As soon as Yu Beiyan finished speaking, Wei Xicheng opened his eyes and found himself staring at Yu Beiyan’s chest. He pushed away slightly, shifting his gaze to Yu Beiyan’s face—it was already looking much better than before.
Even Yu Beiyan’s once-flickering form had become more solid.
Knowing this wasn’t the right time to speak, Wei Xicheng turned to look at Zi Daoren, who stood not far away.
Yu Beiyan’s power had surged, and though Zi Daoren hadn’t used his full strength in his earlier attack, that brief exchange had already made him realize that he had underestimated these two.
“Well, well, it seems you really are hiding quite a few secrets.” Zi Daoren let out a cold laugh. Ignoring the violent energy fluctuations in the area, he summoned his treasured compass.
“Since you refuse to take the easy way, neither of you will be leaving here today.”
The compass suddenly rose into the air, emitting an increasingly intense buzzing sound that made one’s head spin.
The red soil beneath their feet trembled in sync with the compass’s movements, while small amounts of red dust were lifted into the air, forming swirling mini-tornadoes.
Wei Xicheng and Yu Beiyan both took a step back, watching the sudden change unfold.
They exchanged a glance, both understanding that things wouldn’t end peacefully today. Their expressions grew solemn.
Although the system’s energy had skyrocketed, Wei Xicheng’s body remained that of an ordinary human. In this supernatural world, the limits of a normal person’s strength were as insignificant as an ant before such strange forces.
The mere sound of the compass’s hum burrowing into his ears made his head throb painfully, yet he forced himself to endure, striving to maintain a calm expression so as not to distract Yu Beiyan.
But no matter how much he tried to suppress it, he couldn’t stop the thin trickles of blood from seeping from his ears. The wind carried the blood droplets into the air, mixing them with the dark red dust swirling around them.
Yu Beiyan’s gaze turned icy.
In an instant, he dragged Wei Xicheng to the edge of the rock, preparing to forcefully send him away.
At that moment, Zi Daoren launched his first attack.
“Go!”
With a sharp shout, countless glowing golden symbols shot out from the compass, streaking straight toward Yu Beiyan and Wei Xicheng.
Yu Beiyan held onto Wei Xicheng, unable to block the fierce attack coming from behind. He had no choice but to take the hit directly.
Wei Xicheng’s pupils contracted. In a split second, he exerted all his strength, yanking Yu Beiyan’s upper body downward—just as the golden symbols shot straight into his own chest.
“Xicheng!”
Yu Beiyan straightened up, carefully examining Wei Xicheng for any abnormalities but couldn’t find a visible wound.
“I’m fine.” Wei Xicheng waved his hand and pointed behind Yu Beiyan. “I can still hold on. Don’t worry about me—go and deal with him.”
Yu Beiyan nodded, exerting strength in his arms to send Wei Xicheng behind a rock. Then, he turned and rushed toward Zi Daoren at an even faster speed.
At the same time, Zi Daoren launched his second attack.
Yu Beiyan did not dodge. He simply raised his hand and sent out a wave of energy, dispersing the golden symbols without slowing his momentum.
“You!”
Zi Daoren was startled. In Yu Beiyan’s previously injured state, he and his junior disciple could barely hold their ground against him. But now, after his junior’s death and Yu Beiyan’s severe injuries, the situation should have been in his favor.
Yet now, Yu Beiyan’s wounds seemed almost seventy to eighty percent healed. The prey that was already in his grasp was about to slip away again—how could Zi Daoren not be both shocked and furious?
His fingers moved rapidly, forming intricate hand seals. The compass spun even faster, its motion becoming nearly imperceptible, leaving only the overwhelming buzzing sound echoing through the air.
Yu Beiyan closed the distance within a few steps, gathering all his strength into a single palm strike aimed at the top of Zi Daoren’s head, carrying the force of a thunderclap.
Zi Daoren barely dodged in time, using Yu Beiyan’s force to propel himself closer to where Wei Xicheng was.
Through his previous observations, Zi Daoren had already realized the unusual relationship between these two. He also recalled how, not long ago, his junior disciple had mentioned that his own young apprentice had sent him a letter, claiming that a fellow student of his was unusually close to a powerful ghost.
Everyone knew that Zi Daoren’s junior disciple had the utmost disdain for such matters.
Zi Daoren sneered inwardly. The living and the dead walk separate paths—today, he would make sure to “fulfill” this so-called love.
Unfortunately, the child’s lingering attachment wasn’t strong enough. Even if he died, he likely wouldn’t become a fierce ghost who could stay with his lover for eternity.
Zi Daoren feinted an attack, and Yu Beiyan immediately saw through his intent. The attack bypassed him and shot straight toward Wei Xicheng.
Yu Beiyan’s eyes widened in fury.
He ignored Zi Daoren’s follow-up moves entirely and rushed toward Wei Xicheng at full speed. “You’re asking for death!”
For Yu Beiyan, Zi Daoren was nothing more than a minor inconvenience now that his strength had mostly recovered. However, Zi Daoren was devious and cunning, making him troublesome to deal with.
Yu Beiyan had been keeping an eye on Wei Xicheng’s condition, but Zi Daoren’s trickery made it impossible for him to reach him in time.
Zi Daoren’s lips curled into a cold smirk.
Since he couldn’t do anything to that ghost, he would at least not let this human slip away.
His junior disciple’s physical body had been destroyed, leaving only a fragment of his soul. He would use this boy’s body as a vessel to bring his junior disciple back.
Wei Xicheng tried to dodge with a few quick movements, but his physical limitations prevented him from avoiding the attack completely. The two streaks of spiritual energy struck him directly, leaving him collapsed against the rock, panting for breath.
The system panel automatically popped up again.
Not only was the energy bar now overflowing, but even the additional energy module, which had changed form earlier, was increasing at an astonishing rate.
It was as if the energy flow of the world had found an outlet through those two beams of light, all pouring into the system via Wei Xicheng’s body.
Wei Xicheng touched his chest.
Although the impact had hurt slightly, he could tell that he wasn’t actually injured.
Rather, Zi Daoren’s attack had acted as a catalyst, opening a bridge between the system and this world’s energy.
Yu Beiyan didn’t know this and rushed to Zi Daoren in a fury.
Seeing his plan fail, Zi Daoren had no choice but to give up on capturing Wei Xicheng for now, though he was convinced that Wei Xicheng wouldn’t live much longer.
Taking Yu Beiyan’s attack head-on, Zi Daoren spat out two mouthfuls of blood.
A crisp cracking sound came from the compass, and his figure began to turn transparent along with it.
“Heh, I’ll come back for your wretched life another day.”
Yu Beiyan paid him no mind.
He moved swiftly to Wei Xicheng’s side, supporting him and gently leaning him against the rock.
His voice was urgent, and his words came out quickly.
“Xicheng, listen to me. Hold on—just a little longer. The system’s energy should be full now. I just need one minute to take full control of it. Once I do, I’ll send you back—”
cough cough “Why?”
“We need to find another world where spiritual energy can manifest. It won’t be any less dangerous than this one. Just hold on—it’ll be done soon, I promise!”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Don’t be stubborn. Be good. Just one more minute, and you can go home. Didn’t you want to go back? Please, listen…”
Yu Beiyan shut his eyes, attempting to forcefully control the system with his mental strength.
“Wait. I’m fine.”
Wei Xicheng finally realized what was happening.
Yu Beiyan must have thought he was dying and was preparing to transfer him to another world. But if they left now, who knew how long it would take to gather enough energy again?
Besides, searching for another supernatural world wouldn’t necessarily improve their situation.
Their circumstances were far too unusual, making them constant targets.
“Don’t—”
“…Hmm?”
Yu Beiyan opened his eyes, only to see Wei Xicheng sitting up effortlessly, looking straight at him.
His clear, transparent eyes reflected Yu Beiyan’s own image within them.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to panic. I know this won’t be resolved in a single step. Let’s take our time. Wasn’t it you who said not to rush things?”
“But you—”
Wei Xicheng quickly explained what had happened.
Yu Beiyan finally nodded. “I see. In that case, this might actually be a blessing in disguise.”
“Still… who exactly is this Zi Daoren? He mentioned something about a junior disciple.”
Wei Xicheng frowned, recalling how Zi Daoren had unconsciously muttered “junior disciple” while examining him earlier.
His intuition told him that these two were closely tied to the original body’s past.
And He Cheng—he couldn’t be unrelated either.
“They rely on their knowledge of Daoist techniques. When they saw me injured, they tried to dig out the secret behind my powerful spiritual energy.”
Yu Beiyan hid part of the truth, only mentioning the key points.
But Wei Xicheng caught another crucial detail.
“You were already injured before?”
“I’m fine now.”
Yu Beiyan lowered his eyes slightly, then looked back at Wei Xicheng.
“What about your body…?”
“I drank a bottle of water given to me by Zi Daoren before coming here.”
After drinking it, Wei Xicheng had felt a noticeable change—his once-suppressed body had become lighter, and he could now see things more clearly than before.
That also meant the restriction inside him might have been lifted.
But that wasn’t the most important thing right now.
With Yu Beiyan beside him, no stray ghosts would dare approach.
Not to mention, his system had now established a subtle connection with this world.
Even if someone or something attacked, they would likely end up as energy for the system.
Yu Beiyan’s eyes flickered.
Wei Xicheng didn’t realize that his abilities worked similarly to the system—absorbing attacks or consuming spiritual energy to strengthen himself and directly alter the world’s rules.
If Wei Xicheng was to return to the real world, Yu Beiyan had to ensure his safety first.
But there was no need for Wei Xicheng to know that.
“Let’s not worry about Zi Daoren.”
“Let’s leave this place first.”
