Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 357: Outspoken
Wait, should Xu Chen laugh out loud?
Li Wuxiang immediately summoned Xu Pianpian.

Logically speaking, at least based on the unverified truth of the things Hu Wei told her, she should be happy. But there must be some ulterior motives hidden within that happiness.

In Xu Zhen's view, he should now feel like he is Xu Chen and have remembered the past. Hu Wei's divine sense should have been assimilated and completely disappeared the moment he "remembered" yesterday.

It's not quite right to call it "assimilation"; it should be called "invasion"—invading one's own mind and consciousness without the person even realizing it.

However, due to the existence of the Great Calamity Star, his authority suppressed the supernatural powers bestowed upon Hu Wei by the "True Lord of Wei River". Therefore, he still retained a clear mind, only remembering who he was before, and was not affected by Hu Wei or the other consciousnesses in the "Binding Immortal Rope" around his neck.

He knew this because he had mentally questioned the circumstances under which Hu Wei had become Xu Zhen's "sister".

Hu Wei is a tiger, while Li Wuxiang remembers that he used to be a black cat. After Hu Wei was chosen and subdued by Xu Zhen, she immediately felt that she was Xu Zhen's sister, but she didn't know her name—Xu Zhen gave her a name, saying that it was Xu Pianpian.

After becoming Xu Pianpian, she was very clear that she was different from before. Since she knew she was different, she became curious and wanted to explore the past. Once she explored, she could easily find all sorts of traces left by her former self, and thus knew that "she" was no longer "herself," but rather the result of the fusion of the consciousness and temperament of the eighteen beads in the Immortal-Binding Rope around her neck.

Once people learn about this, no one will feel comfortable. They will inevitably feel dissatisfied with Xu Zhen and might even want to kill him. However, Xu Zhen's supernatural powers will suppress her thoughts, allowing her to slowly discard these ideas and gradually refine herself and the other eighteen beads into one. When the refining is complete, she will forget all these things and only feel that she has always been this way.

So, in Xu Zhen's presence these past few days, what kind of state should Xu Chen be in?
He remembered that he was Xu Chen, but he couldn't remember that he wasn't Xu Chen before, nor could he remember what was inside the Immortal-Binding Rope around his neck. He would still think that Xu Pianpian was the second one, a fake, someone this older brother used to replace him after he ran away.

She also feels that she is not entirely herself now, but rather a fusion of "Xu Chen" and "Xu Pianpian".

Simply put, if he harbored resentment towards Xu Zhen, it was only because Xu Zhen had merged his consciousness with Xu Pianpian's, making him unable to recall where he came from or why he had escaped.

And this resentment is actually understandable – little brother, you ran away to play back then, and now you've forgotten the past, so naturally we can only resort to supernatural powers and this desperate measure to wake you up.

Therefore, the conclusion is that we should "hahahaha".

It should also carry a hint of resentment!

Li Wuxiang was stunned: "Hahahaha! Big brother, are you serious!?"

Xu Zhen was very satisfied with his performance: "Of course it's true."

Li Wuxiang stared at the small fan in his hand: "Then will you give me this now too?"

When saying this, you can't just show that you want it. You have to add a bit of other emotions—a mix of joy, anticipation, resentment, and anger.

This expression was difficult to portray, but Li Wuxiang was a veteran actor. Therefore, upon hearing his words and seeing his expression, Xu Zhen immediately understood what he was thinking—

He was absolutely right; he harbored resentment. However, the resentment wasn't very strong. Now, his desire for Qingpu Mountain stemmed from both a genuine desire and an expectation that he would receive it as some form of compensation.

Back in the Eastern Continent, this great demon king didn't rely solely on brute force to subdue people. Rather, he depended more on the clear-mindedness he cultivated while refining the Immortal-Binding Rope, which gave him a sharp eye. He immediately saw through Li Wuxiang's little scheme.

Originally, he was going to wait. But since he now wants to... think about it, it doesn't matter. Xu Zhen tossed the small fan aside: "Between you and me, brothers, if you want it, I'll give it to you—catch!"

Li Wuxiang grabbed the Qingpu Fan.

He already possessed the Golden Entanglement, the Pointing Moon Mystic Light, and the Mirror of Backing. However, when he obtained the Golden Entanglement, he was still a mortal; when he obtained the Pointing Moon Mystic Light, it carried other meanings; and when he obtained the Mirror of Backing, he was engaged in a magical battle with Xu Pianpian.

Only now, having obtained this Qingpu Fan, has he found himself calm and focused, his energy keen. The fan itself remains unaffected, showing no signs of being used to unleash its power.

Therefore, as soon as he held it in his hand, he discovered that subtle experience—like something that had been lost for a long time had returned, or more like a person who was extremely hungry and whose stomach was empty suddenly having rice in their stomach.

He felt a sense of peace wash over him, his breathing became more stable, and his blood and energy surged within him... He felt stronger.

This experience was truly wondrous. Cultivators typically grow stronger through gradual accumulation, much like a person slowly growing up. But now, Li Wuxiang felt as if he had suddenly grown taller—his rich blood and powerful aura couldn't be contained for a moment and were abruptly released outwards!

Then Xu Zhen actually jumped high—he tossed the fan to Li Wuxiang, who had been sitting there smiling. But Li Wuxiang suddenly released his vital energy, and Xu Zhen immediately felt a warning and jumped back two steps from the stone bench.

Only then was Li Wuxiang able to barely control his own qi and blood, and he saw Xu Zhen's appearance: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Xu Zhen had no choice but to jump up and down again: "I'm moving around. I've been in the Central Plains for a long time, and like people, I've been sitting for too long, so I feel uncomfortable."

"I can't give him any more of the treasures from the Thirty-Six Sects!" Xu Zhen thought to himself. If his heart could breathe, he would still be panting as he thought, "Is Li Wuxiang practicing the Great Calamity Sword Scripture? What kind of evil technique is this? How come his power seems to have skyrocketed the moment he got his hands on the Qingpu Fan?"

With my current cultivation level, it wouldn't be too difficult to subdue him, but if this happened six or seven more times, it might not be so easy... The other eight magic treasures of the Thirty-Six Sects must not be given to him before he is completely refined!

Seeing him jump again, Li Wuxiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief—he had to get his hands on the remaining treasures of the Thirty-Six Sects! Mei Qiulu had suggested he collect the original artifacts of all thirty-six sects on Mount Dajie, and then refine the top-tier essence of the Nascent Soul realm. He remembered Mei Qiulu saying that the Nascent Soul realm should originally have three essences, but now he only had one left. He would refine the dragon body to make one more, and then figure out the rest later.

His golden inner core combined with the outer shell of the Great Calamity Sword Scripture was already extremely powerful—it could even swallow a Nascent Soul level demon king like Xu Pianpian, leaving her unable to escape and helpless. So he had previously thought that refining the dragon body was not something he needed to rush. Even if he succeeded, it might only mean that he had perfected the first level of the Nascent Soul realm.

But now that he has acquired the Qingpu Fan, it is truly different, far more exciting than when he obtained the Kaoshan Mirror!
This led him to consider a possibility—that this thing could undergo a qualitative change due to quantitative change.

The golden entanglement, the moon-pointing radiance, and the mountain-backing mirror that he possessed in the past had all aided his cultivation. But now, with the addition of the Qingpu Fan, he might have just crossed a small threshold in the process of "refining the dragon body."

After crossing this small threshold, he felt that he might have truly reached the first level of the Nascent Soul realm and was approaching perfection!
The reason for planting the seed of calamity on Xu Zhen and for playing along with him here is as simple as it gets – we can't beat him!

He had fought many opponents stronger than himself, but back then, either their strength was roughly equal, they had others helping them, or they could plan ahead. However, at his and Xu Zhen's level of cultivation, there were very few people who could help him; Mei Qiulu was, at the very least, far away!
And what's worse, even though they were so close, he dared not ask Mei Qiulu for help—Xu Zhen, having reached his wit's end, would surely tell Mei Qiulu that he was a demon. Master Cui was also a demon, but having spent so many years in Youjiuyuan, he knew him inside and out. Mei Qiulu was now a Yang God, and before leaving, he even thought she might be bewitched. He had to remember that less than a year ago he was a powerful demon king with fiefdoms in the Eastern Continent; who knew what he might do!

Now, it seems he has suddenly found a solution.

—The original artifacts of the Thirty-Six Sects. Like other realms, the progress of the Nascent Soul realm requires increasingly more essence and energy. Having now collected four original artifacts, he leaped from a beggar-like Nascent Soul cultivator to the perfect first level. What if he collected the remaining eight still in his sect?
He felt he wouldn't reach the second level of perfection, but it would certainly be far stronger than his current state. Since arriving in the Central Continent, he had always been at a disadvantage. The difference in skill between himself and Xu Zhen wasn't a big deal. The important thing was time... He would have a long time to stay by Xu Zhen's side, and there would always be opportunities to do some underhanded things.

As for Xu Zhen? The calamity grows stronger, and he grows weaker. With this ebb and flow, when it's time to truly make a move... ha, ha, ha ha ha ha ha—

Seeing that Li Wuxiang was smiling and seemed to really like the Qingpu fan in his hand, Xu Zhen was temporarily relieved.

He's still confused, which makes things easier. Looking at it this way, giving him that fan wasn't such a bad thing after all; at least he knows what he can't do in the future. And since he still considers him his younger brother, he should be thinking—

"you shut up."

Xu Zhen suddenly heard Li Wuxiang speak fiercely. His voice was fierce, but the smile on his face was still there, and he was still staring at the Qingpu fan, as if he liked it very much and was busy admiring it.

He was stunned for a moment, then heard Li Wuxiang say again, "Didn't I tell you? Kill Xu Zhen, and I'll let you out! What's your hurry?"

what?
Ok? !

Xu Zhen's eyes widened, and he almost pounced on them—when he used the Immortal-Binding Rope to refine others in the past, some of them were indeed driven mad by the refinement, but that was so long ago! How could something go wrong now!?

But then a third sentence came from Li Wuxiang's smiling mouth: "Is it difficult? Haha, besides the Blood God Sect, there are eight other artifacts outside. As long as I get my hands on those eight, and then use some tricks on Xu Zhen, guess who will die, me or him?"

He's not talking to me!

Even though he was a demon king, Xu Zhen felt a chill run down his spine—what went wrong with my method? Who is Li Wuxiang with...?

"It doesn't matter. Just listen to me and don't cause trouble. When we return to the Eastern Continent and I get Fangju City, all your old places will be yours again. You can go wherever you want then!"

Pianpian!? Xu Pianpian!?

She hasn't been refined by Li Wuxiang yet!?
"Alright, stop bothering me at times like this. Xu Zhen is watching me right now! Do you think he'll react if he notices something's wrong with me?"

"Bullshit, you little beast! Tell me properly who came first and who came last? Oh, you're stupid, so you can't figure it out? I came first, so I'm your older brother, understand?"

"Nonsense! Let me tell you, I came first! I left and came to the Central Plains, and that's how you came into being! But now I'm here too! The first comes first! Do you understand?!"

Xu Zhen let out a slight breath, took a step back, but after thinking for a moment, she took another step forward and returned to her previous standing position, even in the same posture.

Li Wuxiang was talking to Xu Pianpian. Things had indeed gone wrong.

But it didn't seem like he had gone mad; it was different from what he had imagined.

He still considers her his younger brother, and right now it seems he's arguing with Xu Pianpian about who's "bigger"—who's the elder brother and who's the elder sister.
This is interesting... What's wrong with him? What exactly is he remembering now?
No matter how profound his skills or how great his supernatural powers, he couldn't penetrate other people's hearts. However, since Pianpian was still around, he had plenty of ways to do so.

Xu Zhen narrowed her eyes, watching Li Wuxiang, who was standing there talking to himself, with great interest, listening carefully. Only after hearing him argue with her three more times and say, "I don't have time to waste with you," did she suppress her slight smile.

Li Wuxiang snapped out of his daze, his gaze lingering on the Qingpu Fan for a moment before he looked up at him: "Brother! If you're feeling bored, why don't we head to those eight sects today? The sooner we get the magic weapon and get to the Blood God Sect, the sooner I can become the sect leader. Mei Qiulu still has to deal with the Blood God Sect. If we arrive just as she's about to attack, things will get complicated."

Xu Zhen laughed: "Alright. The closest one to here is the Divine Blade Sect. Didn't you already subdue their sect leader Zheng Jingxi? Come on, follow me, let's go there now. Look how happy you are—once we get their treasure, I'll let you have a good time."

(End of this chapter)