He changed Tiwat

The local saying goes, "The auspicious beast treads high to pick the green," also known as "The auspicious beast ascends the tall building," symbolizing good fortune, prosperity, and continuous advancement. Jiaming's "picking the green" skill is unparalleled even within the entire Yilongbu animal dance troupe—he can truly leap onto the sky with his left foot on his right, a feat known as "ladder to the clouds"...

The lion-like beast Wenzai responded to his call, raised its head and roared to the sky, and a gentle breeze caught the two who were falling.

Jiaming stepped on the "air steps" made by Wenzai with his magical power, and with the grace of an immortal walking on a ladder to heaven, he pulled Yanfei and leaped out of the pit in a few steps.

At this moment, several threads composed of water elements suddenly appeared in the air, and in a few swift movements, they formed a safety net that was laid out under everyone's feet—this was, of course, Ye Lan's "Entangling Life-Sustaining Rope".

Ye Lan was relatively far from the others, and there was no one around to help her... but it seemed that she didn't need anyone's help anyway.

As for Paimon, who kept screaming but no one paid any attention—well, she can fly by herself…

At this moment, everyone unleashed their skills, a veritable display of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their unique abilities. Various elemental lights flashed across the scene, creating a truly spectacular sight.

Yan Fei, the only one who hadn't intervened to save herself, breathed a huge sigh of relief: "Thank goodness you guys are here. If it were just me, I would have been in real trouble..."

Unfortunately, she was too happy too soon.

Almost at the same time that Yan Fei exclaimed, a suction force suddenly surged from the ground. Whether it was Wind Wings, "Ladder Cloud Leap", "Entwining Life Rope", or even Paimon, who was flying, they were all grabbed by this suction force and sucked into the cave without any resistance.

The only thing Yanfei could do, who had just been so happy, was to put her case file box under her bottom...

Seconds later, the six people who were just there were swallowed up by the ground, while the ground that had just cracked was as solid as ever, without a single crack.

The "Layered Rock Nail" suspended high in the sky watched this scene silently, its blue light flickering slightly before returning to stillness.

"It hurts..."

In the pitch black, Little Paimon covered his head, his eyes brimming with tears.

When she was pulled down by that suction force, she collided with Ying, and the result of the collision was obvious—Ying's head was harder to hit...

"Why is your head so hard... Is it because you absorbed the power of Geo after coming to Liyue? I'm going to call you 'Stone Head' from now on!"

Ying did not respond to Paimon.

This made Paimon worried, and his voice even sounded like he was about to cry: "What happened... Hey, Ying, are you there? Are you okay? Don't scare me!"

Ying, who had been searching for the miner's lamp, finally lit it.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Soon, new lights appeared around her, and Jiaming also lit his miner's lamp.

"How are the bosses doing?"

Yanfei's weak voice came from beside his feet: "Uh...putting a book under your bottom isn't very protective..."

When they were pulled down by that suction force, the jade shields on their bodies also dissipated, and Yan Fei clearly felt the impact of landing.

Fortunately, they didn't seem to be very far from the ground. Judging from the time of the fall, it was only a drop of about ten meters. Yan Fei was a semi-divine being, so this height wouldn't have injured her—at most, she would have just felt like her buttocks were split in eight pieces...

Lights also came on over Yelan's side: "Is everyone here?"

Compared to Yan Fei, Ye Lan's skills were clearly several levels higher. When she landed, she performed a standard landing roll, and apart from her snow-white fur shawl getting a little dusty, she was otherwise unharmed.

Everyone present responded enthusiastically, even Wenzi let out a shout, but soon they realized one voice was missing—

Where is Mr. Han?

There were supposed to be six people and one bird falling, but now only five people responded.

Han Fulai has disappeared.

Chapter 25: The Mysterious Land under the Rock (4)

How could he disappear?

Ye Lan's expression immediately changed.

In terms of combat strength, Han Fulai was the strongest among the six of them.

Although others may not know this, Ye Lan personally witnessed Han Fulai using the power of the Demon God.

Why is it that none of the relatively weaker ones were in trouble, but Han Fulai was the one who got into trouble?

The time it took them to fall and then question each other was only a few seconds. It would be impossible for them to take down Han Fulai in such a short time—and if they could do that, they could easily take down everyone else present.

Could it be that some kind of spatial teleportation spell was triggered during the fall, and this crater was actually a trap that separated them?

They will fall because there is a mastermind behind them who wants to defeat them one by one.

A chill crept up Ye Lan's back.

"Stay alert. Activate elemental vision, prioritize understanding your surroundings, and do not act alone."

Despite the unexpected situation, Ye Lan remained calm and took the best possible measures.

This is an unfamiliar, dark environment. If you act alone, you are likely to trigger some kind of trap or be ambushed by hidden enemies. Therefore, the first priority is to gather together on the spot and defend yourselves so as not to get separated.

Fortunately, most of the people present had divine vision. Even if there were no other light sources, their elemental vision could at least help them guard against enemies sneaking around in the dark.

In critical moments, having a veteran agent as a pillar of support is indeed a very fortunate thing.

The group immediately formed a circle, back to back, and activated their elemental vision to begin monitoring their surroundings.

Just then, the lion-like beast Wenzai let out another howl and rushed out, seemingly having discovered something... So everyone quickly looked in the direction Wenzai was running—a little further away, a human figure was hanging on a protrusion of the rock wall.

The guy hanging on the rock face then spoke weakly: "Excuse me, is there anyone willing to help me down...?"

Jiaming immediately used "Picking Green" again to help Han Fulai land on the ground.

It was truly something no one expected that the dignified "successor of the Emperor" and acting head of the Guhua Sect would be stuck on the cliff face and unable to get down.

According to Han Fu's own account, he was somehow thrown against the rock wall during the fall. His forehead made intimate contact with the hard rock wall, which caused him to lose consciousness briefly. When he woke up, he found himself hanging in mid-air... and he did indeed have a large bump on his forehead.

Of course, everyone makes mistakes. To save face for Master Han, Jiaming didn't ask why Master Han didn't use his lightness skill to jump down after waking up.

But some people are less accommodating.

Paimon scratched his head and asked curiously, "Why did you fall like that?"

Han Fulai glanced at Yingmei awkwardly.

Ying glared at Paimon, annoyed. "Guess who hit me on the head and made me let go?"

— Han Fulai, who was being held by Ying, was supposed to land with her, but because he was bumped by Paimon midway, Ying subconsciously waved her hand, and Han, who should have been in free fall, was slammed against the rock wall.

Despite Ying's slender arms and legs, in terms of strength, probably only Shen He can surpass her...

Paimon quickly apologized: "Uh... I didn't mean to."

Han Fulai simply shook his head helplessly, indicating that he didn't care.

Seeing his condition, Yan Fei took out the medicine she always carried with her.

"Here's a magic medicine my grandma gave me, it's very effective, let me apply some for you..."

Ye Lan silently put the ointment she had just taken out back in, and turned to explore the space.

"Logically, we should be able to see the entrance at the top since we are falling in a straight line. However, there is no light source here, and it is not from the entrance we came in through."

"There was no light around, and no signs of human excavation were found. Judging from the sedimentary structure of the rock walls, this place is very old..."

"In addition, the attraction we felt when we fell was likely some kind of forced spatial teleportation array that transported us to another space... Be prepared, this is probably some kind of sealed space without any records, and there might even be sealed Kanria monsters or something like that."

"what……"

Upon hearing Ye Lan mention the possibility of demons, Yan Fei immediately shrank her neck and tightened her grip on the medicine she was applying, causing Han Fulai to grimace.

Jiaming, standing next to her, patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Sister Yanfei, the top-notch bodyguard is here."

Yan Fei quickly defended herself: "...I'm not scared. My grandmother taught me kung fu, and I practice diligently every day. I'm skilled in martial arts!"

Wenzai tilted his head at Yanfei, as if to say, "Really?"

Ye Lan, having finished surveying the surroundings, returned: "I've looked it over. There's a cave entrance ahead, but it's unclear where it leads. There might be danger inside. This area is relatively safe, though. I recommend we rest here for a while and get something to eat."

Everyone agreed without objection, and each took out their own dry rations. Jiaming even built a makeshift stove out of stones and took out his barbecue tools to start making char siu...

Ye Lan then beckoned to Han Fulai: "Come with me for a moment."

Han Fulai understood, and he and Ye Lan moved a distance away from the others, lowering their voices: "Did you discover anything else?"

Ye Lan stared at Han Fulai: "I want to ask you what happened."

Han Fulai touched the bump on his forehead somewhat embarrassedly: "I'm sorry you saw me looking so pathetic. You know my martial arts skills are terrible, so let's not talk about this anymore..."

Ye Lan interrupted him somewhat rudely: "I mean, you're not right... Your eyes are very red, don't tell me it's because you're afraid of pain."

"...You figured it out."

Han Fulai put his hand down.

Just as Ye Lan said, his eyes were now bloodshot, looking like Yue Haiting's secretary who had been working overtime for several days in a row—but with his current physique, he could be called a "natural overtime physique," and even if he really worked overtime for several days in a row, he would not be like this.

“And normally, you wouldn’t have needed Jiaming’s help. You could have just activated a shield and jumped down yourself. I remember you even have the creation power of the Salt Demon God… but you didn’t use any of it.” Yelan emphasized, “Tell me the truth about what happened.”

Han Fulai gave a wry smile: "To be honest, I'm afraid I've become a burden to you now."

"……burden?"

Han Fulai nodded, "I can't use any of my abilities here... I don't know what's so special about this space. It doesn't seem to have much of an effect on you, but it has a great impact on me."

He paused, then said, "Do you know what 'karma' means? Right now, my mind is full of chaotic thoughts, and I really want to... kill someone."

Chapter 26: The Mysterious Land under the Rock (5)

"You mean there is 'karmic obstacle' in this space?"

Ye Lan's eyes instantly sharpened.

Of course she knows about "karma".

Since ancient times, Liyue sorcerers have taken it upon themselves to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path. The so-called "demons" include not only "monsters" but also "demonic obstacles."

The ancient text *Jiheng Jing* states: "Though the demons are subdued, their souls do not find rest. They fall into the abyss of the sea, writhing and twisting. They are filled with anger, ignorance, resentment, hatred, and rage. Their poison flows through the rivers and seas, and evil spirits breed. Evil spirits and miasma arise from the vengeful demons."

Even more terrifying than man-eating monsters are the "vengeful demons" that devour people's spirits.

Another name for "vengeful demon" is "karmic obstacle".

These things mostly come from the remnants of wandering demon gods on the land of Liyue. They are invisible and intangible, and extremely difficult for mortals to fight against.

Those tainted by "karmic obstacles" appear no different from ordinary people and are difficult to distinguish in normal times. However, once the "karmic obstacles" accumulated in their bodies exceed the limits of their mental capacity, they may lose their minds and fall into madness, or even become puppets of the remnants of demons and gods.

History is replete with examples of ordinary, unassuming villagers suddenly undergoing drastic personality changes, becoming ruthless and indiscriminate in their killing spree, possessing superhuman strength and tireless power, making them virtually invincible. And while armed violence is relatively easy to deal with, those driven by malicious intent to poison water sources are truly difficult to prevent…

More than half a year ago, a water pollution case occurred in Scarlet Cloud Slope of Liyue Harbor: residents found that the water had an unusual smell when they used it, and some even experienced poisoning after drinking the water. Yujingtai ordered the General Affairs Department to investigate, and the General Affairs Department quickly dispatched professionals... So the professional Yelan was ordered to investigate this water pollution case.

The General Affairs Department's final announcement stated: "The cause of the water pollution has been determined to be a young woman who committed suicide by drowning. The General Affairs Department expresses its deepest condolences for the deceased and her family. To protect the privacy of the deceased and her family, the deceased's name will not be released."

—But this is nothing more than bureaucratic rhetoric to appease the public.

In fact, the poisoner was a woman possessed by "karma" who wanted to destroy Liyue Harbor with a zombie plague. Fortunately, it was discovered in time, and Yelan secretly disposed of her.

However, after that, a young girl named Hua Chu, in order to elope with her lover, left a suicide note and pretended to be the woman who drowned in the incident to escape, causing her old father to be heartbroken and want to sell the house to give his beloved daughter a proper burial... But that's not Ye Lan's business.

Han Fulai's current appearance does indeed resemble that of someone tainted by "karmic obstacles".

More importantly, Han Fulai is now at least a demigod, so how terrifying must the "karmic obstacles" be if even he can't resist them?

Could it be that these individuals have already been tainted by "karmic obstacles" without realizing it?

As if seeing through Ye Lan's thoughts, Han Fulai quickly shook his head: "Don't misunderstand, the 'karmic burden' on me was there before I came here... it comes from the 'Great Sage Who Subdues Demons'."

Ye Lan was unaware of this matter, but now is no longer the time to keep it a secret.

He briefly recounted to Yelan how he had taken on half of Xiao's "karma".

"...Immortal Xiao used to avoid contact with mortals because he was afraid they would be tainted by his 'karmic burdens.' But over time, the 'karmic burdens' he accumulated became too immense, and he gradually became overwhelmed. Immortal Xiao has helped me in times of danger several times, and what I'm doing is my way of repaying him... Besides, things that one person can't carry are much easier when two people carry them together..."

"Normally I can suppress the evil thoughts brought about by 'karmic obstacles' with my own mental strength, but for some reason, my mental strength is extremely weak in this space..."

He raised his hand and tapped his temple.

Even now, there's still a voice yelling at me in my head... It says, 'Blood is flowing, leave no one alive'...

"Hallucination...?" Ye Lan frowned.

According to Han Fulai's description, his symptoms indicate that he has been severely tainted by "karmic obstacles," and the so-called "auditory hallucinations" are likely the work of some kind of demonic remnant.

However, the Great Sage who subdued demons has been fighting demons and monsters for Liyue for thousands of years, and he has accumulated countless "karmic obstacles" on his body. Based on this clue alone, it is impossible to determine what kind of "karmic obstacles" Han Fulai is experiencing, and it is also difficult to deal with them in a targeted manner.

Normally, Yelan's standard procedure for dealing with "karmic obstacles" is humane annihilation, or annihilation that is not so humane... but she can't do that to Han Fulai...

"And I'm worried that Immortal Xiao might also be in trouble..."

The "horizontal knot" on the back of his left hand is now faintly stinging.