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Chapter 440 Lingxiao (Three-in-One)

Zhu Zhanlei already knew he was "in trouble".

The moment that sound reached their ears, it was too late.

But Zhu Zhanlei wasn't panicked; he was certain someone would come to his rescue.

So, after suddenly coming to his senses, Zhu Zhanlei turned his head slightly and glanced at his sister beside him.

Zhu Zhanmei stood with her head bowed as if in a devout manner, but Zhu Zhanlei, who knew his sister well, could tell at a glance that his third sister was fighting against the voice with all her might and had no ability to pay attention to others.

That must be the future brother-in-law—Zhu Zhanlei glanced to the other side, just as Young Master Miao was looking over.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

It wasn't him... Young Master Miao had obviously just realized he'd messed up.

Zhu Zhanlei was full of resentment: I've been trying to speak well of you in front of my older sister all day long!
If it wasn't the two of them, then who else could it be?

Zhu Zhanlei first ruled out the white fox.

Because Zhu Zhanlei knew very well: I didn't pay you tonight.

If you pay, the white fox can do anything for you.

Conversely, if you don't pay, you can forget about everything.

Xu Miaozhi... is even less likely.

Moreover, Xu Miaozhi didn't have that ability.

That leaves only Xu Yuan.

Lord Xu is really a good friend!
Zhu Zhanlei recalled again, "Why was I able to regain my senses?"

That "feeling" just now was very strange; it was completely different from the methods of ordinary cultivators.

Zhu Zhanlei immediately guessed: This is their fate-telling technique?

The matter between Xu Yuan and Bai Huahun has blown up, and many people now know Xu Yuan's identity as a cultivator.

"Indeed extraordinary." Zhu Zhanlei thought to himself.

The sound still lingered and echoed throughout the entire underground hall.

All the believers, including the "Lin Protector," were completely immersed in that wooden yet devout state.

Vice President Qiao Jin finally ended his lengthy prostration, chanting incantations that grew longer and softer until they gradually disappeared.

He stood beside the stone well, from which black mist surged.

The pattern on his chest also moved and changed.

"Self-purification!"

Qiao Jin spoke, his deep voice like the mooing of a bull, reverberating throughout the space.

He stepped forward first, knelt down by the stone well, took off the black hat that covered his head and face, and scooped up "water" from the well with both hands to wash his face.

The "water" was actually black mist from the well.

Just by rubbing his face, his skin peeled off!
Blood was floating in the stone well.

In an instant, black mist surged, and something, bearing Qiao Jin's face, stood up from the stone well!
Rumble…

The underground hall trembled, and the surrounding soil tumbled down.

The blood-red pattern on Qiao Jin's chest, along with a piece of flesh from his chest, flew out and stuck to the chest of the thing in the stone well.

That thing was three zhang tall.

Wearing Qiao Jin's face, his eyes, nose, and mouth are all eerie black holes.

It turned and looked around, then selected a group of people standing around the well.

The black mist materialized into demonic claws, which pointed at them.

Thankfully, it wasn't Xu Yuan and his group.

Qiao Jin had two patches of skin missing from his body, but he felt no pain at all.

He spoke in a hoarse voice: "This is a gift from the Great Sage to you."

There were eleven people in this group. Their blank and devout faces were suddenly filled with blank and wild joy.

It was as if... their expressions were being secretly manipulated by something.

"Self-purification!"

Qiao Jin shouted again in a hoarse voice.

These people also knelt by the well, cupping "water" in their hands to wash their faces.

Their skin then slipped off.

But unlike Qiao Jin just now, their faces didn't fall directly into the well.

Instead, there's a layer of skin attached to the chin.

Therefore, the skin on the face is like a mask that has fallen off and is hanging on the chin!

His face was a bloody mess, with his eyes, nostrils, and teeth suddenly exposed, creating a chilling and indescribably eerie scene!
From the pattern on the chest of the thing in the stone well, illusory figures flew out and merged into their faces.

Those phantoms, like the pattern itself, twisted and turned during the process, as if they had their own will.

After the phantom merged in, the believers raised their hands and put their face masks back on.

And carefully knead it to ensure it returns to its original state.

Even upon close inspection, it is impossible to detect that this face was once completely peeled off.

After everyone had their faces covered, they all gave a genuine smile.

Then his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

"Send them to a nursing home," Qiao Jin instructed.

Other believers then came forward and carefully carried the eleven people out.

"That's all for tonight," Qiao Jin announced in a deep voice.

There were eight groups of people by the well, and the remaining seven groups showed strong disappointment on their faces.

The thing in the well, along with the pattern on its chest and the human skin, detached and returned to Qiao Jin's chest.

Immediately afterwards, the thing made a "gurgling" sound and sank into the black mist in the well.

Qiao Jin's face floated back up into the well.

He cupped it in his hands and put it on his face.

I squeezed it again to make sure it fit perfectly.

Then, he led the three leaders and turned to leave along the ancient stone road.

Halfway there, black mist surged out from the cracks in the rocks again, obscuring their figures.

Before long, the thick fog dissipated, and Qiao Jin and his three companions disappeared.

The believers filed out in the same single file as they had entered.

Young Master Miao asked Xu Yuan with his eyes: Shall we make a move?

Xu Yuan gently shook his head.

The group emerged from the garden without behaving abnormally and returned safely to their residence in the courtyard.

After closing the door, Xu Yuan asked Mao Datou, "Where are those people who were sent out for 'care'?"

Mao Datou: "I don't know."

Xu Yuan looked at the fox sisters: "Go and look for them."

The two sisters gasped, their faces pale with fright, and they huddled together tightly, chest to chest: "We? We can't! There are bad people outside..."

Xu Yuan said irritably, "If you reveal your true forms and go out, people will just think that evil spirits have sneaked in."

Just as the fox sisters were about to burst into tears, Xu Yuan's words made them exclaim "Eh!" and each tilted their heads to think about it: It really is true!
Why didn't we think of that?

So the two of them climbed out of the window, transformed into two little foxes, and disappeared into the night.

Just as the white fox was about to shout "Go through the door," the two women had already disappeared, leaving her only to helplessly rub her forehead and shake her head.

Young Master Miao was puzzled and said, "The Pingtian Society's ceremony is very strange. There's no 'holy blood' at all, and it doesn't seem like they're searching for some great saint's offspring..."

The white fox seemed to want to speak, but then changed its mind and remained silent, looking at Xu Yuan with a half-smile.

Xu Yuan sat at the table, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface, and slowly said, "Holy Blood... is probably the blood-red pattern on Qiao Jin's chest."

As for searching for the Great Sage's offspring, they are indeed searching, but their methods may differ from what we previously anticipated.

Whether my guess is right or not, we'll have to wait for the two little foxes to return to confirm.

Zhu Zhanlei looked completely bewildered; he didn't understand what Xu Yuan was guessing at all.

But everyone else looked enlightened. Zhu Zhanlei felt like he was being scratched by a cat, but he refused to admit it in front of everyone: I am the dumbest one. You guys better explain it to me.

After Xu Yuan finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Zhu Zhanlei quietly pulled Miao Dashao aside and asked in a low voice, "What exactly did Xu Yuan mean by that?"

Young Master Miao said, "Come closer, I'll tell you in secret."

Zhu Zhanlei immediately stuck his ear out.

Young Master Miao: "I don't know either, but I don't want to act like an idiot like you."

Zhu Zhanlei: ?!
Young Master Miao then ignored him. In fact, Young Master Miao guessed that among everyone present, only White Fox truly understood what Xu Yuan was saying.

……

In the middle of the night, two furry little creatures used their pointed beaks to pry open the window and squeeze in.

After landing, it turned around and transformed back into human form.

Their skills had improved, and they could now turn fur into clothing.

The anticipated scenario of a completely naked body after transformation will never happen again.

"did you find it?"

The fox sisters nodded in unison and said in unison, "Found it, found it."

"where is it?"

My sister puffed out her cheeks and blew out a big bubble.

A play of light and shadow appeared on the surface of the bubble.

The bubbles appear somewhat distorted and comical due to their curved surfaces.

However, it is still clear that this is the experience of the two little foxes after they went out—the older fox sister directly showed this memory.

In the foreground of the image are two foxes with their pointed mouths huddled together.

The two little foxes sniffed and searched all the way.

The younger sister explained, "We remember the taste of that thing..."

Xu Yuan suddenly interrupted: "What are you talking about?"

“It’s…” the little sister gestured with her two little hands in front of her chest: “The pattern here with the vice chairman.”

Her chest was quite different from Qiao Jin's, and it was a bit of a hindrance when comparing them.

Xu Yuan raised his eyebrows: "What's that smell?"

The younger sister thought carefully and described it as: "It's like... opening an ancient tomb that has been buried underground for thousands or tens of thousands of years and discovering the smell of a zombie inside."

It was murky, old, and rotten, with a hint of the stench of spoiled blood.

Xu Yuan nodded.

Danxiu has a strong sense of smell, but that's in comparison to humans; it can't compare to foxes.

Xu Yuan also smelled various scents during the ceremony, but none as accurately as the foxes.

On the bubble, the two foxes had already found a courtyard on the west side.

There is a tunnel hidden in the courtyard.

The tunnel was very long; they traveled underground for quite some time before finally emerging from a wardrobe.

This is another house.

The eleven people who were brought here tonight were all lying on a strange-looking large bed.

The large bed is nine feet wide and twenty-two feet long.

It is divided into seven layers, each layer like a drawer.

The house was quite large, unlike an ordinary family's dwelling; it looked more like a warehouse.

The seven-tiered bed was over two zhang high! People were lying on the lower four tiers, and the eleven people tonight were on the fourth tier.

From this perspective, the people sleeping on the bottom first layer should be the believers who participated in the first night ceremony after the arrival of the Pingtianhui.

Tonight marks the fourth ceremony, with people lying on a different floor each night.

The heads of those on the lowest level had swollen to the size of pig heads.

Its shape has also changed, becoming triangular.

The second and third layers above are the same, only not as exaggerated as the first layer.

What's even more eerie and terrifying is that, from the first to the fourth floor, these people's hair grows wildly like weeds while they are asleep.

All the hair was tangled together, like countless black spider silks, sticking and intertwining with each other!
The people on the fourth floor are newly arrived; their hair has just started to grow back.

The bottom three layers of hair had already formed a huge black cocoon!

Even when viewed through the bubble screen, you can see many hairs, like blood vessels, seemingly transporting something!
It keeps surging!

The two little foxes didn't dare to get on the bed; they just circled around it once before quietly retreating.

Suddenly, Mao Datou said, "Sir, I know this place. It's a warehouse two streets away."

Xu Yuan nodded: "I think I've pretty much figured it out. All these people have been implanted with the offspring of a great saint by Qiao Jin using so-called holy blood."

All the 'Great Sage Offspring' begin competing with each other during their gestation, and the strongest one will eventually devour the others...

The Pingtian Society was indeed "searching" for the Great Sage's offspring in Champa, but their method of "searching" was different from what people usually think of.

Young Master Miao asked, puzzled, "Why on the face?"

According to conventional understanding, "pregnancy" should occur in the womb.

“It’s not on the face,” Xu Yuan said, “it’s in the mind.”

After saying that, Xu Yuan corrected himself: "Saying it's in the mind isn't accurate; it should be at the level of the soul—"

Xu Yuan suddenly pointed at the white fox: "It's not accurate yet. Senior, you are knowledgeable and should have the accurate answer. Why don't you tell me?"

Although the term "senior" was meant as a respectful address, it made the white fox-faced man turn black with embarrassment.

The white fox, having roamed the mortal world, possesses profound spiritual cultivation and can handle almost any situation with ease.

The only thing that makes her vulnerable is the mention of her age.

The white fox, with a stern face, stiffly uttered two words: "Lingxiao".

Everyone, including Xu Yuan, looked completely bewildered.

"The Lingxiao Palace?" Young Master Miao asked.

He had spent a lot of money at the White Moon Pavilion, so the White Fox had to give him some face: "It's not the Lingxiao Palace, but Lingxiao."

Then he shut his mouth again, indicating that he didn't want to say any more.

Zhu Zhanmei reached into her sleeve and threw a stack of silver notes in front of the white fox.

The white fox glanced at it; the top one was five hundred taels!

This stack of more than ten sheets must be worth at least six or seven thousand taels.

The white fox's displeasure was immediately dissolved by the silver liquid.

She happily put away the silver notes and said, "Lingxiao is the place where the consciousness of all beings in the world converges."

It can be simply understood as another world.

If the mortal realm, the turbid realm, and the underworld are layered together, then a place like the Heavenly Palace is vertically covering all of them.

Judging from this ritual of the Pingtian Society, their Great Sage Pingtian's abilities originate from Lingxiao.

Even the so-called descendants of the Great Sage were first born in the Lingxiao Palace.

As for the Lingxiao Palace, it is built within the Lingxiao Heaven, but it can be manifested within the Heavenly Court.

Everyone frowned, finding it somewhat difficult to understand.

Xu Yuan immediately thought of "Nian Shen".

Could that thing also be an evil spirit born from "Lingxiao"?
"So how can we enter this so-called Lingxiao? Is it that we automatically enter Lingxiao just by having a thought?"

The white fox shook its head: "It's not that simple. For each realm, Lingxiao is practically omnipresent."

Our consciousness and all our thoughts are indeed in the celestial realm, but neither our body nor our soul resides there.

Consciousness is actually beyond our control.

Unless we use some treasures or a very rare, uncommon technique, we wouldn't even be able to detect the existence of Lingxiao, let alone enter it.

Young Master Miao immediately stood up and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Go and kill those believers right now! We can't give them time to conceive a Great Sage's offspring! We can't enter the Heavenly Palace, and once the conception is successful..."

The white fox waved its hand to interrupt him: "It's not that simple. The seed has already been planted in Lingxiao. Even if we kill them, the seed will still slowly grow in Lingxiao."

It's just that it will be a bit slower.

Those people served as a 'bridge' to facilitate the journey of the Great Sage's offspring from the Heavenly Palace to the mortal realm after their conception was complete.

"Killing them will sever this bridge, but the Great Sage's offspring can still enter the mortal realm through the bodies of others."

Young Master Miao was somewhat puzzled: "Anyone will do?"

"Theoretically speaking, anyone who knows about the Great Sage Equaling Heaven can become a bridge to it."

Of course, this kind of bridge is very difficult to cross.

Those who personally conceived the children of the Great Sage, their bodies served as a broad bridge for those children.

But the others are like a zip line.

The Great Sage's offspring didn't even know which zipline led to the mortal realm.

Moreover, it is highly likely that the zipline will break halfway up, and it will have to find the next one.

But there's always one way it can eventually climb over.

Zhu Zhanmei understood: "So we are now in a dilemma. Killing these people will slow down the gestation of the Great Sage's offspring, and greatly increase the difficulty of them entering the mortal realm."

But this has turned the Great Sage's offspring into a huge hidden danger.

We don't know when or through whom it will enter the world of the living.

The white fox nodded: "Therefore, I suggest we not act rashly. Let the Great Sage's offspring conceive smoothly; it will use these people's bodies to enter the mortal realm."

The white fox looked at Xu Yuan: "My lord can secretly notify the Exorcism Bureau and invite high-level reinforcements to ambush us."

When the Great Sage's offspring appear, we will completely destroy it.

However, please don't ask me to do such things anymore. I'm really not good at this kind of direct confrontation.

I am only eighteen years old, with a bright future ahead of me, and I never imagined I would end up dying so tragically.

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes at her emphasis on "being only eighteen years old".

Even ten "eighteens" couldn't stop it, right?

The white fox happily picked up the stack of silver notes and began to count them.

Tonight's result is very good.

There's no need to engage in any brutal battles yourself.

But since he had really put in a lot of effort, Xu Yuan had nothing to say.

Most importantly, they also made a lot of money... Wait a minute!
The white fox's eyes widened. Only the top note in that stack of silver notes was worth five hundred taels; the notes below were all ten taels!

Ten taels was already the smallest denomination of banknote.

Nobody uses it!
The white fox glared angrily at Zhu Zhanmei: "You—lied to me?!"

Zhu Zhanmei said, "I never said that this stack of coins was all five hundred taels."

I am a woman from a good family. From a young age, I was taught that a woman should know how to manage a household diligently, and regardless of whether the family is poor or rich, she must never be extravagant.

The white fox's eyes were practically spitting fire. This woman was too good at playing both sides; she was simultaneously insulting me for not being from a good family and subtly mocking my extravagant spending habits...

"Hmph!" The white fox snorted coldly and put the silver notes away.

It's worth several hundred taels, after all.

But little girl, I'll remember you. You just wait.

The white fox's eyes secretly swept over Xu Yuan, Zhu Zhanmei, and Xu Miaozhi several times:

I will definitely do everything in my power to sabotage your relationship with Xu Yuan!

Young Master Miao looked at Xu Yuan: "What do we do now?"

Following the white fox's method, things are now getting complicated.

The original believers in this courtyard have all been drugged and sent away by Mao Datou.

Now they are brought back, and when they wake up, they find that they have missed tonight's ceremony.

But the others, especially Protector Lin, had all seen "them" during the ceremony.

The truth will be revealed when the accounts are compared between the two sides.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Everyone, please wait here. I'll go check out the warehouse."

Xu Yuan then said to the white fox, "Senior, come with me."

The white fox remained motionless, as if it hadn't heard a thing.

Xu Yuan called out again, "Senior?"

The white fox's face turned grim.

Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanlei also looked grim.

Young Master Miao hurriedly said to White Fox, "Miss, why don't you accompany him on this trip?"

Miao Yu felt even more embarrassed when Xu Yuan continued to call him "senior"...

"Hmph!" Only then did the white fox reluctantly get up and leave with Xu Yuan.

But Xu Yuan, having just stepped outside, asked the white fox, "Do you want to reveal your true form...?"

The white fox glared at him fiercely, then nimbly leaped over the courtyard wall.

Xu Yuan followed them out, and the two of them went from outside to the warehouse.

The white fox's anger subsided somewhat before she said, "What I just told you was the absolute truth. If you don't trust me, you can write to ask Ma Tianshou."

If you act recklessly and cause big trouble, don't expect me to help you!

"At worst, I'll just leave Champa."

Xu Yuan nodded: "Senior, rest assured, I will not act rashly."

The white fox was so angry that she turned her face away and ignored him.

There are also members of the Pingtian Society guarding this area.

But it's impossible to defend against a person and a fox.

After entering, Xu Yuan found the warehouse. Looking inside, he saw that less than half an hour had passed since the fox sisters returned. The hair of the people on the fourth floor had grown wildly and was completely entangled and stuck together with the hair on the three floors below.

The black hair cocoon tightly wrapped the four layers below.

The white fox whispered in Xu Yuan's ear, "The offspring of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven are growing very fast. I'm afraid there are still things in the Heavenly Palace that we don't know about."

Xu Yuan didn't speak, but secretly released the last "lice".

If I'm not mistaken, Nian Sheng truly originates from Lingxiao, then the lice can also enter Lingxiao and parasitize the Great Sage's offspring.

The lice drifted in, and because they were so tiny, they easily bypassed the tangled black hair.

Xu Yuan observed the people on the four layers below the large bed from the perspective of the lice.

In the first layer, there is a human head, which is currently the largest.

However, on the fourth floor, there was a person whose head was expanding at an extremely rapid rate.

Those who have already caught up with the second level far surpass those on the third and fourth levels.

Xu Yuan thought to himself, "I have high hopes for you," and then shoved the louse onto the man's face.

In an instant, Xu Yuan lost contact with the louse.

Xu Yuan's vision went black, and his body swayed.

The white fox sensed something amiss and couldn't help but feel a little smug.

But a moment later, Xu Yuan suddenly said softly, "It's done!"

The lice had entered the "Lingxiao" realm, and Xu Yuan understood why this "world" was named "Xiao". Countless thoughts and consciousness surged and rolled, just like an endless sea of ​​clouds.

At this moment, the louse was perched on a strange cloud shaped like a calf, black and red, and slowly but very smoothly crawled inside.

(End of this chapter)