Plots and Open Schemes!

The two of them walked upward. As they went, Zhang Qiling noticed something was wrong. This was not the sixteenth level they had passed through. Both were empty, but something felt off.

"Yu Zhi, something's wrong. Be careful." Zhang Qiling reached for Yu Zhi's shoulder to stop him, but he caught nothing. His fingers passed straight through the other man's body. He tried to grab him several more times in a panic, but still caught nothing. Then he saw to his horror that another Zhang Qiling stood behind Yu Zhi, identical to him, but not him.

"Yu Zhi, watch out, that's not me!" Zhang Qiling shouted desperately, but he was helpless. They could not hear him over there. He could not figure out what had happened, or who had made a move while they had let their guard down.

Yu Zhi also sensed something was wrong and went on guard. There was something wrong with the Zhang Qiling behind him. He seemed to have been replaced when they stepped onto another level. The two of them shared both a One Heart Contract and a primordial spirit imprint, yet he could feel nothing at all between himself and the thing behind him.

He did not know where it had taken Zhang Qiling. He must not panic.

Pretending he had noticed nothing, Yu Zhi turned naturally to look at the other man. "Zhang Qiling, what day should we hold our wedding after we get out?" Then he stepped forward and pressed his hand against the other man's chest, as tenderly as if he were caressing a lover.

"Whatever day you say. It's up to you." The fake Zhang Qiling stroked Yu Zhi's hair as he had before and spoke indulgently, his eyes full of triumphant amusement.

"How about tomorrow, then? What do you say?" As soon as he finished speaking, he frantically activated the Azure Nether Creation Art. Vines pierced the other man's body and instantly devoured the fake Zhang Qiling, leaving nothing behind.

This fake was not human. It had neither soul nor flesh and blood inside it.

"Come out. Whatever it is, let's talk. Where did you take Zhang Qiling? I know you must have some use for me, or you wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to make a fake to trick me." Yu Zhi went straight to inviting whoever it was to negotiate. First, he would get Zhang Qiling back in front of him.

"How clever. As expected of the person I set my sights on." A voice rang out through the space. It belonged to a woman who sounded very gentle.

"Where is Zhang Qiling? Let him out." The two of them had a contract, so he knew Zhang Qiling's life was not currently in danger, but not being able to see him made his heart race.

"All right, little one. Are you in such a hurry? I'll be merciful and let you see him." The woman's voice was full of confidence that she had nothing to fear.

Yu Zhi saw the space seem to tremble, and Zhang Qiling appeared before him. He relaxed slightly.

"A Li, don't agree to anything he says." Zhang Qiling was anxious. All he knew was that the voice was dangerous, a being that the two of them together could not defeat.

"What exactly are you? What do you need me to do?" As Yu Zhi spoke, he reached for Zhang Qiling.

A woman with a human body and a snake's tail suddenly appeared and seized Zhang Qiling. She said to Yu Zhi, "I know you have a small space. You two don't need to stand so close together. We can talk like this. Don't worry, little one, I won't hurt him. As for who I am, you may call me the Queen Mother of the West. What do I need you to do? I need you to help me with something, and it requires him too." The Queen Mother of the West spoke in a gentle, lilting voice, but her tone was lofty and imperious.

"So it's Lady Queen Mother of the West. Whatever it is, why don't we take our time and talk? Could you give Zhang Qiling back to me?" Conspiracy theories raced through Yu Zhi's head. This was actually that fake Queen Mother of the West. Hadn't she been sealed? Had the seal failed to hold her?

"Let me do it. I'll take his place!" Zhang Qiling shouted at her. "Yu Zhi, hurry and go! Leave me!"

"Noisy." The woman clamped a hand around Zhang Qiling's throat, her nails digging into his flesh. Drops of blood ran onto her hand, drawing a cry of pain from the False Queen Mother of the West. "What a nuisance!" She flung Zhang Qiling away and sealed his body.

"Now, it's quiet. We can have a proper talk."

Seeing Zhang Qiling thrown onto the ground, Yu Zhi started toward him to help him up. But the moment he took a step, he was fixed in place. With his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, he had no chance of budging it in the slightest. He could only rack his brains over what she wanted.

"Whatever you need me to do, we can talk about it. I know how to read the situation." Seeing how arrogant and powerful she was, Yu Zhi decided to sound her out and see if there was an opportunity. He absolutely could not let him attack Zhang Qiling.

"I need you to become Wu Xie." The False Queen Mother of the West did not mind and stated her objective outright.

"Wu Xie? What is Wu Xie?" Yu Zhi was stunned. How could she know the name Wu Xie? He had not even been born yet. And becoming Wu Xie? That was one hell of a leap.

"Because I hold half the Heavenly Dao's authority. How could I not know? Everything in the future is in my grasp."

Yu Zhi thought she was bluffing, but he had no proof. "But why me? And Wu Xie hasn't even been born yet! Isn't this a joke?"

"A joke? No, no, no. Why would I joke? You can simply reincarnate as Wu Xie! As for why you? Because he chose you. This way, I can carry out my plan and torment Zhang Qiling at the same time. It's perfect. That name, Zhang Qiling, really makes me hate him so much I wish I could tear out his bones and eat his flesh." The False Queen Mother of the West revealed these secrets without concealing a thing.

Yu Zhi cursed inwardly. This fucking thing was aimed at Zhang Qiling again.

"Lady Queen Mother of the West, if you want me to become Wu Xie, there must be something you need me to do, right?"

"Since you've asked, I'll tell you. I want you to become Wu Xie, seize fortune, and finally help me leave this place and take control of heaven and earth. When that time comes, you can also receive the immortality, wealth, and everything you desire that I bestow upon you, including Zhang Qiling. I can grant you everything, everything you desire, so long as I become the ruler of this world." The False Queen Mother of the West's voice was full of temptation.

Yu Zhi watched her talking away to herself. He did not know whether it was because she had gone too long without speaking to anyone or because she had nothing to fear. After all, everyone who walked out of the Bronze Door lost their memories of this place.

"But I don't know how to seize it. How do I seize fortune? And if you can't get out, wouldn't I be on my own? I'd be a reincarnated baby, too. It would be hard to accomplish anything. How about letting me use my current body instead? As a baby, I couldn't deal with anyone."

"You don't need to know how to seize it. I'll arrange everything outside. Actually, I don't need to tell you so much. It's just that several thousand years have passed, and I only woke up recently. It's nice to find someone interesting to talk to."

"Since you're so sensible, I'll tell you another secret. The Heavenly Dao has been gone for a long time. As long as I can break through the seal and leave this place, I will be the Heavenly Dao."

"As for the protection you mentioned, isn't Zhang Qiling perfect for the job? Even though he's only at the Qi Refining Stage, at least his face is easy on the eyes! I don't know how the Zhang Family's Qiling could have chosen someone so weak. He could at least have chosen someone at the Nascent Soul Stage to keep up appearances. The Zhang Family is becoming less and less worthy of respect."

"You don't need to worry about him losing his memory and forgetting you, either. I'll use my power to make Zhang Qiling retain these memories and stay by your side from the moment you're born. I'm quite merciful." The False Queen Mother of the West went on and on, lost in her own satisfaction, interspersing her words with judgments of and hatred for the Zhang Family.

Yu Zhi listened to this information-heavy speech. What was going on? This fake had only just woken up, and she did not even know there were no cultivators left outside? Then what was she so confident about? What exactly had she arranged? Things were getting messier and messier.

He frantically digested the information. After a period of silence, he slowly said, "What do I need to do to become Wu Xie?"

"Oh? You're giving up without a fight?"

"Why fight? Becoming Wu Xie sounds pretty good. My beloved Zhang Qiling can hold me from the moment I'm born, and there's immortality too. What a wonderful thing. It's truly my honor to be chosen by you." Yu Zhi put on a suitably yearning and fawning expression.

"At least you know what's good for you. I won't treat you badly. Once I draw out your soul and send it into a mother's womb to reincarnate, everything will proceed just as I expect! But for you, there will be one tiny side effect: your memories and cultivation will be gone." The False Queen Mother of the West looked down on Yu Zhi a little now. She had not expected him to be so spineless, if not for the way Zhang Qiling indulged his every wish.

"All right, I agree. You'll definitely let Zhang Qiling leave, won't you?"

"Of course. I need Zhang Qiling alive. If he isn't alive, how can he protect you?"

Yu Zhi ran through every possibility in his mind and finally found that there was only one way to escape death. The mad idea in his mind gradually took shape. "Then what do you need me to do? Just say it."

"Relax your mind and don't resist." The False Queen Mother of the West spoke unhurriedly, then stretched out her right hand and grasped at the air in front of Yu Zhi's chest.

The next second, a large amount of blood poured from his mouth. As she drew out his soul, his body began to tremble.

Yu Zhi summoned his spiritual power and resisted with all his might. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, his face twisted, and his teeth clenched as he began to carry out his plan.

The False Queen Mother of the West seemed to feel some obstruction and gave a soft "Huh?" Then she smoothly drew the soul out of his body and held it in a ball of light. The next moment, she cried out in pain. "Damn Heavenly Dao, meddling in my affairs again!" At the same time, a faint spatial fluctuation struck Zhang Qiling's body and vanished.

A layer of golden light of merit coated her right hand, rapidly spreading upward and corroding her forearm. Seeing it about to reach her upper arm, she acted decisively and cut off her right shoulder.

She had no time to worry about anything else. She hurriedly tore open space with her other hand and hurled the ball of soul-light into a womb.

With his spirit and soul drawn out, Yu Zhi's body fell straight to the ground like a rag doll.

The False Queen Mother of the West no longer appeared as unconcerned as before. The moment the space closed, her body seemed to suffer a grievous blow. Her snake tail exploded, though no blood flowed, and her form began to grow illusory.

Zhang Qiling watched it all happen before his eyes, going from furious frenzy to helplessness. At this moment, he hated himself. Why had he brought Yu Zhi in here? Why had he not worked hard at cultivation? Why did he not even have the ability to resist, or even to shout and curse? He could not shake this seal in the slightest.

The False Queen Mother of the West paid no attention to the state of her body. Floating in the air, she laughed wildly. "Damn Heavenly Dao, you can't stop me! It's all done!" Then she saw the fury and despair in Zhang Qiling's eyes, and felt immensely satisfied. The Zhang Family had imprisoned and sealed her back then. This was the retribution they deserved, and next she would make every member of the Zhang Family pay.

"Zhang Qiling, Yu Zhi has now reincarnated as Wu Xie. What's done is done. I want Yu Zhi to reincarnate as Wu Xie. I'll use my power to let you leave here with your memories. I want you to willingly step into this scheme and follow the path I've laid out, without deviating a hair's breadth." As she spoke, she spewed mouthfuls of blood, and her form grew unsteady, as though it would dissipate at any moment.

"Zhang Family, heh, Heavenly Dao, when I wake again, you'll all die. Wait for my revenge!" Before she had finished speaking, her body exploded, leaving only her voice echoing through hell.

Only after the False Queen Mother of the West vanished did Zhang Qiling regain control of his body. He quickly crawled to Yu Zhi's body and reached out to feel for his breath. How he wished he could feel even the faintest breath, but there was none, nothing at all. He held him silently, wiping the blood from Yu Zhi's face with trembling hands, as two streams of bloody tears slowly flowed from his eyes.

At that moment, he wanted to cry and shout, but his throat felt as though it had been scraped with sandpaper. All that came from it were meaningless, rasping breaths.

He wanted to follow Yu Zhi in death, but he could not. Yu Zhi's soul had already reincarnated as Wu Xie. He had to protect him, even if it cost him his own life!

Zhang Qiling carefully gathered Yu Zhi's body into his arms and slowly rose to his feet. He walked like a living corpse. He had to get out. He had to take his A Li out, away from here. This place was hell. A Li had said there was no sunlight here, and he liked basking in the sun. The more he thought, the more anxious he became. His steps quickened until they left afterimages, and in an instant he arrived before the Bronze Door. Without hesitation, he cut his palm, pressed it against the mechanism, and walked out.

Doctor: "Mr. Wu, congratulations, congratulations! Mrs. Wu has given birth to a big, healthy boy."

Wu Yiqiong: "Good, good, good! Then let's call him Wu Xie!"