Nightmare (27) - Surprise

Yi Qing, with the typical perspective of a bystander, watched this scene unfold from her VIP seat.

The Lingren was completely enveloped in candlelight, and occasionally a red light would emerge from within the blue fog. However, wherever the red light touched, the skin, bones, and even the soul were undergoing a process of decay from prosperity to decline.

This was the first time Yu Xing had used the Red Candle's ability since obtaining the Tears of the Underworld Candle. This wide-range ability, which doesn't distinguish between friend and foe, could easily injure teammates, so it could only be used when he was facing an enemy alone.

Upon hearing Yu Xing's voice, the Lingren turned around with satisfaction and naturally noticed the change in Yu Xing.

"Excellent, this is the immortality I've given you."

His face and the skin hidden beneath his clothes also began to fester, though the process was much slower than Yu Xing's. But when he was three-tenths of a meter in front of Yu Xing, the flickering light of the red candle still left terrifying and hideous marks on his handsome, smooth face.

"That's right, thanks to you." Yu Xing lower his head slightly to meet the Lingren's gaze, but the height difference wasn't too noticeable, and the intense mystery in the Lingren's eyes made him appear anything but weak.

"Is this what you're relying on to come to me?" The Lingren placed his hand on Yu Xing's lantern-carrying hand, feeling their skin crack and melt inch by inch, his laughter uncontrollable. "Because you can't die, you dare to provoke me so brazenly?"

The amber eyes of Lingren cannot be stared at for too long, otherwise one will be drawn in by the unknown things within them and never be able to escape the mire again.

Yu Xing was the one who understood this best, yet he stared at her fearlessly for quite a while.

He's already a madman, with a mutation rate of over 50%, what's a few more points of mutation to him?

He could sense the difference in Lingren abilities from the fact that the Lingren was far less affected by the red candle than he was.

Yu Xing smiled.

He is still far from being at his strongest.

Yet it can still leave a nightmare for this one-ninth enemy in front of it.

Shaking the lamp in her hand, feeling the weight sinking in her palm, Yu Xing replied calmly, "Isn't this just the way it is?"

"Aren't you afraid of angering me, and me treating you in an even more terrible way?" The Lingren leaned closer, his eyes greedily scrutinizing Yu Xing, a hint of gloom creeping onto his face. "For example, I'll cut you into many pieces, bury you underground, and fill the ground with sand and gravel. When you revive, your flesh will be filled with filthy sand, mixed with your blood inside you, unable to flow. You'll suffocate, unable to move, and forever remain in darkness, unable to utter even the simplest syllables, because your vocal cords will also be filled with particles."

This is an extremely cruel punishment inflicted upon the immortal.

Just like the legendary eighteen levels of hell, the tongue is pulled out, the body is bitten by ants, and the body is burned by raging fire... Because there is no time and no death, these pains will continue forever.

The Lingren stared into Yu Xing's eyes, trying to detect a flicker of emotion within them.

In the past, a young master who had never experienced any hardship would have been terrified upon hearing this, trembling with fear and begging him not to do it.

But things are different now. The child has grown up, and when faced with such threats, he only responds with an increasingly sarcastic smile.

Yu Xing smiled and said, "You're absolutely right. I'm waiting for that day to come."

The Lingren laughed heartily, all the gloom on his face vanishing. "I was just playing a little joke on you. I like you so much, how could I bear to let you end up in such an ugly state? You deserve to be perfect."

A tremendous force struck, causing the lantern to fall to the ground. Yu Xing, with his eyes completely black, pressed the Lingren's neck with his bare hands and forced him to the ground. With his other hand, he removed the Lingren's mask and threw it far away.

A stunningly beautiful face, transcending gender, was exposed to the air. Its gentle features were the most detestable face he could never forget.

"Why hide this face? My dear teacher, now I will answer all your questions."

Regardless of whether the slight surprise that appeared on the Lingren's face was genuine or not, Yu Xing smiled and tightened her five fingers. In the red light of the lantern, her face, which was somewhat similar to the Lingren's in temperament and was the envy of the world, seemed to no longer be exclusive to "humans" but rather like a vengeful ghost.

"I've long accepted my power. I can use it for anything, except to make you happy."

"You wish for me to fall into depravity, to suffer, or to inflict suffering on others? I will not allow that. The only person I wish to inflict suffering on is you!"

"I hate you, not just because you killed my family. Don't you think I'm too sentimental? I've lived this long, and I can't even remember those people's faces. The reason I hate you is, of course, because of myself. Your deception and insults are far more unforgettable than the life-and-death experiences I've gone through."

"Underestimating me will make you pay," Yu Xing bent down, close to the Lingren lying on the ground staring at him, and whispered, "Do you think I don't know why you're treating me like this? The power within me is something you also want, isn't it?"

"It was precisely because you couldn't fuse with that black sphere in the lab that you found me, someone similar to you, to use as an experimental subject, hoping to discover a way to obtain the power within the sphere. In the end, I succeeded, but you can no longer control me. You must be very anxious, right?"

He stared maliciously at the Lingren contracting for a moment, then laughed gleefully, "On the day it was finalized, before all the data was recorded, I ran away. Lacking the most crucial data, all your efforts were in vain, just like the Master in this simulation, desperately searching..."

His fingers tightened, and the Lingren's fragile neck, like a delicate, easily broken object, seemed to shatter at any moment in his palm.

"Until you find a way to fuse with my power, or to completely control me, you won't kill me, nor will you cut me into pieces and bury me underground. That's my reliance, a reliance you can't overcome." Yu Xing's eyes were half-closed, rarely seeing the Lingren suffer a setback.

Yes, why did he have the audacity to enter the absurd world with a body weakened countless times over, and instead of properly concealing himself, he took the initiative from the very beginning to cause trouble for Single Prism?

It wasn't because he was relying on his invincibility; in fact... he had always suspected that since the Lingren could create an immortal being like him, he could also use the source of that power to find a way to kill him completely.

In other words, the concept of "immortality" is essentially invalid for Lingren.

The reason he dared to do all this stemmed from the Lingren ' "ulterior motives" towards him.

Since there is something to be gained, it cannot be destroyed before it is obtained.

This is his true reliance, the reason he soared like a roc on the verge of self-destruction.

"You know more than I thought." Lacking oxygen and struggling to breathe, the Lingren had some difficulty speaking. He reached out his hand, but the same immense strength could not shake Yu Xing's hand. On the back of Yu Xing's hand, a green ghost face mark appeared and disappeared intermittently.

The Lingren sensed it for a moment, then chuckled, "Heh... a rule-level offering... you've given me quite a few surprises today."

"You flatter me. I'm still looking forward to what kind of surprise you'll give me." Yu Xing wiped away the blood that was blocking his vision from the cut skin on his forehead, speaking defiantly, "One last thing, you're not the last person to call me A Xing."

"Oh?" The Lingren narrowed his eyes. "That's interesting. Who else?"

"A big problem surnamed Hua." Yu Xing didn't intend to hide anything. That person was very capable and troublesome. Even the Lingren couldn't easily deal with him. Revealing the truth would displease the Lingren, so why not?

He said, "Flower, rest, white."

"Although I don't like his personality, compared to you, he's practically a paragon of virtue." Yu Xing recalled the past and couldn't help but smile sincerely. "With you as a contrast, it suddenly doesn't seem so hard to accept him calling A Xing' all the time."

"..." The Lingren's gaze flickered for a moment, then darkened. "Hua Subai Bai, I know him. Ha, you really are still the same as before, being welcomed like a young master."

"You flatter me, you teach well."

Yu Xing took a breath. His whole body was in a constant process of decay and regeneration. The ghostly green mask on his hand was extremely mentally taxing. In addition, the red candle's ability not only caused things that could be thought to slowly decay, but also caused his mind to become hazy.

Interestingly, both he and the Lingren remained remarkably clear-headed, as if they hadn't been affected at all.

This feeling of disorientation only emerged after the body and mind had been completely exhausted.

He looked at the Lingren, and the Lingren's wounds would heal. The stab Zhao Yijiu had inflicted on him disappeared. But this ability didn't seem to be passive; the wounds he had inflicted on the Lingren remained.

Lingren grasped Yu Xing's wrist, which was gripping his neck, and said softly, "You've given me so many surprises that I have to admit, they've even slightly affected my good mood when I see you, which is commendable. So, of course, I won't disappoint you with the surprise I give you. I originally wanted to kill you on the live stream, forcing you to never appear in front of anyone again... but now I've changed my mind."

Whether he was on the verge of being strangled or Yu Xing pointed out his biggest weakness, he remained calm and composed, as if nothing, no matter how serious, could move him.

"You've become much smarter, and your abilities have grown beyond my expectations. Rather than sinking you into the unseen depths of darkness, it's better to let you continue to grow, until you believe you can stand against me." He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Giving you the despair of no return at your most dazzling moment should ensure you belong to us forever, to this fallen paradise."

Us?

Yu Xing's eyes flashed, and she keenly realized that this word probably did not refer to Single Prism.

But he didn't know exactly what it referred to.

Yi Qing had been watching the show from within two meters of him, then smiled and reminded him, "The black box will end in twenty seconds."

"Hmph." Yu Xing ignored the Lingren's words and straightened up. Taking advantage of the Lingren's inability to move, he reached for the small pouch hanging from the Lingren's waist, casually tugged it, and a white round jade fell out.

Sure enough, it was on him, saving us the trouble of searching the lady's room.

"Now that you've got it, it's my turn." The Lingren let him take the quest item, a slight smile playing on his lips. "This round, consider it a win, but I'll give you a little punishment for disobeying."

He was banned from offering sacrifices by the system, even though the Master character he was playing could have been killed so that all teams that chose the Side Quest could have a chance to complete the game.

He doesn't need to offer sacrifices to others to make them fight with all their might, and then he holds back a little at the end, so no one will realize that passing the level is his generous act of charity.

But this isn't enough for Yu Xing.

Without offerings, he naturally had many other methods, just as Yu Xing's immortality was still usable even when the offerings were sealed.

"Come, kill me." The Lingren's hand tightened around Yu Xing's, and suddenly the pressure on his neck increased dramatically. He laughed, trying to kill himself, "Kill me, I'm looking forward to it."

A flash of malice crossed Yu Xing's eyes. Just before he was about to crush the Lingren's throat, he sneered, "Do you need me to tell you?"

He suddenly released the Lingren's neck, and the sharp blade of the Sheqing Dreamscape appeared in his hand. He stabbed it towards the Lingren's right eye. "Trying to leave so easily? I'll make you pay for Zhao Yijiu's injuries first."

A hint of surprise flashed across the Lingren's face. The next second, blood splattered, spreading across his face, which was marked with corrosion.

This person, who had previously acted as if they felt no pain, finally spoke up this time, "Ouch... A Xing, it hurts."

Yi Qing couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Even at a time like this, he's still reminding you how painful it was when his eyes were gouged out. He really doesn't want to miss any opportunity to lead you astray, how amazing!"

The Lingren glanced at Yi Qing with his left eye, his expression kind and calm.

But Yu Xing knew that he was a little angry.

"Hahaha..." Yu Xing suddenly felt very comfortable. He pulled out the dagger and stabbed it into the already healed wound on the Lingren's waist, finally stabbing it towards the center of the eyebrow.

Come on, let me see your gift.

He said this before stabbing the needle, then couldn't help but chuckle softly with pleasure.

The black box period is over.

The audience was completely stunned when they heard his heartfelt low chuckle.

[How come... you've actually opened up?]

Who is laughing? Lingren or a lucky star? Why won't this thick fog dissipate?

The fog is getting thicker and thicker; I can't see anything, not even a single person!

Even the faceless man was kept outside the blue mist, too afraid to go in. Damn, who created this mist? Could it be Xing?

[Possibly]

[It's fortunate, don't you remember how he climbed through the window into Zhou Xue's room? The green mist was in his dagger.]

[Damn, this is a hidden master, the biggest dark horse! We didn't know his true strength until Lingren showed up! The only question is... can he survive against Lingren?]

Instantly, several people began to mock him, saying that even if Lingren had been hiding his strength, he couldn't possibly last three minutes against such a powerful Lingren.

Then someone else countered, saying that the Lingren's sacrifice was sealed, and his strength must have been greatly weakened by the system, precisely to allow the strategist to pass the level; what's impossible about that?

Let me recommend a novel app I've been using recently. It supports both Android and Apple phones!

The Lingren's body crumbled like glass, like a bubble in a dream. In fact, that was exactly what happened; he was merely a memory and shadow in Liang Erni's nightmare.

Yu Xing's fingers, gripping the dagger, suddenly froze.

He knew what the Lingren had planned to surprise him with.

Within him, the familiar, chilling aura seemed to break through a certain constraint, surging forth wildly, even more intense than before!

Instantly, cold sweat soaked his entire body. He reached out and put the Nether Tears of the Underworld Candle back into his mask. The wounds caused by the red candle's corrosive power quickly healed without any new ones appearing. However, wisps of black mist... began to spread from his body.

The Lingren was able to break the curse that the system had imprisoned for him.

Yi Qing landed beside him, fan in hand. "What's wrong? The power within you is so strange."

"It's alright, the Lingren are probably just hoping I'll expose my abnormality in front of all the audience." Yu Xing hunched over, blood flowing from all seven orifices.

He felt dizzy and lightheaded, a feeling he hadn't experienced since completing his wish list.

"It's alright," he said again, looking up at Yiqing. "I have a way to stop it, but I'm afraid you won't be able to get out for a while."