Chapter 24
A chill crawled down Zhou Yi Chen’s spine.
Qing Geng frowned.
“Then why don’t we kill him now?”
The man in black immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“We can’t.”
“Li Lun wants that privilege.”
A smile spread beneath the mask.
“We only need to make Zhao Yuanzhou weak.”
“We take his inner core.”
At those words, Zhou Yi Chen finally understood.
Everything.
The ambush.
The plague.
The traps.
It had never been about him.
He was bait….
A weapon pointed directly at Zhao Yuanzhou’s heart.
The thought made something twist painfully inside his chest.
Unfortunately-
His reaction gave him away.
The man in black smiled.
“Awake already?”
Zhou Yi Chen’s eyes opened immediately.
Blue spiritual energy surged through the room.
“You’re both insane.”
Qing Geng sighed.
“I preferred it when he was unconscious…”
The next moment she produced a black needle.
A demon bone needle…Ancient.Forbidden.
Dangerous.
Zhou Yi Chen’s eyes narrowed.
Before he could move-
She drove it into his shoulder.
Pain exploded through his body.
A scream nearly escaped his throat.
Every nerve felt as though it were being torn apart.
His spiritual energy instantly became unstable.
The Baize mark flickered faintly beneath his skin.
Qing Geng watched calmly.
“As expected.”
Zhou Yi Chen fell to one knee.
Breathing hard.
Sweat immediately formed across his forehead.
The pain was unbearable.
Far worse than any wound.
Far worse than Yun Guangjian’s backlash.
Yet he still lifted his head.
Still glared at them.
Defiant.
Stubborn.
Unyielding.
The man in black almost admired it.
“No wonder.”
He murmured.
“No wonder Zhao Yuanzhou keeps choosing you.”
❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨✨⚔️⚔️⚔️
Underground, in the depths beneath Lingxi Villa, Qing Geng stood before Zhou Yi Chen.
The demon bone needle remained buried in his shoulder.
Pain radiated through every nerve.
Yet his eyes remained clear.
Defiant.
Unbroken.
Qing Geng raised her hand.
Dark spiritual energy gathered around her fingertips.
“Stop resisting, Zhou Yichen.”
Her voice echoed through the chamber.
“It will be easier.”
The energy surged toward him.
Attempting to invade his consciousness.
To twist his thoughts.
To make him obey.
To turn him into a puppet.
A weapon.
A blade aimed directly at Zhao Yuanzhou.
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then-
Zhou Yi Chen laughed.
A cold laugh.
One filled with disdain.
“You think…”
He slowly lifted his head.
“…you can control me? I’m not that easy to break.”
Qing Geng frowned.
The spiritual energy around him shattered.
As though rejected by sheer force of will.
The man in black’s expression changed.
Impossible.
The demon bone needle should have weakened him.
Yet Zhou Yi Chen’s gaze only grew sharper.
“If that’s all you’ve got…”
He grabbed the needle lodged in his shoulder.
“Then push it deeper.”
“Kill me.”
He looked directly at Qing Geng.
“And then try turning me into your puppet…oh wait you aren’t that capable, I know.”
Every word rang with certainty.
With pride.
❄️❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
Far above them, the Demon Hunting Team continued searching through Lingxi Villa.
The air was thick with demonic energy…
Abandoned buildings surrounded them.
Broken walls.
Collapsed roofs.
And an unsettling silence.
Bai Jiu nervously followed behind the group.
Then-
His foot caught on something.
“AH!”
He stumbled forward.
Fell.
And landed face-first beside a corpse.
The young doctor immediately screamed.
“THERE’S A DEAD PERSON!”
Ying Lei looked down.
“There are fifty dead people.”
“THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT BETTER!”
Bai Jiu looked moments away from fainting.
Nearby, Zhao Yuanzhou slowly surveyed the area.
Something felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Too staged.
Then his eyes narrowed.
A small bronze bell hung beneath the roof of a nearby hut.
Swaying gently.
Despite there being no wind.
“There.”
Pei Sijing immediately followed his gaze.
Without hesitation she raised her bow.
A sharp whistle echoed through the air.
Crack.
The bell shattered.
Instantly-
The illusion collapsed.
The scenery around them shifted.
The corpses changed positions.
The pathways rearranged themselves…
Even the sky seemed brighter.
Wen Xiao’s face darkened.
“We were inside an illusion.”
“Not anymore.”
Zhao Yuanzhou replied.
Far underground, Qing Geng suddenly opened her eyes.
The illusion bell had been destroyed.
The Demon Hunting Team had arrived.
Closer than expected.
Back outside, Wen Xiao looked worried.
“We’re wasting time.”
“Commander Zhou could be injured.”
Bai Jiu nodded frantically.
“Or poisoned.”
“Or dying.”
“Or both.”
But Zhao Yuanzhou remained surprisingly calm.
That alone worried everyone.
The ancient demon folded his arms.
“If Zhou Yi Chen is missing…”
His eyes softened slightly.
“…then he probably allowed himself to be captured.”
Everyone stared.
“What?”
“He likes gathering information.”
Wen Xiao blinked.
Then thought about it.
“…Actually.”
Pei Sijing nodded.
“He would.”
Bai Jiu sighed.
“Our commander is terrifying.”
Meanwhile, Ying Lei had wandered toward a nearby thatched house.
The moment he stepped inside, his expression changed.
“Hey.”
Everyone turned.
“What?”
Ying Lei emerged carrying several papers.
“They left something behind.”
Bai Jiu immediately took them.
His eyes scanned the pages.
Then widened.
“These are prescriptions.”
“Medicine formulas.”
Wen Xiao stepped closer.
“For what?”
Bai Jiu’s expression became serious.
“Clearing pestilence.”
“And detoxification.”
❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨✨⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
Inside the abandoned courtyard of Lingxi Villa, Bai Jiu remained focused on the prescription notes.
His brows furrowed.
“The ingredients don’t match a normal plague.”
“What do you mean?”
Wen Xiao asked.
Before Bai Jiu could answer-
A face suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
Blood-covered.
Pale.
Its eyes were wide open.
Staring.
Watching.
For one terrifying second, nobody moved.
Then-
“AAAAAAAH!”
Bai Jiu screamed.
“WEN XIAO Jiè !”
The bloody face simply continued staring.
Then-
It vanished.
Just disappeared.
Like smoke.
Silence returned.
Bai Jiu slowly opened one eye.
“…gone?”
“I think so.”
Wen Xiao replied.
“Wen Xiao Jié.”
“What?”
“Don’t move.”
Immediately.
Her body stiffened.
“…Why?”
“The face is back.”
Silence.
“…Where?”
Bai Jiu pointed.
Very slowly.
“Behind you.”
Wen Xiao’s soul nearly left her body.
She spun around-
Only to discover a pale villager standing there.
Covered in blood.
Looking utterly confused.
The man blinked.
“…Why are you screaming?”
Then Ying Lei exploded into laughter.
Wen Xiao wanted the ground to swallow her whole
❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
Meanwhile.
Deep beneath Lingxi Villa.
The atmosphere was very different.
Far darker.
Far crueler.
Qing Geng stood before Zhou Yi Chen.
The rhinoceros horn incense had been lit.
Thin strands of smoke filled the underground chamber.
The scent was strange.
Ancient.
Forbidden.
The moment Zhou Yi Chen inhaled it-
His expression changed.
The incense wasn’t poison.
It targeted emotions.
Memories.
Regrets.
Pain.
Everything buried deep within a person’s heart.
Qing Geng watched quietly.
“Even if I can’t control you…”
The smoke curled around him.
“…I can weaken you.”
Immediately, the chamber around him seemed to blur.
His brother’s face appeared.
Covered in blood.
Then his father’s.
Every nightmare returned at once.
His breathing became uneven.
Qing Geng frowned.
Most people would have broken already.
But Zhou Yi Chen merely clenched his fists harder.
The demon bone needle remained lodged in his shoulder.
Blood soaked his robes.
The incense continued burning.
His vision distorted again.
This time-
A different image appeared.
A man.
Smiling softly.
Holding a child.
Moonlight shining behind him.
The image lasted only a second before disappearing.
Yet something inside his chest twisted painfully.
A strange grief.
A strange longing.
“What did you see?”
No answer.
“Someone important?”
Still silence.
Zhou Yi Chen lowered his head.
His voice was hoarse.
“…None of your business.”
The incense thickened.
The pain intensified.
His memories tangled together.
Past.
Present.
Dreams.
Zhou Yi Chen slowly looked up.
A trace of blood at the corner of his lips.
Yet his gaze remained fierce….