In the storm of condensed leaves, a splash of fresh blood erupted.
The series of blood pearls flew out, were sliced by the wind blades and leaves in the air, and instantly shattered into fine blood grains, followed by the high-speed exploding air stream evaporating them into a bloody mist.
Within the "Time Slow" domain, this scene did not appear bloody, on the contrary, it had a morbid beauty.
Blood scattered like agate.
Life passed away like withered leaves.
Standing in the midst of the storm, the woman controlling thousands of withered leaves watched emotionlessly as the curly-haired young man was "slowly" sliced by millions of withered leaves.
The death that should have been swift from being slashed by countless leaves.
But Chen Mei’s survival instinct had turned this into a prolonged, miserable carnage.
Chen Mei stretched out his palms, trying to shield his face, but soon his ten fingers were sliced open by the leaves, his knuckles twisted and flesh flew, blurring his vision with the splattered blood pearls... Countless swirling shredded leaves formed tornadoes on the ground, his entire world seemingly dyed red with his own blood, the only exception being that woman, who was as white as snow, starkly out of place with the rest of the world.
Perhaps it was because the major arteries had been cut by the leaves, causing a heavy flow of blood.
Chen Mei had not yet figured out... why Ye Ningqiu would attack him.
Aunt Ye had been one of the people he trusted the most over the years.
"There is no reason."
Ye Ningqiu, standing in the center of the leaf ocean, spoke softly, the splattered blood pearls hovering and floating around her like a sash, this domain silently expanding, as if a strange rhythmic motion was forming.
And this strange spirit rhythm... suddenly reminded Chen Mei of a familiar "existence."
Chen Mei’s expression changed abruptly.
As soon as his words came out, his throat was sliced open by a leaf!
After his windpipe was severed, the remaining sounds shattered instantly, only leaving hoarse gasping sounds, and now even gasps couldn’t be emitted... because in the next moment, countless leaves surged over to cover him completely. The Judgement Institute had chosen this desolate place both for ease of execution and to avoid public attention.
The deserted conglomerate of leaves would be his final resting place.
Chen Mei’s fragmented thoughts raced frenziedly at the brink of death... perhaps this was his final flashback; he could feel countless cuts opening all over his body, because the leaves were too small, too sharp, creating a vacuum after slicing the flesh.
The blood was spurting out.
The woman before him was not Aunt Ye... it was Xiao...
Or perhaps... Aunt Ye never existed...
Regardless, just as Zhou Jiren had said, Xiao had truly come... he had come to kill him...
Consciousness began to disperse.
Chen Mei heard the sound of his head hitting the ground heavily, but eerily, he no longer felt pain... like livestock that had been bled out, limp and powerless, only able to face the fate of slaughter.
He felt more like a puppet than ever, needing someone to pull the strings for movement.
This painful sensation... was even more tormenting than the previous fire.
Just before death, Chen Mei’s last thought was.
[If only this were a dream.]
Ye Ningqiu, contentedly squatting in the sea of leaves, watched countless shattered leaves rise fervently, cheering and twisting as they followed their master’s will, this grandly beautiful, bizarre twister stretched leisurely, swallowing moonlight and night wind.
She reached out her hand, touching Chen Mei’s cold brow.
This curly-haired young man, still with eyes open, but consciousness already gone... in some ways, he still breathed, but he was essentially a dead man already.
Many people believe... death is a momentary thing.
But in reality, it isn’t so.
Matter and spirit are interdependent... but there are various types of death, spiritual death tends to be slower than physical death.
The moment the head is severed.
The spirit might linger momentarily.
But on a physical level, once the "fundamental logic" that makes up the body is destroyed, death occurs.
In other words... a death by dismemberment is essentially killing the spirit first and the body second, often while the body is still alive, the owner’s will has already collapsed.
Amidst the frenzied dance of countless leaves, a very faint sound arose.
So faint, it could be ignored.
But Ye Ningqiu looked up immediately, she stared intently at the large ferns in the distance, where the sound was coming from, numerous large leaves collapsing in the wind, revealing a vague and tall figure.
That person was enveloped in a hazy white ghostly light, looking quite burly.
But... actually, that was just an illusion.
He moved forward slowly, countless leaf blades slashing, shattering around him, ringing like tempered iron plates, ultimately revealing his true form as a ghostly figure.
This was just a wizened, gaunt, unkempt old man.
Compared to the chaotic sea of leaves above his head... he looked more like a piece of straw.
The White Ghost burped again, his eyes somewhat unfocused, as he smiled gently at the woman, "One thousand three hundred and twenty-one cuts... not bad sword play."
The face-off between the two was quiet yet soundless.
Actually, it was because... the moment the old man appeared, a great oppressive force descended.
Ye Ningqiu struggled to her feet, her shoulders cracking as if bearing the weight of a thousand pounds, and with each step the old man took, she was closer to collapse.
"You want to kill someone... and then take them away..."
Mr. Bai slowly approached Chen Mei’s "corpse," checking the young man’s body, then suddenly asked.
"Is it to be used as a ’new vessel’ for yourself?"
Ye Ningqiu’s pupils contracted.
She somewhat failed to understand the appearance of all this... Was it a trap? When had this old guy started to appear?
Zhou Jiren wouldn’t be Zhou Jiren if he weren’t cautious!
This guy’s existence... was more terrifying than all the seals and Extraordinary Array Patterns combined, an absolute overwhelming force of Ability that sparked a massive sense of crisis within her.
The moment the "White Ghost" appeared, she started to leverage her authority, frantically searching through the Deep Sea Archives for corresponding files and information... but the results were despairing.
[No such person found.]
This was an "entity" not even present in the Deep Sea Archives!
The old man squatted down, without any Defense Stance, just murmured softly as if speaking to himself: "Killing you seems pointless... this vessel is just a container, the true spirit of the host is unknown how many miles away. That feeling of hiding behind the scenes must be quite enjoyable, even if the vessel is destroyed, the master will not be harmed."
"However... your recent actions have given me an insight."
"Soon, you should experience a different flavor."
The White Ghost looked up at Ye Ningqiu, "Now... let me first save this young man, I promised him that I’d let him join the special investigation team, let him keep his life."
Upon hearing this statement, "Ye Ningqiu" felt a chill run down her spine.
The dead cannot be revived, that is the absolute rule.
No Extraordinary Ability can reverse it.
Nor can anyone defy it.