Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

"Let's go up to the second floor!" Shen Zhen took the lead and walked up the steps quickly and steadily.

The crowd followed closely behind.

The doors to most of the private rooms on the second floor were ajar, and strange noises could be heard coming from inside.

There were sounds of men's wild laughter, women's coquettish complaints, and the crackling of hard objects colliding and flames burning.

Every time Shen Zhen and the others passed a door, they couldn't help but glance inside.

Just a few glances were enough to send chills down my spine.

In the first room, a middle-aged man who looked like a wealthy merchant was kneeling in front of a copper basin, throwing large amounts of silver notes into the flames, and muttering obsessively:

"Burn it all, burn it all, even in the afterlife there will be flowers..."

In the next room, several women were cutting their silk and satin garments to shreds with scissors.

"This fabric is so restrictive; I'll only feel comfortable after cutting it off!"

There are even stranger ones.

In the third room, a young man who looked like a scholar was shirtless and holding a branding iron to burn his chest.

With a "sizzle!" sound, white smoke billowed out.

He remained unfazed, instead admiring the burn scars in the mirror, muttering to himself:

"This mark... is true art..."

Wu Xian felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but whisper:

"Are they all crazy?"

"He's not crazy." Chen Xi's eyes were calm.

"They were influenced by an external force, but they retained normal thinking and emotions, only their judgments were flawed."

Look into their eyes—they're clear-headed, yet they believe it all.

Shen Zhen shook his head:

"Chen Xi is right. You listen to them as if you know the truth of the world, which is why you choose to indulge yourself."

As soon as the words were spoken, a series of neat and eerie chanting sounds suddenly came from the private room in front:

Life is short, tonight is unforgettable! Life is fleeting, enjoyment is the only true pleasure!

The voice was deep and fervent, like some kind of sinister scripture.

"This is it!" Qi Xuejian's compass needle spun wildly, pointing directly at the private room.

"The source of the anomaly is inside!"

Shen Zhen made a gesture, and everyone immediately gathered around the door of the private room.

Looking through the crack in the door, Shen Zhen's pupils suddenly contracted.

Inside the private room, a woman was reclining on a large, soft couch in the center.

She was dressed in a thin gauze dress, barely covering her body, and her skin glowed pale in the dim candlelight.

Her hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, and her eyes held a hint of languor, yet also an indescribable eeriness.

In front of the woman, a dozen or so men, completely naked, knelt on the ground with their hands clasped together, reciting the words they had just spoken in unison.

Their expressions were devout and fanatical, their eyes filled with fascination and worship, as if the woman on the soft couch were the only deity.

What's even stranger is that these men all have scars of varying degrees, clearly caused by self-harm, yet they all look obsessed and show no sign of pain.

The debauched scene before them froze everyone instantly.

"what!"

Qi Xuejian gasped and turned away, her ears burning red; Wu Xian's face turned pale, and she forced herself to look away, trying to suppress her discomfort; Zhou Shi frantically tried to stand in front of Wu Xian, but his own neck turned bright red; Chen Xi and Li Qingyan quickly scanned the surroundings, one calmly examining the layout, the other with a furrowed brow.

Zhao Huaijin's temple throbbed with anger, and he laughed in a fit of rage.

"...Shameless!" The longsword in his hand had already been drawn half an inch from its sheath with a clang, its cold light flashing.

Shen Zhen suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, her eyes remaining sharp:

"Stay calm! The stranger the situation, the more important it is not to lose your composure."

Just as everyone was making their arrangements, the woman in the private room slowly raised her eyes, a languid yet alluring smile curving her lips. Her voice was soft yet possessed a captivating, penetrating power:

"Everyone outside, now that you've seen us, why don't you come in and have a seat?"

Zhao Huaijin, who was already unable to contain himself, was provoked by these words and immediately shouted angrily:

"You vixen, cease your arrogance!"

He kicked open the door to the private room, drew his longsword, and pointed it directly at the woman.

"You bewitch people and corrupt morals; today we'll show you the power of the Purifying Evil Division!"

Upon seeing this, the kneeling men instantly flew into a rage.

"You are not allowed to harm the fairy!"

"Blasphemy! This is blasphemy!"

Unarmed, yet fueled by a fanatical ferocity, they rose and pounced on Zhao Huaijin, their eyes as fierce as those of wild beasts.

"A bunch of fools blinded by greed!" Zhao Huaijin sneered, his longsword drawing an arc in front of him, forcing back the two men who were charging at the front.

He held back, using the back of the sword and skillful force, and had no intention of killing anyone.

These people, though accomplices, are also victims affected by the situation.

But these men felt no pain. After being struck in the chest by the back of the sword, they only groaned and then charged forward again, shouting:

"For the fairy, death is not a pity!"

"A lifetime of pleasure is better than a hundred years of vain indulgence!"

"Physical suffering is the real experience!"

Upon seeing this, Shen Zhen immediately shouted:

"Zhao Huaijin, don't use excessive force! They are civilians who are being controlled!"

Li Qingyan and Zhou Shi, go up and help stop them!

Chen Xi, Wu Xian, and Xue Jian, use the Concentration Incense to purify the air and weaken the influence of mental energy!

Wu Xian and Qi Xuejian quickly lit the Concentration Incense and, together with Chen Xi, activated their mental power, shooting white mental energy towards the men's foreheads.

Li Qingyan and Zhou Shi rushed forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Zhao Huaijin.

The three formed a simple formation, blocking the men who were rushing towards them in the center of the private room, preventing them from getting close to Shen Zhen and the others, and also preventing them from getting hurt.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shen Zhen sternly questioned the woman on the soft couch:

"Who exactly are you? Why are you controlling these people?"

The woman leaned languidly against the soft couch, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a corner of her gauze dress, a bewitching smile still playing on her lips.

"Manipulation? Your Excellency is joking."

Her voice was soft, yet clear to everyone's ears:

"I was just telling them a simple truth."

This world is inherently unpredictable; natural disasters are frequent, and people can vanish in an instant; today's prosperity can turn into tomorrow's ruins.

She slowly sat up, her gauze dress slipping off her shoulders. Her gaze swept over Shen Zhen, then over Zhao Huaijin and the others who were struggling to defend themselves:

Since we don't know when we will die while we are alive, and since the so-called order and protection are all empty words...

Then why not enjoy yourself to the fullest?

Eat what you want, play what you want; at least this moment of happiness is real.

"So you incited them to self-harm and indulge in debauchery?" Chen Xi questioned coldly.

"Look at them! Wounded and deranged, is this what you call happiness?"

"Instigation?" The woman chuckled, raising a hand to tidy her disheveled hair, a movement elegant yet carrying a decadent beauty.

"I'm just giving them choices."

Look at them, they used to either struggle for money or be burdened by empty fame, living like dogs.

You had to pretend to be respectable, but now?

She pointed to a man whose back was covered in burn scars.

"Now they can laugh when they want to laugh, cry when they want to cry, and even self-harm is done willingly."

Isn't this true freedom?

"Willingly?" Zhao Huaijin forced the two back with his sword, then roared angrily.

"Being seduced by you and willingly submitting—that's freedom? You're spreading heresy!"

"Bewitchment?" The woman's eyes turned cold.

In an instant, the fluctuations of her mental energy suddenly intensified.