He only announced his origin, not his surname.

Li Zhuiyuan wanted him to know: someone from the Qin family has arrived.

The debts of the previous generation would be settled by this generation.

After receiving final confirmation, Zhou Yunfan’s eyes revealed deep resentment.

Chen Xiyuan looked puzzled. Wasn’t it the father of the person above who manipulated and orchestrated the siege of the Qin family’s Zhǒngjiāng back then?

“No, what exactly is he resentful about?”

Chen Xiyuan had recently experienced something similar to Qin Shū’s experience in the ancient tomb museum.

That day, the opponents were numerous and powerful, so she could only escape with the help of her little brother, unable to truly kill or cripple anyone.

But if she had really killed someone, and then many years later, that person’s descendant suddenly appeared before her, showing resentment and saying:

“Because you killed my father (mother) back then, I’ve had such a terrible life; I hate you!”

Chen Xiyuan would genuinely burst out laughing.

“Heh, what kind of person is this?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “A filial person.”

Chen Xiyuan blinked, then covered her mouth, smiling and nodding: “Yes, you’re absolutely right.”

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Zhou Yunfan and asked:

“How is your father?”

Zhou Yunfan didn’t answer, but upon hearing the question, his originally handsome face became distorted with rage.

Li Zhuiyuan: “My uncle isn’t doing well either. The old lady always thinks he’s stupid and useless, often scolding him and ordering him around, making him either farm or haul goods, toiling all day without a moment’s rest.”

Zhou Yunfan clenched his fingers, veins bulging on the skin exposed beyond his clothes.

Li Zhuiyuan continued:

“My uncle has always had a great regret in his heart, a regret that can never be undone in this life.

After all,

your father is merely paralyzed in bed, living a life worse than a dog, but my uncle, he lost his dream.”

Black Qi surged around Zhou Yunfan, enveloping most of his body.

Chen Xiyuan stared at the young man beside her in surprise. Her little brother was always a man of few words, but when he truly spoke, his offensive was incredibly strong.

Chen family’s daughter was like a sponge, desperately soaking up water since she met Li Zhuiyuan.

She saw Zhou Yunfan’s emotional fluctuations, but what she desired more was this kind of joy in her little brother at this moment.

What Chen Xiyuan didn’t know was that Li Zhuiyuan actually found it difficult to derive joy from such methods.

Zhou Yunfan: “Heh heh, it seems the Qin family has truly fallen. Zhǒngjiāng now requires such a grand display.”

Throughout the long river of history, every generation of Qin family’s Dragon Kings would Zhǒngjiāng alone, either to be forgotten by the Jiānghú or to conquer a generation of Jiānghú.

This was not to show off deliberately, nor was it due to the Qin family’s arrogance, but because the “Qin Clan’s Dragon-Observing Method” required an individual to face desperate situations of overwhelming odds repeatedly to gradually rise to the highest realm.

Whether it was partners, subordinates, or other external forces, they might provide short-term assistance, but from a long-term perspective, they were a hindrance.

Moreover, Zhǒngjiāng alone meant one person monopolized the merits of the entire team. Even if injured or encountering some unexpected events, one could rely on the opportunities generated by merits to compensate as much as possible.

Generations of Qin family members regarded Zhǒngjiāng as their whetstone.

However, despite this deep-seated reason, the courage of Zhǒngjiāng alone was indeed worthy of Jiānghú’s admiration.

Nonetheless, Zhou Yunfan’s ridicule and mockery, directed at the Qin family’s prestige, had no effect on Li Zhuiyuan.

Because if the Heavenly Dao permitted him to practice martial arts after reaching adulthood, and then allowed him to decide when to light the lamp and Zhǒngjiāng.

Li Zhuiyuan would also Zhǒngjiāng alone.

Li Zhuiyuan said calmly, “I am Zhǒngjiāng alone.”

Zhou Yunfan pointed at the group of people around the young man below: “Are you talking nonsense with your eyes open? You’re Zhǒngjiāng alone, then who are they?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Before today, have you heard of another Zhǒngjiāng person appearing from the Qin family?”

Zhou Yunfan froze.

Li Zhuiyuan: “I guarantee you, after today, there will be no news in the Jiānghú about someone from the Qin family Zhǒngjiāng.”

Zhou Yunfan understood the meaning in the young man’s words.

As long as the young man killed everyone who knew his identity to silence them, then the Qin family’s tradition of Zhǒngjiāng alone through generations would remain.

Zhou Yunfan: “It seems, with past lessons, the Qin family has indeed grown smarter. But can a smarter Qin family still uphold the ‘Qin Clan’s Dragon-Observing Method’?

In you, I see the decline of Dragon King Qin.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “In you, I see the demise of the Jīguān Zhou family and the extinction of the Hégǔ Ding family in the near future.”

Zhou Yunfan: “Do you think my father was the only one who made a move back then? Dragon King Qin is now so desperate for revenge that he has to pick on the weakest targets?”

Li Zhuiyuan:

“You have to eat your food one bite at a time, do things one at a time, and take revenge one by one. I am young, I am not in a hurry.

Besides, idiots should die first.

I guess your father was probably just a minion back then, easily fooled a few times, and thought he could stand with those people. But he paid the heaviest price, and when the Qin family comes to settle scores in the future, he will be the first one they look for.

You are the same.

You shouldn’t have started fishing so quickly after realizing that someone among us knew the ‘Qin Clan’s Dragon-Observing Method.’

Regarding what happened back then,

our Qin family hasn’t even begun to involve the innocent, yet you’ve already started involving the Qin family.

You are very smart,

but,

you are also very foolish.”

Zhou Yunfan took a deep breath, raised his hands, and the burning wooden sphere beneath his feet crashed down with a “boom.”

Rùnshēng dashed forward several steps, leaped upwards, and, holding the Yellow River Shovel, fiercely struck the wooden sphere.

“Bang!”

The wooden sphere shattered, but the flames attached to it, as they dispersed, formed a huge net in mid-air, casting down.

Lín Shūyǒu activated his vertical pupils and lunged forward. Instead of pulling out his golden cudgels, he held his hands in a phantom grip, and two trident phantoms, longer than before, materialized.

Báihè Zhēnjūn’s figure rotated, the trident phantoms danced in blurs, and the falling fire net from above was also torn and shredded.

Tán Wénbīn looked up at Zhou Yunfan, who was still standing above, and used his five senses to intimidate him.

Zhou Yunfan’s resentment flickered slightly, but quickly recovered.

Tán Wénbīn reminded him mentally: “Xiǎoyuǎn-gē, his will is so firm.”

Li Zhuiyuan responded in his mind: “Hmm, he shouldn’t have lost his temper in the first place.”

Rùnshēng came to Lín Shūyǒu’s side, raising the Yellow River Shovel.

As Lín Shūyǒu landed, he first drew his twin cudgels, then pushed off with one foot downwards.

The next moment, Lín Shūyǒu shot upwards like an arrow, flying towards the top with terrifying speed.

Chen Xiyuan pursed her lips.

Of course, she knew that her little brother’s secret technique, which allowed for private communication, wasn’t just for whispering.

But when its specific combat effectiveness was displayed before her eyes, she was still shocked.

The precision in controlling details such as strength, amplitude, and timing had long gone beyond the realm of practice makes perfect, because under such force, it was simply impossible to practice. One failure would mean Lín Shūyǒu’s leg being directly shattered by Rùnshēng.

Their ability to achieve such natural success was entirely due to the little brother’s deduction and control behind the scenes.

In this way, the overall team strength would increase by several magnitudes compared to the mere superposition of individual strengths.

At that moment, the Chen family’s daughter felt an urge to be connected by the secret technique again. She wanted to see what kind of power she could unleash under the command of her little brother.

Her little brother definitely had this ability. The prerequisite for his companions to cooperate so seamlessly was that her little brother had completely mastered all their characteristics.

Perhaps, her little brother would even provide specialized, individual coaching for them.

Such an existence, in any force of the Jiānghú, would be regarded as a priceless treasure.

Because with him, one could advance their family’s inheritance by more than just one level.

No wonder that old lady from the Liu family was so generous with her little brother, entrusting both family lineages and her granddaughter to him.

If it were her own grandfather, upon seeing such a terrifying treasure, he might even be inclined to recruit…

Chen Xiyuan shook her head:

No, her own grandfather and grandmother had always planned to find a son-in-law to live with them.

Lín Shūyǒu, boosted by extreme speed, charged directly towards Zhou Yunfan above.

Zhou Yunfan extended one hand downward, and one of the two previously inert wooden spheres instantly split open, forming neat wooden splinters that sliced towards Lín Shūyǒu.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Lín Shūyǒu wielded his twin cudgels, smashing all obstacles to pieces, still pressing forward relentlessly until he stood before Zhou Yunfan.

Zhou Yunfan drew a black ruler from his sleeve and engaged Lín Shūyǒu, not losing an inch.

This meant that Zhou Yunfan’s personal strength was very formidable.

Miss Ding and her maid were merely accessories to him, so whether in the corridor or during his earlier secluded meditation, he cared little for their lives.

This point was truly very similar to the old Zhào Yì.

Moreover, both of them were very skilled at sweet-talking women.

However, Zhào Yì has changed a lot since learning from his ancestors’ style. He is willing to show greater patience towards Chen Jing, waiting for her to grow, and has already come to regard the Liang family sisters as his own family.

“Tán Wénbīn, go.”

Tán Wénbīn’s blood ape power erupted, charging towards Rùnshēng. Rùnshēng bent his knees and leaned forward. After Tán Wénbīn, like an ape, stepped on Rùnshēng’s knees and back to reach his head, Rùnshēng threw a punch upwards, colliding with Tán Wénbīn’s foot.

“Bang!”

Tán Wénbīn also leaped up with extreme speed, though his posture and stance were not as elegant and graceful as Báihè Zhēnjūn’s.

After all, this was an ape’s instinct; some characteristics in combat cannot be changed, and forcing a change would prevent maximization of efficiency.

With Tán Wénbīn’s addition, it became a two-on-one situation above, and Zhou Yunfan immediately fell into a disadvantage, unable to counterattack, only able to defend.

That ruler truly was a good item.

It wasn’t an antique, but a new item, likely crafted by Zhou Yunfan himself. With the Ding family providing resources, he could indeed fully utilize his Jīguān talents.

Chen Xiyuan: “Little brother, shall I go grab that ruler and give it to you?”

Hearing this, Li Zhuiyuan began to reflect.

He was probably so poor that he couldn’t help but stare a little longer whenever he saw something good, so much so that even Chen Xiyuan noticed it.

Chen Xiyuan made a gesture as if to charge forward; she also wanted to experience the feeling of being boosted by Rùnshēng.

Most importantly, she felt that if she went up, the battle above would soon end.

Lín Shūyǒu and Tán Wénbīn’s fighting style, in her eyes, was still too conservative.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Chen Xiyuan, then looked back.

Though not connected, there was no need to speak; the meaning was for her to stay behind.

Chen Xiyuan turned her head and glanced towards the entrance, whispering:

“Perhaps there are still people coming from outside?”

The young man nodded slightly.

In a short period, no other Zhǒngjiāng team should arrive here, as Jīguān Shù and similar inheritances are quite niche.

Everyone who came to the Yu family either followed Yu Dìběi to pursue the greatest “opportunity” or had to seize the time to choose what suited them best.

Although Dragon King Yu once sealed his door for sixty years, when things were normal before, he would still have regular interactions with the Jiānghú. Naturally, people would visit. A Zhǒngjiāng practitioner only needed to review their ancestors’ notes to understand some of the Yu family’s internal affairs in advance, setting their goals early instead of scurrying around like headless chickens.

But here, two cats had just been lured in. The plump one died after being severely injured by an explosion, and the healthy one, though it left, most likely didn’t go far.

That old Daoist priest knew there were still people in the pagoda.

It was dark; he might even “accidentally” wander in to check, which could be explained as a troubled conscience, wanting to collect the body of Ding Luòxiāng, whom he “accidentally killed.”

Undoubtedly, Chen Xiyuan was the strongest individual on their side. Only she would have a chance to intercept that old Daoist priest, who might return at any moment.

Rùnshēng did not go up to join the fight, but stood quietly below, watching.

The intense struggle above did not last too long.

As Tán Wénbīn seized another opportunity, his five senses successfully interfered with Zhou Yunfan. Lín Shūyǒu’s golden cudgel finally broke through the opponent’s defense and struck his chest.

In a normal one-on-one fight, purely comparing unarmed combat skills, Lín Shūyǒu might not necessarily have defeated his opponent. It can only be said that the Zhǒngjiāng teams entering the Yu family this time all had a very high baseline. Even if their primary focus was Jīguān Shù, they had no obvious weaknesses in other aspects.

But this did not signify an end; rather, it was the true beginning.

Zhou Yunfan, falling, clasped his hands, and black Qi rapidly erupted around him, pulling at his surroundings.

All at once, the entire pagoda began to tremble.

In fact, this pagoda could be entirely viewed as a large-scale Jīguān.

Zhou Yunfan, who had successfully comprehended a round of the sun, was now the absolute master here.

“Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!”

Inside the pagoda, the walls began to rotate. First, stairs that weren’t there before suddenly appeared, attempting to crush Lín Shūyǒu and Tán Wénbīn, who had jumped down to continue the pursuit.

Lín Shūyǒu was agile, and the blood ape’s movements were even more nimble. The two swiftly maneuvered in mid-air to evade.

The ground of the pagoda began to sink, and black gears emerged, rapidly rotating. They first split from the middle, then formed a giant gear, rolling towards Li Zhuiyuan’s position.

Rùnshēng’s Qi aperture opened, his center of gravity lowered, and as he stepped forward, he held the Yellow River Shovel with both hands, jamming the shovel handle into the gear’s groove.

“Crunch…”

The piercing friction sound was like countless people screaming simultaneously.

The grooves on Rùnshēng’s body flowed rapidly, gathering momentum.

Although Chen Xiyuan was still standing behind the young man, one hand was already resting on his shoulder. If Rùnshēng couldn’t hold on, she could still safely get the young man out.

Li Zhuiyuan took her hand, moved it away, and said:

“Go outside and observe the changes in the architecture.”

Chen Xiyuan tiptoed, moving swiftly backward, exiting the main door and coming outside. After a quick glance, she immediately returned. Her speed was no slower than when Lín Shūyǒu and Tán Wénbīn had previously borrowed Rùnshēng’s strength.

“The outside of the pagoda hasn’t changed.”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, indicating he understood.

On the ground beneath Zhou Yunfan, an altar appeared. This altar continuously stacked and “grew” upwards, steadily catching him.

Immediately after, Zhou Yunfan’s hand gestures became faster and faster.

First, the large black gear that Rùnshēng was forcefully jamming began to turn red, and its temperature rose.

The Qi sprayed from Rùnshēng’s Qi apertures turned into white steam.

However, Rùnshēng still didn’t retreat, keeping the gear firmly jammed.

On both sides, diagonally above, first with Lín Shūyǒu, two giant hands made of spliced materials from the pagoda appeared. One opened its five fingers to grab, and the other clenched into a fist to smash.

But with two hands prepared, it should, in theory, block Lín Shūyǒu’s escape paths more effectively, yet Lín Shūyǒu could still swiftly dodge, unharmed, without even needing to confront them directly.

Zhou Yunfan’s eyes showed surprise: This young man with vertical pupils actually understood Jīguān Shù.

On the other side, Tán Wénbīn faced grayish snakes formed from wall bricks. On the snakes’ bodies, each brick had its own runes, their eyes were two eternal lamps, and the fangs in their mouths were even railings used to hold three wooden spheres, inherently strong and durable.

However, Tán Wénbīn was still constantly dodging and leaping, sometimes jumping onto the snake’s head to leap higher, sometimes climbing its body to slide down. The situation was dangerous, but it never managed to harm him.

Zhou Yunfan: You, you actually also understand Jīguān Shù?

After obtaining this part of the Yu family’s inheritance, this pagoda had already become Zhou Yunfan’s home ground.

For a Jīguān Master, it was simply a dream battleground.

If it were other Zhǒngjiāng teams, as long as they dared to enter this pagoda, Zhou Yunfan would use the advantage of his home ground to exert terrifying suppression.

Not to mention crushing them, at least he could inflict heavy damage with a sudden strike.

However, such a situation did not occur.

Their various predictive movements completely avoided all threats and were gradually approaching him.

Even Rùnshēng below, after enduring the huge gear for a long time and accumulating enough momentum on his body, also began to exert and release force according to a certain frequency.

From the gear, a crushing sound gradually emerged, and some of the smaller gears below had already started to deform.

Zhou Yunfan stared intently at Rùnshēng below. This was even more outrageous, because this fellow was not only resisting the basic operation of the entire pagoda, but also interfering with and disrupting its operational logic in reverse.

Is this a Jīguān Master with astonishing physical strength?

Zhou Yunfan didn’t believe that in the niche field of Jīguān Master, so many peers with an understanding of Jīguān Shù no less than his own would suddenly appear, and these peers were coincidentally all concentrated in one Zhǒngjiāng team. It couldn’t be that their hobby during Zhǒngjiāng breaks was to gather and study Jīguān Shù, could it?

The man’s gaze fell on the young man who had been standing there all along.

By intuition, he guessed that although the young man hadn’t moved at all, his presence was felt everywhere on the battlefield.

Zhou Yunfan waved his hand, and round holes appeared on the altar steps beneath his feet. Sharps like javelins shot towards the young man.

He now had to contend with pressure from three sides, so he couldn’t spare more energy at this moment. This move was merely a test.

Chen Xiyuan kept an eye on the young man’s expression from the corner of her eye. As soon as her little brother nudged her, she would go.

Li Zhuiyuan did not, but simply raised his right hand and pointed his index finger downwards.

“Om! Om! Om!”

All the javelins neatly plunged into the ground in front of him, like rice seedlings planted in a field.

The ancestors of the Qi family were definitely extraordinary beings in their era, but unfortunately, the family’s development path suffered a planning error. After moving away from the mundane world and the Jiānghú to a small village with excellent Feng Shui, they dedicated themselves to studying spatial rifts. Generations of decline eventually led to them being “replaced by the Tian family ruling Qi.”

If one were to consider “Qi’s Spring and Autumn” as the foundational scripture, it would certainly be no less than the Zhou family, who specialized in Jīguān Shù.

Furthermore, Li Zhuiyuan cultivates all three—array, wind, and technique—which can effectively aid his understanding of Jīguān Shù.

In terms of the many derived techniques of Jīguān Shù, Li Zhuiyuan is definitely far inferior to Zhou Yunfan, but if it’s just a problem presented for him to solve, it’s really simple for the young man.

Zhou Yunfan: “How rare! The Qin family has actually started studying Jīguān Shù?”

Chen Xiyuan, behind the young man, now really wanted to interject: What’s even rarer is that the Qin family hasn’t practiced martial arts.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Hurry up, there’s still a lot to do.”

No sooner had the young man’s words fallen than,

Above, Lín Shūyǒu and Tán Wénbīn further accelerated, rapidly closing the distance with Zhou Yunfan.

Below, the smaller gears beneath the large gear broke one by one. Accompanied by a loud roar from Rùnshēng, cracks appeared in the large gear in front of him, its red color faded, and the high temperature decreased.

And this directly led to a stutter in Zhou Yunfan’s control over the internal Jīguān of the pagoda.

Tán Wénbīn and Lín Shūyǒu broke through the obstruction and reached the altar.

Zhou Yunfan was once again struck down by Lín Shūyǒu’s cudgel.

Rùnshēng raised his Yellow River Shovel, stepped on the gear in front of him to ascend, and with a swing, struck Zhou Yunfan, who was just falling.

“Bang!”

This shovel strike landed solidly.

The moment the shovel fell, various accessories could be seen appearing on Zhou Yunfan’s body, much like the array of devices that automatically protected Ding Luòxiāng when she faced that “old thing’s” finger behind the stone door.

It can only be said that the Ding family truly had abundant resources, and Zhou Yunfan, as a live-in son-in-law, indeed possessed many life-saving devices.

But even so, facing Rùnshēng’s solid shovel strike, Zhou Yunfan was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the pagoda wall.

All the Jīguān that were previously controlled now returned to their places. The interior environment of the pagoda was restored to its original state, except for some pitting on the walls and a few more depressions on the ground.

“Pfft…”

Zhou Yunfan clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.

He stared intently at Li Zhuiyuan:

“You, freak!”

A Qin family member, without engaging in close combat, had defeated him.

Lín Shūyǒu landed steadily, holding his twin cudgels diagonally to his side. Tán Wénbīn landed on all fours, then reached up to scratch his neck.

Rùnshēng’s Qi apertures continuously opened and closed. The momentum accumulated earlier first shattered the large gear, and finally, he powerfully struck Zhou Yunfan. At this point, he also needed a moment to recover.

This match, seemingly not so tragic, actually saw the full deployment of the team’s overall strength in a non-extreme state.

Zhou Yunfan: “Do you want to know the contents of the Yu family’s Jīguān Shù inheritance? I can only say, it truly lives up to the Dragon King lineage. Such a foundation is truly astonishing. This part of the inheritance is simply a treasure of my path.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Yes.”

Zhou Yunfan: “But I won’t tell you. No matter what you threaten me with, no matter how you torment me, I won’t tell you. Give up, ha ha!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “It’s fine, after you die, I’ll still get what I want.”

Zhou Yunfan’s expression froze, and he said in disbelief, “You actually possess such a secret technique.”

Tán Wénbīn, like a red shadow, suddenly charged forward, one hand outstretched, the other poised behind, adopting a stance to twist Zhou Yunfan’s neck.

Zhou Yunfan shrieked, “Don’t even think of doing anything with my corpse! I will take this inheritance with me to my grave, ha ha ha!”

Tán Wénbīn’s speed was already fast enough, but ultimately, he was a step too late.

Zhou Yunfan, lying on the ground, raised his palm. Blue flames溢出 from his palm and he clapped it onto his chest.

The flames quickly ignited his entire body, illuminating his grimacing face that was twisted into a smile.

By the time Tán Wénbīn appeared before him, Zhou Yunfan’s entire being had already become ethereal. As the blue flames dissipated, only a humanoid pile of ashes remained on the spot.

Chen Xiyuan couldn’t help but want to question the young man: How could you directly tell him that you can search his corpse’s memory?

But she still held back!

She looked at Tán Wénbīn:

“How could you make such an obvious move in advance? Didn’t that clearly tell him you wanted to preserve his corpse for another use?”

Tán Wénbīn stuck out his tongue, smiling somewhat awkwardly.

He was now experiencing the treatment of the former outer team.

This Miss Chen is truly a woman of strong character; if she has a good initial impression of you, she will forever treat you with double standards, taking favoritism to the extreme.

But it must be said, this somewhat unreasonable subjective style really curbed his Xiǎoyuǎn-gē’s objective rationality.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the humanoid ashes and looked down.

Chen Xiyuan, half-turned and keeping an eye on the door, slowly followed, comforting him:

“It’s okay, even if you didn’t get the inheritance, at least you’ve had your revenge. I don’t know if my Chen family has any Jīguān Shù related collections, but if you want them, next time I take you to my ancestral home, you can steal them yourself. I think the array formations in my ancestral home probably won’t stop you… just don’t tell me when you do it.”

Li Zhuiyuan raised his foot and brushed aside the ashes beneath.

The young man frowned slightly; that ruler had also been burned to ashes.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at Chen Xiyuan.

“Uh…”

Chen Xiyuan pointed to her face. Recently, she had grown somewhat accustomed to this feeling, so she could only ask cautiously:

“Sister, am I stupid again?”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Chen Xiyuan: “He’s not dead!”

The young man raised his hand and pointed to the sky.

There were originally three wooden spheres there. The one that was initially burning shattered when Rùnshēng struck it with a shovel as it fell. Another disintegrated when it blocked Lín Shūyǒu’s upward charge.

Now, only one wooden sphere remained, suspended there.

Chen Xiyuan: “Little brother, when did you find out?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I told you, nobody likes to talk to themselves. Saying so much to a dying person also counts as talking to yourself.”

When he walked into this pagoda and met Zhou Yunfan’s hateful gaze, Li Zhuiyuan already had suspicions.

Although they hadn’t interacted much and had only just met today, how could someone who was expelled from his family as a child and managed to rise again in another family have such an imbalanced temperament?

Not to mention his cautious behavior of repeatedly fishing in the corridor before. This was a very cunning fellow, and showing no emotion should be his basic quality.

Even if all else failed, throughout history, if you didn’t have a temperament that could endure grievances and pressure, you really couldn’t be a live-in son-in-law.

Of course, there was also a possibility that the label “Qin family member” had long been a shadow in his heart.

Perhaps, to keep himself striving and climbing, from childhood to the present, he had repeatedly indoctrinated himself with hatred for the Qin family, leading the resentment to seep into his bones and form an uncontrollable reflex.

To rule out this possibility, Li Zhuiyuan chatted a few more words with Zhou Yunfan.

What was funny was that Zhou Yunfan was quite cooperative.

Every time he mocked, Zhou Yunfan would very cooperatively make himself appear more angry.

The sense of rhythm and responsiveness was very strong, absolutely not allowing him to be left in an awkward silence.

At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan was completely certain that the other party had an intention, preparing for his impending “death.”

To be honest, his acting skills were quite good, after all, he managed to deceive the Ding family into investing in his inherently selfish and cold-blooded self.

But in terms of acting skills, Zhou Yunfan couldn’t possibly surpass himself, an actor who started acting even before he could walk, only crawl.

Moreover, since childhood, he also had an “old actress” mother who constantly rehearsed with him.

Furthermore, Zhou Yunfan, when fully immersed in his comprehension earlier, didn’t know what exactly was happening outside, which meant his understanding of the young man was far less profound than the young man’s understanding of him.

He couldn’t have died so easily, so uneventfully, which was also a kind of affirmation from the young man.

Although, he certainly didn’t want this kind of recognition.

Finally, Tán Wénbīn’s five-sense intimidation was resisted by his firm will, which was another piece of evidence.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his mouth and said, “Are you still going to hide? It’s no fun if you keep hiding.”

“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”

The wooden sphere peeled open layer by layer like an onion, revealing Zhou Yunfan naked inside.

His face was as gloomy as water, staring at the young man below.

Chen Xiyuan silently sighed in her heart. She thought she had already entered the realm of Zhǒngjiāng, but her understanding was repeatedly shattered by the young man, making her feel like an outsider again.

It turned out that when her little brother and that person were communicating earlier upon entering, only she was fully engaged, and she even became a mere backdrop for their conversation.

Chen Xiyuan: “I was truly ridiculous just now.”

She even tutored Tán Wénbīn on his movements.

Li Zhuiyuan: “You gave him hope, which will make him even more desperate.”

Chen Xiyuan: “This Jiāng is getting harder and harder to cross.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Remember that you will die, and then learn slowly.”

Tán Wénbīn couldn’t help but glance over here. Xiǎoyuǎn-gē’s patience with Miss Chen was clearly greater.

Tán Wénbīn understood this perfectly; after all, Miss Chen was not only kind-hearted but also generous.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and gently waved towards the entrance.

Rùnshēng, Tán Wénbīn, and Lín Shūyǒu once again rushed forward, launching an attack on Zhou Yunfan, while Chen Xiyuan returned to the door herself to stand guard.

Zhou Yunfan: “Spare others when you can; why press so hard?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Did my uncle survive the encirclement by your father’s people because your father and his gang showed mercy?”

Zhou Yunfan: “When will this cycle of revenge end? I’m willing to offer the Jīguān Shù inheritance I just comprehended in exchange for my life!”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: “You weren’t even willing to leave that ruler for me.”

The three, Rùnshēng, completed the encirclement.

Zhou Yunfan tilted his neck. Without clothes to obscure it, one could clearly see the neat lines on his skin, like fleshy grids, beginning to move.

Leaning forward, he descended.

Rùnshēng swung his shovel, being the first to meet him.

Zhou Yunfan swung his right arm, which instantly extended, creating a “bang” as it struck. Rùnshēng’s figure was actually halted.

And when Lín Shūyǒu attacked from the side, Zhou Yunfan’s body stretched again, dodging the attack while still able to counterattack in an incomprehensible manner.

As the levels of Zhǒngjiāng increased, one encountered more and more ruthless individuals. At present, Zhào Yì, who enjoyed flaying people, seemed a bit out of his league.

That one from the Ming family liked to mess with their own soul, and this son-in-law of the Ding family actually disassembled his true body into a Jīguān puppet.

They are all people who pursue progress and power at all costs, they are all geniuses. And the fiercer the competition becomes towards the end, a cruel truth emerges: for these geniuses, effort is not just maximized, it collectively overflows.

However, if he had the confidence to break through, there would have been no need for the feigned death tactic earlier.

Zhou Yunfan could perceive that the reddened figure had likely used all his strength, but the tall man with the shovel and the young man with vertical pupils still held terrifying trump cards.

Moreover, their coordination displayed a peculiar kind of unspoken understanding. Under their combined attacks, not only could he find no weaknesses, but he was also continuously pushed back and suppressed.

The most critical point was that his current state could not be sustained for too long.

That young man apparently understood this as well; he still chose to wear him down.

This was indeed Li Zhuiyuan’s favorite method, not only because he valued every companion, but also because after so much painstaking effort in training and improving for so long, he even devised the red thread secret technique. Wasn’t it precisely to “overwhelm others with power” at the lowest cost during fights?

If every time involved being severely injured, with everyone charging in to fight their own battles, it would make all the prior preparation a joke.

He didn’t seek brilliance, only a sure win.

Rùnshēng and the others perfectly implemented Li Zhuiyuan’s requirements. Every time Zhou Yunfan wanted to raise his momentum, Lín Shūyǒu and Tán Wénbīn would retreat, leaving Rùnshēng to endure alone. Then, Lín Shūyǒu and Tán Wénbīn would swiftly interject in the next moment, interrupting Zhou Yunfan’s rhythm.

Only the person involved can feel this sense of frustration and powerlessness.

Zhou Yunfan yelled, “I want to live!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “You must die.”

Zhou Yunfan: “Besides the Yu family’s Jīguān Shù inheritance, I also have a secret about the Yu family’s monstrous beasts that I can tell you: the true master of the Yu family is a dog.

As long as that dog hasn’t shown itself, everyone currently in the Yu family’s ancestral home is in danger of being completely wiped out!”

Li Zhuiyuan did not respond.

Rùnshēng and the other two continued to press forward.

Zhou Yunfan: “You knew already?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Yes.”

Zhou Yunfan: “Qin family, how could someone like you emerge? I truly doubt if your surname is even Qin!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Now, you should consider committing suicide.”

Zhou Yunfan: “I’ll leave you a complete corpse; you leave a sliver of hope for the Zhou and Ding families, preserving a portion of their inheritance and bloodline.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Choose one of two.”

Zhou Yunfan: “The Zhou family!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Good.”

Zhou Yunfan: “You agreed?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Choose one of two means which family to destroy first; I will destroy the Zhou family first.”

Zhou Yunfan: “Hahahahahahaha!”

Before asking, Zhou Yunfan already knew the answer; he was just confirming it now.

Zhou Yunfan punched Rùnshēng. This time, as his fist swung out, his entire right arm began to fold, then shattered. This punch successfully repelled Rùnshēng, who slid dozens of meters across the ground.

With a second punch, Zhou Yunfan feigned a strike at Tán Wénbīn. Tán Wénbīn did not possess Rùnshēng’s physique; taking such a detached limb strike head-on would surely result in severe injury. After hearing Xiǎoyuǎn-gē’s voice in his mind, he immediately retreated.

However, Zhou Yunfan’s move this time was a feint. His left arm did not shatter. With two out of three gone, he began sprinting towards the pagoda’s main entrance with all his might.

This should have been a desperate sprint for him, because the one guarding the gate was Chen Xiyuan.

Zhou Yunfan must have realized that she was the strongest among them.

He knew he couldn’t break through the gate she guarded, but a cornered beast still fights. This was evident in his willingness to gamble and struggle one last time, no matter the cost.

Chen Xiyuan was about to unleash her domain.

In fact, if she had joined the battle from the start, both rounds of combat would have ended very quickly.

However, Chen Xiyuan still underestimated Li Zhuiyuan’s caution.

The young man told her to guard the door, so he would never allow her to be distracted.

Regardless of whether it truly existed, in Li Zhuiyuan’s mental map of the situation, an old Daoist priest was always standing in the shadows outside the pagoda, eyes closed, listening to the commotion inside.

Placing Chen Xiyuan near the main entrance and not allowing her to make any combat movements was Li Zhuiyuan’s open card to that old Daoist priest.

Even if darkness provides concealment, if you cannot kill in one strike and are delayed, once our side reveals our identity, you will not have a second chance to act without revealing your karma.

Admittedly, this was likely him worrying needlessly, perhaps even fighting against thin air, but Li Zhuiyuan was still willing to do so.

So, Chen Xiyuan still didn’t get a chance to act. Before her domain could even open, Lín Shūyǒu had already inserted four符针 into his own body.

Li Zhuiyuan would rather let Lín Shūyǒu overexert himself than have a gap appear in his警戒线.

Báihè Zhēnjūn rushed up, caught up to Zhou Yunfan, and as he swung his cudgel, he also unleashed nine trident phantoms.

“Ah!!!”

Zhou Yunfan’s inner frustration almost exploded, because the opponent wouldn’t even leave him a chance for a final desperate struggle.

Fist met golden cudgel, and the other arm shattered. The terrifying force caused Báihè Zhēnjūn’s golden cudgel to fly out of his hand. The trident phantoms also dissipated with it.

But Zhou Yunfan’s charge was also halted. Báihè Zhēnjūn staggered back several steps, then, holding his other golden cudgel, continued to charge forward.

After successfully delaying him, Rùnshēng and Tán Wénbīn also closed in. Zhou Yunfan, having lost both arms, was like a precise puppet mechanism missing two crucial components.

The attacks from the three of them continuously landed on his body.

His eyes were bloodshot, staring at the young man who stood there.

His father, lying in bed, often had nightmares and spoke deliriously.

The most frequent phrases were: “Qin family… despair… Qin family… despair…”

On the night Qin Shū returned severely wounded and at death’s door, Grandma Liu sat alone by the door all night with a sword across her lap.

The reason she endured this indignity and swallowed this grievance was partly to preserve the last glimmer of the two Dragon King lineages, and partly because although Qin Shū was schemed against and besieged, he fought his way out.

The “fighting” here meant literally killing.

What was thought to be a guaranteed hunt instead saw their own people being beaten to death and shattered one by one by that Qin family member. Many people’s mental states collapsed at that moment.

At this moment, Zhou Yunfan felt the same as his father did back then. Although the methods were opposite, the feeling of despair was identical.

Finally, as Zhou Yunfan’s body rapidly twisted, a white light flashed, followed by a huge roar.

Rùnshēng, Lín Shūyǒu, and Tán Wénbīn quickly retreated. Li Zhuiyuan scanned his surroundings, then raised his hands and pulled them in front of him, simultaneously shouting:

“Go guard the door outside!”

Chen Xiyuan didn’t hesitate, flashing out to stand outside the pagoda’s door.

Inside the pagoda, staircases fell from the sky, surrounding Zhou Yunfan. The explosion caused severe damage, but most of it was still mitigated by these obstructions.

“Whew…”

Rùnshēng had some bloodstains on him, a minor external injury, but the problem was not serious.

Tán Wénbīn helped Lín Shūyǒu, whose legs were a bit shaky, and asked, “How are you?”

Lín Shūyǒu: “Bīn-gē, I need to rest for a bit.”

Tán Wénbīn: “Drink a can…”

At this point, Tán Wénbīn remembered that all the Jianlibao Lín Shūyǒu had brought in his bag had been lost to that Miss Chen.

Tán Wénbīn took a can from his own backpack, opened it with a “psst,” and handed it to Lín Shūyǒu.

It was just a simple sugar supplement, very limited for their current recovery, but because Xiǎoyuǎn-gē had this habit, having a can after being injured in battle could provide them with immense emotional value.

Lín Shūyǒu took out a handful of pills, popped them into his mouth, chewing them while washing them down with the drink.

Tán Wénbīn: “Not made by our own family?”

After the medicinal garden under the peach trees had a stable output, Old Tián began making medicine, and Ā Lí also helped.

Lín Shūyǒu: “It’s the ‘last one’ San Zhi Yan gave me last time. I have two handfuls left. I’m keeping the ones made at home, thinking of eating San Zhi Yan’s first, afraid they’ll lose their medicinal effect and expire if stored for too long.”

Tán Wénbīn: “That’s right.”

Chen Xiyuan, standing outside the door, wanted to turn back and say that if she had been allowed to strike earlier, there was a chance he wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to self-destruct, but this time, she learned to keep quiet.

Nobody likes every word they say to become evidence of their foolishness later.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the pagoda gate and stood beside Chen Xiyuan.

Outside the door, there was a large crater, which was created when the Jīguān puppet named Ā Huì self-destructed against the short,胖老ren earlier.

Not far away lay the scattered remains of the plump old man, even the golden threads symbolizing his meridians had been extracted and were now in Rùnshēng’s bag.

Ā Hóng and Ā Qīng, when facing the simultaneous attacks of the two old men earlier, one was shattered and the other sliced into pieces.

On the ground, the relatively intact corpse was Ding Luòxiāng.

At this moment, it was pitch black outside.

And it was even darker and more dense than before. Something must have happened in another part of the Yu family’s ancestral home, causing the concentration of demonic resentment here to increase further.

This was normal; it was impossible that only their group was busy here. Other places must also have people focused on their own opportunities, causing quite a stir.

Li Zhuiyuan removed all his defensive measures and took a deep breath.

Chen Xiyuan also removed her defenses and took a breath, only to feel that the bloody smell was instinctively nauseating.

“Little brother, does this smell good?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “If the concentration of demon resentment here could increase tenfold, that would be great.”

The current concentration was far from enough. Li Zhuiyuan wanted that kind of resentment that could directly affect people’s emotions, so he could use himself as a medium to transform them into feed for the fish pond in the depths of his consciousness.

Such an opportunity is rare and hard to come by. Only the Yu family, at this moment, could have so many monstrous beasts slaughtered in a short time, their demonic blood and resentment merging to create such a scale.

Chen Xiyuan:

“There should be a place here with the densest demonic resentment, like an area where many powerful demonic beasts died in battle, but ten times the concentration would no longer merely affect one’s mind, but would cause physical harm and lead to demonization.

However, little brother, you can be in my domain, and my domain will protect your body, allowing you to enter such areas.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Thank you, sister.”

Chen Xiyuan first thought she was hallucinating, then, after a moment, couldn’t help but laugh.

This thank you was well deserved.

Because if there truly was such an area here and he wanted to go deep, his physique wasn’t strong enough. He would need Chen Xiyuan’s protection, and Chen Xiyuan would consequently bear immense pressure, even to the point of her domain suffering damage, which would be equivalent to harming her foundation.

Miss Chen might not care, but Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t pretend not to understand.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Turn on a light.”

Chen Xiyuan: “Oh.”

The domain was opened, encompassing the young man and a large area nearby.

Clusters of small flames rose and floated around, illuminating the area brightly.

Chen Xiyuan noticed that after her little brother’s domain opened, he waved and threw several small black array flags towards the west side of the pagoda’s main entrance, setting up a simple isolation array.

Having grown accustomed to her little brother’s casual method of setting up arrays with a wave of his hand, seeing him use array flags to set up an array now made Chen Xiyuan feel a bit unaccustomed, even though the latter was the most normal way to set up an array.

Tán Wénbīn and Rùnshēng came out holding flashlights, but the beam of the spotlights was very weak, barely illuminating two meters in front of them.

It was just that Chen Xiyuan’s domain was very special, capable of shielding the surrounding environment. Even with magical arts or artifact lighting, it probably would only be slightly stronger than a flashlight.

The old men must be truly happy now, able to convert long-range attack methods to just a few meters in front of them.

It was very likely that because of his efforts in the pagoda earlier, more than one team had already died at the hands of the old men.

Since they didn’t know if their own juniors were safe, they might as well do their best to slaughter other families’ juniors.

Tán Wénbīn squatted down and began examining Ding Luòxiāng’s corpse.

Earlier, everyone stood outside the pagoda gate, waiting for Zhou Yunfan inside to finish his enlightenment, and did not bother to search the corpse.

After all, corpse-looting is an inglorious act. Searching someone’s corpse in front of their loved ones truly looks bad.

However, when all their loved ones are dead, it doesn’t matter anymore; no one is watching anyway.

“Sigh.”

After finishing, Tán Wénbīn sighed.

“Xiǎoyuǎn-gē, it’s empty.”

After surviving behind the stone door with her artifacts, and then fighting again in front of the pagoda gate to protect Zhou Yunfan inside, even if Ding Luòxiāng had more valuable items on her, they had all been depleted.

This was also the biggest reason she was able to preserve a complete corpse.

Chen Xiyuan reminded, “I remember her dress was made of a very special material. It could expand for defense, and then retract.”

Tán Wénbīn rubbed the tip of his nose:

“Ahem, I was planning to take off her clothes after you turned your back and walked away.”

Chen Xiyuan: “What’s there to be shy about? No need to be overly particular. I’ll do it.”

Tán Wénbīn waved his hand: “Just kidding, I checked this dress immediately. It seems like it has a limited number of uses. After exceeding the limit and retracting, it turns into an ordinary dress.”

“Really?” Chen Xiyuan hooked a finger, and within her domain, a corner of Ding Luòxiāng’s white dress tore. It truly had no defensive capability at all. “It really is.”

Tán Wénbīn: “What a pity.”

Li Zhuiyuan did not leave, but continued to stand there, looking down at Ding Luòxiāng.

Chen Xiyuan: “It’s alright, little brother. In my room at the Chen family ancestral home, there’s a wardrobe with formal attire for rituals. I think there are two pieces made of special material. When you go to my Chen family ancestral home to steal things, feel free to rummage through my boudoir.”

Tán Wénbīn: “Sister Chen is generous!”

Chen Xiyuan: “Just a few clothes, it’s nothing.”

Li Zhuiyuan maintained his posture, still unmoving.

Chen Xiyuan, with a suspicious look, followed the young man’s gaze and looked at Ding Luòxiāng’s corpse again.

But no matter how she looked, she couldn’t see anything unusual. She had no choice but to reach out and pat Tán Wénbīn’s arm: “What’s wrong?”

Tán Wénbīn shook his head.

Chen Xiyuan: “Didn’t you guys connect?”

Tán Wénbīn: “It’s already disconnected.”

The red thread connection cannot last too long, otherwise Xiǎoyuǎn-gē’s consumption would be too great.

Chen Xiyuan smiled. This feeling of not being “isolated” felt really good.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his mouth and said, “If you don’t get up soon, I’ll destroy the body and erase all traces.”

Ding Luòxiāng’s corpse showed no change.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Rùnshēng-gē, smash it.”

Rùnshēng raised his shovel.

Ding Luòxiāng, who was dead, opened her eyes at this moment.

Her eyes were entirely white, with only tiny black dots remaining.

Such eyes are usually only seen on walking corpses.

Moreover, as she opened her eyes, even her skin, which was still fair after death, first became plump then swelled, and gradually thick liquid began to seep out, slowly spreading.

This truly was the aura of a walking corpse.

Zombies are relatively rare and harder to form, while walking corpses are the opposite. Even Xuanmen practitioners with a little skill have ways to quickly catalyze ordinary human corpses into walking corpses.

However, newly formed walking corpses generally have very weak strength.

If they were in the countryside, it would be fine, but in the current environment of the Yu family, no matter which group suddenly encountered a walking corpse, they could easily eliminate it with a raised hand.

But this walking corpse was clearly different. Ding Luòxiāng’s body began to struggle violently, obviously much stronger than ordinary walking corpses. And although she was exuding moisture, the amount was not large; her entire body remained “fixed.”

Furthermore, white “tendons” appeared on her body.

Tán Wénbīn: “The special material in the white dress was secretly absorbed into her body!”

Extracting the core of the white dress, a treasure, to bind and reinforce his own body, raising the limit of this walking corpse—it must be said, he truly thought things through comprehensively.

Most likely, Zhou Yunfan had already prepared this move when making this dress for his “beloved.”

Ding Luòxiāng was indeed quite pitiful. It was bad enough that she was used by this man while alive; even after her death, this man wanted to exploit her value to the fullest.

Chen Xiyuan: “It’s still him? How is he so hard to kill?”

She had seen people who were hard to kill, but this was the first time Chen Xiyuan had seen someone so incredibly difficult to kill.

Li Zhuiyuan: “No, he is already dead. What is inside this walking corpse now is merely Zhou Yunfan’s memory.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions immediately changed. The ability to modify and transplant memories should have been the method of the powerful evil spirit that Yu Tiannan last suppressed. After the remnants of that evil spirit were suppressed and killed by Li Zhuiyuan, currently, only that old dog is known to possess this ability.

Because it clearly used the same method on Yu Dìběi.

Now, Zhou Yunfan also knows how, which indicates that Zhou Yunfan and that old dog have long been in contact.

Recalling that Zhou Yunfan’s team was among those who initially sided with the Yu family, they first thought they were like their own side, deliberately washing their identities to try and enter the Yu family in a different way. They didn’t expect that they themselves were already corrupt.

Ding Luòxiāng and the others might not know, but Zhou Yunfan definitely did.

Tán Wénbīn: “Xiǎoyuǎn-gē, did Zhou Yunfan seal his memories in his fiancée’s body early on, just waiting for her death, at which point a series of backup plans would unfold, her body turning into a walking corpse, and her memories being overwritten by his own?”

Chen Xiyuan: “He’s truly ruthless.”

At the same time, Chen Xiyuan also understood why, during the final moments of the previous battle, the young man had to suppress the explosion’s power with Jīguān Shù while also telling her to guard the door outside.

Because only with her standing outside could they ensure that this walking corpse couldn’t escape, and would have to feign death.

Suddenly, a more violent struggle began, but with Chen Xiyuan’s palm pressing down, relying on her domain, this newly formed walking corpse was firmly suppressed.

Ding Luòxiāng stopped struggling. The two black dots in her eyes moved up and down. Her Adam’s apple bobbed, and she emitted a salty, damp, and viscous sound:

“Who are you… no… Luòxiāng is dead… you killed her… you… also killed me?

I need to find… find Yuanbao Daren… Yuanbao Daren save me… save me… I need to find Yuanbao Daren…”

Yuanbao was the name Yu Tiannan gave to that old dog.

Chen Xiyuan looked disappointed. It seemed that this memory was indeed sealed long ago, so Zhou Yunfan didn’t recognize them and was unaware of the current situation. He might not even know this was the Yu family.

Thus, the Yu family’s Jīguān Shù inheritance that her little brother desired was completely lost with the true Zhou Yunfan’s death.

However, it seemed they could still extract some useful information from this new Zhou Yunfan.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Ding Luòxiāng and said:

“Stop pretending, your memories are complete.”

“Who are you… who exactly are you… who are you all…”

Li Zhuiyuan: “That white light emitted during the self-detonation was to cover the act of transmitting your memory, wasn’t it?”

Ding Luòxiāng fell silent. The tiny black dots in her eyes slowly grew larger. Although still vastly different from the eyes of an ordinary person, at this moment, they showed more thought and depth.

“How… did you know?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I guessed.”

“You…”

Li Zhuiyuan squatted down and held his palm above Ding Luòxiāng’s stomach.

As the young man’s fingertips trembled slightly, the white lines within Ding Luòxiāng’s body began to boil, and a small, gem-sized shadow gradually appeared at her lower abdomen.

This should have been a decoration on Ding Luòxiāng’s white dress, but it was alive.

Its trigger mechanism was probably to enter her corpse and hide there upon sensing Ding Luòxiāng’s death. These white lines were like threads it secreted.

In other words, it was the reason why the white dress functioned before. It wasn’t that the white dress itself was special, but wherever this “little spider” attached itself, a defensive mechanism could be activated.

The young man’s hand lifted slightly. At Ding Luòxiāng’s chest, a circular shadow formed by white threads appeared. This was an evil array, used to absorb nearby resentment to accelerate the corpse’s transformation into a walking corpse. Earlier, in the Bandit Village, Li Zhuiyuan had also used a similar method to turn the underground corpses into walking corpses.

Ding Luòxiāng carried strong resentment at the time of her death, and the surrounding environment was filled with demonic resentment, so the effect of this evil array was exceptionally good.

His palm continued to rise. The “little spider” in her abdomen was pulled with increasing force, and white lines also appeared in Ding Luòxiāng’s head. This wasn’t an array but more like a talisman.

With this talisman arrangement, Zhou Yunfan was able to project his memories at the last moment. Unsurprisingly, this should be something that old dog taught him.

In this light, it was no wonder that whenever there was danger, Zhou Yunfan would always send Ding Luòxiāng to scout ahead first. Only when Ding Luòxiāng died, and died near him, would Zhou Yunfan effectively gain a “second life.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Rùnshēng-gē, hand me Měngměng’s Gu worm.”

“Buzz!”

Before Rùnshēng could respond, the Gu worm flew out of Rùnshēng’s sleeve and appeared before Li Zhuiyuan. Clearly, it knew who the real boss was here.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the “little spider” in Ding Luòxiāng’s abdomen and asked:

“Are you confident you can eat it?”

The two antennae on top of the Gu worm’s head immediately straightened, then collectively bent, pointing towards the position indicated by the young man.

“Go.”

The Gu worm flew down and burrowed into Ding Luòxiāng’s abdomen.

It was indeed fierce, directly pushing out that “little spider.” The two engaged in a fierce struggle in mid-air.

The “little spider” could protect its attached host, but it couldn’t face the tiny creature of almost its own size before it. Although the white threads were constantly waving, as long as the Gu worm maintained close combat with it, they were useless.

After an intense battle, the result was clear. After all, this was a worm personally raised by Yīn Měng; if it weren’t tough enough, it would have been poisoned long ago.

After the Gu worm swallowed the “little spider,” it sucked all the surrounding white threads into its belly like noodles.

Its belly immediately swelled up. Originally the size of a fingernail, it now looked like a billiard ball.

With a “gurgle,” it rolled to Rùnshēng’s feet.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Rùnshēng-gē, put it away.”

Rùnshēng picked up the “billiard ball” and carefully placed it in the protected compartment of his backpack.

Tán Wénbīn, who witnessed the entire process, exhaled deeply, thinking: It seems just searching corpses won’t be enough in the future; one will have to dissect them.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Ding Luòxiāng’s face and met Zhou Yunfan’s gaze.

“I… can promise anything… please… let me live…”

Li Zhuiyuan: “You are already dead. The current you cannot even be called a living person.”

“I want to… live… I want to grow up… and return… return to the Zhou family.”

“As long as your long-cherished wish is fulfilled, does it not matter if it’s truly you, as long as you bear your name?”

“That’s right… yes… I want to go back… to make them regret… to make them prostrate… at my feet…”

“What’s the point of doing that?”

“Are you… really a Qin family member…?”

Li Zhuiyuan did not answer.

“What meaning… does your… lineage… hold for you…?”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, implicitly agreeing with Zhou Yunfan’s statement.

“I will not let you live.”

“The Zhou family… save it… anything… I can give you… the secret of that dog… the Jīguān Shù inheritance…”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll break the contract?”

“I want you to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao… swear upon the Qin family’s prestige…”

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, looked at him, and said very straightforwardly:

“You are dreaming.”

“Then you… will get nothing…”

Ding Luòxiāng’s body began to convulse, pus continuously oozed out, and resentment leaked, as he chose to self-dissolve. This was already his third suicide today.

Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze slightly condensed, and the walking corpse’s dissolution speed immediately halted.

“How… how is this possible… no… how is this possible…”

Zhou Yunfan was horrified to find his body out of control. At this point, he was utterly unable to commit suicide.

Li Zhuiyuan said to Chen Xiyuan, “Put away your domain, and rest.”

Chen Xiyuan obediently retracted her domain, and the surrounding brightness suddenly diminished. Fortunately, the illumination from two flashlights was barely enough.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

The young man’s consciousness entered Ding Luòxiāng’s body, which was Zhou Yunfan’s memory.

Back when they held the meeting in the village wooden house, Li Zhuiyuan had said that this kind of memory replication and transplantation was essentially an infectious disease.

At this moment, “Zhou Yunfan” only had memories and experience, but no strength. He was completely incapable of preventing the young man from controlling him, including reading his memories.

With the experience of investigating the “Dìtīng” karma in the main hall of the General Officer’s Old Temple last time, Li Zhuiyuan directly skipped the scenes of Zhou Yunfan interacting with the old dog.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to know, but he was worried about karmic backlash, and the old dog was also in the Yu family’s ancestral home at this time, so close, which would inevitably attract its attention.

The old dog itself wasn’t that powerful or terrifying, nor was it impossible to look at directly, but the Dragon King’s body it currently controlled still retained some of the Dragon King’s special characteristics.

Furthermore, although Li Zhuiyuan had temporarily halted the decomposition of this walking corpse, its consciousness was also continuously blurring. For example, now, the memories concerning Zhou Yunfan’s childhood had already shown clear gaps, and this process was still ongoing.

The young man jumped to the latest comprehension scene, racing against time.

Outside, Zhou Yunfan was still screaming in terror. Without the suppression of the domain, his voice became louder and could carry further:

“What on earth are you? Are you human or ghost? What evil art is this? How can such evil art exist in this world?!”

“You are a demon, you are not human, you are an evil spirit wearing human skin!”

After shouting for a while, Zhou Yunfan suddenly changed his strategy, he rephrased his shouts:

“I never expected that I, the inheritor of the Jīguān Zhou family, would fall into your hands, you demon! I am unwilling, I refuse to accept this!”

“My poor wife, the only daughter of the Hégǔ Ding family head, Miss Ding, also died tragically by your hand, you fiend, you demon, I will never rest until I see you dead!”

“Beast, your methods are so vicious, aren’t you afraid of divine retribution? Heaven has eyes, it will surely be watching you!”

Tán Wénbīn stroked his chin, Rùnshēng closed his eyes, and Lín Shūyǒu’s mouth was puffing, trying to hold back laughter.

Chen Xiyuan’s gaze curiously swept across their three faces. She didn’t understand, what was so funny about this curse?

She really wanted to know now, are you three secretly connected again?

Also, this guy is so noisy, she really wants to shut him up.

But Chen Xiyuan looked at the young man standing with his eyes closed in front of “Zhou Yunfan,” and seeing Tán Wénbīn and the other two letting their leader be scolded without reacting, she had no reason to intervene.

“Demon, your actions will be scorned by the righteous path! Even if I go to the underworld, I will curse you forever down there!”

Chen Xiyuan puffed out her cheeks, almost couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

You were killed by him, and you want to go to the underworld?

If you truly went, you would discover that the underworld belongs to his family.

Of course, Chen Xiyuan knew that Zhou Yunfan’s curse here was a colloquial expression, not specifically referring to the Fēngdū Hell established by the Great Emperor of Fēngdū, but it was still so funny, she found it hard to hold back her laughter.

Li Zhuiyuan finally opened his eyes, looking at Zhou Yunfan.

Just barely, the young man finished reading that memory and had it all memorized.

Zhou Yunfan hadn’t lied; the Yu family’s Jīguān Shù inheritance was indeed exquisite and astonishing.

If he had truly lost this inheritance and failed to learn it, he would definitely regret it.

Zhou Yunfan’s gaze already had a hint of dullness, but he still stared fixedly at Li Zhuiyuan. This time, the hatred was not feigned.

Upon noticing the young man open his eyes, his oozing mouth twisted into a smile.

This person was indeed very clever.

He even inferred, from Li Zhuiyuan’s previous arrangement of having Chen Xiyuan guard the door without ever participating in the battle, that Li Zhuiyuan was wary of an old presence possibly lurking outside and observing.

In the dark, one couldn’t see, but sound could travel.

He revealed his identity and loudly denounced Li Zhuiyuan’s “crimes” precisely to hand a weapon to that old presence possibly hidden in the dark, giving them ample reason to act next.

Li Zhuiyuan’s lips also curved into a cold smile.

At this moment, Zhou Yunfan felt his mouth could no longer open, and no sound could be made.

In Zhou Yunfan’s clouded, walking-corpse eyes, a gleam of clarity shone through. This was his last moment of lucidity in this life, or rather, existing under the name “Zhou Yunfan.”

He finally realized that this young man could control all parts of his body, yet he had specifically allowed his mouth the freedom to speak. This meant that the words he had just spoken were actually deliberately allowed by the young man!

“Put away your domain, and rest.”

These words echoed in Zhou Yunfan’s consciousness. He didn’t mean for the other to rest, but to have her dispel the domain that could block perception, so his voice could be heard.

He remembered the young man saying that he was very smart, but also very foolish.

He was actually being used as a pawn even in the last moments of his life.

This was a tremendous humiliation, and also a great terror.

Ding Luòxiāng had always believed her fiancé was the smartest person in the world, and Zhou Yunfan himself thought so too.

But today, Zhou Yunfan saw an existence that made him feel exaggerated and absurd. A young age, not a very tall body, standing there, with a huge shadow seemingly stretched behind him.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand.

Although he did not check the memories of Zhou Yunfan’s interactions with the old dog due to lack of time and unwillingness to take risks, the fact that Zhou Yunfan was willing to interact with the old dog provided the young man with another layer of information.

Heaven’s intention had long been clear.

Zhou Yunfan could not have been unaware, nor could he have specifically followed that old dog all the way into darkness.

The old dog could rely on the Ming family members to Zhǒngjiāng and use the Dragon King lineage to whitewash itself. What should Zhou Yunfan do?

Therefore, the old dog, in its goal of whitewashing, should have another intention that he had not yet discovered. This intention made Zhou Yunfan believe that even if he dealt with the old dog, or even stood behind it, he could still retreat unscathed.

When he truly confronted the old dog, he must be even more cautious. That dog, which he already held in high regard, needed to be regarded even more cautiously.

The young man’s hand waved.

“Splatter! Splatter! Splatter!”

The walking corpse began to turn into pus, and body parts continuously collapsed.

Ding Luòxiāng deeply loved Zhou Yunfan in life. They had not officially married, but now, after death, it could be more romantic than dying in the same grave; they could die in the same body.

Sensing that his last traces of existence would be erased, Zhou Yunfan’s eyes revealed a hint of relief.

He had to hurry and make himself a little more comfortable.

Just as every generation of Dragon King competitors would eventually praise the Dragon King of their era, viewing them as the strongest of all time.

Only by acknowledging the victor who defeated oneself can the defeated gain the greatest solace.

Zhou Yunfan felt that if he hadn’t met this young man, but instead encountered other teams, he definitely would have survived… he wouldn’t have died.

“Smack!”

The last puddle of pus landed on the ground, and Zhou Yunfan was completely erased.

Chen Xiyuan also breathed a heavy sigh of relief. This guy was really hard to kill, and also… truly formidable.

Li Zhuiyuan spoke: “I have obtained the Yu family’s Jīguān Shù inheritance. Now, I need to enter this pagoda, utilizing its unique environment to absorb and comprehend this inheritance.

This process must not be interrupted. You all will guard me outside; no one is allowed to enter.”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

Li Zhuiyuan walked towards the pagoda, and then the pagoda door closed.

Before long, inside the pagoda, came the sound of Jīguān operating, very neat and solemn.

Rùnshēng stood on the street in front of the pagoda, holding his Yellow River Shovel, ready for battle.

Lín Shūyǒu stood behind Rùnshēng. Although his condition was somewhat weak now, he could still wield his cudgel.

Tán Wénbīn stood on the steps in front of the pagoda gate, his senses heightened to their maximum.

Chen Xiyuan looked left and right, then finally pointed to her face, and stood to the west side of the pagoda gate.

Time passed slowly, and the commotion inside the tall tower grew louder, seemingly indicating that the deduction and absorption of the inheritance had reached a critical juncture.

“Boom!”

A roar came from a distance, indicating some unexpected situation there, but it wouldn’t affect this place.

But just then, Rùnshēng suddenly noticed the figure of an old Daoist priest appearing in the darkness two meters in front of him.

“Demon, how dare you, clad in human skin, harm the young prodigies of our righteous path!”

The old Daoist priest swung his horsetail whisk towards Rùnshēng. Rùnshēng instinctively raised his Yellow River Shovel to block, but a terrifying force struck. Rùnshēng slid uncontrollably diagonally, though he managed to maintain his balance, he couldn’t stop.

Lín Shūyǒu had just activated his vertical pupils, but a profound and mysterious aura descended, abruptly interrupting his trance.

The old Daoist priest moved like a phantom, weaving through. Tán Wénbīn stared at him, but before he could cast his intimidation, blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Chen Xiyuan raised her jade flute, but under the old Daoist priest’s raised hand pressing down, Chen Xiyuan could only remain frozen, trying her best to resist this indescribably powerful force.

The old Daoist priest, with a sudden attack and without any desire for prolonged battle, directly pushed open the door and entered the pagoda.

To catch the bandit, first catch the leader. As long as the lamp-lighter of a team is killed, the entire team is crippled, and they will be unworthy to Zhǒngjiāng again for the rest of their lives.

Doing so yields the highest profit with the smallest consequences.

But the moment the old Daoist entered the tall pagoda, the entire external structure of the pagoda suddenly underwent a massive change. The bricks, tiles, windows, and walls of each floor began to move, restacking. All doors and windows were sealed, and the external appearance of the tall pagoda transformed drastically, from a pagoda shape to a giant sculpture of a human face.

This was a woman’s face, majestic and solemn. She might not have been the Yu family’s Dragon King, but she was the creator of this branch of the Yu family’s Jīguān Shù inheritance.

The old Daoist priest looked around, an ominous warning rising in his heart. Finally, he looked at the young man standing on the tall altar in front and questioned:

“Demon, what are you doing?!”

Li Zhuiyuan looked down at the Daoist priest from above and said:

“I thought I guessed wrong, thought you weren’t hiding outside. If you had come in a little later, I would have been preparing to leave.”

The old Daoist priest was named Li Hóngshēng, one of the twelve peak masters of the Bìxiá Sect, specializing in combat, which is why he was sent by the Bìxiá Sect to participate in the eradication of the Yu family.

In the village, Li Jùn, who was the first to discuss the terms of Yu Dìběi’s transfer with Zhào Yì, was a disciple of the Bìxiá Sect and the contemporary Zhǒngjiāng practitioner of that sect.

When Li Hóngshēng attacked Ding Luòxiāng, he revealed his true appearance, which was considered to have been thwarted by Ding Luòxiāng. He could only say “apologies, a mistake” and after wandering outside for a while, when it got dark, he naturally returned and had been hiding and listening outside.

Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze focused on the old Daoist priest’s horsetail whisk, the jade pendant at his waist, the gourd behind him, and other places on his body where treasures could be hidden.

Other Zhǒngjiāng practitioners in the Yu family ancestral home were busy evading the terrifying night assaults by the old folks, while Li Zhuiyuan here was already trying to lure the old folks for profit.

“Demon, what do you intend?”

Li Zhuiyuan raised his arm. In an instant, something above the roof seemed to break, and white lava poured down from above. At the same time, the eyes of the woman’s face that the external pagoda had transformed into lit up with a killing white light.

“I have activated this Jīguān tower’s self-destruction. Next, all existences within the tower, including the tower itself, will be annihilated.”

Li Hóngshēng: “This poor Daoist doesn’t believe it. If such a method truly exists, why didn’t the previous one use it?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Firstly, he didn’t want to destroy his body unless absolutely necessary; secondly, by the time he made up his mind, I had also gained partial control of the tall pagoda, and he knew he no longer had the opportunity to activate it.”

White lava streamed down the four walls, bringing with it a heart-wrenching and despair-inducing high temperature.

Li Hóngshēng: “This poor Daoist still doesn’t believe that you, demon, would be willing to perish with this poor Daoist?”

“Of course I don’t want to die with you. I can only offer my congratulations here…”

Before he could finish, Li Zhuiyuan, who stood on the altar, his body cracked, then disintegrated, turning into a pile of building blocks that tumbled down the altar steps, rolling all the way to Li Hóngshēng’s feet.

Li Hóngshēng: “Infinite Heavenly Venerate of Fortune!”

Outside the Jīguān structure.

Chen Xiyuan moved aside, revealing the young man standing behind her.

Night was the best blur, the isolation array was the best cover, the domain was the best protection, and finally, Chen Xiyuan herself, with her body, stood in front of the young man.

Li Zhuiyuan had actually been standing to the west of the pagoda gate all along.

The young man walked to the former pagoda gate, which was now the lower jaw of the human face.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and knocked,

Continuing his previous words:

“Congratulations, Daoist priest, on ascending to immortality.”