It's a hell game, who can still be a human being?

Chapter 632 Strange Things at the Garbage Treatment Plant

Who exactly are you people?

The person in the coffin asked in a deep voice.

"The people who came to blast the mountain."

Which mountain was bombed?

The person in the coffin asked again.

"It's this mountain."

Liu Zheng stamped his foot.

Why blast the mountain?

The person in the coffin asked two questions.

"Entrusted by others."

"Who entrusted this to you?"

The person in the coffin asked again.

"I don't know, they only gave me one thing to guide me."

"What is it?"

The person in the coffin asked again.

"This is it."

Liu Zheng took out that finger.

"Young friend, may I borrow it for a look?"

The person in the coffin scanned the area with their divine sense but found nothing amiss, so they asked.

"Old Ancestor, we were just fighting to the death, and you're asking me for things like this? Isn't that inappropriate?"

He raised his eyebrows.

Even though the fingers are no longer useful, there's no reason to give them away for free.

"You've taken the Jade Azure Dragon Pearl and the Taiyi Essence Golden Claw, isn't that enough?"

"Those are spoils of war, not something you gave me."

Liu Zheng shook his head.

"How dare you, junior, be so rude!"

The person in the coffin said angrily.

“If someone treats me with respect, I will treat them with even greater respect. From the beginning, I wanted to communicate with you properly, and I even tried two methods, but you ignored me both times.”

"Am I being rude, or are you, Ancestor, being rude?"

He asked rhetorically.

"Then you shouldn't have tried to forcibly demolish my grave."

"That's what the person in the coffin said."

"Then I'll consider this my rudeness, and we're even. So let's talk about the deal."

Liu Zheng said.

"What deal?"

“I’ll give you my finger, then you move the tomb to a different location, and I’ll blow up this mountain to complete the task.”

He said.

"Hahaha, junior, aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? You think you can get the ancestor's grave moved with just a few words? Do you think you're the Supreme Speaker?"

The person inside the coffin laughed in extreme anger.

"Since you know the Speaker of the Council, that makes things easier. I am not very talented, but I have quite a few connections in the City Hall. All I need to do is go back and submit a report saying that someone is openly building a tomb in the mountains, but in reality, they are colluding with lawbreakers to participate in anti-City Hall activities in the tomb. I wonder how you would deal with that, Ancestor?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Young man, don't try to fool me. The city hall has a lot of complicated affairs but is overstaffed. Apart from its own little corner of the city, it usually doesn't care about other places. Without solid evidence, how could it possibly come to this remote mountain area on a business trip just because of your word?"

The person in the coffin sneered.

"The old man knows the city hall very well."

He was a little surprised.

"Hmph, when I was cultivating in the city, your ancestors weren't even born yet."

The person in the coffin said proudly.

"That makes things easier. I'm not quite sure about the prices back then, Ancestor. Do you think ten million is enough to provide solid evidence?"

Liu Zheng asked with a serious expression.

"Ten million? Kid, who are you trying to fool? If you had ten million, would you still be doing things for others?"

The person in the coffin didn't believe it at all.

"Money, power, and strength—money alone isn't everything. Fortunately, I can use money to leverage power and strength."

He took out stacks of money, but this time he didn't put them on the ground; instead, he held them on his tentacles.

After all, the other party is an enemy, and his personality seems unpredictable. If he suddenly loses his temper and ruins his money, it would be a huge loss.

"Do I need to take more, Ancestor?"

Liu Zheng's four tentacles were full of banknotes, and even his head was piled high with them, making him look more like a benevolent monk than the Golden Boy.

"Let me see that finger first."

"Then what will you offer in exchange?"

He asked calmly.

"."

After a moment of silence, something flew out of the coffin lid and shot towards Liu Zheng.

The panda summoned the Shaoyang Xiguang Banner to block the way, but it turned out to be a jade plaque about two fingers wide, with a pattern of a Vermilion Bird soaring on it.

After inspecting it, it handed it to Liu Zheng, and an item description immediately popped up.

Name: Warm Jade Pendant

Type: Equipment

Quality: Excellent

Effect 1: Player's constitution attribute +2.

"Effect 2: Reduces the damage caused by cold and yin energy to the player."

Note: This item cannot be used directly to raise the temperature. It is recommended to use it in conjunction with fireplaces, air conditioners, hand warmers, or in crematoriums.

"Can it be taken out of the instance: Yes"

"Is that all right?"

The person in the coffin asked coldly.

"Our ancestor is generous, and we, the younger generation, will naturally not be stingy either. Best wishes."

Although it's only of excellent quality, it's still a piece of equipment, and it even has added attributes, so it's not bad.

"Yes, boss."

Niu Daji grabbed the finger and threw it forcefully toward the brown coffin.

"Certainly!"

The person in the coffin gave a soft shout, and his finger froze in mid-air.

Then five wisps of yin energy floated out of the coffin and bound the fingers, as if taking a pulse with a suspended thread.

"Ok?"

The person in the coffin seemed puzzled.

The finger was indeed a real finger, but he didn't sense the presence of anyone he knew.

The fact that what was attached to his fingers was not magic, but some kind of sorcery and witchcraft, made him even more confused.

But it doesn't matter. As a senior expert, the person in the coffin has plenty of ways to deal with things.

"Circle Light Technique!"

The person in the coffin stretched out a finger and made a gesture, and a mysterious mirror appeared out of thin air.

The Xuan Guang Mirror shone on the finger for a few seconds, and the reflection quickly changed.

A short, stubby hand appeared in the mirror, followed by a person wearing a Taoist robe, but only half of their body was visible.

"Ok?"

The person in the coffin uttered a questioning sound again.

Wearing a Taoist robe and having commissioned someone to blast the mountain, it was clearly someone he knew, but no one matched his appearance.

This made the person inside the coffin even more curious.

"Faster!"

He flicked out a wisp of yin energy that disappeared into the mirror, and the scene in the mirror changed once again.

A dark, thin hand enters the picture, with many beads made of plants, colorful stones and animal bones on its wrist, and a small stone knife in its hand.

The knife was pressed against the ring finger of the short, stubby hand, and then slowly cut. "Hmm."

The owner of the palm let out a muffled groan, and the viewpoint slowly rose.

Just as the viewpoint rose to the chin of the palm's owner, the Xuan Guang Mirror was suddenly completely occupied by a strange face.

It was an incredibly distorted face, not just the facial features, but the entire face was twisted like a wrung-out towel.

But you can still recognize it as a face, and even if you look at each facial feature individually, it is complete and normal.

"what!"

The person in the coffin let out a scream and then fell silent.

The golden boy and jade girl were even worse, their faces twisted just like the face itself.

Moreover, it wasn't just the entire body that was twisted; every part of the body was twisted, to the point of being utterly dead.

"The Eye of Horus!"

The Nile Doctor roared, and his entire equipment emitted a dazzling golden light.

These golden lights converged into one place, forming a giant eye, which immediately transformed into a golden eagle.

The eagle spread its wings and covered everyone with its feathers.

But the next second, the eagle, like the golden boy and jade girl, twisted and shattered.

The Nile doctor didn't even scream; he just fell straight down.

However, his efforts bought time for others.

"My lord!"

The yaksha let out a high-pitched cry.

A burly figure wearing blazing armor, with blood dripping from his hands, appeared behind her, wielding a greatsword that blazed like fire, and slashing at her face.

Wherever the sword went, the space along the way split open like paper being cut, and even human faces were sliced ​​in half.

"The Great Compassion Mantra for the Reversal of Yin and Yang and the Chaos of Heaven and Earth!"

The coffin lid was suddenly flung open, and a horizontal Tai Chi symbol flew out and slammed into the man's face.

In an instant, the heavens and earth wailed, gods cried and ghosts howled, and a chilling rain of blood began to fall inexplicably on the mountain.

"The Darkest Method: Mass Vanishing!"

Yaksha also used his last spell with all his might.

The next second, everyone, including Liu Zheng, disappeared into another dimension.

"Crack!"

When the Tai Chi symbol collided with a human face, the whole world seemed to press the pause button.

I don't know how much time passed, but as if someone had pressed play, everything on the mountaintop, like a human face, split in two and then distorted into an indescribable shape.

Except for that coffin.

During this process, the two half-faces became increasingly blurry and eventually disappeared completely.

"Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!"

A few minutes later, a short man in a Taoist robe walked towards the top of the mountain with a hiking stick.

His steps seemed heavy, yet his figure was as elusive as a ghost, drifting up the mountain like a wisp of smoke.

Meanwhile, Liu Zheng and his group were also expelled from the Shadow Realm and returned to this realm.

The group, who had just been full of vigor, were now lying on the ground in disarray. No one was unharmed; some were missing limbs, while others were twisted into pretzel shapes.

The most seriously injured was Liu Zheng. His entire body, from hair to toes, was tangled together, as if every part of his body regarded the other as a mortal enemy and then fought a battle to the death.

However, the man in the Taoist robe paid no attention to them and walked straight to the brown coffin.

"What a fine coffin! It can't even damage things in the garbage disposal plant."

The Taoist priest looked at the brown coffin and spoke in a loud and clear voice.

However, his face was completely obscured by his long, flowing hair, making it impossible to see what he looked like.

"No wonder you've gone to such lengths and spared no effort for it."

The Taoist priest stroked the coffin lid with both hands, both of which were intact.

"When you gave me to the Sunflower Demon to curry favor with him, did you ever think that one day I would come back and give you such a great gift?"

The Taoist priest's tone was full of restrained anger and unrestrained sarcasm.

"Alright, come out now, Master. I know you're not dead. I know you better than you know yourself. Trying to play these tricks in front of me will only make you look more like a clown."

The man in the Taoist robe patted the coffin lid and said.

"You wretched child, how dare you come back?"

The voice of the person inside the coffin could be heard, but it was noticeably weaker.

"Why wouldn't I dare to come back? It's you who wronged me, not me who wronged you, Master."

The man in the Taoist robe spoke leisurely.

"Hmph, I rescued you from the breeding farm, cured your illness, used rare and precious herbs to cleanse your marrow and tendons, and taught you immortal techniques. I have done you a favor that is like giving you a second life. Even if you were to die for me, it would be only right. How could I have wronged you?"

The person in the coffin snorted coldly.

"Yes, if you were to send me to my death, even if you were to refine my blood into a magical artifact, I wouldn't harbor such resentment. But you shouldn't have been so kind to me, making me fall in love with you, only to then hand me over to the Sunflower Demon."

"Do you know how desperate I felt when I fell asleep in your arms, only to wake up in the bed of the Sunflower Demon?!"

The Taoist priest's tone gradually became more intense.

"Since you intended to give me to him from the beginning, why did you pretend to be affectionate towards me?"

"Hmph, if I don't let that Sunflower Demon think we are truly in love, how will he believe that I have completely submitted to him?"

The person in the coffin sneered.

"Yes, I thought about it all night before I figured it out. If I hadn't wanted to know the answer, I probably wouldn't have made it through that night."

"Thankfully, I made it through that night, and through many nights afterward, and finally today has arrived."

The man in the Taoist robe sighed.

"Tell me, Master, how do you want to die? Considering that you are my savior and my mentor, I can allow you to choose a less gruesome way to die."

"That's what I should be asking you! Once I've recovered, I'll grind you, you traitor, to dust and annihilate you completely!"

The person inside the coffin roared angrily.

"In that case, I'll choose for myself. I didn't want to use this originally, but alas, Master, your tortoise shell is too hard."

The Taoist priest shook his head and took out an ice lotus from his sleeve.

A drop of bright red blood is sealed within the ice lotus, as fiery as fire and as beautiful as a lotus in full bloom.

"Red Lotus Karmic Fire! You rebellious disciple, do you wish to perish together with your master?"

The person inside the coffin roared in fury.

"Don't worry, I won't die even if you die ten thousand times. Of course, it doesn't matter if I do die, because the moment you saved me, I decided to live and die with you."

The man in the Taoist robe said quietly.

"When Yin reaches its extreme, Yang arises; the cycle of reincarnation is reversed!"

The coffin lid opened again, and the withered hands quickly became moist and plump, like those of a baby.

“It’s no use, Master. I’ve spent hundreds of years on this moment. I’ve planned everything.”

The Taoist priest shook his head and exchanged a palm strike with the person in the coffin.

"Crack!"

The Taoist priest's entire left hand was reduced to dust, but he didn't seem to care at all.

He used his right hand to push aside one side of his hair, exposing half of his equally distorted face to the air.

"what?!"

The person in the coffin cried out in surprise, and was so frightened that he withdrew his second palm strike.

Taking advantage of the moment, the Taoist priest crushed the ice lotus and poured the drop of red lotus karmic fire into the coffin.

"The Big Dipper Soul-Suppressing Nail!"

The Taoist priest took out seven long nails and nailed them onto the coffin lid according to the orientation of the Big Dipper.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The person inside the coffin struggled incessantly, but the coffin lid remained completely still.

“You are too afraid of death, Master. That is your biggest flaw. But no one is immortal. Even immortals experience the five signs of decay. The more afraid you are of death, the more likely you are to die.”

The man in the Taoist robe shook his head.

He can neither open nor destroy the coffin, but he can nail it shut.

He looked at his hand, where it was cracking inch by inch from the point of contact with the Red Lotus Karmic Fire. The frozen blood pierced through his flesh and skin, blooming into ice flowers.

The Yogacara-bhāṣya, Chapter 4, states: "The red lotus Naraka differs from this one. Beyond this blue, its color turns red. Its skin splits, either ten or more. Therefore, this Naraka is called the red lotus."

The Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya, volume 11, states: "Padma means red lotus. When the severe cold is intense, the body changes and cracks, like a red lotus."

The Red Lotus Karmic Fire is something you can't get rid of once you're tainted by it.

(End of this chapter)