No Status My Thoughts Can Reconcile with the Mad

Perhaps the throne had just been tainted by the demon daoist aura of being "both human and ghost," and had stood in a dark and sunless palace for a thousand years, or perhaps the word "throne" itself possessed a certain power that corresponded to its meaning.

Before Yu Xing even realized it, Yi Qing's figure had already begun to vaguely appear around the throne.

This was nothing short of a shock to Lin and Carlos. After all, a blue ghostly figure suddenly appearing above the head of a trusted teammate in this perilous tomb was most likely a sign of impending danger and something eerie!

Yi Qing, with his keen eye, casually glanced at the two faces and noticed that their gazes were both fixed on him. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Huh, them..."

Before he could finish speaking, Carlos said coldly, "San, come back."

Normally, if Yu Xing heard Carlos's tone, she would instantly realize that he meant "there is danger there" and take appropriate action.

Ke Yu Xing had great confidence in Yi Qing. With Yi Qing fully capable, in this deduction, no creature or undead should be able to silently bypass Yi Qing's senses and approach him.

Unless Carlos saw it...

That is Yi Qing himself.

When he realized this, Yi Qing also strengthened his control, and in Lin and Carlos's eyes, the blue ghostly figure seemed to have been exposed and disappeared.

They remained vigilant. Carlos, seeing that Yu Xing didn't respond to his warning, even thought something had happened to Yu Xing, and a paper figure with a crying expression appeared in his hand, "San, are you alright?"

Carlos recalled that while he had been walking through the tunnel with his eyes closed, something had been pinching his shoulders and blowing cold air on the back of his neck. He became even more certain that besides the demon daoist, there were other ghosts here who were good at hiding their whereabouts.

Yu Xing, still looking back, replied, "I'm perfectly fine. I was just an afterimage, a remnant of resentment from the throne. I was very weak, and it dissipated when approached by the aura of a living person."

Is that so?

Lin felt relieved. He didn't know the background of his two temporary teammates, but based on their behavior, he regarded them as big shots who were a level above him. Naturally, whatever big shots said would be credible, since if they wanted to harm him, he would be dead long ago.

But Carlos wasn't so easily fooled. He was still preoccupied with the unknown ghosts along the way. When Yu Xing concealed the truth, the expression on the paper figure in his hand changed from crying to a sinister smile. Carlos walked towards Yu Xing, replying, "I see... You said this throne was built for demon daoist from the beginning, so what kind of resentment would remain on it?"

"The builders, or those buried in the tomb, are all possibilities." Yu Xing showed no panic at having his lie exposed. He turned back and glanced at the black liquid on the throne with some disdain. "If the demon daoist wants to sit on the 'throne,' those feudal lords will be standing in her way. How many feudal lords have died because of her overt and covert instigations? Isn't it perfectly normal for their resentment to gather on this throne?"

"But they were ultimately on the territory of the demon daoist. They were probably very strong at first, but over the course of a thousand years, they were gradually weakened by the demon daoist path, leaving only a faint afterimage... This is the information I received from that afterimage just now when it dissipated." Carlos wanted to applaud Yu Xing's words.

Sure, very good. The lie was made up very timely. If I hadn't noticed that the style of the green-robed ghost's clothes was completely different from what the demon daoist was wearing earlier, and that they were clearly two different styles, I would have almost believed it too!

Carlos approached Yu Xing, his eyes seemingly saying, "Do you think I believe you?"

Yu Xing met his gaze with unwavering confidence, her silent smile conveying Carlos a few even larger words, "Whether you believe me or not is none of my business."

He explained it anyway, and those who weren't perceptive, like Lin, seemed to believe him. As for those who were perceptive, like Carlos... what could they do if they didn't believe him?

Even if Carlos did develop suspicions and interest in the existence of the blue ghost, once he realized Yu Xing's protective attitude towards the ghost, anyone who wasn't stupid would realize that the blue ghost posed no threat in Yu Xing's eyes. Judging from Carlos's emotional intelligence, he certainly wouldn't press the matter further and would only observe it quietly.

But Yi Qing, who had already noticed this, would not expose herself, so Carlos would not discover anything further.

The crystal ornaments on Yi Qing's body made a clear, ethereal clinking sound. The Sheqing Ghost glanced at the throne with interest, then dispersed into a large wisp of azure mist like sand disappearing in the wind. The mist enveloped the throne, but upon closer inspection, the mist did not actually touch it, as if it were disgusted by the black liquid.

As expected, Yi Qing immediately expressed his dissatisfaction. "This thing is a kind of Yin Stone. Due to the constant permeation of powerful Yin energy, it has developed some of its own ghostly energy, which can be considered as having touched the path of evolution. Unfortunately, the liquid on it is really an eyesore."

"Logically speaking, the ghosts derived from the Ghost Tree should be extremely pure. Although I am reluctant to admit it, the Ghost Tree is a ghost that is even more extreme and pure than myself. If the dead also need faith, the Ghost Tree can indeed be called a divine tree and a sacred object." It was rare for Yi Qing to admit that he was inferior to anything else. You know, in the Sheqing Bar, even when he pretended to be discouraged Ghost, he did not forget to praise how good "Boss Sheqing" was.

This ghost was the most narcissistic ghost Yu Xing had ever seen, bar none. Even Yi Qing was ashamed of his own strength. Now Yu Xing had a reference point to understand just how powerful the Ghost Tree.

He is far stronger than Yi Qing, and most likely far stronger than Lingren, who stands at the pinnacle of despair-level deduction. The secrets he contains must be decipherable only by those at the True level.

Yu Xing was thinking far ahead, but Yi Qing was still disgusted with the demon daoist: "But look at the demon daoist's resentful aura, it's so filthy! If the Ghost Tree is likened to a clear crystal, then the demon daoist isn't even as good as a pebble. She's been with the Ghost Tree for a thousand years, and this is all she's gotten?"

That's it?

Yi Qing rarely attacks others directly with words, because he doesn't even give most people a second glance. Even when he's being sarcastic, he has to use that scholarly, gentle tone to infuriate the other person. This time, however, he seems to have a particular aversion to the demonic demon daoist's resentment, which means he can't tolerate it anymore.

Yu Xing did not answer him. He did not know why the demon daoist was chosen by Ghost Tree, whether as reserve food or as a slave. Perhaps he would be able to find out when he entered the tomb where the demon daoist's coffin was placed.

In short, it seems that Ghost Tree doesn't "care" about demon daoist. Even when demon daoist is in trouble, Ghost Tree doesn't think of helping him. This shows that the connection between Ghost Tree and demon daoist may not be as close as demon daoist himself described in the mural.

She might just be a thief who stole luck and the abilities others dream of, and therefore she can't leave the Ghost Tree, needing to stay here year-round, enduring another form of imprisonment and punishment.

Lin also walked up the stairs.

The sound of footsteps drew Yu Xing's attention back to the throne. He casually pointed behind the throne, as if he had been standing in front of the throne for so long just to observe the target he was pointing to. "See that? There's a path hidden there."

The throne occupies the most prominent position in this space, and in front of it are countless treasures that would make anyone's eyes water. If an ordinary tomb raider were to step into this place, he would probably lose sight of everything else.

Moreover, what of the bare darkness behind the throne, devoid of any jeweled adornment?

Only people like Yu Xing and Carlos, who knew the treasure couldn't be taken out of the area, could discover the hidden passage in the darkness so quickly.

It was a path blocked by a stone wall. Due to the angle, the secret passage could only be seen from a small area around the throne. From other places, all you could see was the stone wall.

"That must be the way out. What a brilliant design. Except for the person sitting at the highest position, those below can't even see where the exit is. I can already imagine what the atmosphere was like within the demon daoist's power a thousand years ago." Carlos chuckled, walking into the secret passage with the other two. "A dictator, a tyrant, she took her living subordinates to the tomb to be buried with her. She's probably the only one still alive. I doubt even the most ruthless and cruel lord in history was as cruel as her."

Yu Xing said, "Sometimes, only the ruthless survive."

Carlos glanced at him in surprise. "From what you're saying, you actually kind of agree? That's strange, you don't seem like that kind of person..."

Yu Xing was indeed not that kind of person. At no stage of his life had he ever used the innocent lives of others as bargaining chips to achieve his goals.

But he was indeed ruthless.

This doesn't stop him from trying to understand other abnormal psychology.

As he drew closer to the dark passage, he said calmly, "A Doctor can understand and intervene in a patient's psychology; that doesn't mean the Doctor is mentally ill."

"Alright." Carlos had no experience in the field of Doctor, so he couldn't elaborate, only continuing his speculations about the demon daoist, "Building the secret passage here shows she has a very strong desire for control."

Lin: "That's why I came here specifically to check on the three of us unexpectedly."

As they were speaking, some unsettling sounds suddenly came from the dark, sunless passage.

Yu Xing paused, listened intently, and could vaguely hear the sound of countless wings flapping, as well as a scream from an unidentifiable species.

"Shh." He immediately whispered, signaling those around him to be quiet. After listening for a while to make sure the sounds weren't getting closer and hadn't been triggered by their approach, Yu Xing then ventured into the secret passage. "There are flying, social animals inside. They make noises, but they're not dead tree insects."

It seems that the dead tree insects haven't been seen since we went down into the tomb. Perhaps it's because they're too weak; even insecticides can kill them, which establishes their unworthy status in the tomb.

In fact, the reason why the dead tree worm is so weak is probably because it stays on the ground and is less affected by the Ghost Tree.

Carlos suddenly had a wild idea, his thoughts jumping around. "Tell me, who named it Dead Tree Worm? Is it because they look down on Ghost Tree, so bold as to bully Ghost Tree because it doesn't understand Chinese?" Because no matter how you read it, it sounds like Dead Tree is an insult to trees.

Lin: "... I think we should be focusing on what that flying species is, rather than who named the dead tree worm."

"No need to think, it's definitely a bat." Carlos laughed. He had excellent hearing, and he could hear almost everything Yu Xing could hear. Being very familiar with the tomb, he immediately recognized the sound as the call of a unique type of bat in this simulation world.

Aradia Vampire Bat are commonly found along the southeastern coast and also have large populations in the southwest. They prefer dark, damp places with a strong smell of decay, so you might as well just report the cemetery number.

Yes, it's unclear how these bats manage to do it. They're found in almost every named tomb in the southeast, southwest, and north, making them frequent visitors to the tombs. Carlos and Lin saw them in the previous tombs this time as well.

Carlos hadn't seen the little bats yet and assumed it was because of the Ghost Tree that the bats were afraid to come in.

Lin didn't recognize them simply because his hearing wasn't as good as theirs. After hearing Carlos's explanation, he relaxed considerably. "It's Aredia... then it's alright."

Aradia Vampire Bat are afraid of light, and also... afraid of fire, afraid of water, and have fragile skin.

They are truly fragile creatures. Apart from the fact that they can kill a person in just five seconds when sucking blood, and some bats mutate to produce a highly toxic substance, they are really shameless.

Even though they always come in groups, for those at their level of deducers and experiencers, they are not really a threat. Instead, they evoke a strange sense of familiarity, like "ah, the bats are still here," as if they are encountering old friends in a foreign land on another level.

Carlos explained to Yu Xing, then rummaged through his backpack for a moment before handing Yu Xing a spray bottle. "It's filled with purified water. Just spray it at the bats you encounter; it's more effective than light or fire."

The water mist coverage area is light, and it's easy to operate.

Yu Xing appreciated the convenience of having an experienced person, happily accepted the gift, and then, after navigating the now interconnected network of secret passages, headed straight for the direction from which the bats had made their noise. "Great! Since bats have many weaknesses, we don't need to worry anymore. Let's go!"

No, where are you going?

Lin's forehead twitched. No matter how lowly bats may be, they are not species that can be actively provoked. They know their weaknesses, and it is easy to avoid or kill bats. But if they actively go after them, they will not be facing just one branch of bats, but possibly a dense army of bats.

Given the speed at which Aridia Bat suck blood, a swarm attacking them could probably turn a human into a dried-up corpse in an instant. With so many, there are bound to be some that slip through the net. Even elephants are afraid of ant swarms; this is no foolproof.

I gave you the spray to protect yourself, not to encourage you to do something reckless!

But Yu Xing indignation, his steps unwavering. "Why are the bats so restless for no reason? Shouldn't they be quietly staying in some cave?"

"That means we've encountered living creatures. Judging from those cries, they're attacking and being attacked." Carlos wasn't as troubled as Lin. He sighed, "Closer... are we finally going to run into the people from the Oster Company?"

Yu Xing used her hearing to pinpoint the location, and after a few turns, she felt the voice was very close. "It could also be from another timeline, Shi Jiu and Will, among others."

The current main timeline is fixed; only people from other timelines can jump over. Therefore, after the deaths of the bespectacled man and others, there is no opportunity for bespectacled men and their ilk from other timelines to jump over.

However, Shi Jiu, Will, and Will are still alive, and they still retain the possibility that they can "move around in the tomb." As long as there is possibility, there is a timeline.

Lin and Carlos understood this and remained silent, because they were already very close to the swarm of bats, and could even see the scattered bat carcasses on the ground.

As he rounded the next corner, something suddenly flew towards Yu Xing. He initially thought it was a bat, but then realized it wasn't flapping its wings; it was slamming towards him.

A human head.