A Fated Destiny...?

The Lingren essentially conveyed all the information that a "believer" who had received the brand could receive to Yu Xing.

Such complete openness is hard to believe came from the mouth of Lingren.

Yu Xing did not miss the concept of "seven evil gods". Qianjie, with a human body and a snake tail, was one of them. He was also the only evil god from Yin Yang City that he had come into contact with so far.

But in reality, he felt quite familiar with the other gods as well.

The curse flowing within him, originating from the same source as the Ghost Tree, perfectly matched the Yin Yang City. Coupled with the Lingren's attitude, it was hard for him not to suspect that the power of the "Ghost Tree" might also be one of the evil gods.

Then there's Yi Qing. He seems to know a lot and is so powerful that he's even so rude to the system.

From the moment Yi Qing revealed her familiarity with Yin Yang City, Yu Xing already suspected that Yi Qing might actually be from Yin Yang City.

Could the power belonging to the Sheqing Ghost also originate from some evil god?

Finally, there's... Zhao Yijiu.

There are two explanations for why he was not contaminated by information. One is that the presence of the vengeful spirit within him makes him highly resistant to contamination, but this would mean that the vengeful spirit's consciousness is actually something close to the strength of an evil god.

The second explanation is that Zhao Yijiu has already heard this information, so naturally she won't cause secondary contamination.

Yu Xing suspected that the vengeful spirit's consciousness was also separated from the power of the evil god, because he remembered that before Zhao Yijiu merged with the vengeful spirit's consciousness when she was a child, this vengeful spirit actually ran away from a certain instance.

It was hidden inside Zhao Yijiu's elder, and its existence was only revealed when it came into the real world, creating a nightmare.

To determine the strength of a ghost, one must consider not only its Combat Power but also the unique characteristics it exhibits.

What kind of ghost would it take to actively escape the gaze of the Absurdity System? To leave its own world? At the very least, it would be quite difficult for it to realize that its world is not unique.

You can tell from Xu Shu's clueless attitude just how rare it is for a vengeful ghost to infiltrate reality. Otherwise, why would he be so obsessed with finding a contracted ghost?

Yu Xing suspected that he had actually indirectly come into contact with four evil gods.

Unexpectedly, from the past to the present, all the twists and turns have pointed to the same place, as if guided by some kind of destiny, leading to the same destination.

Even more extreme, he thought of the Wizard Cult and that mysterious Witch.

This fleeting moment gave him the illusion that everything he had ever seen, all the various complex power systems, actually... originated from the Yin-Yang field.

Of course, he had no evidence, just a gut feeling.

Yu Xing suppressed all her speculations, looked calmly and clearly at the Lingren, and asked only one question, "Will Yin Yang City be the end?"

"The end." The Lingren's eyes flickered. "Yes, that is the end, but whose end it is, we don't know yet."

"What does the end mean?" Zhao Yijiu finally couldn't hold back anymore. He disliked words with such tragic connotations, especially when used to describe Yu Xing.

He already had a bad feeling when he heard the Lingren mention the word before; he wasn't stupid.

He was asking Yu Xing, Yu Xing shrugged. "It's nothing. Those things like destiny are inherently illusory; there's no need to worry about them..."

The Lingren said calmly, "It certainly means disappearing forever."

Zhao Yijiu:!

Yu Xing frowned. "Lingren."

"You should know that you, as captain, like me, have already lived far more than your lifespan allows." The Lingren looked at the tense Zhao Yijiu, his expression somewhat wistful. "Everything in this world has its own rules. Human life is short, but that's what it should be."

"We possess life that transcends the rules, which means we are drifting further and further away from humanity, and are ourselves a kind of monster."

"So calling you 'little thing' isn't an insult. You know what? You want A Xing to live, but he might not."

Zhao Yijiu: "..."

Yu Xing opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't say anything to refute Zhao Yijiu in front of the Lingren.

Once those false words are spoken, they are like a thin sheet of white paper, easily torn apart with the slightest touch, yet one continues to deceive oneself, making oneself a laughingstock.

"Have you ever thought that A Xing's time is forever frozen at 23? You're 25 now, right? You two look about the same age, suitable teammates, and also good friends." Lingren stood up, gently stepped out of the area of the table and chairs, and looked up to meet Zhao Yijiu's gaze.

"But what about 10 years from now? 20 years from now? 30 years from now?"

"When you're 55, A Xing will still be 23. You'll look like his father."

Zhao Yijiu's breath hitched, and she took a step back, a thin layer of cold sweat inexplicably seeping from her back.

The Lingren spoke with a mixture of sarcasm and pity, "Twenty years from now, you'll be 75, needing a cane or a wheelchair to get around, while A Xing will still be 23. Your body will begin to dissolve, your face will be lined with wrinkles, and you might not even have many teeth left. At that time, will you still have the courage... to stand before him in that ugly state?"

The Lingren was skilled at inducing and manipulating; every word he uttered could lure someone into an abyss. But this time, he didn't use any power at all.

Because it's unnecessary.

The most truthful answer to this kind of thing is already the scene beneath the abyss.

How terrifying.

Zhao Yijiu felt a churning in his stomach, a strong urge to vomit, and a dizzy feeling in his head.

That scene was more terrifying than any simulation he had ever experienced; just imagining it felt like hell.

But before the Lingren could finish speaking, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Yu Xing's expression had also stiffened and frozen. He chuckled, shook his head, and continued to Zhao Yijiu, "This is just your despair. You probably never imagined that while you wished for A Xing to live, he would witness you—you, your brother, and everyone in the broken mirror—gradually growing old until death."

"You will all die, you selfish little things. In the end, the one who will experience loneliness again will be A Xing."

Loneliness is a form of slow, agonizing torture.

Every immortal being must be torn to pieces.

"I..." Zhao Yijiu breathed rapidly. At this moment, he suddenly realized with horror that death wasn't so bad.

This is incorrect.

This is incorrect.

But for Yu Xing, death was a better destination...

No! That's not right!

"Hahahaha... This person is really good at brainwashing. You're so weak, you believe whatever he says?" From the depths of your soul, a suppressed voice surged up with boundless malice.

"Why won't you accept me? If you had, you wouldn't be showing such a pathetic side at this time, Zhao Yijiu," the voice said. "If you don't want Yu Xing to die, then make yourself immortal too... Foolish."

"Do you know what the Lingren is going to say next? He's going to say that he's the only one most suitable to stand beside Yu Xing. They're both monsters, and they can live together forever and ever and ever and ever."

Do you think Yu Xing agree?

"Why can't you become like the Lingren, join that lonely revelry? Turn yourself, your brother, everyone you care about, into the same kind of monster."

"Being a monster isn't so bad. Isn't Yu Xing a perfect example? He's a monster, but he's so good. Zhao Yijiu, stop being so useless. It's not time for that yet. What are you so afraid of?"

His incessant babbling broke through his reason, and a bloodshot red welled up in Zhao Yijiu's eyes. He gasped for breath, and beneath his tousled hair, a pair of eyes belonging to a ghost were revealed.

The Lingren's smile deepened slightly.

But he didn't say anything more, not a single word of what the vengeful spirit had predicted.

He simply took two polite steps back and turned to Yu Xing: "Actually, you don't know what to do either, do you? But there's no use keeping it a secret forever; they'll figure it out sooner or later... even if they don't want to."

"You will never have friends forever," the Lingren said, a hint of apology in his eyes. "You will only have enemies forever."

"Perhaps," Yu Xing said listlessly.

He felt that the brand on his chest might be affecting his brain, distorting his thinking, and making him feel a little tired at the moment, so he didn't want to create another beautiful vision to comfort his teammates.

Because.

The Lingren was right; he had been determined to be alone for so many years, knowing this would be the outcome.

But why was it the Lingren who revealed these words? He wanted to... find an even better opportunity...

"That's not it." Zhao Yijiu's voice suppressed a pain and inner turmoil that seemed ready to burst forth at any moment. He gripped Yu Xing's forearm tightly and repeated with some difficulty, "That's not it."

Yu Xing was stunned to see a pair of deep red ghost eyes. His heart tightened. He initially thought that the spirit of the vengeful ghost had taken over Zhao Yijiu's mind, but after another look, he knew that it wasn't.

A barely perceptible plea appeared on Zhao Yijiu's gloomy face. "There's no end to this, don't talk about it anymore."

"Yu Xing, I... I can't control 'it' anymore, knock me out, quick!"

He endured it, struggling against another version of himself to find his true self.

Yu Xing didn't have time to ask anything. Her trust in Zhao Yijiu completely prevailed, and without hesitation, she opened her hand and pressed it against Zhao Yijiu's forehead.

The power of the curse enveloped Zhao Yijiu, instantly causing her to lose consciousness.

The man slumped down, Yu Xing helped him lean against a table and chair. She wiped the sweat from his forehead, sighed, and turned to the Lingren: "You've been talking a lot today, more than you'd expect."

Or rather, from the moment the Lingren poured out that cup of tea, he sensed a subtle difference in the Lingren.

"The deal is done, but you owe me a condition." The Lingren didn't answer, only reminding him of one thing, then said, "Take him with you; we should head out."

"The old man who guided us here isn't one to disturb other people's conversations. We've been talking for so long, he must have gotten tired of waiting outside."

"The tickets have been allocated; it's time to go."