Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1469: 795: The Overlooked Details

Counting one, two, three...

Without anyone realizing it, eight Immortal Ruins Guests had already revealed their true natures, oblivious to the fact themselves.

Over this period, Su Heihu sacrificed countless human lives in a desperate push against one particular Immortal Ruins Guest, thereby uncovering the hidden truth behind "murder to unlock."

Overcome with wild delight, Su Heihu hurriedly pulled back to the entrance of the hall, eagerly anticipating the slaughter set for the following day.

Meanwhile, it appeared that Lin Heng had stumbled upon a fresh clue, immediately drawing Zhao Sheng's full focus.

Absolutely no one could have foreseen that the killer would boldly revisit the crime scene right after the deed, displaying a level of brazen nerve that defied belief.

But that's precisely what happened!

In the pitch-black hush of the night, a shadowy figure silently emerged within the chaotic, eerily quiet study room.

Composed and steady, Lin Heng stepped over to the bookshelf, extended his hand to extract a volume, and began casually leafing through its pages.

Having skimmed just a handful of pages, he shut the book, returned it to its spot, then rapidly selected another one to examine.

He gave the second volume only a fleeting look before replacing it, grabbed the subsequent book, and once more turned its pages.

It was clear he was hunting for a specific item, swiftly scanning the volumes lined on the shelf.

Evidently unsuccessful in his search, Lin Heng creased his forehead and shifted to a different bookshelf, resuming his perusal of the books.

Right then, Zhao Sheng had stealthily positioned himself high above the Chen Mansion.

Watching Lin Heng's peculiar movements, Zhao Sheng felt a wave of astonishment, covertly monitoring every move he made.

A short time later, Lin Heng's face lit up with a grin as he whispered to himself, "There it is!"

With those words, he clasped the book firmly, pivoted around, headed to the desk, settled into the chair, and laid the book out flat on the surface.

"...Truly, one must never underrate any person!"

Suspended in the air, Zhao Sheng's gaze sparkled intensely as he "observed" the recognizable script across the book's sheets, a rush of elation swelling uncontrollably within him.

"...Gazing into the ruins, he spotted a ferocious specter with a verdant visage and fangs sharp as saw blades. It draped human hide over the divan, grasped a vibrant brush to sketch upon it; then, discarding the brush, it lifted the hide, fluttered it like attire, and donned it, morphing into a female form..."

What caused this burst of exhilaration? The script in the volume matched exactly the crimson inscriptions from earlier incidents.

Therefore, this particular book had to be linked to that enigmatic presence.

A fierce glint ignited in Zhao Sheng's eyes as he prepared to strike and claim the prize, but in the very next breath, he reined in his impulse, opting instead to keep watching from the shadows.

Lin Heng's thrill was palpable; he hastily scanned the whole tome before flipping urgently to a specific section that detailed an eerie tale titled "Ghost Gate."

Following that, Lin Heng produced a scroll from within his sleeve, gradually unrolling it—it was none other than the Yellow Springs Other Shore Painting.

After meticulously cross-referencing it with the narrative in the book, Lin Heng's features grew profoundly grave; abruptly, he flipped his right hand to produce a small, jet-black dagger no larger than a palm.

The very next instant, the blade sliced across his left palm, slicing open a wound from which blood promptly poured.

Lin Heng's expression stayed impassive as he balled his left hand into a fist above the inkstone, letting the blood drip steadily into it until a basin of crimson ink had gathered swiftly.

He then drew back his left hand and retrieved a 错 gold pen from inside his robes.

Though it looked much like an ordinary writing brush, this pen's handle was elaborately entwined with countless golden strands, those strands subtly weaving into an Immortal Seal Tao Pattern, exuding an air of opulence and majesty.

Lin Heng seized the pen with his right hand, gently dipping its pale tip into the blood ink.

Afterward, he positioned the 错 gold pen over the Yellow Springs Other Shore Painting, executing a series of rapid strokes.

In a flash, at the terminus of the Yellow Springs Road, a splendid, colossal blood-red gateway materialized out of nowhere.

As the gateway took shape, the Other Shore Map erupted in radiant light, the surrounding scene dissolving rapidly into void, supplanted by a barren, hushed landscape and a serpentine path of earth stretching to the horizon.

A immense blood-red gateway loomed at the landscape's edge, while throngs of spectral beings floated along the Yellow Springs Road, drifting toward the remote gateway.

Just then, Lin Heng materialized at the conclusion of the Yellow Springs Road, confronting the imposing and stately Ghost Gate.

"Haha!" Lin Heng squeezed the 错 gold pen hard in his right hand, bursting into sudden, hearty laughter.

With his guffaws resounding across the Yellow Springs Death Domain, Lin Heng advanced confidently toward the blood-red gateway, passing through it without delay, his form engulfed by the expansive crimson void.

Back in the real world.

The instant the blood-red gateway emerged, the whole of Mingxi Town came to a standstill, as if time itself had frozen in that precise moment.

Once that instant elapsed, Mingxi Town resumed its usual rhythm.

...

As his eyes fluttered open, a torrent of recollections flooded Zhao Sheng's thoughts.

Zhao Sheng bolted upright, surveying the well-known environment around him, his mind reeling from profound shock.

"Evidently... Oh dear, has Lin Heng actually uncovered the Life Path?!" Myriad ideas raced through Zhao Sheng's head, his emotions a tangled storm of complexity.

Even with such a tremendous edge in his favor, it had been snatched away too soon by the foe as they fled to security.

The crushing weight of loss brought an excruciating ache.

In the following moment, Zhao Sheng's face twisted abruptly as he cried out, "Hold on, no!"

This outburst jolted the young servant girl from her sleep in an instant.

"Master, you're awake at last! That's fantastic; I'll fetch the master and mistress right away." The young girl bubbled with excitement, leaping to her feet and dashing from the chamber.

By now, Zhao Sheng had collected himself, sensing that something wasn't right.

Mulling over a particular suspicion, he swiftly threw on his outer garment and rushed outside...

...

Roughly an hour afterward, Zhao Sheng hastened to the Ten Kings Temple, making his way into the East Hall.

Adjoining the East Hall was the West Hall.

In a mere span, he inspected all ten temples, at the same time verifying that seven additional "ghosts" had joined the ten Hell Creatures Paintings.

Deducting the five he had slain himself, the remaining two had fallen prey to someone else's hand.