Chapter 193: Fall

The group of Fourth Tiers beside Wei Nantian had not expected him to still have strength to spare, let alone suddenly erupt.

Seeing Wei Nantian sprint toward Yan Jing, they instantly unleashed a barrage of abilities.

Several pitch-black, rotting cabbage leaves materialized around Wei Nantian and shot toward his neck, expanding in the wind as they flew.

A wooden fish shaped like a human head floated into the air. The abbot of Feinan Temple struck it fiercely with a bone mallet; with every strike, another fracture appeared on Wei Nantian's skull.

One of the West Street Artisans donned an eerie wooden mask carved with three mouths and over a dozen eyes. The carving knife in his hand had long since grown to a massive size. Taking aim, he treated Wei Nantian like a block of wood—with every stroke he made in the air, a matching gash opened on Wei Nantian's body.

...

Violent weird energy surged and bloomed from the collision of Fourth Tier abilities, transforming into a pitch-black ocean that blotted out the sky above Bianliu City.

A moment later, however, the earth below quaked, directly shattering that "ocean" and forcing it to dissipate.

This was Minhu, and an "ocean" was absolutely not permitted here.

At the exact instant the "ocean" scattered, torrents of blood energy erupted from Wei Nantian's body. They materialized into thousands of shrieking, vengeful spirits. The terrifying aura blasted all five Fourth Tiers backward; one even spat blood.

"Bufan!!!"

Wei Nantian roared and leaped into the air. In the span of a breath or two, he forced his way through the barrage and landed right beside Yan Jing, fixing his gaze on Wei Bufan.

"Bufan..."

He stared blankly at Bufan. On a face that no longer resembled anything human, his single remaining eye suddenly turned red.

"Dad."

Wei Bufan smiled. "I'm alive."

"I see it. I see it," Wei Nantian said, nodding vigorously. The flesh on his face sloughed off like dead leaves.

"Dad, you're hurt too badly."

Wei Bufan reached out and touched Wei Nantian's calf. By now, the leg was little more than bone, with strips of bloody meat barely clinging to it. At Wei Bufan's gentle touch, the flesh burst open.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..."

Wei Nantian muttered. Reaching out, he scooped Wei Bufan up. He looked at his son and gasped for air, as if enduring some agonizing pain, yet he began to smile.

"Bufan, listen to me. In my room, there are two train tickets. Later, you and the advisor take them and go to the train station. Go to... to..."

He wanted to say the name. It was the "way out" he had prepared long ago.

He, Wei Nantian, had never thought he would need a way out in this life. The only reason he had bought an estate out there was for Wei Bufan.

But he couldn't remember it.

The killing intent had long since ruined his mind, but he'd had no other choice.

If he hadn't done this, the pain would have knocked him unconscious long ago.

Right now, his cognitive faculties were rapidly decaying. He was relying on pure instinct for many things.

Finally, he spoke slowly, flashing a smile.

"Anyway, just listen to the advisor. I've told him everything. He's going to leave us soon, so take this time to have a good talk with him. The advisor is a capable man; you need to learn from him."

"Bufan, I'm sorry..."

He reached out with a rotting, oversized hand, gently stroking Wei Bufan's face with the pad of his index finger.

"If I'd known this would happen, I would never have fought to be the county magistrate... I couldn't find the person who killed you... but it's fine now. Everything will be fine from now on..."

"Dad."

Wei Bufan clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to Wei Nantian.

Watching Wei Bufan bow, tears welled up in Wei Nantian's lone eye.

"Good, good, good. My Bufan has grown up. This was worth it. It was worth it..."

He lifted Wei Bufan to the height of his neck and lowered his head, smiling at his son.

Now is the time. Yan Jing's eyes flickered.

He took a deep breath. After a moment of hesitation, he finally released the weird energy gathered in his hand.

In Wei Nantian's grasp, Wei Bufan's expression twisted in agony.

"Dad! Dad, my stomach... my stomach..."

"What's wrong? What's wrong, Bufan?!"

Wei Nantian panicked. He frantically rocked Wei Bufan back and forth in the air, having no idea what to do.

"Dad... Dad, run... They... They..."

Wei Bufan's expression shifted drastically as he struggled free from Wei Nantian's grip, leaping outward.

But how could Wei Nantian let go? He snatched Wei Bufan back, hugging him tightly to his chest.

"It's okay, Bufan. It's okay. It's okay, I'm here..."

Wei Nantian clutched Wei Bufan tightly, his face etched with terror.

But a second later, his expression froze in that state of panic.

He stared blankly down at Wei Bufan. Right there, bursting from Wei Bufan's stomach, grew a massive tree.

Entwined with black and white threads, the great tree completely impaled Wei Bufan's abdomen—and along with it, Wei Nantian's as well.

"Ah—! Ah—! Ah—!"

Wei Nantian roared at the heavens, tears falling like rain.

He fell to his knees, screaming with the last ounce of his strength. Blood and tears crawled across his face like twisted dragons, and his wails echoed through the sky.

"Bufan! Bufan—!"

He was Wei Nantian. He had never wept like this since the day he could remember. Yet at this moment, he was no different from an ordinary man.

A few seconds later, as the massive tree in his abdomen continued to grow, his colossal frame crashed to the ground, crushing a swath of houses beneath him.

His head landed right next to Yan Jing.

"Advisor... Advisor..."

He forced the words out, calling for Yan Jing.

Yan Jing's eyes flickered.

In truth, the play had already ended here.

Anything further was just creating unnecessary complications.

But in the end... he still walked over, stopping beside Wei Nantian's head.

"I'm here, Commander Wei."

"Advisor... so you're here, Advisor..."

Upon seeing Yan Jing, Wei Nantian's agonized expression finally softened into something more peaceful. He murmured, "Advisor, they played dirty. They planted something in Bufan's body to kill me."

"Advisor, I've wronged you. I know you blame me. You blame me for never trusting you, but... it was already too hard for me, Wei Nantian, to trust anyone anymore."

"Commander Wei—"

Yan Jing was just about to speak when Wei Nantian said weakly, "Advisor, I don't have much time left. Let me speak first."

"Go ahead, Commander Wei."

"Advisor, I was thirty-two when I had Bufan. Before I was thirty-two, I knew nothing about men and women. The thing I did most was kill. I got married, yes, but I never thought about having kids. Until I turned thirty-two, and my dad died. I suddenly thought... I thought, I needed to have a child..."

"So, his mother and I had him."

"For a killing cultivator, the requirement for entering the ranks is to kill two people in a single day. The requirement for reaching the Second Tier is to kill five First Tiers in a single day. And the requirement to reach the Third Tier is to kill two of your closest kin in a single day."

"In the third year after Bufan was born, I reached the Third Tier. The ones who died were my older brother and my great-aunt. Advisor, I'm not a good man, but I swear I wasn't the one who killed Bufan's mother back then."

"But when Bufan grew up, he always believed his mother died because I killed her to reach the Third Tier. That's why he hated me."

"Advisor, I was bitter, but I couldn't say a word. A man who kills his brother is the same as a man who kills his wife. There's no difference."

"Advisor, once a killing cultivator reaches the Third Tier, the killing intent enters their body, and they can never have children again. Bufan was my only son. But I don't regret it. It's just that with Bufan dead, the Wei family bloodline ends here."

"Advisor, the next time you come to Minhu, could you burn some joss paper for me and Bufan?"

As he said this, Wei Nantian's tone carried a pleading note for the very first time.

"I will," Yan Jing nodded.

Hearing Yan Jing's promise, a flicker of relief crossed Wei Nantian's eye.

"Advisor, the County Magistrate Ballots and that puppet are right by my chest. I, Wei Nantian, can't be the county magistrate anymore. Whoever you favor, let them take the position. As for your task, Advisor... I, Wei Nantian, will have to owe you."

"Advisor, leave. If you don't have pressing business next time, don't come to Minhu anymore. Advisor, you... you can't beat them..."

Suddenly, Wei Nantian's face twitched in agony. He was clearly at his limit, and his words began to spill out faster.

"Advisor, those three things I taught you last time apply everywhere. Remember them well, Advisor. Don't forget."

"Advisor, Bai Qiu wants to kill me because I saw him. He's trafficking living people. There's a plot of land up north, and he... he transports people there..."

"Advisor... Advisor..."

His voice steadily faded.

"Advisor... we met too late..."

"Advisor... I... I'm sorry..."

"Advisor, this was the first time Bufan called me Dad..."

Wei Nantian died.

His body had long since withered away into a heap of white bones. A massive tree grew from his abdomen, temporarily holding off those Fourth Tiers and giving him the chance to finish his final words.

This was Yan Jing's brand-new Fear Stance.

By now, he too had reached his limit.

This kind of Fear Stance caused his soul and mind to be suspended from the Fear Sapling by the Lord of Execution's Silk Thread. As the sapling continued to grow, his mind and soul were constantly stretched and torn.

Beneath his calm exterior, he was actually in so much pain that he was on the verge of passing out.

But in the end, he forced himself to stand, walking over to Wei Nantian's chest to fish out the puppet. Looking at the twelve ballots in the man's hand, Yan Jing reached into his pocket, pulled out the ballot "Luo Sheng" had taken from Mei Changfeng, and placed it into his grasp.

"Gong—"

A resonant chime echoed through the sky from an unknown source. A beam of light fell squarely upon the unconscious puppet.

According to the rules, this puppet was now the new county magistrate of Bianliu County.

"You dare!!!"

Watching this scene, the group of Fourth Tiers were shocked and enraged. No one had expected Yan Jing to have another ballot in his hands.

It was true... the county magistrate's term lasted another three months. They just needed to kill this puppet, and the problem would be solved.

But taking it properly and stealing it were two entirely different matters.

Yan Jing lifted his head and offered a strained smile to the Fourth Tiers. Beside his ear, the system notification chimed.

[Personal Dungeon Bianliu County Stage B completed]

[Dungeon tallying in progress]

But to Yan Jing's total surprise, the [Ghoulish Life Takeover Game] system actually popped up at this moment.

This was the first time this system had ever appeared while Yan Jing was operating under his player identity.