Absolute Death Game

"Since you've said so, I'll tell you the truth of the matter." Gu Yuexuan's expression suddenly changed as if the urgency had left him and he became more composed, his thoughts inscrutable. He lowered his sword, glanced at the surrounding darkness, lit up the blade with a glow, and slowly walked toward the exit of the dungeon.

Xiao Buli let out a sigh of relief, took a step to follow but suddenly spotted the corpse of Xuan Zhenzi. He quickly clicked with his mouse, yet no other items dropped, with only a head (a quest item) appearing prominently in his inventory.

Seeing Gu Yuexuan's figure moving away in the distance, Xiao Buli hurriedly picked up the item and followed him out.

Just outside the entrance of the dungeon corridor, Xiao Buli saw Gu Yuexuan stood not far from the entrance, his back towards Xiao Buli, seemingly still lost in thought.

"Senior brother." Xiao Buli called out.

Gu Yuexuan heard him and slowly turned around, holding a large book in his arms. This book was surrounded by a layer of black aura and looked very familiar.

"This~" Xiao Buli moved closer and sure enough, it was one of the three magic books he had seen in the Nine Dragons City library, "Penglai Secret Chronicles: The Transformation of Xuantian Palace." At that time, he had suspected that the book was related to Mystic Hollow Palace and had desperately wanted to enter it and see for himself, but various unfortunate events had always kept him away.

The black mist surrounding the book was much lighter than what Xiao Buli had seen in Nine Dragons City, but the essence seemed to be the same. So, could this be—a Book Spirit? Xiao Buli asked aloud.

"Correct, it is a Book Spirit, one that I've been nurturing," Gu Yuexuan replied, knowing that a Book Spirit was formless and substanceless, born from the attachment to a book. If the book was destroyed, the Book Spirit would escape to another place. If a Book Spirit's powers were sufficient, the book could form its own Illusory Realm. Considering the condition of this book, it did not seem to have formed a replica like the one in the library, but it should be possible to view at any time.

Gu Yuexuan said, handing over the book, "The truth you want to know is all in this book. I suppose I don't need to teach you what to do, right?"

Xiao Buli nodded, reaching out to take the book, yet his eyes remained fixed on Gu Yuexuan. To enter the book, one had to leave one's spirit behind. Despite Gu Yuexuan's words being enough to make him cautious about harming Xiao Buli, it was not wise to leave his physical body with someone who had murderous intent towards him.

Gu Yuexuan saw the look in his eyes and understood the meaning. He snorted coldly, "Relax, if I had wanted to kill you, I would have done it earlier. With your skills, I don't need to resort to schemes against you. Besides, since I've decided to tell you the truth, I have made such preparations. Do you really think I believe that 'Thousand-mile Sound Transmission' tale you spun? "

Xiao Buli's heart skipped a beat. He had bluffed about the 'Thousand-mile Sound Transmission', a skill he was unable to learn due to his current Taoist Heart level. He had just consulted Gu Yuexuan on how to improve his Taoist Heart, so how could Gu Yuexuan not be aware of that? It seemed that Gu Yuexuan's decision not to kill him was not out of fear from his threat, but because he had other plans. Having a purpose was good, as long as he was of use to Gu Yuexuan, he wouldn't lightly take Xiao Buli's life. Reflecting quickly, Xiao Buli faintly felt that these NPCs in this world were bound by rules, and there might be many things they were not free to do themselves, which is why a capable master like his own still had to rely on him to hunt down Xuan Zhenzi.

With this in mind, Xiao Buli cast aside his last bit of apprehension and looked at the book enveloped in black mist in front of him. He gently clicked his mouse on it, and the black mist on the book instantly churned up, engulfing him in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Buli only felt the screen before him turn black. As the view changed and the smoke cleared, he was presented with a verdant outdoor peach garden, filled with chirping birds and the babble of flowing water. Upon closer inspection, the beautiful scenery was clearly the Mist Valley where Mystic Hollow Palace was located. However, the surroundings were teeming with life, not at all resembling Mist Valley's usual fog-shrouded, mysterious aura.

Looking up at the map in the upper right corner, the name displayed on the mini-map was Layered Green Valley. Xiao Buli was puzzled by this; it appeared that the current scene had to be from thirty years ago. He wondered what had transpired over these thirty years to have transformed the once paradisiacal Layered Green Valley into Mist Valley.

Xiao Buli looked down at his own body, which appeared to be a semi-transparent shadow, not very conspicuous, and his attire had not changed into any character from the book, still maintaining his own image, much like a ghost.

Adapting to his current state, Xiao Buli admired the beautiful scenery around him while moving toward the direction of Mystic Hollow Palace. After a while, he could already see a mountain gate from afar, surrounded by swirling white clouds and the continuous cries of cranes, much like arriving at an Immortal Palace. However, the many thorny walls that used to be in front of the gate were no longer there.

Wouldn't this mean there were no obstacles to directly enter? It seemed that thirty years ago, Mystic Hollow Palace wasn't as heavily guarded as it was now. Xiao Buli was just about to step inside when he suddenly heard a commotion of fighting from behind him. Looking back, he could faintly see several figures emerging from the woods not far away.

Xiao Buli quickly dodged to one side, trying to hide, but it was already too late. The opponents were extremely fast, seemingly possessing high-level qinggong, and in the blink of an eye, they were already in front of him. Yet, they seemed completely oblivious to Xiao Buli, who was within an arm's reach, and rushed past him.

A figure flew past Xiao Buli at high speed, and in the midst of the chaos, the person glanced back, revealing the attire of a Taoist priest. Xiao Buli had no time for detailed observation as the pursuers were nearing; both groups stood face to face. Judging by their attire, they should belong to the same sect, all wearing the same cyan-grey Taoist robes. Their martial arts techniques also seemed very similar. Xiao Buli thought to himself that since they couldn't see him, he might as well sit aside and watch the battle unfold. However, as he watched, Xiao Buli shuddered.

At first, the fighting was a blur, with the fleeing individual heading in Xiao Buli's direction. But as the fight grew fiercer, the combatants changed positions and shapes continuously. Xiao Buli hadn't noticed anything amiss at the beginning, but gradually, he realized that he couldn't find the individual who was fleeing. It was like watching a shell game with the performer's hands moving quickly, where one always thinks the pea is under a certain cup, but when another cup is lifted, the pea is there as well.

In front of Xiao Buli, who had been focusing on the fleeing person to see how they would escape, suddenly realized that the person by his side was the one he had seen running away. However, with the melee in full swing and others coming to the aid, a closer look revealed that the person assisting was also the one fleeing. The five or six Taoist priests somehow had the exact same face.

Xiao Buli was puzzled and sent forth a Mind Revelation to understand the situation better. It turned out that these Taoist priests were probably avatars created by Xuan Zhenzi's Avatar Shadow Transformation. Although he didn't know why they later looked different from one another, originally their appearances were identical. In the middle of the battle, the name 'Xuan Zhenzi (Heart Demon Incarnation)' floated above the head of the Taoist priest, while the others read 'Xuan Zhenzi (Divided Spirit Incarnation)'. It seemed that the Avatar Shadow Transformation technique could indeed separate the Heart Demon. Xiao Buli felt a surge of excitement, as hope for treating Soul Departure Syndrome reignited within him.

While Xiao Buli was excited, the battle became even more thrilling. Under the joint assault, the Heart Demon had no chance to breathe. The combatants, who were from a single origin, coordinated seamlessly, their techniques as fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water.

Gradually, they cornered the Heart Demon before the gate, and with a Giant Fireball, the Heart Demon repelled them all, gesturing as if wanting to speak. The others, holding the upper hand, felt no rush to end things. One of them asked, "What do you wish to say?"

The Heart Demon, gasping for air, caught a few breaths before responding, "Since we are all Avatar Shadow Transformations, why chase after me? It's not supposed to be like this; we should be fighting one another."

Before the Heart Demon could finish, the Avatar Shadow Transformations seemed to hear the funniest thing in the world, bursting into loud laughter. The one who had just spoken tried to contain his laughter and said, "You are the Heart Demon, yet so naive. Although we are fragments of a soul, memories are shared. It's unfortunate that every fragment of memory knows that the reason for enduring the agony of soul splitting is to get rid of you. Don't waste time; your end comes today." As he spoke, his face twisted with apparent endless rage.

"Don't waste words on him." Another Avatar Shadow Transformation, quick-tempered, released a thunderous Fireball without waiting for a reply.

This seemed to be a signal for all the others, who began to cast their spells, sending an array of multi-colored attacks raining down on Xuan Zhenzi (Heart Demon Incarnation).

Xiao Buli listened and understood that these Avatar Shadow Transformations still had their own consciousness and weren't oblivious. The Heart Demon seemed to be in a dire situation today, and while ganging up wasn't within Xiao Buli's moral compass, the Heart Demon's identity was clearly not favorable. Xiao Buli wished to see the Heart Demon obliterated and Xuan Zhenzi achieve his goal. However, according to his experience in reality, the story obviously hadn't developed that way; otherwise, so many of Xuan Zhenzi's Avatars wouldn't still be around.

On the battlefield, the situation continued to evolve. The colorful spells seemed different, each individual seemingly inheriting one or a few spells, creating a chaotic mix. Based on Xiao Buli's past experience defeating Xuan Zhenzi, these Avatars weren't very powerful, likely due to the splitting of Xuan Zhenzi's abilities. Although the spectacle was stunning, the attack power was not particularly strong. Xuan Zhenzi's Heart Demon, dodging left and right, bore two additional Fireballs. Despite being in a sorry state, it didn't result in his demise. Strangely, the Heart Demon did not seem to possess any powerful offensive spells and did not strike back. Seeing the situation, the Heart Demon gritted his teeth and fled into the mountain gate. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)