"Is this the pill that allowed me to fake my death?" Yin Ming picked up the black pill and examined it closely in the sunlight.
Whether it was Yin Ming's imagination or not, this pill felt more like a elixir to increase his cultivation level.
"The elder said that you must personally kill the young master."
Upon hearing the guard's words, Yin Ming nearly dropped the pill in his hand.
What the hell?! Is Yin Ming still half asleep? Or is this bodyguard still half asleep? Otherwise, why would he say something so frightening?!
"Impossible! Didn't the elders tell me before that I should treat the young master well, and once the young master trusts and relies on me, you would then have someone kill me to incite the young master's resentment?"
Yin Ming put the pills back into the jade box and argued frantically.
Did this guard get the mission wrong? Or was he not the same guard who delivered the message last time, so he didn't know that the elder's plan had changed?
"There's no mistake, this is the elder's latest order."
"The original plan was to summon an eighth-level magical beast, and when the two of you were no match for it, you would abandon the young master and run away."
"Once the young master realizes your betrayal and is being tortured to the point of near death by the monster, then you can go up to him and tell him that you arranged for this monster to be there, and that you were just pretending to be nice to him while actually toying with his life."
“Once he believes you and is completely desperate, then execute him using the cruelest punishments in the Department of Rewards and Punishments.”
As the guard uttered each word mercilessly, Yin Ming's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with disbelief, as if struck by lightning.
This plan sounds so damn familiar! Isn't this exactly the plot before the male protagonist's rebirth in the original work?
He's worked so hard for so long, why is this similar ending still what he got?!
Yin Ming had reason to suspect he was having a nightmare, but the sharp pain in his chest when he aggravated his wound told him that it was all real.
As if struck by a tremendous blow, Yin Ming asked in a trembling voice, unwilling to accept the situation:
"Why?"
Where did things go wrong? We had already agreed on everything, so why change the plans at the last minute?
Why force Yin Ming to kill Ling Yao himself when he could have achieved the same goal by faking his death?!
“The elder said that losing someone’s trust only brings sorrow. If we kill you, the young master will be unable to forget you, harboring resentment and adding to his inner demons. His resentment will not be pure.”
"But being deceived and betrayed by someone you trust is the fatal blow, and it is what can ignite the young master's resentment to the greatest extent."
"You don't need to worry too much. The elders won't blame you, and the young master will definitely understand your efforts."
Seeing that Yin Ming remained unmoved, the guard's eyes sharpened, and he spoke again:
"You should remember that the elder said this task is very important. Entrusting this task to you shows that the elder has high hopes for you."
"As long as you can complete this task successfully, the position of Grand Elder will be yours in the future."
If the villains in the original story heard this, they would be overjoyed and grateful, but to Yin Ming, it was nothing short of ridiculous.
Now you're saying that killing Yin Ming won't make Ling Yao's resentment pure? Where were you before?
It's unbelievable that he believed this so readily. I really don't know whether to say that Yin Ming was too stupid or that the Grand Elder was too cunning and treacherous.
Furthermore, do they really think the male protagonist, after his transformation, is some kind of good-natured, easy-going character who would patiently listen to their advice? They're overestimating themselves.
The guards continued chattering: "Now that the young master is injured, there's no need to set up these traps."
"The punishments that need to be inflicted are all written here. When the young master returns, you will proceed according to the remaining plan, from revealing the past to using punishments to execute the young master. Every step must be completed without fail."
"Once you've done all this, your task will be complete, understand?"
The guard handed over the letter, but when Yin Ming hesitated to take it, he simply tossed it into his arms.
"Elder knows you can't bear to harm the young master, but you have no choice but to do it."
"You don't want your people to be punished along with you, do you? The elders warned you that if you make any more mistakes in the future, you will bear the consequences."
Yin Ming raised an eyebrow, his face showing sudden realization—ah, so that's how it is.
He had been wondering what the consequences of being nice to Lingyao could be, but he never expected that threat to be waiting for him here.
Fearing he wouldn't have the heart to punish him, she even wrote the punishment on a letter and made him do it; how 'thoughtful'!
It seems that the Grand Elder's plan from the beginning was for Yin Ming to kill Ling Yao with his own hands. However, he saw that Yin Ming had ulterior motives, so he went along with it and added a layer of sugar-coated bullet to the blade.
This led Yin Ming to mistakenly believe that he could finally change his fate, thus spurring him to perform his mission with even greater dedication.
It must be said that this was a brilliant move.
"As you can see, I am seriously injured, while the young master has just advanced to the eighth realm. I am no match for him."
Knowing that the elder was determined to harm him, Yin Ming had nothing to say, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, Yin Ming would not give up trying.
"Now is the time for the Rejuvenation Pill in your hand to come in handy. Take it and you will quickly recover all your resentment. The young master is only at the end of his rope now and is nothing to fear."
"If you are truly no match for them... I remember you still have a Binding Immortal Rope."
The guard's gaze was cold and indifferent, and Yin Ming listened, his face ashen.
They even thought of what tools he might have; they're practically trying to force him to his death...
It seems that whatever he does is in vain.
Never mind... He should have understood long ago, starting from Shenyin Mountain, that even if the details changed, what was destined to happen would still happen.
He simply clung to a sliver of hope, believing that the outcome could truly be changed, and thus lived in the dreamlike illusion that the Grand Elder had created for him.
Now that I've been brought back to reality with a single blow, reflecting on everything that has happened during this period, it all seems truly absurd and laughable.
Yin Ming always makes the worst-case scenario his first decision. He had considered this outcome, so although he was devastated and sad, it wasn't unacceptable.
But if you think that this will make him face death calmly, then you are underestimating him.
Don't forget, there's also the big shot, Liu Ying.
Even if Liu Ying can't defeat Ling Yao in the future, at least for now, she can protect him for a while.
Yin Ming now has no choice but to kill Ling Yao himself as the Grand Elder has requested. Since the male protagonist in the original story would go straight to settle scores with the villains after his Nirvana, if Yin Ming can avoid this period and wait for Ling Yao to calm down before reappearing to explain, then his chances of survival should become fifty-fifty.
The reason it's only half is because the protagonist's character after his rebirth is absolutely self-centered, only acknowledging what he hears and sees.
He might not believe Yin Ming, but at least there's a glimmer of hope.
I'll live as many days as I can anyway.
Yin Ming stopped wasting time complaining; his immediate priority was to find help as soon as possible.
After the guards left, he took a deep breath, took out the dark green jade block that was lying quietly in the corner of his spatial ring, and infused it with a trace of resentment.
"Senior Liuying, I have a request."
A reply came quickly from the jade block; the firefly's voice rang directly in Yin Ming's mind:
What is it?
Yin Ming succinctly explained the current situation to Liu Ying. Liu Ying paused for a moment, then replied:
[A Soul Ring? How do you know about that?]
Yin Ming had only mentioned the Soul Ring casually, and he hadn't expected Liu Ying to care about that. Although he was somewhat surprised, now was not the time to dwell on it.
"Knowing is useless; the one I have is fake."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ying instructed him to place the soul ring on the jade block. A moment later, a soft laugh came from the other side: "Who said it's fake?"
Yin Ming raised an eyebrow in surprise. Although he didn't know how Liu Ying had made that certainty, her confident demeanor made Yin Ming waver slightly.
[If it's not fake, then why can't I use it?]
Liu Ying remained silent for a long while, as if searching for the right words, before finally explaining:
[Because only cultivators at the ninth realm can separate their soul from their body. Your spirit cannot leave your body, so how can you enter the Soul Ring?]
Yin Ming choked, never expecting this setting; it wasn't written in the original work.
However, the male protagonist did only obtain and use this soul ring when he reached the ninth realm.
He has disturbed me; I shall take my leave now.
That means even if this thing were real, it wouldn't be of any use, since Yin Ming is only at the high-level of the seventh realm, which is far from enough.
Yin Ming sighed in frustration. So why did this soul ring even appear? It was a complete waste of his expectations.
I can help you use this soul ring.
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