Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 820 Protect Yourself First
Watching Gu Xuan flutter around him like a peacock courting a mate, Xiao Ran's expression gradually darkened, and his voice grew cold: "Do you think... I'm a fool?"

Gu Xuan's movements suddenly froze, and the slightly smug smile on his face instantly vanished.

"What makes you say that, young friend Xiao Ran?" Gu Xuan's voice remained calm, but his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he felt a sense of helplessness at being misunderstood.

"All benefits and no harm?"

Xiao Ran sneered, her eyes sharp as knives as she stared intently at Gu Xuan: "Even if you're tired of living and want to end it all, you don't have to go so far as to offer yourself up as a sacrifice."

At this point, Xiao Ran stood up: "If you want my help, we can talk. After all, we don't have any life-or-death feud. But if you think I'm a fool, then I'm sorry!"

Seeing the anger on Xiao Ran's face, Gu Xuan's nonchalant expression gradually turned serious. "Young brother, I'm not lying to you. This is a destiny that was destined long ago. From the moment I stole the fungal strain, I was destined to become a sacrifice."

As Gu Xuan spoke, he waved his hand, and a graphic drawn with countless lines appeared in the air in front of him.

These countless patterns resembled countless stars, representing the distribution of mycelium throughout the entire tomb kingdom. When Gu Xuan inverted the patterns, countless mycelium gradually converged downwards, eventually gathering at a single point, slowly outlining the shape of a corpse.

The corpse had decomposed to the point of being nothing but bones, with a thick root extending from the skull.

Gu Xuan continued to enlarge the image, making it gradually clearer.

At this moment, Xiao Ran saw it clearly and said, "Is this your corpse?"

"Yes, right below this well."

Gu Xuan pointed to the mycelium growing from the skull: "If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have lived much longer either. The main stem of this mycelium is almost withered. It can only last for a few more years at most. Once it withers, the Tomb Kingdom will also vanish."

Gu Xuan, fearing that Xiao Ran wouldn't believe him, pointed to the main stem of the mycelium, which was about the thickness of a bowl. Xiao Ran looked closely and saw that there was already a brown patch the size of a thumb on it.

"After all, a bacterial strain is not a tree, and it is ultimately limited in time."

Gu Xuan looked at Xiao Ran calmly: "I made a promise to the Great Shaman, so no matter what, I will assist you in completing the ritual. This is my promise to the Great Shaman."

Gu Xuan's expression and tone were very genuine, not at all like he was pretending.

Are you kidding me?

Xiao Ran inwardly complained, not believing a single word Gu Xuan said.

Those who pursue immortality value their lives more than anything else.

What a load of bull! Go to hell with that promise!

If Gu Xuan were truly the kind of person who could have faith, why wouldn't he, a Taoist priest, believe in Taoism? Why wouldn't he diligently cultivate his own Taoist practices?
Don't use the risks of being a celestial being as an excuse; Xiao Ran won't believe such an excuse.

In his eyes, Gu Xuan and Plum Blossom Taoist were the same kind of people.

A person who can throw everything else to the wind in pursuit of perfection is someone who, regardless of gratitude, would kill even their own mother if she stood in their way.

However, despite his disbelief, Xiao Ran couldn't say it outright. After a moment's thought, he asked, "In that case, what can I get?"

Gu Xuan looked surprised and exclaimed, "Once you complete the sacrifice, you'll be equivalent to a demigod. All the living beings in the Tomb Kingdom will become your offerings. Isn't that enough?"

"Demi god?"

Seeing the look of surprise on Xiao Ran's face, Gu Xuan sighed: "It seems you really don't know anything. The Five Dragon Bracelet is something used to create gods. As long as you complete all the sacrifices, you can become a god. I am just one link in the chain."

"I see."

Xiao Ran suddenly realized, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She gritted her teeth and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll help you, but you have to release Seventh Master first and let my grandfather and the others leave the Tomb Kingdom. Otherwise, I'm worried that the sacrificial ceremony will affect them. If that's the case, I'd rather give up."

"Don't worry about that. I can release your grandfather and the others first. It's just that I can't release Yang Feng Hammer for the time being. He's been in the Tomb Kingdom for too long and needs some time to recover. But I have a solution for you. Don't you have a fungal clump? Let him hide inside it for now. I will sever the connection between this fungal clump and the Tomb Kingdom. After the ritual is completed, you can leave with his soul."

Xiao Ran lowered her head, seemingly considering the feasibility of the idea: "Okay, let's do it this way. Can I meet with my grandfather and the others now?"

"Of course, I'll also send the Phoenix Hammer over for you."

Seeing that Xiao Ran had agreed, Gu Xuan was overjoyed. He waved his hand and pushed Xiao Ran's consciousness out of the blank world. Only then did Xiao Ran realize that the blank space was actually inside the body of that enormous giant.

When Xiao Ran's consciousness was scattered again and returned to the mycelium ball, she immediately took over the entire mycelium ball.

Meanwhile, inside the mushroom ball, Yang Fengchui was huddled together with his grandfather and Zhao Qingming. The three brothers hadn't seen each other for many years and had a lot to say.

In particular, Zhao Qingming, as the eldest of the seven brothers, lost the Yangfeng Hammer in the end. This incident led to the Yang family losing its heir, causing the second and third branches of the family to split up, and eventually the once-great Yang family was torn apart.

This matter had always been a thorn in Zhao Qingming's side. Now that his brother had finally been found, Zhao Qingming had a thousand things he wanted to say to Yang Fengchui.

Xiao Ran really didn't want to interrupt them, but now he had to stop the old men from reminiscing.

"Grandpa, I'm back."

Xiao Ran abruptly interrupted the conversation between Xiao Zhenye and the others, and then briefly explained the situation.

Upon seeing the pheromones transmitted by Xiao Ran, Xiao Zhenye immediately became furious: "Bullshit! I don't believe that Gu Xuan would be so kind. If that were the case, why would he create this body?"

"Xiao Ran, there's something wrong with this. You can't agree to it!" Although Zhao Qingming didn't resort to insults, he still disagreed.

Moreover, anyone with eyes can see that the reason why Yang Fengchui has been here for so long is clearly because they deliberately left Yang Fengchui as a hostage, just in case Xiao Ran changes his mind at the last minute.

Even Yang Fengchui said at this moment, "Child, you can't believe Gu Xuan's words. I've been trapped here for so many years, and this old thief has never appeared. If I hadn't been a little shrewd, I would have died at the hands of the Northern Tomb Master long ago, and he hasn't cared about me at all."

Faced with the advice of the three elders, Xiao Ran could only explain, "Things have come to this point, and it's no longer something we can resolve just because we don't want to or are unwilling to do. Grandpa, you go first and meet up with Jin Chanzi and the others. I'll figure out a way to handle things here."

"How can this be done?"

Xiao Zhenye naturally couldn't abandon his grandson and brothers, and his first reaction was to refuse: "No way, I'm just a ghost cultivator anyway, what can I do if I go back?"

But after saying that, Xiao Zhenye frowned, realizing that what he said might not have been appropriate.

Fortunately, Zhao Qingming seemed to realize something. After thinking for a moment, he asked Xiao Ran, "If you want to leave by force, can you leave this godforsaken place?"

"No problem, he can't stop me."

Xiao Ran said with certainty that he was not talking nonsense. Although Gu Xuan's mental strength was stronger, if Xiao Ran was determined to leave, Gu Xuan would not be able to stop him at all.

After all, with the ability to cultivate one's soul, forcibly breaking free from the mycelium would not result in any shock or dissipation.

Moreover, since I possess the Five Dragon Bracelet, Gu Xuan wouldn't be able to escape from here without my help. No matter what Gu Xuan's intentions are, he wouldn't dare to kill me.

Having received Xiao Ran's confirmation, Zhao Qingming nodded in agreement, then said to Yang Fengchui, "Seventh Brother, Zhenye and I are leaving."

"Boss!!" Xiao Zhenye immediately stood up to object upon hearing this.

But Zhao Qingming didn't stop him immediately. He just said, "We should handle our own affairs as a generation. Don't drag the children down with us. What are you doing here? Giving them a handle to use against you?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhenye immediately shut his mouth.

He knew very well that Zhao Qingming was right. After thinking it over and over again, he could only say to Yang Fengchui with a heavy heart, "Seventh Brother! Don't worry, no matter what, we will find a way to save you."

Yang Fengchui's spirit trembled: "I know, I'm waiting for you guys. Once I get out, we brothers will have a good drink together."

The three brothers had just reunited when they faced the cruel reality of separation, but it was the most unavoidable choice.

Xiao Zhenye's consciousness appeared in front of Xiao Ran: "Take good care of your Grandpa Yang."

"Don't worry, I will." Xiao Ran immediately agreed. "With me here, Grandpa Yang will definitely be fine. I promise you, I will definitely take Grandpa Yang out."

However, after Xiao Ran's pheromones were transmitted to Xiao Zhenye, Xiao Zhenye did not reply. Only after a while did he secretly send a pheromone message back to Xiao Ran, containing only four words.

"Save yourself first!"

(End of this chapter)