Mo Shuiyao and the others had endured immense hardships, fighting through sixteen minor hells to finally cross the Path of Reincarnation and enter the Gate of Reincarnation. However, the moment they stepped through, they were scattered by a random teleportation array, depositing them into different sections of the vast palace complex. This chaos, ironically, spared them from immediate pursuit by the eccentric monster.
The eccentric himself was caught off guard by the teleportation. He hadn't expected the interior to be so vastly different from his previous excursions. The halls were grander, labyrinthine, and filled with unexplored zones.
Chaos reigned. The survivors scrambled through the halls, looting the remains of past adventurers and fighting over whatever scraps of treasure remained. The real prizes were few, mostly legacy items left by those who had perished in previous cycles.
Meanwhile, they did their best to avoid the monster, who was too busy stuffing his pockets to hunt them down immediately.
Currently, the survivors had formed temporary alliances of convenience. Liu Yue guarded Luo Yun, while Lin Xiao traveled with Mo Shuiyao.
Watching the scene unfold through the surveillance of the Control Stele, Su Miaoqing’s eyes lit up with eagerness.
"Xiao Feng, look at all that loot! Why don't we go down there and snatch some treasures too?"
Xiao Yifeng shook his head, his focus entirely on the floating screens. "Not yet. We need to find the Book of Destiny."
Using the Control Stele, Xiao Yifeng realized he had partial administrative authority over the Abode. As long as the target didn't resist, he could teleport them between rooms.
He began shuttling Su Miaoqing to secret chambers filled with high-grade Dharma Treasures and low-grade Immortal Artifacts, teleporting her back the moment she grabbed the goods. It was like looting a candy store with a cheat code.
Unfortunately, they found no pills—those had likely degraded or been consumed centuries ago. Still, thanks to Xiao Yifeng’s authority, they cleaned up the best remaining artifacts.
Suddenly, Xiao Yifeng’s eyes narrowed. On one of the screens, he spotted a coalescing energy form.
"Found it," he whispered. "The embryonic form of the Book of Destiny."
No wonder he couldn't find it earlier—it was still manifesting. It was merely a phantom, not yet solid.
His gaze shifted to another screen. Luo Yun and Liu Yue were dangerously close to its location.
"Oh no! They're going to get it!" Su Miaoqing cried out.
Xiao Yifeng shook his head calmly. "With my understanding of this place... nothing is that simple."
Inside the Hall of Reincarnation.
"Fairy Luo, look! We're lucky! We're the first to find it!" Liu Yue exclaimed, pointing ahead.
Not far away, the ethereal Book of Destiny hovered above a stone altar, radiating an aura of ancient power.
Luo Yun’s eyes gleamed with intoxication. "Is this the Book of Destiny? The treasure that even Mahayana cultivators go mad for?"
She turned to Liu Yue, her expression soft and grateful. "Fellow Daoist Liu, I owe you everything. You truly are Yun'er's lucky star. Let's go!"
"En! Let's grab it quickly before the others arrive!" Liu Yue beamed, turning his back to her as he prepared to fly toward the altar.
Snap.
The sound of a breaking zither string echoed in the silence.
Liu Yue stiffened. He let out a muffled grunt of pain, looking down slowly to see a bloodied zither string protruding from his chest. It had pierced his Golden Core from behind.
He turned his head slowly, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Luo Yun stood behind him, holding her zither. Her face was devoid of expression.
"Fairy Luo... why?" he rasped, blood bubbling from his lips.
"There is only one Book of Destiny," Luo Yun said coldly. "If you don't die, how can I take it? Thank you for your escort, Fellow Daoist Liu."
"I never... I never wanted to fight you for it..." Liu Yue slumped to his knees, his life force draining rapidly. "Why treat me like this? You waited for me in the Higanbana Sea... you aren't this kind of person..."
"You're wrong," Luo Yun interrupted, a mocking smile curling her lips. "I didn't wait for you. I had just finished collecting the stone tablet when I sensed you catching up. I stopped to see if I could ambush and kill you both. I simply didn't find the right opportunity until now."
Liu Yue stared at her, his heart shattering faster than his body. "So... you were just using me all along?"
"What else?" Luo Yun laughed, the sound bright and bell-like. "Did you think I liked you?"
She laughed harder, her body shaking with mirth. "A free thug, a meat shield willing to die for a smile? Why wouldn't I use you? It was so easy."
She leaned down, offering him that same gentle, water-like smile that had captivated him. "See? Just like this."
Liu Yue let out a wretched, broken laugh. "So... it was all my own wishful thinking. How laughable."
"Now you have no regrets, right? Fellow Daoist Liu, thank you. And goodbye."
Luo Yun yanked the string.
Rip.
The sharp wire sliced through his abdomen, bisecting him at the waist. With a wave of her hand, she sucked his Golden Core out of the gore and into her palm.
She collected his storage bag without a hint of remorse, leaving Liu Yue’s corpse staring blankly at the ceiling, eyes wide with betrayal.
Control Room.
Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing watched the scene in stunned silence.
Neither of them had expected the seemingly pure "White Lotus" to be such a viper. From the moment she entered the Abode, every word, every smile, had been an act.
"I really don't understand women," Xiao Yifeng muttered, feeling a chill. "I thought she was weak-willed... turns out she has a heart of ten-thousand-year-old ice."
Among everyone who entered, Liu Yue was the only honest man. And look where it got him.
What did honest people do to deserve this?
He sighed for Liu Yue. Wrongly trusted, wrongly loved.
He glanced sideways at Su Miaoqing.
Su Miaoqing caught his look and rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. I would never do that to you."
Hall of Reincarnation.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Luo Yun froze as the sound of slow applause echoed from the entrance.
"Fairy Luo, what skillful means," Mo Shuiyao purred, walking into the hall with a mocking sneer. "Playing that fool Liu Yue like a fiddle. You even fooled me."
"I never expected a fairy from the righteous Luo Shu Mansion to be better at manipulating hearts than a demoness like me," Mo Shuiyao laughed.
"We are all the same in the face of opportunity," Luo Yun replied calmly, showing no guilt.
Beside Mo Shuiyao, Lin Xiao sighed, shaking his head. "Lamentable. Poor Liu Yue probably died without understanding why his beloved Fairy turned into a monster."
Disgust filled Lin Xiao’s eyes. As a self-proclaimed "Flower Protector," he despised women who trampled on genuine affection.
Luo Yun ignored them. She shot into the air, flying straight for the Book of Destiny.
"Stop her!" Mo Shuiyao shouted.
She and Lin Xiao launched themselves forward, chasing her down.
Luo Yun was closest. Her fingers were inches from the Book of Destiny. Triumph flashed in her eyes.
BOOM!
A black shadow materialized out of thin air, slamming a palm into her chest.
Luo Yun screamed as she was blasted backward, crashing into the ground and vomiting blood.
Standing before the altar was a tattered, inhuman figure—the eccentric monster.
"The Book of Destiny is mine!" the monster shrieked, his eyes darting between the women. "And you are mine too! If you want to live, you will be my furnace cauldrons!"
Luo Yun, Lin Xiao, and Mo Shuiyao paled. The nightmare had arrived.