Lin Rui had no desire to engage in a prolonged battle with his opponent, so after a dozen exchanges, he unleashed a unique illusion technique characteristic of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan, bewildered his adversary, and promptly made his escape. The moment he entered the hospital, he received a distress call from his ghost envoys. The two minor ghost envoys had initially intended to slip away from the melee to alert Lin Rui, but they discovered the hospital was encircled by a spell laid by some unknown yao, trapping them inside. Just then, a horde of other ghost envoys tracked them down and launched an assault. The two minor envoys fought and fled, ricocheting through the hospital like headless flies, unable to find any gap for escape. As they stood there in despair, debating whether to return and aid Zhou Ying, they suddenly felt a connection to their master, Lin Rui, and immediately flocked toward the sensation with excitement.

"What in the world is going on? Where did these ghost envoys come from?" Lin Rui demanded, shaking off the pursuers as the minor envoys rushed toward him.

"We don't know, they just started popping out from every corner."

"Yeah, yeah, they just appeared everywhere..."

"Was it that yao using them against Ying Mei?"

"They're just biting and chasing Ying Mei around."

"Master, are these things called 'ghost envoy code'? They look truly hideous."

"Where is Ying Mei?" Lin Rui snapped, cutting off the minor envoys' chatter. The two were spoiled by him, and moreover, they felt they had performed admirably; yet, instead of praise, their master was snarling at them. Displeased, they vaguely pointed toward the hospital room where Zhou Ying was: "Over there."

Lin Rui didn't have time to argue with his envoys and hurried toward the direction indicated. However, after only a few steps, a deafening boom echoed, causing the floorboards beneath him to shake violently. "What was that?" Lin Rui cried out. The explosion originated from Zhou Ying’s location, as indicated by the envoys. Had something happened to Zhou Ying? Before he could regain his composure and press forward, explosions sounded one after another, followed by renewed human screams inside the building.

"Zhou Ying, you had better not die!" Lin Rui muttered to himself, swiftly darting forward. He barreled through any humans blocking his path without concern for propriety, eliciting gasps of alarm.

Lin Rui burst into the room, finding only utter devastation. All furniture and medical equipment were reduced to fragments. Scattered across the floor lay numerous individuals dressed as patients, and a gaping hole in the ceiling continued to spew black smoke. "Zhou Ying, Zhou Ying, are you in there?" Lin Rui crouched at the edge of the hole, which afforded a view of the floor above, and shouted into the ventilation duct stretching into the distance.

Only his own echo drifted back from the duct, with no other sign of life. After a moment’s pause, another explosion sounded from afar. "That idiot Zhou Ying must be trapped inside!" Lin Rui stomped his foot, preparing to squeeze in after him, but then heard a tapping sound coming from the direction of the window.

He turned to see a yao hovering outside the glass, waving at him: "Nine-Tailed Fox, come this way."

Lin Rui looked at the familiar-looking yao, frowning slightly: "Ji Mo, are you here to cause trouble for Zhou Ying too? I didn't think your nerve was this great!" In his memory, Ji Mo was a yao who always retreated a step; he hadn't expected him to be involved in this affair.

Ji Mo flashed him a smile: "I told you long ago, I will definitely avenge my friend who was killed by Liu Di. But I am not here for revenge on Zhou Ying today. If you want to save Zhou Ying, follow me."

Lin Rui raised an eyebrow: "Why should I trust you?"

Ji Mo roared with laughter: "Feel free not to... Hahahahaha..." With that, he turned and began to leave.

Lin Rui was naturally suspicious; it was impossible for him to trust a potential enemy so easily. Ji Mo's actions immediately conjured images of "trap" and "snare" in his mind. Yet, he still felt a strong urge to follow and see what these creatures were plotting.

Just as Lin Rui hesitated, the atmosphere outside the hospital building shifted dramatically. "Nan Yu..." Lin Rui rushed to the window to peer out. Even she couldn't control her emotions? Had things truly deteriorated to this extent? Lin Rui knitted his brows tightly, but ultimately chose to pursue Ji Mo.

Ji Mo maintained a steady pace, neither fast nor slow, clearly waiting for Lin Rui to catch up. Seeing Lin Rui’s figure, he looked back with a smile and led him flying away from the hospital grounds.

Ji Mo weaved through several turns before entering an old residential building. He went directly to a third-floor apartment, a room heavily shielded by spells. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary home, but any observant neighbor would have noticed that the occupant hadn't shown their face for several days.

Ji Mo was blocked by the protective spell at the door. He peered in and called out: "Elder Tian, it is I, Ji Mo."

After a considerable wait, a hoarse voice came from within: "What are you doing here?"

"I came to inform you that Nan Yu revealed her Zombie True Form to fight the enemy and has clearly gained the upper hand. Many companions have already fled upon seeing the situation turn sour. I came to say goodbye and decided not to wade into this muddy water."

"Hmph. Every one of them swore they'd exact revenge regardless of the cost, but when it came down to it, they all tucked their tails! What about Faceless?"

"Him?" Ji Mo sneered, "He was the first to flee, using his comrades as shields. He escaped so fast... Can’t you see, that fellow only mouths off; there’s nothing real about him! When it comes to planning, he’s eloquent, but when it comes to execution—murder, soul manipulation—he pushes it all onto you, never willing to get his own hands dirty."

The person inside fell silent for a while before speaking: "I don't care what you all think. As long as I can avenge my child, I will sacrifice everything... If you want to leave, leave. I am about to capture Zhou Ying; hahahaha, I’d consider it worthwhile even if we perish together..."

"Is that so? You’ve already found Zhou Ying?" Ji Mo asked with feigned surprise, then suddenly let out a terrifying shriek, "Nine-Tailed Fox... Ah..." With a cry of agony, he collapsed to the floor, convulsed a few times, and lay still.

"Damn it!" The person inside, standing just behind Ji Mo, indeed saw Lin Rui's figure. This fool actually led the Nine-Tailed Fox here! He deserved to die! The occupant inside cursed Ji Mo’s "corpse."

When Lin Rui reached the doorway, the person inside hurled a cloud of black mist that enveloped the entire entrance area. As Lin Rui attempted to forcefully break through the door’s defenses, a ray of red light shot out, forcing him back several steps. Since Lin Rui couldn't see inside, he dared not rush in recklessly and instead paced around the entrance.

To the occupant, Lin Rui was hardly a threat; he was just a clown relying on the prestige of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan. However, behind him stood a vast Nine-Tailed Fox family. No yao wished to incur the wrath of a Nine-Tailed Fox clan; such naturally powerful beings were not only potent but also cunningly unpredictable. To oppose them meant a dire fate for even the mightiest character. The yao inside was unwilling to genuinely harm Lin Rui. After all, opposing Liu Di and Nan Yu might simply mean leaving Lixin City or the human realm. But opposing the Nine-Tailed Fox meant finding a safe haven among the Nine Realms would be nearly impossible.

Because the yao inside had to divide its attention to deal with Lin Rui outside, its perception of Zhou Ying weakened. If this continued, Zhou Ying would slip out of its control. Having paid such a high price for revenge, this yao would absolutely not let Zhou Ying escape its grasp at the very moment of success.

The yao inside withdrew the black mist and defensive spells, allowing Lin Rui a clear view of the room’s interior.

Lin Rui staggered back several steps, covering his mouth with his hand. The shock and revulsion nearly made him scream out loud.

The residence, which had been utterly unremarkable in its furnishings, had transformed into a world of crimson—the color of blood. Countless corpses filled the room, which was not small, piled on top of one another due to sheer volume. Their limbs were mangled; most had had their internal organs removed before death. Every one of these victims, regardless of age or gender, had died after enduring terrible torment, and their faces were still frozen in expressions of pain and terror. Extending from the mouth of each body was a red thread, the other end of which was tied to the man sitting cross-legged in the center of the room.

It was this individual who controlled the ghost envoys in the hospital; meaning, all those envoys had been fabricated by him alone.

Lin Rui was not inexperienced. In his hundred years of wandering alone, death was a common theme. Yet, this scene of bloody cruelty stirred in him the desire to turn and flee.

"You, you actually killed so many people..." Lin Rui stammered, pointing a trembling finger at the yao inside.

"Little Fox, have you never killed anyone?" the yao replied emotionlessly.

"But, but..." Though Lin Rui was sharp and clever, he became incoherent when faced with such a sight.

"Little Fox, you can leave; I don't wish to harm you—if my son were still alive, he would be about your age... but he was killed by Ying Mei and served as dinner for Bi Fang..."

Lin Rui pouted.

Seeing that he had frightened Lin Rui, the yao inside seized the moment while Lin Rui was stunned, suddenly whipping out several red threads that bound the unprepared Lin Rui securely: "Little Fox, I won't kill you. Once I deal with Ying Mei, I will naturally release you." Before his words faded, a cold gleam shot toward his forehead. Fortunately, the yao possessed rich combat experience; with a backward lean, the cold light grazed his brow, leaving a bloody gash.

Lin Rui’s figure materialized near him, holding a sharp sword, and he launched a relentless series of over ten swift strikes. The "Lin Rui" that the yao had restrained moments before dissolved into smoke, breaking free from the bonds, and reformed into a minor ghost envoy, joining Lin Rui's assault against the yao.

"What a cunning fox!"

It turned out Lin Rui had used an illusion to become invisible from the very beginning, and the one standing by the door putting on the performance was merely one of his ghost envoys. Lin Rui shared a deep spiritual connection with his envoys, controlling them perfectly, coupled with the unique illusions of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan—the yao failed to detect the flaw.

"Heh, you like ghost envoys, don't you? Let's see which of us uses them better!" Lin Rui spoke while maintaining the furious pace of his attack. He knew that in a fair fight, he was no match for this yao. Having seized the initiative, he certainly wouldn't let the opportunity pass.

The yao, having already expended significant spiritual power to remotely manipulate dozens of ghost envoys to attack Zhou Ying, was thrown into disarray by Lin Rui’s sudden storm of blows, sustaining over a dozen wounds of varying severity. However, Lin Rui's spiritual power and physical strength were limited, so even with several excellent openings, he couldn't inflict a fatal blow. As the yao gradually adjusted from the shock of the surprise attack, Lin Rui’s assault became increasingly ineffective.

"Nine-Tailed Fox, I didn't want to kill you, but you brought this upon yourself!" The yao bared its fangs and roared at Lin Rui. Just now, while evading Lin Rui's attacks, it had lost contact with several of its envoys—the ones it had sent to the front lines. That meant, in that instant, it had lost track of Zhou Ying’s whereabouts. After days of painstaking effort, success was within reach, and now this Nine-Tailed Fox intervened. The rage surging through him made him toss the reputation of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan to the four winds; he decided to release all his ghost envoys first and focus on killing Lin Rui.

Seeing the yao's posture, Lin Rui immediately turned to flee. He wasn't some fool who would risk his life for victory; as long as he was safe, everything else could be figured out later.

How could the yao allow him to escape? It pursued closely. Lin Rui bounded down the stairs, the yao close behind him, less than five steps away, preparing to launch a spell at his back. At that moment, excruciating pain shot through its back. The spell in the yao's hand dissipated, and it painfully twisted its head to see Ji Mo, wearing a look of cruel satisfaction, pulling his treasured sword out of the yao's body.

"You, you were allied with them..." Ji Mo and Liu Di had an old grudge. All the yao in Lixin City knew how deeply Ji Mo hated Liu Di's faction, which is why they sought to include him in this operation. Although Ji Mo lacked great power, having one more ally meant one more source of strength in such a moment. No one expected that he had secretly pledged allegiance to Liu Di and the others, turning against them at the critical juncture.

"Let me clarify, I have a grudge against Liu Di," Ji Mo said, spreading his hands toward the yao. "But I despise those who casually slaughter humans even more—I possess one-quarter human blood and was raised by my human maternal grandfather; you didn't know that, did you..." However, no one listened to his explanation—the yao slowly collapsed, convulsed briefly, and lay still. After scheming so thoroughly for revenge on Zhou Ying, he ultimately died at the hands of the Rat Demon Ji Mo, whom he had always looked down upon.

Lin Rui immediately rushed inside and canceled all the spells on the corpses. This action caused the ghost envoys in the hospital to fall into confusion without their controller's direction. Although these envoys remained dangerous, their diminished intellect would render their attacks highly inefficient, making it easier for Zhou Ying to handle them. After Lin Rui finished dealing with the situation here, he turned around only to find that the Rat Demon Ji Mo had vanished.

Zhou Ying had intended to turn and counterattack while the ghost envoys were bunched up, but a strange premonition stopped him. He swiftly dispersed his form and floated at full speed toward the depths of the ventilation duct. A second after he began to escape, the foremost ghost envoy shrieked and lunged at him, its body swelling violently before exploding. Zhou Ying was thrown far by the blast wave. Before he could steady himself, another envoy lunged, and another violent explosion erupted.

These ghost envoys had been fitted with a certain type of talisman. Once commanded by the yao controlling them, they would detonate, an attack that cost the complete dissipation of the envoy’s soul and could harm even a Shadow Demon like Zhou Ying. Zhou Ying saw the relentless stream of envoys surging from behind and realized they intended to close the distance and self-detonate. The two explosions had already inflicted damage; if so many envoys rushed him, Zhou Ying might not have withstood it even before losing his two centuries of spiritual power.

Zhou Ying wisely turned and fled, a long tail of ghost envoys chasing him. As they closed in, they immediately exploded. Zhou Ying sped through the long ventilation duct—an environment perfectly suited to his Shadow State—and gradually managed to put some distance between himself and his pursuers. However, the end of the passage soon appeared. If he exited here, he was bound to encounter humans. If these ghost envoys detonated indiscriminately at that moment, the consequences would be unimaginable. This was the hospital Nan Yu had been protecting, and Zhou Ying did not want to cause further casualties because of himself—that would deeply sadden Nan Yu.

Zhou Ying decisively turned at the end of the duct, facing the envoys, and slipped out through a vent just before meeting them. He arrived in a room that seemed to be a meter room and immediately flew toward the window without stopping. Once outside the hospital perimeter, he would no longer pose a danger to those inside. As for the safety of the innocent pedestrians on the street, Zhou Ying had no concept of them; due to Nan Yu, he merely categorized humans as "inside the hospital" or "outside the hospital."

Who knew that the moment Zhou Ying rushed out the window, a ghost envoy appeared from an unknown place, spreading its arms to embrace him in a final, mutual destruction.

Zhou Ying's miscalculation was that he assumed so many envoys must be controlled by numerous yao. He didn't realize they all originated from a single yao. That yao, controlling so many envoys, naturally perceived events within the hospital through them. While not comprehensive, it had detected Zhou Ying's presence and naturally focused all its attention on him. When Zhou Ying fled into the ventilation duct, it simultaneously commanded envoys to self-detonate and directed other envoys stationed elsewhere in the hospital to flank him from different directions. The spot where Zhou Ying emerged from the duct happened to have an envoy positioned there for the encirclement. The moment Zhou Ying appeared, the yao commanded that envoy to lunge.

Zhou Ying couldn't dodge in time and was tightly held. Knowing the envoy was about to self-detonate, he exerted all his strength to disperse his form, dissolving into a large cloud of smoke that drifted out of the envoy’s "embrace." From a distance, it looked as if the envoy was belching thick black smoke.

The ghost envoy exploded instantly, engulfing several pursuing envoys behind it.

After the explosion, the black smoke in the air slowly coalesced, and Zhou Ying's form reappeared. This impact was severe, but before he could catch his breath, other envoys swarmed toward him again. Zhou Ying turned and fled toward the sky, followed by a long tail composed of ghost envoys.

After circling in the air with these envoys for an unknown duration, several instances where he was caught in the blast radius further complicated matters for the already injured Zhou Ying. As Zhou Ying completed his third circuit around the hospital building, immense pressure descended from the rooftop, followed by Nan Yu’s aura permeating the entire space.

A Zombie...

Zhou Ying looked up. He knew how reluctant Nan Yu was to confront anything related to her Zombie nature, yet this time she willingly revealed her true form because of him.

I’ve caused Nan Yu so much trouble...

Zhou Ying sighed quietly.

Just then, the movements of the pursuing ghost envoys became chaotic. Seeing that they were no longer pressing so closely, Zhou Ying sped up, circled a few more times, and managed to shake off the majority of his pursuers. Then, in the parking lot in front of the hospital below, he unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure—Sun Jian, dressed in a police uniform, busily directing the evacuation of hospital personnel. Zhou Ying hesitated for a moment before flying toward Sun Jian. As he approached, he leaped into Sun Jian's shadow.

It wasn't that he feared the ghost envoys might harm his only human friend. Rather, he believed those envoys might lack the ability to harm this human man who possessed no magic—Sun Jian seemed naturally blessed with extraordinary luck; even Huo'er's attacks had little effect on him. Coupled with the inherent righteous dignity of his personality, Zhou Ying trusted that a few envoys manufactured from scattered souls could not approach this self-proclaimed emissary of justice.

Indeed, before the ghost envoys that trailed them could even draw near, they vanished without a trace, repelled by the righteous aura emanating from Sun Jian. Sun Jian, completely unaware of this, remained intently focused on his task. Such chaos—slashing and explosions erupting in the city's largest public hospital—couldn't help but steer the police toward aligning the incident with the terrorism currently "sweeping" the globe.

Nan Yu, in her true form, became even more ruthless in her attacks. A third of the monsters besieging her had already fallen by her hand; a third, sensing the shift in fortune, had fled. The remainder were those whose enmity toward Zhou Ying ran deep, determined to fight to the death. The leading monster was among them, though it wasn't that he was unwilling to flee—he understood better than anyone the principle of preserving one's strength for future battles. However, Nan Yu knew he was the mastermind of this entire affair and could never let him escape, keeping him under constant, tight surveillance.

Having revealed her true form, Nan Yu was set on complete annihilation. A streak of violence was inherently buried within her nature, long suppressed by years of Daoist cultivation. But today, after the hospital she had protected for years came under threat alongside Zhou Ying, that violent side proved impossible to restrain.

“Don’t even think of escaping!” With Nan Yu’s sharp cry, one retreating monster was snatched back from mid-air and torn to shreds with bare hands.

The leading monster circled, weaving between his comrades and Nan Yu, while attempting to signal his accomplices on the perimeter. But even the monster who had been so eager to avenge his son, willing to follow the leader’s advice and slaughter countless humans, had gone silent. Had they all… A terrible premonition seized him, intensifying his desire to break away from the fight.

Sun Jian entered the hospital with the main contingent to conduct the search. Zhou Ying chose not to follow, to avoid causing him further trouble.

It now appeared there was a serious problem with whoever was commanding the ghost envoys from behind the scenes. The envoys wandered aimlessly, some already beginning to dissipate, lacking even the basic instinct to attack humans.

There existed a potent connection between the creator of the ghost envoys and the envoys themselves: damage to an envoy would inflict a degree of harm upon its owner, and the death of the owner would, under normal circumstances, cause the envoys to vanish (Lin Rui recovered his ghost envoys only after killing their original master, lest they disappear). The strength of this bond was directly proportional to the “quality” of the ghost envoy. These crude, inferior envoys before them likely had a weaker link to their owner, which was why they were slow to disappear, but if Zhou Ying was correct, the monster controlling them was already dead, and the complete vanishing of these envoys was only a matter of time.

Perhaps Nan Yu or Lin Rui was responsible? Zhou Ying thought to himself. Feeling weary, he spotted the youth Zhao Fan, whom Qu Xiaomei had brought out, lying in an ambulance nearby. He floated over and merged with the boy’s dreams.

Ji Mo stood not far off, watching Zhou Ying’s maneuver. He let out a cold sneer: “You think hiding inside a human dream will keep me from finding you?”

Thanks to Ji Mo’s earlier assistance, Lin Rui seemed to have dropped his guard against him. When Lin Rui rushed back to the hospital to aid Nan Yu, he completely disregarded Ji Mo, who had quietly followed him back. Ji Mo had expected Lin Rui to contact Zhou Ying upon his return, giving him an opening to locate Zhou Ying. Instead, Lin Rui headed straight for the top floor to join Nan Yu’s fray. Just as Ji Mo felt disappointed, he looked up and saw Zhou Ying wandering aimlessly in the parking lot in front of the hospital. Ji Mo watched him wander for several laps before vanishing next to the bedside of a gravely ill human boy.

He was so calm at a time like this.

Ji Mo greatly admired Zhou Ying’s composure—the psychological fortitude to remain unmoved when disaster loomed like a mountain collapsing before him.

Ji Mo maintained his true form, silently approaching Zhou Ying along the edge of the flowerbeds. He moved past the legs of many busy, shaken people. Even the most timid women who inadvertently glimpsed him at this moment failed to emit those earth-shattering screams. Perhaps the sheer reality of the events unfolding left them with no energy left to fear a rat? Ji Mo mused happily to himself. His greatest fear was the female shriek of “A rat…!” Hearing that sharp, grating sound often triggered symptoms in him: rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, rising blood pressure, and dilated pupils.

Ji Mo gradually drew closer. The expected trap Zhou Ying had laid for unwary enemies did not appear. When Ji Mo walked risk-free right up to the human boy, Zhou Ying’s life was about to fall into his grasp.

“Ji Mo, I knew you would come…”

“Su He, you are truly a persistent shadow!” Ji Mo spat out angrily. Turning around, Su He leaped down from a hospital bed; it seemed he had been disguised as a human patient lying there.

“I knew it. Given your nature, opposing those bastards is a separate matter from taking revenge on Zhou Ying. You wouldn’t miss a chance to take advantage during the chaos.”

“Stop talking as if we know each other well; we haven't even known each other twenty days…”

Su He shrugged: “Two hundred years might not be enough time to make a friend, but understanding a rival is sufficient.”

Ji Mo stopped speaking, kicked out toward Su He, and simultaneously reached out to grab the boy in the dream. Su He casually shoved a gurney toward him while simultaneously sliding in front of Ji Mo to slam the door shut on the ambulance where the boy lay. They had fought often enough recently that their mutual understanding could truly be said to surpass that of their respective friends. Both were keenly aware of the other’s favored techniques and spells. Thus, when they fought, they both moved with practiced ease. If an outsider had watched, they might have mistaken their exchange for friends sparring or practicing.

This fight, like many before, ended in a stalemate; neither Su He nor Ji Mo could gain the upper hand. After the struggle lasted about ten minutes, Ji Mo suddenly broke into a strange smile. By the time Su He sensed something was wrong, it was too late to retract his attack. He was struck squarely by several talismans that appeared from nowhere and plastered themselves to his body. The power of the talismans bound Su He tightly, making escape impossible no matter how hard he struggled.

“Did you think I hadn’t kept a trick in reserve?” Ji Mo pressed on toward Zhou Ying without pausing, adding, “This charm is the handiwork of an immortal; it won't be undone soon!” Just as he reached the ambulance again and reached for the door handle, a blast of fire erupted, hurling him backward.

“Hmph, did you truly believe you were the only one who held back a final card?”

Ji Mo had deliberately held back this specific talisman until the last possible moment, unwilling to use it, but Su He was no easy mark. He too possessed a trump card, waiting for this final strike.

Ji Mo lost the best opportunity in his life to take revenge on Zhou Ying, because at that moment, Lin Rui appeared with his two ghost envoys.

Ji Mo’s power might not necessarily surpass that of Lin Rui, the half-breed Nine-Tailed Fox, but he had just fought a grueling battle with Su He, and Nan Yu’s fight should be concluding soon, as dismembered limbs and remains of monsters were beginning to fall from the sky, smashing everywhere.

“So you bastard had ill intentions too!” Lin Rui grumbled angrily. He had tried to rush to Nan Yu’s aid, only to be shoved down by Nan Yu’s warning: “Zhou Ying is in danger!” He had indeed let his guard down regarding Ji Mo, a significant lapse for a fox as cunning as him. The back-and-forth running around all afternoon had left him thoroughly vexed, causing the mask of his usual feigned smile to drop, revealing an icy expression as he spoke.

This incident had clearly spiraled beyond the ordinary. A large group of monsters attacking a human hospital and murdering numerous humans to create ghost envoys—no matter how it was covered up afterward, the impact could not be entirely erased. If the human cultivators or gods were alerted and decided to meddle, the entire living environment of Lixin City would undergo massive change. For Lin Rui, who absolutely could not leave this place or his mother, this spelled terrible trouble, and Zhou Ying, as the root cause of the incident, would inevitably be implicated.

“It’s all your fault, you opportunistic bastards!” Lin Rui ground his teeth, lunging at Ji Mo. If he didn't strike an opponent to vent, he felt he would explode.

Ji Mo staggered backward, but Lin Rui’s sharp claws flashed past, tearing away a flap of flesh from his shoulder, leaving five bloody grooves. However, what truly forced Ji Mo back was not Lin Rui’s attack—the moves of this young Nine-Tailed Fox clearly lacked a certain force—but the sight of Nan Yu descending from above. Her long, dark hair whipped in the wind, forming a stark contrast with her pale complexion. In her gaze, Ji Mo saw thick killing intent.

Flee. Only this single thought remained in his mind. In Lixin City, even Liu Di was reluctant to face Nan Yu when she had revealed her true form and was somewhat unbalanced.

But before Ji Mo could flee far, Nan Yu’s aerial attack landed. Ji Mo was thrown out in a twisted posture, crashing heavily onto the ground. He tried to struggle up, only to cough up a large mouthful of blood and collapse again.

It’s over, the thought flashed through his mind. He had given his all; even staking his life had not succeeded, but he had done right by his friend…

Just as Nan Yu launched the finishing blow, a long whip shot out, coiling around Ji Mo’s leg and dragging him backward. When Nan Yu and Lin Rui looked up, Su He was already hoisting Ji Mo onto the building across the street. After a few more leaps, they vanished among the high-rises.

“Is that dead gecko helping us or holding us back? Do you think you’re Spider-Man…” Lin Rui muttered in annoyance.

“Nan Yu…” Just as Nan Yu prepared to pursue, Zhou Ying’s voice rang out. “You’ve worked hard.” He floated over from beside the boy. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault…”

The intense, burning killing intent vanished entirely from Nan Yu. Looking at him, then at her own blood-soaked body, she offered a bitterly wry smile: “I should be the one apologizing… My confidence and arrogance ruined everything… If you had gone to the Monk, none of this would have happened…”

“But I wanted to be with you…” Zhou Ying said earnestly.

Lin Rui discreetly pursed his lips. Who knew if he understood the meaning of his own words?

But for Nan Yu, those words were more than enough. Tears welled up, and she leaned into Zhou Ying’s shoulder, weeping softly.

“When Huo’er and the others return, I’m telling Gui’er…” Lin Rui muttered to himself. “Running off to be lovey-dovey and dumping such a huge mess on me… Heavens, where do I even begin… Heavens…”

Su He looked back frequently, confirming there were no pursuers, before dropping Ji Mo onto the ground: “It’s fine now, you should escape quickly.”

Ji Mo shot him a look, snarling: “A cat crying over a dead mouse!”

Su He shrugged: “I’m not a cat. I advise you to leave Lixin City soon; it looks like a major purge is coming…” After this kind of turmoil, those old figures wouldn't stay hidden for long.

Ji Mo let out a long breath and stretched out on the ground. Although his painstaking revenge had failed, having walked the edge of death once, he felt he had done right by his deceased friend… Even if I didn’t kill Liu Di’s best friend for you, if you have spirit in the heavens, you should know that everything I’ve done these past decades, I gave my absolute best effort… It had been a long time since he felt this relaxed; Ji Mo felt the urge to drift off to sleep, lazily closing his eyes.

“Hey, don’t sleep here…” Su He nudged him with his foot. “One of Nan Yu’s wandering spirits is heading this way.”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Ji Mo replied weakly. He had decided to let go of this entanglement and leave Lixin City to live a different kind of life. “You, on the other hand, why aren't you kicking a dog while it’s down? Hurry and capture him to claim credit with Liu Di and the others.”

Su He smiled: “I helped Zhou Ying; I don’t owe them anything anymore. This matter has nothing to do with me.” Once the debt he’d carried for years was paid, this feeling of lightness truly made one want to lie down and sleep… Su He thought, and also lay down on the grass.

“So you two are in cahoots…” a gritted voice cut through, snapping both of them out of their half-sleep. The black-clothed monster had used several comrades as shields at the last moment, and Nan Yu had been too preoccupied rushing to save Zhou Ying from Ji Mo’s attack, allowing him to escape. He fled here only to see Ji Mo and Su He together, immediately directing his unspent hatred toward these two monsters, who didn't seem like rivals at all. “So you are allied with Zhou Ying’s group. So you were mixed in with us to tip them off…”

“Don't forget, you invited me to join you…” Ji Mo frowned. He knew this rabble wouldn't amount to anything major. It was a good thing he hadn't been of one mind with them from the start—then again, perhaps everyone felt that way, which was why this little clique could never become significant?

“You traitor!” This monster didn't actually know that Ji Mo had killed the one monster crucial to their victory—the one controlling the ghost envoys—but he unceremoniously pinned the label on Ji Mo nonetheless. “I will kill you to avenge my dead comrades!”

“Weren’t your comrades dead because you used them as shields? What does that have to do with Ji Haozi [Ji Mo]?” Su He interjected from the side.

“You lackeys of Liu Di and Zhou Ying, die!” This monster knew that both Ji Mo and Su He were weaker than him, and seeing that Ji Mo was injured, he attacked without hesitation. Since Lixin City was no longer viable anyway, and the vengeance for his elder brothers seemed impossible to achieve, he felt he needed to take a few lives he hated as compensation to feel better.

In the fierce battle, Su He and Ji Mo discovered that their deep understanding of each other played a crucial role. Because they knew each other’s moves so well, they were always able to cover vulnerabilities in the other’s offense or defense at critical moments, ultimately gaining the upper hand in a fight where they were supposedly the weaker side. By the time the black-clothed monster sensed things going wrong and tried to flee, it was too late. Su He cleanly ended the fight with a heart-gouging claw attack, then kicked the corpse, whose eyes remained wide open in disbelief, away.

“I never thought I’d end up dealing with this sort of business last of all—this has completely wiped away the last shred of good feeling I had for this damned place, Lixin City,” Ji Mo said with a bitter smile, nursing his fresh wound.

“Indeed…” Su He gazed at the city silhouette thoughtfully. “This place truly holds nothing worth lingering for…”

“What, you’re leaving too?” Ji Mo discerned the implication in his words.

“My debt of gratitude is paid, and my debts are settled. What reason is there to stay? My younger brother has invited me to join him many times; now I can leave without any ties,” Su He said, lighting and taking a drag from a cigarette.

“Aren’t you going to claim credit with them? I guarantee you could live very well in Lixin City from now on…” Ji Mo said, though this time his tone was teasing rather than mocking.

“Want to see some other places? Though they might not be as lively as the human realm, they are definitely places worth favoring over this one.”

“Other places… Anywhere would be better than here…”

“Then let’s go, stop dawdling…”

“Heh heh, look at me in this state, can I still walk?”

“Come here, I’ll drag you…”

“Can’t you just say you’ll carry me?”

“You wish…”

The corpse of the black-clothed monster turned to dust at Su He’s snap of his fingers, instantly swept away by the wind. The figures of Su He and Ji Mo followed the breeze, without a single lingering look back at the city they had inhabited for so long…

The massive confusion instigated by the monster seeking revenge on Zhou Ying was not fully cleared up until several days later. The Wooden Fish Monk, Nan Yu, and even Meng Shu personally intervened to manage human public opinion and memory into an acceptable state. Those injured during the chaos were healed by them, and damaged structures were restored by magic. But the dead could never be brought back.

Nan Yu stared at the newspaper reporting on the “Perverted Murderer Serial Killing Incident” and sighed softly. These people did not have to die; their lives had been extinguished so senselessly. Did she bear some responsibility for that?

“Nan Yu, where is Zhou Ying?” Lin Rui jumped in through the window. Since that incident, he had paid even closer attention to Zhou Ying. For Lin Rui, Zhou Ying being Huo’er’s father was reason enough for him to protect Zhou Ying at all costs—though he would absolutely never admit it.

“He… is probably in that hospital room again,” Nan Yu said.

Surprisingly, Zhou Ying himself was the least affected by the entire incident. He still wandered the hospital daily, ignoring Lin Rui’s insistent demand that he stay glued to Nan Yu’s side.

Nan Yu and Lin Rui arrived one after the other. Lin Rui peered into the room: “He’s indeed here again. That human patient’s illness has worsened, he’s close to death, isn’t he? Is Zhou Ying waiting to possess the body, planning to take it over the moment he dies? Why else would he always linger here?”

Nan Yu frowned but immediately remembered Lin Rui was currently occupying a human child’s body, so she held back her comment, simply retorting, “Why would he need to do that?”

“He lost most of his power; this fragile state of his is fraught with danger, and that so-called spiritual medicine…” He wrinkled his nose, “…it might be better not to count on it. I think the best option for him is to take over this person’s body and cultivate after merging with the human flesh. Though it brings many complications, it reduces many dangers.”

Nan Yu smiled slightly: “Liu Di, Gui’er, and Huo’er are working hard for Zhou Ying; how can you say there’s no hope? Zhou Ying trusts them to bring back the spiritual medicine; he trusts Liu Di and Gui’er so much, you should trust Huo’er too.”

Lin Rui froze, then immediately raised his eyebrows: “Of course I trust Huo’er, but I don't trust that Liu Di!”

Nan Yu smiled, shook her head, and walked away. Lin Rui followed persistently, nagging behind her: “He listens to you the most; you’d better persuade him. My method, while not as effective as the spiritual medicine, is certainly better than his current state…”

The young man had gone days without dreaming, and his physical strength was draining away rapidly; now he barely even possessed the strength to dream. Every day he remained silent, dragged toward, or perhaps resignedly awaiting, that day amidst the torment of pain. After taking a large dose of medication today, he finally drifted into a fitful slumber, only to find that the dream which had been absent for so long had once again entered his mind. The 'self' from the dream appeared just as suddenly as always, standing by the bedside and watching him.

"Are you here to take me away?" The youth, too weak to sit up, asked Zhou Ying mournfully.

"No."

"Then, just like before, are you here to chat with me?" The youth said bitterly, "It's a pity I don't have the energy to speak much anymore."

Zhou Ying looked at him and asked, "If you could live, what would you prepare to do?"

The youth turned his head away and murmured, "Please don't ask such questions! Don't you think asking that now is too much?"

Zhou Ying asked again, "If you could live—another fifty years, seventy years—what would you most want to do?"

The youth remained silent, unwilling to answer.

Zhou Ying continued, "If you wouldn't die, what would you do?"

The youth pounded the bed with his hand and shouted with all his might, "I want to live, I want to eat, drink water, sleep, I want to look at the computer, I want to go traveling, I want to play basketball, go ice skating, I want to learn to help Mom with housework, I want to get into university, I want to fall in love, I want to have my own car in the future..." He spoke in one breath, finally breaking down into sobs, choked and unable to form words, "I want to draw. I love drawing... This profession, I finally got a chance, to illustrate for a magazine, this profession was such a hard-won opportunity... Why, why, I'm not reconciled... I’m truly not reconciled... Why are you asking these things! Is this so much fun for you!"

Zhou Ying looked at him and suddenly said, "I can do all those other things, but I cannot draw. I think perhaps I cannot learn the kind of drawing you do, so it seems I cannot accept Lin Rui's suggestion..."

"What did you say?" The youth's emotions flared violently, and he shrieked, "Who are you? Why do you always appear in my dreams! What do you want to do now? Why are you saying those things to me! What exactly do you want!" Usually, to comfort his parents and relatives, he always suppressed his fear of death, putting on a façade of calm. In the 'dream,' in this space where only he and this strange 'person,' Zhou Ying, faced each other, he found an outlet for his emotions, shouting and yelling with all his remaining strength, venting his accusation against this arrangement of fate.

"I feel like I'm very much like you... Not just in appearance; I'm also very afraid of death, just like you," Zhou Ying observed.

"No one isn't afraid of death! No one isn't!"

"I feel... that perhaps some people aren't afraid..." Zhou Xu's face appeared in Zhou Ying's mind, "But I am genuinely terrified, just like you. And it's not the fear of death itself; I fear disappearing. If everything vanishes after death, I'm truly terrified..."

The youth said nothing, weeping hoarsely.

Zhou Ying sighed, then nodded, and vanished before him just as he had before.

"Why must you tease me like this! I still have so many dreams unfulfilled, so many things I wanted to do... Waaah... Why..."

When Zhou Ying drifted into Nan Yu's office, she was discussing a patient's condition with several medical staff. He merely blinked, signaling a welcome. Zhou Ying waited patiently. The chandelier under which he sat was the spot where Huo'er liked to stay when visiting Nan Yu. Now, that beautiful firebird was replaced by a listless, humanoid shadow—the effect was starkly different. Nan Yu couldn't help but glance toward him several times, offering a faint, fleeting smile.

Only after the others departed did Zhou Ying float down before Nan Yu and say, "Nan Yu, could you do me a favor?" He knew his request might be excessive, so his tone lacked decisiveness.

Nan Yu looked at him, gazing for a long moment before chuckling, "Is this about the young man?"

Zhou Ying nodded. Through days of observation, he knew Nan Yu would use every effort of her medical skill to save lives, but she would never use magic to heal a patient already beyond hope. He wondered if his request violated Nan Yu's principles. If she refused, Zhou Ying would not seek anyone else to help treat the youth. But he knew he would be deeply saddened by the youth's death, as if losing a genuine reflection of himself.

"What is it you want?" Nan Yu asked, showing genuine interest.

Zhou Ying said, "My current magic power is insufficient to save him, but he won't last until Huo'er and the others return, so I want... I want..."

"For me to intervene and save him?"

"..." Zhou Ying remained silent.

Nan Yu was also quiet, and after a long pause, she softly said, "Thank you, Zhou Ying."

Zhou Ying looked at her blankly, not understanding why she was thanking him; he should have been the one offering thanks.

"You could have gone to others for help, but you came to me instead." Zhou Ying must have hesitated for so long before speaking to her because he suspected she wouldn't help the youth. Yet, he still believed only he could do this for him. Nan Yu didn't know how to express her gratitude for Zhou Ying's assumption that only she could handle this. She cherished the feeling of Zhou Ying's unconditional trust.

"Let's go," Nan Yu said, standing up.

"Huh? You, you're going to treat him?" Zhou Ying hurried to follow.

"Yes."

"I thought you would... you..."

"I truly dislike using magic to interfere with human lifespans, but this is your wish, and I will certainly help you achieve it... I know some things are more important to me than the humans I care for..." Nan Yu had figured out many things over the past few days, making her feel much lighter. "I am happy to have met you, Zhou Ying..."

"Me too... I am very happy to have met you..." Zhou Ying murmured.

Zhao Fan opened his eyes. Whether it was psychological or not, he felt the pain in his body had lessened considerably. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, indicating fine weather outside. For the first time in many days, he felt the urge to go out and sketch. He said to his mother, who was tidying things up, "Mom, I think I'm getting better. Maybe I'll make it in time for the autumn leaves viewing. Shall we go for a picnic then?"

"Okay..." His mother didn't dare turn around to face him.

"Mom, I'm really going to get better this time..." Zhao Fan mumbled to himself. Just now, in the dream, that other self had clearly told him his illness was cured. However, to avoid attracting notice, it would manifest in his body slowly—after all, a person on the verge of death suddenly becoming vibrant would be astonishing. Zhao Fan believed this dream because he wanted to believe it.

Do not tell anyone, or I will take your health back.

That was the warning from the other entity. Only someone who had experienced the agony of illness, even nearly having their life taken, could understand how precious health was. He would absolutely not risk losing his health by speaking a word of this dream, provided he truly regained his health.

The taste of hope rekindling in a heart steeped in despair was an indescribable happiness. Zhao Fan leaned back against the ** , gazing out the window, his fingers, which had long felt powerless, curled loosely. He wondered if he could still hold a paintbrush; there were so many things he wanted to depict, yes, so very many...

Zhou Ying turned to Nan Yu and said, "Being alive truly is a wonderful thing..."

"Mmm..."

Perhaps because the previous commotion was too intense, the days that followed in Lixin City were exceptionally peaceful, arguably too peaceful. Large numbers of demons, whether involved in the incident or not, were quietly relocating. Those who remained hid themselves among the populace, daring not to expose any sign of their demonic nature. Because of this, Zhou Ying's life had been very calm lately. Not only were there no enemies seeking revenge, but even demons who might be considered friends, like Lu Jiu, kept a respectful distance, fleeing immediately upon seeing him within a thousand meters.

Lately, besides cultivating, Zhou Ying's greatest pastime was observing Zhao Fan. As the youth's body recovered day by day, his smiles became more frequent, gradually making him look less like the perpetually expressionless Zhou Ying. The recovery of a late-stage terminal patient like him was almost a medical miracle. Consequently, Zhao Fan had become the darling of the swarm of doctors visiting him, constantly pulled in for various examinations and tests. But the results invariably disappointed them, leading to the final conclusion that the patient's strong will had created a miracle—though everyone knew that explanation was utter nonsense.

The current Zhao Fan approached everything in life with enthusiasm. He treated everyone kindly and patiently, whether they were doctors asking the same tired questions or overly excited patients and family members who believed he possessed some secret cure but refused to share it.

It’s so good to be alive...

Zhou Ying often heard him murmur this when he was alone.

Yes, it's so good to feel that I exist...

Today was Zhao Fan’s discharge day. Zhou Ying stood by the main entrance of the hospital, watching the vehicle carrying the youth, laden with sketches, disappear from view.

Meeting this young man seemed like seeing another version of himself, and it made him reflect on many things. "Good luck..." He waved toward the direction the car had gone.

However, his arm froze suspended in the air, unable to drop.

In the distant sky, a tiny speck of light was growing larger, becoming brighter and brighter. Zhou Ying had seen this sight thousands, perhaps millions of times, yet it felt as if he hadn't seen it for millennia. He saw Nan Yu quickly emerge from the hospital, standing beside him as they both gazed at the sky. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but only tears flowed down her face...

"Ying..."

"Huo'er..."

As Zhou Ying opened his arms toward Huo'er, who was charging ahead, Liu Di and Nan Yu, standing beside Zhou Ying, instinctively pulled them both backward. "You two idiots are courting death!" Liu Di’s first words upon returning were, "Huo'er is brainless, and you, Zhou Ying, are just as foolish!"

Gui'er, riding the Scarlet Leopard, was already sobbing, crying so hard she lacked the strength to dismount. Nan Yu reached out for Gui'er, but before she could embrace her, tears were already streaming down her face. She couldn't recall the last time she had wept so openly in front of so many people. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and choked out, "You're finally back... You're all safe..."

"Safe, my foot..." Liu Di, though much thinner, still spoke with his usual oily sarcasm, "We were just chased by a pack of Cong Cong, scattering for our lives... Luckily, Gui'er succeeded in summoning her spirit beast—a rare feat for her—before we escaped."

"That's because you wouldn't ask for directions properly and instead went flirting with some young girl! Do you think the demons you see when you get back to the Human Realm are easy targets? That place is Down Kunlun (the demons' term for the Kunlun Mountains in the Human Realm)," Gui'er said weakly, draped over the Scarlet Leopard while wiping her tears. This escape had not only exhausted the spiritual power of her spirit beast, the Patterned Vixen, leaving it unavailable for a time, but it had also affected her, leaving her extremely fatigued. Nan Yu reached out, helped her down, and held her close.

Huo'er shook his head and babbled, "It was that easy to come back? I thought it would take hours like when we left. Gui'er, why didn't you call your Fox (referring to the Patterned Vixen) when you were leaving to send us all the way back?" As he complained to Gui'er, he instructed Zhou Ying, "Ying, open your mouth."

"What do you know? The success rate for a long-distance teleportation initiated from a place like Down Kunlun is only one in ten. We were lucky to get back home; the greater possibility was being tossed somewhere unknown! Do you want to try flying back from Australia? But, Gui'er, why did you let the Patterned Vixen use such a dangerous method? Wouldn't sending us just five hundred li out have been enough?"

"I... I just wanted to be home so badly... I don't know what happened..." Gui'er mumbled sheepishly.

"You almost got us killed... If we'd been tossed... Just thinking about it makes my heart pound... Hey, Huo'er, what are you doing!"

Amidst Liu Di's shout, everyone watched as Huo'er threw a pill from its collection into Zhou Ying's open mouth. Hearing Liu Di howl, Huo'er naturally replied, "Giving Ying medicine, of course! Wasn't that what we brought it back for?" Before Liu Di could say another word, the pill landed in Zhou Ying's mouth. Then, a flash of red light appeared, and Zhou Ying's figure became entirely enveloped in something that was almost mist but not quite. After spinning in place for a moment, he slowly lifted, condensing into a half-human-high sphere, suspended motionlessly before them.

"What happened? Where did Ying go!" Huo'er shrieked.

Liu Di and Nan Yu leaped up with tight expressions, swiftly casting spells everywhere. As they continuously drew various runes in the void, the hospital entrance was gradually shielded by their magic into a sealed space. Passing pedestrians unconsciously steered toward the side entrance, and no one seemed to notice anything amiss. Liu Di checked the surroundings several times, and only after confirming there were no gaps did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Huo'er seemed to have understood something, flying back and forth above the mist, chanting incessantly, "Come out quickly, come out quickly..."

"You were too reckless!" Gui'er angrily rapped its head. They had only just returned, hadn't exchanged a single word with Zhou Ying, and had only just glanced at him, only for Huo'er to shatter the atmosphere of reunion. How could she not be angry?

The mist-like sphere rotated in the air for three days, and Huo'er and the others guarded it for those three days. During this time, Liu Di repeatedly urged the exhausted Gui'er to rest, since she couldn't help much anyway, but she refused every time.

Zhou Ying opened his hand before his eyes, closed it, and then opened it again. Having lost the ability to transform into a human, he now realized how utterly familiar and adapted he had become to the human form. Maintaining the shadow form for so long left him with a sense of having lost something. Now that he could resume his human shape, both his body and spirit felt a sense of relaxation.

"Perhaps I am more like a person now than before," Zhou Ying told his friends beside him.

"This is all my doing, don't forget it, it's my credit!" Liu Di placed a hand on his shoulder, proclaiming with his nose tilted high.

"Who says it's yours? It's clearly mine! I did the good deed!" Huo'er, utterly disdainful of his shamelessness, immediately jumped out to rebut, "I'm the one who snatched the immortal pill! Ying, it was me! Quick, praise me for being capable, filial, and amazing!"

"You only know how to cause trouble for others; you're truly amazing!" Liu Di immediately patted its head in 'praise.'

"You ungrateful dog, who saved you time and time again?"

"You wicked child, who keeps getting into trouble that I have to clean up after!"

The routine argument between Liu Di and Huo'er once again filled the room after a long absence. Soon after, flames and fragments of furniture began to fly.

Zhou Ying, Nan Yu, and Lin Rui quickly pulled Gui'er into the bedroom to take refuge. Gui'er looked helplessly at the furniture outside turning to ash one by one, shrugging, "They seemed to get along okay on the road; I didn't expect them to..."

Nan Yu held her shoulder. "Come, tell us all about your journey. Zhou Ying and Lin Rui are very eager to hear."

Gui'er saw Lin Rui staring at her with curiosity, and noticed the eagerness in Zhou Ying's eyes as well. She cleared her throat and declared proudly, "You have no idea the things we experienced on this journey..."