky, like divine punishment, and landed directly on Zhang Jin's head. The speed and energy were so great that Zhang Jin didn't even have time to react and could only stand there and endure the attack.
boom--
Nanmen Jue was also impacted and had to retreat, pulling away two indigenous people who couldn't get out of the way in time. At this point, they were actually grateful for the vacuum zone Zhang Jin had created earlier; although he only intended it for ease of conversation, it indirectly reduced casualties.
who?
This attack acted as a pause button, freezing the chaotic battle in mid-air. Everyone stopped in a daze, and several reincarnators cautiously approached.
After the dust settled, Nanmen Jue removed his arm from his eyes and saw that what had just been thrown down was actually a small helicopter.
ah? ?
Everyone was dumbfounded. Not only were all signals in the Ghost Realm broken and all mechanical and electrical appliances unusable, but this thing could actually be used as a strike weapon?
No, not all machines malfunction; for example, items produced in the Divine Realm.
Nanmen Jue narrowed his eyes. In the scattered dust, a figure wearing a cloak stood quietly, complete with a mask and a veil. He was tall and straight, and if he were holding a sword, he would look exactly like a Jedi Knight.
Nanmen Jue: ...
With another loud crash, the helicopter was thrown to the side. Under the horrified gazes of the indigenous people, Zhang Jin climbed out in a fit of rage. Upon seeing the people in the field, he laughed in exasperation.
"Ying Yao, are you trying to completely break ties with me? Don't forget our agreement!"
"This Zhang Jin must be a social butterfly; he has so many people he's made appointments with." Nanmen Jue thought to himself, his gaze fixed on the cloaked figure in front of him.
Ying Yao knew that Nanmen Jue was right behind him, but he didn't turn around. He faced Zhang Jin, his right hand clenching as if holding a sword, but he didn't show it.
Nanmen Jue glanced at his hand and sensed the energy fluctuations. The lightsaber had indeed appeared, but perhaps due to optical cloaking, it was invisible to the naked eye.
Seeing his posture, Zhang Jin's expression changed, and when he spoke again, his tone was much gentler, "What do you want? I haven't broken the agreement, and you still want to get serious with me?"
Ying Yao remained silent and walked towards Zhang Jin.
Zhang Jin's expression changed, but his first reaction was to glance at Nanmen Jue.
The situation has changed.
Previously, Nanmen Jue and Zhang Jin each had their own concerns, and the two maintained a delicate balance, neither willing to take action. But now, with the addition of this forceful figure, regardless of any agreement between Ying Yao and Zhang Jin, he is now clearly on Nanmen Jue's side. With the two powerful figures joining forces, Zhang Jin must avoid their sharp edge.
But Zhang Jin didn't panic. He glanced at Nanmen Jue and then said sternly, "Stop! Ying Yao, I haven't broken the agreement. Don't forget what will happen if you attack me first!"
This caught Nanmen Jue's attention. Her eyes flickered, and seeing Ying Yao continuing forward as if he hadn't heard her, she rushed over and grabbed his arm.
Ying Yao looked at her. He was completely concealed in the reincarnation space, so his expression was not visible at all, but Nanmen Jue inexplicably sensed that he was very nervous.
Nanmen Jue opened his mouth, about to say something, when suddenly a familiar voice rang out from under the wall, heart-wrenching and clear enough for an ordinary person to hear.
"The Snow Woman is coming! Quick—run—the Snow Woman is coming—"
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and then panicked!
"What? The Snow Woman is coming?"
"We will all die!"
Nanmen Jue quickly looked up and saw dark clouds rolling in the sky. A powerful cold air mass was sweeping towards them. She felt a needle-like pain all over her body, and when she looked down, she saw that her exposed skin was covered with a layer of ice.
An unbearable chill swept in, freezing everything on the ground at a visible speed. Screams and cries of agony filled the air. Those who couldn't escape had their legs frozen to the ground. If they hadn't frantically hacked at the ice, they would have been turned into ice sculptures within minutes.
This is... the power of the Snow Woman? A strange power?
How do we defend against this? How do we attack this?
Even when facing the most powerful monster, Nanmen Jue had never felt such powerlessness. Suddenly, she felt a warmth in her hand. Ying Yao melted the ice on her hand and held her hand with his hot body temperature.
"Hurry!" Ying Yao said urgently. "The Weird One can't be killed, we have no chance of winning! There are too many people gathered here, leaving here is the only way to survive!"
Nanmen Jue's lips moved slightly. She turned around and saw that Zhang Jin had disappeared in the chaos of everyone fleeing, as had the few reincarnators who had followed him.
When faced with an enemy too powerful to defeat, isn't running away the normal choice? Everyone says that the supernatural can't be killed, so what's the point of keeping it alive?
But Nanmenjue's legs could not be pulled apart.
There must be... there must be something else we can do.
Wei Chongru and Mo Gui stumbled up the defensive wall and were pleasantly surprised to see Ying Yao, but their main focus was on Nanmen Jue.
"Brother Jue! Run!"
Another person's legs were frozen. He had no weapons and could not break the ice with his bare hands. He cried out in despair, but everyone was afraid and no one had time to save him.
Nanmen Jue's feet suddenly moved. She turned around and threw out the white bone knife. Compared to her knife, the ice was like fragile tofu, which would break with the slightest touch. After smashing the ice on the man's leg, it returned to her hand. Her eyes were burning as she looked at Ying Yao.
"The Snow Woman is here, what will happen to these people?"
“You will die,” Ying Yao said bluntly. “But you can’t save them, and even if you stay, it won’t make any difference.”
"How could it be meaningless?" Nanmen Jue threw out the bone knife again, shattering the ice on another person's leg. "If they run a few more steps, wouldn't their chances of survival be greater?"
Ying Yao fell silent, while Wei Chongru and Mo Gui both stared at her in disbelief.
Nanmen Jue's goal was clearly to kill everyone, but now she wants to save people, which has confused them all.
In desperation, the two looked to Ying Yao for help, hoping he could give them a clear answer, but Ying Yao could not give them that answer either.
"There is another way."
Amidst the falling snowflakes, Nanmen Jue stood with rolling dark clouds and a vast expanse of ice behind her, and a crowd of people fleeing in all their might before her. Her face was somewhat pale, but she slowly revealed a radiant smile, as beautiful as a poisonous plant blooming in the snow.
"We just need to kill everyone before the Snow Woman arrives."
She spoke lightly, and amidst the incredulous expressions of Mo Gui and Wei Chongru, she raised the flare tube.
Bang--
The shot landed in the crowd.
Another shell hit the prison.
Nanmen Jue fired six shots in a row, using up all the gunpowder in the cannon. A raging fire burned in the ice and snow, making it hard to tell whether it was hope or despair.
The prison was built with special materials, and it hadn't completely collapsed after being bombarded several times. Nanmen Jue frowned, walked up to the mortar that Zhang Jin had set up to deal with her, loaded it himself, and fired it.
While she was doing all this, the other three seemed to be petrified. They didn't stop her or run away. They just stared at her blankly until the entire prison was destroyed. Then they saw Nanmen Jue turn around and glance at the three of them.
Mo Gui and Wei Chongru both thought she was going to kill them as well.
But Nanmen Jue didn't. She took out two whole boxes of candles, scattered them haphazardly around, and lit them with a bang, forming a small but not insignificant encirclement.
“Come in!” she said to the three of them.
Wei Chongru and Mo Gui didn't move, but Ying Yao carried them one in each hand and stepped into the circle of flames.
The dark clouds are already overhead; there's no time to run. Now it's just a matter of whether these candles can ward off the real eeriness.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, turning the entire sky utterly black. The candlelight flickered eerily, yet it did not go out despite the heavy snow. Apart from Ying Yao, who was wearing a mask, all the others could see were each other's pale faces.
Nanmen Jue stared at the sky when suddenly an indescribable chill swept past her, triggering her instinct for self-defense. Her eyes suddenly sharpened, and she leaped up like a cheetah, but quickly suppressed it, only gradually retreating as she felt others pressing against her back.
The four people faced different directions, cautiously observing the surrounding darkness from within the protective circle of candles.
The dark clouds overhead stopped rolling.
A cold, viscous mist slid over them, spreading towards the raging fire behind them. The ice layer slowly rose from the ground, sealing the burning flames within, like crystal-clear amber.
As the flames died down, the snow seemed to be frozen in mid-air as well.
The whole world fell silent. Apart from the still-burning candles, there was no other sound. The four of them could clearly hear each other's breathing and heartbeats.
Everyone stared at this illogical scene, and no one spoke.
No further testing is needed. Just by looking at the Snow Woman's move, it's clear that this is something that no human can withstand, and she hasn't even shown herself yet.
By the way, why doesn't she show up?
Is this candle really that powerful, able to block out real eeriness?
Nanmen Jue looked down thoughtfully at the candle at her feet, and Ying Yao, who was close to her, obviously had the same thought and also looked down.
If this candle is really that powerful, then the difficulty of this world doesn't seem so bad after all...
"Brother Nanmen, what is this thing? It's so powerful."
Nanmen Jue was taken aback. Zhang Zhi, who had deliberately fallen into a deep sleep, was actually awakened by the stimulation. It seemed that the Snow Maiden's mental strength was extremely high, which made her heart sink even more.
“It’s a kind of, uh, ghost,” Nanmen Jue replied in his mind, his tone still quite relaxed. “We’ve come to play in a world with ghosts.”
"I am not a ghost, I am a monster."
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice joined their conversation, and Nanmen Jue froze instantly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com