Chapter 53
The underground city was alive with activity, its streets dense with people weaving between dimly lit stalls and makeshift shops. Lin Bai and the others followed the middle-aged man, moving away from the busiest commercial street. The man, likely worried about retaliation, didn't leave the market area but instead disappeared into the maze of vendors and temporary stands.
After some time, Xiao Wu let out a long sigh, her voice a little sluggish.
"I'm so tired. Haven't you caught him yet? Let's rest for a bit."
Without waiting for a response, she leaned heavily against Lin Bai, her weight pressing against his arm like a student drowsing off in class.
"Be patient," Lin Bai replied, but halfway through speaking, he noticed something off.
Xiao Wu wasn't someone who tired easily. Even while enduring the demanding Tiger Body Training Technique, she was still lively, never once complaining about exhaustion. On top of that, his own emotions felt unnatural. The anger he carried was too intense, far more than it should've been over a minor setback like losing some money. It felt like it was coming from somewhere else entirely, as if he was carrying a grudge that didn't belong to him.
Realizing this, Lin Bai forced himself to calm down. The anger receded slightly but left behind a faint irritation that lingered in his chest. He took a few steady breaths to ease it.
"Brother Lin…"
At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing quietly approached, her body pressing against his other arm. She held a contented expression, which immediately struck Lin Bai as strange. Zhu Zhuqing was reserved by nature. She rarely showed open affection, let alone in public.
Something was wrong — more than wrong. The sudden changes in both of them weren't ordinary.
Suppressing his restlessness, Lin Bai expanded his telekinesis outward, scanning the area. The soul masters nearby felt an eerie chill, sensing someone's sharp perception sweep past them, but none could identify its source.
"No obvious signs? Impossible. It has to be something more subtle."
His gaze shifted to the middle-aged man ahead. Lin Bai focused his mental strength into a fine needle and drove it into the man's body, severing a small meridian. It wouldn't slow his cultivation, but it would cause sharp pain during training.
It was a small retaliation to momentarily settle his temper, but even then, Lin Bai could feel the anger creeping back, steadily rising like dry wood catching fire.
Startled by the irrational surge, he quickly summoned his Silkworm Dragon Spirit. His pupils shifted, becoming cold and vertical. The clear-headedness brought by the dragon spirit helped suppress the uncontrolled emotions. Closing his eyes, he silently visualized the dragon diagram and recited the Bing Xin Jue, a meditation technique meant to steady the heart.
If your heart is as pure as ice, you will not be disturbed even if the sky collapses.
When he opened his eyes again, the redness in his gaze had faded, replaced by a calm focus.
With his mind steady, Lin Bai acted at once. He activated his Eye of Appraisal, directing it toward Zhu Zhuqing first. Xiao Wu's background was a bit complicated, and identifying her would take more time.
Strengthening his mental power, he hastened the identification process. Before long, a line of information appeared.
[Infected by the demonic aura of the Demon King of Lust.]
[Remedy: 1. Leave the dungeon. 2. Meditate for a day or express suppressed desires. 3. Direct purification.]
Lin Bai's expression darkened. Demonic aura?
His thoughts raced as he lifted his gaze to the sky and triggered a wider identification.
[Mixed demonic energy from the sealed region of the Seven Demon Kings.]
[When the cosmos was destroyed, gods and demons perished. Born from the desires of sentient beings, the Seven Demon Kings were immortal. Before the collapse, they sealed their cores in the depths of hell. Their lingering demonic energy leaks upward, affecting creatures according to their temperament, gradually infecting them. The greater the talent, the more easily they attract the Demon King's power. Failure to cleanse this energy over time leads to transformation into dungeon monsters.]
Lin Bai's heart sank. He hadn't expected the environment itself to be so dangerous. Without hesitation, he spread his telekinesis outward again, forming a protective barrier around himself, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing. Though it couldn't completely block the demonic energy, it should at least reduce its influence.
Feeling the anger subside slightly, Lin Bai carefully reviewed the information.
He recalled the legends of the Seven Deadly Sins and recognized that his earlier anger spike likely came from the influence of Wrath's demonic aura. It explained why he'd been so consumed with revenge a moment ago. If he hadn't realized it in time, his attack on the middle-aged man could've been far worse.
Given how the demonic aura worked, Lin Bai concluded that this dungeon was deeply connected to the Seven Demon Kings — perhaps even built upon a remnant of hell itself.
Another thought followed. The divinity he'd once obtained had also come from a dungeon. Gods would never reside in hell, which meant this place held deeper secrets. Could the dungeon be a remnant of a destroyed universe, reborn as a special enclosed world?
Lin Bai dismissed the notion for now. I'm not someone capable of affecting a universe. The thought was absurd.
He took a breath and turned his attention back to the present. A familiar softness against both arms made him glance down. Without thinking, he switched to his Ruyi Qiankun Spear martial spirit. Its sacred light radiated gently, dispersing the residual demonic energy from Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu.
From what he'd learned of Qian Renxue's Seraphim spirit, the light attribute's core properties were holiness and purification. Although Lin Bai hadn't seen the more destructive side of light, his understanding of its purifying capabilities was enough for situations like this.
As the demonic energy dispersed, Lin Bai noted something else. The Seven Demon Kings' essence might be powerful, but the aura leaking into this eighth floor wasn't overwhelming. It was only due to their exceptionally high talents that the three of them had been affected so quickly. Most others nearby hadn't even noticed the presence of the energy.
"Sometimes, being too talented is its own kind of trouble," Lin Bai muttered.
As if on cue, Xiao Wu rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Is it morning already?" she asked groggily. When she saw Lin Bai's unbothered expression, she blinked in confusion. "Why are you holding me while I'm sleeping?"
"You were the one hanging on to me," Lin Bai replied flatly, moving his arm away.
Zhu Zhuqing had already woken up. Unlike Xiao Wu, Lust's influence hadn't clouded her memory. She remembered everything and turned bright red. Lowering her head, she quickly let go of Lin Bai's other arm and tidied her hair without a word.
Lin Bai didn't press the matter. Instead, he explained everything he'd uncovered about the demonic energy, the likely origin of the dungeon, and what they might be dealing with moving forward. He intended to hear their thoughts — whether it was better to keep this to themselves or warn the others in the area.
For now, it was enough that they'd regained control.
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