All gazes snapped onto Meng Qi in an instant, staring at the face haphazardly wrapped in white cloth strips. Some expressions showed surprise, others bewilderment, some bore smirks of schadenfreude, while a few wore looks of disgust and hatred.
Indeed, even Mu An had perished at the enemy’s hands. How could Ji Tao possibly find an opportunity to call for help and scare the enemy away?
Although Ji Tao’s Thunder God bloodline was indeed formidable, Mu An was resourceful and crafty, with many present having personally experienced his abilities. How could Ji Tao possibly compare?
Could it be that he feared death, betrayed his comrades at the critical moment, and defected to the enemy?
At this moment, none of them had any suspicion about Meng Qi’s true identity. After all, his height, demeanor, and bloodline were all identical. Even his facial features had been verified by Jiang Shenghong before the bandaging. Thus, it was far more plausible for them to suspect that he had betrayed the Garrison Headquarters.
Zuo Yiqian covered her mouth, unable to believe this terrifying-looking figure could also be so despicable in character. Her mother’s gaze turned icy cold, as if she wished to personally tear apart every person related to the Red Army.
Zuo Hanfeng stopped pacing, turned to look at Meng Qi, his gaze cold and deep, like a still green pond.
Meng Qi felt no anxiety under the scrutiny of others, but facing Zuo Hanfeng’s gaze, he felt uneasy.
The icy chill fell upon him, seeping inch by inch, making Meng Qi feel as if even his internal organs were freezing, his bloodline turning cold and flowing ever slower.
He focused inwardly, his mind calm like a still lake, reflecting everything around him. The Bayi Mystical Art automatically activated, perfectly mimicking his aura. He had even fully considered Ji Tao’s reaction under such scrutiny, his face turning pale, his whole body trembling, his teeth chattering.
“Do you have anything to say?” Zuo Hanfeng asked gravely.
He governed his subordinates with strict discipline. Without his permission, no one dared to speak first, as it would be seen as disrespect toward him. It was only after Yin Lenghui defected to him and earned his trust that others gradually began to express themselves more freely. Precisely because of this, Yin Lenghui and several other outsiders had extremely strained relationships with the guards and retainers of the留守府.
Meng Qi trembled and quickly pleaded, “Lord Magistrate, your humble servant is innocent!”
“At that time, your humble servant had many subordinates. The enemy had to divide his attention to deal with them, naturally giving your humble servant an opportunity.”
“Exactly, Lord Liushou. At that time, Ji Tao had numerous spies with him. Had the enemy disregarded them, rescue signals would have been sent long before.” Jiang Shenghong stepped forward, defending his trusted subordinate.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Yin Lenghui, as if he wished to devour his flesh and sleep on his skin.
His subordinates were uncompetitive, yet they insisted on dragging the blame onto his side—how sinister their intentions were!
Zuo Hanfeng nodded slightly, saying nothing more, his gaze still fixed on Meng Qi.
Meng Qi, while fully activating the Bayi Mystical Art to achieve flawless imitation, outwardly displayed emotions of grievance and resentment: “Moreover, the three individuals your humble servant encountered may not have represented the enemy’s full strength. There could be other formidable experts. Such a commonplace matter sounds utterly unbelievable when spoken by Mr. Yin…”
“Reasonable! When we examined the battlefield, we found four distinct traces, indicating at least three people.” Jiang Shenghong backed him up, working in tandem to defend.
Zuo Hanfeng’s expression slightly softened, finally shifting his gaze from Meng Qi to Yin Lenghui and Lan Die.
Meng Qi felt immense relief, half-truthfully exhaling, finally breaking into a cold sweat that soaked his inner shirt.
Yin Lenghui chuckled lightly, showing no change in expression: “I was merely asking. Why must General Ji react so strongly?”
Before Meng Qi could respond, he turned directly to Zuo Hanfeng and bowed, saying, “Lord Garrison Commander, in fact, I have a method to locate the enemy.”
Meng Qi’s pupils constricted instantly. Did he have a method to locate them?
Through the art of sorcery (Wugu arts)?
If not for his usual calmness in crisis, he might have already lost composure.
“What?” Many guards and retainers exclaimed simultaneously. Yin Lenghui had a method? After Mu An’s death, had his frustration been feigned?
Zuo Yiqian, her beautiful eyes wide with clear pupils, looked at Yin Lenghui half in fear, half in curiosity. Compared to fearing Ji Tao, she feared this outsider with bizarre techniques and swarms of insects even more. Yet the mysterious Wugu arts filled her with curiosity—could they really locate elusive enemies out of thin air?
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Zuo Hanfeng, with deep composure, asked calmly.
Yin Lenghui’s smile carried a sinister edge: “Because my strength was insufficient. After much consideration, I realized only with Lord Liushou’s help could this be done.”
“How to help?” Zuo Hanfeng’s face bore no wrinkles, appearing in his prime at around forty years old. Descendants of gods and demons always aged slowly.
Yin Lenghui extended his left hand, black mist swirling around it as he revealed a grayish-white puppet carved with countless eerie patterns. “Lord Liushou,” he said, “previously, I engaged the enemy leader in a long-range battle. Though I failed to capture him and he managed to escape, I secretly seized a trace of his ‘aura’ and sealed it within this ‘Wugu Puppet.’ With this, as long as he remains within Daning City, I can track him in the unseen realm, lock onto his Yuanshen (spiritual soul), and ensure he can no longer hide!”
During the assault on Du Huaishang, his power had been slightly inferior, failing to obtain the “required aura.”
“Such witchcraft exists!” Even Jiang Shenghong, equally formidable and accomplished, couldn’t help but show astonishment.
Meng Qi lowered his eyelids, staring at his nose. He never expected Yin Lenghui’s methods to be so bizarre!
He had always been cautious, believing he left no traces of the dark arts. Yet somehow, Yin Lenghui had secretly “stolen” a wisp of his “essence” without his knowledge!
Was it truly his aura? Yin Lenghui’s words seemed somewhat dishonest…
However, this wasn’t the moment to linger on such questions. If Yin Lenghui’s Wugu arts proved effective, escape would be impossible—even with wings.
He needed a plan to leave the hall first. Outside, he’d have more room to maneuver.
But if he acted too abruptly, given the previous suspicions, everyone would suspect him!
The Immortal Binding Rope was inside Meng Qi’s Jizi Ring, as he needed to face external dangers. If exposed, possessing this secret treasure might offer a slim chance of survival. Thus, Meng Qi reserved it as a last resort, urgently considering other options.
Thoughts flashed like lightning through his mind, while his heart boiled like boiling water, unable to calm completely.
What should he do?
What should he do?
“Lord Liu Shou, you only need to grasp the Wugu puppet, activate it, and maintain its glow,” Yin Lenghui explained in detail.
Zuo Hanfeng took the puppet, scrutinizing it sharply. Only after confirming it posed no threat to him did he nod slightly, agreeing.
Remaining calm in critical moments, Meng Qi’s breathing grew increasingly steady, pushing aside distracting thoughts, leaving only a few ideas:
Using the puppet as a medium, the attack from afar would definitely be weakened. Otherwise, Yin Lenghui would have acted alone…
Moreover, the method would inevitably involve the Hunpo (soul) and Shenjing (mind)…
If so, I’ll reverse the “Sky-Shaking Earth-Shattering Method,” luring their minds to probe my “heart,” simulating profound and mysterious concepts to scare them, then counterattack!
This way, there might still be a chance!
If it fails, attack immediately, first binding Zuo Hanfeng with the Immortal Binding Rope, then forcefully break through, creating a commotion to alert Ziwei and others…
What profound and mysterious concepts should I simulate? Thinking thus, countless unfathomable descriptions from past and present flashed through Meng Qi’s mind.
Under the streams of expectant and curious gazes, Zuo Hanfeng grasped the Wugu puppet, channeled his spirit into it, and activated it.
Strange patterns on its gray-white skin lit up one by one, like shackles, emitting a dark and profound glow.
Yin Lenghui’s demeanor changed, from sinister coldness to profound depth, resembling both a ghost from the Netherworld and a tempter akin to Mara, his eyes glowing like swords, slowly focusing on the puppet.
Zuo Yiqian, both frightened and curious, gripped her mother’s clothes tightly, her knuckles white and bloodless.
Meng Qi appeared calm externally, yet inside, turmoil reigned.
Through the Wugu puppet, Yin Lenghui experienced a delicate illusion of the Yuanshen leaving the body, with the surroundings transforming into a picturesque landscape of mountains and rivers, both beautiful and tranquil.
Indeed, something was amiss. Fortunately, I had Liu Shou’s assistance! Yin Lenghui snorted inwardly, closing his eyes to sense the connection, finally grasping the linked aura.
With Zuo Hanfeng’s power, carrying his “eyes,” he soared higher, aiming to break through the other’s mental illusion and locate the Primordial Spirit.
Mountains and rivers shrank, clouds and fog thickened. Yin Lenghui didn’t pause, following the mysterious sense, ascending continuously.
The earth beneath transformed into a majestic spherical body, veiled in white mist. Yin Lenghui hesitated slightly. Was this the world’s appearance from above?
Surveying the surroundings, he found endless darkness and coldness, countless spherical bodies floating, many emitting scorching heat—suns.
So many stars, so many suns, so many worlds… Yin Lenghui felt momentarily stunned, forcefully suppressing his curiosity, ascending further with his primordial spirit.
His thoughts soared higher. After an indeterminate time, he saw an invisible transparent crystalline wall enveloping the previous sights, separating one “universe” after another.
Yes, at this very moment, Yin Lenghui suddenly knew what the previous sights should be called.
Universes!
Up and down as Yu, past and present as Zhou!
So many universes… Yin Lenghui heard Zuo Hanfeng’s faint surprised sound.
Suddenly, he felt time reversing, stars vanishing, suns shrinking, numerous universes collapsing toward a single point.
As if traveling backward through time, Yin Lenghui and Zuo Hanfeng witnessed each universe reverting to earth, fire, wind, and water—gathering into yin and yang, condensing into the Taiji, and ultimately transforming into Primordial Chaos!
The chaos of many universes intertwined, a murky darkness rapidly condensing into an indescribable “point.”
It had no temporal sequence, no spatial orientation—it was the beginning of all things and the end of everything, containing countless universes, the origin of all causality.
Here, one couldn’t ask what came before, for there was no concept of “before.”
It was simply so wondrous, beyond comprehension!
Yin Lenghui and Zuo Hanfeng stared in disbelief, their spiritual bodies suddenly trembling.
At this moment, they saw a Daoist figure seated within the “point,” neither old nor young, neither bright nor dim.
“Who are you?” Yin Lenghui asked blankly.
The Daoist opened his eyes, a feeling of ancient remoteness spreading, his voice mighty yet calm:
“I am Yuan Shi.”
Boom!
Yuan Shi opened his eyes, and the heavens and earth were created!
A thunderous sound struck deep into the primordial spirits of Yin Lenghui and Zuo Hanfeng, shaking their souls to the core. The overwhelming visions they had witnessed became unbearable, instantly severing their connection in the ethereal realm.
Crack! The Wugu puppet in Zuo Hanfeng’s hand shattered into pieces.
Yin Lenghui staggered backward, blood spurting from his nose, his gaze alternating between shock and bewilderment.
Was this the enemy I pursued?
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