Chapter 45
The stench that the tiny tentacles "smell" is not an ordinary stench, but an evil aura that corrodes the human body, causing it to go mad and become distorted.
Looking around the altar, it was filled with such evil energy! If Xie Xubai's willpower were even slightly weaker, he would be corrupted into a monster in no time.
How could the little tentacles not be enraged at the thought that the humans they loved had almost been killed?
It's not that the little tentacle is of high quality to only curse the garbage dump; rather, it's the most vicious adjective it can come up with in its small brain.
But that's okay, if you lack intelligence, you can make up for it with brute force.
—It wants to destroy this filthy place.
In an instant, the small tentacles pressed their bodies tightly against Xie Xubai, and the exposed roots kept squeezing outwards, stirring up magnificent waves on the originally calm surface of the shadow.
Those from the Jiang family outside the altar couldn't see the small tentacles, but they could feel a violent tremor emanating from the ground beneath their feet. Those who lost their footing tumbled head over heels, wincing in pain.
But they quickly forgot about the minor pain.
The once clear and azure sky suddenly became covered with dark clouds, and thick, silvery lightning bolts streaked through them, then suddenly roared, shaking the heavens and the earth!
A fierce wind howled both inside and outside the mountains, causing the tree branches to sway wildly, appearing like ghostly shadows in the increasingly dim light.
The Jiang family never had any hope that Xie Xubai would be able to summon the Buddha.
Now, people can simply stand on the altar and the earth will shake instantly. It is more than just shocking.
On the other side, Yan Yue and his assassins rushed over, swaying back and forth as the hurricane raged. They barely managed to regain their footing and rejoined the group following a message from their teammates.
At this moment, they were covered in wounds and looked exhausted, as if they had just gone through a great battle. Even their mental energy to use healing items was exhausted.
Seeing this, the other players rushed over to heal him.
Upon seeing the sandalwood box in Yan Yue's hand, they were all overjoyed.
“Hu Chang escaped. His identity is not simple.” Yan Yue seemed to know what they were thinking, and waved his hand with a bitter face. “Although I snatched this key item back from him, look.”
He took an ancient book out of the sandalwood box and handed it to the woman with the ponytail next to him.
This is a new skill! The girl was flattered that Yan Yue trusted them so much and accepted the ancient book. But when she opened it, she was dumbfounded.
What are these scribbles?
“Just as you can see.” Yan Yue pressed down on the constantly flipping pages with his palm, his finger pointing at the distorted characters. “Player level is insufficient to read.”
The player couldn't help but curse out loud: "Damn it, the system actually set a trap here."
"But the Jiang family head is keeping such a close eye on it, there must be a reason for it. I guess the Jiang family leaders throughout the ages have used the secret techniques recorded in this ancient book to control all members of the Jiang family."
After putting the ancient book back into the sandalwood box, Yan Yue analyzed logically and reasonably: "At that time, we may be able to use it to make a deal with the Jiang family who are unwilling to be bound, but there is a condition."
The other players asked in unison, "What's the premise?"
"Of course, survival comes first! ... Cough cough cough!" Yan Yue only opened his mouth slightly wide before his mouth was filled with air.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, thunder roared and lightning flashed. The earth shook, mountains trembled, and gale-force winds howled.
Looking at this scene that seemed to be about to destroy the world, even the most composed person would want to curse.
Yan Yue's pent-up emotions suddenly exploded: "What just happened? Why does this dungeon look like it's about to collapse?!"
Xie Xubai stood in the center of the altar, enveloped by the invisible power of the small tentacles, as if he were in the eye of a calm storm, where the wind could not reach him and the lightning could not strike him.
But with just a casual glance, he could see the Jiang family members looking utterly terrified.
Turning around again, one could see dark clouds churning outside the palace, from which silvery lightning bolts shot out, crashing down with terrifying force, splitting half the sky like an omen of the end times.
Xie Xubai was so startled that he grabbed the small tentacle with his other hand.
It was at this moment that he felt the usually soft and supple skin of his tentacles become incredibly hard, like a hedgehog suddenly raising all its sharp quills after getting angry. He quickly grabbed the tips of the excitedly extended tentacles: "Wait, Xiao Yi, don't be impulsive! What's wrong with you? Are you angry because of me?"
Once the small tentacles harden, the suction cups become like cold steel, incredibly strong, and impossible to bend.
Xie Xubai didn't care about anything else. In his haste, he reached out and hugged the little tentacle tightly with both hands: "I'm fine, really fine. Look at me, I'm in great shape now!"
The thunder roared as before, deafeningly loud.
Clearly, words alone cannot appease the enraged little tentacles.
Xie Xubai frantically searched his memory and finally, at the critical moment, suddenly remembered that, besides singing lullabies, there was a thing he had done unintentionally that had caused the little tentacles to react so strongly.
Seeing the slippery tentacles about to break free from his palm and turn this cyclical world upside down, he closed his eyes and leaned down to kiss them.
At this moment, all the players clung to the tree trunk, like drifting leaves, struggling to maintain their balance in the strong wind.
If we don't come up with a solution soon, not only will we not be able to clear the dungeon smoothly, but the entire dungeon and everyone else will probably be wiped out!
"We must find the source of the anomaly first!" Yan Yue said, taking out a detection tool shaped like a compass, with a pointer, a numerical table, and a display screen.
As he said, the props' effects allow for a detailed analysis of the source of the chaos.
The woman with the ponytail yelled, "I don't think we need to check—look in the middle of the altar, 99% of the time this commotion was caused by that NPC named Yu You!"
When they first met, Jiang Kaile made a bold statement that Xie Xubai was her only teacher. Then, Chan Sheng, who was about to die, was rescued by Xie Xubai, which made Yan Yue have a deep impression of the name "Yu You".
He then aimed the detection device at the center of the altar where Xie Xubai was located.
In an instant, the pointer spun wildly, and a bunch of incomprehensible gibberish appeared on the screen!
Yan Yue's expression changed drastically.
The other players asked anxiously, "President Yan, what does it mean by displaying it like this?"
"Normally, it will display the scale of the incident's harm here, from D to A, with the difficulty gradually increasing."
"What do you mean by 'garbled text'?"
Yan Yue stared intently at the altar and said with difficulty, "The level of harm exceeds Grade A."
Upon hearing this, all the players felt as if they were holding an iceberg instead of a tree trunk, chilling them to the bone.
In the "Dog Harm" dungeon, the Ghost King went berserk, and its stats skyrocketed, exceeding those of an A-rank, confirming the existence of the legendary S-rank.
Knowing something exists is one thing, but encountering it head-on is another.
Among those present were players who had given up on the previous dungeon, like the young couple. There were also lucky players who were carried by experienced players, like the assassin and another person. None of them had directly experienced the terror of an S-rank dungeon.
Right now, watching the numbers on the display climb sharply, turning a dangerously bright red, is like a drumbeat in one's heart.
Their voices were unusually dry with tension: "Then what does this mean?"
"This numerical table is usually only activated when facing strange creatures, and it represents their rage level."
“Green represents happiness, yellow represents displeasure, and red represents rage, which is violent when climbing to the top.” Yan Yue looked at the dark red color and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “No need to struggle anymore, just wait to die.”
Despite his calm tone, he was actually filled with a profound despair, his fingers loosening slightly from the detection plate.
The others looked back at the scene of the landslide and the cracking of the earth, shocked that it was actually caused by a monster that had not yet gone completely berserk. At the same time, they gained a more shocking understanding of the terrifying power of the S-class.
"Isn't there any way at all?"
Seeing that Yan Yue had clearly given up, the others said, "Why don't we rush over and stop that NPC now!"
"It's no use, it's all useless! See those Jiang family members? They're around the altar, and they're already losing their human form due to the pressure. If we rush over there, we'll probably be torn to shreds by the air currents in the next second!"
Yan Yue stared unfocusedly at the detection panel: "To change the situation now, unless a miracle happens... hmm?"
Not only Yan Yue showed surprise, but the other players were also surprised to see the anger value suddenly stop rising.
They doubted their eyes and rubbed them. When they opened their eyes again, their anger level had instantly dropped by 30 points!
The hurricanes no longer roared, the thunder no longer howled, and the ground beneath our feet stopped trembling.
Amidst the apocalyptic landscape, players sensed an eerie tranquility, stirring up a storm of emotions within them: What on earth has happened?
Yan Yue reacted immediately, looking in astonishment at the altar, which was now calm and free from the wind and waves.
The tall, slender figure raised his hands as if embracing an invisible and enormous monster, his eyelashes gently closed, and he placed a kiss on the cheek.
【……！】
Kissed by those two warm, soft lips, the little tentacle's head went blank, and its anger seemed to be blown away by a gentle breeze.
After a long while, it seemed to wake up from a dream and started to sway, coiling itself around Xie Xubai's body in circles.
[Hehehe, why did Bai Bai suddenly kiss me?]
It touched the cold sweat on the young man's temples, and its smug and happy tone suddenly changed, as if it realized something, and the volume became lower and lower.
Why are you sweating? ...Oh! Did I scare you? ...Is that right?
The skin of the tentacles beneath the palms became soft and fluffy again, like steamed white buns.
Xie Xubai breathed a sigh of relief when he knew that the little tentacle had finally regained its composure.
Stroking the tips of its seemingly frightened tentacles, Xie Xubai touched its suckers and soothed it gently, "Of course you weren't scared by Xiao Yi, it's just that you didn't respond to my calls..."
Before he could finish speaking, a thick white mist suddenly filled the air, spreading out like a surging cloud and enveloping the entire cycle world in the blink of an eye.
The sound of waves crashing on the shore grew louder as they approached, and giant waves gathered from all directions, seemingly gently enveloping him.
Xie Xubai subconsciously looked up and saw a tall figure shrouded in white mist walking out of the darkness.
His pace was unhurried, his every move exuding an unyielding aura, and his cold, sharp gaze seemed to pierce through space, inspiring awe.
Then he suddenly reached out and, like pulling a rubber band, grabbed the tip of the little tentacle!
[Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! It's going to split open! Ouch ...
Xie Xubai snapped back to his senses and rushed forward to pry open the figure's clenched fists: "Sir, please calm down and let's talk this out!"
Yan Shuo ignored him with a cold face.
He finally understood that only by keeping this detached body in a state of constant severe injury could he make it completely docile.
Seeing that Yan Shuo was about to crack the skin of the small tentacles, Xie Xubai, with a strength he didn't know he had, pressed down on the man's shoulder and squeezed in to look him in the eye: "Sir, please! Calm down, okay?"
Her clear eyes trembled incessantly, like ripples on a lake, filled with an urgent desire to save the little tentacle.
And the exhaustion from repeatedly calming down the two enraged monsters.
No, it should be said to have three heads.
—He is the third, furious monster.
When Yan Shuo realized this, his heart felt as if it had been swept by an invisible storm.
He couldn't help but frown, and his movements stopped.
While calmly and carefully observing his emotional changes, Xie Xubai relentlessly pried open his fingers.
Her long, slender, fair fingers grasped the man's broad, calloused, and powerful hand, and then pressed down on each of his fingers, from the base to the taut fingertips.
Xie Xubai didn't know how long he had been pressing, until all five of his fingers were almost numb and sore, before he finally found a tiny gap that allowed him to breathe.
He seized the opportunity to squeeze in, pried open the man's iron-like hands, and freed the struggling little tentacles.
The tiny tentacles regained their freedom and swiftly wrapped around Xie Xubai's wrist.
Sensing the murderous intent emanating from Yan Shuo, it asked in a pitiful voice, "Are you a pufferfish? Why are you angry again?!"
Yan Shuo glanced at his palm without leaving a trace.
When the young man broke him apart, he felt quite disgusted by the sins committed by his body.
The young man released the little tentacle without hesitation after saving it, which made the young man frown.
For a few short seconds, the faint warmth from Xie Xubai's skin lingered on his knuckles, then slowly dissipated in the damp, cold mist, like a drizzle, feeling both strange and unfamiliar.
Hearing the little tentacle's questioning voice, he snapped out of his reverie, raised his eyes, and glanced at it coldly: "Did I ever say that I can't fully unleash my power outside?"
The indignant little tentacle paused, its pointed tip slowly bending into a question mark.
[...Is there?]
Anyway, the little tentacle had no memory of it. It was a miracle that it could even exchange a few words with Yan Shuo, let alone teach itself to control its power.
But then, the small tentacles touched the young man's rapidly beating pulse and "heard" his pounding heartbeat.
Just as the little tentacle sensed, Xie Xubai was far from as calm as he appeared. After all, he had only met Yan Shuo once and had only a superficial understanding of men's true nature, so he couldn't estimate the consequences of provoking the other party.
[...]
For some reason, the little tentacle suddenly remembered how Xie Xubai had been so anxious and flustered in comforting it earlier.
...How is it any different from the Yan Shuo that frightens young people now?
Just as Xie Xubai was considering how to smooth things over, he suddenly felt the small tentacle detach from his wrist. He leaned over to Yan Shuo and said, "Then take half of my power."
I can't scare Bai Bai anymore.
It stretched out its pointed end: [To forever "cut" it off and rejoin the body; I know you've wanted to do this for a long time.]
The small tentacle has two brains, one on its belly and one at its base.
The part that it specifically gave to Yan Shuo contained one of its brains and half of its power.
To avoid worrying Xie Xubai, the little tentacle deliberately used its power to distort its speech, preventing the young man from hearing what it was saying.
Yan Shuo pinched the tip of the small tentacle, feeling no struggle. He lifted his eyelids, his anger turning into deep confusion.
He realized that the body was serious, willing to hand over all the strange and greedy power just so as not to frighten Xie Xubai.
He's... no longer like a monster.
Seeing that the atmosphere between the person and the tentacle was a bit off, Xie Xubai took two steps over, wrapped the small tentacle back around his wrist, pressed down on the wriggling little guy with his palm, and smiled nonchalantly: "Speaking of which, I didn't expect you to be a living Buddha. My apologies."
Yan Shuo knew that Xie Xubai was forcibly changing the subject, but he was filled with unanswerable questions and did not react for a moment.
After a long pause, she met Xie Xubai's gaze and said calmly, "I am not."
Xie Xubai was stunned for a moment: "Aren't you one? But Old Cai said that Xiao Yi is Buddha."
The little tentacle was still thinking of letting Yan Shuo take away its power, but Xie Xubai secretly rubbed and soothed it with his fingers, and it forgot itself for a second, happily twisting and turning.
“It’s not.” Yan Shuo glanced at the silly little tentacle, then moved it to Xie Xubai’s finger.
Xie Xubai's fingers paused, as if he could feel a burning gaze piercing through the white mist.
For some reason, when he stopped kneading the small tentacles, the man seemed to relax a lot.
Yan Shuo said, "There is no Buddha in this world, all have vanished. I just happened to obtain a part of the power, so I can respond to the call of the Buddha altar."
His gaze shifted to the motionless Old Cai, his expression unchangingly cold: "But the fact that he can mistake a demon for a Buddha without any doubt shows that his faith has been completely corrupted and he is not far from falling into depravity."
Xie Xubai was taken aback, focusing entirely on the words "there is no Buddha in this world".
He subconsciously pressed on, "If there is no Buddha in this world, then what is the story behind Jiang Kaile's identity as a Buddhist disciple?"
Yan Shuo said, "The Buddha I am referring to is the legendary Buddha who has attained enlightenment. Jiang Kaile was only born in response to the prayers of sentient beings; he has no spiritual cultivation and has not cultivated any Buddha-nature."
"However, according to common human understanding, he can indeed be called a Buddha's son. If he had been cultivating diligently in a temple from birth, instead of being corrupted by malice, perhaps a new Buddha could have been born in this world."
But that's obviously impossible.
It was not that the Jiang family successfully used evil magic to obtain the Buddha's disciple, but rather that the area was filled with resentment and the people were suffering, so the Buddha's disciple was born in response to their wishes.
Jiang Kaile is burdened with a mission; he cannot escape his misery until he resolves the Jiang family's long history of bloodshed.
Xie Xubai thought of Jiang Kaile's dream of becoming a chivalrous hero and couldn't help but feel a little lost: "Can you tell me how I should save him?"
Yan Shuo replied, "Didn't you already guess how to save him?"
"..."
As if he could read the young man's unrealistic thoughts, Yan Shuo coldly warned, "It's already a great fortune that he escaped the predetermined fate because of your intervention."
"If you are greedy and want to eliminate all the suffering he has experienced so far, it will lead to unimaginable tragedy."
Xie Xubai said, "Um... thank you for your advice."
As he spoke, he slowly lowered his eyelashes, his thumb digging into his index finger, leaving white marks.
Yan Shuo lowered his gaze, staring at Xie Xubai's long, trembling eyelashes, knowing that Xie Xubai was still racking his brains for a solution, clinging to that faint hope and refusing to let go.
This human... Yan Shuo saw many contradictory characteristics in him.
He can be very content. Even when he is exhausted, he can smile from the bottom of his heart as soon as a cat or dog rubs against him.
He can also be very greedy, for example right now, willing to risk his life on the scales of weighing the stakes in order to achieve his goal.
So was he content or greedy?
Will they always remain human, or will they transform into monsters at some point due to greed and prejudice?
Yan Shuo's thoughts were a bit unpredictable.
He rarely experienced this kind of perplexing feeling, but it occurred frequently after he met Xie Xubai.
An untimely curiosity also arose spontaneously.
He suddenly had a strong desire to know how long Xie Xubai could survive in this alienated world.
Xie Xubai, who was deep in thought, suddenly heard Yan Shuo say, "Jiang Kaile's past has shaped who he is today, so I cannot help you reverse time, as that would overturn cause and effect."
“But I can do one thing for you that might make you wish and stop Jiang Kaile from suffering any more pain.”
Yan Shuo raised one palm.
Xie Xubai looked down and suddenly saw several milky white lines spreading out from his chest, some light and some dark, extending all the way to the players not far away.
"These lines are the good karma you have created, and the souls connected by these lines possess the power you need."
"Soul Contract?"
"That was just something I said offhand. Their souls are affected by some kind of contract, and they have no control over their own bodies."
Xie Xubai subconsciously thought of the players being held hostage by the system and the missions.
But when I think about it more deeply, I can't help but get a headache.
Yan Shuo flicked his finger up and touched his forehead: "Calm down."
His fingers were icy cold, and a distinct chill rose from between his brows, bringing Xie Xubai back to his senses.
Xie Xubai composed himself and saw Yan Shuo pick out two lines from the chart and hand them to him.
He tentatively accepted it.
One of the threads was the darkest in color, faintly tinged with pale gold, and its direction seemed to lead to the Jiang family... Cicada Life?
Another thread also shows wisps of gold, with its end connected to Yan Yue.
"Gold represents faith. If these threads of good fortune can turn completely golden, they will become your followers, at your beck and call," Yan Shuo pointedly remarked. "Do you know how gods came to be?"
Xie Xubai suddenly understood the deeper meaning in Yan Shuo's words, his heart skipped a beat, and his pupils widened.
Yan Shuo sensed his shock and thought to himself how strange it was.
He showed no doubt or fear when facing Him, the true God, but became anxious and uneasy upon learning that he had the opportunity to become a god.
Xie Xubai frowned: "No, I didn't think of that..."
Yan Shuo almost blurted out: You want the power to save everyone, isn't that God?
He paused abruptly, swallowing back the seductive words, realizing he had lost his composure.
It was His specialty to tempt others into depravity, and He hadn't felt such intense interest in a long time, almost losing control of His true nature.
Xie Xubai was indeed uneasy. The leap from human to god was too great, and he felt that it was an identity and power that he could not control.
I worked so hard before because I wanted to have the confidence to face my adoptive father who had left home.
Now, he just wants to live an ordinary life with his cats and dogs, his students, and his friends.
Just turning around, I saw the various expressions on the faces of the Jiang family members. Some were distorted, some were angry, and none of them showed any kindness.
Xie Xubai understood that if he wanted the Jiang family to obey him, he needed to have the ability to intimidate them.
Yan Shuo then saw that in less than a second, the young man's eyes changed from unease and resistance to firmness and calmness.
Like a precious gem hidden in a stone, its magnificent and dazzling corner is suddenly revealed under the cutting knife of the stone.
Absolutely captivating.
I don't have the power to help them realize their wishes. If I want to gain their faith, I can only create momentum, like hiding a book in the belly of a fish in ancient times.
After Xie Xubai made up his mind, his thoughts raced and coincided with Yan Shuo's.
Just a small tentacle almost caused this cyclical world to collapse, so Yan Shuo certainly couldn't take direct action.
There is no Buddha in this world; Xie Xubai could not invite the Buddha.
But Yan Shuo could use illusion magic to drape him in a cassock, adorning it with colorful auspicious clouds, and commanding dragons and phoenixes to surround him.
Before Yan Shuo used his illusion magic, Xie Xubai asked, "You just said you could turn back time, so are you able to see the past?"
Yan Shuo asked, "What do you want to know?"
"Those two people in the Jiang family ancestral hall..."
"Jiang Shirong never intended for them to live. Before they were locked in coffins, he ordered them to be tied up in a kneeling position. That afternoon, the two men died from suffocation."
Xie Xubai closed his eyes.
On the one hand, he learned from Dr. Wu that most of Jiang Kaile's inner demons stemmed from the previous fire, and he felt relieved that his student was able to be freed.
On the other hand, he was deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of two distinct lives.
Compassionate and empathetic.
Perhaps it was due to preconceived notions, but Yan Shuo actually saw a trace of divinity in Xie Xubai's face.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and with a flick of his finger, he produced an eyebrow pencil dipped in red ink. Then, he reached out with his other hand and slowly lifted Xie Xubai's chin.
Xie Xubai's perspective was from bottom to top, while Yan Shuo's gaze was from high to low. Their eyes met, as if separated by an invisible force, creating a space where only the two of them existed.
They are very close.
Yan Shuo suddenly heard a rapid heartbeat and said calmly, "Keep a calm mind."
Xie Xubai blinked blankly. He felt very calm, his heartbeat and pulse were steady, and his body was not trembling or anything like that.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted, and he noticed that the white mist covering Yan Shuo's neck had unknowingly dissipated.
It was even more loose than last time, revealing a small part of her cheek, her features as cold and hard as if carved by a knife.
The next second, the vermilion brush, like a dragonfly skimming the water, touched his brow.
...
After an unknown amount of time, the Jiang family members and several players, whose time had been frozen due to the descent of the gods, were finally able to move again.
But the previously dark sky suddenly became incredibly bright, and the person in the center of the altar had completely changed!
Author's Note:
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