Chapter 131: The Death of A Si

The Second Tier entity holding the fake Yu Xiran looked warily at the newly arrived Yan Jing.

If the person before him was also Second Tier, that made four of them to appear so far.

Where did all these Second Tiers come from?

The tentacles on his abdomen—the ones that survived the dark moon's annihilation—whipped out, dancing wildly in the pitch-black night.

There was no way out, unless he dropped the fake Yu Xiran in his hand.

Before that, however, he had to test the newcomer's strength.

"He's First Tier!"

From his waist, "Yu Xiran" pointed at Yan Jing and shouted.

"He's the Cameraman from the Sun-Swallowing Tower!"

"Yu Xiran" had recognized Yan Jing.

Hearing her words, the Second Tier entity relaxed slightly.

If the man was only First Tier, he could most likely escape today.

Faced with her accusation, Yan Jing offered no defense. He remained entirely silent, simply raising the spear in his hand.

Whether he was First Tier or not couldn't be proven with words alone.

Crunch.

He took a bite of a Fear Fruit.

Bubbling black mist surged around him as his Fear Stance unfolded. The dark fog swirled, rapidly intensifying his mutation until he looked like a monster straight out of hell.

At the same time, the Power of the White Stone surfaced on the back of his hand, transforming into a two-colored Thorn Bracer that boosted his strength.

Next, a pitch-black pool of water materialized beneath his feet, blending with the power of Solitude Lane.

Then, he swung the black-and-white Thorn Spear. Crystalline dark petals drifted down from the sky as shrill, wretched screams echoed, forming a grim background melody.

Finally, the camera above his head locked on in real-time, ready to trigger a freeze frame at any moment.

Having entered his peak state in an instant, Yan Jing advanced step by step, spear in hand, the dark pool following his every move.

If he had to fight a Second Tier to the death, he might not win. But he had seen the strength Lu Miao displayed and was confident he could trade a blow or two.

He needed to strike fear into his opponent instantly—that was the only way to scare the entity off.

That was why he unleashed his strongest form right from the start.

Now, staring at the completely transformed Yan Jing, the Second Tier entity felt an inexplicable sense of panic.

Was this guy really First Tier?

His certainty wavered.

Still, he had to test him with a strike.

The sky full of tentacles converged, weaving into a monstrous, overwhelming palm that slammed down toward Yan Jing.

It was coming.

Watching the giant palm howling toward him, Yan Jing's eyes remained calm. Relying on the muscle memory forged from his Weird killing stance, he raised his spear shaft. He centered his breath, focused his mind, and mobilized his Weird Energy—a single motion that engaged his entire body. And then...

He thrust the spear!

The motion flowed flawlessly, flashing with a dark gleam.

The monstrous palm of flesh crashed down, swallowing that dark light on the spear tip.

Seeing this, the Second Tier entity breathed a small sigh of relief.

But in the very next second, his expression drastically changed.

He felt a terrifying force on the verge of erupting from the center of his giant palm. A chill shot down his spine. He tried to pull back, but it was too late.

Something seemed to have frozen him in place for a split second. His vision blurred. By the time his eyes cleared, a dark pinpoint of light had abruptly pierced through the back of the flesh palm. Almost instantly, that dark spot expanded to engulf the entire hand.

Dark cracks spread like a spiderweb, radiating a gloomy light from within the fissures.

In the next blink, the entire palm crumbled apart, dissolving into chunks of meat that were completely vaporized under the dark light.

Agony flooded the Second Tier entity's mind. Bellowing in pain, he abandoned any further shock and fled frantically in the opposite direction.

The person before him was definitely not First Tier; he was absolutely certain of that now. In fact, this man was even more terrifying than the previous few.

Naturally, the fake Yu Xiran was discarded, dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

Yan Jing didn't hesitate. He strode forward with sweeping steps, aiming his spear straight at "Yu Xiran's" forehead.

Hum.

Just then, a clump of flesh leaped from "Yu Xiran's" palm, instantly transforming into a translucent barrier of flesh and blood that completely enveloped her.

The spear struck the barrier, sinking in only half an inch.

However, as Yan Jing's Weird Energy surged, the tip pushed steadily deeper. Breaking this barrier was only a matter of time.

In four or five minutes at most, the woman's skull would be pierced through.

No matter how high the quality, any item usable by a First Tier ultimately had limited power.

Now, "Yu Xiran" finally panicked.

Frantic, she blurted out, "Why are you trying to kill me?! I don't even know you!"

Looking at the woman still playing dumb at this stage, Yan Jing chuckled.

"I felt like killing you, so I'm killing you. No reason."

As he spoke, the spear tip pushed another half inch into the flesh barrier.

Realizing that act wouldn't work, "Yu Xiran" immediately tore off her disguise. She revealed the face of Yu Ling, staring at Yan Jing with teary eyes.

"Ah Ji... It's me. I'm A Si. Don't you remember me?"

Yan Jing nodded.

"Then I'm killing the right person."

"..."

A Si hadn't expected Yan Jing to be so utterly unmoved. After a half-second of silence, she forced a tearful smile and spoke again.

"Ah Ji... is there some kind of misunderstanding between us... Do you really not remember me?"

"I always wanted to find you... but I couldn't... I looked in so many places..."

"I understand... that's why you hate me, isn't it? You hate me because I didn't come to find you... I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..."

A Si broke down, crying uncontrollably. Her face was a mess of snot and tears.

"Just... just kill me... Ah Ji... I actually... I really missed you too..."

"Every day I kept thinking about... about everything we went through back then... everything from when we were kids..."

Underneath the cardboard box, Yan Jing's expression remained perfectly calm.

"You're about to have all the time in the world to think about it."

By now, the spearhead had pierced more than halfway through the barrier.

Seeing that Yan Jing was still utterly unmoved, the girl named A Si finally showed her true colors.

Her body trembled, her short hair a mess as she screamed hysterically.

"Fine, come on! Kill me then!"

"Yi Ji, do it, kill me! I lied to you! I tried to have you killed! I played with your feelings! I used you and kicked you to the curb! I did it all!"

"Come on! Kill me! Aim right here!"

She stepped forward, pressing herself right up to the spear tip. She pointed at her forehead, glaring fiercely at Yan Jing.

The distance between them was just as close as when she and the Cameraman first met over a decade ago.

"But what did I do wrong?"

She tried hard to steady her trembling voice, locking eyes with Yan Jing through his cardboard box as the spear closed in.

"I just wanted to survive! What is so wrong with that?!"

"Do you remember the day of the selection? I went to find the girls from the first batch and got the location out of them."

"That night, I snuck over to look."

"Do you know what I heard those so-called 'teachers' saying outside the door?"

"They were talking about what to do if we girls failed the selection."

"One of the teachers said there were orders from above. Anyone who failed the selection had to die. The secrets of the White House couldn't be leaked."

"I was so scared. I went looking for you, I wanted to tell you, but then I realized your brother might be one of the higher-ups. So what could I do?"

"Was I supposed to just go and die?! Why should I?!"

"On the day of the selection, everyone was supposed to awaken their talent and begin entering the ranks. I got nothing. So I killed that girl! I killed her!"

"I stabbed her eyes out. With sharpened chopsticks, using the method you taught me."

As she spoke, she laughed, staring at Yan Jing.

"I set foot on the Pathway of desire. I actually loved you back then. Do you believe me, Yi Ji? I loved you. I thought if I just became the one with the highest rank, I could stay by your side."

"But I was terrified you didn't love me. So, I used the power of desire on you."

"Back then, everything was getting better. I thought we were close, that soon I'd be able to stay with you forever."

"But... it was all a lie!"

As she said this, hatred flashed in her tear-filled eyes.

"Giving birth to a dual-Pathway child requires the life essence of both parents. I didn't lie to you about that. Everyone was fooled by that old man from Sleepland, even your brother. That's why your brother went looking for them in the end, only to die at their hands."

"I found out we would die after the child was born, which was why I had to run away..."

"Whether you believe me or not, I never lied to you about that."

She tilted her head up to look at Yan Jing, smiling through her tears.

"Why did things end up like this, Ah Ji? We just... we just had to escape..."

Squelch.

The spear tip finally reached the girl's forehead. This time, it sank half an inch into her flesh.

The girl reached out and grabbed the spearhead. Shivering in agony, her death now inevitable, she still managed to smile as she spoke.

"Ah Ji, if you kill me, they will find you... They don't need Yu Xiran at all. What they need is you and me..."

"Back then, I searched through the White House for so long. I dug through everything, but I couldn't find any girl on the 'Life' Pathway. That's why I... I chose... to go to Dandelion Manor... I was so stupid... I really was..."

She never finished her sentence. The light faded from her eyes, and her pupils lost focus. The spearhead had completely pierced her head, forever silencing a girl full of ambition and drive before she could finish her words.

Outside the barrier of flesh, Yan Jing retrieved the Fear Seed embedded in his thigh and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Glancing down at the fallen girl, he drove his weapon into her a few more times. Only after fully confirming her death did he turn and walk away.

In his ear, the long-absent system narration finally chimed:

[Even at the very end, this girl was still using the power of desire, trying to carve out a sliver of survival from your hands.]

[Indeed. She was a girl who fiercely refused to accept her fate, which was how she managed to lead that foolish boy in escaping that cage.]

[Perhaps, in her final moments, she recalled the day they first met—the girl who yelled at the boy not to cry, the boy of few words. Hand in hand, they had imagined how beautiful tomorrow would be. At the very least, it had to be better than today.]

[Perhaps the greatest fault truly didn't lie with her. As nothing more than a child back then, she only ever wanted to survive.]

[But none of that matters anymore. Some things simply have no right or wrong—only winners and losers.]

[In the end, you won this game.]

[Congratulations. You have fully unlocked the role 'Yi Ji'.]

[From now on, everything of his completely belongs to you.]

[The next role is ready to be drawn.]

[The current body will now begin its destruction and reconstruction.]

[Countdown commencing.]

[Ten, nine, eight...]