Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 881 I'm not playing this game anymore.
The sudden attack caught Elder Mu off guard. His cursed object and target were all on Xiao Ran. Now, even the whip he used to restrain this beast was being controlled by Xiao Ran's silver threads.

"brute!"

In a moment of haste, a fierce glint appeared in Old Mu's eyes, and he raised his hand to slap the female corpse in front of him.

A faint blue light flickered in Old Mu's palm.

That's a skill of a spirit master, the Spirit Mirror.
It can break down all matter into the materials needed by spirit masters, and theoretically, it can even break down all things.

"Annihilation!"

With a fierce roar, Elder Mu pressed his palm down hard on the female corpse!

"Boom!!!"

Only a chilling, annihilating sound resonated in Elder Mu's palm, emanating rays of deep blue light.

Wherever the mirror's light passes, everything around it silently decomposes and dissolves, turning into the most primitive particles of dust!
It was as if the surrounding void was a gaping maw of an abyss, forcibly swallowing and refining everything around it.

"Pfft!!!"

Half of the woman's face was visibly split open. Under intense pain, the woman trembled all over, but at the same time, her abdomen swelled up high, and a booming sound, like the croaking of a frog, echoed from below her abdomen.

The old man was also struck as if by lightning! The terrifying resentment of the Soul-Devouring Beast, which was composed of the vengeful souls of hundreds of children and the corpses of C-level professionals, suddenly erupted at such close range. The impact was far more violent than Elder Mu had anticipated.

This being, which even the heavens have sent down the Five Decays Tribulation to try and destroy, is a being whose power in its final counterattack is something that a Spirit Seed Master could not easily withstand.

That resentment was no longer a simple energy surge, but a black torrent solidified into a tangible form, filled with despair, pain, and endless curses, which plunged into his body, pierced through his flesh, and reached straight to his mind!

"Ugh!"

Old Mu let out a scream ten times more agonizing than when his ankle had been pierced.

He felt as if he had been plunged into an abyss of eternal ice and boiling venom, every inch of his soul being devoured and frozen by that extreme resentment and venom.

In the face of life and death, Old Mu's last shred of clarity enabled him to react.

He endured the excruciating pain of his flesh being eroded and suddenly pulled something out of the space.

"Go to hell!!"

Old Master Mu opened his palm, and a crystal skull floated in his hand.

[Skull of the Spirit Bone - Spirit Seeder]

As soon as this B-grade cursed artifact appeared, a cold, deathly, yet absolutely controlling aura spread out instantly.

"Buzz!"

A blinding, almost blinding, pale white light suddenly burst forth from the empty eye sockets and gaping jaws of the crystal skull!

This light was not warm, but carried an absolute chill that froze all spirits and solidified thought!
Privilege: The Sway of the Soul.

Once activated, it unleashes a soul-shaking impact that freezes the souls of everyone within range except the holder. The longer the effect lasts, the stronger the freezing effect.

(Note: This cursed item is an important component of an A-grade cursed item. Each use will consume a portion of its potential, and the amount of potential will be crucial to whether the item can become an A-grade cursed item.)
This cursed artifact was created by Elder Mu over many years and is the key to determining whether he can advance to the A-level sequence spirit cultivator in the future.

Normally, it would be impossible to use it, but at this moment, Elder Mu couldn't care less about that; he had to suppress this beast as soon as possible.

The bright light swept across, and time seemed to be frozen in that moment.

The twisted pain and deep-seated resentment on the mutilated half of the female corpse's face, along with the last trace of madness in her scarlet eyes, were all frozen in amber, fixed on an extremely ferocious and distorted expression.

On her high, protruding belly, the countless writhing, silent, shrieking faces of children instantly lost all vitality, turning into lifeless, densely packed gray-white reliefs.

However, at that moment, the sky above Old Mu's head was suddenly illuminated.

"Noon has arrived!"

As Xiao Ran's voice came, a phantom of the sun appeared behind Xiao Ran, piercing through the [shroud] in front of her. Then, with a "rip!" sound, the shroud that had been covering Xiao Ran was forcibly pierced, tearing a hole in it.

"Damn!!"

Elder Mu's expression changed drastically. Because he activated the [Spirit Bone Skull], the [Five Desires Box] ended its activation and lost its binding force on Xiao Ran. However, the [Corpse Wrap] was torn apart, which was something Elder Mu never expected.

In shock, Xiao Ran arrived and, before Elder Mu could react, punched him hard in the face.

"boom!!!!"

A heavy thud, like a hammer striking rotten wood!

Xiao Ran's fist landed squarely and without any embellishment on Old Mu's cheek!
"Crack!"

A bone-cracking sound, clear enough to make your teeth ache, rang out.

Old Mu's head snapped to one side under the force of the impact, his cheekbone and jawbone visibly collapsing and deforming! Blood mixed with several broken teeth gushed from his twisted mouth and nose, leaving a scarlet trail in the blinding white light.

"Well!!"

Old Mu let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body flying through the air like a broken sack with its bones removed, struck by the terrifying power contained in those fists!

Its body slammed heavily onto the frozen ground more than ten meters away, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.

Fortunately, as a B-level professional, although Elder Mu was old, his physical strength was higher than that of the one who broke the barrier. He shook his head and got up.

"You...two...beasts!"

Old Mu's voice was muffled due to the fracture of his jawbone.

He endured the excruciating pain, his withered fingers forming a hand seal once more, preparing to strike first and eliminate one of the two.

He had already made up his mind that as long as he could keep Xiao Ran occupied for a moment, he would be able to free up his hands to kill the Soul-Devouring Beast.

However, just as a glimmer of light flashed at his fingertips, an indescribable sense of weakness, originating from the depths of his bones, suddenly seized him!
Master Mu's movements suddenly froze. He looked down in disbelief at his left hand, which was forming a hand seal.

It was a hand covered in wrinkles and with prominent veins. The skin, which was originally dry but still firm, was loosening and dulling at a visible speed, like tree bark that had lost all its moisture.

A deathly gray aura quickly spread, and on the skin's surface, countless dark brown spots, like rotting mold, appeared, expanded, and merged into one patch!
Moreover, the speed at which it spread was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, it covered the back of his hand and rapidly spread upwards along his wrist!
Age spots?
Elder Mu's pupils constricted as he realized something. He looked up and saw that the surrounding area had been swallowed up by a layer of hazy tribulation clouds.

"No...no...no no no!!"

Old Mu panicked and forgot about attacking Xiao Ran and the others. He immediately took out various medicines from his spatial storage, either swallowing or injecting them, stuffing them all into his body.

But this did not stop him from aging; his aging was a completely different state from Xiao Ran's.

When Xiao Ran was in the state of the Five Signs of Decay, her own life force was slowly withering away, just like a person who had drunk paraquat. She knew she was about to die, but her condition was actually quite good in the early stages.

However, Old Master Mu's health deteriorated rapidly, almost like an acute illness, with his vitality visibly declining at an alarming rate.

The speed is scary.

The reason why they present two different states is because Mr. Mu is too old.

He was a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the twelfth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign.

It is almost 300 years old now.

If it weren't for the Spirit Seed Master's methods, he probably wouldn't have been able to live to this day. Now, under the influence of the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man, his life force has been cut off, and his already decaying body is completely unable to hold on at this moment.

"No!! There must be a way, there must be a way!!"

Elder Mu took out a box from his spatial storage. When the box was opened, a faint purple light shimmered inside, and a pill emitting a unique fragrance lay quietly within.

Xiao Ran raised her eyelids and looked at the pills in the box.

"A-grade cursed item!"

His heart tightened. Although he didn't recognize what kind of pill it was, the unique aura it possessed was something only an A-grade cursed object would have.

That was a force capable of influencing the rules.

This inevitably made Xiao Ran nervous as well.

However, when Elder Mu tried to swallow the pill, he was shocked to find that no matter how he tried, he couldn't swallow it.

"Kakakaka..."

Old Mu made a difficult swallowing sound, but when he opened his mouth, he finally spat out the pill.

"Why?? Why??"

The fact that even an A-grade cursed object couldn't change the outcome made Elder Mu's eyes widen in disbelief. At that moment, he suddenly turned around and looked at Xiao Ran, as if he had just remembered something.

"Young man, you have a way, you must have a way, right?"

He couldn't believe that the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man were so terrifying, and that Xiao Ran, so young, would use such a mutually destructive method.

Yes, this kid must have some kind of trump card to save his life.

Old Mu looked at Xiao Ran and opened his palms longingly: "I still have so many things to do, so many things I haven't done. I can't die. This world has only just begun. I've finally made it to today. I can't die. I don't want to die. Please save me. I'll give you anything you want."

As he spoke, Old Mu suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud: "I'll kowtow to you, I'll be your dog, woof woof woof, master, please have mercy on me, please save me."

An elder of the Changchun Association, a B-level professional, knelt before Xiao Ran like a broken-backed dog.

This comical scene left the three people, including Jin Chanzi, speechless.

They knew this old man was shameless, but they never expected him to be so utterly shameless.

Xiao Ran silently looked at the old man in front of her with his face full of wrinkles and pitiful expression, but she was not moved in the slightest.

He looked up and glanced at the swaying female corpse beside him.

That's all I can do for you.

A relieved smile appeared on the mutilated half of the female corpse's face as she nodded gratefully to Xiao Ran. Beneath her high, protruding belly, the faces of children twisted into the shape of the character "thank you."

The next moment, the female corpse suddenly rushed towards Elder Mu.

Mu Lao's cloudy pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints, and the shadow of death had never seemed so real as it enveloped him! He instinctively wanted to struggle, to activate the [Spirit Bone Skull] again, and to pull out his most treasured life-saving item.

But the decaying, lifeless aura of the five signs of decay had already gnawed at his bones like maggots, deeply eroding his rotten foundation. His fingers were stiff as withered branches, and his thoughts were sluggish as a quagmire.

He watched helplessly as the female corpse collapsed onto him, her abdomen splitting open, and countless vengeful spirits of children poured out of his abdominal cavity, tearing apart his emaciated muscles inch by inch, instantly revealing the stark white bones beneath.

Old Mu's body didn't even last a quarter of an hour before the female corpse devoured him, leaving not even bone fragments behind.

Those were the corpses of B-level professionals.

For Xiao Ran, it was an invaluable treasure, containing the secrets of the Changchun Society and a wealth of experience with corpses.

And now it is completely destroyed.

But Xiao Ran felt a strong sense of relief.

It was as if a heavy stone had been weighing on his heart had disappeared, finally allowing him to catch his breath. After killing Elder Mu, the female corpse turned back again, nodded to Xiao Ran in thanks, and then the resentment within her body turned into black smoke and quickly dissipated into the air.

As the black smoke dissipated, the female corpse was nothing more than an empty shell, kneeling on the ground, completely motionless.

As the woman's body died, the gloom in the sky seemed to slowly begin to dissipate.

The heavenly tribulation began to dissipate.

At this moment, Xiao Ran noticed the pill on the ground that was flashing with purple light.

With a wave of his hand, the pill was taken into his hand.

Found an A-grade cursed item: [Three-Turn Resurrection Pill]. This item does not require activation.

Privilege 1: Resurrection after three reincarnations.

No matter how severe the injury, as long as this pill is taken, the person will immediately recover to their peak condition.

Note: This is ineffective for dead persons.

"nice one."

Xiao Ran's eyes lit up; as the saying goes, the fewer the entries, the better the product.

Although this elixir only has one entry, it is enough to illustrate its domineering effect, which is equivalent to having an extra life.

If I hadn't pulled down the tribulation clouds, I probably wouldn't have been able to kill that old bastard Mu with my own abilities.

As for a group fight, forget about it; he believed that Po Jin and the others had the courage to take responsibility.

Xiao Ran put the pill away; it was of no use to her now.

"Xiao Ran!"

Just then, Wu Man's voice came from afar: "How are you?"

Xiao Ran waved her hand and transmitted her voice to Wu Man and the others, saying, "It's fine. Don't come over. I still have the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man on me. Stay away from me."

"You big dummy, what do we do now?? The old man says you're dead meat, do you have some kind of trump card to save your life??"

"A trump card to save your life?"

Faced with Wu Man's question, Xiao Ran pondered for a few seconds and said, "It seems so, but it seems not."

"What do you mean??" Wu Man was taken aback. What did she mean by "it seems like there is, it seems like there isn't"? What kind of nonsense was this?

Before he could ask any further questions, Xiao Ran gestured for them to retreat as quickly as possible. Then he walked to the edge of the mine and glanced at the Five Dragon Bracelet on his wrist.

"Perhaps...it's all in the dark..."

Xiao Ran pondered the various possibilities in her mind, then sat quietly by the mine pit.

This move instantly stunned Wu Man, Jin Chanzi, and even Qi Jinguang.

"What is he doing?" Wu Man turned to look at Jin Chanzi.

Jin Chanzi was even more confused than him, shaking his head with a blank expression.

And Qi Jinguang goes without saying.

Wu Man was now truly anxious, cursing as she asked Xiao Ran, "What are you doing? If you're going to wait to die, at least say something."

Do you have any wine?

Xiao Ran glanced over, and Wu Man was taken aback. She looked at Xiao Ran with a suspicious expression, her face growing increasingly grim.

"grass!"

Wu Man took out a food box and a pile of wine from her spatial storage, raised her hand, and with a gentle force, delivered these items to Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran took the food and drinks, sat down on the ground, and started eating them.

Still a familiar taste.

Whether it was Longjing shrimp or crystal sweet and sour pork, Xiao Ran only took one bite before having to spit it out.

At this moment, he finally understood how Elder Mu could not swallow pills.

Since she couldn't eat it, Xiao Ran simply picked up the wine next to her and poured it into her mouth.

The wine that Wu Man brought out was definitely good wine.

But when it reached Xiao Ran's mouth, it had a burning, pungent sensation. After drinking it, she felt as if her internal organs were on fire, and the pain made her face contort.

It seems that my internal organs have begun to fail.

Xiao Ran understood what was going on, but he wasn't in a hurry at all. He just endured the pain and gulped down the wine.

With the five internal organs failing, alcohol began to take effect.

A blush gradually appeared on Xiao Ran's face. In the past, Xiao Ran would not have felt dizzy even after drinking ten bottles of wine, let alone one.

I can't remember when I last felt this drunk, I think it was when I was in school, during a dinner with my classmates.

Xiao Ran, slightly drunk, lay on the edge of the mining area.

This scene made Wu Man and the others watching from afar anxious and frustrated, but there was nothing they could do.

Jin Chanzi sat cross-legged, his expression shifting between light and shadow, as if he were thinking about something.

"Grandmaster Uncle, could it be that Grandmaster Uncle..." Qi Jinguang tried to ask Jin Chanzi, but Jin Chanzi just waved his hand until Qi Jinguang pressed on.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Black spots had begun to appear on Xiao Ran's face, and she was emitting a pungent stench. She lay on the ground like a piece of rotten flesh.

However, at this moment, the female corpse in the distance suddenly swayed and got up. The female corpse stiffly turned her head, and on her rotting half face, there was no expression. Her eyes stared blankly at Xiao Ran.

He moved stiffly, step by step, toward Xiao Ran's side.

"what!!"

This scene was noticed by Wu Man and the others in the distance, but before Wu Man could speak, Jin Chanzi stopped her: "Shh! Don't talk!"

Seeing Jin Chanzi's rambling and mysterious manner, Wu Man couldn't stand it anymore, but Jin Chanzi's next words made Wu Man obediently shut her mouth.

"Whether that kid lives or dies depends on that female corpse. You just watch and see."

"What exactly happened?"

Wu Man leaned closer and pressed for an answer.

Jin Chanzi waved his hand, making a gesture that was best left unsaid, which completely silenced Wu Man.

At this moment, the female corpse had walked up to Xiao Ran. Looking at Xiao Ran lying on the ground, the female corpse actually tried to reach out and grab Xiao Ran's collar.

Before her hand could even touch Xiao Ran, she saw Xiao Ran staring at her with wide eyes.

Seeing this, the female corpse could only withdraw her hand, a look of confusion showing on her fractured face.

"You came!"

Xiao Ran seemed completely unsurprised by the female corpse's resurrection; or rather, at this moment, he looked at the female corpse more like he was looking at an old friend.

The female corpse did not respond; she simply stared silently at Xiao Ran.

Seeing her silence, Xiao Ran simply sat up straight and stared at the huge, multicolored stone at the bottom of the mine.

"When should we start?" Xiao Ran asked, resting her chin on her hand as if deep in thought.

Because of the five signs of decay in the celestial beings, Xiao Ran felt that her thoughts had become much slower than before.

Fortunately, he had already thought about these things in his mind many times.

"Did it start right after I was born?"

Xiao Ran looked up at the female corpse.

The female corpse remained silent.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran wasn't annoyed, but simply smiled and said, "What would happen if I didn't jump down today, and didn't follow your plan?"

The female corpse remained silent.

“My grandfather told me that after my mother gave birth to me, evil spirits from around the village kept coming to harass our family. Even my grandfather’s methods couldn’t stop these ever-increasing numbers of evil spirits. Until an old Taoist priest came to our door and said something to my parents. That night, my parents left a letter and disappeared without a trace.”

Xiao Ran remained calm, as if she were telling a story that had nothing to do with her.

"My grandfather traveled all over the country in search of my parents, going to countless places, but he couldn't find any trace of them until later, when I unexpectedly learned about my parents."

"And I myself am also unwittingly embarking on a path that seems to have been pre-set."

Xiao Ran spoke faster and faster.

This feeling was something she had never experienced before, but ever since the trip to Langshan, Xiao Ran felt more and more that there was an invisible hand pushing her forward.

I cannot allow myself to pause even for the slightest.

I cannot allow myself the slightest hesitation.

They don't allow themselves any choice whatsoever.

At this moment, I felt like a pawn crossing the river, seemingly free, but with no way out.

Including the impulse that welled up from the bottom of my heart when I saw the character "冤" (wrongful conviction) protruding from the woman's abdomen just now.

No matter how much Xiao Ran tried to suppress it with her rationality, she couldn't suppress the feeling, which further proved this point.

Some people are in control of their own destiny.

Xiao Ran didn't know who it was, but he could guess that this outcome was probably related to the Five Dragon Bracelet in his hand.

The colorful stone below might be his only chance to survive.

But the more this happened, the colder Xiao Ran felt in her heart.

This feeling of being manipulated caused a strong tearing sensation in Xiao Ran's heart, making him feel suffocated and frantic.

Xiao Ran looked up at the female corpse in front of him: "I don't know who you are, but I'm not playing this game anymore!"

(End of this chapter)