Chapter 157: Station 24: The Tombstone

Chapter 157: Station 24: The Tombstone

Ever since entering the cedar forest to glimpse the finale, Ming Yiyang realized that his field of vision had merged with Yan Qiling's!

However, it was only through his right eye, indicating that Yan Qiling had concealed the power of Qingdu Ziwu Yin-Yang Pupils within his own right eye.

Pushing aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Ming Yiyang's confusion grew more prominent.

From the start of this story, where "Young Master Yan" was the main character, Ming Yiyang had instinctively identified him with Yan Qiling.

Betrayed by both kin and friends, consumed by their very hands, he died a hasty death without a proper burial for his remains.

This might well have been the grim fate that befell Yan Qiling in his past life.

In this narrative, the "seventh day after death" referred to is likely not the original seventh day for "Young Master Yan," but rather, it begins counting from the moment his corpse was presented before the public.

Resentment takes form, becoming an evil spirit in the mortal realm, requiring the sustenance of flesh and blood for peace.

However, if "Young Master Yan" is indeed Yan Qiling, having exacted vengeance upon those who once wronged him, logically, his grudge should have dissipated in satisfaction, sending him to the underworld.

How could it have transformed into the Unfathomable Master?

Was there some hidden truth behind this...?

The tremors beneath their feet grew more intense, and amidst Ikeko Touzuki's piercing screams, the tatami mats of the Story House were pierced by solid, dark-gray stones!

Half of the house's floor was upheaved by this immense force!

Everyone was pushed back to the corners!

Yet Yan Qiling remained calm and composed, even wearing an enigmatic smile.

Amidst the deafening rumble, the black-gray stone stood upright in the narrow Japanese room—

First to emerge from the stone was a long, black silk hat.

Then came the sight of a man with wide, unseeing eyes, his face lined with wrinkles, shriveled, and ashen.

Blood trickled from his features, pooling at the corners of his eyes. The blood that gushed from his mouth soaked his intricately designed wizard's robe, connecting with the red cord pendant.

In this room, a gray feather appeared unexpectedly, then it spontaneously ignited as it floated through the air.

Beside Ming Yiyang's chest, there was a man with his eyes closed, sound asleep.

The man's face was shattered like pottery, yet one could discern a vague resemblance to Yan Qiling from his features.

Not only was his face fragmented, but his entire naked body was in pieces.

This man slept in a fetal position, leaning towards the person with the long hat, seemingly relying on them greatly.

Stranger still, their bodies seemed glued to the stone, defying gravity as the stone pierced through the roof; they showed no intention of falling off.

Next, a white skeleton draped in a theatrical robe emerged.

The skeleton was sprawled between the two, its arms outstretched, holding them tightly in place.

Only Ming Yiyang could see that the skeleton was connected by countless red threads, which, from a distance, made it resemble a claw, gripping the stone slab with unyielding force.

It was this entity that had dragged the stone upwards.

Yan Qiling approached the black-gray stone with keen interest, studying the two figures before him.

"I was wondering how your territory could be so poorly secured, leaving clues for me to find you... It seems you're on the brink of being drained dry."

The emaciated man, his features still streaked with blood, miraculously rolled his eyes to fixate on Yan Qiling's youthful and plump face.

"Allow me to introduce."

Yan Qiling turned his head, but his gaze was directed at Ming Yiyang.

"This is Mr. Yuangong Baiyu, the Master of the Boundless in this world."

Xiaochi Touyue was nearly frightened by the zombie-like face, her hair standing on end and goosebumps covering her body.

The man opened his pristine fan once more, but this time he held it under Yuangong Baiyu's chin.

Yuangong Baiyu's expression contorted in pain, and more blood trickled from his mouth, dripping onto the fan and forming crimson stains that spelled out words.

"Go to hell."

A piercing roar of a reptilian creature echoed from behind the stone slabs!

The towering, bizarre creature, resembling an elongated slime, instantly grew to three meters tall! Its surface was covered in scales, and its head slowly unfolded like a compressed towel.

As it turned around, Little Chi Togetsu let out a blood-curdling scream!

For this creature had two heads, and those heads were composed of the melted forms of Oliver and Little Li Qinghe!

She spun around and fled almost instinctively!

Without her noticing, another wall of the Story House had transformed into a door, which she dashed through without hesitation!

At the end of the dark corridor, a warm light beckoned. Stumbling momentarily, Little Chi Togetsu regained her balance and dashed towards the source of light!

The monster suddenly turned again, revealing its third head – the deathly pale face of Sanrin Haruka!

Sanrin Haruka's features were grotesquely distorted. Raising her "right hand," the sound of bones cracking echoed, yet that hand somehow still managed to support itself, launching a dagger at an awkward angle down the corridor with a snap!

Amidst the spurting blood, Little Chi Togetsu's prophecy was confirmed.

She was struck down in the corridor by an unexpected flying dagger, her head severed from her body.

It was the end she had seen in the mirror.

Now, that vision became reality.

The House of Lies, which had witnessed death, fell silent.

Yet, the youth sprang up like a startled rabbit, his wooden blade instantly forming a beautiful, cross-shaped arc!

Though the monster shattered in an instant, it regenerated just as swiftly!

The wounds it had sustained seemed to have never existed, healing in reverse playback.

Yan Qiling slashed Yuangong Baiyu's throat with his fan - the same scenario unfolded, the wound closing up in reverse.

"You used Miasma in this world?"

Yan Qiling leaped backward to evade the monster's sudden tongue strike. His fan returned to its pristine white state as it opened and closed.

His gaze held a thoughtful expression:

"No, you've used Misei on yourself... Ah, I see now."

He pointed the fan in his hand upward, and countless red threads spun around Ming Yiyang, Guan Zhiyi, and others like cocoons.

The monsters, on the other hand, were entangled by vine-like red strings, firmly anchored in place. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't escape the constraints of the red threads.

After making the uninvolved people vanish, the man chuckled at Yuangong Baiyu:

"Yan Hesheng, that good-for-nothing, couldn't possibly withstand the power extraction from the twenty-one Hellbound Trains. His awakening must have disrupted your original supply system... I imagine that the moment he awoke, his strength was drained to near-death by the Hellbound Trains."

"But he's your only source of power. If you want to hold me hostage, you can't let him die. So you used Misei on him, but I believe that Misei, a treasure that alters time, must also have its own price."

"Paimon became the price, didn't she?"

Yuangong Baiyu's mouth moved, but no sound emerged.

Of course, he couldn't make a sound, for his time was also being continuously reversed by Misei. Only in this way could he extend the use of Misei at minimal cost while prolonging his own life.

Yan Qiling paid no attention to his words, whether they were insults or warnings. He no longer cared. What puzzled him was, since Paimon had already transformed Yuangong Baiyu into this state, why did he still arrange for him to enter this space? Was it just to let him witness Yuangong Baiyu's miserable condition at this moment?

A familiar low whisper reached his ears.

The voice fluctuated like a lover's playful jest, then transformed into the crackling of restless firewood. It traveled down from his ear, merging into indistinct and meaningless phrases along the way.

An uncommon sensation of goosebumps rose up his spine.

"Ah," Yan Qiling turned back with an innocent and curious expression.

Beyond the tilted Japanese paper door, there was no endless blizzard. Instead, a path paved with snow-white marble and colorful mosaics stretched out before him.

This path stretched endlessly, with radiant light gradually ascending from the horizon, illuminating the man's porcelain-white features from varying angles.

Yan Qiling gazed at the road, about to step forward. Then, as if remembering something, he returned to Yuangong Baiyu's side.

"I almost forgot."

He held up the man's withered face with a compassionate smile.

"I need to borrow your Miasma for a while."

Yuangong Baiyu's lifeless eyes widened in an instant.

-

The three, wrapped in the red thread and trapped in a small space, sat facing each other.

Tojo Shuang was still in a daze, as if in a dream:

"Miss Izumi... she really did die by beheading... then what about us...?"

"Don't worry, you won't die just yet."

Ming Yiyang spoke thus, then reached out to touch the wall constructed of red threads. It was unexpectedly soft, but attempting to sever it seemed an impossible task.

Guan Zhiyi stood up and inquired,

"What... is going on? Are... are we still alive?"

The silver-haired youth turned to look at them, calmly yet ruthlessly revealing the truth,

"You are already dead."

Both men gasped simultaneously. Guan Zhiyi clenched his teeth and asked,

"If we're already dead, then why can we still think, move, and even... have emotions?"

Ming Yiyang rolled up his sleeve and said,

"Look at your own tickets."

Guan Zhiyi and Tojo Shuang followed suit, rolling up their sleeves to reveal their vibrant red tickets.

"Certainly, we have our tickets."

Ming Yiyang showed them his ticket as well, but his was blue!

Seeing their astonishment, Ming Yiyang explained calmly:

"You should be aware that in the Realm of No Escape, once all outsiders leave this world either by death or by boarding the train, the world will reset and welcome a new batch of outsiders."

"However, from this round onwards, there won't be any new outsiders entering, especially those with red tickets."

This was because Yan Qiling had awakened the owner of the Prison Train.

The weakened power of the Prison Train's owner was insufficient to sustain the train's operation. All "invited" individuals with red tickets could no longer be tracked; the red tickets on their arms would fade away.

"Now, only those who have 'registered' on the Prison Train with blue tickets will still receive invitations."

These people could be pulled into the Realm of No Escape at any time by the Prison Train if it so desired.

This was because only these individuals could still be locked onto by the Prison Train.

Guan Zhiyi gradually registered the meaning:

"You're suggesting... if there are still red tickets out there, it could mean that the holders might be participants from the previous rounds..."

Ming Yiyang shrugged nonchalantly.

"It could also be from rounds prior to that."

Tojo Shuang clutched his wrist tightly, overwhelmed by a surreal sensation that was relentlessly washing over his mind, rendering him barely capable of coherent thought.

But Ming Yiyang didn't afford him any respite, speaking in an eerily calm tone:

"The death scene that Little Kizaki Tetsugetsu saw in the mirror was that of yours."

"The reason she only saw six people is because in the previous round, there were only the six of you."

"It's logical that Yan Qiling and I weren't among them."

"That's because only we two are the outsiders in this current round."