The Sealed Land of a Mysterious Existence (Seeking Collection)

Chu Zhengzhang said to Lin Yun, "True. Awakening a Martial Soul with a dark attribute while in a position that could be called 'under the public eye' is a crime in itself."

Lin Yun replied, "I understand your decision, but I still have to say, this is a vicious cycle. Since you became an Evil Soul Master, you must have killed quite a few people, right? Doesn't that just deepen people's fear of dark-attribute Martial Souls?"

"Although you weren't reported because of fear, your actions are reinforcing that bastard logic that 'dark attributes must die.' Of course, it's easy for me to say this from the sidelines, and your decision isn't necessarily wrong, but at your current rate of cultivation progress, it will be very difficult to surpass that elder."

Chu Zhengzhang sighed, his eyes dimming as he said, "You don't need to worry about my feelings. I know myself that this is forcing more people with dark Martial Souls into persecution in the future. But... but I have no home left, and no future either."

Lin Yun pondered for a moment and sighed. He knew he was too soft-hearted, so he said, "What is the name of the viscount who harmed you?"

Chu Zhengzhang looked at Lin Yun in confusion, and after a long while, he said, "Yang Yuefeng."

Lin Yun repeated the name twice, then said, "I've remembered it. If I can get out and return to Shrek Academy, I will trade my future rewards to have the academy step in and communicate with the Dou Ling royal family. I'll have them strip that guy of everything—at the very least, I'll see if I can save your sister."

Chu Zhengzhang widened his eyes, looked at Lin Yun, and said, "You would actually take revenge for me? You really aren't your typical Shrek student."

Lin Yun looked into the distance and said, "Perhaps we look at problems from different angles, but that doesn't change the fact that we are both still people with feelings. Cultivation hasn't yet worn away our basic sympathy and empathy."

Chu Zhengzhang curled his lips and said to Lin Yun, "It seems that if I can survive and get out, I'll have to change my view on righteous soul masters. Perhaps there really are good people among them after all."

Lin Yun shook his head and said, "No need for that. You won't need to observe carefully to see if a soul master who survives is a good person; it will be obvious. If you aren't decisive enough in killing, you might just get yourself killed instead."

Chu Zhengzhang was stunned, and Lin Yun added, "You and I hit it off well enough, and I genuinely intend to make you my friend. Don't die too early, or I'll be bored."

Just then, the two reached the entrance of a cave, and Chu Zhengzhang said, "Let's head down."

Lin Yun struck a fire starter, held up a torch, and followed behind Chu Zhengzhang.

Though they were chatting happily, Lin Yun wasn't such a fool as to trust the other party completely just because of a pleasant conversation.

Lin Yun wasn't exactly a saint himself; at best, he was a shade of gray.

Chu Zhengzhang knew about the little schemes in Lin Yun's heart, but he didn't care. The previous statement was enough for him; even if he were being deceived, Chu Zhengzhang would accept it.

Walking deep into the cave, Lin Yun saw a woman sitting on the ground, wearing the robes of the Shrek Inner Court Inspection Team.

The woman frowned as she looked at Lin Yun and Chu Zhengzhang, saying indifferently, "Is everyone here?"

Chu Zhengzhang nodded, but his tone was not very friendly as he said, "We are only cooperating; don't take on that superior attitude."

Lin Yun took out his Outer Court student ID.

"Senior sister, hello. I am a disciple of the Outer Court. We can be considered schoolmates, and I know both of you. Let's not bicker at a time like this. Can we share some information?"

The senior sister from the Outer Court glanced at Lin Yun and said, "That, at least, is a sensible thing to say. However, in today's situation, we really don't have much information. We only know that this city has a very unpleasant stench."

Lin Yun said, "I'll share a piece of information. My Martial Soul is the Skeletal Bone Dragon, a necromancy-type Martial Soul. It is innately sensitive to life. In this entire city, there are only three of us living people who reside here; everyone else is a spiritual entity forcibly detained in the city by some kind of power."

As soon as Lin Yun spoke, the two in front of him were shocked. It seemed they truly didn't know the situation of the others in the city.

"Then, what is the situation with the food in the city?"

The senior sister spoke coldly, her tone once again carrying a hint of malice.

Lin Yun couldn't stand her high-and-mighty tone anymore, so he casually teased, "Nothing much. The death energy is very heavy. If you eat a little, you'll get diarrhea; if you eat too much, you'll age much faster."

The expressions of the two changed once again. Chu Zhengzhang slapped his thigh, suddenly realized the truth, and pointed at Lin Yun's nose, saying, "I was wondering why you were just watching me eat earlier without touching any yourself! So you were setting me up?"

With that, the senior sister completely believed Lin Yun's joke, and her face darkened. Lin Yun retorted, "Setting you up? Falsely accusing people is against the law. Did I beg you to eat it, or did I shove it down your throat?"

Chu Zhengzhang was so angry he lunged forward.

"It seems you've forgotten what I do for a living. Even if I can't kill you, that doesn't stop me from leaving a mark on you!"

Lin Yun took the opportunity to write the four characters 'Fake, don't believe' on Chu Zhengzhang's body, hidden from the senior sister's sight.

Chu Zhengzhang was quick to react; having spent years scraping by and taking his fair share of beatings, he wasn't just for show. He immediately understood Lin Yun's intention, continuing to curse and swear while landing a punch that gave Lin Yun a black eye.

Climbing up from the ground, the girl said, "Enough, we can discuss this later. The problem now is how to get out."

Lin Yun asked, "Do you two seniors who arrived first have any ideas?"

The girl replied, "My Martial Soul is a book, so I can decipher the ancient characters on the cave walls. The text roughly says that when humanity first emerged, something arrived from beyond the realm and slammed into this place. A formidable entity emerged from it—the species is still unknown—but it was sealed here by some kind of power."

"According to the prophecies in the later text, the seal has reached its limit today. This thing is about to break free, so it is selecting a suitable source of nourishment."

Lin Yun's mouth twitched as he said to the senior sister, "So, you're saying the three of us are the rations it chose, and furthermore, that one of us has to be left behind here?"

The senior sister nodded, then added, "The situation is even worse, because the choice isn't ours to make. In other words, if we fight amongst ourselves, more than one of us will be left behind."

Lin Yun took a deep breath and said to the two of them, "In a death trap like this, are we just going to stay here?"

The senior sister shook her head and pointed toward a rock wall to the east, saying, "Look over there. That should be a door, and the way to open it requires three types of Martial Souls: a book, a dragon, and a flower. You said your Martial Soul is the Skeletal Bone Dragon, so that must be the soul imprint for the dragon Martial Soul..."