Chapter 65

Chapter 64: Puppet Strings 12

The afternoon sunlight pierced through the mist, illuminating the land.

In the majestic Zhongli Manor, golden light spread across the glazed tiles of every building.

Yet four people had already died here, and more deaths were to come.

A shadow that sunlight could not dispel hung over everyone’s hearts.

Even Shi Zong’s face carried rare seriousness. “No, if it’s like this… anyone possessing a ‘puppet’ will be in great danger. I must find the others immediately and inform them.”

He Zhen said, “You go help everyone avoid the risk of death; I’ll investigate the murders related to Ji Rongrong and Zhongli Zhenhai here in the Flowing Cloud Pavilion. Once I have results, I’ll come to Auspicious Cloud Hall to meet you.

“At that time, just say you were controlling me to gather clues.”

“Alright.” Shi Zong took a few steps forward, then turned back to He Zhen, “Be careful.”

He Zhen nodded and smiled at him. “You too.”

Shi Zong went to find Zuo Sanqiu and the others, while He Zhen proceeded to the Flowing Cloud Pavilion.

About fifteen minutes after the two left, Zhai Yuntian, lying on the ground with his eyes tightly shut, suddenly opened them and sprang up.

But his eyes were hollow, like a soulless puppet.

His vacant gaze lingered ahead for a moment, then he raised his arms and hopped away from the lakeside pavilion.

Looking closely, countless nearly transparent threads grew from his fingers, guiding him to an unknown location.

At the same time, these threads entered his body and, without him noticing, spread through his internal organs.

Thus, the one now controlled by these threads had, in fact, become him.

At the same time, behind the artificial rock near the Ocean View Pavilion.

Wu Yunxi, dressed in black robes, stood with hands behind his back, looking at the corpse before him.

—It was Lin Zhian’s body.

Not long ago, Wu Yunxi had personally killed Lin Zhian.

At this moment, under the influence of Wu Yunxi’s “resurrection technique,” “Lin Zhian” stood up again.

Threads grew from Wu Yunxi’s fingers, entering “Lin Zhian’s” torso and chest.

However, after moving briefly inside the torso, all the threads converged into Wu Yunxi’s right palm.

Conversely, the threads on Wu Yunxi’s fingers spread throughout his body.

It was as if he willingly transformed himself into a puppet of “Lin Zhian.”

Unlike Zhai Yuntian, whose corpse was completely controlled by Ji Rongrong after death, Wu Yunxi’s consciousness remained clear; he was not truly being controlled.

Wu Yunxi nodded to the “Lin Zhian” beside him, and together they slowly walked from behind the artificial rock to the side of the Ocean View Pavilion, gazing at the sea of clouds swirling beneath the cliff.

After watching the clouds for a while, Wu Yunxi looked at “Lin Zhian” again, his gaze filled with both relief and nostalgia.

“Lord Yao Xing, long time no see.”

The person he called Yao Xing spoke through “Lin Zhian’s” body.

“Yes… it’s been about… one hundred sixteen years?”

Yao Xing looked at Wu Yunxi with a complicated expression. “It’s thanks to you. Without you, I wouldn’t have seen daylight again.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Yunxi’s eyes filled with immense sorrow.

He clenched his fists, holding them for a long moment before releasing. “I had conflicts with Cang Hai back then, in anger I…

“It was my fault. There wasn’t a single day I didn’t live in regret!

“I shouldn’t have left Late Star Valley out of spite; otherwise… otherwise I…”

“Cang Hai was innocent by nature, so the people from the Central Plains tricked him into giving away the Water Light Pearl. The boy felt immense guilt. To atone to his clan, upon realizing this, he immediately immolated himself, even his soul turning to ashes.

“Now he’s gone forever. This was his punishment to himself; you need not blame yourself.

“Even if you were there, you couldn’t have changed anything. What power did you have to resist that black storm? You would have died there too.”

Yao Xing extended a hand to pat Wu Yunxi’s shoulder and sighed. “Fortunately, as soon as I heard the Water Light Pearl was missing, I immediately set up the formation.

“So when the black storm claimed the lives of all the Late Star Clan, the formation at least protected their souls from dispersing.

“And luckily you returned to Late Star Valley, heard my call, and found all the souls of my clan.”

“The Late Star Clan is fortunate to have a High Priest like you.

“I… as a junior, feel deeply ashamed.” Wu Yunxi frowned heavily. “If I had found the formation earlier, you wouldn’t have had to wait a hundred years…”

“No.” Yao Xing shook his head. “The formation I set to conceal all the souls was always highly hidden; otherwise, treasure seekers in Late Star Valley would have found it easily.

“Now I’ve waited for the chance to see daylight again, and the others will soon follow. As long as that day comes, it’s never too late; waiting is worthwhile.”

Patting Wu Yunxi’s shoulder again, Yao Xing said, “You are not a member of the Late Star Clan, yet you’ve accomplished this—truly remarkable. Don’t blame yourself.

“I know you did all this for Cang Hai. You’ve done very well. Without you, I and many Late Star Clan members wouldn’t have had the chance to be reborn.”

Yao Xing looked down at the sea of clouds beneath their feet, colored by the sunset, with a sense of emotion. “My clan lived under a curse for generations, never leaving this land.

“I never thought that, after being trapped in that desert for hundreds of years, buried under sand for a hundred more, I’d have the chance… to use the ‘resurrection technique’ to be reborn in another body.

“Thanks to you, I had the chance to come to the Central Plains and see such beautiful clouds.

“But before enjoying more scenery, we must first help the other clan members be reborn quickly, and then… together, for the Late Star Clan, for Cang Hai, avenge our losses.

“Tell me, how far along are we now?”

Over a hundred years ago, Wu Yunxi was just a lost patient in the desert, unconscious from thirst.

He had a strange illness and little time left. Hearing that descendants of the divine race deep in the desert could cure him, he risked everything to venture into that desert alone.

It was Cang Hai who found him, gave him water, and revived him.

Looking at this extraordinarily beautiful person, whose gender was ambiguous, and sensing his noble, transcendent, and elegant aura surpassing even immortals, Wu Yunxi grabbed his hand without hesitation.

“You’re a god, right? Please, I beg you, save me!”

Cang Hai sighed lightly, seeming somewhat troubled. “Your illness is unique. To save you, I must take you back to Late Star Valley and use the instruments and special formations in the Celestial Star Pavilion.

“But if I take you back, it breaks the rules.

“By clan law, no outsiders may enter the core of Late Star Valley. In fact… you shouldn’t have come to this desert at all. I should have driven you away the moment I saw you.”

“I—I’ll serve you in any way! Just save me! I’ll do anything!

“Please, please save my life!

“Please, please! Merciful god, save me!!”

Wu Yunxi knelt repeatedly before Cang Hai, each word from the heart, his tone filled with desperation for life.

He was only seventeen then; he did not want to die.

Faced with this seventeen-year-old, Cang Hai softened.

After thinking for a moment, he said to Wu Yunxi, “I can save you, but you must promise me one thing.”

At that moment, Wu Yunxi was nearly ecstatic.

“Say it! Whatever you ask, I’ll agree, just save me!”

Cang Hai said, “Our Late Star Clan members can never leave this desert. Once you enter Late Star Valley, you will live with us and never leave.

“As long as you promise this, I’ll save you.”

“I promise! I promise you!”

Wu Yunxi said, “I have no parents, my only uncle abandoned me because of my illness… no one in this world wanted me. Thank you… thank you to the Late Star Clan for taking me in.

“From now on, you are my family! I will live as a Late Star Clan member! I won’t leave! I…

“I will be loyal to you and Late Star Valley for life! If I break my vow, may heaven strike me, my soul destroyed!”

“Shh. Don’t say that.”

In the scorching desert sun, Cang Hai’s eyes were as beautiful as clouds and shallow ocean waves.

He silently gazed at Wu Yunxi with those stunning eyes, and after a moment spoke gently, “If you break your vow… the consequence will be mine to bear.

“After all, I was the one who decided to let you enter the Late Star Clan.”

When he said this, Wu Yunxi never imagined he would one

But Wu Yunxi did not expect that after decades of secluded cultivation, upon returning to Late Star Valley, he would find it buried under endless yellow sand.

His Cang Hai had even chosen to atone to the clan by dispersing his soul.

Fortunately, he found the formation left by High Priest Yao Xing.

In the name of the “resurrection technique,” he would, step by step, revive all the deceased of the Late Star Clan.

Drawing his thoughts away from the past, Wu Yunxi respectfully looked at Yao Xing and said, “Lord Yao Xing, the Late Star Clan are descendants of the divine race, their souls are very special, and ordinary people cannot withstand the power of your souls. If I recklessly revive them, your bodies would explode. So I must find a way.

“I previously, under the guise of healing, contacted Lin Zhian and Ji Rongrong, giving them my pills every day. This quietly altered their constitutions. You and Lord Xuri may be reborn using the bodies of Lin Zhian and Ji Rongrong.

“As for other suitable bodies, I chose relatively strong cultivators, such as the third son of the Zhai family, Zhai Feng, Zhongli Wen’s mother Li Fu, Zhao Yueshan’s younger sister Zhao Yinyin, and Xuanyuan Zhe’s elder brother Xuanyuan Hua.

“This time, during this wedding banquet, as these cultivators gradually arrive, I will seize the opportunity to use the soul summoning technique to bring over the souls of the other adults one by one.

“For more of the Late Star Clan, I have also found suitable hosts for their souls: one thousand Xuanming soldiers.

“They were all strong in life, and their corpses have not yet decayed, suitable for use by the thousand Late Star Clan members.

“However, the Xuanming soldiers have long been dead, and their bodies are filled with yin and evil energy. I have set up a formation in the Southern Mountain tomb and taken Zhongli Zhenhai’s heart blood, which should suppress it.

“In short, everything is proceeding according to plan. Please rest assured.

“Additionally… you are a descendant of the divine race. Though I have modified Lin Zhian’s body, it is still mortal flesh. Your divine power will be significantly suppressed, I hope you understand.”

“No matter. To achieve resurrection, some cost must be paid. It’s just that you…”

Turning away from the sea of clouds, Yao Xing, using Lin Zhian’s body, looked at Wu Yunxi with a deep gaze. “You are just an ordinary person. The formation to summon so many souls is a formation of my Late Star Clan…

“To activate a divine clan formation, you will pay a tremendous price. Your soul will disperse, never to be reborn, you—”

“I have long prepared for this. I swore to Cang Hai that the moment I stepped into Late Star Valley with him, I became part of the Late Star Clan. I will never betray him, never betray Late Star Valley.”

Wu Yunxi said, “Cang Hai’s soul has already dispersed. Now my soul dispersing is just following him. I have long wished to follow him. But I must avenge him to find peace.

“If I had not left back then, he might not have been deceived by Zhongli Zhenhai and Zhao Liuer. I owe him, and I owe Late Star Valley, and I must repay that. Lord Yao Xing, please do not mind.”

By the Ocean View Pavilion, Wu Yunxi turned and left.

After watching his figure for a moment, Yao Xing raised his hand and noticed the red thread on his hand had disappeared.

This indicated that his storyline performance had temporarily ended.

His mind kept receiving system prompts—

【Player Song Yuwen has completed full loading】

【Reminder: Your character is Yao Xing, former High Priest of Late Star Valley; you died a hundred years ago, and now live through “soul summoning” using Lin Zhian’s body…】

【Your task one: Protect Wu Yunxi and prevent his schemes from being discovered】

【Your task two: …】

Song Yuwen took a deep breath. Thinking of Shi Zong, his gaze involuntarily darkened.

Song Yuwen came from the Fifth Group.

Not long ago, their group leader coveted Shi Zong’s identity and wanted to take it for someone in the group. The leader assigned this task to Chen Li.

Unexpectedly, Chen Li failed, and Shi Zong retained his identity.

At that time, Song Yuwen had arranged for his younger brother to enter Longevity Town.

On one hand, he needed someone to monitor Shi Zong, so even if Shi Zong narrowly escaped, he would blame the killer on him, making him owe system points.

Of course, at the time, he and the other members all believed Shi Zong was certain to die.

On the other hand, according to intelligence Song Yuwen gathered, his brother received the role of Wang Zhi’en, a very safe character unlikely to encounter danger.

But Song Yuwen did not anticipate that Shi Zong, who received the “Dead Player” role, would reverse his fate.

Not only that, he also blamed the killer on Wang Zhi’en, causing his own brother to owe system points when the game ended.

Owing system points required immediate repayment, or the system would take the player’s life.

Thus, after Longevity Town ended, Song Yuwen hurriedly used items to take his brother to the next dungeon.

But perhaps because of his interference, the game’s difficulty increased, and in the end, his brother earned very few points and was still claimed by the system.

Song Yuwen blamed himself for incompetence but could not retaliate against himself.

He could only pin everything on Shi Zong.

He wanted to kill Shi Zong.

This would not only avenge his brother and vent his own suffering but also allow him to seize Shi Zong’s identity using an item, giving it to the group leader.

Then he could become a core member of the guild, progressing further in the game.

He constantly tried to curry favor with the group leader, having heard that the leader had participated in the “King’s Banquet” and earned the king’s approval.

So when Li Rongjing of the Dingjun Mountain Guild found Song Yuwen, he agreed to cooperate.

They decided to use Puppet Strings to kill Shi Zong and Zhang Qijun.

Flowing Cloud Pavilion.

He Zhen discreetly arrived, first entering Zhongli Zhenhai’s bedroom.

He quickly found Zhongli Zhenhai’s wardrobe, chose a set of Zhongli family sect uniform, changed into it, then donned a cloak to avoid being recognized during action.

After these preparations, he quickly began his investigation.

Soon, he found something.

On the bedroom curtains, bedposts, floor, and desk, he found some scattered blood splatter, and on the walls and bedposts, several marks that seemed cut by a sharp instrument.

After walking around the room, He Zhen concluded this must be the first crime scene of Zhongli Zhenhai’s death.

He reconstructed the process in his mind—

The killer threw several hidden weapons at Zhongli Zhenhai; some missed, leaving friction marks on the walls and elsewhere.

Ultimately, a poisoned hidden weapon hit his shoulder blade, causing his death.

However, Zhongli Zhenhai did not die instantly when struck; he moved in the room, perhaps struggling with the killer or doing something else.

During this, he swung his body, causing blood to spatter in multiple locations.

Finally, He Zhen found two key clues—

One clue: the door leading from the bedroom to the backyard was broken into several pieces scattered outside, as if someone had split it with a palm strike from inside to outside.

The other clue: on the walls beside the broken door, there were clear handprints.

Someone had pressed both hands there with such force that the fingers almost sank into the wall. The person’s palms must have been very sweaty to leave such clear prints.

He Zhen compared the size and concluded it was a man’s hand.

Whose hand could it be?

Wait, even if Zhongli Zhenhai’s cultivation was severely damaged and old injuries flared, he should have had sufficient skill to fly with objects and escape.

How could he be so easily struck by a hidden weapon?

Combining these two questions, He Zhen stood at the exit, looking at the shattered door in the garden, imagining a scene—

Zhongli Zhenhai had split the door with a palm strike, intending to let someone escape to the backyard.

At the same time, to prevent the killer from pursuing that person, he pressed both hands firmly on the door, using his body as a door, a wall, or a shield to protect them.

It was because of this that the hidden weapon struck his shoulder from behind.

Zhongli Zhenhai was hit by the weapon, poisoned, and died.

He did this even at the cost of his life to protect someone’s escape.

Who was that person?

Ji Rongrong?

Thinking this, He Zhen followed the path to the backyard.

He entered an area surrounded by blooming flowers, filled with birdsong and fragrance, like a paradise.

Soon, he heard suppressed crying.

Following the sound, he saw an elderly man wiping tears by the edge of the flower field.

The old man was covered in dirt, with a bucket, wooden spoon, and hoe beside him.

He must have been the gardener working there