Chapter 1748 - 315: 20,000-Word Mega - _6

Before they awakened, all the silver needles that were exerting effects on their bodies instantly vanished, breaking the effect of the Puppetry Technique imposed on them.

Great Elder: "Third, Fourth, Fifth, keep sleeping. You're not needed here. No matter how talented a child is, they are still just a child, hehe."

The three elders seemed to have heard the Great Elder's words; their eyelids stopped twitching, they didn't open their eyes, and all sat back in the Taishi Chair.

The Great Elder's index finger slowly pointed towards Zhao Yi's brow.

"Yi'er, it's too late for regrets now. You shouldn't have chosen to come down here and face me. In such a confined space, many of your methods cannot be employed.

Next, is the fragmented thought…"

At that moment, the Great Elder's index finger paused in mid-air.

Because the Zhao Yi in front of him was rapidly expanding.

His body was immobilized, but he was not seeking release; he was committing suicide!

The Great Elder had to withdraw his index finger, his hand transforming back to five slightly splayed fingers.

"In front of me, you don't even have the freedom to commit suicide."

"Hiss…"

The expanded body deflated again; the earlier suicide attempt was stifled.

Zhao Yi's eyes glared fixedly at the Great Elder.

"The Life and Death Door is indeed a mysterious marvel, Yi'er, you have disappointed it."

The Great Elder's index finger extended once more, aiming again at Zhao Yi's brow.

Zhao Yi: "Do you truly understand just how marvelous the Life and Death Door is?"

The Great Elder's lips curved into a smile; everything he needed to say was said, and now he didn't wish to converse with someone who would turn into a fool ten breaths later.

Zhao Yi: "I didn't know before it could be so extraordinary."

The Great Elder's index finger touched Zhao Yi's brow.

However, before the "fragmented thought" could begin, the Great Elder's cloudy gaze suddenly swayed.

The vitality throughout Zhao Yi's body was being withdrawn in an incredible manner.

This was completely different from the earlier suicide attempt, which was self-initiated; now it seemed an extrinsic force was stripping him.

There was a hint of ridicule in Zhao Yi's eyes.

Then, his white eyes darkened, completely losing their luster, and the body was entirely devoid of vitality.

"No, no, no!!!"

The Great Elder roared in anger, the emotional upheaval making his body even more withered.

He could now confirm that the Zhao Yi before him was dead, completely dead.

He released his hand.

With a thud, Zhao Yi's already broken and now further twisted corpse fell to the ground.

The Great Elder covered his face with his hand, greatly distressed.

He didn't understand how Zhao Yi managed to succeed in committing suicide right before him.

He'd rather die than make even a slight contribution to the Zhao family.

Hm?

No, something's wrong.

The Great Elder's gaze fell again on Zhao Yi's corpse; his finger pointed downward, first scattering left and right, then lightly nudging it up and down.

Zhao Yi's corpse was thus opened up, stratified.

It was indeed a corpse, but it was not full.

The flesh and blood were only on the surface, while the inside was filled with masses of clothing and cotton padding, making it appear solid, but in reality, it was "gold and jade on the outside, rotten cloth on the inside."

There were bones inside the corpse, but they were incomplete, seemingly extracted, supplemented with steel wires, and iron sheets for reinforcement.

This indeed was Zhao Yi's body, but it was not a complete Zhao Yi.

It had been disguised, modified.

This was not Puppetry Technique; Puppetry Technique could never achieve such verisimilitude to the point of being indistinguishable even to oneself and couldn't incorporate soul consciousness while also achieving Walking Yin.

Great Elder: "This Life and Death Door could indeed operate twice…

No wonder he ignited that forest; he was deliberately disturbing me."

On the way, Zhao Yi had used a shell to attract Monk Huixu and Master Huixin's attention, leading them both into the thunderfire.

But Zhao Yi, who remained in the sedan, having his shell burned away, was not the real Zhao Yi; inside the sedan, he was repairing and adjusting himself to make this already incomplete self appear more realistic.

Externally, this was presented as an effort to dress respectfully for ancestral rites.

Li Zhiyuan, after reconsidering, confirmed that there was a significant breakthrough in the Life and Death Door that Zhao Yi hadn't shown.

And this was Zhao Yi's breakthrough.

Different from Puppetry Technique, he could disassemble himself through peeling, dismantling, and stitching, then selectively pledge his "life and death" to specific parts of the disassembled body.

There were two major flaws.

One is the separation cannot be unlimited; if separated too much, when the death gate closes, what's remaining cannot support the life gate's opening, leading to complete demise.

Another is the distance cannot be too far, or else life and death transformation cannot be achieved.

It can be said that aside from potentially holding his soul consciousness, in all other aspects, it's inferior to ordinary Puppetry Technique.

But at certain moments, it has miraculous effects.

Unless a thorough inspection is done by peeling and opening the belly, it would be impossible to discern from its aura whether this is the "truly complete" Zhao Yi.

Great Elder: "He must still be nearby; Yi'er, as long as you're still in the ancestral mansion mountain land, I'm bound to find you."

Saying this, the Great Elder's cloudy gaze cleared completely, and he began to expand his perception outward using the ancestral home as the center.

This extensive expenditure caused his skin to become increasingly parched and tight, nearly transforming into skin covering bones at a visibly rapid pace.