“As a result, without a doubt, in that summer… you died at Chongjiu Elementary School.” While narrating, Tsukamoto began to affix the prepared paper talismans to each of the four walls of the room.

“So… how did you get involved in this?” An Yueqin asked at the opportune moment.

“It’s simple, the police asked me to come,” Tsukamoto replied. “After all, you were six living people with all sorts of social connections; if you went missing for too long, someone would definitely report it. In addition, your six names were specially filed with the government, so… four days after you disappeared, someone found me…”

“So, you’ve been here six years ago and had contact with us?” Xiao Tan asked again.

“Yes,” Tsukamoto replied. “Back then, you hadn’t been ‘lost’ here for too long; you remembered everything from your lives, and… you all recalled that missing part of your childhood memory.

“That day… I acted with your help and guidance, so everything went smoothly. Even the ritual array was drawn.

“However… just as we were about to activate the array to destroy ‘it’, ‘it’ came…

“Logically speaking, ‘it’ in a sealed state, could deal with you ordinary people, but with me, an Onmyōji, present, ‘it’ wouldn’t be able to do much; but… ‘it’, when driven into a corner, made a desperate gamble.

“‘It’ sacrificed its ‘liver’, ‘spleen’, and ‘lungs’ as a price, forcibly activating its power, and extracting a portion of my soul from my body…

“If an Onmyōji’s soul is incomplete, their cultivation will be greatly damaged, and for a time, I couldn’t find a solution…

“Helpless, I had to abandon the ritual and escape alone. And I made a promise with you… that I would come back to save you when I recovered.”

At this point, Tsukamoto shook his head, “But I didn’t expect… that this wait would be six years, which is why I said to you when we met – I’m sorry, I’m late.”

Having said his piece, everyone was silent for a moment.

“Then…” Xiao Ling then asked, “Your soul… is it alright now?”

“No, it’s not,” Tsukamoto replied coldly. “Didn’t you feel that I’m a little too ‘calm’?”

Now that he mentioned it, it was true…

“Yeah… indeed, calm to the point that I’m reminded of another guy,” Gui Xiao muttered, squinting.

“Actually, this isn’t my original personality,” Tsukamoto continued, “But it’s caused by losing a portion of my soul…” He paused. “No matter how long it’s been, the stolen portion of my soul cannot be repaired with replacements; so, in these six years, I haven’t been looking for a way to repair my soul… but cultivating a Daoist practice that can exert power even in an incomplete soul state.” Speaking to this point, his eyes became unusually firm. “Today… we must succeed; as long as we destroy ‘it’, everything can be set right, not only can I be restored… you, and all the lost souls trapped here unable to enter reincarnation, can be liberated.”

…………

At the same moment, in the “Yang Illusion.”

“It’s here.” Tsukamoto Shota led Brother Jue and Ruoyu out of the school, all the way to a mountain path outside, and stopped in front of a red torii gate, “Passing through that torii, you can return to the ‘yin’ side.”

“Are you coming with us?” Ruoyu looked up at the torii in front, and then looked back and asked.

“Of course,” Tsukamoto replied. “You can’t escape with your own strength.”

“That’s a bit strange…” At this time, Feng Bujue also turned his head, looked at Tsukamoto and said, “Since you know that you can pass through this torii, then why didn’t you come and find us yourself earlier?”

“You think I didn’t want to…” Tsukamoto replied, “In these six years, I’ve crossed into the other illusion more than once, but that’s useless, ‘it’ will quickly find me and send me back… and, each crossing will cause me a lot of damage.” He sighed, “My power is already very weak, if I did as you said, I might have been controlled by ‘it’ before I even saw you.”

“Oh…” Brother Jue followed his meaning, “So you used your last strength to guide us here, contact you first, and then go over together with us.”

“Yes,” Tsukamoto nodded in response.

“Hmm…” Feng Bujue pondered for a few seconds, “Well… without further ado, let’s set off then.”

Having said that, the three of them passed through the torii in front one after another.

In that instant… the light suddenly dimmed, and the temperature plummeted.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them were already trapped in a piece of darkness.

*Pa-*

The next second, Feng Bujue calmly turned on the flashlight that he had already taken in his hand.

Immediately afterward, the “night version” of the first-floor corridor of Chongjiu Elementary School teaching building… appeared before their eyes.

“Oh… is this where we are after teleporting…” Brother Jue immediately looked back, at this time, behind them, was the shrine, but…

“Eh? Where did that wooden doll go?” At the moment of eye contact, Feng Bujue discovered that the wooden doll in the shrine was no longer there.

“‘It’ naturally transformed into my appearance and is acting…” Tsukamoto’s face had become very bad at this time, and he was leaning against the wall, looking like he was about to be unable to stand.

It seems… that what he said just now about “crossing will cause me a lot of damage” seems to be true.

“Come, let me help you walk.” Feng Bujue still had an orderly appearance, he took two steps forward, extended an arm… and steadily supported Tsukamoto, “Where should we go next?”

“They must be in the warehouse on the second floor…” Tsukamoto replied, “The ritual array to break the seal is there, quenched by ‘it’ with the blood of everyone who died here… I have tried more than once to destroy that array, but each time I was stopped by ‘it’… and, every time I saw that array, I found that its completion had improved…” He panted heavily, his face pale, and continued, “If ‘it’ deceives your companions into the ritual array and starts the ceremony, then all four of them will become sacrifices… in the real world, they will immediately die from blood loss… and their blood will make ‘it’s three organs ‘recover their strength’; at that time, it will have enough power to break through my master’s seal.”

Hearing this, Feng Bujue immediately looked up and exchanged glances with Ruoyu.

Ruoyu also understood tacitly, and immediately turned on her flashlight and led the way; Feng Bujue was supporting Tsukamoto, trying to keep up as quickly as possible.

The three of them… went to the warehouse on the second floor like this…