Making Fools of Them All

A sinister smile flickered across Ji Jinglun's lips, and he suddenly shook the Bone Banner in his hand.

In an instant, the Sha Qi black tide, about to encounter the blood-red chains, suddenly extended dozens of dark claws and grabbed at the chains.

The chains tore through the air, meandering and tracing an unpredictable path, piercing the approaching claws one after another.

However, it couldn't withstand the overwhelming amount of Sha Qi and sharp claws.

A sharp claw suddenly grabbed the middle of the chain and yanked it hard, causing the chain to go out of control and no longer move as smoothly as before.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the other claws closed in and seized the chains.

The chains trembled violently, yet they could not break free from the numerous sharp claws binding them.

"Hahaha..."

Ji Jinglun laughed wildly.

"Yin Shi, you've devoted most of your energy to comprehending Formation Dao. In terms of offensive techniques alone, you're far inferior to me. Besides, your Life-Bound Treasure — the Three Yin Ghost Saber— was knocked away by Madam Jiang."

The "Three Yin Ghost Saber" that Ji Jinglun mentioned was clearly the Ghost-Head Long Saber.

Although the longsword was forced back a long way, under the full power of the Corpse Daoist Yin, it had already absorbed the impact force exerted by Jiang Wanyue and was rapidly returning to rescue its master.

However, Ji Jinglun had no intention of giving him that chance. The Bone Banner had already left his hand, turning into a pale white streak of light, heading straight for the face of the Corpse Daoist Yin.

The Corpse Daoist Yin suddenly bit his tongue, spitting out Essence Blood.

The blood mist exploded, transforming into a crimson barrier.

The Bone Banner, like a spear, pierced the barrier.

"Bang--"

The crimson barrier shattered instantly, but it also blocked the Bone Banner for a moment.

In that brief moment of delay, the Ghost-Head Long Saber had already arrived, slashing at the Bone Banner whose power still lingered.

The two weapons separated upon contact, each flying backward, but a violent residual force erupted, first striking the closest Corpse Daoist Yin.

The Corpse Daoist Yin was instantly thrown away, spitting out a large amount of blood.

This was the second time he had suffered a serious blow—he had previously been injured by the sudden burst of power from the middle-aged man's phantom appearance.

The Corpse Daoist Yin's face was ashen, and he was too weak to steady himself. He was thrown several miles away before crashing heavily to the ground, leaving a huge crater.

Ji Jinglun wanted to press his advantage and eliminate the Corpse Daoist Yin completely.

The Bone Banner traced an arc in the air before heading straight for the deep pit.

However, just as the Bone Banner approached the top of the pit, a Bone Banner light suddenly appeared and blocked it.

Ji Jinglun's face darkened, and he turned his gaze to Jiang Wanyue.

It was Jiang Wanyue who activated the Jade-White Flying Sword to save the Corpse Daoist Yin.

"Madam Jiang, what do you mean by this? And... why are you still keeping Gu Huang around? Does Madam intend to break our agreement?"

"Elder Ji, please calm down." Jiang Wanyue pointed to the illusory figure above the Corpse Coffin. "You can't believe everything this person says. Haven't you considered that he's making us kill each other because he has other plans? He might not be able to deal with the four of us right now, and he'll only deal with us one by one after we're seriously injured. Maybe... he even wants to possess us."

"..." Ji Jinglun frowned, his mouth slightly open, but he didn't utter a single word.

"Madam Jiang," the wounded Corpse Daoist Yin struggled to his feet in the deep pit, "I have never offended you, and I have always treated you with respect. I never imagined that your heart could be so vicious!"

Jiang Wanyue said, "Elder Yin Corpse, you were the one who tried to attack me first. You're still alive because you're still somewhat useful. You'd better be sensible and go to the Corpse Coffin yourself to avoid further suffering."

"Don't even think about it!" the Corpse Daoist Yin roared.

Jiang Wanyue wanted to use him to test whether the middle-aged man intended to kill the four people or to possess their bodies.

The Corpse Daoist Yin naturally refused.

He immediately bowed and called out to the middle-aged man.

"Senior, this junior is willing to serve you. Even if you were to possess this junior's body, this junior would do so willingly. As long as you take action and eliminate these three."

Upon hearing this, the surroundings immediately fell silent.

The eyes of all four people present were drawn to the illusory figure of the middle-aged man.

However, the middle-aged man showed no reaction whatsoever, not even lifting his eyelids, and simply stared blankly at the Corpse Coffin beneath him.

Song Wen's heart skipped a beat.

He suddenly realized that after the middle-aged man launched into a long speech about choosing a successor from among the four, his gaze had not shifted even slightly.

Song Wen had a strange feeling—the phantom in front of him seemed to be just a phantom, without any consciousness whatsoever!

"Senior!"

Song Wen tentatively spoke up.

But like the Corpse Daoist Yin, he received no response.

"May I ask, senior, how many of us are there in total?" Song Wen asked again.

This time, Song Wen also received no response.

The middle-aged man remained motionless, as if frozen in time.

At this moment, Jiang Wanyue, Ji Jinglun, and the Corpse Daoist Yin also realized that something was wrong.

"Senior, although our strength is meager and unworthy of your attention, we beg you not to ignore us." Ji Jinglun spoke, his tone questioning yet maintaining a facade of respect.

However, the middle-aged man remained standing still.

After a few more breaths, the four gradually realized that the phantom before them was probably just an empty shell! And its earlier statement about 'choosing a successor' was nothing but empty talk, a mockery of the four present.

Ji Jinglun's face gradually contorted, turning ferocious and furious.

He raised his hand and gestured, Bone Banner immediately changed direction, pointing towards the middle-aged man.

"Senior, if you do not respond, please do not blame me for being rude!"

Before he could finish speaking, the Bone Banner shot out from the sky, heading straight for the middle-aged man.

However, even as the Bone Banner drew near, the middle-aged man remained completely still.

The Bone Banner pierced down from above, striking the middle-aged man's head, but easily passed through his body.

The middle-aged man was completely unharmed, as if he had never existed.

"Bang!"

The Bone Banner pierced the Corpse Coffin.

The Corpse Coffin shattered into pieces in an instant.

Shards of bone flew everywhere.

But the fair-skinned, Living Infant was completely unharmed; it was merely caught in the residual force of the burst of energy and lifted into the air.

It wasn't that the Living Infant's physical body was particularly strong, but rather that Ji Jinglun deliberately held back.

The four men were now completely baffled by the middle-aged man's true nature. This Living Infant was far too strange; it might be the key to unlocking all the secrets, or perhaps the greatest fortuitous opportunity in the world.

The Bone Banner spun in mid-air, catching the Living Infant, and then carried it through the air towards Ji Jinglun.

Ji Jinglun made the first move against the middle-aged man with the intention of snatching the Living Infant.

But Jiang Wanyue didn't want him to have his way.

With a flick of his sword, the Jade-White Flying Sword shot towards the Bone Banner.