From leaving his last words to snuggling up to his real father for affection, Lu Jiuxiao switched gears flawlessly. Qin Er and the other onlookers had grown used to it by now: ever since they’d witnessed Lu Jiuxiao demand a hug from his father in public, no display of acting spoiled from him could surprise them anymore.
What really concerned them was this unique space and the unforgettable, overwhelming mountain of corpses before them. What was to be done about it?
Lin Baiming got up from the midway ridge on the other side. Losing an arm was certainly inconvenient for someone trying to break through to the innate stage, but it was far from fatal.
That is to say, he had remained clearheaded throughout. He’d witnessed with his own eyes how Lu Jiuxiao and Lu Zhentong fought to the death in midair, how the Demonic Master had tried to take advantage of the situation when things went south, and especially how the Demonic Master ended up getting slapped again by Cheng Jingzhou, spinning two and a half times in the air, then, not daring to be stubborn anymore, bolted toward the ceiling’s exit—only to be struck by divine lightning and cremated on the spot.
From this he could confirm two things: above every head are watching spirits, and heaven truly has eyes. The other was… Cheng Jingzhou was even deeper and more unfathomable than he’d initially thought. His first instinct had been dead on—best to befriend Cheng Jingzhou, not make him an enemy. That couldn’t be more accurate.
Lin Baiming looked down at the endless mound of human bodies at his feet and sighed.
He tapped his empty shoulder a few times—pain lessened, the bleeding just about stopped. Rising into the air, he landed steadily at Cheng Jingzhou’s side. “Old Cheng, what do you think we should do?”
Qin Jingzhou picked up his son, skillfully lifting him into a princess carry, leapt lightly and stood atop the mountain. Once Lin Baiming obediently caught up, he explained, “The person who designed and built this semi-independent space is a genius. In this little realm it’s possible to reach Grandmaster level, and to freely use Grandmaster-level power. So, this was likely a sanctuary for Grandmaster-level elders of the ancient sect.”
Lin Baiming considered this and pointed to Lu Jiuxiao, who was leaning against his father’s shoulder. “Even the heart-repair—was that Grandmaster-level power?”
Qin Jingzhou smiled. “Yes.” He kindly offered an explanation. “Grandmaster level, also known as Golden Core stage—having your heart damaged isn’t necessarily fatal. Grandmaster-level martial artists or cultivators can survive without a heart, but you still can’t lose your head.”
“So that’s how it is!” Lin Baiming fell silent for a moment, then grinned. “Honestly, all those stubborn old fogeys in the association who kept making trouble for me are more or less wiped out now. I can finally take charge… Consider this, just maybe, me mixing personal and public business—here’s a gift for the world’s number-one noble. My congratulations.”
Qin Jingzhou pointed to the ground. “This mountain, built from the corpses of innates and nobles, is basically a man-made spirit vein. It’s much more advanced than the association’s Yunling grass fields or the closed cultivation caves for upper management.”
Lin Baiming shook his head. “After all this, the association’s strength has plummeted, and we’re surrounded by covetous enemies. There’s no way to keep hold of this treasure.” He asked solemnly, “I’m the leader now. Will you take the association’s sick and wounded?”
Qin Jingzhou said, “As long as they follow my rules.”
Lin Baiming, with his remaining hand, slung an arm around Qin Jingzhou’s shoulder. “Old Cheng, do you think my arm can be restored?”
Qin Jingzhou replied straightforwardly, “It can.”
Lin Baiming was overjoyed, and turned towards his daughter standing near the stone passage with pride. “So, do you still dislike your dad now?”
Xuan Wei turned her head away, pretending to ignore her father, but her cheeks flushed just slightly. He was a bit silly and certainly not as competent as Mr. Cheng, but honestly… he wasn’t so bad.
Qin Er and Xu Chen had a good impression of the Lin Baiming–Xuan Wei father-and-daughter pair. While they were smiling politely, Gu Su, who hadn’t reacted to anything so far, suddenly lashed out, grabbing for Xuan Wei’s neck.
Qin Er and Xu Chen jumped forward instantly. Showing no gentleness, they dislocated both of Gu Su’s arms and easily saved Xuan Wei.
At that moment, nestled in his father’s arms, Lu Jiuxiao suddenly raised a hand and grabbed at his still-healing chest. Blood spurted upward in a gush.
Qin Jingzhou merely turned his head and looked at Lu Zhentong, who was halfway up the mountain with a strange smile on his face. Qin Jingzhou shook his head, then used a free hand to press down on his foolish son’s wound again. With a touch, the blood stopped. After a moment, he lifted his hand. The fist-sized hole in Lu Jiuxiao’s chest had now become no more than a palm-sized wound—as if that gaping cavity had never existed at all.
Lu Zhentong, gaping in disbelief, breathed his last.
But Lu Zhentong’s death didn’t mean the trouble was over.
Because both Lu Jiuxiao and Gu Su had vacant, bewildered eyes. Anyone could see that the two of them were presently not in their right minds.
Only after Qin Er and Xu Chen tied up Gu Su securely, making absolutely certain he couldn’t spring up to hurt anyone again, did Xuan Wei say, “I know what it is! It’s a side effect of the Huiwu!”
Ever since being brought to the association and reunited with her father Lin Baiming, she’d been freed from the demonic path. She was always a decent person—and everyone knew how loose the morals of demonic path martial artists could be anyway. Lately, with her father’s support, she’d been contacting her former sect brothers and sisters, so she’d learned a fair amount about the effect and function of those magic earrings.
“Good thing Mr. Cheng got me away from that hellhole in time!”
Qin Jingzhou looked at the inscrutable Lin Baiming. “Your daughter’s smarter than you.” With that, he freed up one hand again and gently rapped his foolish son’s forehead.
Lu Jiuxiao seemed to awaken from a dream. “Eh?” Then he startled with a yelp. “Ah!” He’d just noticed the bloodstains on his father’s clothing, and those were clearly his handiwork!
He recovered quickly. “Lu Zhentong! Even dying, he tried to drag me down with him!”
Lin Baiming watched, and felt mixed emotions of relief and worry. “I knew something so small wouldn’t stump you.” He glanced at Gu Su, who was being pinned down by Qin Er and Xu Chen but was still unresponsive, and had to admit, “As far as I know, the Demonic Master and Lu Zhentong used the Huiwu to mess with at least tens of thousands of people… If they’re all in Gu Su’s condition right now…”
Xuan Wei leaned against the stone wall, mustered her courage, and said, “Be confident—just drop the ‘if.’”
Lin Baiming slapped his own forehead. “Even if you smack one better with every slap, Old Cheng, with tens of thousands as a lower estimate, you’d be dead from exhaustion before you finished.”
Old Lin’s concern was genuine and heartfelt, pure and uncalculated. Qin Jingzhou put his anxious, foolish son down. “You all really know nothing about Grandmaster level.”
Lu Jiuxiao immediately clung to his father’s arm. “It wouldn’t tire you out, even curing tens of thousands?”
Qin Jingzhou knocked him again on the forehead. “The Huiwu really does lower intelligence. Silly boy, have you forgotten your father’s favorite game?”
Lu Jiuxiao clutched his forehead, endlessly curious. “Can game-playing cure mental deficiency? Wait—Dad, you were laying the groundwork this early?!”
Qin Jingzhou smiled. “More or less.”
After all, according to what the System had given him, Gu Su had harvested tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions, of negative emotions through those twisted films and shows made with the magic earrings. How could he not prepare himself for just such an incident?
Compared to that, the Demonic Master and Lu Zhentong had gone through so much only to affect tens of thousands…
The System piped up, “You’re thinking too small.”