Chapter 236
Meanwhile, back in his room with the door closed, Su Bei immediately opened the notebook, continuing from the last page he’d read. He was certain the array hadn’t appeared before that point, so it had to be later.
This time, luck was on his side—having gone through so many pages last time, few arrays remained. After flipping just five pages, he found it: “Life Extension Array.”
The array’s creation method matched the one in the notebook exactly. Beyond concealing auras, it had a critical function—transferring one person’s soul to another’s body, achieving a form of reincarnation.
The cost was absorbing others’ lives. The more sacrifices, the longer the reincarnated could live. This sinister array had been extinct long ago. The Destiny organization had it only because an old array master turned it in for points.
However, the array had strict limits. First, the four people making the array had to be blood-related to connect the arrays into a single Life Extension Array.
Second, the sacrifices—villagers—had to stay in the array nearly all the time after it began, at least nine-tenths of the time. Otherwise, the aura would leak, causing failure.
The sacrifices couldn’t be controlled or strongly resistant, or their effect would diminish. Normally, one sacrifice added three days to the recipient’s life; a resistant one added only three hours.
Finally, the recipient needed a constant supply of external life force—not from the sacrifices but a third party—to sustain their soul during the process. The array used the sacrifices’ life force to rebuild the recipient’s body, requiring this extra life force to maintain the soul.
The prerequisite was that the recipient had to be near death. Healthy people in the array would only become sacrifices. Old Ancestor wasn’t dead yet! Reading the array’s details, Su Bei’s first thought was this. It only extended life for the dying, not resurrected the dead, so Old Ancestor had to be alive.He planned to use the entire village’s lives to extend his own!
Su Bei frowned. This didn’t directly concern him, but he was in the village. If the array activated, he’d be drained as a sacrifice too.
He had to leave before the fourth sacrifice died, Su Bei decided.
Given everyone’s Destiny Compass showed inevitable death, unless Su Bei spent massive Mental Energy or life force to change it, their fates were sealed.
He couldn’t stop the fourth sacrifice’s death—only leave before it happened.
To leave, they needed to create the Aura Concealment Array to take the Life Stone without alerting Nightmare Beasts.
Jiang Tianming’s idea of one person staying while others fetched cinnabar wasn’t viable now.
Based on timing, Old Ancestor gave the villagers a month plus two weeks to complete the array after moving the Life Stone. If they failed, its aura would leak, drawing Nightmare Beasts.
Since Old Ancestor’s death, at least a month and eleven days had passed. They had two days at most.
The timeline was uncertain because Old Ancestor’s death wasn’t exact. Old and reclusive, villagers only noticed after a week of absence. The gravedigger, experienced, estimated the death time with a twelve-hour margin, according to the auntie who told Su Bei.
With roughly a month and two weeks to complete the array, the villagers knew this and would rush to find the final sacrifice in these two days. They’d hesitate with Jiang Tianming’s group around, but if they left, the fourth would be chosen quickly.
Once the array was complete, the villagers would die, Old Ancestor would succeed, and he’d flee with the Life Stone. By the time they returned, it’d be too late.
Staying wasn’t an option either. Without cinnabar, they couldn’t take the Life Stone. Whether the villagers acted or not, they’d be doomed.
The logical move was sending one person for cinnabar while others restrained the villagers to prevent the array’s completion.
But their Destiny Compasses told Su Bei this wouldn’t work. Their inevitable deaths meant any plan would likely let someone slip through.
Fine, tomorrow he’d touch the Life Stone and find a way out. The simplest thing was giving up. Su Bei decided to slack off.
His task was just to touch the Life Stone, using it as an excuse for Wu Mingbai to test its material. The villagers’ lives, the Life Stone’s fate, and the Nightmare Beasts’ siege were irrelevant.
At lunch, Jiang Tianming shared his plan: “Teacher Lei hasn’t seen this array but is asking his array master friends. I’m not sure what it does, but my gut says it’s not good. I want to stop them from completing it. What do you think?”
Despite limited info, Jiang Tianming’s experience led him to the right choice.
No one objected—they agreed a human blood array wasn’t good. The only one they’d seen was Black Flash’s summoning array at the Tri-School Competition. It was hard not to suspect Old Ancestor’s.
Seeing agreement, Jiang Tianming outlined his plan: “We’ll attend the Zhou family’s mourning. Then split up—two go buy cinnabar, the rest guard the village’s north side, the last spot for the array. If we secure it, they can’t finish. Brother Wang, you’re driving, so you’re with the外出 group. Anyone else want to buy cinnabar?”
Even Su Bei couldn’t find flaws in the plan. He was curious how the villagers would complete the array under such scrutiny.
He wanted to stay and watch, but feared getting caught up. Unable to have both, Su Bei raised his hand: “I’ll go.”
He could catch up later via the comic. King of Abilities’ art was immersive enough. Getting entangled would be harder to escape.
Plus, he needed time away from the team to create the illusion he’d secretly handled the Life Stone.
No one was surprised—Su Bei not volunteering would’ve been shocking. Jiang Tianming nodded calmly: “The rest of us stay.”
In black mourning clothes, they went to the Zhou family’s hall. A costly black wooden coffin with gold trim stood in the center. The hall was lavish, with horn players and mourners bustling. The dead got grand honors, though useless now.
Su Bei’s gaze swept the hall, landing on someone in a corner. She wore a black dress with a white flower, her face paper-white, back slightly hunched. Even from afar, Su Bei saw her poor health. This must be the Zhou family’s second daughter Ling You mentioned.
What shocked him wasn’t her identity but her Destiny Compass. Among the villagers’ downward-pointing large pointers, hers stood out—opposite, pointing up.
She was, aside from the protagonists and Brother Wang, the only “living” person Su Bei saw in the village.
What made her escape Old Ancestor’s grasp? Su Bei, rarely surprised, stared intently.
“Su Bei… Su Bei?”
Jiang Tianming’s voice broke his thoughts. Su Bei looked over, puzzled: “What?”
“What were you looking at? The second daughter?” Jiang Tianming followed his gaze, seeing only her.
Not denying it, Su Bei said meaningfully: “Her fate’s quite interesting.”
Jiang Tianming felt a bad premonition. Su Bei’s “interesting” wasn’t good news. What was it?
But Su Bei didn’t let him ask, countering: “Why’d you call me?”
Jiang Tianming remembered: “I checked—cinnabar’s often fake. Be careful not to buy fakes.”
If they prepared perfectly but got fake cinnabar, leading to Nightmare Beasts finding them, it’d be a ridiculous death.
Imagining it, Su Bei shivered, then assured confidently: “Don’t worry, I’ve got a knack for getting the real stuff.”
With enough luck, fakes wouldn’t cross his path. Everything he saw would be genuine.
After some banter, Su Bei pondered the second daughter. How did she, so frail, escape a village-wide crisis?
As he thought, she coughed weakly. The crowd’s expressions shifted, retreating as if fearing a contagious disease.
Understandable—her serious illness made people wary of “bad air.”
Wait—illness?
Su Bei realized her difference: she had a terminal disease!
If nearing death by old age counted as dying, wasn’t a terminal illness the same?
If so, this was too interesting. With two dying people in the Life Extension Array, who would it save?
Her Destiny Compass suggested it saved her, not Old Ancestor. If it chose her over him after all his scheming, Su Bei would laugh himself silly.
The thought made his lips curl. He regretted choosing to buy cinnabar—if this played out, missing it would hurt. Even rewatching via comic wouldn’t match witnessing it live.
It was the last mourning day, and the Village Head arrived, not just for the dead but for the living. Spotting Su Bei’s group, he approached: “How’d you sleep, students?”
All but Ling You were sociable, but with three present, Su Bei opted out, signaling Ling You. They stepped aside quietly.
Bored watching the chat, Su Bei’s gaze returned to the second daughter. Curious about this lucky girl, he figured he had time to dig into her case.
Approaching the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old, he said: “Excuse me, do you know where the bathroom is?”
He knew the mourning hall’s bathroom was a detour behind the hall, down a path to a public outhouse. Guiding someone there usually meant walking them.
As expected, she thought: “I’ll take you.”
She wasn’t worried about danger—many mourners went to the bathroom, and she could scream for help if needed.
Her main reason was Su Bei’s good looks. Handsome people, male or female, lowered strangers’ guards.
On the way, Su Bei casually gossiped: “Miss, can I verify some rumors I heard?”
His open gossip disarmed her. She coughed, glanced at him, and said weakly: “No need for ‘Miss.’ Call me Zhou Min. Go ahead.”
Seeing her agree, Su Bei steered the topic: “I heard Old Man Zhou and his kids didn’t get along. True?”
He said “Old Man Zhou and his kids” instead of “you and your father,” framing it from a third-party view to keep her relaxed and objective, avoiding lies due to personal feelings.
“True,” Zhou Min said, unsurprised, sneering sharply.
Su Bei took a stance, offering emotional support: “If all his kids dislike him, he’s got to be the problem.”
This pleased her, softening her expression: “I thought you’d say we’re unfilial.” “If it was one or two, maybe,” Su Bei said honestly. “But all five? It’s not like all five are flawed. If they are, his parenting’s the real issue.”
His words warmed her attitude: “Anything else? I’m in a good mood—ask away.”
“If you ranked your siblings’ hatred for your father, who’s first?” Su Bei asked, keeping it light and playful.
“Me,” Zhou Min answered without hesitation.
Su Bei feigned disbelief, joking: “Bet if I asked all your siblings, they’d say the same.”
Like before, she was firm: “They’d all say it’s me.”
Her certainty raised Su Bei’s brow, confirming his suspicions. If the five siblings decided to sacrifice their father for the array, Zhou Min’s confidence meant she likely proposed or led it.
Just for money to cure her illness? Unlikely. The Zhou family was wealthy—Old Man Zhou could’ve paid for treatment if he wanted.
Her readiness to sacrifice him, taking only treatment money and nothing else, suggested he had no intention of helping her.
Darker still, maybe Old Man Zhou initially planned to sacrifice Zhou Min, terminally ill, for the array.
But for her to counterattack while dying and targeted by her father showed she wasn’t as simple as she seemed.
Having a scheming mind was good, especially in tough situations. Without it, she’d be the one drained in the coffin.
Satisfied with his curiosity, they reached the outhouse. Su Bei waved: “Thanks for showing me. I know the way now—you can head back.”
“No problem, nice chatting,” Zhou Min nodded happily, turning to leave.
A few steps later, Su Bei’s clear, magnetic voice called: “By the way, how was your family’s relationship with Old Ancestor?”
“Why ask that?” Zhou Min stopped but didn’t turn.
Su Bei answered naturally: “Senior Zhou said Old Ancestor was revered. I figured your father would’ve liked associating with him.”
“That’s true,” Zhou Min’s voice lightened. “He often took us to Old Ancestor’s. I wasn’t interested, usually stayed home.”
Finished, she walked off, leaving Su Bei’s thoughtful gaze.
After the event, Su Bei’s group left, splitting for their tasks. Su Bei and Brother Wang reached the car outside the village. As Brother Wang got in, Su Bei said: “You go buy the cinnabar. I’ve got something to handle.”
“Alone?” Brother Wang asked, surprised. “What if I get fakes?”
“You won’t,” Su Bei said, casually tweaking his small pointer.
Brother Wang hesitated, privately thinking Jiang Tianming was more reliable than the often-slacking Su Bei. With Jiang Tianming’s plan set, was Su Bei’s sudden detour okay?
Seeing his concern, Su Bei waved dismissively: “What’s the worry? Buying cinnabar’s trivial—one person’s enough. But what’s coming here is big. I stay, I add strength.”
Convinced, Brother Wang said: “Alright, I’ll be back quick.”
Despite doubting Su Bei’s character, he trusted his strength. He’d seen Su Bei shine in the Tri-School Competition broadcast.
A Destiny Ability user saying something was coming meant he’d “seen” it. If Su Bei thought staying was better, Brother Wang wouldn’t drag him for a less critical task.
Successfully sending him off, Su Bei went to the village’s east woods, climbing the tallest tree for a prime view. The north was a wide road, avoided for prior deaths but chosen now out of necessity.
From here, he could see the road clearly—a perfect spot. Hidden by leaves, he could rush to help if needed.
Yes, he’d stayed to watch the show. He was curious how the villagers would complete the final array under Jiang Tianming’s watch and how Old Ancestor failed, letting Zhou Min benefit.
For safety, as long as he stayed out of the array’s range, he was fine. With the protagonists handling the boss, he likely wouldn’t need to act.
Even if he did, it fit his comic persona as a spectator. Satisfying curiosity without breaking character was a win-win.