Inside Yuanrong Tower, Eunuchs Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xi slowly ascended, trapping Huang Rang, Di Yiqiu, and Xie Hongchen within the tower.

Shi Wenyu still stood before them all, his expression indifferent.

Huang Rang carefully observed the situation within the tower. She had brought Xie Hongchen and Di Yiqiu to storm the tower merely wanting to understand Shi Wenyu.

Now, Shi Wenyu seemed to know their every move like the back of his hand. He was a chess master sitting high above, while Huang Rang and the others were merely his chess pieces.

How could a small chess piece oppose the chess master?

Yet now, the small chess pieces were forced to straighten their backs, wanting to catch a glimpse of the chess master’s strength and intentions.

Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xi all simultaneously bowed to Di Yiqiu, saying, “Young Prince, we apologize for the offense.”

As their words fell, all four transformed into black mist and attacked.

These four were also practicing from demon and ghost books.

Huang Rang knew her cultivation was shallow, so she relied on her agile sword techniques to dodge behind Di Yiqiu and Xie Hongchen, occasionally providing support to the two.

Four masses of ghostly mist with menacing fangs and claws attacked as Xie Hongchen and Di Yiqiu fought shoulder to shoulder, both standing upon grim black energy beneath their feet.

Di Yiqiu quickly retrieved a small jade bottle with a narrow mouth from his robes and opened the stopper. The jade bottle began to swallow this black resentful energy. Clearly, over these years he had not stopped researching demon and ghost books.

Huang Rang took advantage of the battle to slash open a bookcase by the wall with her sword energy. Various texts from the bookcase scattered across the floor.

Among the fluttering pages, Huang Rang grabbed one and said, “Heart Sword… Yinian Shenbu, it really is you!”

“Yinian Shenbu?” Hearing this name, both Di Yiqiu and Xie Hongchen frowned tightly.

Shi Wenyu’s gaze became very strange. After a long while, he smiled faintly and said, “Yinian Shenbu… ah, it has been so long since anyone addressed me thus.”

The attacks from Fu, Lu, Shou, and Xi grew increasingly fierce, but none of them spoke.

The Heart Sword in Xie Hongchen’s hand gleamed with pure light, scorching the black mist with sizzling sounds. He asked, “You… were originally a legendary figure of the immortal sects, once slaying demons and eliminating evil, defending the Dao and punishing wickedness. Why have you fallen to this state?”

“Fallen?” At this point, Shi Wenyu finally showed some interest in conversation. He said, “You know nothing of the mysteries of the immortal Dao, so naturally you are shortsighted. I am about to reach the pinnacle of the immortal Dao—what do you mean fallen?”

Di Yiqiu and Xie Hongchen jointly resisted the four masses of black mist. He recovered from his shock and asked, “Yinian Shenbu, you… are not my father?”

“Of course I am. Foolish child.” Shi Wenyu laughed.

Huang Rang borrowed the power of the two to slash open other bookcases and drawers with her Heart Sword, wanting to search for more. At this point, every bit more they understood about Shi Wenyu gave them one more chance at victory.

Hearing Di Yiqiu’s words, she reminded, “Possession!”

Di Yiqiu came to his senses and murmured, “All these years, you’ve been possessing your own imperial princes and princesses…”

Shi Wenyu sat upright before the incense burner, within which fragrant smoke curled—it was precisely the Divine Immortal Grass variant that Huang Rang had cultivated outside the dream. He inhaled the smoke and said, “Three thousand years ago, this seat entered the tower three times to slay the evil demon Leiyin Daji. This was not easy. That old thing possessed heaven-reaching and earth-penetrating abilities. But because he rarely met worthy opponents, he let me escape three times.”

Shi Wenyu stared at the smoke in the burner, seeming to sink into the swamp of memory. “I witnessed the divine might of Yuanrong Tower and deeply felt I was no match for him. But… after years of painstaking research, I finally forged a magical artifact that could restrain him.”

He did not say what magical artifact it was, yet Huang Rang already knew. She said, “Soul-Binding Bone-Setting Needles.”

Shi Wenyu laughed lightly and said, “Precisely. After suppressing Leiyin Daji, this seat gained the admiration and respect of the entire immortal sect community and established Yuhu Xuanzong.”

Mentioning “Yuhu Xuanzong,” he couldn’t help but glance at Xie Hongchen, then smiled again. “At that time, with youthful passion, fame and profit rolled in like waves, and I actually felt it was all worthwhile.”

Xie Hongchen slashed his sword toward Eunuch Xi. Di Yiqiu also saw that among the four, Eunuch Xi was the weakest. He immediately coordinated with Xie Hongchen, both working together to try to break through this weak point.

Xie Hongchen said in a deep voice, “Wasn’t it worthwhile?”

Shi Wenyu pondered for a moment and said, “After that battle, I was gravely injured. Old ailments recurred, my physical body collapsed, and my primordial spirit weakened. And I was powerless, could only allow myself to grow old and sick day by day…”

What happened afterward, all three already understood. Huang Rang slashed open the desk and found several Soul-Binding Bone-Setting Needles. She said, “So you found demon and ghost books again!”

Shi Wenyu sighed deeply and said, “This book is indeed wondrous, and moreover, initially it consumed very little resentful energy. And people pierced by the Soul-Binding Bone-Setting Needles all suffered resentment and pain. This made this seat’s cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.”

Xie Hongchen felt a chill in his heart. “So you made these needles the punishment instrument for the entire immortal sect community to deal with serious criminals!”

Shi Wenyu did not deny it, only saying, “But later, the resentful energy it needed grew increasingly intense. How could the immortal sects have so many serious criminals?”

He spoke casually, but Huang Rang and the others’ hearts sank upon hearing it.

“So you separated flesh and blood, harmed living beings, trying to manufacture more resentment and suffering?” Xie Hongchen said angrily. “My master never abducted young children—the true mastermind behind it all was you!”

Shi Wenyu said indifferently, “Later, this seat’s physical body truly could not hold on. My heartbeat grew slower and slower, and my flesh also began to rot… I could only fake my death and escape, hiding in a tomb to continue cultivating. Until I was accidentally discovered by Xie Lingbi.”

Huang Rang quickly sensed something wrong with this and asked, “You were after all the founder of Yuhu Xuanzong—why would you fear Xie Lingbi?”

“Fear?” Shi Wenyu snorted coldly. “How could this seat fear that youngster? It was merely that my identity was inconvenient at the time.”

He said his identity was inconvenient. So all three understood. Di Yiqiu exposed it in one sentence: “You had already possessed someone else at that time!”

Shi Wenyu did not avoid it either, saying, “This seat found a woman and sired a son. But a mortal flesh body was too difficult to harmonize with my primordial spirit. I hid within that husk, suffering torment day after day.”

When he mentioned possessing his own descendant, there was no pity whatsoever in his words, as if using a mere container.

“After being discovered by Xie Lingbi, this seat left the tomb, established a dynasty, and carved out another realm.” He spoke lightly.

But Huang Rang said, “You established a new dynasty only because demon and ghost books, even after successful possession, still required massive resentment for support. And nothing is easier for manufacturing popular resentment than a monarch who controls the realm and state!”

Shi Wenyu hummed softly and did not answer.

Di Yiqiu said, “So now you’ve sired so many imperial princes and princesses merely to pick a suitable body for yourself.”

This sentence held no question—it was merely a calm statement.

Sure enough, Shi Wenyu asked, “What else?”

Perhaps because he had seen through life and death, from beginning to end his gaze remained indifferent.

Huang Rang murmured, “So outside the dream, you didn’t hesitate to inject viper snake blood into all the imperial princes and princesses, wanting to change their physiques.”

Shi Wenyu said, “To achieve great things, one can only disregard personal feelings.” After speaking, he looked at Huang Rang and said, “Just like you—you single-mindedly oppose this old man, not even slightly considering the child in your belly.”

“Child?!” He suddenly mentioned this matter, and Di Yiqiu’s sword momentum faltered. “What child?”

It was this moment of slowness—the black mist transformed from Eunuch Fu had already bitten into his wrist!

Xie Hongchen thrust his sword into Eunuch Shou’s body. Within the black mist, fresh blood immediately dripped down in sheets. He turned and slashed his sword, blocking Eunuch Fu.

Huang Rang shifted her steps and came to Di Yiqiu’s side. Through the layers of black mist, she pressed her back against his. However, in such a battle situation, there was no time for tender feelings between lovers.

Huang Rang could only say, “Just a dream of Nanke, nothing worth mentioning. Don’t get distracted!” Without waiting for Di Yiqiu to speak again, she laughed and said, “At worst, once we’re out of the dream, I’ll bear you another one. All right?”

Di Yiqiu paused slightly. He knew Huang Rang was right.

At this time and place, even if he devoted his whole heart to protecting her, what could he do?

A pair of hands named helplessness gripped his throat, making it difficult for him to speak.

Shi Wenyu said, “See, you also understand this kind of helplessness now, don’t you?”

Huang Rang would not allow him to influence Di Yiqiu. She said, “Your Majesty has so many children under your knee yet has never shown affection for a single one. You and your son truly don’t resemble each other in the slightest.”

Shi Wenyu snorted, his expression already darkening.

And Xie Hongchen finally found another opening. He thrust his sword into a mass of black mist. Eunuch Shou was stabbed through the chest and finally reverted to human form! He clutched his chest and retreated repeatedly, blood flowing like a fountain!

Seeing this, Shi Wenyu’s pupils constricted slightly, though he showed no panic.

He turned instead and said, “Xie Hongchen… truly unexpected that Xie Lingbi could raise a disciple like you. Back then, the immortal sects widely spread news that the First Sword Immortal had exceptional spiritual roots. This seat merely thought it was exaggerated rumor. Seeing you today, you are indeed a genius with heavenly talent.”

To such praise, Xie Hongchen’s expression remained ice-cold. He said, “My master strayed into evil in a single thought and naturally deserves his punishment. But when he led Yuhu Xuanzong, he also truly had merit toward the world.”

Shi Wenyu said, “This seat originally thought that without Xie Lingbi, Yuhu Xuanzong would no longer pose a threat. I never expected to overlook you.”

He looked at Di Yiqiu, his voice gentle as he asked, “Little Eighty-Six, will you do one more thing for your father, all right?”

Di Yiqiu only felt this was absurd. “Your Majesty doesn’t actually think that at this time and place, I would still be used by you, do you?”

His brow furrowed slightly, knowing things would not be so simple.

Sure enough, Shi Wenyu smiled and said, “Do you know what relationship Xie Hongchen and Huang Rang have outside the dream?” Di Yiqiu raised his eyebrows. Xie Hongchen’s heart also tensed.

Shi Wenyu said with a smile, “Outside the dream, Huang Rang is the wife of the Yuhu Xuanzong Sect Master. The two have been husband and wife for a hundred years, always loving and harmonious to the outside world.”

His words struck at the heart. Even Xie Hongchen felt bewildered. In this moment of distraction, he was nearly bitten in the throat by Eunuch Fu.

Xie Hongchen forced back the black mist before him with one sword stroke, though his wrist was also scratched by the skeleton’s sharp fangs. His blood dripped onto the tower floor as his voice grew hoarse. “A Rang? What’s going on? Didn’t you say…”

His sentence had just begun when the entire Yuanrong Tower suddenly trembled violently!

Shi Wenyu’s body swayed as he couldn’t help but grab onto the incense burner!

And on the tower walls, runes spun at high speed, like a full wall of flying flowers!

Shi Wenyu’s expression was stunned. After a long while, he uttered a name: “Leiyin Daji!”

“Leiyin Daji?” Huang Rang caught this name and couldn’t help but look at Shi Wenyu. And Shi Wenyu looked at Xie Hongchen, his gaze following the blood-stained sleeve gradually downward.

He saw that the fresh blood Xie Hongchen had dripped was seeping into the tower, seeming to be completely absorbed by the tower!

“Just who are you?” Shi Wenyu demanded, his voice actually containing several notes of severity.

Huang Rang and Di Yiqiu both looked at Xie Hongchen simultaneously.

This time, both had the same thought—this person really is a damned chosen one!