Chapter 80

“Is this the real Goose City?”

He Zhizhou raised his head to look around, the extremely cold atmosphere sending shivers down his spine.

“This is just… too—too much.”

There were no lights on in the Chen Mansion; only distant buildings with slightly higher elevations had some lights on, casting faint glows.

Pei Ji’s black attire blended perfectly with the night, almost disappearing into the darkness, revealing only his fair and delicate face. “Even the Elders find it difficult to eliminate the demons in the city, so I doubt we have the capability.”

“Moreover, with just two more hours until midnight, if we continue to stay in Goose City, we might become sacrifices for the demon cultivators’ formation. At that time, not only our lives will be in danger, but we might inadvertently help them achieve their goals and bring calamity to the human realm.”

Zheng Weiqi solemnly continued, “Although the inescapable net formation in this city can trap demons, it cannot restrain human cultivators. Perhaps the meaning of the Floating Tower is for us to break through the layers of pursuit and escape Goose City before midnight. In doing so, even if those demon cultivators refine their souls, without living beings as catalysts, the Soul Refining Formation cannot be activated.”

Her words were logical, and He Zhizhou nodded lightly in agreement. Only Pei Ji pretended to casually lower his gaze, glancing faintly in the direction of Ning Ning.

Ning Ning, who usually had the most active thoughts, remained silent after waking up.

He found it strange but felt reluctant to ask her directly. After a while, he slightly cleared his throat and asked in a seemingly casual tone, “Little Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”

Ning Ning looked up in the night, her almond eyes reflecting the distant flickering flames, seemingly surprised that Pei Ji would actually speak to her.

Pei Ji felt a bit uneasy under her gaze and silently looked away.

“It’s nothing major.”

Ning Ning touched her nose and lips, forming a smile. “You might think I’m overthinking… I just feel like something is a bit off.”

He Zhizhou widened his eyes, looking over. “Really? Something’s off? Is there some kind of conspiracy within this tower? It’s like peeling an onion, layer after layer?”

“It’s probably just me overthinking.”

Ning Ning hesitated with her words. “But the whole process has been too smooth. From finding clues to uncovering the truth, it all went seamlessly, without encountering any obstacles. How should I put it… the mistakes made by the Locust Ghost were too numerous, making it easy to see through. The existence of the Locust Tree and that letter were discovered too easily; everything seems like it was prearranged.”

“The plot in the Floating Tower was already predetermined.”

He Zhizhou shrugged it off, whispering to her, “Isn’t this tower like a dungeon raid in an online game? The main plot has been set, and players have to follow it, defeating mobs and bosses along the way to clear it. If it made the plot too convoluted and gave no clues, how many people would be able to pass?”

Indeed, that made sense.

Ning Ning nodded, remaining silent.

While the four were conversing, they suddenly heard a few cold laughs nearby. Looking over, they saw shadows swaying in the backyard, and a dozen or so demons of various shapes walked out, led by none other than the Locust Ghost, who bore a striking resemblance to Chen Lubai.

“I told you earlier.”

She no longer bore the innocent appearance of a girl from the illusion, her long sleeves covering her lips, her eyes exuding charm and softness. “Once out of the illusion, you’ll have more than just me as an opponent.”

Behind her, a demon with a tiger’s head laughed heartily and teased, “What’s this? Are you addicted to this little girl’s appearance? It’s really not as good-looking as your original form.”

The Locust Ghost smiled at him, but in an instant, her skin turned a bluish-gray.

Her skin on her left arm and right cheek disappeared, replaced by a layer of deep brown branches. Within the branches were hints of emerald green, sprouting small, tender leaves, making her appearance in the guise of a young girl even more peculiar.

“Then I’ll leave it to you all. Whoever captures them and brings them back to Lingquan Temple will receive the greatest credit.”

The female demon chuckled and said, “Then I’ll take my leave first and go drink celebratory wine at the formation. See you at Lingquan Temple.”

As a native demon of Goose City, born from an ancient tree spirit, her strength might not be top-tier, but she was far from weak.

By trapping the four in the illusion for so long, her status naturally rose, and she was invited by several powerful demons to drink celebratory wine.