Chu Yi reacted quickly and flung out the Golden Light Talisman and Bell Net: “Catch it!”
The Xuan Arts Masters present had recovered a bit of their spiritual power now that the array was broken. Upon seeing this, they unhesitatingly grabbed hold of a corner of the net each and joined forces to press it down toward “Lu Changzhou.” Even those with insufficient spiritual power, like Zhang Shaoyi, gritted their teeth, bit the tip of their own tongue, and spat a mouthful of tongue-tip blood onto the bells.
He Zhan glanced at Lu Changzhou, who was wrapped in swirling black qi and struggling madly, then at the group of Xuan Arts Masters who seemed to have steeled their resolve to eliminate harm for the people. He grew so anxious that he shouted loudly, “Lu Changzhou, hurry up and take your body back! Weren’t you pretty impressive just now? You bastard, where did you go at the critical moment? Lu Changzhou…”
He paced about like an ant on a hot pan; he was truly so anxious that he started cursing. If cursing could wake Lu Changzhou and drive the Resentful Spirit out of his body, he would curse even more viciously!
Tears had already welled up in He Zhan’s eyes. Seeing no reaction from Lu Changzhou, he turned and rushed to Chu Yi’s side, grabbing his sleeve. “Yi Ge, please think of something to save Lu Changzhou. He’s innocent!”
Wu He was preoccupied with everyone’s lives at that moment. Seeing He Zhan being so oblivious to the bigger picture, he angrily turned and scolded him harshly: “This isn’t about us deciding Lu Changzhou’s fate—it’s about whether he’ll spare us!”
Did he not want to save Lu Changzhou? He had just let him go earlier!
But the situation had changed too quickly. The two brothers’ souls were already entangled together. Once the Resentful Spirit fully demonized, Lu Changzhou’s soul would be absorbed by the Demon God all the same.
In that case, it was better to sacrifice one to save them all!
From the perspectives of Wu He and He Zhan, neither was truly wrong.
Wu He was considering the greater good, while He Zhan, though driven by personal feelings, was right—Lu Changzhou had been innocent from start to finish. He hadn’t harmed anyone and had even tried to stop the Resentful Spirit, saving He Zhan’s life.
If He Zhan had stood by coldly at this moment, that would have been truly heartless and ruthless.
Chu Yi thought for a moment, then suddenly raised his voice: “Do you think the people from Youming Hall kept you in the human world with their Evil Technique for your own good? The Yin-Gathering Evil-Raising Array was merely a prelude. Their real goal is to bring an Evil God into this world through you—or rather, through Lu Changzhou’s body. No matter how powerful you become, even if you turn into a Yin-Yang Dual Fiend, you’ll end up as nothing more than a sacrifice for the Evil God!”
“Lu Changzhou’s” eyes flickered with momentary panic, as if Chu Yi had voiced his deepest fear, but he quickly composed himself and said, “So what? Dedicating myself to Lord Jiu You is the greatest honor for any follower!”
Chu Yi keenly seized on his hesitation: “Then why don’t you think about it? You died in the womb early in this life, a pure and untainted soul. In your next reincarnation, the Heavenly Dao would surely compensate you. What’s Lu Changzhou? Your next life might be even better than his! With both parents alive, a warm and harmonious family, power, wealth, good looks—you’d have it all, even a loving wife and children by your side…”
Everyone has greed, hatred, delusion, love, and desire—even a Resentful Spirit harbored them more intensely than most, for the obsession keeping it in the human world was rooted in “hate.” It envied Lu Changzhou, felt the injustice, and sought revenge. What Chu Yi aimed to do was redirect that “hate” toward others, and Youming Hall made a perfect target.
“But look at you now. You have nothing! Not only have you absorbed the world’s most filthy and evil things, but you’ve also harbored murderous intent. Others maliciously kept you in the human world, using you as a sacrifice for the Evil God.”
He Zhan quickly chimed in: “Yeah, Lu Changzhou can’t compare to you at all. He’s got just one domineering, unreasonable father, and he even likes men! With me by his side, he’ll never have descendants—I definitely won’t allow it!”
“See? How awful Youming Hall is to you—they ruined the smooth life you were meant to have. By the time Lu Changzhou grows old, your reincarnated self might be only twenty, young and handsome, in the prime of life. Why compete with him?”
The Resentful Spirit was already shaken by Chu Yi’s “reincarnation theory,” and He Zhan’s stirring words made it inexplicably feel they were right. Had Youming Hall truly ruined its life?
“No, you’re all trying to deceive me… Shut up, shut up, don’t say another word!” The Resentful Spirit grew frantic, and the surging aura around it faltered for an instant.
“Now!” Wu He roared. He decisively activated the Purple Thunder Talisman, while the other Xuan Arts Masters unleashed whatever they had—talismans if they had them, magical artifacts or Array Discs if not. At this life-or-death moment, they threw out every magic treasure they possessed.
Chu Yi: “Wait!”
His shout came too late. The center of the Talisman Array had already erupted in an explosion. Helpless, he could only grab Yu Qingxian and He Zhan and retreat to avoid it.
“No—” He Zhan watched this scene unfold helplessly. The breath he had been holding suddenly escaped him, his legs gave way, and he was all but dragged away by Chu Yi.
