After being poisoned by mushrooms, all the strange creatures became fascinated by me.

A sense of crisis ran through her neck like cold fingers.

Although Tang Li was confined within this curtain and did not have the same open view as Lian Sheng and Lian Shi, she still sensed that something was wrong.

Outside the curtain, the number of people praying around her had clearly increased.

She timed it precisely, counting in her mind: one, two...

The number of people passing by her in a given time was twice as many as before. After observing for a while, she was surprised to find that there seemed to be many pairs of "twins" in the line.

Tang Li squinted at the pairs of people whose height and build were gradually becoming similar, and a new guess began to form in her mind about the strangeness of this instance.

The flower girl was indeed dead. She probably didn't come back to life, but rather the strange thing in the jar entered her body and replaced her from the inside out.

It is likely that she underwent a similar ritual before her death. A strange creature took a liking to her appearance and followed her closely, mimicking her height, appearance, and every move, waiting for the right moment to arrive.

Tang Li recalled the book "Xingtian Technique" that she had never practiced.

In mythology, Xing Tian is a figure who rises again after his head is severed, using his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth, subtly embodying the meaning of resurrection. However, she never imagined that those who prayed to the Phoenix Goddess with hope, even in death still immersed in their beautiful fantasies, would find that those who borrowed that body to rise again were actually filthy creatures that could only hide in dark earthenware jars.

Perhaps that evil art was originally the key to unlocking the human body and relinquishing control.

It is indeed something one should not be tainted by.

Tang Li looked almost indifferently at the people circling around her, gripping a dagger in one hand and holding a pill in the other, waiting for Xia Feilin to give her the order to "commit suicide".

She sneered inwardly: It's probably a pretense that she's being forced to commit suicide and be reborn; her real intention is to find a strange replacement for her.

……and many more.

Tang Li suddenly paused, and a burst of spiritual light struck her like a thunderbolt, making her shiver violently.

No, it's not like that... It's not as simple as she imagined.

Now, she is the one who is dead.

Therefore, the "resurrected" woman was no longer herself, but rather a strange entity that had seeped into her body.

So, as a prerequisite, now—there will also be corresponding eerie posts mimicking her every move.

It was eerie… Tang Li stared intently at her reflection in the curtains, slowly holding her breath.

—Should this shadow appear here?

—Has the eerie presence that came to replace her entered?

Outside the curtain.

"You dare to mess with me?"

Lian Shi cursed under his breath and casually waved away a dark figure that was clinging to him.

Turning his head, he saw another shadow approaching Lian Sheng.

"You dare to make a move on my wife?!"

Lian Shizheng drew his sword with a resounding clang!

Lian Sheng let him protect her so tightly, ignoring his singing and acting. She just stared at the person hosting the ceremony at the very front of the group, and suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"But..." she murmured softly, "If that's the case, why is he panicking?"

Lian Shi was taken aback. The sharp energy of the blade forced back another strange creature that had come close. Taking advantage of this moment, he followed Lian Sheng's gaze and saw that Xia Feilin's expression was strange.

The once spirited young man, though still praying loudly, no longer had the same focused and excited look in his eyes. The firelight illuminated his face, and the beads of sweat on his forehead reflected a dazzling light.

This amount of exercise is almost zero for someone who practices martial arts, so how could they possibly sweat in this kind of weather?

Unless he was nervous, unless he was terrified, unless something unexpected had arisen.

Lian Sheng's mind raced: things were indeed strange. Xia Feilin's previous actions had all been deliberately designed to lure them into joining Xue Man Lou, but the ceremony he was holding now clearly exuded an eeriness and danger.

At this moment, the shadowy figures even pressed up, trying to imitate them, and the dangerous spearhead was already aimed at the "guests" who were "watching the ceremony".

—Knowing there was something fishy going on, how could they possibly join Xue Man Lou?

Therefore, in Xia Feilin's original plan, the ceremony should have been peaceful and uneventful. Apart from Tang Li being "resurrected," everyone else should have remained normal and remained as bystanders until the ceremony was successfully completed.

But now, everyone participating in the ceremony, except for Xia Feilin who was in charge, was being targeted by those dark figures that appeared out of nowhere.

Lian Sheng and Lian Shi exchanged a glance: the situation was getting out of control.

The two men stood closer together, back to back, facing their enemy. Whenever the shadowy figure in front of them began to mimic their appearance, the two men would switch positions in unison, disrupting the shadowy figure's "learning progress".

The other believers who participated in the ritual naturally did not have such abilities. Several screams were heard, and the dark figures had already finished "learning".

They embraced the body of the person in front of them like the most devout lovers. The identical bodies of the human and the ghost intertwined like snakes, as if at some moment when the firelight flickered, the eerie leg had unknowingly merged into the believer's leg.

The believer realized that something had changed, but before his scream could even finish, he had been completely robbed of his senses by the strange phenomenon.

Couples lay scattered across the ground. Even though the drummers and gong players had fallen, the ethereal music still echoed from the rooftop. Once the ceremony began, it seemed impossible to end it halfway.

Xia Feilin continued to pace and pray. His narrow eyes, which had initially been filled with panic, were now etched with coldness.

—How come so many "divine messengers" have descended?

The number of "divine messengers" that can exist in the same space at the same time is limited. He was afraid that too many would descend at once and expose "Snow-Filled Pavilion", so he specially invited many sleeping "divine messengers" to hide underground in advance.

Therefore, this time, he clearly only left a gap in the position of "divine messenger," and only asked this one to occupy Tang Li's body. After all, whether it was the abundant power she possessed at this moment or her identity as a disciple of "Jie Bailing," having a "divine messenger" take her place would bring endless benefits to Xue Manlou.

But he didn't understand why so many "divine messengers" had descended this time.

Could something have happened underground? Xia Feilin's heart pounded, and he dared not think any further in that direction.

Since that's the case... he made up his mind. Although he didn't know why the ritual had changed, everything was the will of the gods. So, he decided to let everything continue.

It's their fate that Lian Sheng and Lian Shizhen perished here. Even if they managed to escape... so what? He no longer needs any reputation.

As long as that little girl behind the curtain can satisfy the highest-ranking "divine messenger" this time...

Behind the curtain.

Tang Li has not yet turned around.