Chapter 264.

Chapter 264.

Lv Shuo did not let everyone down; he consistently produced the same amount of stone as yesterday.

Among all the participants, only Ming Sheng, who seemed to be deteriorating daily, chiseled one less stone than yesterday. The rest maintained yesterday's production rate.

However, this slight improvement made little difference.

After the fifth arrival of the half-human, half-beast figures to the temple to assist in constructing part of the stone staircase, Chen Yun reported, "Yesterday, we manually chiseled 57 stones. After enlisting the help of the mummies and accounting for defective stones, we had a net yield of 78 stones. We still need 256 more to complete the staircase."

"256 stones..." Xin Yuechun laughed bitterly, showing his cracked lips, "Three days, averaging 86 stones a day... even the mules in the production team can't achieve that. Maybe we should just take out my heart."

"Today, if we seek help from the mummies, the stones chiseled tomorrow will all be unusable," murmured Yao Xiaoguo. "How many backup stones do we still have?"

Qianxi informed her, "Seventeen."

Yao Xiaoguo clenched her fist, "I have to rely on myself to chisel stones today. I can't waste any more time searching for gold."

"Should we search for gold?" Lv Shuo was indecisive and turned to ask Xiaosi Yu nearby, "It won't take us long. The time saved might not make much of a difference."

Chen Yun was certainly in favor of searching for gold. The stones she obtained with the mummies' assistance had no wastage, and coupled with her manual efforts, her total output was even higher than Xie Yinxue's. According to the pattern, getting the mummies' help today would be in vain, hence Yao Xiaoguo's reluctance to waste that time.

After a few seconds of thought, Xiaosi Yu said, "Let's search. We're only guessing the pattern is odd-numbered days. What if the sequence changes? If we don't look, we might miss out. But don't get your hopes up too high."

He added, "Furthermore, everyone, take note: excluding all backup stones, and the fixed output of Mr. Xie and Chen Yun, we need to chisel 53 more stones to ensure no one is eliminated tomorrow."

The half-human, half-beast entities only constructed the staircase in the early morning based on the count of the surviving participants. Any surplus stones were untouched unless requested, leaving them with 17 backup stones after two days.

To ensure everyone's survival, they needed to present 77 stones daily.

In the past days, with the mummies' help, these backup stones weren't immediately necessary. However, they'd need to use all of them tomorrow.

"53 stones, averaging five per person," Li Chanyi remarked, rubbing her sore arms, "If we reduce our rest time a little more, we should be able to do it, right?"

Ming Sheng looked somber. After a series of deep coughs, he weakly said, "I can't. I can probably only produce three."

"Cut back more?" Xin Yuechun, observing Ming Sheng's state, commented, "If we do, Ming Sheng might collapse."

Zhan Meng, who had been unusually quiet, spoke up, "Why don't we work throughout the night starting today? Skip resting and sleeping, continue this for tomorrow, and the day after. We might gather enough stones to complete the staircase."

They would have until the morning of the eighth day for the half-human, half-beast entities to inspect the seventh day's stone count. If they worked through the night on the fifth day, rested on the sixth, and worked through the seventh, the sleep saved could yield several more stones.

Lv Shuo questioned, "Are you sure this is something a living person can handle?"

In reality, they had never experienced a true 007, but they encountered it in "The Quest for Immortality."

"No, no, no! We mustn't pull an all-nighter!" Ming Sheng urgently interjected upon hearing the suggestion, "I shouldn't be this weak, but look at me after staying up all night. If you all do the same, you'll end up in an even worse state than me."

However, Ming Sheng's comment reminded Zhan Meng of something.

He turned to face Bian Yuchen, who even after pulling two all-nighters by the fifth day, still managed to manually chisel seven stone blocks daily, and questioned, "Mr. Bian, how come you're not worn out like Ming Sheng after an all-nighter? We know Mr. Xie relies on idealism, but what's your secret? Share with us; we're all in this together."

It was not surprising for Xie Yin Xue, a man who had literally given his heart, to achieve remarkable things. But how could Bian Yuchen, seemingly just a regular human, maintain such stamina?

"I'm curious too," Xie Yin Xue, propping his face with the back of his hand and with a teasing smile, said, glancing at Bian Yuchen, "I thought he only relied on 'Thirteen'."

As the tables turned, just as Xie Yin Xue previously became the center of attention, now all eyes were on Bian Yuchen.

Under the weight of those many gazes, Bian Yuchen hesitated for a moment, then confessed, "I've been overextending my life force."

Xin Yue Chun, finding this method more reasonable than removing one's heart, leaned in and eagerly said, "Teach me. I'd like to tap into mine. If I don't do it now, I may never get another chance."

"There's not enough time," Bian Yuchen replied, shaking his head, "With your aptitude, it would take at least ten years to learn."

Xin Yue Chun: "..."

Given the current circumstances, surviving another three days seemed improbable, let alone a decade.

Zhan Meng noticed an inconsistency, "Aren't we all on the brink of death? How do you have any life force left to overextend?"

Bian Yuchen calmly retorted, "Did I ever say it was my own life force I was using?"

Zhan Meng was momentarily speechless. Life was invaluable, but at times, it seemed tragically worthless.

Using his thumb, Zhan Meng pointed at Bian Yuchen and remarked to Xie Yin Xue, "Seems like he still mainly relies on 'Thirteen'."

"Indeed, I wouldn't have survived this long without them. Borrowing their life force to sustain mine pains me deeply," Bian Yuchen confessed, never speaking ill of the Thirteens.

Zhan Meng scanned him from head to toe, "I really can't see where your suffering lies."

Bian Yuchen then turned to Xie Yin Xue, "Perhaps you can't see it, but I believe only Mr. Xie might truly understand such pain."

As soon as Bian Yuchen finished his sentence, Xie Yin Xue, who usually bore a placid expression, had his eyes tremble. His face became devoid of any smile, and he stared at Bian Yuchen with an icy, piercing gaze.

Xin Yue Chun, puzzled, inquired, "What's the matter? Did he tap into his life force as well?"

Li Chan Yi suddenly came to a realization, "This...?"

Within the mystical realm, there are countless spells to borrow lifespan – one can borrow from oneself or from others. The former is unquestionable, but the latter is more dubious, for what you're taking isn't your own lifespan after all.

Without a doubt, Xie Yin Xue and Bian Yu Chen have both borrowed the lifespans of others.

If it's said that Chen Yu Qing willingly lent his lifespan to Xie Yin Xue, then wasn't the lifespan that the "Thirteen" lent to Bian Yu Chen also given willingly?

But taking a step back, no one alive now has had their lifespan borrowed. Whether those whose lifespan was borrowed did so truly willingly or had no other choice, no one can say for sure.

So, if one were to berate Bian Yu Chen, they cannot ignore Xie Yin Xue.

Before making sarcastic remarks about Bian Yu Chen, Zhan Meng hadn't realized that Xie Yin Xue also carried such a past. With wide eyes filled with shock and astonishment, Chen Yun, Lv Shuo, Xi Xi, and Xiao Si Yu, who all knew Xie Yin Xue, now recognized for the first time that, regardless of the reason, both Xie Yin Xue and Bian Yu Chen had survived by "borrowing" the lifespan of others, and that fact cannot be changed.

Ancient Egyptians loved gold because they believed its shimmering radiance was akin to the sun, illuminating their souls.

At this moment, both Bian Yu Chen and Xie Yin Xue stood under the ethereal light pouring from the top of the temple. Both of them, one regally elegant and the other of exquisite beauty, were adorned with splendid jewels and bathed in golden radiance. Yet their eyes resembled the deep, soul-filled pool inside the temple, into which even the brightest light could not penetrate.

No one could discern the hidden emotions in Xie Yin Xue's eyes. They only saw his semi-lowered eyelids, the shadows they cast, and the faint smile that appeared when he finally lifted his gaze, saying, "Indeed, all crows under the sun are black. I'm no different from him."

"If this replica is the predetermined end for people like us, then I hope—"

Xie Yin Xue looked intently into Bian Yu Chen's eyes: "After our death, may we both fall into the endless abyss of hell, suffer day and night, endure endless calamities. Even if our sins are redeemed, may we never be freed, trapped for eternity."

Unexpectedly taken aback by such a heavy curse, Bian Yu Chen tensed, regretting his words and thinking how he should've heeded the divination's advice to watch his tongue. He knew he shouldn't have argued with Xie Yin Xue. Was he wrong just for speaking the truth?

"Sigh, don't curse yourself like that. It's inauspicious," Ming Sheng finally spoke, lightening the heavy atmosphere. "Let's get to work. I still want to see my son again."

Mentioning her child made Xin Yue Chun miss her daughter, so she didn't delve further into the past of Xie Yin Xue and Bian Yu Chen and tried to mediate, "Come on, let's work. Neither of you deserves such a fate. Really, you don’t."

"I also want to go back and see my mother," Zhan Meng said, giving Bian Yu Chen a way out, "The Thirteen love you, and you love them more. I shouldn't have said your relationship was bad. Consider my words as nonsense."

Bian Yu Chen, adept at smoothing things over, immediately took the offered olive branch, quietly returning to his position and resuming his chiseling.

Still, the temple's atmosphere remained tense after this incident, making it hard to return to its previous state.

By the end of the day, as everyone was preparing to return to the inner courtyard garden and count the stones they had chiseled out, the air in the temple felt oppressively hot. Yet, at that moment, a bone-chilling cold seemed to envelop them all.

As Ming Sheng had estimated, he managed to chisel out only three stones; Yao Xiao Guo, not wasting time on gold, achieved four stones.

Among the others, Li Chan Yi and Xi Xi managed to maintain an output of four stones; Lv Shuo, Xiao Si Yu, and Zhan Meng each managed five. Xin Yue Chun and Chen Yun, being women and not specially trained agents, lacked the physical strength of their male counterparts and were only able to produce four stones that day.

Adding the steady seventeen blocks from Xie Yin Xue and Bian Yu Chen, they had carved a total of 55 blocks, two more than their morning estimate of 53.

But can this really be considered good news?

They still needed a whopping 194 blocks to finish the stone ladder, and they had only two days left.

Unfortunately, the next day added insult to injury. On the sixth morning, all the blocks carved by the mummies on behalf of everyone except Chen Yun were cracked, rendering none usable.

The blue lotuses in the temple seemed to grow from the fading life and flesh of the group, flourishing even more. Their mysterious, seductive fragrance did nothing to soothe the team's troubled minds, only making them more restless and desperate.

Even with Xiao Si Yu's best composure, he could only feign calmness at the moment and said with a steady voice, "Let's see how many stones break tomorrow..."

"There's no need to see." Xin Yue Chun interrupted, wiping her face, "Do the math yourself. No matter the pattern, even if we maintain yesterday's output, we won't finish the stone ladder."

"Chen, I don’t know how I'll die in reality. When you get out, can you check on my mother for me?" Zhan Meng began expressing his last wishes to Chen Yun, the only one who might return to the real world. "I left a note, but I'm still worried about her. I've kept a bank card separately. I'll give you the address and the password. Consider it a payment for your help, alright?"

"There's no need for payment. I promise I’ll check on your mother..."

Chen Yun wanted to comfort Zhan Meng, but words seemed inadequate against the gloom in Zhan's heart.

Just as everyone felt on the verge of being crushed by despair, Xie Yin Xue suddenly said, "Let's work through the night."