Listen

The instant that fragrance entered his nostrils, An Chen felt as though he had downed several large bowls of liquor.

Just like before, the vines became soft and lovable, the ground warm and comfortable, and even the sickening stench in the air became intoxicating.

His legs began to weaken, and every step felt as if he were floating.

"Stop hiding!" Mokai's voice came from all directions.

An Chen gritted his teeth and stared fixedly at the courtyard wall not far ahead.

Just get over it. Just get over it.

Yet his pace grew slower and slower.

Countless thoughts tempted him.

"Stop running. I'm so tired."

"Lie down. One nap will make everything better."

"It's no big deal. Deal with it tomorrow."

"It's fine to rest for a while."

"Give up."

An Chen's consciousness began to scatter again.

He felt as though he were stepping on something soft and warm.

He wanted to lie down, close his eyes, and sink into this warmth forever.

So tired.

He was truly so tired.

From arriving in this world until now, from Tieyan City to Sanchao Post.

He had been running all this time, but he did not need to anymore. As long as he lay down, he would have everything.

An Chen's legs began to bend, and his knees had already touched the ground.

The blood-red vines nearby surged toward him. He felt himself sinking, his body warm as if he were soaking in a hot spring. He did not even want to move his fingers.

Just as An Chen's consciousness gradually faded and his eyelids were about to close.

A trace of coolness suddenly came from the ring finger of his right hand, though he did not notice it.

But the thoughts in his mind were instantly swept away by an angry thought.

"Is this all you've got, you fucking loser?"

"He's a native, and you're a transmigrator. You can't even handle him?"

"Are you just going to let that little bastard get what he wants?"

"If you lie down like this, what about the people who care about you?"

"..."

It was anger. An Chen felt anger.

The desire born of anger swallowed up every desire to rest.

An Chen abruptly opened his eyes.

His gaze was resolute. His mind was clear, but his entire body was weak and unable to move.

He tried to grab the Iron Pot beside him, but only his fingers twitched.

Those purplish-red vines had already crawled up his calves, pressing tightly against his skin.

An Chen wanted to Detonate the mark on Mokai's body again.

But he discovered that his Soul Power could not circulate, so naturally he could not use a Soul Skill.

"Your will is even stronger than I imagined." Mokai emerged from the mist, shaking his head as the purplish-red vines around him coiled nearby. "Even I was affected, yet you were still able to wake up."

An Chen was undoubtedly furious right now.

Facing Mokai, he had no options left. He could not move his body, nor could he use his Soul Skills.

Should he beg for mercy? It did not seem like it would help. Mokai had said from the start that he intended to sacrifice him.

Mokai looked at the fury in his eyes and slowly approached.

An Chen gritted his teeth, as though he had made some sort of decision.

He reined in his Spirituality, held his breath, and tilted his head slightly so that one ear faced upward.

Listen.

An Chen activated the Listener's Listen ability, hoping it might offer him a chance to break the deadlock.

Mokai stopped and watched him.

But after a moment, nothing happened.

Mokai could not help but sneer. "Still playing tricks when death is right at your door."

With that, he continued forward.

An Chen felt somewhat helpless. Why had Listen failed?

He turned to consider what other strange abilities he had that could get him out of this predicament.

He thought of the system, then of the System Barrier.

System Barrier! Right! Listen must have failed because the System Barrier was active, blocking out the Outer Deity's voice!

Overjoyed, An Chen hurriedly shut down the System Barrier.

"Deactivate the barrier!"

He watched the barrier on the System Panel change from Activated (Enhanced) to Deactivated.

But nothing changed. An Chen took a deep breath and prepared to Listen again.

Countless Babbles and whispers reached his ears.

Voices of countless men, women, children, and elders intertwined—crying, laughter, roars, screams, moans, and murmurs—echoing continuously beside his ears.

An Chen's vision turned blood-red, and blood began to flow from his seven orifices.

He wanted to cover his ears, but his body would not allow it.

He felt a gaze descending upon him from the distant starry sky.

His mental strength and Spirituality seemed as though they would collapse at any moment.

Yet even amid the madness, he retained a sliver of reason and pushed the switch of "Listen" with all his strength.

The next second, after he actively began to Listen, the Babbles at his ears became even more piercing and crazed.

An Chen felt as though his head had been split open by a sharp sword, and his body could not stop trembling.

Mokai had long since stopped two meters away, quietly watching An Chen.

He had no idea what was happening, nor did he know why this lamb awaiting slaughter had changed like this.

But whatever the change was, as long as An Chen remained alive, that was enough.

Even so, Mokai did not continue forward. He controlled the tentacles, intending to wrap An Chen up.

The purplish-red vines slowly coiled upward from his calves until they reached An Chen's neck.

Just as even his head was about to be wrapped up, Mokai heard An Chen's calm voice.

"Ignite."

The next second, Mokai felt terror surge up from the depths of his soul. The various desires and emotions produced by his Soul Skill were magnified without limit.

Greed, possessiveness, lust, the desire to show off, fear, rage, and more—especially fear.

Mokai's eyeballs became bloodshot and enlarged until they finally burst apart.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His fingers tried to grope for the eyeballs that no longer existed, yet he could not lift them.

"Urgh..."

The vines nearby and those supporting him all dissipated at that moment, and Mokai crashed heavily to the ground.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to vomit something up, but after several dry heaves, nothing came out.

Mokai suddenly raised his head. His face no longer resembled a human face; his eye sockets were empty, and the corners of his mouth were split wide apart.

He used all his strength to let out a muffled roar, as though he were shouting someone's name, or imitating a sound he had heard before but never understood.

At that moment, An Chen struggled to look in Mokai's direction and happened to see him collapse after roaring.

The Babbles beside An Chen's ears continued, though they were no longer as frenzied as before. Strength gradually returned to his body, and he stood up and walked toward Mokai.

Mokai did not seem to be dead yet, but An Chen could no longer tell what emotions he felt, because there was nothing but darkness in Mokai's empty eye sockets.

"Director Mo, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."

An Chen looked at Mokai's faintly rising and falling chest as he spoke.

Mokai seemed to hear him. His throat moved as though he wanted to speak, but no sound came out.

An Chen shook his head irritably, then plopped back down onto the ground and watched Mokai die.

He began to think deeply.

The system can block Listen too. It nearly got me killed.

But thankfully, I was fine. I managed to kill him instead.

Watching Mokai's breath grow weaker and weaker, An Chen wanted to know why Mokai had suddenly turned hostile.

Mokai had previously said that he wanted to sacrifice An Chen.

Then he thought of the materials in Mokai's hidden chamber.

Suddenly, An Chen slapped the ground and sprang to his feet.

So that's it. I kept wondering why my Ritual Magic never succeeded. The barrier being active must have been the reason.

Listening to the continuous Babbles in his ears, An Chen swiftly took out the materials from the Ring. He prepared to perform a spirit-summoning ritual before Mokai's corpse, to learn about the mark on Mokai's hand, his mutated Wuhun, why he wanted to sacrifice An Chen, and whom he intended to sacrifice him to.