Chapter 274: The False Prince

He stared at Old Daoist Liu like this for a moment, then suddenly sucked in a breath—like a drowning person suddenly surfacing, escaping the state of near-suffocation.

Then he retreated two steps in succession, his right hand gripping the doorframe, which was hot from the sun, to steady himself. He gasped for air two or three times, his eyelashes trembling violently, staring straight into the void ahead. After watching for a long time, he suddenly shook his head—his visual focus fell back on Old Daoist Liu.

The Old Daoist was startled by his sudden change. He rushed up and grabbed Li Yunxin's shoulder, whispering next to him: "Brother Xin, what's wrong?"

Li Yunxin grabbed his hand in return—with a force so great it felt like he wanted to crush his bones. But Old Daoist Liu noticed his eyes—his gaze carried a hint of panic, as if...

As if a terrified child.

As if a terrified child was tightly clutching his grandfather's hand and looking at a world completely unfamiliar to him with dread.

Old Daoist Liu was seeing such an expression on Li Yunxin's face for the first time.

But the expression was fleeting. Li Yunxin seemed to have just been jolted awake from a long nightmare. He had been muddled just moments before, but quickly regained awareness.

After holding his hand for two breaths, Li Yunxin realized his impropriety.

He stared blankly for a moment, then looked around. Only after confirming that everything was still... everything from "who knows how long ago" did he slowly release his hand and allow his breathing to steady.

—Lady Hong and the Seven-Segment Brocade on the ground were looking at him in astonishment.

Li Yunxin didn't know how to explain—for a moment just now, he couldn't distinguish which was real and which was from his memory. The playback of the scene before his death was so vivid that it felt more like... the present was the dream!

Was that the "Rebirth Hell" the White Yama King spoke of?!

He remained silent for a long while, then fiercely spat.

"Damn it... damn it."

No one knew who or what he was cursing. In the eyes of the others, Li Yunxin had just seen Kun Wuzi off, then turned to walk towards the Seven-Segment Brocade on the ground, saying he wanted to ask some questions. However, the moment he reached her, he suddenly paused, lost in thought.

This pause only lasted for two breaths—and then he became the way he was now.

Old Daoist Liu pulled his hand back, slowly rubbed it, and realized there was no major harm. Only then did he stand in front of Li Yunxin again, staring into his eyes and asking: "Brother Xin, what has happened to you?"

Li Yunxin blinked, then parted his lips. After thinking for a long time, he finally said: "I had a nightmare."

Old Daoist Liu frowned, not understanding the meaning of this sentence.

But Li Yunxin smiled: "It's nothing. I just... just—"

His gaze went over Old Daoist Liu's shoulder and looked into the hall. The Formation he had set up on Jun Mountain was set up under Kun Wuzi's guidance.

When Kun Wuzi was killed that day, a wisp of his residual soul escaped. Li Yunxin collected it in time, saving him from the tragic fate of spiritual and physical annihilation. Thus, the two quickly reached an agreement on opposing the Mutual Aid Society's scoundrels. The experience and insights of a Profound Realm cultivator, combined with the meticulous methods of a Painting Daoist, made the Formation on Jun Mountain quite successful—the Daoist Orthodoxy's great array absorbed the Spiritual Power of the Daoist Orthodoxy cultivators and instead supplemented Li Yunxin, who had been weakened by the destruction of a clone.

Therefore, the Seven-Segment Brocade, who was suppressed within the array, truly couldn't move a finger—and her cultivation wasn't originally very high.

Li Yunxin looked at her, then at Old Daoist Liu, and sighed: "Let's not rush. Come with me for a walk."

So, Old Daoist Liu knew that a major event must have occurred in that short span of time—so much so that Li Yunxin couldn't maintain his composure and didn't even have the mind to continue questioning the female Demon.

He then turned to look at Lady Hong.

The princess of Dongting weakly waved her hand, signaling that they should keep an eye on the female Demon themselves. But her eyes kept flicking back to Li Yunxin.

Li Yunxin and Old Daoist Liu walked out the door.

Old Daoist Liu noticed that Brother Xin was walking very "solidly." This "solidly" literally referred to his steps. Every step he took was forceful; his footsole pressed onto the ground, sinking in slightly. It was as if the person walking deliberately wanted to experience the feeling of "standing on solid ground."

The two walked all the way to the Central Hall's front square—the flagstones on the ground were hot from the sun, and a few water birds could be seen flying slowly in the distance. But from this perspective, the birds flew extremely slowly, like white kites. There was no wind today—the leaves of the trees by the square drooped lazily.

It was actually a good day.

Li Yunxin stood in the sunlight, looking into the distance for a while, and then let out a deep sigh, saying: "I have a bit of trouble."

The Old Daoist felt a little more at ease when he heard him speak. He asked: "What trouble?"

Li Yunxin narrowed his eyes in the sunlight and glanced around, first saying: "It's about the skeletons at Trapped Sky Mountain—"

He paused here.

The White Yama King was elusive, and Li Yunxin wasn't entirely sure if the other party was listening to his conversation with Old Daoist Liu right now. But based on previous experiences, the Black and White Yama Kings seemed to be very busy and didn't have the time for petty tricks like eavesdropping. And after the experience just now, Li Yunxin knew that the other party had even more terrifying means—they could pull his Spiritual Soul away when he was completely defenseless.

With such power... they probably wouldn't resort to sneaky actions anymore.

Still, he spoke that sentence to test the waters.

—Nothing happened.

Only then did he relax, frowning at Old Daoist Liu: "I've told you about the White Yama King, haven't I?"

The Old Daoist was stunned: "Only... occasionally mentioned a few things. Why? Isn't that Yama King... supporting you?"

"He still is." Li Yunxin hesitated for a moment, then whispered: "But... they might have made a mistake. I might not be the person they are supposed to be helping."

The Old Daoist pondered this sentence for a long time before understanding its meaning. In his mind, the idea of "the Yama King supporting Brother Xin" was analogous to "Heaven protecting the Emperor"—the Black and White Yama Kings and Heaven were sacred and mysterious presences in the minds of ordinary people. He had an impression of Li Yunxin occasionally mentioning them, but he would never have guessed that... the relationship between Li Yunxin and the White Yama King was actually very "secular." Or rather, it was more like employment or a transaction—it had absolutely nothing to do with words like 'blessing' or 'protection.'

After thinking for a while, the Old Daoist frowned: "What do you mean by that? Made a mistake? Is there someone else?"

Li Yunxin let out a long breath and looked at him with a strange gaze: "Yes. That's what I'm worried about—there is someone else."

"I worry that at this very moment, in some corner of this world, there is a guy that the Black and White Yama Kings are truly waiting for—damn it." He frowned, paced a few steps, then turned back to look at Old Daoist Liu. "Do you know? It's like... I'm a false prince. And that person is the true prince—now the true prince is in exile, I know, but the Emperor doesn't know!"

This vivid and simple metaphor made Old Daoist Liu understand Li Yunxin's meaning instantly. He was stunned: "Then... what should be done?"

Li Yunxin sighed: "What else can be done? What do villains do in this situation?"

"Of course, before the Emperor finds out the truth, they kill the true prince!" (To be continued.)