Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 663 Mission Completed (Two chapters combined)

The yellowish raindrops grew larger and larger. In the city of all living beings, the people came out of their homes and bathed in the heavy rain. Their faces showed a sense of relief, and their bodies turned into wisps of smoke, slowly dissipating in the rain.

"They've disappeared!!"

"I'm a newbie," QQ cried out in alarm as he watched the residents disappear below the city.

"It's not disappearance, it's liberation."

Liu Mu stood aside, looking up at the dim yellow rain above: "This is Meng Po's longing for her lover's return. As long as it is a vengeful spirit, even something like Gui, it will immediately be freed from its evil karma and be carried into the Yellow Springs along with the rain."

Liu Mu was also very surprised. He didn't expect that Xiao Ran could actually get in touch with Meng Po. Meng Po was a notoriously stubborn old woman. Even the King of Hell had to coax her to go to work.

The fact that Xiao Ran was able to obtain the "Longing for My Lover's Return" from her made Liu Mu look at Xiao Ran's methods with new respect.

I vaguely remember when I first met this kid, his strength was nothing special.

But now, he has first become the successor of Plum Blossom Taoist, and then the Yin-Yang Inspector.

"Um……

Could it be... that he really is the legendary protector of destiny?

Just as Liu Mu's thoughts had drifted off to who-knows-where, he noticed that the gloom overhead was growing ever larger.

It wasn't just raining in the City of All Beings; the entire region was covered in heavy rain.

Even the ghostly soldiers in the distance were not spared; their bodies gradually turned into green smoke as they were soaked in the rain.

A large number of ghostly soldiers turned into green smoke and dissipated in the misty rain. At this moment, Xiao Ran's eyes sharpened as he saw a large flag swaying slightly in the distance, seemingly retreating.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran reached out and pulled out the Six-Character Measuring Sword stuck upstairs, leaping into the air.

At the same time, Wu Man also noticed Xiao Ran's movements, and jumped off the city wall. Her body rolled in mid-air and transformed into the shape of a wild boar.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran took the opportunity to ride on the back of the wild boar. The wild boar's four hooves trampled through the muddy mountain forest, pushing aside the grass, trees, and rocks along its path.

In a short while, they had already reached the location of the flag.

"Da da da da..."

A sudden, thunderous thud of hooves erupted from the mountain ridge as a troop of black-armored cavalry charged down, whipping up a gale-force wind. Crimson eyes gleamed beneath their greyish-blue armor, and a hundred long spears churned up swirling waves of air in the rain, the entire formation resembling a poisoned dagger tearing through the curtain of rain.

"Kill!!" A black tiger phantom formed from baleful energy appeared above the army formation, its gaping maw already within reach.

"Roar—" Wu Man's roar burst forth, transforming into visible sound waves. The wild boar demon's body swelled exponentially, dark golden flames rising from its mane. The moment its hooves shattered the rock strata, its mountain-like body, carrying the scent of sulfur, crashed into the army formation—an absolute crushing blow from a prehistoric behemoth against human warfare.

The crisp sound of spears snapping rang out in unison, and the iron armor was torn apart like paper before the fangs.

The cavalrymen's final expressions froze in the instant their pupils contracted, before they were hurled into the air by the blast wave, turning into a rain of blood and flesh that splattered onto the mud.

Xiao Ran's sword lightly vibrated, shaking off the blood droplets, and the Six-Character Measuring Sword suddenly emitted a three-inch-long blue light.

As Wu Man leaped using her back as leverage, the crescent-shaped arc of light drawn by the sword cleaved the rain curtain into a vacuum passage.

The moment the fog dissipated, the figure in the python robe, surrounded by personal guards, had nowhere to hide under the banner.

The cold edge of the measuring sword left six overlapping afterimages in the rain. The halberd-wielding guards in the front row didn't even have time to block before their bronze heavy armor and weapons were shredded into pieces by the sword energy.

As Xiao Ran's black boots stepped onto the central flag platform, the lingering sound of metal fragments clattering to the ground came belatedly from behind.

"Do not move!!"

The man's scream immediately stopped everyone in their tracks. Xiao Ran's measuring sword was pressed against the neck of the man in the python robe.

The guards with halberds stopped what they were doing at the sound of the man's desperate screams.

Xiao Ran pointed his sword at the man in the python robe, looking him up and down. He found that the man not only had a high-pitched voice, but also lacked any masculine energy.

She sniffed the air and, oh dear, the pungent odor emanating from him made Xiao Ran push the man to the ground: "So you're a eunuch!"

"Yes, yes, yes, I, Li Xiangyang, will spare my life."

A eunuch named himself Li Xiangyang, which sounds quite ironic.

"I've never heard of you, yet you dare to build a ghost army on your own. For that alone, I'd rather skin you alive than treat you poorly."

Xiao Ran pointed his sword at Li Xiangyang, looking as if he was about to chop off Li Xiangyang's head at any moment, which terrified Li Xiangyang.

"Great hero, spare my life! This...this...this ghostly army has nothing to do with me. It's all the work of King Wu's Spiritual Cult. I'm just in charge of leading the troops. This has nothing to do with me."

"It's the King of Wu again!"

Xiao Ran frowned, clearly indicating that King Wu had discovered the affairs of the Spirit God Sect, which was why he had ordered the Yin Army to besiege the City of All Beings.

"Make them all lay down their weapons and come with me to the City of All Beings. If the situation is as you say, I will spare your life. But if you dare to utter a single lie, I guarantee I will make you wish you were dead!"

In fact, Xiao Ran could have killed all these soldiers, but since he had already taken control of Li Xiangyang, there was no need for Xiao Ran to cause any more bloodshed.

"Quickly, put down your weapons and follow the hero."

Li Xiangyang was quite cooperative, seemingly aware that these ordinary soldiers couldn't protect him at all, so he simply obeyed.

Although the soldiers were unwilling, they obediently put down their weapons and followed Xiao Ran toward the City of All Beings.

On the way, Li Xiangyang was full of flattery: "Great hero, your divine power is unparalleled, and this old servant admires you greatly. May I ask your name?"

"Xiao Xingbang!"

This is the name Xiao Ran uses in this labyrinthine city.

But after Xiao Ran uttered the name, Li Xiangyang was immediately shocked and exclaimed, "Group C, number thirty-six!!"

"Hey, you know me?"

Li Xiangyang nodded hurriedly: "That sword competition happened a long time ago, but the names of the thirty-six in Group C are still well-known and no less impressive than those in Group A."

Back then, in the sword rankings, Gu Xintang ranked third, his wife Gao Yuting ranked second, but Wu Man somehow managed to snatch the first place.

Xiao Ran is still ranked 36th in Group C, but the prestige of this Group C 36 is no less than that of the Group A list.

Huang Chao also participated back then, but due to Xiao Ran's scheming, he withdrew early and missed the sword evaluation.

It was as if it were his destiny to be excluded from any list.

"What has become of those who were involved in the sword reviews back then?"

Li Xiangyang's mention of sword reviews made Xiao Ran think of many things, and her mood improved somewhat.

"Alas, the sword critiques of that time were already a thing of the past. The emperor fell, the world was in chaos, and there were no more sword critiques after that. A few years ago, I heard that the Five Leaves Daoist was beheaded by Huang Chao."

"Was the Five Leaves Daoist killed by Huang Chao?"

Xiao Ran stopped and looked at Li Xiangyang, clearly very surprised by the news. Wu Ye Dao Ren and Huang Chao were supposed to be completely unrelated people.

The Five Leaves Taoist was quite skilled, a top-tier expert in the martial arts world. How could he have been killed by Huang Chao?
"Yes, I heard that Huang Chao found him and wanted the Five Leaves Taoist to tell his fate, but he was killed by Huang Chao."

Fortune telling and destiny prediction!

Xiao Ran frowned. The Five Leaves Daoist did indeed have this ability; he had calculated it for her before.

"Do you know what kind of fate Huang Chao was told?"

"I don't know. How could our family know about such a thing?" Li Xiangyang shook his head, feeling puzzled as well. This matter had caused quite a stir at the time, and many people in the martial arts world were planning to condemn Huang Chao.

But in the end, nothing came of it.

How could Xiao Xingbang, a figure comparable to the top-ranked scholar, not know this?

Let's talk about something else.

"You still remember Guxintang, right?"

"Ok!"

"Since the emperor's death, the Qiankun Alliance's power has expanded rapidly. Already the number one alliance in the world, it now dominates the martial arts world. Its leader, Gu Shang, supports Prince Fu, making it the most powerful and influential among all the princes, according to rumors..."

At this point, Li Xiangyang glanced at Xiao Ran; "Rumor has it that Gu Xintang obtained three parts of the Dragon Qi for the Qiankun Alliance, giving the Qiankun Alliance the strength to contend for the world's supremacy."

Speaking of dragon energy, Xiao Ran recalled that he had personally beheaded the last true dragon of the dynasty, and most of the dragon energy was tainted on his decapitating blade.

"Once I upgrade the Barber to a C-rank Executioner, I'll use the Sublimation Gem to upgrade the Guillotine to an A-rank Cursed Artifact. At that point, I should be able to put up a fight even against Huang Chao."

Xiao Ran made plans for her future. The reason she waited until she became an advanced executioner was because A-grade cursed objects could only unleash their power in the hands of professionals.

Improving your [Decapitation Blade] too early will actually limit your strength.

As they spoke, the group had already entered the City of All Beings.

At this moment, the City of All Beings has become a ghost town.

Under the influence of their longing for their beloved's return, the residents of the city were finally freed, letting go of their obsessions and returning to the underworld.

"Boss..."

Omeprazole and others came to greet them. Xiao Ran glanced at them and thought, "Not bad. There have been some casualties, but overall the number of casualties is not high."

"Side Mission 2 campaign participation complete!"

At this moment, a notification sound indicating mission completion appeared in front of everyone, signifying the successful conclusion of this battle.

This brought a sigh of relief to the survivors.

"Find a place to detain these soldiers. They've all worked hard lately, so give them a good rest. Once the situation stabilizes, we can leave."

"it is good!"

When they heard that they could leave this awful place, joyful smiles appeared on their faces.

They immediately dispatched a group of men to imprison all the soldiers. Xiao Ran then led Li Xiangyang to the inn.

"Everyone, get some rest. We can discuss any issues tomorrow."

Xiao Ran arrived back much later than usual after the battle. Jin Chanzi and the others had been desperately defending the city, and their bodies were already nearing their limits. Wu Man was in even worse condition, so they didn't say anything and simply found a room to rest.

After everyone went to rest.

Xiao Ran and Li Xiangyang sat in the main hall. Xiao Ran took out the large flag and placed it on the table: "Tell me, is this thing in the hands of the King of Wu?"

Xiao Ran pointed to the imperial seal stamped on the banner and asked.

When Xiao Ran took the banner, she discovered that it was a cursed item, and of a high grade—a C-level cursed item.

But at the same time, she reminded herself that only people with the surname Li could use it, and Xiao Ran guessed that it was probably related to the character "Li" on the flag.

"The Imperial Seal of the State is not in the hands of the King of Wu. The King of Wu has never even seen the Imperial Seal of the State."

Li Xiangyang's words surprised Xiao Ran greatly.

However, Xiao Ran's spiritual power enveloped Li Xiangyang, and judging from his emotional fluctuations, this guy wasn't lying.

"Tell me, how much do you know?"

"Yes."

Li Xiangyang knew that he had destroyed the King of Wu's ghostly army. Even if he returned to the King of Wu alive, his fate would probably be worse than death. So he simply revealed everything he knew.

First, let's talk about the Imperial Seal of the State. King Wu indeed never saw it.

This item was held by a mysterious person. The leader of the Spirit God Cult personally went to request it and paid a huge price before the other party stamped the flag.

As for who this mysterious person is, that remains unknown. King Wu had inquired about it, but the leader of the Spirit God Sect dared not reveal a single word to King Wu.

"Oh, besides the King of Wu, the King of Fu, the King of Jin, the King of Qi, and the King of Ying all seem to have something stamped with the seal. However, for the King of Wu it's a flag, and I don't know what the others have, but as long as they have this seal, they seem to have some kind of special power. For example, the King of Wu can control the ghost soldiers with this flag."

Li Xiangyang spilled everything he knew.

Xiao Ran frowned inwardly as she listened.

"This person is taking the Imperial Seal of the State and altering it everywhere. He clearly wants to stir up trouble. Who is he? And why is he doing this?"

After thinking it over, Xiao Ran suddenly thought of someone.

"Could it be..."

The image of Huang Chao involuntarily appeared in Xiao Ran's mind. It seemed that only he could do such a thing. Otherwise, no matter which force had the seal, they would not stamp it on someone else.

"You said before that Huang Chao killed the Five Leaves Daoist, so let me ask you, what is Huang Chao's current situation?"

"Well... I don't know. After Huang Chao burned down Chang'an, he led his army north. It seems that the army was besieged by the King of Wu and the King of Jin several times. The Locust Plague Army was defeated and its strength gradually weakened. But I heard that Huang Chao was not seen during these besieges. Otherwise, with Huang Chao's fearsome reputation, he would not have been defeated so quickly."

"You mean Huang Chao isn't in the locust plague army?"

Li Xiangyang's words made Xiao Ran even more certain that the person who was stamping the imperial seal everywhere was probably Huang Chao.

I know this guy very well; he's the kind of person who thrives on chaos.

To put it bluntly, the Locust Plague Army was nothing more than a tool in Huang Chao's eyes. Now that the world is divided, the Locust Plague Army has lost its purpose and its target is too obvious. Huang Chao himself has already broken through to the Celestial Realm, so he doesn't need to carry the burden of the Locust Plague Army.

After figuring out the details, Xiao Ran couldn't help but suspect that Huang Chao might still be in the Central Plains, or even hiding right under the noses of these warlords.

As for what he was going to do, Xiao Ran had no idea.

Having obtained the answer she wanted, Xiao Ran stopped pressuring Li Xiangyang: "You might as well stay here from now on. You can still manage those soldiers yourself. If you want to leave, I won't stop you, but I'm afraid there's nowhere left for you outside."

"Thank you for sparing my life, Master Xiao. I'll stay here from now on."

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's words, Li Xiangyang immediately knelt down and kowtowed several times to Xiao Ran before slowly leaving the inn under her gaze.

After Li Xiangyang left, Xiao Ran rested her chin on her hand, staring at the large flag in front of her, wondering what Huang Chao was up to.

After this guy entered the realm of celestial beings, he was practically invincible in the world. But the most terrifying thing was that this invincible guy didn't go out and cause trouble. Instead, he hid in the shadows and developed his strength in a sneaky way.

Who knows if this guy will suddenly jump out and cause everyone a big, unexpected problem?

As she pondered, Xiao Ran became increasingly agitated.

They decided to leave the inn and wander around the city.

The empty streets, after being cleansed by the "longing for my lover's return" ritual, are still the same streets, but they are much cooler than before.

Xiao Ran's eyes pierced through appearances, and he saw that the piles of bones on the street had disappeared, leaving only blood-stained shredded clothes on the ground.

"Rumble..."

The City of All Beings slowly rose from the ground, like a giant that had wasted years, carrying the empty city forward.

The King of Wu's ghostly army was thus destroyed by Xiao Ran. It is believed that neither the King of Wu nor the Spirit God Cult will let this go easily.

It would be a good choice for Zhong Sheng City to leave the territory of King Wu as soon as possible.

As for the ghosts that have disappeared in the city, Xiao Ran estimated that it wouldn't be long before new ghosts would gradually move in.

As she walked, Xiao Ran suddenly stopped and looked up, only to find herself in front of the gate of the City God Temple.

Looking at the wide-open City God Temple, the chicken bone on the gate was still there, its flame still flickering faintly.

The City God Temple in front of us looks even more dilapidated than before.

Black weeds began to grow in the cracks between the bricks on the ground.

These grasses grew large and black, their thick roots even causing the floor tiles to bulge and buckle.

Since Xiao Ran set up the curse in front of the City God Temple before leaving last time, I believe that the thing hiding inside the City God Temple must not be having a good time.

At this moment, his curse spell was beginning to show results. The black plants not only absorbed the evil energy in the City God Temple completely, but their roots were also growing rapidly. Before long, these roots would seep into every corner of the City God Temple.

By then, the City God Temple will likely be completely reduced to ruins in just a few days.

Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes, and his immense spiritual power passed straight through the temple gate and directly into the City God Hall.

Sensing Xiao Ran's spiritual power approaching, the City God statue in the City God Hall immediately trembled violently, and a surge of anger mixed with evil energy poured out from the City God Hall.

After this evil energy rushed out of the main hall, it emitted a piercing scream as if it were being exposed to the bright sun, and then immediately retreated back into the main hall.

"Hahaha, how have you been? Not having an easy time lately, have you?"

Xiao Ran stood in front of the gate, looking coldly towards the direction of the City God Temple.

"mean!"

An angry roar echoed from the main hall, and a faint black mist enveloped the entire hall, forcibly expelling Xiao Ran's spying spiritual power from the hall.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran coldly questioned, "Is it despicable to harm you? Do I have to go inside first before I can show my kindness?"

Xiao Ran said, "Alright, since you're so stubborn, just stay here obediently. Let's see how long you can hold out. After this temple collapses and the City God Temple is destroyed, let's see where you can hide then."

Upon hearing Xiao Ran's words, a deep roar echoed from within the City God Temple.

Xiao Ran had it completely under her control. In Xiao Ran's eyes, the so-called anger was nothing more than the rage of an incompetent person.

"I'm planning to leave. You can stay here by yourself. If you're lucky, this City God Temple might last another month or two. If you're unlucky, then good luck to you."

"and many more!!"

Seeing that Xiao Ran was about to leave, the thing clinging to the City God statue in the City God Temple finally couldn't stand it anymore and called out to stop Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran stopped and turned around with a playful expression.

After a moment, the statue of the City God trembled and uttered a bitter voice: "I think there seems to be some misunderstanding between us."

"Misunderstand?"

"I am merely hiding here to recuperate and have no intention of causing harm to the region. If you can remove the curse, I will certainly repay you in kind."

"Forget about empty promises, and besides, I'm not interested in your repayment."

Xiao Ran had no intention of letting this thing go.

Perhaps, as he said, this thing is indeed just hiding here to recuperate, but if the Lost City is completed, this evil spirit will probably harm countless people.

Therefore, Xiao Ran absolutely could not keep him.

"I don't know who you are, but if you insist on destroying me, then there will be an irreconcilable conflict between us. I think you don't know my origins either."

"Haha, there are plenty of evil spirits who want to kill me, one more won't make a difference." Xiao Ran couldn't help but laugh.

With Yu Zi on the mountaintop, Xiao Ran really didn't think it made a big deal whether there was one more or one less evil spirit that wanted to kill her.

Seeing that Xiao Ran was unmoved by reason, a dark and gloomy atmosphere suddenly filled the City God Temple. Suddenly, the temple door burst open, and a large, dark hand reached out from inside, grabbing at Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran stood still, quietly watching the large hand reaching for her. Before the hand even got close to the door, it began to hiss and then vanished into thin air.

Xiao Ran was not surprised at all by this result.

If the other party truly possessed the ability to attack me from such a distance, they would have already found a way to break the curse themselves; why would they need to beg me so humbly?

"Humph!"

Xiao Ran snorted disdainfully and turned to leave.

The City God statue trembled violently, cracks tearing open from its surface, through which countless scarlet eyes stared intently at Xiao Ran:

"You'll regret this, you will. I swear, even if it means being devoured by the rules, one day I'll make you wish you were dead!!"

(End of this chapter)