Tan Wenbin handed Zhao Yi a cigarette, along with an apology: "I'm sorry."

Zhao Yi: "You did well, and no, that's not sarcasm."

Tan Wenbin: "I think so too."

Zhao Yi: "I suspect, before we set off, Li actually had a way to pin all this on me. Do you know why he didn't do it?"

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiao Yuan has always been a loyal and righteous person."

Zhao Yi looked at Tan Wenbin for a long while and realized Tan Wenbin didn't blush.

"You're improving quickly." Zhao Yi noticed Tan Wenbin withstand the pressure of his gaze.

"You taught me well."

"Did Li break down the steps for you?"

"No, no need for Brother Xiao Yuan." Tan Wenbin poked his own face, "These four spirit beasts help me with exam writing assignments."

Zhao Yi nodded, the cigarette rotating between his fingers, his peripheral vision scanning towards the boy standing at a higher point ahead in the front, said:

"He has the means to push this wave onto me, but doesn't dare gamble, as long as I'm not dead after this wave, I can stand eye-to-eye with him."

Tan Wenbin remained silent.

Zhao Yi: "Crisis brings opportunity, as long as I don't die, I can achieve greater progress, with Li by my side as my protector, I'm really not scared to take risks."

At this moment, the figure in the official robe appeared again.

Everyone was shocked, for the shadow now appeared beside Li Zhiyuan.

The boy, observing the Feng Shui and surroundings, felt the Feng Shui stagnate around him, and suddenly there was an extra figure beside him.

It was eerie but the boy didn't panic as the presence wasn't real, at least not yet.

Under his gesture, everyone remained in place.

The boy even turned his head to closely examine the incense burner; of the three sticks, the first one was almost burned completely, about to extinguish at any moment.

Li Zhiyuan did not calculate the exact time for extinction, instead focused his attention on the other two sticks.

The shadow vanished.

Li Zhiyuan returned.

Zhao Yi asked: "Li Yama, how long do I have left?"

Li Zhiyuan: "Not much longer."

Zhao Yi: "Can I make targeted preparations?"

Li Zhiyuan: "Three sticks of incense represent three different ways to kill you; exclusion is the only method."

Zhao Yi: "Then I'm at a loss."

Li Zhiyuan: "Same as before, focus on the first one."

The boy sat down, releasing the unseeable and undetectable Red Line, connecting with his four companions.

Everyone was prepared, observing their surroundings.

"Buzz!"

No distinct clear sound, yet it seemed everyone heard the brittle sound of the extinguishing incense.

There were no enemies on the periphery, not even the slightest change.

But in the inner circle, right behind Zhao Yi, a black shadow suddenly appeared.

Zhao Yi had no time to react, instinctively raising his head, the shadow existed yet was unseen, visible only were the black bamboo slip and brush in its hand.

The brush made a gentle tick on the bamboo slip.

Zhao Yi's eyes immediately became glazed, vitality drained instantaneously, death surged like a tide, flooding Zhao Yi completely.

This was a spell, one far beyond conventional meaning, even Li Zhiyuan witnessed it in reality for the first time.

The type of spell by Shizhuo Zhao, in comparison, not only can't be mentioned, it's not worth even being brought up.

Mythical stories, passed around, often become distorted over time; they say a stroke on Yama's Life and Death Book sends the living to the underworld, indeed mysterious.

But if the "Book of Life and Death" is seen as a high-level curse, which kills whoever is marked, it makes perfect sense.

Spells, can bypass external defenses, the Array is powerless.

Zhao Yi was successfully cursed.

His body faltered, head drooping—he… died.

The shadow dispersed into nothingness, along with the bamboo slip and brush.

The peach blossoms on Zhao Yi's heart wilted fast, falling entirely.

"Hiss..."

Zhao Yi abruptly raised his head, like a drowning man finally inhaling fresh air.

He, came back to life.

Earlier, the feeling of death was so clear, Zhao Yi had done well to mentally prepare, allowing him to face it calmly just now.

But all that preparation was wiped blank after dying once.

The gift from beneath the Peach Forest was spent, exchanged for Zhao Yi's survival, but there were still two sticks of incense!

For the first time fear showed in Zhao Yi's eyes, instinctively looking at Li Zhiyuan, he grabbed the boy's hand, gripping tightly, his voice trembling:

"Brother Xiao Yuan, save me!"