It was still pitch - black outside. Around four or five in the morning was the perfect time for ghosts to roam.
As soon as the old village head finished speaking, his pupils turned completely black, and his body exuded a damp aura, something no normal living person could possibly emit.
The same transformation occurred to the numerous villagers behind him.
Meanwhile, one after another, ethereal black - and - white shadows emerged from behind them.
They were all ghosts, countless and densely packed. Floating aimlessly in mid - air with vacant stares, they looked extremely eerie.
No one had expected that these ordinary villagers, who usually just toiled in the fields, could master the art of ghost control.
At this moment, Yu Nian finally realized that she had overestimated herself this time.
Cursing inwardly, she stuffed the stack of books in her hand into the arms of the person beside her and was about to step forward to hold off the enemy and buy some escape time for the three people behind her.
But for the villagers, the most important thing was the books in her hand. Naturally, whoever held them would become their target.
"Burn all the books!" Yu Nian had a sudden inspiration. Since it was these villagers who were controlling the ghosts, if they burned all the books, regardless of which one was the real one, as long as the genuine one was destroyed, all these villagers would die.
"I'd like to see who dares!" The old village head didn't expect Yu Nian to be so decisive in giving up the almost - within - reach treasure and even have the idea of destroying the books.
"What's there to be afraid of? I know this is a precious thing, but looking at the current situation, even if it's the most valuable treasure in the world, I won't have the luck to use it if I get it. It's better to just burn it all and go down with you.
The ghosts you've controlled are your descendants, aren't they? I just can't understand how heartless a person can be to occupy the bodies of their relatives and imprison their souls. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Are you even human?
Let me tell you the truth. We all have a deep - seated hatred for the Holy Cult. You're working for the Holy Cult, so you're our enemies. If we can't get out of here today and avenge ourselves, then taking you with us to hell isn't such a bad thing."
Yu Nian straightened her back, and none of the three people behind her showed any sign of fear.
They had spent years struggling at the bottom, being beggars, being scolded, beaten, driven away, and going hungry. They had escaped death several times.
To get a bite to eat, they even had to abandon their dignity and personality.
Except for Yu Nian, the other three had once come from wealthy families and enjoyed great wealth and honor. One day, their lives took a sharp turn, but they didn't collapse. It was the belief of revenge that kept them going.
They weren't afraid of death. What they were afraid of was dying meaninglessly.
The people in this village were all monsters created by the Holy Cult. They were not powerful enough to fight against such a huge force, but at this point, even if they could only take a few with them, they couldn't die in vain.
Perhaps Yu Nian's determination to rather be broken than bent scared the old village head. The old man, who had been neither human nor ghost, suddenly transformed back into a normal - looking person.
He tried to negotiate, saying in a calm tone as much as possible, "I can let you go and not hold this against you. We have no grudges against you. We don't have to be at each other's throats. But the premise is that you put down what you stole. That's the most precious treasure of our village. No matter what the reason is, it shouldn't be taken away by you outsiders. Even if we use this thing to harm people, we're only harming our own descendants. It has nothing to do with you outsiders. Who asked you to meddle in other people's business?"
"Meddle in other people's business? When you took other people's lives and sought immortality, did you ever think about whether the people whose bodies you occupied were willing? Although they're your descendants, they're first and foremost human beings with their own will and the right to live. You're just harming lives and doing dirty things. Do you think you're in the right just because you use the guise of family? I don't know what relationship you have with the Holy Cult, but as long as there's a connection, you're our enemies. There's no way this can end well today."
Yu Nian was getting a bit angry. The old village head's words were all fallacies. She was the kind of person who couldn't tolerate any injustice, especially since from the beginning, the old village head and his people had never denied being part of the Holy Cult.
When enemies met, their hatred flared up. Before they were sure whether this village had any connection with the Holy Cult, Yu Nian might have tried to probe and negotiate.
But now that it was confirmed, she couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
"What kind of hatred does the Holy Cult have with you?" The old village head looked at Yu Nian in confusion. At first, this girl clearly had the intention of seeking peace. Why was her attitude so tough now?
"The Holy Cult killed our entire family! I wonder if this hatred is enough in your eyes, old village head!"
"Are you the child of a high - ranking official?" The old village head frowned and thought for a while, then looked up and asked.
"No."
"Then are you the daughter of a wealthy family?"
"No."
The more negative answers the old village head got, the more confused he became. He even thought that Yu Nian and the others must have found the wrong people.
Maybe some fearless people had killed a family and then framed the Holy Cult for it.
"Impossible. Your family is neither a high - ranking official's nor a wealthy family's. You're not a heartless rich person and have no value. The Holy Cult would never target someone like you."
"I saw it with my own eyes. No matter how much you try to defend, it's useless. My family was just a farming family, but the families of these three friends of mine were all as wealthy as you described. Their relatives never did anything immoral, but your Holy Cult still wiped out their entire families! You're just a bunch of hypocrites, packaging yourselves as good people. Do you think you can ease your conscience and make the world believe you like this?"
Seeing the old village head's deep understanding of the Holy Cult, Yu Nian knew that he must be a very important figure in the Holy Cult.
Her hatred grew even stronger. She took out her mourning staff and got ready to fight for her life.
"A farming family? A farming family... Hahaha! It really came without any effort. In all these years, the Holy Cult has only massacred one farming family. You're the one who got away that day. We've been looking for you for so many years, but I didn't expect you to show up right in front of us.
Hahaha! Girl, your family really never did anything immoral because our target from the very beginning was you. We spent a lot of effort trying to bring you back, but you managed to escape. This was the only failure in the Holy Cult's plan in all these years. I didn't expect to meet you today. As long as I take you back, it'll be a great achievement. Girl, I don't even want the treasure anymore. You and your life must stay here today!"
The old village head suddenly burst into crazy laughter. After saying that, he transformed back into that terrifying form that was neither human nor ghost.
He waved his hand, and all the disappeared ghosts reappeared. This time, without any warning, they all pounced on Yu Nian and the others.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Nian and the other three were locked in a fierce battle with these ghosts.
Yun Xiangnan quickly took out a fire starter and burned all the books in her hand. Watching the villagers who had been standing upright fall one by one, the village head still roared with laughter.
Whether he died or not didn't matter to him now. The important thing was that he had to capture Yu Nian.
After the old village head fell, his soul floated out. It had a face that was extremely inconsistent with his body. The soul was wrinkled, like an old tree that had become a spirit.
He was the oldest and most powerful ghost here.
The old village head rushed towards Yu Nian's back at the fastest speed. Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Yun Xiangnan, who had just finished burning the books, quickly stepped in front of Yu Nian and took the fatal blow for her.
Among the four of them, Yun Xiangnan was the weakest. After taking this blow, she was bound to die.
"Go." These were Yun Xiangnan's last words.
Her soul and body exploded together. She truly managed to go down with the entire village.
Yun Xiangnan died without a trace. For a long time, none of the three of them could accept this reality. How could the person they had lived and eaten with every day just die like that?
Yu Nian regretted countless times why she had been so impulsive. She hadn't thought things through carefully. She thought she had found the enemy and saw a valuable treasure, so she just charged forward without thinking.
If it weren't for that momentary greed, if she had done more investigations and lurked for a while longer, would the plan have been more comprehensive and Yun Xiangnan not have to die?
But there was no if in this world. Her death was a fact, and no one could change it.
"I've regretted countless times why I ignored the people around me because of hatred. I always thought that after avenging myself, I'd have a whole lifetime to fulfill my promises to her, to compensate her, and to live a peaceful life as a couple. But plans can't keep up with changes. It's all too late.
Xiaonan won't blame you, and I've never blamed you either. So even though I'm heartbroken, I've never said a single bad word about you. But how could you forget her?
Yu Nian, I have to admit that I hate you now. We're all still alive in this world, but Xiaonan will never come back. Her soul has scattered, and she'll never be reborn!
How can you calmly be reborn? How can you say so casually that all the past has faded away?"
In a daze, Nian Nian was back in the cave. By her ear was Duan Qiu's excited interrogation.
Her heart ached.
"I've never denied Xiaonan's existence. I've never forgotten her."
Remembering many things, Nian Nian felt mixed emotions. She seemed to have grown up in an instant, but also seemed not to have grown up at all.
The feelings for Xiaonan seemed to be engraved on her soul, but the memories of her were like a TV drama playing on the screen. It seemed that they had nothing to do with her.
It was a very contradictory and complex emotion, and even Nian Nian herself couldn't figure it out.
But she knew that there had once been a person who had scattered her soul to protect her life. Even if there had been no affection at all, she would never forget such a person.
"Since you've remembered everything, why don't you want to wipe out the Holy Cult?"
"Because your idea is wrong!" Nian Nian looked up and stared into Duan Qiu's eyes firmly. "When you talk about cutting the grass at the roots, you mean killing those who have been bewitched by the Holy Cult and don't know anything. What's their fault? They just want to have enough to eat and a place to shelter.
Don't you know what kind of person Xiaonan is? Do you think she'd agree with your idea?
If you really do that, what's the difference between you and the Holy Cult, which does cruel things under the guise of righteousness?
Duan Qiu, can you wake up? Can you stop being blinded by endless hatred?
And, Xiaonan..."
"Enough! You're right. I've always been living in hatred. When I was alive, I lived in my parents' hatred. After I died, I didn't want to be reborn and lived in Xiaonan's hatred. Since you don't want to be on my side, then let's go our separate ways. Let's just be strangers. If you have the ability, come and stop me. If not, get out of my way. As long as I get the divine power, I can even reshape Xiaonan's soul. The Underworld has the method to reshape souls but refuses to tell me. Then I might as well just destroy the Underworld and create a new one. I'll be the master of the Underworld! No one can stop me."
Duan Qiu didn't want to listen to Nian Nian's long - winded speech anymore. Their ideas were completely opposite.
"Duan Qiu, can you stop being so stubborn? Can you let me finish my words?"
Nian Nian looked at his stubborn self and didn't know whether to scold him or comfort him. Especially when he looked like he was covering his ears and not listening, it made her so angry that she wanted to hit someone.
"I'm going to go all the way to the end. Don't try to persuade me, and don't treat me as a friend. To tell you the truth, I was the one who leaked your rebirth to the Holy Cult. I'm the one who broke your peaceful life in this life. I just wanted to force you to be against them. As long as the Holy Cult doesn't let you go, you'll fight back sooner or later. But these things have nothing to do with me anymore.
As long as I get through today, I can reshape Xiaonan's soul. I'll fulfill my long - cherished wish, and then I'll give up my hatred. In this life, I'm really sorry for you, but I had no other choice."
Saying that, Duan Qiu took out a dagger. Before Nian Nian could react, he cut Shen Weixun's wrist beside him.
Blood gushed out immediately and dripped onto the newly - formed evil god.
The mister opened his mouth and greedily sucked in the bloody smell. Seeing how happy he was eating, Duan Qiu's face showed a crazy look again.
"They never would have thought that the good fortune you gave him when you were a dragon and a demon has never disappeared. I was right. Even without you, I can succeed!"