Chapter 182: Whose Schemes Are More Sinister? Lin Qi’an’s Plot to Trap Li Xuan
In the village, before the stone gate, a group of people gathered, discussing how to open it.
Kui Xiao suddenly exclaimed, “Why hasn’t Brother Teng She returned? Where could he have gone?”
“Indeed. Didn’t he go off to investigate earlier? Why hasn’t he come back yet?”
Lin Qi’an, of course, wouldn’t admit to pushing Teng She into the blood pool. He couldn’t afford to let the others grow suspicious.
“Forget about him! The most important thing right now is figuring out how to open this stone gate!”
“Agreed. Since those others have left, it shouldn’t be too dangerous for now. But we must hurry. Once night falls, those things will reappear!”
The group carefully inspected the stone gate, their attention eventually drawn to the keyhole etched into its surface.
“It seems brute force won’t work. We’ll need to find the key,” someone noted.
“But where are we supposed to find it?”
“Let’s split up and search the nearby houses for the key. If anyone finds it, we’ll regroup here and enter together,” a cultivator suggested.
The group agreed with the plan and dispersed to search for the key.
—
Bai Jiuli turned to Lin Qi’an and warned, “Lin Qi’an, let me remind you—there may be unimaginable dangers behind this stone gate.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“The later my tails manifest, the stronger they become. Even my fourth tail, if it possesses a mere rabbit, can turn it into a beast surpassing the Celestial Realm in strength!”
A single tail could elevate a small animal to Celestial strength? If even the fourth tail was this terrifying, what about the fifth, sixth, and beyond?
Lin Qi’an found her claim hard to believe. If the power scale truly worked this way, gaining her ninth tail would grant power beyond that of a Great Emperor. It seemed far too exaggerated to be true.
Still, Bai Jiuli could have kept this to herself, but she chose to warn him. Her gesture earned her a bit of Lin Qi’an’s goodwill.
“Got it,” he replied.
Activating his Heavenly Fated Villain Divine Eyes, Lin Qi’an spotted two Destined Children meeting in secret.
Li Xuan and Xi Chao weren’t searching for the key like the others. Instead, they had set up a soundproof barrier and were whispering suspiciously.
Thankfully, his unique villain ability ignored such barriers, allowing him to eavesdrop directly.
“I just remembered,” Li Xuan said, “I’ve seen that key before.”
“What? Where did you see it?” Xi Chao asked eagerly.
“There’s a male villager wearing a gray robe. The key is hanging from his waist.”
“Are you sure? If that’s true, we can’t let anyone else get a share of the treasure. We should split it between the two of us,” Xi Chao replied.
As expected of the Destined Children, their luck seemed impeccable. Even unlocking this mechanism would rely on their presence.
Li Xuan’s tone turned serious. “If we want to take the key, we’ll need Lin Qi’an to kill the villager. There’s no way to get close otherwise.”
Xi Chao nodded. “True, but if Lin Qi’an finds out, the treasure will be out of our reach. We need a plan.”
“I’ve got it! When the undead monsters come out, we’ll let them act as a distraction. While they hold off the creatures, we’ll grab the key, open the gate, and hide inside. Once we’re in, we’ll lock the others out!”
“Not only will we get all the treasure, but they’ll be left outside to deal with the undead. They might even die out there!”
“Perfect plan!”
“Then it’s settled,” Xi Chao grinned.
Lin Qi’an witnessed the entire exchange and couldn’t help but admire their cunning, ‘Impressive. They’d actually come up with a feasible plan.’
Hours passed as the group scoured the village, overturning every possible hiding place for the key. Despite their efforts, they found nothing.
Eventually, they regrouped at the stone gate.
The God Sons of the Tianhai Dao Domain wore grim expressions, their moods further soured by the absence of Teng She. Had he fallen victim to some unknown danger?
With their forces diminished, the situation looked increasingly bleak.
“I know where the key is!” Li Xuan finally broke the silence, drawing everyone’s attention.
“What? You know where it is?”
Li Xuan nodded and explained, “It’s hanging from the waist of a villager. It should be the key to opening this gate.”
“A villager has it?”
“But they’re all in the blood pool now. How can we get the key?”
“We’ll have to wait for them to emerge,” Li Xuan said solemnly.
“My plan is simple,” he continued. “Once they come out, we’ll take the key, open the gate, and hide inside the stone chamber.”
“That sounds insane. It means we’ll have to face a horde of undead monsters all at once…”
“Fortune favors the bold. This is our best chance,” Xi Chao chimed in.
Finally, all eyes turned to Lin Qi’an. He was the strongest among them and the only one capable of dealing with the undead creatures.
“If we’re to get the key, we’ll need you,” someone said.
“No problem,” Lin Qi’an replied, pretending to agree while inwardly preparing to watch the Destined Children’s performance.
They didn’t have to wait long. As the sun disappeared, the sky turned a sinister shade of blood red.
In the distance, ripples appeared on the surface of the blood pool. Rotten arms began clawing their way out of the water, and soon, the villagers emerged.
At the forefront was a middle-aged man wearing a gray robe, a string of keys hanging from his waist. It was the village chief.
“They’re here… stay alert!”
The group braced themselves as the grotesque figures of the undead villagers surged forward, their twisted limbs flailing as if in a macabre welcome.
In the distance, the blood pool began to ripple violently. Rotting arms clawed their way out of the water one by one, and soon, all the villagers climbed ashore.
Leading the group was a middle-aged man in a gray robe, with a string of keys hanging from his waist—he was the village chief.
“They’re here… stay alert!”
They formed a defensive line in front of the stone gate, bracing themselves for battle.
Ahead, countless shadowy figures approached, moving en masse. The enthusiastic villagers waved their arms and stumbled forward as though welcoming their foreign guests.
“Attack!”
The cultivators unleashed their spiritual energy in unison.
Brilliant beams of light shot out, blasting the incoming villagers and sending them flying. Yet, even as they hit the ground, they quickly rose and resumed their charge, like unrelenting warriors unafraid of death.
“They can’t be killed! Just keep them from getting too close. Everyone, conserve your strength!”
“Li Xuan, hurry up! Who has the key?”
Li Xuan had spotted the target from the start, but he delayed revealing it, hoping to exhaust the others further.
“It’s him! The man in the gray robe!” he finally shouted, pointing at the village chief.
The group noticed the man’s immense strength. His physical body was terrifyingly resilient, enduring dozens of spiritual energy blasts without harm.
“Lin Qi’an, take him down!”
The task required Lin Qi’an’s Nine Yang Divine Fire to finish.
A golden fire dragon illuminated the night, surging toward the village chief. In an instant, it ignited him, and the crackling of charring flesh filled the air.
“Careful not to burn the key!” Li Xuan shouted anxiously.
Lin Qi’an’s mastery of fire left no room for error. Soon, the man in the gray robe was scorched black and collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Li Xuan’s heart leapt with joy! As long as he secured the key and opened the stone gate, he could lock everyone else outside with the undead creatures.
His eyes gleamed with excitement as he dashed forward, cutting down any villagers that dared approach.
Reaching the village chief’s body, he spotted the key hanging from the waist. His heart raced as he grabbed it. Success was within reach!
Just as Li Xuan turned to leave, a charred hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
“What?!” Li Xuan was horrified. How was the village chief still moving?
Panicking, he swung his blade, slicing cleanly through the man’s neck. The severed head tumbled to the ground, but the headless body lunged forward, wrapping its arms tightly around him.
Thick, oppressive blood energy poured out, invading Li Xuan’s body through his mouth, ears, and nose, leaving no escape.
“Ahhhh! No… No!” Li Xuan screamed and struggled, but his movements soon slowed and then stopped altogether.
The others, watching this scene, froze in shock. Their pupils constricted, and even their breaths halted. They couldn’t imagine what might happen next.
Xi Chao, trembling in fear, turned his gaze toward Lin Qi’an and saw him smirking faintly.
“Lin Qi’an! Why is he still moving? Didn’t your fire kill him?” Xi Chao shouted angrily.
“How would I know?” Lin Qi’an replied, feigning ignorance.
In truth, Lin Qi’an had deliberately controlled the power of his Nine Yang Divine Fire, ensuring the man wasn’t completely incinerated. The result was this unexpected twist.
Why not? Scheming was part of the game, and if it took out a Destined Child in the process, all the better.
“Lin Qi’an! You did this on purpose! Everyone saw it!” Xi Chao roared.
“Tell us! Was Teng She also killed by you?”
“We’ve all been cooperating, but you’re playing dirty tricks behind our backs. It’s despicable!”
The accusations flew, mostly from the God Sons of Tianhai Dao Domain and Xi Chao, who were already enemies of Lin Qi’an.
Lin Liuli sneered, “That man wasn’t an ordinary villager. His body was far stronger than normal. Burning him completely would naturally be difficult. If you think you’re so capable, why don’t you do it yourself?”
Zhao Yunji chimed in, unable to hold back. “If you’re so dissatisfied, you can leave right now. Why are you still hanging around?”
Another female cultivator also sided with Lin Qi’an, and the group split into two factions.
“Stop arguing and focus on the real threat!”
Li Xuan, now infused with blood energy, exuded a sinister and terrifying aura. Even the blade in his hand was shrouded in an ominous energy.
He no longer resembled a mindless, undead creature. Instead, he had become something far more dangerous.
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