"There's almost no chance of choosing correctly!" Ye Yang said, "That's what makes the Ghost Gate Formation so formidable. Every path seems like a path to life, but in reality, every path leads to death."

"After we open a gate, there's no way to immediately determine whether it's real or fake."

I understood what Ye Yang meant!

He was saying that even if we opened the true Ghost Gate, there wouldn't be any clear markers inside. We would still be attacked by guardian ghosts.

Only when we fought our way to the very bottom of the Ghost Gate could we determine whether a path was genuine or not?

This time, we weren't just gambling with our lives; we were essentially trapped in a certain-death situation!

Just as I was rapidly calculating how to break this deadlock, Zhu Ziyan's voice suddenly appeared in my ears: "Are you in trouble? Draw on my luck!"

"When you had Su Su connect my luck to you, weren't you prepared for this?"

When I had Su Su tamper with Zhu Ziyan, I did indeed have the intention of "killing Zhu Ziyan when necessary to indirectly strike at the Wheel of Samsara's luck."

However, I had hesitated to use such methods.

Zhu Ziyan laughed, "Li Po, Yu Qingzhu arranged for me to find you. He also told me, 'If you seek Li Po, you will surely die.'"

"Because an irreconcilable feud has already formed between you. He might help you temporarily avoid disaster for Qu Mo's sake, but he won't go all out. And you will never truly integrate into the Two Worlds Hall."

"In the end, you will be sacrificed by everyone."

"This is the karma of releasing the Nine-Tailed Fox, and the retribution for your cultivation of bewitchment techniques!"

Zhu Ziyan's laughter carried a hint of sorrow, "Those who cultivate bewitchment techniques are admired by countless people throughout their lives, yet they also hurt countless others."

"We may enjoy glory for a time, but in the end, we will inevitably end up in a miserable and helpless state. The retribution of bewitchment is so merciless, just like how we are merciless towards others."

"Do it!"

We all heard Zhu Ziyan's voice, but I felt inexplicably strange—Zhu Ziyan shouldn't be like this!

Su Su said, "What Zhu Ziyan said is true. Her luck is constantly decreasing. If I draw out her misfortune and inject it into the Ghost Gate Formation, perhaps we can break through the formation and save Zhu Ziyan as well."

"Do it!" I told Su Su to act, not for Zhu Ziyan's sake, but for our own—opening the Ghost Gate was the top priority. In a life-or-death situation, we should be thinking about how to save our own lives, not dwelling on past grudges!

As Su Su was gathering luck, Zhu Ziyan spoke again, "Turn on your phone! You can see me."

At that moment, I didn't know what possessed me, but I turned on my phone without the slightest hesitation. Zhu Ziyan's image quickly appeared on the screen.

The Zhu Ziyan at that time was sitting on a mound of earth on a desolate mountain, with a cigarette in one hand and half a bottle of wine in the other, her expression filled with indescribable desolation.

The camera filming Zhu Ziyan must have been hidden somewhere by her, because I could not only see Zhu Ziyan, but also the scenery around her.

Zhu Ziyan had already set up the camera?

What exactly was she trying to do?

Zhu Ziyan seemed to know that I could see her, and took a deep drag of her cigarette, "Do you think I'm really down and out? Before, I drank wine that cost tens of thousands of yuan a bottle, but now I'm drinking wine that costs a few yuan!"

"Actually, this is already very good! At least I still have some money left to buy cigarettes and alcohol."

"Many seniors who cultivated bewitchment techniques couldn't even afford a full meal before they died."

Zhu Ziyan took a sip of wine and said, "I know you still doubt my intentions. If I were you, I would think the same way."

"When would I, Zhu Ziyan, who is greedy for life, afraid of death, and selfish, ever do something selfless?"

"It doesn't fit my persona!"

Zhu Ziyan smiled miserably and said, "But people always do things they've never done before when they're about to die."

"When I met you, I was still struggling desperately, because at that time I didn't believe Yu Qingzhu's words. I thought I could still live."

"But after following you for so long, I realized that there was no point in me living!"

Zhu Ziyan lit another cigarette and took several hard puffs, "Li Po, I'm very jealous of you, you know?"

"You've never stood at the peak of the Art Dao, but the things you've obtained are things I can never obtain."

"That woman and I were originally one, and my talent for cultivating secret techniques is no worse than hers."

"Back then, the Wheel of Samsara Saint originally wanted to create two Saintesses, one with the bearing of a general, and one who could bewitch all living beings."

"When he let us choose, I chose the latter."

"Do you know why?"

Zhu Ziyan paused and said, "Because I've been abandoned too many times, and disliked too many times. Even my uncle and grandfather, who desperately tried to save me back then, only loved me because they loved someone else. They never truly loved me!"

"I understand this very well, but I am willing to take care of Zhu Xiaoyu time and time again because of it."

"Because the little bit of affection they gave me is a heavenly treasure to me."

"It's like, to a person about to freeze to death, even the faintest glimmer of fire represents warmth."