"Xiao Rui, join forces with me to kill him!" Tian Wenlong's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared hysterically, his voice filled with madness.
"We'll split the Spirit Bone equally."
Zhao Liuyun unhurriedly poured a wax pill from a small vial and swallowed an antidote.
He made no other move, only watching coldly as Tian Wenlong attempted to rope in Fang Rui.
Worried about taking me down alone, so he's looking for a helper?
Fang Rui...
Even [Hypnosis] couldn't dispel your hesitation or erase your malice.
What a pity~
"Liu—Liuyun... I'm sorry." Fang Rui struggled to utter words of apology.
A blush of shame crept across his face, as if he felt disgraced by the act of attacking a comrade.
However, Zhao Liuyun could sense that the killing intent in Fang Rui's heart had solidified.
"Qiaoqiao, you help too, kill him!" Tian Wenlong also invited Zhu Qiaoqiao, who could only move one hand.
"He's afraid we'll leak the news; he would never dare to let us leave."
"Tian Wenlong! Fang Rui! How... how dare you!" Zhu Qiaoqiao's gaze was knife-like. She was so angry that her breathing grew rapid, and her chest heaved violently.
Tian Wenlong chuckled sinisterly, "Do you think he would let any of you go after knowing he possesses a Spirit Bone?"
Zhu Qiaoqiao froze, leaning against the tree weakly.
She wasn't afraid of Zhao Liuyun, but rather the previously kind and generous leader of their mercenary group.
Someone who could attempt to kill the talented youth Zhao Liuyun for a Spirit Bone would naturally be ruthless enough to harm her.
Fang Rui's mind was unclear and he couldn't see the situation, but she saw it perfectly.
Am I doomed to die today?
"I trust Liuyun," Wu Qianming only said softly, his tone exceptionally firm.
"Sister Qiaoqiao, Brother Qianming, as long as you don't interfere, you will be fine," Zhao Liuyun said, a warmth touching his heart, offering reassurance.
He was indeed uneasy.
But time was short; he could try to brainwash them and replace the memory of the External Spirit Bone.
Once the External Spirit Bone was deeply merged and he had Dugu Bo as a backer, he wouldn't be afraid to display it anymore.
"Don't cry. We have no power to resist. Just wait and see," Wu Qianming comforted Zhu Qiaoqiao, his gaze sweeping over Tian Wenlong and Fang Rui with a hint of pity.
He felt these two severely underestimated the strength of a genius.
Spirit Bones blinded them; greed ruins people~
Wu Qianming slowly closed his eyes.
As an observer, he saw things most clearly.
Zhao Liuyun was waiting the entire time.
Waiting for what?
He was waiting for these people, seduced by the Spirit Bone, to make the first move.
The rest of the people, he believed, would survive.
The Moonlit Nightshade appeared, and the first Spirit Ring shone brightly.
Seeing that the other two had made their decision, Zhao Liuyun decisively launched his attack:
"Spirit Skill, Dream Creation!"
He roared sharply in his heart, and a streak of purple light shot towards Fang Rui like an electric bolt.
Having advanced to Spirit Grand Master and with his Sea of Spirit further tempered by the Spirit Bone, the quality of Zhao Liuyun's spiritual power had improved. He could unleash his first Spirit Skill at a faster speed.
At the same time, the Demon Dragon Silver Eye on his forehead radiated a cold light, firmly locking onto Tian Wenlong.
The vertical pupil burst forth with strange colors, and the exclusive Spirit Skill, "Myriad Phenomena Return to Void," was unleashed in response.
Where the vertical pupil focused, the space slightly twisted, condensing into a barely discernible knot.
Vast spiritual power frantically converged through the spatial nexus, ready to detonate the knot at a moment's notice, forming a brief but terrifying mental void explosion.
This strike ignored physical defense and targeted the spirit directly.
Wu Qianming had seen this move and knew its horror. He immediately rolled sideways, and his third Spirit Ring suddenly lit up.
Myriad Phenomena Return to Void could be instantly detonated or charged. The specific power depended on the duration of spiritual power infusion, with no theoretical limit.
However, in actual combat, the enemy would never sit still. It was best combined with a control-type Spirit Skill to ensure the charging time was perfect.
On the other side, Fang Rui's figure flickered, narrowly avoiding the purple light of Dream Creation.
This was the common drawback of all flying Spirit Skills—they could be dodged.
Dream Creation was originally a close-combat skill. Its long-distance deployment was thanks to Zhao Liuyun's high level of mental focus.
At a slightly further distance, there was a clear trajectory, allowing an agility-type Spirit Master to dodge it. It was still lacking...
"Beware of his poison!" Tian Wenlong warned as he rushed forward.
Just as he was about to activate his second Spirit Ring for defense, the world became dizzy, kaleidoscopic colors twisted and interwoven, and everything started to blur.
"This is bad!" Tian Wenlong still retained his basic judgment, horrified in his heart.
Colorless and odorless, acting swiftly—what kind of poison was this?
When did he get poisoned?
Zhao Liuyun's ethereal voice entered the minds of both him and the equally poisoned Fang Rui:
"Flower Not Flower, a hallucinogenic poison, colorless and odorless."
"Hiss! Can we still reconcile?" Fang Rui's hallucination deepened, and he pleaded towards the sky.
At this point, are you kidding me?
Zhao Liuyun acted as if he didn't hear, and his tone suddenly turned cold:
"Thank you both for your help and protection over the past year. Have a safe journey—"
"To the afterlife!"
The last two words seemed to be condensed from frost, the chill penetrating to the bone marrow.
The next moment, four streaks of Dream Creation purple light lit up consecutively, precisely enveloping the four people present.
Zhao Liuyun sensed four dreamscapes forming sequentially.
Flower Not Flower didn't avoid Zhu Qiaoqiao and Wu Qianming; it was to weaken their mental resistance.
And Dream Creation plunging them into slumber was to prevent them from associating the death with the Spirit Bone.
If they formed too deep a memory, it would be truly difficult to deal with.
Taking two steps forward, Zhao Liuyun slit Fang Rui's throat with a knife, killing him.
A two-faced person is unwelcome everywhere.
Zhao Liuyun glanced at Tian Wenlong again, muttering, "Uncle Tian, this is the last time I'll call you Uncle Tian."
A smooth operator, generous personality, protecting him until the very end, but suddenly consumed by greed and making one fatal mistake...
You could have had a good ending!
An indescribable emotion surged in his heart. Zhao Liuyun's eyes sharpened abruptly, and the sharp knife plunged into the man's throat—
Horizontal slash!
Where the blade passed, Tian Wenlong's head was almost completely severed.
The dream state created by Dream Creation transformed into a final, near-death dream as death arrived.
The Controlling Crane Catching Dragon technique suppressed the spurting blood.
Zhao Liuyun did not interfere further.
[Dream Entry]!
He read Tian Wenlong's final dream, which could also be called his life flashing before his eyes.
His father was a Diamond Mammoth Spirit user from the Elephant Armored Sect, and his mother was a lowly maid.
His Spirit, Long-Tusked Elephant, was a subordinate Spirit to the Diamond Mammoth, with Innate Level 3 Spirit Power.
As a result, he was stripped of the clan name "Huyan" and could only take his mother's surname, Tian, which brought ridicule upon his father.
In a fit of rage, his father drove Tian Wenlong out of the sect.
The news about the External Spirit Bone originated from his childhood, a rumor Tian Wenlong had overheard while boasting with other children from the Elephant Armored Sect.
Tian Wenlong didn't recognize the External Spirit Bone, and his understanding was limited to it being far more valuable than an ordinary Spirit Bone.
When he saw the Demon Dragon Silver Eye emerging on Zhao Liuyun's forehead, years of hunting experience told him it could absolutely not be created by a Spirit Ring.
The Spirit Bone made him think of the External Spirit Bone he had heard about as a child, and greed instantly flared up.
Occasionally using the name of the Elephant Armored Sect to posture, he was deeply obsessed with the sect and hoped to use this opportunity to return.
Just like Tang Hao to the Clear Sky Sect, or Tang San to the Tang Clan.
Zhao Liuyun finally understood his choice.
The information about the Ghost Eye Demon Spider was originally seen by Tian Wenlong in a Spirit Beast illustrated guide in the Elephant Armored Sect when he was young.
But over the years, he had long forgotten the distinctive physical illusion, only remembering that, like the people of the Elephant Armored Sect, its physique was powerful...
Gazing at the gradually cooling corpse, Zhao Liuyun took the ordinary-looking ring from his middle finger.
This was a Soul Tool his mother had left him.
The internal capacity was not large, only a square meter, but it was just as valuable to Zhao Liuyun.
Immediately after, he calmly walked to Wu Qianming and Zhu Qiaoqiao.
Affected by Flower Not Flower, their already weak mental resistance was further diminished.
Then, dragged into a dream by Dream Creation, their consciousness sank.
He promised not to kill them, and he wouldn't, but the news of the External Spirit Bone could not be leaked.
Zhao Liuyun prepared to use the method he had previously conceived to brainwash the two.
[Hypnosis] alone lacked the ability to brainwash.
So, he would first use [Dream Entry] to disrupt the current dream.
Then, use [Hypnosis] in conjunction with the dream interference of [Dream Entry] to erase and replace the new dream.
No, no need to replace it.
With a thought, Zhao Liuyun suddenly paused.
The Dream Demon had demonstrated another use for Dream Creation: it could forcibly implant a dream into others.
"Dream Creation!"
He cast Dream Creation again, this time on himself.
Zhao Liuyun began to weave a nearly realistic dream based on the actual reality.
Using a dream closely resembling reality to replace reality, he wanted to turn everything that had just happened into a semi-real illusion, blurring the boundaries of the two people's memories.
After several cycles, the imaginary and the real subtly interwove; the true memory faded, and the illusory dream deepened.
Then, he would repeatedly apply [Hypnosis] to imprint the dream as a real memory, reinforcing it constantly, while weakening or even erasing the conflicting, superficial, and not-deeply-ingrained true memories.
With this, the initial brainwashing would be complete.
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi