Pollution throughout the territory

Early the next morning.

Lily was eating the breakfast brought by her servant. As slow as she was, she also noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere today.

In the past, Da Yuanjing, who was always complaining about this and that, seemed to be a collection of negative emotions, did not show her head when eating, and it was suppressed in Lu Yi's body and could not come out.

Something was not right between my brother and Sister Qin. Their eyes would always meet inexplicably, and then they would show strange smiles. After a meal, they would look at each other more times than use their chopsticks. .

Lily's little head couldn't quite figure out what was going on, so her attention quickly shifted to looking at the white mountain peak in the distance.

Last night, Sister Qin told her that there were good things hidden in the big cave on the top of the mountain. She went and dug for a long time, but she only found hard rocks.

Sister Qin would not lie to her, so Lily was thinking about running over and digging deeper after dinner to see if she could find the good thing.

Before breakfast was finished, Xia Ren saw Yi Zhiyu walking from the entrance of the courtyard alone.

He didn't seem to have a good rest last night, and his face looked a little haggard.

Xia Ren put down the bowl and chopsticks and stood up: "Why are you looking so sad so early in the morning? Have you eaten? How about eating something together?"

"No."

Yi Zhiyu rejected his kindness and pulled up a stool to sit on his own.

"Tang Tangtang is not with you?"

"No."

Yi Zhiyu shook his head: "Last night, I found the wizard who could cure hypothermia on the recommendation of Zhu Youqian. The wizard expressed his willingness to help, but he needed to prepare a magic ritual. Tang Tangtang left early this morning. I couldn’t find anything to do, so I came to chat with you.”

He sighed and said, "Since I joined the foundation, I have been running around solving all kinds of troubles. I am still a little uncomfortable with being suddenly idle."

Xia Ren picked up the chopsticks again, took a bite of food, and said, "If I remember correctly, the day after tomorrow is the wedding, right? Just think of it as a few days of rest."

Yi Zhiyu nodded, as if he had something to say.

Xia Ren saw that he was worried and said, "There are no outsiders here. If you need help with anything, you can tell me."

The other party once escorted him to the foundation headquarters, and the two of them almost lost their lives. They had a life-long friendship, so this sentence would not seem abrupt.

After hesitation, Yi Zhiyu finally spoke: "I haven't told you about my past, right?"

"No."

"When I was young, I was actually somewhat similar to Tang Tangtang. When I first joined the foundation, I was trained as a top combat force in the future. The master who was responsible for teaching me at that time was known as one of the Twelve Kings. Tiger King."

Yi Zhiyu showed an expression of reminiscence: "That was more than ten years ago. Not long ago, the number of apostles increased significantly. The twelve kings are still alive, but now only Jiufeng is left. According to the seniority Speaking of which, I should call Jiufeng uncle."

It turns out that Jiu Feng is that old, you can’t tell from the appearance...

Xia Ren thought to himself.

He thought Jiufeng was only in his twenties, or at most in his thirties, but judging from Yi Zhiyu's age and his description, Jiufeng was conservatively estimated to be in his forties.

"Because of my relationship with my master, I could often meet other S-class investigators. At that time, the Snake King had two apprentices, one male and one female. However, compared to me, those two were relatively young, only in their teens. , I had a good relationship with them, but unfortunately I later heard that the boy died, and the girl grew up and became A-level like me."

"After that, as the Snake King disappeared and my master Tiger King also passed away, the girl and I hardly saw each other. The last time we met was during the hunt for the apostle."

Xia Ren thought for a while and said smoothly: "Is her name Canglan?"

"How do you know?" Yi Zhiyu was a little surprised.

Xia Ren said: "For some reasons, I have read the records of that battle. There were three other people participating in the battle with you. Among them, the only female investigator who agreed to the conditions was Cang Lan."

After a pause, he said: "But as far as I know, Cang Lan seems to have defected during that battle."

"Yes."

Yi Zhiyu said without hesitation: "At that time, she was still carrying a universal potion that was meant to destroy the apostles. But in order to save me, she used the potion on me, and I survived and became S class."

Xia Ren nodded and listened to him continue.

"I never believed that Canglan would betray the foundation, so I have been quietly tracking down information about her since then. I heard that she joined the Wizards Alliance, but last night I saw the wizard and asked him about Canglan's specific movements. But I was told that she disappeared some time ago.”

After Yi Zhiyu finished speaking, before Xia Ren could answer, he continued: "You must think this is a normal thing. After all, wizards' actions are elusive, and it doesn't matter if they don't know each other's movements. However, The truth is not that simple.”

"After becoming S-class, especially after inheriting the title of Tiger King, my authority in the foundation was basically only under that of a doctor, so I knew some secrets of the past.

Among the twelve kings, not all those who disappeared were dead. The Snake King was not dead. The containment object named [Snake God] used by Canglan was the former Snake King. "

Xia Ren's eyes widened: "You mean, the Snake King became a containment object? How is this possible?"

His first reaction was disbelief.

But then, he thought of the wish-answering mirror.

The wishing mirror is also a contained object, but except for her lack of body and personality, she is no different from a human being.

"I asked Jiufeng to confirm this, and got an affirmative answer from the other party. The twelve kings were not originally from the foundation. Their origins were relatively mysterious. It seemed that they appeared in response to the crisis that broke out among the apostles. During that crisis, After the critical moment passed, most of the twelve kings disappeared, and Jiufeng was unwilling to tell me where they came from."

Just listening to Xia Ren felt like he had two big heads. No wonder Yi Zhiyu was preoccupied. The more he knew, the easier it was to become confused.

"Do you want to trace Cang Lan's whereabouts?"

Yi Zhiyu did not hide it and said: "Yes, but I don't know what results will be obtained if I continue to investigate."

He sensed something and was afraid.

The truth was hidden in layers of darkness, like a taboo Pandora's box. After opening the box, he didn't know that he could still keep his true heart.

Or, become the monster you fear.

Xia Ren pondered for a while and said: "I know a person who has access to the top level of the Wizards Alliance. I can ask you about it when the time comes."

Sine Grant should know about this, but he hasn't seen Ebon since he told him the location of his study last time. I wonder if he has found the study now.

But for Grant, entering the dreamland shouldn't be that difficult.

"Then I'll trouble you."

After saying what was on his mind, Yi Zhiyu seemed to feel much more relaxed, and left after chatting for a few more words.

After seeing him off, Xia Ren was about to go back and continue eating his breakfast, but unexpectedly someone came looking for him again.

This time it was Zhu Youqian.

"You must be curious now, what exactly do I want to do, or what is the purpose of inviting you here."

As soon as Zhu Youqian came up, he went straight to the topic.

Xia Ren asked back: "Aren't you going to attend your wedding?"

"Not really."

Zhu Youqian glanced at Qin Yun and the others, his eyes focused on Xia Ren's face.

His smile faded, and his expression became more serious than ever:

"I want you to help me and protect my family."

…

…

Time goes back to twenty days ago.

January 8, 1107.

Anjing capsules have been supplied globally, and atypical entomophobia has been confirmed to be under control. There is still some time before it is completely eliminated.

Xia Ren came to the foundation headquarters and learned about the oil painting from the doctor.

The Argent Twilight Secret Order is preparing to go to Arkham to snatch the Trapezohedron that is about to be auctioned.

In Xizhou, in the restricted area, Zhou Yuan stood alone on the gray-white land that had been deprived of all vitality by the color of stars, becoming the only life here.

He looked up at the sky, motionless, like a tree.

Suddenly, he turned around and said to the air: "I have been waiting for you for a long time."

A sudden black shadow appeared on the ground not far behind him, and then, a thin figure wearing a cloak slowly emerged from the shadow.

"Yeah, it's been a long time."

The man lifted the brim of his cloak, revealing his pale face.

If Yi Zhiyu were here, he would definitely be able to recognize him at a glance. This is the Canglan he is looking for.

·It's just that at this time, Canglan's eyes have turned into golden vertical pupils, and his expression is cold, full of cruelty and violence.

"Is this your masterpiece?"

Canglan, no, the woman who should be called the Snake King glanced around: "How many people have you killed during my absence?"

Zhou Yuan showed no expression and corrected: "I didn't kill these people, teacher."

The snake king's golden vertical pupils shrank: "You, a master-slayer, do you still have the nerve to call me teacher now?"

Zhou Yuan looked at her quietly: "Didn't you also kill my junior sister and take over her body? In terms of actions alone, you are worse than me."

Before he finished speaking, Canglan disappeared from the spot. Zhou Yuan's body suddenly twisted into a terrifying shape. His arms and legs seemed to be squeezed by some invisible force, sinking toward the center.

Even though his bones were broken, Zhou Yuan's expression remained as calm as ever, as if he couldn't feel the pain at all.

He looked down at his body, and saw a giant black snake slowly emerging, wrapping himself tightly. The huge snake head moved in front of him, spitting out letters, looking at him with cold pupils, and then the snake head It transformed into Canglan's upper body.

"Taking you as my apprentice and teaching you how to use power was the biggest mistake I made in my life."

The Snake King's eyes showed a bit of unbearability, but he quickly turned away.

"This mistake started with me, and today, I will end it."

Her snake body tightened tighter and tighter, Zhou Yuan's internal organs were squeezed and ruptured, blood spilled from her mouth and nose, and she looked miserable.

But he still didn't have much expression, and just said lightly: "Teacher, do you still remember when you died last time?"

Hearing this, the Snake King's eyes actually showed a bit of confusion.

She fell into memories uncontrollably.

I don’t know if it’s because I slept in the dark for so long that my past memories have become blurry.

She murmured: "I can't seem to remember clearly..."

"Let me help you remember."

Zhou Yuan stretched out his hand from the restraints and gently stroked her full cheek.

Suddenly, a large number of images flooded into his mind, and the Snake King finally remembered the cause of his death.

She opened her mouth slightly, and two lines of tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.

Zhou Yuan retracted his hand, raised the corner of his mouth, and his expression seemed to be smiling, but when he looked at it, he was extremely sad: "Those who try to control divine power will eventually be swallowed up by divine power. They lend you and me power, not because they are moved by faith. Those gods don’t care what you and I think.”

"……Why?"

Snake King asked blankly.

Zhou Yuan continued to smile and said: "You thought you controlled Canglan, drove her to the secret forest, stole that power and resurrected you. You thought that with that power, you could compete with me, or even kill me. "

"But actually it was me, I made you think so."

The surrounding space was distorted, revealing the original appearance of the world.

Zhou Yuan stood there, his body intact.

The Snake King knelt in front of him and looked up at him.

"Teacher, thank you."

Zhou Yuan reached out and touched her head, as if he were stroking an obedient dog: "You did a great job."

…

…

Two hours later.

Zhou Yuan stepped into the place he had been looking for for a long time.

The trees around me are tall and straight, and their lush branches and leaves cover the sky. The sunlight passes through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadow.

No one knows how long this secret forest has existed, but Zhou Yuan knows that they have grown like this since thousands of years ago. No matter how the outside world changes, the trees remain the same.

The entire secret forest is actually a whole, a separate life.

His steps were gentle and slow, not impatient, like an old man taking a walk in the community after dinner.

There is a powerful guarding force in the secret forest. Even the doctor cannot break through, but this force turns a blind eye to him.

Finally, a downward path appeared ahead.

Zhou Yuan looked back and felt a little regretful that he couldn't see the sky.

…

…

"I want you to help me and protect my family."

Xia Ren thought he was joking, but the other person's expression was extremely serious.

"what are you saying?"

Xia Ren was a little confused as to why he said this: "Have you been threatened in any way?"

Zhu Youqian said, "You promise me first, and then I can tell you."

"..." Xia Ren.

He lowered his head and thought for a while: "Okay, as long as I can, I will help you."

Hearing these words from his mouth, Zhu Youqian relaxed: "Sorry, saying this suddenly may be a bit abrupt."

Xia Ren waved his hand to show that he didn't mind: "What happened to you?"

Zhu Youqian sat down on the stool: "It's a long story, but actually, I joined the Youth League."