Chapter 22 Part 2

His head felt dizzy, and he sensed something extra in his hand. At the same time, the Cyan-Clothed Person’s voice rang in his ear one last time.

【Take a look at this book. It will tell you all the truths about this world… I know you haven’t fully recovered your memories, but you won’t betray us, right?】

Lian Yunzhi opened his eyes and found himself at the entrance of the Immortal Palace. The seven others had vanished.

He looked down and saw the Thin Book in his hand, just as expected.

But he stuffed it into his robes and immediately flew on his sword toward Fang Mansion without a moment’s delay!

The Cyan-Clothed Man had said that no matter how long one stayed in the Red Mist world, only an instant passed outside.

So at this very moment, those eight had likely finalized their foolproof plan to kill Mu Cheng and might already be acting on it!

He had to notify Mu Cheng immediately and have him capture them all!

.

When Lian Yunzhi arrived, he caught sight of Mu Cheng emerging from Fang Mansion’s gates. He was covered in blood, radiating killing intent, and even the unfamiliar black long sword in his hand dripped blood steadily.

Lian Yunzhi’s heart skipped. He hastily leaned to peer into the Fang Family and spotted Fang Tianxin, supported by servants, limping miserably inside.

Not dead.

Lian Yunzhi breathed a sigh of relief and shifted his gaze back to Mu Cheng.

But this glance startled him again.

Mu Cheng stared at him expressionlessly, his eyes deep and glowing red. The tangible killing intent wrapped around him like Black Mist, chilling anyone to the core with a single look.

Lian Yunzhi did feel his hairs stand on end, but he quickly calmed and hurried to Mu Cheng, pulling his hand and demanding in a low voice,

“Did you form a Dao Companion Contract with me?!”

Mu Cheng’s breathing hitched, the dark red in his eyes gradually fading. Then his throat moved as he murmured lowly, “The situation was urgent then. I had no choice…”

Mu Cheng’s body had started going wrong after he killed Mu Qinglin.

Since killing Mu Qinglin and absorbing power from the Black Mist, his body constantly craved that power and could no longer properly absorb spiritual energy.

Thus, after leaving Xiaoze State and reaching the outside world, he kept killing and drawing power from the Black Mist… But the number of death row criminals in his area was limited. Without timely replenishment, his power would fade, reverting him to a waste.

This cultivation method naturally had drawbacks. Each time he absorbed a large amount of Black Mist, he would suffer the Madness Illness, lasting long or short, eventually beyond his control.

At its worst, he had to pierce his heart with the silver needle to stay sane—after all, he had an Immortal Body.

But that made the beast-taming Dao Companion Contract’s master endure heart-wrenching pain constantly.

So he converted the beast-taming Dao Companion Contract into a normal one and hid it.

…

But Mu Cheng didn’t want to tell Lian Yunzhi the truth, and fortunately, Lian Yunzhi didn’t care much.

After getting confirmation from Mu Cheng, Lian Yunzhi angrily cut him off. “I was found out! That Cyan-Clothed Man said I formed a Dao Companion Contract with you, so he no longer trusts me and kicked me from their group! And they’ve found a foolproof way to kill you!”

Mu Cheng paused, then led Lian Yunzhi into a nearby empty alley. “What happened? Tell me from the beginning.”

Lian Yunzhi recounted it from the start.

He spoke quickly and in detail. Midway, he realized their hands were still linked, now stained with blood.

Lian Yunzhi: “…”

He paused briefly, continued speaking, but quietly released Mu Cheng’s hand and cast the Dust Removal Technique behind his back.

Mu Cheng: “.”

Mu Cheng listened expressionlessly. At the end, he reached out. “The book?”

Lian Yunzhi handed over the Thin Book the Cyan-Clothed Person had given him, curious. “He said it has all the truths about this world. What could it be?”

Mu Cheng: “So curious—why not read it first?”

Lian Yunzhi: “Afraid I’d be too late and you’d be killed by them.”

Mu Cheng’s hand stilled on the page.

Lian Yunzhi sighed. “If the beast-taming Dao Companion Contract were still there, you’d die and I’d follow. If it turned into a normal Dao Companion Contract, you’d die and my cultivation would plummet—maybe from Golden Core straight to Foundation Establishment or even Qi Refining… I’d rather die.”

Mu Cheng: “.”

Mu Cheng calmly kept flipping through the book.

Lian Yunzhi leaned in to look.

“Huh, why is it blank?”

Mu Cheng frowned and flipped rapidly to the last page—still blank.

Lian Yunzhi snatched it skeptically and flipped through himself.

But as his hand touched the book, text appeared on the blank pages.

…

It was precisely the last page.

A line of handwritten text read:

【Lian Yunzhi, destroy this book immediately after reading. No matter what happens, you must not reveal a single word of its contents to Mu Cheng!】

【If Mu Cheng learns this world is fake, that the real Xiaoze State was destroyed by him ten thousand years ago, and the current Xiaoze State—even the extended outside world—is just a Reincarnation Illusion imprisoning him, he’ll go completely mad. The entire illusion will collapse instantly, and we’ll all die!】

Lian Yunzhi: “…”

Lian Yunzhi’s mind went blank.

He blankly lifted his head to look at Mu Cheng.

“M-Mu Cheng…?”

Mu Cheng turned and gazed quietly at him, his face expressionless, but his eyes a sea of blood red.

Boom—

The world behind Lian Yunzhi collapsed with a roar.