He cultivated himself into a Dao Ancestor starting from Qi Refining.

Lin Shaoyu gently shook his head. As he used the 'Substitute Puppet' to break the enemy's supernatural power, his mind had cleared up.

"Zhang San? Gongsun Zhirou?! I...when did I meet them?"

Lin Shaoyu stared at the two people before him, feeling utterly unfamiliar with them. "They're my neighbors? I'm very close to Zhang San? We're like brothers?"

"I've actually developed feelings for Gongsun Zhirou?!"

"Wrong!"

"None of them are correct!"

"I'm all alone in the Bone Demon Sect, I have absolutely no friends, and it's impossible for me to develop any genuine feelings for a woman out of nowhere."

"That's absolutely a fantasy!"

"When? When exactly?!"

Lin Shaoyu's memories surfaced from the depths of his mind, and he finally sorted out the clues. After Lin Shaoyu moved into Courtyard No. 7, Courtyard No. 6 and Courtyard No. 8 were completely deserted. Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou moved in before Lin Shaoyu went on his mission, and the two sides barely met.

"call……"

Lin Shaoyu took a deep breath. Without further hesitation, he activated the He Shi Bi's ability to peek into fate, consuming twenty white life essences.

Images immediately flashed across Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou's bodies, revealing their past, all laid bare before Lin Shaoyu's eyes, leaving no secrets whatsoever.

"I see! I see!"

Having thoroughly investigated Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou's past, Lin Shaoyu now knew everything and identified the true mastermind. Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou were merely pawns pushed out by the other side. "Good senior brother! My good senior brother Zhou Qinghe! We only met once, and just because he coveted my outer sect contribution points, he directly cast the 'Close Enemy' minor supernatural power on me!"

Killing intent!

Lin Shaoyu's heart was filled with murderous intent!

Lin Shaoyu had previously killed Luo Wuji and three other cultivators at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, seizing a considerable amount of valuable resources. He knew that exchanging these resources for outer sect contribution points would attract attention.

After all, at that time, his cultivation level was only at the third level of Qi Refining. He had revealed too much wealth, which made him look like a fat and juicy sheep to his fellow disciples, who all wanted to take a bite out of him.

After accepting the mission, Lin Shaoyu stayed at his residence, cultivating the spells he had acquired and refining the magical treasures. He had almost no social interactions and thought nothing was wrong. However, he did not expect that he had already been targeted by Zhou Qinghe.

"People around you".

Lin Shaoyu murmured softly. He already knew from Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou's past that Zhou Qinghe was using "Minor Divine Power: People Around Me". This was a top-level minor divine power, composed of three fifth-order true skills. Its strange effects were no less than "Minor Divine Power: Substitute Person".

"Once you are affected by the 'People Around You' tactic, your memories and consciousness will be affected, and you may even have extra memories that did not exist before. You will inexplicably have extra people around you, such as friends, lovers, and relatives. You will treat them as your closest people."

"You will gradually develop unconditional trust in these 'people around you,' and slowly reveal all your secrets to them until you are completely influenced by them and become part of 'Minor Supernatural Power: People Around You.'"

"Take Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou for example. They were affected by Zhou Qinghe's 'person close to him' technique, but they couldn't break the spell. They were gradually influenced, and their memories and consciousness were completely distorted. They became part of the 'minor supernatural power technique: person close to him' and were eventually completely enslaved by Zhou Qinghe."

"We should be thankful for that."

Lin Shaoyu understood everything. "If I hadn't accepted the 'Black Stone City mission,' and if the Yan Kingdom where the mission was located hadn't been involved in the schemes of a certain supreme supernatural being, then I wouldn't have accepted the mission. This would have prevented Zhou Qinghe from acting recklessly before the mission ended, and he wouldn't have been able to send his people to my side. Therefore, the supernatural power hadn't been activated."

"In addition, there is the passive defensive effect of the Iron Rooster. After Zhou Qinghe silently poisoned me with the 'People Around Me' spell, the Iron Rooster's defensive effect also played a certain role. However, I was already somewhat affected at the time, so I didn't notice it."

"Until I returned to the Dry Bone Demon Sect and to my residence, Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou, who had been in Courtyard No. 6 and Courtyard No. 8 of the T-shaped building, appeared immediately. The effect of 'Minor Divine Power: People Around Me' was activated directly, affecting my memory and even my consciousness, making me regard Zhang San as my best brother and believe that I actually had genuine feelings for Gongsun Zhirou."

"A person close to me! What a wonderful person close to me!"

Lin Shaoyu felt a chill run down his spine. This kind of supernatural power was far too unpredictable and impossible to guard against. "If I hadn't refined the 'Substitute Puppet,' I would have truly fallen into Zhou Qinghe's hands this time!"

The outer gate exchange building of Bone Refining Peak.

"Um?"

Zhou Qinghe, who was sitting leisurely in his chair, suddenly opened his eyes. "My 'person next to me' has been violated!"

"How could this be?!"

Zhou Qinghe was slightly stunned. He found it hard to believe. He had noticed the moment Lin Shaoyu broke the "person next to him" barrier, but he quickly calmed down and looked towards the direction of the outer sect's T-shaped courtyard. "Junior Brother Lin, you have truly exceeded my expectations."

"You actually managed to break through my 'person close to me' technique, so you've mastered the 'Substitute' technique or some other top-tier minor supernatural power? It seems I underestimated you."

"Not only did he not die in Yan, but he also returned alive. His strength has increased greatly. After returning, he destroyed the people around me. Interesting, very interesting."

at the same time.

Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou's expressions changed; their features stiffened, as if they had suddenly become manipulated puppets.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Lin, on your safe return from the Yan Kingdom."

Zhang San spoke, but his tone completely changed. This was because Zhou Qinghe was manipulating him from a distance; it was Zhou Qinghe communicating with Lin Shaoyu remotely.

"Thank you for your concern, senior brother."

Lin Shaoyu's eyes were cold. Zhou Qinghe had caused him to lose a substitute puppet as soon as he returned to the sect, and the other party had already made a move against him. Lin Shaoyu could not help but seek revenge.

"Junior Brother Lin has truly gained a lot from this trip. Such a rapid growth rate is truly astonishing. If Junior Brother Lin is willing, I would be happy to turn hostility into friendship."

Zhou Qinghe slowly said, "Junior Brother Lin, what do you say?"

"hehe."

Lin Shaoyu smiled. "Senior brother! Although the 'person beside you' technique has unpredictable effects and is difficult to defend against, I've already broken through it once, so I can break it a second time. Your 'person beside you' is no longer effective against me. Do you think I can't figure out your identity, senior brother?"

"OK!"

Zhou Qinghe laughed, but his smile contained a chilling killing intent. "Junior Brother Lin, this trip has indeed transformed you; you now dare to say such things!"

"Good! Very good!"

"I'd like to see what tricks you have up your sleeve!"

As soon as he finished speaking...

Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou left expressionlessly, and Lin Shaoyu did not stop them. Instead, he watched them leave without making a move.

Killing someone within the sect incurs tenfold compensation. Since Zhang San and Gongsun Zhirou are both outer sect disciples who have cultivated supernatural powers, the compensation amount becomes outrageously high after the tenfold increase. Even if Lin Shaoyu has made a fortune on this trip, he cannot simply give the money away to the sect for nothing.