play

In the desert, the three of them gazed upon the corpse of the wolf demon.

Zhao Chanyi's expression grew anxious as she spoke hastily: "The time between death and resurrection is uncertain. It varies for everyone, so we can't predict when it will revive or turn into a monster."

Ignoring his injuries, Hong Tao rose reluctantly and urged, "Let's go, we can't stay any longer!"

The two of them were eager to depart.

Liuping remained hesitant, pondering aloud, "We should burn it to ashes. Once it's reduced to ashes, it won't be able to resurrect. How about we set it ablaze and make a swift escape before the monster resurrects?"

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Chanyi's gaze turned vacant.

"No—as I mentioned earlier, turning any corpse into ashes will immediately attract powerful monsters to investigate. That's why we can't haphazardly destroy any corpse," Zhao Chanyi insisted.

"Yes! Let's fix a fire talisman to the wolf demon, set it ablaze after a quarter of an hour, and then promptly flee.

This way, we'll buy ourselves some time," Liu Ping suggested.

There's a crucial question looming here.

Actually, this rule has countless loopholes, and there are numerous ways to circumvent it.

'Has anyone attempted to destroy the corpse before?'

Many cultivators should be well-versed in Destroying a corpse without leaving a trace.

But— ... This can't be right.

You die once, you resurrect; you die again, you turn into a monster, then— Did the monster also die?

Upon careful recollection, Wang Cheng was resurrected once, then he was killed twice by his hand.

During the second killing, he delivered a fatal blow to the giant monster formed by countless corpses.

After being killed by him while it had transformed into a monster, he destroyed the corpse without leaving a trace. Its body was already destroyed, so how could it rise again?

This is the crux of the issue!

'If he were to break the bones and scatter the ashes, wouldn't the monster be unable to resurrect?

'If defeating it this way was as simple as this....' 

'Someone must have tried this before'

Numerous thoughts raced through Liu Ping's mind. After pondering for a moment, he spoke up:

"Give me a moment, I have something I want to try."

"What do you want to do?" Hong Tao inquired.

"Dealing with the demon" Liu Ping replied.

With that, Liu Ping squatted down before the corpse of the wolf demon, performed a gesture, and whispered, "Extract!"

Two faint green mists emerged from the corpse's nostrils, slowly drifting towards Liu Ping, entwining around his fingers.

This is the poison from the wolf demon's body. As Liu Ping drew it out, it gradually emerged from the corpse.

"Condense" Liu Ping commanded, turning his hands.

The mist seemed to darken for a moment, hanging still in the air.

Liu Ping gently placed the mist on the tip of the wolf demon's nose.

"I didn't harm the corpse, but if it resurrects, its first breath will be this poisonous mist. The poison will seep into its body, and it will perish once again," he explained to the two of them.

—This is a method to prevent it from returning!

Even if it comes back to life, it will be poisoned again!

The two were left dumbfounded.

The next moment...

The wolf demon opened its eyes and attempted to rise.

Liu Ping acted swiftly, holding down the wolf demon with one hand while activating the technique with the other—

The deed was done!

The poisonous fog surged to life, swiftly infiltrating the wolf demon's nostrils, invading its body, and spreading through its limbs once more.

"You..."

The wolf monster managed only a single word before turning green all over, freezing on the ground, unable to move.

It had met its demise once again.

Liu Ping confirmed the fact, saying with satisfaction, "Let's consider this its second death. Now, we wait for its owner to show up."

He glanced up to find Hong Tao and Liu Chanyi standing motionless.

Their direct gazes conveyed disbelief as if they couldn't fathom such an occurrence in the world.

A peculiar sensation stirred within Liu Ping's heart.

But he had no time to dwell on it—

In the blink of an eye, a line of small text materialized in the void

[Attention!]

[This entity is already familiar with the rules of this world.]

[At this crucial moment this sequence will temporarily deploy a mysterious technique to obscure all information about you, preventing any entity from discerning your details.]

[Mystery technique: 'Passing bystander' has been activated!]

[Upon activating this mysterious technique, your identity will become a mystery. No one will know your origins, and all connections to you will be forgotten afterward.]

[Duration: Three minutes.]

The small texts flashed, and as soon as Liu Ping finished reading them, they promptly vanished into the void.

In the next moment...

The Wolf stirred back to life!

"It's relentless..."

Before it could utter another word, Liu Ping, wielding a spiritual fan, swiftly condensed a sharp ice arrow, piercing through its body in an instant.

Since it's now alive, killing it in this manner isn't considered desecrating the corpse.

—Just as was the case with Wang Cheng before.

The wolf demon writhed in futile attempts to move, realizing it was immobilized. Gasping, it asked, "You....my friend, who do you serve?"

Its gaze fixed on Liu Ping, yet it sensed that the other wasn't dead, nor truly alive, rendering all details indiscernible.

Such a situation was exceedingly rare.

Unless...

The wolf demon pondered, but before it could respond, Liu Ping interjected, "This corpse belongs to me."

"No, it belongs to me," the wolf demon countered.

Liu Ping forcefully drove the ice arrow deeper into the wolf demon's chest and whispered softly, "Do you want to reconsider?"

The wolf demon let out a pitiful cry, suddenly recollecting something.

'Yes, even though such situations were extremely rare, encountering an entity one couldn't even perceive naturally signaled the master's direct involvement!'

'Masters sometimes acted covertly for matters of utmost importance!'

With this in mind, the wolf demon continued, "This corpse belongs to you, my lord! It belongs to you!"

"Then, leave!" Liu Ping inquired.

"But—which authority does your excellency serve? Please enlighten me, so that I may have an understanding," the wolf demon tentatively asked once more.

"Subordinate? Do you truly believe I would be subservient to anyone?" Liu Ping retorted, his tone laced with cunning.

With a wave of his hand, he gouged a long, bloody gash in the corpse with the ice arrow.

The wolf demon was taken aback.

Thinking it had grasped the situation, it endured the pain and spoke with a fawning smile, "I apologize. I had no idea it was a Lord who personally intervened. I shall depart immediately!"

"You should forget everything you've witnessed, or else I'll show no mercy," Liu Ping warned.

"Yes, yes, I understand!" the wolf demon hastily agreed.

With a tilt of its head, it abruptly ceased breathing.

No more movement stirred within its body.

Liu Ping observed for a moment.

The corpse remained lifeless.

It seemed this corpse had indeed been forsaken. Now it belongs to Liu Ping.

Two lines of small characters swiftly materialized in the void:

[time's up.]

[The 3-minute duration of 'a Passing bystander' has passed] Liu Ping remarked.

He mused aloud, "Hey, what should I do with this corpse?"

A line of small characters appeared in response

[I'm not sure.]

Liu Ping contemplated further, "Seems like this corpse belongs to me now, but how should I do with it?"

He glanced once more at Hong Tao and Zhao Chanyi.

The two remained motionless.

"My Friends, why the silence?" Liu Ping called out.

The two wore vacant expressions, their eyes glazed over, seemingly oblivious to Liu Ping's words.

They appeared frozen in time, trapped in a moment from the past, unable to perceive the present.

"Friend Hong Tao!"

Liu Ping rose to his feet, hastened to his companion, placed a hand on him, and probed his spiritual energy.

Yet, he found nothing.

"Even with an injury, Hong Tao wouldn't be like this!" Liu Ping exclaimed.

"Friend Tao, what's happening?" he inquired loudly.

Hong Tao's expression remained blank, offering no response.

The same was true for Zhao Chanyi.

Liu Ping stepped back a few paces, scrutinizing the two intently.

It wasn't an attack.

Nor was it an enchantment.

Somehow, they had been reduced to mere puppets...

Liu Ping never heard of such a situation, a strange and eerie atmosphere enveloping them.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from a distance

"What an unexpected and rare situation."

Liu Ping turned back to see a petite figure emerging from the wind and sand.

The figure gracefully leaped a few times before reaching the trio.

It was a young girl.

She wore a stunning gown, her long hair cascading down her back, adorned with numerous sparkling accessories.

The girl's crimson eyes opened wide, peculiar, and agile, resembling two crystalline gems as she regarded the wolf demon's corpse on the ground with keen interest.

"And who might you be?" Liu Ping inquired, gesturing respectfully.

"Answer my question first. This creature appears to be nothing more than an ordinary fang demon wolf. Why has the poison coursing through its body undergone such a remarkable transformation?" the young girl queried.

"I possess a poison pill, exceedingly rare and costly to acquire. Upon ingestion, it succumbed to poisoning and died" Liu Ping explained.

"So, could you give this to me? After all, you have no need for it," the little girl requested, tilting her head.

"Sure, but what makes you sure that I can't make any use of it?" Liu Ping countered.

Observing his willingness to relinquish the prize, the little girl smiled faintly and whispered, "Clever lad, would you like to know something?"

Liu Ping nodded.

Approaching him, the little girl—

Suddenly, an afterimage darted out from her body and affixed itself to the wolf demon's corpse.

In an instant, the corpse of the wolf demon vanished.

"Quite exquisite... This type of poisonous flesh and soul still manages to ignite a carnival of taste buds..." she murmured delightedly.

Liu Ping retreated in silence, gripping the spiritual fan tightly in his hand.

What just happened?

He hadn't seen it clearly!

—Such speed had surpassed the limits of his reaction.

"...She must not be human," he concluded.

Liu Ping pondered to himself.

Drawing from years of experience in confronting demons, he quietly formed a conclusion.

Meanwhile, the little girl produced a pristine white handkerchief, delicately dabbing at the corners of her mouth.

Then, she spoke up: "I'm thoroughly pleased with the prize. As a token of my gratitude—by the way, are you concerned about your companions?"

She proceeded toward Hong Tao and Zhao Chanyi.

The pair remained motionless, still and silent, as though ensnared by some sinister force.

"What's wrong with them?" Liu Ping inquired, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Some individuals have imposed restrictions on their souls, prohibiting them from seizing others' souls and bodies. so, when they saw you contending for souls with those individuals, they plunged into disarray and lost their ability to respond," the little girl explained.

"In short, they're merely being manipulated, playing out their roles in the grand scheme of the world."

"—It's like a Play."

. .. ... .... ... .. . .. ... .... ... .....

end of volume 1 (Play)