Chapter 150: Luring the Tiger into the Mountain
“Don’t make a mistake. If you have any questions, ask them quickly.”
Blanche, leaning on her walking stick, walked to the side of the jade coffin and looked at Kailun warily. She was afraid that he would really be so disrespectful as to take the coffin away.
“Alright, first, I want to ask if you plan to sacrifice the entire town?”
Kailun held Fox with one hand and braided her hair with the other. His casual attitude made Blanche puzzled.
She didn’t know how Kailun knew about the sacrifice. Logically, this level of secrecy was only known to her and her deceased mother.
“Not just the town. The people of a small town are not enough to achieve the goal. So, are you trying to stop me?”
Blanche looked at the fluctuating shadow in the jade coffin. In her understanding, the shadow was only a part of “that one.”
Before receiving the sacrifice, the being inside might only have instinctive consciousness.
When she asked this question, Blanche was ready to break off the facade. This was her home turf. If a fight really broke out, the one in the jade coffin would definitely help her suppress Kailun.
She believed that when it came to fundamental interests, the one in the jade coffin wouldn’t back down.
“Stop you? No, why would I stop you? As a kind person, I might even help you.”
Kailun said with a smile. He had already braided Fox’s hair into many small braids.
From his perspective, what should happen had already happened. He couldn’t change established facts.
Looking back from the present, the Xiya Kingdom hadn’t been affected. Only the residents of Kuye Town had died in this sacrifice.
Their deaths were already set in stone. Rashly changing things might lead to unexpected consequences.
Therefore, Kailun could only set his sights on the high-rank “consumables” who had followed him in.
He carefully recalled. These high-rank mages who had entered Kuye Town hadn’t been active in his past life, at least not before he died.
So it was only natural to eliminate them here. In this regard, Kailun and Blanche had similar goals.
Blanche wanted to make a sacrifice, he wanted to maintain the original course of the story, and Fox would remain in her original state of ignorance.
That was why he had knocked Fox unconscious the moment he encountered Blanche.
Wasn’t it interesting? If everything went according to his plan, it would all make sense.
Kailun was curious if he had been involved in Fox’s story. Could the influence on Kuye Town in his past life be caused by his current self?
If he was truly involved, was it his past life influencing this life, or this life influencing his past life?
Although it sounded absurd, the possibility did exist. Otherwise, why would he be reborn?
His vast mental power made Kailun’s thinking incredibly agile. The questions before him were starting to delve into the realm of philosophy.
“Do you know Fox?” Blanche changed the subject, looking at the strange young man in front of her.
She could see Kailun’s feelings for Fox. It wasn’t ordinary affection.
Kailun: “Yes, we know each other very well.”
Blanche: “But Fox rarely leaves Kuye Town. How did you meet her?”
“It’s a secret. Now it’s my turn to ask. I want to know the specific story of this one.”
Kailun walked to the jade coffin and tapped it with his finger.
[Your outrageous action has disgusted ???. Goodwill -10, Total Goodwill -20]
She was quite a petty one. If he stepped on her with his foot, wouldn’t her goodwill explode?
Kailun decided. He would find someone to empty this place after he went back. The glittering decorations in the hall were too tempting.
“I only know a little about her story.”
Blanche walked to the wall and looked at the murals. “My mother said that she was the original peak existence, the source of the Abyss, wielding the profound meaning of time and traversing all possibilities. According to my mother, she was an omnipotent being who was reduced to this state because of fate’s persecution. The war ten thousand years ago ended with the victory of fate and humanity. The Temple of the Celestial God, under fate’s command, gained the most…”
Blanche didn’t hide this information, as it wasn’t very confidential.
As she explained, Kailun gradually learned about the history of ten thousand years ago.
In short, the conflict between several major powers had triggered a world war. After a fierce competition, fate emerged as the victor, controlling the development and changes of the world.
The one in the jade coffin became the loser, barely surviving, waiting for a chance to recover.
The good news was that the former powerhouses were all severely injured and no longer had their former glory. The bad news was that they were all recovering.
Kailun had never heard of the names of these powerhouses. It seemed that they had disappeared from history along with the war.
“Speaking of which, isn’t this one supposed to wield the profound meaning of time? Why are there so many Space Magic circles engraved on the walls?”
Kailun followed Blanche’s gaze to the magic circles on the walls. He counted roughly. There were about twenty magic circles, all ninth-rank.
Blanche: “I heard my mother mention this. She said that the one in the jade coffin had joined forces with fate to ambush the one who specialized in space, killing them in the early stages of the war.”
“Wow, that’s pretty ruthless.” Kailun flicked the jade coffin with his finger.
A trace of undetectable magic power merged into the jade coffin with his action.
“…”
The one in the jade coffin sensed the strange change and fell silent. Her shadow spread throughout the coffin, as if about to dissipate.
Who could she blame?
She could only blame Blanche for living to such an old age and becoming senile. In the past five thousand years, Blanche had rarely interacted with others. Coupled with the simple customs of the town, her vigilance towards people was quite low.
For five thousand years, she had lived a monotonous life, rarely going anywhere except the town and the tomb.
Plus, she possessed extraordinary strength. Ordinary people couldn’t even detect her, which further exacerbated the problem.
It was no exaggeration to say that she had spoken more words to Fox than in the past five thousand years combined.
If it had been the one in the jade coffin, she would have attacked Kailun immediately upon meeting him and wouldn’t have talked for so long.
Now, not only was she being manipulated, but her secrets had also been exposed.
But she couldn’t blame Blanche because she had spent five thousand years for her. In just one day, Blanche would die of old age.
If it weren’t for the care of Blanche and her mother for the past ten thousand years, she probably wouldn’t have made it this far.
So she could only vent her resentment on Kailun.
[???’s resentment rises. Goodwill -10, Total Goodwill -30]
“So she’s a little grudge holder.”
Sensing the resentment from the jade coffin, Kailun raised an eyebrow.
Anyone who could provide “goodwill” was a good person, regardless of whether it was positive or negative. He welcomed it all.
If Blanche weren’t here, Kailun might have jumped onto the coffin lid and bounced a few times. Afterward, he would even kindly nail it shut with indestructible nails to let her rest in peace.
“Tell me your plan. Maybe I can help you.”
After a long silence, Kailun placed Fox on the jade coffin. Only then did he become serious.
……
“Master Henry, you should be honest now.”
Outside the tomb, Paul spat out Henry from his mouth. Henry was severely injured, his two wings bitten off by Paul.
Paul’s dog mouth was stained with green feathers, a testament to his victory.
Paul, having successfully overthrown Henry, was overjoyed. This was a ninth-rank mage, and he had taken him down with just a bite.
If it weren’t for his lack of mental power, Paul might have devoured Henry directly.
“You traitor! You’ll regret this! Without me, you’ll just be a pawn, destined to be sacrificed. I wasted so many resources cultivating you, and this is how you repay me? How ridiculous.”
Henry lay weakly on the ground, blood oozing from his wing stumps.
Paul stepped on Henry with his paw. “Don’t be hypocritical. Do you think I can’t see through you? You only kept me around to use me. You call me a traitor? What about you? As a fence-sitter between the Temple of the Celestial God and the Abyss, you’re nothing but a hypocrite. Why don’t you just give me all your strength? With my talent, I can definitely achieve greatness.”
Paul dismissed Henry’s words. As long as he had a chance to strike back, he wouldn’t give up.
Strength was the most important thing in this world. He would sacrifice anything for power.
He was tired of this miserable life. He wanted to become someone important. He wanted to find Kailun again and crush him to death.
No, just crushing him was too merciful. He wanted to torture Kailun, cut him into a thousand pieces, and then slowly sever his head.
“You’re a joke. You still dream of greatness? I think you’re heading towards despair, hahaha…”
Henry laughed mockingly. He had already foreseen his ending.
He had been careless after all. He had never thought that there would be a place where his strength would be reduced so drastically.
“Crack!”
Paul stepped on Henry’s bird body with a vicious expression. “Understand your situation. Now, I can not only kill you, but I can also torture you. Sometimes, death is just a release. Only by living can you experience true pain.”
Paul wanted to torture Henry like Kailun had tortured him, but he hadn’t grasped the essence.
Faced with this threat, Henry scoffed. He tilted his bird head and laughed strangely. “You? A waste!”
“Shut up!”
Paul couldn’t help but kick Henry hard, sending him flying into a large tree and knocking him unconscious.
“They’re all like this. Just prisoners.” Paul sucked the bird feathers from his mouth and spat them onto the ground.
He spat again and walked towards Henry, intending to pick him up. But halfway there, he suddenly sensed a ninth-rank aura approaching him rapidly.
Without time to think, Paul turned and ran in the opposite direction.
A moment later, Blanche passed by the tree and picked up the severely injured and dying Henry. Looking at the green-feathered bird in her hand, she sighed. “Thank you, Mother Nature, for this gift.”
Leaving these words of gratitude behind, Blanche flew towards the town.
Half an hour later, Paul returned to the spot. He looked at the bloodstains on the tree with hatred.
He hated it!
Just one step away, and his chance to reach the ninth rank was gone. This was a huge blow to him.
Why was this happening to him?
Paul felt the malice of the entire world.
Enraged, Paul created craters in the ground. He didn’t stop until there wasn’t a single intact spot within a hundred meters.
“Look on the bright side. Although I lost Henry, I have a chance to rescue Harry. The old woman didn’t take Harry with her when she left. I think he must have been left somewhere.”
Helplessly, Paul could only comfort himself. But in his heart, the ninth rank was clearly more important than Harry.
He lowered his head and sniffed the ground, following Harry’s stinky scent towards the boundary.
Half an hour later, all scents disappeared in front of a tombstone.
Looking at the smooth and polished tombstone, Paul believed that Harry must have been taken here.
He circled the tombstone. Faint traces of Harry’s scent seeped out from the soil but quickly dissipated.
Paul circled a few more times before finally deciding to dig frantically with his front paws. As he expected, there was a door hidden beneath the soil, leading to a dark passage.
Seeing the passage, Paul clearly smelled Harry’s scent. Besides Harry’s scent, he also smelled a repulsive odor.
Was it Kailun?
It was very similar, but the scent he smelled this time was incredibly weak, like a mere fifth rank.
If it really was Kailun, Paul might be very happy because it meant that Kailun had also been captured. Then he could take this opportunity to get his revenge.
However, Paul didn’t know that the scent in the passage had already been cleaned. Otherwise, he would have smelled the residual ninth-rank aura.
Paul carefully followed the passage downwards. He had to seize every second.
If he couldn’t rescue Harry before the old woman returned, he would also become a prisoner.
Every second was crucial now. One wrong step, and he would fall into the abyss, beyond redemption.
Paul tucked his tail between his legs and moved through the shadows. To avoid triggering any traps, he took every step with caution.
Following Harry’s scent, he arrived at a stone door. Paul easily dispelled the casually set magic on the door.
Looking around, Paul felt like he was being watched from the darkness, but every time he turned around, he saw nothing.
He had the urge to turn and leave several times, but smelling the scent getting closer and closer, he endured.
“Boom!”
Pushing open the heavy stone door, Paul saw Harry tied up, sound asleep in the arms of a strange man.
Fortunately, Harry’s clothes were intact. Otherwise, Paul would have suspected that he had been subjected to inhumane torture.
“Harry, I’m here to save you.”
Paul wagged his tail and rushed towards Harry, eager to grab him by the scruff of his neck.
“Clack, clack, clack…”
Just then, Paul heard clear footsteps. He turned around and saw a familiar figure standing by the stone door.
He waved at Paul. “Yo, my friend Paul, long time no see. They say dogs are man’s best friend. I didn’t expect you to actually become a dog. I’m so touched. So, do you want to kneel down and surrender? If I’m in a good mood, I might even reward you with a few bones.”
“Kailun!”
Paul shouted Kailun’s name hoarsely. If he hadn’t been hairless, he might have been bristling with anger.
“Don’t be so enthusiastic. You’re making me blush. I originally just wanted Blanche to leave a door open for you, but I didn’t expect you to be so brave. Is this the power of love?”
Kailun looked at Paul appraisingly. Even though he had become a dog, Kailun could still picture his human form.
Even though he wasn’t human anymore, Paul’s repulsive aura was still strong.
In Kailun’s plan, Paul was a key figure.
After all, Paul had the title of “Protagonist of Fate.” What would be the point of a Fate Sacrifice ritual without him?
Kailun felt that Paul alone might be worth several ninth-rank mages. His existence was closely related to the Temple of the Celestial God.
The more he learned about the past, the more Kailun discovered the hidden schemes.
“Kailun, why are you here? Why isn’t your strength affected?”
Paul involuntarily took a few steps back. Kailun was his nightmare, the terrifying existence who would wake him up from his dreams.
“Why can’t I be here?” Kailun spread his hands. “Who do you think guided you here? Please, if there were really good things in Kuye Town, would it be your turn to get them?”
“You demon! You’ll get your retribution!” Paul raised a paw and pointed at Kailun, cursing.
Kailun: “Yes, yes, yes, I’ve already received my retribution. Not only did I take your sister into my home, but I also turned your aunt into my capable assistant. Oh, and not only that, but I also have Harry as a ‘consumable.’ So, my friend Paul, what are you going to do? Don’t throw another tantrum this time.”
Paul: “…”
[The impotent Paul hates you to death. Goodwill -20, Total Goodwill -121]
As expected of the great philanthropist Paul. Just a little provocation, and his goodwill “increased”.
……
Meanwhile, Kailun had placed Fox on the jade coffin.
To lure the target and capture her, both he and Blanche had to leave the main hall temporarily.
However, before leaving, he had cast a high-rank defensive spell on Fox to ensure her safety.
But a hundred secrets always had one flaw. After countless attempts, the one in the jade coffin managed to release a part of her shadow into the air.
Using the magic circles in the hall for amplification, she silently infiltrated Kailun’s magic circle and then entered Fox’s body through her nose, hiding in her mind.
To her complete self, this was less than one percent of her power.
In fact, this amount could only act as her eyes and ears.
Even if Fox left Kuye Town, she might not be able to detect this abnormality. The other party’s level was too high. Ordinary methods wouldn’t work.
??? was secretly delighted. She wanted to use Fox to investigate Kailun’s true identity. She wanted to know why he was surrounded by such dense threads of fate.
If it weren’t for the lack of that repulsive aura on him, she might even think that Kailun was a person of fate.
If he really was a person of fate, she would fight him to the death, even if it meant lying in the coffin for another ten thousand years.
This was confidence. She had to give fate a little shock. Don’t underestimate small victories.
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