Chapter 20: Going to Kill Someone
A red butterfly rested on the corner of Song Yilou’s eye.
Yun Wuxiang looked into his eyes and asked, “What exactly is inside your brain?”
“Gu, of course,” Song Yilou said.
Yun Wuxiang’s gaze turned strange as he reached out and pressed the top of Song Yilou’s head. “It’s all Gu inside?”
“Mhm. Does the Guanzhu want to see? I can lift my skull for you to take a look.” As he spoke, Song Yilou prepared to perform for him.
“Lift it then.” Yun Wuxiang let go of his hand, waiting for Song Yilou’s performance.
Song Yilou really lifted it. A series of fragmented sounds came from his head. He hugged his head with both hands and pulled upward. Starting from the brow ridge, his head opened like a coconut shell sliced horizontally. There was no brain matter, no flesh and blood inside, only colorful eggshells of various shades resembling gemstones.
A scene comparable to bizarre tales appeared before Yun Wuxiang’s eyes—grotesque, eerie, yet possessing a kind of thrilling, twisted beauty.
It really was all Gu.
So Song Yilou had no brain in his head. Then how did he think?
Gu really was wicked stuff.
Numerous fragmented thoughts flashed through his mind for a moment. Finally, Yun Wuxiang asked, “Song Yilou, how did you become a Gu?”
Song Yilou closed his skull back up, looked up slightly, pondered for a moment, and described: “In the Poison Kiln, I ate and slept with Gu worms. Then a part of me was eaten, and I also ate a lot of Gu. Later, I became a Gu.”
Yun Wuxiang: “…”
So abstract, so general. According to your description, you shouldn’t have become a Gu, but a corpse instead.
Song Yilou: “Reciprocity dictates that the Guanzhu answer a question for me too, right?”
“Why does the Guanzhu dislike the smell of blood?”
Yun Wuxiang said calmly, “During the famine, I saw people eating people. It was a bit disgusting.”
Song Yilou asked, “Then does the Guanzhu find me disgusting?” Gu eating him, him eating Gu—it seemed no different from people eating people.
Yun Wuxiang reached out and lifted his chin. “If you don’t constantly think about turning me into a Gu and causing trouble for me, I might consider letting you stay on the island as a permanent resident for the sake of this face.”
Not exactly disgusting, just a bit too threatening and disobedient.
“No, the Guanzhu must become a Gu.” Song Yilou was extremely firm on this point.
See, not obedient at all.
Yun Wuxiang glanced at the blue spider poking at the tattoo on his ankle. Still wanting to bite the master back—this pet was unqualified.
The red butterfly already had half a wing, crystal clear and lifelike. But it would end here.
Crack. A fracturing sound inaudible to ordinary people came from overhead. A crack appeared in the barrier.
[Host, I’m back. Are you okay…] 3339 started speaking but abruptly silenced itself.
In the instant the barrier shattered, Song Yilou immediately retreated. Yun Wuxiang spread his hand, and a talisman transformed into a sword, plunging into Song Yilou’s chest and pinning him to a pillar.
Holding a talisman paper between two fingers, Yun Wuxiang slapped it onto Song Yilou’s forehead and said, “Invoking Heavenly Lightning Lock.”
The chains that had appeared when strangling the Mirror Demon wrapped tightly around Song Yilou, followed by countless chains projecting into the distance.
The Mirror Demon’s aura had only three paths, while the chains on Song Yilou numbered in the thousands.
Song Yilou lowered his head to scan the chains on his body. “Oh my, I’m caught. Where exactly did the Guanzhu hide the talismans? I clearly searched through your sleeves thoroughly.”
He shook the only part of him that could still move—his head. “What can I say now to survive under the Guanzhu’s hand? The location of the Immortal Realm stowaways? Or the poison in Prince Li?”
Yun Wuxiang’s expression didn’t change at all due to his words. In the depths of his eyes lay only pure, unadulterated killing intent: “Execute.”
Hundreds of lightning chains exploded simultaneously, illuminating the area with thunderous light.
There was no miserable, despairing scream like the Mirror Demon’s before death. After the heavenly lightning struck Song Yilou, he was completely silent. He opened his mouth toward Yun Wuxiang, as if saying something.
The lightning dissipated, leaving only a pile of pitch-black ash in front of Yun Wuxiang.
Yun Wuxiang looked at the black ash on the ground and placed a finger before his lips: “Incinerate.”
Crimson flowing flames swept over the scorched remains, swallowing them in fire, causing them to vanish completely from heaven and earth.
“Song Yilou, among the people who died by my hand, you were the hardest to kill.”
Others at most had their hearts on the outside or died if their heads were chopped off. Cultivators’ weakness lay in the Dantian, and even ghosts had pure Yang cultivation methods to counter them. But Song Yilou hid his weakness too deeply.
Previously, the Heavenly Dao didn’t respond to his call for lightning to kill Song Yilou because Song Yilou had some use in the original novel. He was also a character in the script; before major chaos occurred in the plot, the Heavenly Dao wouldn’t touch him.
Yun Wuxiang knew clearly that this person would never behave. Sooner or later, he would cause a massive disaster in the plot, just like now.
In a script, only the protagonist was the core. When he threatened the normal operation of the protagonist and the plot, the Heavenly Dao wouldn’t tolerate him any longer.
Song Yilou destroyed his own life-saving talisman with his own hands.
Yun Wuxiang looked up at the sky. The Heavenly Dao should be reliable, right? If even the Heavenly Lightning Talisman couldn’t blast Song Yilou cleanly away, then this Heavenly Dao was a bit too useless.
Thinking this, the image of Song Yilou opening his mouth to speak flashed through his mind.
“Guanzhu!”
Shen Lanqing, along with Prince Li and Mo Yang, found their way over.
On the scorched earth, light shone through the cracks in the barrier onto Yun Wuxiang, revealing no warmth at all, but instead exuding a chill.
“Mo Yang, watch those two.”
After Mo Yang nodded, Yun Wuxiang turned and left.
Shen Lanqing raised his voice to ask, “Guanzhu, where are you going?”
Yun Wuxiang replied without turning his head, “Going to kill someone.”
The two words, stinging with killing intent, made everyone present freeze in their tracks. By the time they recovered, Yun Wuxiang’s back had already receded far into the distance.
Going to kill someone. Kill who?
In the blink of an eye, Yun Wuxiang’s figure vanished from sight.
Prince Li looked at Shen Lanqing. “Lanqing, Prince Xuan is currently delirious. I will inherit the great rule and become the next Emperor.”
Shen Lanqing hadn’t yet processed the meaning of this sentence. “Ascending the throne to be Emperor is a good thing. Why do you look so unhappy?”
Prince Li looked at him with a heavy gaze. “If I ascend the throne, I must take concubines and appoint an Empress. Are you truly happy for me?”
Shen Lanqing was instantly tongue-tied. “What do you mean by that?”
Prince Li gave him a deep look, then shook his head. “Forget it. Fate without destiny. I am already much better off than Prince Xuan.”
Shen Lanqing looked at his retreating figure, suddenly realizing something. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Before Prince Li could walk far, Mo Yang pulled him back. “Don’t run around. The Guanzhu told me to protect you two. You cannot separate; I can’t reach too far.”
Prince Li: “…”
The three sat silently in the courtyard, awkwardness spreading through the air.
Shen Lanqing: “You… take care in the future.”
Prince Li looked at him somewhat helplessly. “Lanqing, don’t you feel our relationship is too close? Close enough that you can brazenly discuss the throne in front of me, a Prince.”
Shen Lanqing was stunned for a moment, then smiled. “It was this commoner overstepping. Can the Prince pretend I never said anything?”
Prince Li looked at him and nodded slowly. “The last time. In the future, be more careful, Brother Shen.”
Shen Lanqing smiled faintly, the smile containing only respect and distance. “Alright, Your Highness.”
Prince Li’s fingertips trembled. He turned his head to look at Mo Yang, seemingly intending to change conversation partners. “By the way, Second Imperial Sister… has Princess Shunming reincarnated?”
Mo Yang shook his head. “No. We fought. After I split her tombstone with a sword strike, that malicious ghost disappeared.”
A fierce, resounding boom tore through the air, echoing in their ears.
The three turned to look.
Standing at the highest point in the capital, the majestic and magnificent palace hall seemed to have been sliced diagonally by a blade. More than half of the roof, connected to a portion of the wall, slowly slid down along the cross-section.
Prince Li was shocked and astounded. “The Qiankun Hall…” Broken?
Shen Lanqing and Mo Yang were filled with awe.
“Guanzhu went to kill someone, how did he cause such a huge commotion?”
“Senior is amazing. He can use such divine abilities even here.”
3339, present at the scene, turned pale with panic: [Host! Calm down!]
[The Emperor isn’t supposed to die yet! Don’t do it! Host!!!]
Yun Wuxiang moved too fast. Before 3339 could react to what he was doing, he had already arrived at the palace, rushed straight into the Emperor’s bedchamber within the Qiankun Hall, and dragged out Zhao Sihai and Bai Lingdang.
He had left talismans on these two when he met them. After capturing them, he directly stabbed each with a sword, shattering their Dantians.
Then he looked at the third person in the room—the terrified old Emperor.
“It’s you! You’re actually still here!” The old Emperor stepped back in horror.
Yun Wuxiang said nothing. He walked up to the old Emperor, raised his sword, and amidst the System’s dissuading cries, sliced through the old Emperor’s neck.
The System let out a dolphin-pitch scream. Yun Wuxiang interrupted its shrieking: [Quiet. Look at the wound.]
3339 tremblingly observed the wound. The cut was clean and neat, without much blood spurting out. And this blood—why was it dark brown?
[This Emperor… seems to have been dead for a while, huh.]
“The Emperor has been assassinated! Help! Someone come quickly!” Palace servants screamed as they ran out.
Yun Wuxiang continued to look at the old Emperor’s corpse. Beneath the dragon robe, the old Emperor’s emaciated body twitched a few times, and the wound on his neck healed at an extremely slow speed.
Similar healing ability to Song Yilou, but much worse.
By this time, the servants’ calls had attracted the armed guards. The guard leader pointed his blade at Yun Wuxiang and shouted sternly, “Audacious madman…”
Just as he opened his mouth, an extremely sharp current of air sliced over everyone’s heads.
A breath later, the rumbling sound of friction came from above. The people in the hall only felt the top of their heads brighten. Sunlight shone directly on them, yet failed to bring any warmth.
The guard leader slowly lowered the blade in his hand. “This excellency…”
Yun Wuxiang: “Watch your Emperor closely.”
“Yes.” The guards looked at the Emperor’s corpse, initially with sorrow mixed with anxiety and confusion, then their gazes gradually turned terrified and vigilant.
Under the gaze of everyone present, the old Emperor’s wound completely healed after an hour. His pupils regained focus, and he let out a hoarse laugh: “Ha, haha, We haven’t died! We have obtained an undying body! What the Immortal said was indeed true!”
The old Emperor laughed wildly at first, then seeing the blue sky and white clouds above, sat up somewhat confused. His vision slid down to see Yun Wuxiang staring at him with a sword, and his smile slowly vanished.
But when he saw the armed guards nearby, he instantly became fierce again: “Seize this demonic Daoist for Us!”
The guard leader took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and bowed to Yun Wuxiang: “Please, Excellency, take action to eliminate this evil creature disguising as the Holy One.”
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