In a moment, countless hands reached out from the black water and grabbed Ye Zheng.
Ye Zheng's heart pounded wildly. She had a hunch in her mind. Feeling the sticky black water under her hands, she stammered in panic, "It can't be... "
Ning Yitao sneered and said, "You're right. I've summoned all the people you killed before. They'll accompany you on your last journey."
Ning Yitao patted Ye Zheng's face. "Enjoy the 'gift' I've prepared for you."
Ye Zheng's pupils dilated. She stared ahead in horror, gasping and holding her breath for a long time.
She couldn't stop trembling. She could clearly hear her own heartbeat.
The previous rounds of pain had made her numb. She thought nothing could torture her anymore. But she didn't expect Ning Yitao to summon the thing she feared most.
Ye Zheng didn't even dare to turn her head. She lay stiffly on the ground.
There were not only hands in the black water. Gradually, figures crawled out one by one.
The first figure that crawled out of the black water was the person Ye Zheng least wanted to see - her grandmother, whose eyes had been blinded by Ye Zheng.
Some of the other shadows covered Ye Zheng's mouth with their hands. Their sharp claws pierced through her soul. She didn't even dare to make a sound.
These were all innocent lives that Ye Zheng had tortured beyond recognition. They had become monsters wandering near the Naihe Bridge, waiting for a chance to take revenge on Ye Zheng. Now that they finally had the chance, they wouldn't let it go.
Her emaciated body lay straight on the ground. Her paper - pale face looked even thinner.
Her chest heaved uneasily. She struggled to move her bloodless lips.
Ye Zheng's bony hands struggled in vain by her side. The skin on the back of her hands was yellowish - black, with prominent veins. Her ten fingernails glowed faintly in the dim light.
The "people" on her body piled up higher and higher.
More and more "people" rushed up to bite Ye Zheng's soul. Finally, buried under the "pile of people", she couldn't help but let out a hoarse scream.
This faint scream was heard by her grandmother, who had been wandering blindly.
She accurately found Ye Zheng's position and rushed straight over, knocking away the "figures" around her and directly tearing Ye Zheng's soul apart.
The other "figures" rushed like crazy to the scattered pieces of Ye Zheng's torn - apart soul and kept tearing at it.
Ye Zheng fell silent. Her soul was devoured, and she would never enter the cycle of reincarnation again.
The array's core was broken, and the curse on the village was lifted. The connection between the controlled children and Ye Zheng was severed.
Finally, they could live under the blue sky. They no longer had to be trained into monsters hidden from the light. They could finally walk out of the village openly.
Ye Zheng was dead.
Everything was settled.
Next, it was time to deal with the ignorant villagers of Di Village.
***********
They opened the door and walked out of the underground again, back to the ground. Ning Yitao felt relieved.
Without Ye Zheng, Ning Yitao even felt that the air in the village was fresher.
Looking at the children still guarding the cave entrance and Xie Qian, who came to greet them, Ye Jin felt a long - lost sense of earthly life. She felt a little nervous for no reason. She had been in a deep sleep for too long and had been separated from the people around her for too long.
Ye Jin involuntarily hugged A Lai tightly.
The "guards" trained by Ye Zheng were liberated. Without the person controlling them, there was no longer numbness in the children's eyes. Instead, there were glimmers of light.
Now, they had all lost their souls to varying degrees. They had managed to keep their lives, but they could only spend the rest of their time in a daze.
At this moment, Di Sumu saw Xie Qian standing beside him. He gently pulled her hand and stammered, "Mom, Mommy."
He had been intelligent since childhood. Even when he was controlled, he still retained his memories.
When he was first captured, he had resented his mother for not coming to save him.
But during this period, Di Sumu came to realize that
his mother had never given up on him. Even after experiencing so many threats and dangers, his mother had firmly chosen him.
Xie Qian felt as if this "Mommy" was from another world. She thought she had misheard until Di Sumu called her "Mommy" again.
This time, it clearly reached Xie Qian's ears. She was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. She had waited for this "Mommy" for too long.
Xie Qian was dizzy with this sudden surprise. The unexpected excitement filled her whole body. Her eyes turned red instantly. She hugged Di Sumu tightly with both hands and couldn't help grinning foolishly.
After so many years, she finally hugged her child again. Xie Qian felt a mix of emotions. She felt that her efforts had finally paid off.
On the other side, Ning Yitao stretched her hands and feet. She looked towards the village entrance, then with a swift movement, she raised her hand and squinted her eyes. With a slight wave of her hand in the air,
immediately, the villagers of Di Village who had been trapped at the village entrance regained their freedom of movement.
The wind stopped. The first thing they did after finding that they were no longer restricted was to rush towards the place where the witch - woman was.
In a moment, standing there, Ning Yitao saw a dark mass of people holding torches running towards them from afar.
She couldn't help but find it both ridiculous and sad.
Why were there such stubborn villagers? From beginning to end, they had firmly believed in this so - called "witch - woman" and had always wanted to save her. But the person they trusted most was the most evil one.
Ning Yitao didn't understand why, even though Ye Zheng had killed so many children, the villagers still obeyed her every word. They even thought that the children selected were blessed by their ancestors. They were extremely ignorant.
The out - of - breath villagers stared with wide eyes at the "witch - woman" whose soul had been replaced and was standing with Ning Yitao.
They were still confused. At first, the "witch - woman" had ordered them not to let Ning Yitao get close to the village. Now, why were they standing together?
But they didn't dare to ask too much. They didn't dare to question the "witch - woman".
Seeing that the "witch - woman" was safe and sound, they knelt on the ground.
"Get up," Ye Jin said expressionlessly, imitating Ye Zheng's manner from her memories.
Among the villagers, Chen Chunhua stared at Xie Qian standing beside Ning Yitao after she stood up.
Xie Qian was holding Di Sumu's small body. Chen Chunhua strode towards her and quickly and forcefully pulled them apart.
Caught off guard, Xie Qian staggered. Di Sumu was pushed to the ground by the great force.
Without doing anything, Xie Qian was suddenly pointed at and scolded by Chen Chunhua:
"What on earth do you want? That child was dedicated to the witch - woman. Don't overstep your bounds. Come here quickly."
Saying that, she dragged Xie Qian towards the other villagers.
Seeing this, Di Yong and Di Dahong stepped forward sensibly and helped Chen Chunhua pull Xie Qian.
Di Sumu had reverted to his childlike nature. He shouted and rushed up to hold Xie Qian, trying to protect his mother. But he was still mercilessly pushed to the ground by his relatives.
Di Sumu wailed, calling for his mother.
Xie Qian was no match for the strength of the three of them. No one had expected such a sudden change.
In the blink of an eye, Xie Qian had been dragged into the crowd of villagers.
Ning Yitao frowned. Looking at the many villagers in front of her, she knew that they were a big mess that needed to be dealt with.
She asked Ye Jin beside her, "What on earth did Ye Zheng do to make them so obedient? Why won't they let Xie Qian go?"