Unlike the situation with Lu Wuming, after Liu Buli was thrown out of the ghost city by him, he was in a state of utter confusion. His rational mind told him that he should find a place to hide as Lu Wuming suggested. However, in reality, he was too worried about Lu Wuming and couldn't bring himself to abandon him.
His inner turmoil and anxiety reached their peak. Liu Buli stood there, staring blankly at the gate connecting the two worlds. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth, preparing to go back and help Lu Wuming. But before he could take a step, he suddenly felt an extreme dizziness. He knew this was the after-effect of him forcefully using too much spiritual energy. He intended to grit his teeth and persevere, but his vision suddenly went black. A voice in his mind then spoke, saying, "Little brat, are you too confident? I told you long ago that I would always be watching you. You insisted on getting yourself into such a sorry state. Don't you know that when your spirit is at its most vulnerable, it's time for me to take back what belongs to me?"
Liu Buli was very familiar with this voice. It was the voice of the other soul within his body. It sounded no different from his own tone and pitch, but the sinister undertone was something he could never replicate. The spiritual energy in his chest suddenly became frenzied. The feeling of complete loss of control caused Liu Buli to spit out a mouthful of blood. He couldn't even control his movements; his legs gave out, and he knelt directly on the ground. The scene before his eyes flickered repeatedly, eventually dissolving into a uniform darkness.
Liu Buli could feel that the other soul inside him was clearly planning to seize control of his body while his spiritual energy was depleted. However, he was no pushover. Since the other party had made their intentions so clear, he couldn't simply surrender. It was just that his plan to save Lu Wuming was likely impossible to carry out normally. In the last second before his consciousness faded, Liu Buli was still thinking about Lu Wuming. The feeling of being torn apart from the depths of his soul was excruciating. He could no longer control his condition and knew that the only thing he could do now was to stabilize himself. At the very least, he wouldn't make Lu Wuming worry about him, and not having the control of his body snatched away would be a blessing in disguise.
...
When Ao Lie and Yun Xiang escaped from the ghost realm, they saw Liu Buli collapsed at the exit. Ao Lie, due to the fracture of his dragon tail, was unable to transform into human form. The black dragon's body was too enormous, and there were no bodies of water nearby for it to hide in. If it continued to stay there, it would bring further trouble to Liu Buli and Yun Xiang. Knowing that his appearance might cause a huge stir in the cultivation world, Ao Lie gritted his teeth, instructed Yun Xiang to take good care of Liu Buli and not to worry about him, and then the black dragon ascended directly into the clouds above. Dragon blood dripped from the sky as a result of the still-bleeding wound on its tail. Besides them, others had indeed seen the black dragon. Yun Xiang could hear the excited discussions of those people and see the growing greed in their eyes. However, she knew she could do nothing at the moment. Ao Lie's choice was made precisely to prevent the black dragon from being associated with the Pill Sect, or with Liu Buli. He was doing his best to create an opportunity for them, and Yun Xiang couldn't let her own sadness ruin this hard-won chance. Taking a deep breath, the tears gathering in her reddened eyes finally didn't fall. Yun Xiang sniffled, picked up the unconscious Liu Buli, and carried her master away from the spot at top speed.
As a spirit, Yun Xiang's spiritual energy was naturally pure and clean. Therefore, her perception of divine beasts in a similar state was much stronger than that of ordinary people. It was for this reason that, without much effort, she found You Siqi in a town inn not too far from the border of the ghost city, along with Shen Muzhi, who had also fallen into a coma. In their past actions, Liu Buli was usually the one who made decisions. But now, the person who served as their strategist was in a coma, and Yun Xiang had always been a bit simple-minded. After much thought, the only one who could point them in the right direction at this time was You Siqi.
After listening to Yun Xiang's account, You Siqi's expression was exceptionally grim. While he was very worried about Lu Wuming's situation, truthfully, their own circumstances were no better than Lu Wuming's. What kind of person was Liu Buli? The fact that he could abandon his disciple and fall into a coma could only mean that the other soul within him was acting up again. Knowing Liu Buli's past experiences, You Siqi was not entirely sure if he could overcome this ordeal this time. If he lost the battle between souls, the next time Liu Buli opened his eyes, they would be facing the ruthless villain from the novel. And Shen Muzhi's condition was uncertain as to when it would recover, and with Ao Lie's true form being seen, who knew what actions those beasts in the cultivation world would take. Moreover, if they stayed here, it wouldn't be long before the ghost race from the ghost city chased them down for a final extermination. Even with Yun Xiang, it was unrealistic to expect the young girl to protect two people and a cat by herself. Therefore, despite his many hesitations and internal struggles, after a moment of contemplation, You Siqi gave the most suitable answer for the current situation. He said, "Yun Xiang, take us back to the Pill Sect. As for what to do next, we'll wait for Liu Buli to wake up and let him decide."