Chapter 25 Blood Shadow Substitute

["Boom!"]

[As the black-robed man clenched his hand in the void, the steel shell of the entire business van instantly twisted and deformed, letting out a tooth-aching metallic groan, as if it were being squeezed ruthlessly in the palm of an invisible giant hand.]

[A terrifying pressure, like a great mountain, weighed down upon you.]

[It wasn't just the suppression of blood qi or origin force, but a gaze from a higher level of life.]

[In the face of this power, you couldn't move even a single finger; even breathing became incredibly difficult as the air in your lungs was squeezed out bit by bit.]

["Presumptuous!"]

[Wu Changhe's eyes nearly split from rage, his origin force burning wildly as he tried to break through the restraint. As an Origin Opening Realm Expert, he wasn't willing to just sit and wait for death.]

[However, the black-robed man's figure vanished instantly, reappearing right in front of Wu Changhe.]

["Shh—"]

[He extended a pale finger, pressing it against his mask, then casually grabbed Wu Changhe's head, lifting the usually imposing Origin Opening Realm Expert into the air like a small chicken.]

["Teacher Wu, interrupting when someone else is speaking is very impolite behavior."]

[It was a gentle voice, yet it carried a high-and-mighty indifference, as if a god were looking down at an ant.]

[By some unknown means, a grey stream of air entered Wu Changhe's seven orifices along his finger.]

[After being set down, although Wu Changhe's eyes were wide with rage, he stood frozen like a statue, his muscles spasming, only able to let out desperate, raspy gasps.]

[Having done all this, the black-robed man turned around to face those of you inside the car.]

[He slowly raised his head, revealing the face beneath the hood.]

[It was a pale, bone-like ghost-face mask.]

[The corners of the mask's mouth were curved into an eerie and exaggerated smile, and deep within the hollow eye sockets, two pools of crimson blood-light burned faintly.]

[The red light swept across the car's interior, making you feel as if your Soul were about to be frozen.]

[The Masked Man's gaze first landed on Liu Xiyue.]

[Strangely, the red light in his eyes flickered slightly; there was no greed of a predator looking at prey, but rather a satisfaction as if inspecting a "finished product."]

["The seed of Sea City has sprouted successfully and grown perfectly," he murmured to himself.]

[Only then did his gaze turn toward you.]

["Oh? This is that Commoner Top Scorer from Longnan?"]

[The Masked Man seemed very interested in you, his eyes showing the look of having discovered an "unexpected pleasant surprise." "Originally just a casual move, I didn't expect this barren land could grow such a vigorous 'weed.' Not bad; your Physical Body is very valuable."]

[Immediately after, a hair-raising scene began.]

[Two black-robed men behind the Masked Man stepped forward silently and spread a foul-smelling parchment on the water-logged ground. Then, they pulled out sharp daggers and cut their own palms without hesitation.]

[Crimson blood flowed down, but instead of dripping onto the ground, it moved automatically across the parchment under some eerie force, tracing a complex and evil dark-red formation.]

[At the same time, Liu Xiyue, who had been sitting beside you and seemed scared witless, moved.]

[She slowly raised her head; her eyes, which were originally as cold and clear as snow, had now turned completely blood-red, with not even the pupils visible.]

[She pulled a pale ghost mask from her bosom and placed it over her face with elegant, slow movements.]

["Liu... Liu Xiyue?!"]

[You wanted to shout, but could make no sound, only watching this bizarre transformation in horror.]

[She ignored you, walking to a corner of the formation like a marionette. Though she didn't draw the formation herself, she began to chant obscure and difficult-to-understand ancient incantations.]

["With this blood body, I offer to my Lord... Soul and Flesh Exchange, Blood Shadow Rebirth..."]

[The voice was sharp and cold, with a strange rhythm that seemed to pierce your eardrums and strike directly at your brain, making you feel waves of dizziness.]

[Accompanied by Liu Xiyue's chanting, the Masked Man stood in the center of the formation and began to explain the insane plan to you in a tone that was almost like an aria.]

["The great 'Blood Shadow Life Replacement' plan..."]

["My Lord has gone to great pains for today. In this era, perfect Six-Life Blood Soul Demons have long been extinct, but my Lord has bestowed two precious 'Two-Life Blood Soul Demons'."]

["What is 'Two-Life'? It means possessing two lives, two destinies."]

["The first life is called 'Painted Skin.' After parasitizing, it will perfectly fuse with the host's Physical Body and Soul. A Genius remains a Genius; memory, personality, and habits remain completely unchanged. Even genetic testing and Soul scans cannot find any abnormalities. The demon Soul usually sleeps and only wakes up to take over the body at critical moments."]

["The second life is called 'Substitute Death.' If a Hidden Agent dies unexpectedly while performing a critical mission, the first life shatters, and the demon Soul can borrow the corpse to return to life, repairing the broken body to live another life, ensuring the agent's survival and the plan's absolute success!"]

[The Masked Man's voice echoed in your mind, every word like a hammer striking your sanity.]

["Just like Classmate Liu Xiyue..."]

[He pointed at the girl who was chanting, a hint of smugness in his tone.]

["Do you think she discovered the 'dimensional ripple' by relying on her Family or luck? No, that was an extension of my Lord's Divine Power. My Lord entered her dreams through a secret ritual, planting a suggestion in her subconscious, and meticulously arranged the 'mystic ice twin lotus' trap in this borderland."]

["The Liu Family of Haicheng has something my Lord needs, and the future high-level members of the Human Race need our eyes. She is the perfect wedge."]

["As for you, and Teacher Wu... your physical bodies are also very valuable."]

[His words fell, but he didn't shut up. Instead, his eyes became hollow and fanatic, and he opened his mouth again, beginning to repeat the passage from just now.]

["The great 'Blood Shadow Life Replacement' plan... my Lord has bestowed two precious 'Two-Life Blood Soul Demons'..."]

[The first repetition's tone became rhythmic, each word like a heavy hammer striking the air.]

[The blood-red formation on the ground seemed to be summoned by some frequency; the originally flowing blood began to boil, emitting gurgling bubbles.]

[Immediately after, the second time.]

["First life Painted Skin... second life Substitute Death... the seed of Sea City... the perfect wedge..."]

[This time, the speaking speed doubled. Liu Xiyue, who had been kneeling to the side, and the other two black-robed men seemed to hear some command; their chanting suddenly rose in pitch, perfectly overlapping with the Masked Man's voice.]

[Four voices—male, female, hoarse, sharp—intertwined to form a nauseating, echoing polyphony.]

[You felt a surge of intense nausea, and your vision began to double.]

[These voices carried spiritual pollution aimed at the Soul.]

[Then, the third time.]

[The sound no longer resembled human language; it became shrill and distorted, like metal grinding frantically against glass.]

["Blood Shadow... Life Replacement... Painted Skin... Rebirth!!!"]

["Blood Shadow... Life Replacement... Painted Skin... Rebirth!!!"]

...

[With this frantic repetition, the surrounding space began to twist violently.]

[The unfinished buildings in the alley were submerged in a thick, blood-colored mist.]

[Innumerable fine scratching sounds came from the void, as if something were forcibly squeezing out from the walls, from underground, and from the air.]

[Your brain felt as if it were being pierced by countless steel needles simultaneously, your sanity teetering on the edge of collapse.]

[If not for the super mental resilience granted by your "Hardworking and Enduring" talent, you would probably have turned into a drooling idiot by now.]

["...Welcome, my God!"]

[Suddenly, all the noise stopped abruptly in an instant.]

[The three black-robed men, including Liu Qing and Liu Xiyue, all knelt on the ground, their foreheads slamming heavily onto the blood-soaked earth.]

[In the center of the blood-red formation, a crack opened in space. Several indescribable dark shadows slowly emerged, respectfully holding two blood-colored crystals that pulsed like hearts and emitted a thick bloody scent.]

[The Two-Life Blood Soul Demons had descended.]

[The Masked Man picked up one of them and walked in front of the immobile Wu Changhe.]

["To ensure the plan goes without a hitch, I can only waste one sacred object on Teacher Wu."]

[He extended a pale finger, his nail like a blade, lightly slicing a vertical wound on Wu Changhe's forehead.]

[Blood flowed freely.]

[The Masked Man pressed the blood crystal onto the wound.]

["Sizzle—"]

[The moment the blood crystal touched the blood, it immediately liquefied, crawling into Wu Changhe's brain through the wound like a living insect.]

[Immediately after, the chanting of Liu Xiyue and the others rose in pitch again.]

[A beam of blood-red light shot out from the formation and entered Wu Changhe's body.]

[Wu Changhe's whole body trembled violently, his eyes rolling back as if he were experiencing immense pain.]

[But after just a few seconds, he stopped moving.]

[When he opened his eyes again, those eyes that were once full of righteousness and care for you held only a trace of dead, still red light.]

[He turned around stiffly, and like Liu Xiyue, walked expressionlessly to the line of cultists and knelt in salute.]

[Watching this scene, your heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife, filled with grief and indignation. This man, who was like both a teacher and a father to you, had his Soul cruelly erased before your eyes, turning into a walking corpse!]

["It's your turn, little top scorer."]

[The Masked Man held the last blood crystal and walked up to you with a playful laugh.]

["Your body is great, much stronger than that teacher whose potential is exhausted. As a representative of commoner geniuses, your future path is long, and you can do many things for my Lord..."]

[You wanted to struggle, to roar, but under the suppression of that terrifying force field, you couldn't even blink. You could only watch as that pale finger sliced open your forehead.]

["Sizzle—"]

[The cold blood crystal entered your brain.]

[In that instant, you felt as if your Soul were tightly entangled by a slime-covered tentacle. The monster called the "Blood Soul Demon" was greedily invading your Sea of Consciousness, flipping through your memories, from your childhood loneliness to the high-interest loans you took for martial arts training, and then to the fortuitous encounter in Sunset Canyon...]

[It was trying to devour your self and replace your will.]

[At the same time, out of the corner of your eye, you saw that Liu Qing had already driven an identical business van out from the depths of the alley.]

[Clearly, once the ritual was complete, you group of replaced people would get into that car and head to the high-speed rail station as if nothing had happened, infiltrating the Federation's top-tier academies.]

[However, just as it was about to touch the forbidden zone in the deepest part of your Soul...]

[A sudden change occurred!]

["Buzz!!!"]

["Screech—!"]

[You seemed to hear a shrill scream, not from reality, but from the depths of your Soul. The blood-red light that had been frantically eroding you suddenly became chaotic and went berserk, as if it had encountered a natural enemy!]

["Pfft!"]

[Your whole body convulsed violently; the eerie red light covering your body suddenly stalled, then shattered like broken glass.]

[A mouthful of foul blood, mixed with numerous internal organ fragments and black blood clots, sprayed wildly from your mouth.]

[The light in your eyes instantly dimmed, and your life force was almost completely severed at this moment.]

[The ritual failed.]

["Hmm? What's going on?"]

[The Masked Man froze for a moment, his red-glowing eyes showing a look of bewilderment for the first time. He reached out and pressed his hand against your crown to sense what happened, his brow then furrowing deeply.]

["The demon Soul... dissipated?"]

["Is it because this kid's Soul strength isn't enough? Or is it because he absorbed some special treasure that caused some unpredictable rejection reaction in his Soul?"]

[The Masked Man withdrew his hand somewhat irritably, not thinking in any other direction.]

[After after all, except for the legendary Six-Life Blood Soul Demon which could guarantee a 100% success rate, the Two-Life Blood Soul Demon inherently carried a 20% risk of failure.]

["Tsk, what bad luck."]

[He looked at your limp body, which only had one breath left, his eyes full of disappointment. "Originally the best seedling, yet it turns out to be a piece of trash that couldn't withstand the demon Soul's blessing."]

[He threw your dying body onto the damp ground nearby like a piece of trash.]

["My Lord, what do we do now?" a black-robed man nearby asked in a low voice. "With one 'Genius' missing, the plan..."]

["No matter, there's a backup plan for everything."]

[The Masked Man regained his indifference. "If he's dead, then he's dead; dead people have their own uses."]

["Activate Plan B."]

[Following his command, from the shadows, two black-robed men dragged out a half-dead, unconscious middle-aged man—it was exactly the man behind the scenes of the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce, Grandmaster Xu Liang.]

["Handle him; make him the murderer."]

[The Masked Man's voice was cold and efficient, clearly reaching your gradually fading eardrums.]

["The reason is simple: Classmate Li Ang died from the deliberate retaliation of the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce's boss. Xu Li Ang was afraid that Li Ang would settle old scores after finishing his studies, so he took a risk and set an ambush here."]

["In the fierce battle, Li Ang unfortunately died. And the murderer, Xu Li Ang, was killed in a fit of rage by the heroic Teacher Wu Changhe."]

["A perfect script."]

[At this moment, lying in the cold mud and water, your vision had completely blurred.]

[Reasonably, having suffered such heavy injuries, you should have lost consciousness long ago. But your talent, "Hardworking and Enduring," burst forth with amazing resilience in the final moment of your life.]

[It forcibly held onto your last breath, allowing you to hear this passage clearly while on the verge of death.]

["So... that's how it is..."]

["Teacher Wu... Liu Xiyue... and Xu Li Ang..."]

["Blood Shadow Life Replacement..."]

[You used the last of your strength to engrave this information firmly into your mind.]

[Darkness completely swallowed you.]

[You died.]

[This simulation has ended.]