Chapter 771: Gu Junsheng! (Middle-Lower)

Most of the original residents of Longchang had gathered in the center of the main building's first floor, forming tight circles inside and out as if some rare treasure were hidden within.

Some monsters spotted me and pointed in my direction. However, the Red Building Obsessions didn't seem to have issued any orders regarding me, so they merely watched from a distance, making no move to stop me.

'What a perfect opportunity!'

It was a narrow window of opportunity. While the Red Building Obsessions headed upstairs to search, I had slipped down the other side.

At least until the Red Building Obsessions caught up, I should be safe.

Ignoring the strange looks from the others, I squeezed into the crowd. There, surrounded by everyone, I saw a mirror fragment the size of a coin embedded in the floor tiles!

'Even though these guys have turned into monsters, their habit of enjoying a good spectacle hasn't changed.'

The bright light trembled, resonating with the faint glow on my body. Without waiting for the surrounding Longchang residents to react, I lunged forward.

Taking my own Reincarnation Mirror Fragment from my pocket, I gently pressed it against the fragment embedded in the blue brick.

To everyone's astonishment, the number of light pillars supporting the Longchang Grand Formation dwindled once again. When I pulled my mirror away, the coin-sized Reincarnation Mirror Fragment had already been absorbed.

Now, the entire Longchang Grand Formation relied solely on the fragment in my hand. If anything went wrong with my mirror fragment, the giant beast outside would charge into Longchang and destroy everything here.

Having fused two fragments, the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment I brought out from the Deep Dream Layer didn't undergo any drastic changes. The only difference was that its surface now looked as if it were plated with a rare metal, rendering the reflections within it blurry and somewhat unreal.

'Just one last piece!' I looked toward the main building's exit. The energy-depleted fragment was in the Doctor's hands. If I didn't get it back, the Red Building Obsessions would never compromise.

Collecting all the Reincarnation Mirror Fragments to take control of the Longchang Grand Formation would grant me the utmost initiative. But the moment I left the Animal Realm with the fragments, Longchang Community, stripped of the grand formation's protection, would inevitably be destroyed by the giant beast. This completely deviated from the Underworld Live Show's plan.

'I've been manipulated by them far too many times. This time, I'll do things my way.' The optional tasks from the Underworld Live Show made it clear that the platform placed great importance on the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment. Subconsciously, I also felt this item was extraordinary. Someday in the future, it would definitely prove immensely useful!

Three beams of light converged in my palm. The illumination of all of Longchang was now concentrated on me alone. That lingering glow stunned the original residents of Longchang, who had lived their entire lives in darkness. They surrounded me, whispering to one another, though I had no idea what they were saying.

Tearing my attention away from the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment, I looked around. Perhaps drawn by the light, more and more of the original residents of Longchang were pouring into the main building, with even more constantly squeezing in through the doorway.

These cowardly monsters, terrified of death to the extreme, had mostly lost their wits after witnessing the disaster at Longchang's back gate. They didn't even think about how to deal with the beast; they just desperately scrambled toward the main building to get as far away from it as possible.

There was light here. The last remnants of human memory etched into their bones subconsciously drove them toward the illumination.

As the monsters kept gathering, the corridor entrance became almost completely blocked off. I tried to push my way out, but the spectating residents of Longchang had no intention of letting me pass. Harboring their own ulterior motives, their eyes fixed on me as if waiting for an explanation.

But how could a human possibly communicate with monsters?

Before I could come up with a solution, the light emitting from the mirror in my palm revealed several dark shadows moving swiftly down the right corridor. The figure leading them had a small, thin build, and most of his body was almost indistinguishable from a living human.

'The Security Guard!'

The Red Building Obsessions had caught up, and I still hadn't found the last mirror fragment. I absolutely could not afford to be trapped here.

Since the light supporting the grand formation radiated from my hands, the Security Guard had undoubtedly spotted me as well.

Not daring to linger, I forcefully charged toward the building's exit.

"Get out of the way!"

Without wasting a single word on the surrounding Longchang residents, I reached into my clothes and pulled out the White Bone Jade Box, my fingers gripping its lid tightly.

"Get the fuck out of my way!"

When pushed to the brink of desperation, a person is capable of anything. When I redeemed the Yellow Springs Token from the live show, the item description explicitly stated that it could only be used once a year. Forcing its activation before the designated time would trigger absolutely terrifying consequences.

The only reason I dared to do this now was, firstly, because I had no other choice, and secondly, because the token had absorbed a massive amount of malevolent yin energy down in the Three Yin Sect's earth vein. I had vaguely noticed a certain transformation taking place within it back then.

Between the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation pairing with the source of the Henshan Yin Vein, the trapped dragon emerging from the abyss feng shui layout, and nearly a century of ritual refinement by the entire Three Yin Sect, the malevolent yin energy within that vein contained an exceptionally unique power.

Entities like the Desire Ghost and Wang Shi, who had absorbed the essence of the earth vein, had all experienced massive breakthroughs in their realms. And just by me entering and exiting that earth vein, this Yellow Springs Token had also reaped tremendous benefits.

The residents of Longchang weren't going to step aside just because I yelled at them. On the contrary, the arrival of the Red Building Obsessions began interfering with and influencing their minds. Their expressions underwent subtle shifts. Specifically, the human sides of their psyches were being suppressed, leaving their faces stiff and bizarre.

'The Red Building Obsessions are starting to influence them.' The obsessions themselves had been bred by the residents of Longchang, born from the convergence of the malice in their hearts. The situation was rapidly turning against me. Gripping the lid with all five fingers, I steeled my resolve and prepared to tear it open.

But to my complete surprise, unlike the first time I used it, the lid felt as though a thousand-jin cauldron were pressing down upon it. Even pushing with all my strength, I could only pry open a gap as thin as a strand of hair!

'Is it because it still isn't time to use it?' The situation was far too critical to allow my thoughts to wander. Right now, only by being ruthless could I forge a path of survival!

Gritting my teeth, I threw caution to the wind, my face twisting with ferocity. "Even if I die, I'll drag all of Longchang down to the grave with me!"

The lid was pried open millimeter by millimeter. Not just the surrounding residents of Longchang, but even I felt an indescribable terror wash over me.

As the lid lifted, my body felt like it was crumbling inch by inch, turning into dust that was threatening to be absorbed by the White Bone Jade Box.

I could sense it clearly—if I opened the box all the way, Junsheng's remnant soul would likely be the very first thing pulverized by the Yellow Springs Token!

'No wonder there was a strict restriction to use it only once a year. This token is not something to be toyed with!'

A soul-shaking resonance echoed from the jade box. The crashing waves of the Yellow Springs roared in everyone's ears. In a mere instant, all the Longchang monsters present—including the obsessions—felt an absolute, insurmountable power bearing down on them.

The bizarre expressions vanished from their faces, instantly replaced by shock and a profound trace of panic. None of them had ever expected that this seemingly weak child, someone they could crush with a single finger, would be hiding such a terrifying trump card.

The White Bone Jade Box was open barely the width of half a finger, yet I already felt as if my very soul were about to shatter and scatter. Glancing around hurriedly, I saw that not a single Longchang resident dared to approach. Even the slightest sliver of the Yellow Springs' might was enough to strike absolute terror into these monsters of the Animal Realm.

'I still haven't secured the last mirror fragment...' Now was not the time for a desperate, mutually destructive struggle with the residents of Longchang. I slowly edged toward the main building's exit. The moment I broke out of their encirclement, I decisively slammed the White Bone Jade Box shut and broke into a mad sprint toward Longchang's back gate.

The moment the lid snapped shut, the roaring waves of the Yellow Springs that had saturated Longchang abruptly vanished. Regaining their senses, the residents of Longchang exchanged glances, each seeing profound dread in the others' eyes.

"What are you all staring at? Chase him!" the Security Guard bellowed, his face livid. Taking the lead, he and the monsters of Room Four bolted out after me.

The situation outside the main building was far more chaotic than I had imagined. The giant beast's assault had completely shattered Longchang's order, and the cowardly pig-men were scurrying in every direction as if it were the end of the world.

These cannibalistic monsters were actually more terrified of death than anyone else. It was precisely because they feared dying that they had chosen to hide in Longchang, eking out a pathetic existence through such absurd and cruel means.

Ignoring them completely, I sprinted toward Longchang's back gate.

The giant beast attacking Longchang was positioned right at the back gate. A small half of its massive body had already forced its way through the grand formation. That colossal shadow, blotting out nearly half the sky, struck terror into the depths of one's soul. The closer I got, the more I felt my own sheer insignificance.

Seeming to sense that the very thing it was searching for was approaching, the behemoth struggled wildly. Fortunately, the Longchang Grand Formation bound it completely, trapping it in place.

Driven into an utter frenzy, it threw its head back and unleashed a series of deafening roars into the sky.

Anyone with slightly weaker mental fortitude might have dropped to the ground in terror, clutching their head in their hands. But to me, this was nothing more than a trivial distraction.

Pressing onward, the colossal shadow completely engulfed me, making it feel as though the beast could swallow me whole the moment it lowered its head.

Down at the beast's feet, I finally found the Doctor. Half of his body had already been trampled into a bloody pulp. Seeing me approach, his eyeballs twitched, and his split mouth gaped open and closed repeatedly, looking exactly like a fish dying of thirst in the scorching sun.

This monster—who had murdered his entire family and driven his own sister utterly mad—somehow hadn't completely lost his life force just yet. In his hands, he held a Reincarnation Mirror Fragment that had lost all its light, its surface marred by several deep cracks.

"Compared to the suffering you inflicted on your own family, the punishment you're going through right now isn't nearly enough." Such a monster wasn't worthy of a single shred of sympathy. I pulled out my Reincarnation Mirror Fragment and brought it close to the piece in his hands. As the two fragments fused together, the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment in my grasp underwent yet another transformation.

It seemed to expand slightly in size. What left me with a faint sense of unease, however, was the appearance of a thin, faint black thread within the glass, swimming across the mirror's surface like a tiny snake.

'This black thread looks exactly like the stuff inside an obsession's body! I saw it when I devoured that obsession earlier. Is this what they use to control the Reincarnation Mirror Fragments?' Upon closer inspection, the black thread proved to be anything but simple. Densely packed along its entire length were countless lifelike human faces!

Having continuously fused three Reincarnation Mirror Fragments, the Longchang Grand Formation was now under my absolute control. Now came the most critical moment of all.