Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 239: The Best Accomplices

In the boundless red light, there came the sound of space twisting and shattering behind Ge Tingting.

“I heard it.”

A voice answered Ge Tingting.

Unlike Yin Ren from the past, in that joy, there was also a hint of sadness and melancholy. It seemed like a response to Ge Tingting, as well as a response to the spirits of this land from a thousand years ago, as if traversing through time and space.

From the gap in space, countless wings surged out. Black wings enveloped Ge Tingting, Huang Jin, and Fu Xingchuan. Darkness completely wrapped around them as the healing magic swept over the three of them. Yellow Millet crawled out of Ge Tingting’s pocket and excitedly rubbed against them.

At the same time, the red light suddenly converged, transforming into numerous chains of light and instantly imprisoning Love in place.

Considering it was Sun Qi’an’s body, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t use excessive force.

Seizing the opportunity with severe injuries, Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai disregarded everything and burrowed into the endless debris underground. 

In such a critical situation, they dared not divert their attention and could only focus all their energy on Love.

Yin Ren also bent down, gazing at Love within the red chains. Currently, most of its original essence was missing. It couldn’t summon the white space, and its usable magic was limited. However, it was still capable of taking Sun Qi’an’s body down with it. Love was adept at scheming and wasn’t an object to let one’s guard down against.

Within the chains, Love merely stood there.

At the end of the road, Love neither resisted nor pleaded. It simply stood quietly in its place, with a hint of surprise in its eyes, as if witnessing a child’s mischief.

Facing the endless red chains and swirling red veils, it tilted its head slightly.

“Go ahead,” Love said.

Yin Ren didn’t move. To eradicate Love now, the body would have to be destroyed along with it.

“Indeed, you still care about this human.” Love gradually revealed a smile.

It stood up straighter, revealing the human body stained with blood.

“I know what kind of person you are, perhaps even clearer than those humans.” Seeing that Yin Ren didn’t attack, Love spoke softly. “You came to deal with me not for the sake of human righteousness, but because I hurt your lover, I hurt your friends… Yin Ren, you’re really easy to see through.”

“You won’t kill the innocent Sun Qi’an.”

Her voice remained gentle, as if engaging in a casual conversation.

“Or would you pass this dirty work onto someone else? No, if you were to do it, you would definitely do it yourself… Hmm, then I can consider it a small victory for myself.”

Either spare her, the enemy of humanity, and give up on pursuing past grievances, or kill the innocent friend and stain his own hands with blood. Either way, Yin Ren couldn’t achieve a complete victory—he would live carrying the curse called “guilt” until the day he died.

This was a game that carried a thousand years of planning, and conceding midway wasn’t Love’s style.

It patiently waited for Yin Ren’s decision; its movements relaxed. It was as if it wasn’t facing life and death itself, but the frozen figures of Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo.

At this point in the situation, it was just unfortunate. Even if its physical body perished, its spirit hadn’t been defeated.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Yin Ren remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, his tone strangely calm.

“I stand here for my ideals.” Love’s tone was calm. “What I seek is a higher righteousness, not petty selfishness… I have envisioned countless outcomes long ago, so why should I be afraid?”

Just like when they first met, Sun Qi’an’s hair had a slight curl, and her features were incredibly gentle.

But the expression on that face didn’t belong to the respectable young doctor, no matter how he looked at it.

“I see.”

There was a chilling hint of laughter in Yin Ren’s voice.

“Then I can rest assured.”

No, this wasn’t the attitude it anticipated. Love calculated quickly in its mind.

Before it could make sense of it, suddenly the chains wrapped around it, cocooning it completely, and the surroundings rapidly changed—

The space flickered, and an entrance opened. Ge Tingting, Huang Jin, and Fu Xingchuan were sent back to the pedestrian street. The three of them were carried by the excited Yellow Millet as they quickly searched for Professor Li’s location.

The space flickered again, and this time the exit was pitch black.

It was like stepping out of a swimming pool. As everyone stood on solid ground, their bodies suddenly became heavy. The gap behind the three of them quickly closed. The red light from the chains illuminated the surroundings, and Love lifted its eyes.

This was a space of about forty square meters, with no windows in the room; only shelves filled with bottles and jars on both sides. There was a whiteboard hanging on the wall directly across from the door with countless articles, photos, and messages suspended connected by spiderweb-like red thread.

The secret base of the “King Yama”.

From the Other Side to the human world, Zhong Chengshuo’s lantern remained lit. The crimson chains tightly bound Love’s hands and feet, firmly restraining it in the interrogation chair.

Yin Ren also regained his human appearance. He swung a strand of long hair like a cat’s tail, and the tip became extremely sharp. “Zhong Ge, you’re in charge of lighting control of Fear. I’ll take care of the rest.”

This person, who had changed from his previous silence, seemed eager and full of joy.

Love: “…?”

“Okay.” Zhong Chengshuo also regained his human appearance and nodded earnestly. He hung the Karma Lantern high up, muttering, “The Evil Fruit can sterilize, so this thing should work too. Let’s consider it a sterile environment.”

He jogged to the nearest drawer and pulled out two pairs of sterile gloves. With a swish, a cloth roll containing various ominous instruments unfolded in front of Love.

Love: “…???”

“That’ll do.” After fussing for a while, Zhong Chengshuo finally spoke up.

The two “gods” put on their masks and wore sterile gowns as they carefully disinfected the surroundings. Even Yin Ren’s little wing blades were sprayed with alcohol several times. The light from the Karma Lantern above their heads was extremely bright, like a scorching sun, and the liquid-like light spread over everything, leaving no trace of shadows.

Suddenly being removed from the familiar environment and completely suppressed by the light of Fear, Love found it difficult to breathe. It tentatively tried to move its physical body, but it found that under the authority of Fear, its movements were extremely sluggish.

These two people wouldn’t be thinking of connecting it to a Karma Lantern and using the power of Fear to continuously restrain and imprison it in the human world, would they?

…But why did they put on sterile surgical gowns?

“I’m ready. Are you sure you don’t need more support? Like blood bags or something.” Yin Ren ignored the question marks on Love’s face and nodded to Zhong Chengshuo.

“I have experienced the fusion of Primordial Elementals through my body, and I have a clear understanding of treating Meiqiu as well,” Zhong Chengshuo answered solemnly. “I’m confident.”

“As expected of my Zhong Ge.” Flapping his little wings behind the mask, Yin Ren blew a kiss to Zhong Chengshuo.

The latter’s ears flushed, and he lowered his head, picking up a knife.

“You… What are you…?” Love struggled to squeeze out a voice from its throat.

“Earlier, we were worried that you might be so eager to survive that you would merge with Dr. Sun’s body regardless of everything,” Yin Ren cheerfully explained.

“But since you’re so obsessed with ‘righteousness’, you definitely don’t want to meld with a weak product. Well, it’s unfortunate. I can see through you too.”

In the end, Love was just a part of human nature.

Currently, Love’s body was damaged, its power weak, and Dr. Sun was a genuine ordinary human. As long as Love still desired a comeback, it would never leave Dr. Sun’s body and would never fully devour Dr. Sun’s consciousness.

Sun Qi’an was its best hostage and would only be a temporary vessel for it.

“Unfortunately, my dear Zhong Ge here has been studying the Other Side and the Primordial Elementals and has quite a bit of knowledge about the human brain.” Yin Ren’s gaze swept over a row of metal cans on the shelf. “Although I’m nothing special, my expertise over the centuries lies in sealing techniques.”

Love gradually began to understand. Fear finally appeared on its usually calm face.

“…So we are the best accomplices.” Another voice took over.

As if sensing the fear in Love, Zhong Chengshuo’s pupils suddenly dilated, and his two eyeballs turned into pitch-black “god eyes” once again. He leaned closer to Love’s head, sniffed it, and then turned on the recording device—

“Sealing a Primordial Elemental in the designated part of the human body—this is a new technique. Cooperation is required between experienced science posts and cultivators skilled in sealing techniques.” Zhong Chengshuo enunciated each word clearly and deliberately.

“The operation starts now.” Yin Ren supplemented in a tone similar to Zhong Chengshuo’s.

The knife cut through the skin, followed by powerful healing magic. Layers of sealing techniques piled up, and the surgical knife moved swiftly and sharply. Love’s perception gradually disappeared.

Colors faded away, and its vision became nothingness. Sounds receded, and the surrounding noises became sporadic and muffled, as if separated by a layer of water film. Even the perception of emotions gradually faded away.

“Sealing preparation complete; guide me a bit. I need to avoid those blood vessels and nerves… Yes, just like that,” Yin Ren said.

“There is a certain risk in sealing it into ordinary organs,” Zhong Chengshuo muttered. “Sun Qi’an has a tumor in her brain. What can your sealing technique accomplish?”

Yin Ren’s tone became proud. “Hmph, a complete seal; not a single drop leaks.”

“Let me think… The tumor cells can’t withstand the power of the Primordial Elemental. By sealing it over there, the tumor won’t grow anymore.” Zhong Chengshuo’s voice softened a little. “It’s a good choice, and if necessary, we can remove it as well.”

“Cut it off now!”

“No, the brain requires specialized expertise. My surgical skills aren’t sufficient.” Zhong Chengshuo’s voice tightened again as he spoke.

“…I see.”

Love desperately wanted to merge with Sun Qi’an’s body but was pinned in place by the light of Fear. It wanted to speak, but it realized that it had lost control over its tongue and vocal cords. Like being caught in a tight spot, all its senses quickly turned into nothingness.

It knew that its remaining body was being sealed layer by layer by Yin Ren and guided by Zhong Chengshuo to merge into that tumor. Once the fusion was complete, there would be no possibility of returning to its original state… and it would be unable to perceive anything anymore.

[Zhong Chengshuo has been trapped like this for hundreds of years, while you would have at most a few decades.] It couldn’t hear the sound, and only Yin Ren’s thoughts came through. [A few decades later, you will enter the incinerator along with this body. After all, human life is too short for an Elemental, but you got a bargain.]

Love wanted to respond, to negotiate, but it didn’t know where to direct its thoughts.

Its world was reduced to emptiness.

[I can probably understand your motives, but personally, I don’t approve of your actions.] This time, it was Zhong Chengshuo’s thoughts that came through. [Unfortunately, our positions will always be different.]

Old Fear spoke like so.

[…Farewell.]

In the end, they didn’t let it go, nor did they kill it. Instead, they chose a third path; a path that it never thought existed.

Perception completely vanished, and Love suddenly recalled the moment thousands of years ago when Fear heavily fell, with countless Elemental flesh and blood splattering and all sorts of demons and monsters running rampant in the Gong Dynasty. Many years later, the red-robed Great Celestial Master walked alone through the desolate mountains and hills, carrying corruption. Enduring the pain, that person developed the first sealing technique specifically targeting Evil Force.

Perhaps everything had been predetermined since that time.

With a soft sigh, Love left its final trace in the emptiness. It could never see what would become of the Other Side.

What awaited it was boundless silence and a subtle but lingering sense of fear.

……

While the two gods were performing the sealing surgery, the war on the Other Side raged on.

However, with Love gone for too long, the army of Elementals began to show signs of confusion. The Elementals had simple minds to begin with, and now that Love’s presence was absent, many great Elementals saw the situation wasn’t favorable and quietly slipped away.

In the center of the White Web, the deflated giant hemisphere gradually dissipated, and the White Web itself quickly decayed, turning into a dense white mist.

“Your master is finished!” Meng Huai sneered. “Shen Mo, if you have any sense left, surrender—”

“It’s not my “master’.”

Shen Mo’s voice came from behind Meng Huai, and in the next moment, Meng Huai was swept away by a swipe of his arm.

“It was just a useful knife, but unfortunately, still not good enough.” Contempt was evident in his tone.

Shen Mo dodged by tilting his head back, and the magical spells floating around him exploded towards Meng Huai. This attack was slightly delayed, and Meng Huai’s flesh and blood magic barely managed to block it, narrowly avoiding a facial explosion.

The sneak attack failed, and with a flash, Shen Mo appeared in the distance. Just as he regained his footing, Zhong Chengfeng’s sniping attacks came one after another. Shen Mo grabbed a nearby small Elemental and used it to block several bullets.

Meng Huai gasped for breath and kept on mocking. “You have such a big knife that can pierce through the heavens. What’s wrong? Your knife is gone, and here you are flapping around like a dog… Trying to stay in shape?”

“The corruption is still rampant outside, and people’s hearts are uncertain.” Shen Mo took a few steps back and hid behind another Elemental. “If I kill you all, those survivors will be mine.”

“Fuck you!” Meng Huai immediately cursed.

Shen Mo’s plan was about to fall apart—those civilians who had been missing for thirty years hadn’t aged a day. If they were thrown directly into society, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar. When the time came, Shen Mo would step forward and claim this “miracle”, and it would be difficult for Shian and the government to explain.

This person’s Charon ability was already suitable for deceiving and manipulating as a false god. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to start a cult. Sunken Society was insane, but its goals were mostly worldly wealth and power, and its level of danger was somewhat controllable. Shen Mo, on the other hand, was a complete lunatic who didn’t see people as people. Who knows what he would do?

They absolutely couldn’t let this guy go.

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