Absolute Death Game

Xiao Buli held the oil lamp high to extend its light further and immediately saw clearly that a person was standing against the wall, clad in a green Taoist robe with a treasured sword on his back.

Upon seeing the light brighten at the door, he immediately approached. Xiao Buli saw clearly that this Taoist had a handsome and refined appearance, likely in his twenties or thirties in age. But when Xiao Buli saw his name, his heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself, this can't be, how is this possible.

The name hovering above the Taoist's head was none other than Xuan Zhenzi. Xuan Zhenzi was often hard to find on regular days; how could it be that when encountered, they came in pairs?

"I am troubled by the efforts of you two brave gentlemen to rescue me," said the young Xuan Zhenzi when he saw that the people who appeared were not the villains who imprisoned him, and he immediately called for help.

After the initial surprise, Xiao Buli's mind started to spin rapidly. Looking at the young Xuan Zhenzi before him, Xiao Buli felt as if he had caught a clue. Pulling out the key from his backpack, he held it in his hand and said to Xuan Zhenzi inside the prison, "I have the key, but you need to answer a few questions for me."

Upon seeing this, Xuan Zhenzi immediately said, "Please ask, sir, and I shall tell all that I know."

"Who are you?" This question, at first hearing, seems like nonsense, yet it was the very thing Xiao Buli most wanted to confirm at that moment.

"I am called Xuan Zhenzi, a disciple of the Pure Yang Palace." Xuan Zhenzi answered honestly. Indeed, it was Xuan Zhenzi. Xiao Buli had some doubts at first, wondering if there was some kind of name-changing item in the game that a person with intentions had used to change their names and avoid assassination. Since NPCs cannot see their own name tags, they should be unaware of any name changes. Yet now, he has personally admitted to being Xuan Zhenzi, which seems to indicate the situation might be closer to the second possibility Xiao Buli had conjectured.

"Have you heard of Soul Departure Syndrome?" Xiao Buli asked. Soul Departure Syndrome was just what the gamers called it; Xiao Buli didn't know what it was called inside the game, but he believed that if the man truly was Xuan Zhenzi, he would surely know the term Soul Departure Syndrome.

Xuan Zhenzi's body shuddered, and his face momentarily lost its composure, but he quickly regained his calmness: "Soul Departure Syndrome? I do not know of such a thing," he said with finality. But the more definitive he was, the more certain Xiao Buli became of his suspicions.

"Do you see this key?" Xiao Buli extended his hand forward, "I can set you free, or I can leave you here in this endless darkness forever."

This statement clearly struck a nerve in Xuan Zhenzi. One could see the corners of his pale lips twitch involuntarily, as if the thought of staying in this place filled him with immense fear. Glancing back over his shoulder at the darkness that seemed able to swallow everything, Xuan Zhenzi gritted his teeth, seemingly making a significant decision: "Alright, I will tell you what I know. Actually, I am not..."

As Xiao Buli listened intently to Xuan Zhenzi who was willing to reveal the truth, he was unprepared when a flash of white sword light suddenly appeared beside him, slicing through the iron bars and striking Xuan Zhenzi directly.

Xuan Zhenzi's eyes bulged, and a line of blood appeared on his neck instantly, followed by his body collapsing to one side. Xiao Buli shouted in alarm, swiftly opened the prison door, and rushed in, casting Resurrection Skills on Xuan Zhenzi non-stop, but he could only see a flickering white light on Xuan Zhenzi's body and no longer any signs of life.

"It's useless, he's already dead," Gu Yuexuan's voice came from outside the cell.

"Damn it, what's wrong with you?" Xiao Buli truly became angry this time; this was the closest he had come to grasping the actual truth, and yet Gu Yuexuan had so easily ruined it. If it had been a player or the Ancestral Dragon, Xiao Buli might not have been so furious, but he was an NPC. It was baffling that an NPC who should behave like an NPC would kill so indiscriminately. What was the reason for it? Xiao Buli suddenly realized that he had been taking the NPCs in this game for granted all along. They had their stories, their missions, just like Gu Yuexuan, carrying his master's order to collect Xuan Zhenzi's soul, or like his third senior sister mysteriously discussing affinity with him. Should he see them as patterns of code, or should he treat them as people?

Gu Yuexuan, however, ignored his rage, holding the Soul Absorption Pearl and stepped into the cell, apparently to collect the soul of this Xuan Zhenzi.

As he approached, Xiao Buli's gaze fixed on the door outside, and he raised his hand to point outside, "Senior brother, be careful."

Gu Yuexuan subconsciously turned around to look, but Xiao Buli was one step ahead, taking out his Soul Absorption Pearl. He pointed at the corpse of Xuan Zhenzi, and a bright white soul was extracted. Gu Yuexuan turned back to see Xiao Buli had already put the Soul Absorption Pearl into his backpack.

"Junior brother, why are you taking my things? Give it back to me." Gu Yuexuan spoke in displeasure, yet he did not dare to be too forceful.

Xiao Buli sneered, "Senior brother, I don't blame you for your hobby of collecting souls, but you shouldn't have made your move before I even finished asking my questions."

Gu Yuexuan huffed, "He's a traitor from Mystic Hollow Palace and was found here; he must be a villainous character. Isn't it better that he's killed?"

"Oh? Is that so?" thought Xiao Buli, "Keep spouting nonsense with your eyes wide open. Then, since that is the case, I think we should hand this person's soul over to the master for disposition, what do you say? Eldest senior brother?" Since his actions were done behind the master's back, there must be countless ties. As Xiao Buli uttered these words, he indeed saw Gu Yuexuan's face growing visibly tense. Feeling smug inside, he continued to bluff, "Senior brother, do you think I'm unaware of your shady dealings in that bamboo forest?" In fact, this statement was purely to bluff Gu Yuexuan.

Gu Yuexuan's expression turned cold, and his treasured sword shot out, grasped in his hand with the tip pointed straight at Xiao Buli's throat, "Fine, let's hear you talk."

Xiao Buli was startled, not expecting Gu Yuexuan to be so agitated, looking as if he could kill him at any moment. But now was not the time to back down; he stiffened his neck, his voice strong and defiant.

"The quicker you kill me, the quicker the master will know about your affairs." He used the more neutral term "affairs" instead of "treacherous schemes" because Xiao Buli was unsure of what exactly was being planned and afraid of accidentally giving himself away.

"What do you mean?" Gu Yuexuan was indeed apprehensive.

Xiao Buli chuckled inwardly, wondering when he had to match wits with an NPC like in a game. Fortunately, he had watched plenty of dramas involving such tricks. He knew the principle of bluffing well.

"Before coming here, I had already informed two friends about your actions using the Thousand-mile Sound Transmission. They know the location of Mystic Hollow Palace and have relations with Jingji. If I unfortunately meet with a mishap, they will immediately inform the master of the entire matter."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuexuan's complexion fluctuated, eventually sheathing his treasured sword resentfully.

"You say, how can the Soul Absorption Pearl be returned?" Xiao Buli let out a huge sigh of relief inside. He considered himself a paper tiger and, although he always felt that his prestige with Gu Yuexuan had reached a friendly level and that the latter shouldn't bring himself to kill him, seeing how Gu Yuexuan had earlier killed Xuan Zhenzi without batting an eye, it was better not to risk it.

"Senior brother, regarding Avatar Shadow Transformation..." Xiao Buli intentionally drew out his words, observing Gu Yuexuan's reaction. The latter showed no fluctuation, confirming Xiao Buli's speculation was correct. The method for Xuan Zhenzi to overcome Soul Departure Syndrome was indeed the third kind mentioned by the master and himself, the Avatar Shadow Transformation. If he had guessed wrong, Gu Yuexuan would have immediately realized that Xiao Buli had been bluffing earlier and would have attacked on the spot. But Xiao Buli had also thought of a solution. The reason he drew out his words was to see his reaction. If mistaken, he would immediately ask about the key details.

But Gu Yuexuan didn't react. Xiao Buli saw it clearly and then finally said the rest: "I don't know much about it, but I believe you know much more than me."

Gu Yuexuan glared at him, seemingly quite irate at such blatant coercion.

"Also, I want to know as much as possible about the secrets of Mystic Hollow Palace." The secrets of Mystic Hollow Palace were something Xiao Buli had come across in a book while playing the library copy in the past, but since the copy was already accessed by a Taoist, he had never discovered the key elements. After so long, Xiao Buli vaguely felt that the grudges between Xuanxu Zi, Mystic Hollow Palace, and Xuan Zhenzi might be related to the secrets of Mystic Hollow Palace. So he made his demand.

Upon hearing Xiao Buli's words, Gu Yuexuan's face changed, seeming somewhat surprised by how much he knew. After a long stare-down, Gu Yuexuan finally nodded: "Fine, I will tell you everything about it."(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to vote for it with recommendations and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)