Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 787 Heading to Luodian
"Noon has arrived!"

Xiao Ran's deep voice, like the tolling of a judgment bell, rang out clearly amidst the booming aftershocks of energy.

As the skill was activated, the world changed!
The night sky was suddenly torn open, and the outline of a sun appeared, instantly illuminating the night sky.

The light came too fast and too abruptly, giving the priestess no time to adjust. The blinding light made her instinctively close her eyes tightly!

In that instant when his eyes were slightly closed, an unprecedented sense of crisis struck.

At this moment, Xiao Ran had already leaped into the air, his eyes flashing with fluorescent light. The sunlight seemed to focus on Xiao Ran's body, causing his strength to increase continuously.

The immense spiritual power was firmly locked onto the priest king.

A dark red glow appeared around the priest king, exposing all his weaknesses to Xiao Ran's view.

The [Dragon Abyss] in his hand emitted a buzzing sound.

"Privilege: Execution, activated!"

"If the judgment fails, the success rate increases by 2%."

"If the judgment fails, the success rate increases by 2%."

"If the judgment fails, the success rate increases by 2%."

The words "failed judgment" kept flashing in front of Xiao Ran, but with each failure, the success rate was constantly increasing.

"boom!!"

The blade slashed through the void, only to be blocked by the shadowy figure behind the priest king with a spear. However, the intense impact caused the priest king to tremble violently.

Before she could recover, Xiao Ran raised her hand.

Professional skills and the stitching thread of fate.

Threads as fine as spider silk emerged from Xiao Ran's palm, piercing straight through the void and into the black shadow behind the Priest King.

"court death!!"

By this time, the priest king had recovered and let out a sharp, piercing shriek.

The totem patterns on her body instantly burst forth with a blinding, eerie light. The massive, solid shadow, as solid as a mountain, suddenly surged and split behind her, splitting into four thick arms made of pure dark energy! Each arm held a jet-black spear at its end, and from four extremely tricky angles, they fiercely stabbed towards Xiao Ran, who was suspended in mid-air!

The air emitted a shriek, strained from the pressure.

However, Xiao Ran's face remained completely expressionless, as cold and indifferent as ancient ice.

Without even a dodge, he pulled hard with one hand.

The silver stitches suddenly tightened, and the spear that had been locked onto Xiao Ran instantly lost control, stabbing towards the left and right sides.

At the same time, the words flashing in front of Xiao Ran finally changed.

"Judgment successful!! Execution activated!"

When you initiate a "execution" on a target, the target will be forced into a "execution" state.

In the execution state, the target will lose all mobility, will be unable to activate cursed items, and will be unable to use class skills.

(Note: The stronger your own strength is over the target, the higher the success rate of the execution. When you have the Dragon Abyss, you can see the probability of the judgment on the opponent.)
The moment "Execution" was activated, the pupils beneath the priest king's mask suddenly contracted to pinpoints.

She felt as if the space and time around her had been poured into cement, and every muscle was resisting the brain's commands. This was not mental suppression, but an absolute confinement from the level of rules!
What terrified her even more was the restless power of the ancestral god within her body.

This primal power from the ancient shaman ancestor was now like a flying insect caught in a spider web, stagnating and dying in the meridians.

She could clearly sense the roaring and colliding forces, yet she felt a stifling frustration at being unable to break free or resist.

"impossible!"

This thought struck like a thunderbolt. In the records of the priest kings throughout the ages, there had never been any mention of such power that could suppress the power of the ancestral god within one's own body.

"Death!"

Xiao Ran's voice interrupted the High Priest King's thoughts. Before his eyes, the dark red blade energy had already torn through the sky, and the sharp edge of the Dragon Abyss reflected the distorted totems on her mask.

She couldn't even close her eyes; she could only watch helplessly as the arc of light that marked the end grew larger and larger in her pupils.

"Shhh!!"

The blade swept past the priest king, making him feel a chill in his throat, and instantly filled him with despair.

"Leave people under the knife!"

Then, a shout could be heard from afar.

It was an unfamiliar voice. The priest king glanced around and saw a group of people running towards them in the distance.

A man dressed in clothes labeled "Delivery Anywhere" ran while frantically waving his hands, shouting, "Spare his life!"

Who is that?
A moment of confusion flashed through the priest king's mind, but he quickly came to terms with it.

Close your eyes and wait for death to come.

However, at this moment, the priest king suddenly felt a lightness on his face, and saw that his mask had been removed.

Xiao Ran glanced curiously at the priest king's face, then covered it up again, muttering, "It doesn't look good either."

"you!!"

Even if you, the priest king, have realized that you have already severed your head, you are still furious when you are treated so lightly.

"Don't move. Strictly speaking, you're already dead. I just sewed your head back up."

Xiao Ran gently flicked his finger, and a silver thread, almost invisible to the naked eye, appeared at his fingertip.

If Xiao Ran wanted, she could kill the Priest King instantly with just a flick of her finger.

Xiao Ran was willing to keep a backup plan because of the people from the company in the distance.

Soon Tang Zhishang arrived with his men, along with several high priests from the Miao ethnic group.

"Let go of my hand!!"

When they saw Xiao Ran's hand actually resting on the High Priest King's shoulder, Miao Zongpan and the other high priests' eyes widened in surprise.

Before Xiao Ran could speak, the High Priest King immediately raised his hand to stop them.

Only then did Miao Zongpan and the others realize that the priest king's life seemed to be in the hands of the other party. They were both shocked and angry, but dared not utter a word of rebuke.

Just then, Tang Zhishang jogged over, his forehead covered in sweat, clearly exhausted.

They heard the commotion in the village but didn't know what had happened. Then they saw the priest king rush out with murderous intent.

Realizing something was wrong, Tang Zhishang had no choice but to hurriedly lead his men to chase after them.

On the way here, he was still thinking about how much of a chance he had of winning if he fell out with the priest king and managed to take the two old people away safely.

As soon as they crossed a hill, they witnessed Xiao Ran and the Priest King's fight.

Tang Zhishang felt utterly disheartened at that moment.

What level of battle is this?!
You want me to protect those two old men?

Did the company make a mistake in my rating?
What merit do I possess?
Fortunately, he quickly recovered from his shock and saw that Xiao Ran was about to chop the priest king's head with a knife. Tang Zhishang immediately realized what was going on.

He used all his strength, even his last bit of effort, shouting as he ran this way.

The priest king cannot die.

If she were killed, the Miao people who came from the Lost City would likely cause a great deal of turmoil here.

The worst-case scenario would be the activation of the state apparatus and the use of force to suppress the unrest, which would result in countless deaths.

This is something the company's top management absolutely does not want to see; in that case, they might spend their entire lives cleaning in some godforsaken place.

Fortunately, although Tang Zhishang's shouts were not loud enough, Xiao Ran's mental strength was strong enough that she noticed the group of people as soon as Tang Zhishang shouted.

Only then did they act quickly, using the thread of fate to sew up the cut on the priest king's neck.

Tang Zhishang composed himself, let out a long sigh, and jogged over to Xiao Ran's side.

Xiao Ran's information had been announced by the company long ago.

However, Tang Zhishang did not recognize Xiao Ran, because Tang Zhishang almost never checked these announcements.

After all, this place is too remote, and the people who can appear on the show, whether good or bad, are completely unrelated to me.

In fact, if it weren't for the incident at Hujiazhai, he wouldn't have bothered to check the information about the two old men, Zhou Shang and Li Qing.

At this moment, all eyes were focused on Tang Zhishang, making his brain's CPU almost overloaded.

"Um... um... brother, we're from the company."

Xiao Ran frowned and began to scrutinize Tang Zhishang.

This immediately put Tang Zhishang under immense pressure.

He looked as if he had been stripped naked and was standing in front of everyone; his face was flushed red.

"I……"

"I know, you don't need to say anything."

Xiao Ran interrupted Tang Zhishang's nonsense and asked the High Priest King, "My grandfather and the others came by, where are they now?"

"Your grandfather?"

The priest king looked strange, and Miao Zongpan and the others looked even more grim.

Normally, they would attack the younger one first and then the older one, so why is it the other way around here?

"They had already left. I chased after them, but I couldn't find them."

The priestess took a deep breath. She was in a stronger position; her life was now in their hands. Even if they were the kings of the Miao tribe, she dared not take the risk. "They're gone?"

Xiao Ran then turned her gaze to Tang Zhishang. This high priest's methods were at least those of a C-level professional. If she didn't have the [Dragon Abyss], killing her directly would probably not be an easy task.

How did my grandfather and his group get there?
Faced with Xiao Ran's questioning gaze, Tang Zhishang was also completely bewildered; he had no idea what had happened.

"They've left. When our people came after them, they vanished into thin air."

Miao Zongpan recounted all the actions of the four old men.

Xiao Ran immediately understood.

With their own grandfather's Yama knocking on the door, and with Zhao Qingming's assistance, they could escape into the underworld at an extremely fast speed.

As for Li Qing and Zhou Shang, the method of "walking in the underworld" was even easier for them.

"Well, these old men certainly know how to have fun."

Xiao Ran quickly analyzed the four old men's plan.

He released the priest king's shoulder: "I'll spare your life for now. As for the specifics of your fate, the company will discuss it with you when they arrive."

Now that she was certain that her grandfather and the others had left, Xiao Ran had no intention of interfering in the matter.

Once Wu Man and the others arrive, the matter can be handed over to the company staff who came with them.

While Xiao Ran was still waiting.

Meanwhile, Zhou Shang and his group had already reunited behind the mountains on the other side.

The four old men sat together and started complaining to each other.

"Fourth brother, why don't you come with me and start cultivating as a spirit immortal? You're too slow. If that priestess hadn't been so arrogant, we would all be doomed once she awakened the ancestral god within her."

Zhao Qingming started complaining to Xiao Zhenye.

When the incident was mentioned, Zhao Qingming looked as if he still had lingering fears.

He appeared calm and collected at the time, but in reality, he was starting to panic. If Xiao Laosi had been a little slower, things would have been a completely different story.

Xiao Zhenye scoffed, “There were too few corpses over there. I cobbled together what I could to make it look real. In fact, most of what you saw was fake. But you can’t blame me. Blame the third brother.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qing immediately became displeased: "Why is it my fault? What does this have to do with me?"

Xiao Zhenye complained with a dark face: "How is it none of your business? I told you long ago, we should surround them and attack from the bottom of the mountain. We should move quickly and set up an array at the foot of the mountain to trap them inside. It would be safer that way. But you insisted on going straight in. Now look what happened, I'm half dead."

As he spoke, Xiao Zhenye shook the urn in his hand, muttering to himself, "There's so little ashes, and I've already squandered most of it."

Upon hearing this, Li Qing flew into a rage, jumped onto the table, and pointed his pipe at Xiao Zhenye's head, yelling, "You're talking nonsense!!"

"Didn't you hear what the boss said? What's inside that woman's... ancestors? What if she calls out her ancestors? Are you going to beat her with your head?"

Xiao Zhenye slammed the sauerkraut jar he was holding onto the table in anger, stood up, and poked Li Qing's head with his finger: "You little rascal, get the hell out of here! Safety first, don't you understand?!"

"Fourth brother, you wait. When it gets light, I'll mix flour into your ashes!"

"you dare!!"

The two argued more and more fiercely, looking like they were about to fight at the slightest provocation, which left Ah Mei, who was standing to the side, dumbfounded.

Fortunately, Zhou Shang pulled the two apart at this moment: "Stop arguing. You're all old, what are you arguing about? You're like old children, aren't you ashamed?"

"Humph!"

The two were pulled aside and exchanged a cold snort.

Seeing this, Zhao Qingming sighed: "Stop arguing, no matter what, we've already retrieved the Gu Mother. What's next about opening the tomb?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhenye gradually calmed down, rummaged through his urn, and found a black donkey hoof inside.

He fiddled with the black donkey hoof in his hand.

"Back then, we entered the tomb with two groups of tomb raiders, Mao Si and Wang Shen. Now it's hard to find such skilled tomb raiders. However, Wang Shen's brother, Wang Zhang, left us a way out. All we need to do is find someone who is good at opening skylights."

After that incident, although Cat Four was bitten by a zombie, he was basically fine, except that he was afraid of light.

The guy figured that since tomb raiding was illegal, he went back to his old ways soon after returning home.

However, among the team that Cat Four regrouped, there was a two-faced guy who, seeing that the money he got wasn't much, simply killed Cat Four.

Later, Cat Four was arrested and executed.

As for Wang Shen, he was seriously injured in the tomb back then, and later died after the group returned, unable to be saved.

One of his cousins, Wang Zhang, was in the team.

That is, the one who was saved by the wind hammer.

A few years later, Wang Zhang attempted to descend into the tomb again, hoping to rescue Yang Fengchui. However, the situation inside had become more complex than before, and he dared not venture deeper. He only managed to find Yang Fengchui's suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument). (See Chapter 494 for details.)
After Wang Zhang returned, he looked for Xiao Zhenye, but Xiao Zhenye was not at home at the time. So Wang Zhang left a token, indicating that he had opened another path for them behind the original tomb passage, but they needed a master who was good at "opening windows" to help them get in.

In those years, Xiao Zhenye returned to Yunnan and Guizhou three times to search in the vicinity, and surprisingly, he actually found one.

"This person is in Ping'an Village, Mengjiang, Luodian. It will take us about three days to get there."

Xiao Zhenye estimated the distance; all he needed to do was continue downstream from Lianjiang to Luodian, and then continue along the Mengjiang River. Three days would be considered fast.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and leave, lest the priest king catch up with us and none of us will be able to escape."

Zhao Qingming urged.

He still harbors deep fear of the priest king.

If they catch up with him, Zhao Qingming will have no choice but to risk his life and fight back.

With nothing left to pack, the group headed south along the path under the cover of night.

Little did Zhao Qingming know that no sooner had they left than Xiao Ran caught up with them, and effortlessly subdued the High Priest King.
On the way, Xiao Zhenye suddenly remembered something and asked Zhao Qingming curiously, "Judging from what the priest king said, your Zhao family has a close relationship with the Miao people's shamanistic religion."

Zhao Qingming nodded: "We share the same origin and ancestry."

In fact, Zhao Qingming only learned the details of this matter not long ago when he and Xiao Ran personally visited the ancestral graves.

"I'm not surprised. My Zhao family has been Miao for a very long time. Back then, the Miao people were divided into two factions, White Witch and Black Witch, who disagreed on their beliefs and eventually parted ways. My family was White Witch, and we separated at that time and settled in the Central Plains."

Seeing Amei's surprised expression, Zhao Qingming softened his voice and said, "Actually, these are all old stories. Most spiritual mediums in the world are like this. My family is just lucky to have preserved our tradition for a longer period of time."

As they talked, they walked further and further away. They walked very fast, but it was Xiao Ran who suffered.

As the company's several members, with serious expressions, arrived at Jiuxian Mountain Village in a car alongside Lu Cheng, Wu Man, Jin Chanzi, and others, the atmosphere suddenly became even more solemn.

Tang Zhishang hurriedly led his men forward to greet them. The unease he felt due to the mission going out of control instantly turned into real fear upon seeing the main supervisors of the city company headquarters, and his hands and feet went cold.

He almost held his breath as he gave a brief and clear report on the situation, including how Xiao Ran subdued the High Priest, the mysterious disappearance of the four old men, the current state of the High Priest and the high priests, the fact that Amei Gu Mother had been taken away, and his previous contact with Miao Zongpan.

After listening to the report, the senior executives nodded expressionlessly.

What happened next had nothing to do with Tang Zhishang and his group. All the main leaders went to Jiuxian Mountain to discuss matters with the sacrificial king and others.

During this process, Tang Zhishang and his colleagues were not even allowed to listen in.

The meeting went very smoothly, and the company's requirements were not high. Maintaining stability is the company's core principle that has never changed.

Given Xiao Ran's undeniable talent, the trainees are willing to accept any demands the company makes, as long as they aren't excessive.

Of course, these things have little to do with Xiao Ran and the others. Xiao Ran is just a figurehead, and Lu Cheng is just a mascot. In the end, all he has to do is put his fingerprint on the contract.

After completing these tasks, the priest king led Miao Zongpan and others to find Xiao Ran.

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity. In return, we are willing to lend you a hand."

After the priest king finished speaking, Lingxi stepped out from beside him.

"She's Miao Zongpan's disciple, and her domesticated tracking Gu are the most useful; they can help you track those four..."

The priest was about to speak, but he swallowed the words "old radish" back down.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Old man, they shouldn't have gone far. With your strength, you should be able to catch up with them quickly."

Lingxi walked over and bowed slightly to Xiao Ran: "Senior, you can just call me Lingxi. My tracking Gu is very useful and will definitely be of help."

Xiao Ran looked the girl up and down and could tell that she was actually quite strong, probably a beginner at the D level. However, Xiao Ran couldn't figure out what her profession was.

"Then I'll trouble you. But please don't call me senior. We're actually about the same age, and we're both modern people. There's no need to be so polite. According to the rules for beginners, you can call me by my title... Durian."

Every time this title is mentioned, Xiao Ran unconsciously thinks of Apple, Watermelon, Orange and their group.

We entered the Dream Pool together that time. We didn't have any particularly deep feelings for each other, but we all remembered each other very clearly.

I wonder how those people are doing now.

"Oh, Lingxi is also one of my titles, so it's the same if you call me by my name."

Xiao Ran nodded slightly: "Is it efficient? They're not slow at all."

The four old men were all seasoned veterans. Even though their physical abilities had declined due to age, their escape techniques and wilderness survival skills were absolutely top-notch.

“Soon,” Lingxi said confidently, “the Gu worms’ perception and speed far exceed those of ordinary people, which will save us a lot of search time. They will guide us to the shortest shortcut.”

Xiao Ran could sense that the High Priest King's purpose in having Lingxi follow him was not entirely pure, but such a tracking Gu was indeed much more convenient for her. So even if the other party had a purpose, as long as it did not affect her, Xiao Ran turned a blind eye.

With Lingxi by his side, Xiao Ran quickly turned back down the mountain, where Wu Man, Jin Chanzi, and Lu Cheng were already waiting for him in the car.

After Xiao Ran got into the car, he patted the driver: "Let's go, to Luodian."

Xiao Ran didn't know the exact location of Gu Xuan's tomb, but according to information she had previously obtained from Wang Zhang's son, Wang Shouyue, it was in Luodian.

Once we reach Luodian, Lingxi can use the tracking Gu to catch up with the old man and the others without much trouble.

The driver nodded, and after Xiao Ran and the others were seated, he immediately stepped on the gas. With a deeper roar from the engine, the wheels rolled over the road, and the car shot off like an arrow towards Luodian.

(End of this chapter)