I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Chapter 641 Resurrection

Before Stone, the carefree conman's expression gradually turned serious, and his every move produced a change in demeanor, making Stone feel that the person standing in front of him was not a down-on-his-luck vagrant, but a learned scholar.

Despite the eerie and terrifying sound that came from his throat, Byron quickly closed his mouth.

He looked at Stone.

"Hello."

The voice that came out of Byron's mouth was still the same, but his tone was much calmer, as if even if a gun was pointed at his head, this man would continue to respond without changing his expression.

“You can call me Crane Cry Taoist.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Are you Daoist Heming?"

Stone frowned slightly, pulled out his revolver, aimed it at Byron, and didn't believe his nonsense.

"Yes, I am Heming Daoist, or rather, I used to be Heming Daoist."

Byron placed his hands on the table, relaxed, as if he were facing not Stone's gun but his own students.

"I experienced a lot in the ruined city and finally discovered one thing: the human body can never resist pollution. So, I chose to abandon my own body and merge with the kin of the ancient rulers. You must know a lot about these creatures."

"Are you Byron, Crane Cry Taoist, or Mud Monster?"

Stone knew that these sludge monsters would, in most cases, mimic the appearance and will of the creatures they devoured. Except in very rare cases, the will of those devoured would be obliterated, and very few could turn around and control the sludge monsters.

Just like Io and Liz back then, Stone knew very well that it was already a miracle that she could maintain a certain level of consciousness.

"These are all me."

Byron laughed.

“I abandoned the body of Crane Cry Daoist and merged with the clan of this ancient ruler. Then, I took control of this monster and transformed into a new being. However, some beings were unwilling to witness all of this.”

"Something exists?"

Stone didn't lower his gun and asked warily.

"You may have heard of the ancient ruler who walks the earth, the true master of the ruined city. That lady is not a gentle and kind being. She caused me a little trouble on the day I completely merged with her."

Byron said, spreading his hands as if he were helpless.

“A part of my consciousness was split off and remained in this Stormy Mountain Villa. Although I later tried to use some rituals to achieve a complete sublimation and transformation, the fragmented soul could never be integrated, and I could never go any further.”

"So, I can only continue to eke out a living in my current form. Fortunately, this body is strong enough to have a lifespan far exceeding that of humans, and it can devour other humans to become like them, mingling in the ruins and avoiding that lady's detection."

"Is this your reason for coming back here to hold a night of summoning spirits?"

Stone asked in a deep voice.

According to Byron, he did indeed enter this place very early on. Before that, Browning purchased many paintings of ancient capitals to suppress a certain being. This may be Browning's rebellion under the influence of the wisp of will left by the Crane Cry Taoist at Stormy Manor.

However, Browning eventually died, and Godard, one of the incarnations of the Crane Crying Taoist, was slaughtered by the will of the Crane Crying Taoist in the Stormy Manor. The last piece, Byron, awakened.

"It can control human will, create all kinds of illusions, and even control your body through subtle corruption. You must have experienced that feeling, right?"

Byron looked at Stone with a half-smile, seemingly fearless in the face of the dark muzzle of the gun.

"Now, that will may have taken over someone's body and is searching for my traces. Heh, he is trying to replace me and become the real [Crane Cry Daoist], but he doesn't know that this is all arranged by that lady. If it gains the initiative, you and your companions will die here on the night of the summoning of souls, and even your souls will be absorbed and used as nourishment."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Stone understood that regardless of whether the person in front of him was really Daoist Heming, he must have had a purpose in saying these things to him.

Given his statement that he was unable to transcend due to the incompleteness of his soul, Byron's purpose was clearly to have Stone and the others resolve the will he had lost.

"It's very simple. You just need to move all those paintings away and break the shackles Browning imposed here. Then that naive will will lose its anchor, my power will increase, and at that time, I will be able to absorb it back without your help and begin the true path of sublimation."

Byron spread his hands and said, as if to say that it was quite simple, as easy as turning one's hand over.

"And my becoming a Great Old One is not a bad thing for you. You have helped me, and at least I can help you rebuild some of the things you cherish."

"...You mean..."

Stone quickly understood what Byron meant.

Since he is in that state now, he naturally knows about Liz and Io, and he knows what the lingering scent on Stone represents.

"Did you know that within the body of this creature, the souls of all the deceased never perish? They simply merge into one, intertwining in the eternal and silent years."

Byron laughed.

"In other words, if I find the remains from that time, with just a little processing, they will stand perfectly in front of you, with the memories and personalities you are familiar with, and even their souls will be genuine."

His voice whispered in Stone's ear, like the devil's whisper tempting mankind to fall.

"If you can help me achieve these things, I can complete this deal. Isn't that what you're hoping for?"

Stone fell silent.

He is thinking about two things.

The first question is whether the person in front of him can be trusted. Of course, Stone felt that Crane Cry Daoist was very dangerous, but at least for now, Byron had no ill intentions towards him, and he might have indeed arrived here before Browning. The ghost residing in Stormy Mountain Villa had indeed caused harm to the people living here.

The second question is, can he really allow the dead to be resurrected?

Is it Stone's own arrogance to awaken those dormant souls now?

He hesitated.

After a long while, Stone took a deep look at Byron and slowly put down his revolver.

"Tell me, what do I need to do to fulfill your request?"

Stone's expression remained unchanged, still cold and stern.

The storm outside the window intensified, and the wind howled against the windowpane, making a mournful, wailing sound.

Chapter 642 There's something I need to tell you.

"You're saying that Gaode's internal organs have vanished?"

Browning seemed to be thinking. He asked a question, but without waiting for Lu Ban and Xia Ya's reply, he murmured to himself.

"My remains possess the characteristics of a mud monster. It can absorb the souls of others and mimic the corresponding people. After being attacked by me, it separated its internal organs and became someone else?"

“But you have all seen everyone at Stormy Mountain Villa. He will be detected no matter who he wants to become, unless… he becomes someone who doesn’t belong here.”

Browning looked at Lu Ban and Xia.

"Did you encounter someone who wasn't here from the beginning?"

Thunder roared at that moment, and in the distance, it seemed that more trees had been struck by lightning, bursting into flames that shone brightly in the dark night, reflecting the deep purple lightning, as if it were the end of the world.

"Yes, his name is Byron, a conman. He obtained a few pages of your treatise, gained supernatural abilities, and was invited here by Gao De, but was locked in a wine barrel in the underground wine cellar."

Sia briefly explained the situation they encountered.

"Byron is now with our companions and is being well cared for."

Upon hearing this, Browning's expression turned serious and somber.

"broken."

Browning sighed, and then said.

"This Byron is probably a clone of my remains. God and him are just different manifestations of the soul. After I killed him, he hid under the identity of Byron, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Now, your companions have probably made contact with him. He is very likely to bewitch your companions, using sweet words to deceive him, trying to find my existence and complete the soul-summoning ritual."

Upon hearing Browning's words, Sia raised an eyebrow.

So far, Browning's words have been fine and logically sound. The Night of the Summoning was indeed carried out by God and Byron, and there are indeed many suspicious points about them. Since the mission is to survive on the Night of the Summoning, Byron, as an unstable element, does need to be dealt with seriously.

But who can guarantee that the Crane Cry Taoist in front of them won't harm them?

Of course, endless suspicion leads only to hesitation and timidity, preventing any progress.

"So what do you want us to do?"

Lu Ban asked directly.

Now, their only option is to help Daoist Heming. If all else fails, they can deal with Daoist Heming after resolving his problems.

Since he said there was a problem with his ascension, Lu Ban thought that if he played a song sung by a great being, he might behave himself.

“It’s very simple. You find Byron, petrify him with this, and then bring him to me.”

Browning's finger traced a path through the air, leaving a trail resembling a shooting star. A character appeared in mid-air, and with a wave of his hand, it floated towards Lu Ban and Xi Ya.

The text lingered in front of the two, and Xia quickly figured out how to use it.

"Is this knowledge?"

Sia looked at Browning.

"Correct."

Browning nodded slightly. This was concrete knowledge; once you came into contact with it, it would flow into your brain. Naturally, pollution would follow—that was the price.

“If I wanted to harm you, your bodies and minds would be controlled the moment you saw me. There would be no need to do it now.”

He added that he meant no harm.

"I'll go first."

Lu Ban, thinking that he wasn't afraid of these things anyway and that they would just melt at worst, reached out and touched the trailing light characters floating in mid-air.

The moment his fingers touched the words, Lu Ban felt a gentle stream flowing into his brain.

The tingling sensation on his scalp lasted for a moment, and then Lu Ban immediately felt knowledge emerging in his mind.

It was a simple ritual that could inflict enormous damage on the mud monster. If the ritual succeeded, the mud monster that was hit would become a glass flower as hard as cement, which could be moved by others at will.

Those mud monsters didn't die; they were more like they were sealed away.

"Since Daoist Heming can master such magic, there is reason to believe that he can indeed control the mud monster."

Sia whispered in Lu Ban's ear.

"really."

As Lu Ban nodded, Xi Ya also touched the text at the same time. Enduring this was obviously more painful for her, and the expression on her face was slightly distorted. The young mage closed her eyes, then opened them again, as if she was pondering the essence of this sealing spell.