Chapter 137: The Return (3)

The most urgent task was to contact Xiao Anguo as soon as possible and to find out what was happening in Blue Star. After that, he needed to find a way to communicate with Xiao Keyuan, who was possessing Commander Cat. Since Wang Hu and Tang Yingying would be excellent assets for dealing with spirits in the future, Wu Zui did not feel any regret over the spirit cores they had consumed.

"Many thanks, Young Master!"

The Lantern Spirit was overjoyed. Although these three-star spirit cores were of little help in enhancing its own strength, they contained a different kind of energy within them—one that could make the resentment energy inside a spirit more refined and solid.

Wang Hu was not at all reserved; it swallowed the black fragment in its hand in one gulp. As its resentment energy began to surge, traces of the power of laws manifested within it.

After a thorough search, Wu Zui finally found some food in a small supermarket and proceeded to eat his fill. Naturally, he encountered many spirits on the way, but none were particularly strong, and they were all dealt with by the Lantern Spirit and Wang Hu.

In the small supermarket, Wu Zui found a backpack. After packing some non-perishable food into it, he cradled the still-sleeping blue, fluffy creature and began his daily feeding duty.

Soon, the sleepy, fluffy creature woke up. Although Xiao Keyuan was possessing Commander Cat’s body, her appetite remained as small as ever. Perhaps the remaining food in the supermarket did not suit the cat’s taste buds, leaving Xiao Keyuan somewhat unaccustomed to it.

In this same small supermarket, Wu Zui found a landline phone. Unfortunately, when he used it to call Xiao Anguo’s communicator, he only heard a continuous busy signal; the telephone lines in Y City seemed to have been cut.

With no other choice, Wu Zui had to head back toward the large supermarkets he had passed earlier to retrieve maps, a compass, and similar items. Once these were prepared, he began searching the vicinity for a car in good condition. Under the current circumstances, driving back was his only option. Since the cars parked on the side of the road were abandoned, he might as well put them to use.

While searching for a vehicle, Wu Zui failed to notice a figure lurking in the darkness not far behind him, quietly tracking his movements. Even the Lantern Spirit and Wang Hu by his side did not sense the presence of the creature hiding in the shadows.

As for Xiao Keyuan, who was skilled at sensing, she had eaten her fill and returned to Wu Zui’s embrace to fall asleep again. It seemed that Xiao Keyuan, while inside the body of Commander Cat, had become exceptionally drowsy.

Wu Zui spent a long time searching without finding a suitable car. Although many had full tanks and appeared to be in good condition, they simply would not start. There was no discernible reason for the malfunctions, which struck him as rather eerie.

As he continued to walk, searching for a vehicle, Wu Zui suddenly felt his footsteps sound duller, and he heard another set of footsteps accompanying his own. He knew that the Lantern Spirit and Wang Hu possessed ethereal bodies and would not make a sound.

*Something is behind me!*

Wu Zui immediately guessed that something had crept up on him unnoticed and was now trailing him. The Heart-Questioning Sword instantly materialized in his hand, and he spun around, slashing behind him.

The Heart-Questioning Sword, glowing with karmic fire, unleashed a crescent-shaped red strike.

The attack headed straight for a figure that bore a striking resemblance to Wu Zui. The figure, which looked about eighty or ninety percent like him, dodged slightly to one side and then retreated with great speed, narrowly avoiding the attack.

The way it retreated looked strangely familiar to Wu Zui.

*Wait! That’s the stance of the Baji Quan!*

Suddenly, Wu Zui recalled that the footwork was exactly the stance from the Baji Quan he practiced. When he looked at the figure again, he noticed its features had become even more similar to his own, and a feeling of dread welled up in his heart.

*I cannot let it continue to transform into me!*

Wu Zui had a gut feeling that if the figure were to become completely identical to him, something terrible would happen. He immediately launched an attack on the fleeing figure, with Wang Hu and the Lantern Spirit close behind.

The figures chased each other through the deserted streets of Y City. The entity being pursued appeared to be a spirit, as it completely ignored physical obstacles, passing straight through buildings and walls.

Since Wu Zui did not want to waste his magnetic energy, he had to climb over walls, which prevented him from closing the distance. The Lantern Spirit and Wang Hu, unable to use spatial singularities, were left far behind. Seeing the thing ahead becoming more and more like him, Wu Zui frowned and opened a spatial singularity to give chase.

*Snap!*

Wu Zui’s form distorted and reappeared in front of the spirit. The Heart-Questioning Chain transformed into a long red whip and lashed out, sending it flying. The karmic fire attached to the chain spread rapidly over the spirit, turning it into a pile of black ash in the blink of an eye, burning its spirit core along with it.

Seeing the monster perish, Wu Zui breathed a sigh of relief.

He was currently standing beneath a residential building that appeared to be in relatively good condition. Since there were no people, not a single light was on in any of the apartments. In the deathly silent residential complex, a chill began to permeate the air as a cold wind blew through.

*Tap... tap...*

Two faint sounds echoed from above. Wu Zui looked up.

On a balcony on the second floor, a figure was watching him. Under the dim, yellowish light, it revealed the pale face of a man. The figure noticed Wu Zui looking at it and, as if viewing prey, curled its lips into a disdainful smile.

"Hey!"

Wu Zui’s temper flared. Although he did not sense any resentment energy from the figure, it was certainly not human. No human would dare wander around outside; they would either be a fool or an expert who relied on their own abilities and did not fear spirits.

Yet, Wu Zui did not sense any magnetic energy fluctuations from the figure either. Its identity was beyond doubt.

Just as Wu Zui prepared to control the Heart-Questioning Chain to drag the mocking creature down, Xiao Keyuan, having awakened in his arms, began frantically clawing at his chest and emitting weak cries, seemingly warning him to leave immediately.

At that moment, Wang Hu and the Lantern Spirit caught up. Although they were five-star spirits, they had not systematically practiced spatial singularities, making them clumsy to use. Furthermore, the energy cost was high, so they rarely used them unless fleeing for their lives.

The lantern in the Lantern Spirit’s hand began to flash red spontaneously, as if sounding an alarm.

"Young Master, something is wrong here. We must leave!" the Lantern Spirit urged. The last time its palace lantern had changed on its own was when it had accidentally wandered into the Kingdom of the Dead and been targeted by the Monarch of Jealousy.

"Alright!" Wu Zui agreed. He noticed that besides the figure he had first encountered, many other balconies in the residential area now held vague shapes. Due to the dim light, he could not see the others clearly.

The moon seemed curious, casting a faint beam of light that illuminated the building in front of Wu Zui.

He saw that on every balcony of the building, a figure stood, and their faces and forms had already begun to shift into his own. There were dozens of such spirits.

"Kill them!" Wu Zui roared. He opened a spatial singularity and charged at the nearest spirit. He could not allow these things to turn into him—who knew what horror might occur if one fully transformed into him!

The Lantern Spirit and Wang Hu exchanged glances and charged up the building as well.

The spirits’ ability to transform seemed to only work on humans; none of them changed into the likeness of the Lantern Spirit or Wang Hu, which allowed the two to easily dispatch many of the lesser spirits.

However, it seemed that when many spirits with the same ability gathered, their power increased. Within moments of Wu Zui attacking, some spirits had already achieved a shape identical to his, with only minor differences in their faces.

By the time most of the spirits in the building were eliminated, one that had been missed had become completely identical to Wu Zui. The moment it transformed, Wu Zui felt his body stiffen.

A faint power of laws began to spread between Wu Zui and the spirit.

Wu Zui’s "Karmic Fire Body" detected the abnormality and began to show signs of going berserk. The Heart-Questioning Chain instantly surged out, wrapping around his body to protect him from other spirits while simultaneously suppressing the Karmic Fire Body.

The spirit that had fully transformed into Wu Zui took the opportunity to flee to the adjacent building. As it dove into the next block, intense fluctuations of resentment energy erupted from within.

Then, a massive, transparent figure—taller than the residential building itself—slowly emerged. Like a spirit, it passed through the structure without touching any solid matter. Its face was exactly like Wu Zui’s, only its size was immense.

The giant spirit looked at Wu Zui and spoke: "You and I are one; through your body, I shall be reborn!"

The giant spirit transformed into countless transparent threads, surging toward Wu Zui’s stiffened body. The palace lantern in the Lantern Spirit’s hand glowed red, enveloping Wu Zui, while Wang Hu stood guard in front of him, unable to move.