Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Chapter 463 Symbiotic Strangulation

The black lotus was extremely radiant, with floating light flowing inside, colliding and separating, creating a beautiful scene. Zhu Wuyao reached out and grasped the stem of the black lotus. With just a light touch, it floated into Zhu Wuyao's palm.

It instantly transformed into a streak of light.

It spreads from the palm, along the meridians, into the consciousness.

In that instant, Zhu Wuyao's divine sense suddenly broadened, and even without intentionally eavesdropping, he was still able to hear the conversations of the people at the foot of the mountain.

No, it wasn't a conversation, it was a transmission of sound.

Zhu Wuyao could hear Ning Zhiqi speaking to the two of them:

"This person is not the real Elder Qian, but someone impersonating Zhu Wuji. Once he descends the mountain, we will join forces to capture him and find out Zhu Wuji's whereabouts!"

Not only that.

Zhu Wuyao seemed to be able to sense Han Ge's surprise.

It seemed he was recalling what Ning Zhiqi had said before—"If you get sixth place on the minor ranking and trade it for your good-for-nothing junior brother, are you really losing out?"

Upon hearing Ning Zhiqi's words again, Zhu Wuyao could sense the surprise and sense of unease in Han Ge's heart.

She could also sense that her junior sister, Ying Cang, nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A myriad of thoughts, calculations, and perceptions exploded within her consciousness, and Zhu Wuyao's vision seemed to broaden considerably; she seemed to have transformed from a figure in the painting into a viewer of it.

Slowly raising his hand, Zhu Wuyao pressed it against his forehead.

Her gaze fell upon the world around her, gazing into the distance where towering mountains stretched out like a wash of ink, their peaks merging and dissolving into one another.

The view from the foot of the mountain was completely different from what she could see.

The next moment, she realized that the thoughts that had been scattered into her consciousness were disappearing rapidly, as if they were being devoured by the spirit pen.

"You lied to me..."

Zhu Wuyao slowly uttered these three words.

She held the magic pen in her hand, as if she had a premonition—

If she wanted, she could use the pen in her hand to change the people in the painting and to control the thoughts of the three people at the foot of the mountain.

Ning Zhiqi, Han Ge, and Ying Cang seemed to be connected to the entire secret realm through an invisible root system.

Only by becoming a plant rooted in this land and soil can one draw upon the spiritual energy of the secret realm to provide the energy needed for survival.

The price is the surrender of self-awareness and control.

This relationship is similar to symbiotic strangulation.

In the entire symbiotic system, only one will is ultimately allowed to exist.

The pen's voice seemed exceptionally satisfied as it spoke:

"I never lied to you. I just gave you a reason... to pluck the black lotus."

"You're a diviner, don't you have any premonitions in your spiritual sense? You know this matter is not simple, but you want to live."

Zhu Wuyao remained silent for a moment.

Then he said:

“That’s right, that was the master-disciple relationship between Elder Liao and Zhu Wuji, not the master-disciple relationship between Elder Liao and Zhu Wuyao.”

She gently closed her eyes, reviewed the information about the spirit pen, and finally reached a conclusion. Her voice was calm and resolute as she slowly said:

"The source of your power... is possession."

"After being taken out of the secret realm, your first source of power was by possessing the original body—Zhu Wuyao."

"The second person to possess my body was a Golden Core cultivator from the Juque Sect in Tongzhou who hid his soul in the Pinghe Cauldron. He tried to take advantage of the situation to possess me, but you devoured him instead."

"That's why he was so terrified before he died."

"You summoned my soul and used your own power to help me seize the body of the original body, giving me, an outsider, an identity within this realm, yet freeing me from the constraints of this Heavenly Dao."

Upon learning that the Zhu family elders had not attacked the original owner of this body, Zhu Wuyao had a vague suspicion.

Zhu Wuyao opened his eyes, looked at the world around him, and continued:

"And this place was where she conducted deductions and experiments. It was only before she died that it was transformed into a secret realm that would benefit the person holding the pen."

Zhaixing Tower, the Tomb of the Righteous Men.

Countless stone statues stand.

Below are not only names, but also brief notes recording their contributions to the Star-Picking Tower.

However, some of the stone statues are completely empty, with nothing written on them, leaving one wondering what contribution they made to the Star-Picking Tower.

The stone statue of "Zhu Wuyao" stands there quietly.

The details of the events are unclear.

That was a secret that Da Zong couldn't reveal to outsiders.

After regaining consciousness, Lingbi should have told Zhu Wuyao everything before he entered the secret realm, so as to seize more opportunities to paint by possessing Zhu's body.

It is possible that Wu Yao destroyed the Pinghe Ding.

Lingbi knew that she couldn't get what she wanted from her.

That's why there's the saying—"What I want, you can't give me."

Lingbi sensed Zhu Wuyao's silence and took the initiative to speak:

"If you want to atone with your death, you'd better return me to the Star-Picking Tower. With the sect's strength declining, the war of annexation will cause countless deaths."

"Do you think the other sects are clean?"

"The Qingyun Sect of the Sword Clan has almost never produced a Sword Immortal."

The Sword Sect has never produced a Sword Immortal...

Zhu Wuyao slowly tightened her grip on the spirit brush, then slowly loosened it, her expression returning to normal. She took a few steps forward, looked at the three people below the mountain, and asked:

"Is there any hope for these few?"

This time, the spirit pen remained silent. After a while, it replied with a hint of dejection:

"I've forgotten too."

Zhu Wuyao nodded and said:

"Then let us first become the controllers of this secret realm."

"Can you see the consciousness of the three people? Share your vision with me."

The next instant, a sea of ​​words appeared before her eyes. It was the shared will of the three of them. In the future, all those who would use the power of this world and dedicate their will to this realm would be integrated into it.

They were densely packed and displayed before Zhu Wuyao.

"Zhu Wuji is my junior brother. Although I don't like him, a senior brother should take responsibility. I must avenge him!"

"What's that on the ground? It's dark and...it looks kind of disgusting."

"When I entered the secret realm, I was already standing on the edge of a cliff. Even if it meant certain death, I refused to surrender!"

"I, Liu Huai, can use spiritual power again! An opportunity has arrived!"

"..."

At this moment, Zhu Wuyao felt that he was the Heavenly Dao of this world.

She picked up her pen and implanted a will into the shared sea of ​​consciousness of everyone within the realm—

"Self-preservation is paramount; fighting carries the risk of death."

The chaotic sea of ​​wills paused for a moment, and this thought echoed in everyone's minds, giving rise to new reflections.

"This fake Elder Qian's strength is unknown, while the real Elder Qian's motives are unclear. Perhaps the two can restrain each other. Why don't I remain on the sidelines and protect myself..."

"To avenge my junior brother... what if I can't defeat the fake Elder Qian? Am I being too cowardly by thinking like this...?"

The field of vision returned to normal.

The magic pen can still be used three times.

Zhu Wuyao was about to descend the mountain when he heard the voice of the spirit brush—

"You won't feel guilty anymore."

She walked steadily down the mountain and replied:

"I have committed countless crimes against me, and one more would not make a difference."

"The path to salvation lies not in the past, but in the future."

Lingbi repeated:

"You won't feel guilty anymore."