A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 213 Three-Storey Building

The candles in the room burned brightly, their wax dripping down the edges. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, but looking through the window, it was pitch black, as if it were already late at night.

Even with candlelight, the room still felt dim and oppressive, making it hard for Xiang He to breathe.

Holding the umbrella horizontally in front of him, his mind buzzed, and he suddenly felt a heaviness in his head. "What...what's here...?"

The door behind him closed, but Wulu continued to walk ahead with an air of nonchalance. “Miss, there’s no need to be nervous. Come with me to the second floor, and we can talk in detail there.”

He strolled leisurely up the path, trying to calm himself and keep up with Xiang He.

The gate was already closed, so even if Xiang He wanted to go out, she probably couldn't.

Now the only thing to do is follow him upstairs and see what's on the second floor, what it is that makes him so certain that Xiang He will agree to something.

As soon as she stepped onto the first step of the stairs, Xiang He felt a sudden heat from the palm mirror. She quickly raised her hand to cover her stomach. After a short while, the heat dissipated, and Xiang He continued to walk upstairs.

In this two-story building, there was only the sound of two people walking upstairs.

The higher she went, the darker the building became, and the more oppressive the atmosphere felt. The heavy feeling in her head made her increasingly dizzy.

The palm mirror placed in front of her abdomen once again felt warm, and Xiang He silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra in her heart.

The spell had some effect; my dizzy mind cleared up considerably, and I could see a little more clearly in the darkness before my eyes.

Stepping onto the last step, the second floor becomes clearly visible.

There were many candles on the empty second floor. At a glance, you could see many patterns drawn on the ground, with white lines forming what looked like magic circles.

The moment the magic circle came into view, Xiang He immediately raised his large umbrella in alarm, asking, "What are you doing?"

Wulu was already seated on one of the prayer cushions. There was another person opposite him, who spread his hands and asked, "Sit down and talk?"

"No, let's just say it this way."

Seeing that she was very wary, Wulu did not press her. "This is the entire terrain of the Great Yu, drawn by my master. The later additions were made by me."

Xiang He remained silent with a cold face, while Wu Lu continued, "Master has always paid close attention to national affairs until this appointment, and has been able to resolve any disturbances."

"For more than ten years, whenever there has been unrest on the border, the magic array will give an alert, and the emperor will be able to arrange for troops to be dispatched in time to provide support. This has always been the case."

As he spoke, he looked at the terrain on the ground with great pride, "My master and I have sacrificed a lot for Yu the Great and have been favored by the late emperor and the current emperor. We are naturally entitled to wealth and honor; but because of this status, we are also trapped in the palace and forced to submit to the emperor."

The last four words made Xiang He's eyes grow colder. "Bowing down and submitting? Judging from the Grand Preceptor's words, he doesn't seem quite satisfied with this status?"

“You are indeed intelligent.” Wulu raised his eyes to look at He, his gaze carrying a hint of ruthlessness. “Yu the Great was the achievement of my master and me, so why is he the emperor while we have to live a lowly life in this place?”

"..."

Xiang He was speechless. Wasn't this just a drama about trying to seize the throne?

So absurd.

"Then why did you call me here? I'm not going to help you seize the throne or anything."

Wu Lu laughed out loud, "Of course I know you wouldn't do that, but now that you're here, you have no choice."

"What do you want to do..." His words were tinged with helplessness. "You think you can force me?"

"I'll give you two conditions."

Xiang He didn't want to hear this, but Wu Lu spoke first, "You have voluntarily taken on my sins. Once my soul exchange is complete, you will become the Grand Preceptor of Yu the Great."

Upon hearing this, Xiang He's face showed surprise, "Could it be that Ye Shuyao's soul-swapping technique was just a test for you?!"

"You'll only know if it works by trying; it turns out it's that simple."

He spoke of it so casually, as if it were merely an exchange of two items, which stirred a slight anger in Xiang He's heart.

"You can let Xiang Ling bear the sins for you, why do you have to come to me?"

“You’ve hit the nail on the head,” Wulu placed the whisk at his side and formed a hand seal in front of his abdomen. “Xiangling’s Daoist techniques are not as powerful as yours. When I’m exchanging souls, I need you to protect me. After all, dragon energy is not so easy to suppress.”

"..." Xiang He sighed helplessly, "Do you think I would do that?"

"Of course you wouldn't, so this is the second condition of this Dao."

As he spoke, he formed a hand seal, and the array on the ground flickered with light. The doors and windows were all tightly closed, but a strong wind blew up inside the building. However, the wind did not extinguish the candles; instead, it lingered and raged inside the building.

A moment later, Xiang He felt a cold, dark aura behind her. Just as she was about to turn around to check, an invisible force suddenly pressed her down, causing her to fall heavily to the ground. The force behind her made it impossible for her to move.

Xiang He gripped the large umbrella tightly, glaring angrily at Wu Lu, "Do you think you and I can suppress the dragon's aura with our combined strength? That's the emperor of a country, protected by the devout followers of millions of people, no less powerful than the incense offerings of your Longguang Temple!"

Looking at her angry expression, Wu Lu's smugness was undisguised. "Didn't you hear that the Emperor is seriously ill? Now is the perfect opportunity."

"What did you do to the Emperor?"

“You’ll find out soon,” Wulu said, picking up his whisk and standing up. “Since you’re unwilling to cooperate, I’ll have to force you to move.”

Xiang He felt a tremor in his heart. At this moment, Xiang He was completely unable to move, while Wu Lü had already begun to move.

He walked towards He step by step, holding a piece of yellow paper in his hand. He couldn't see the talisman on it clearly, but it was definitely not a good thing.

Just as Wu Lu was one step away, Xiang He shouted, "A mirage!"

With a shout, the Mirror Flower Water Moon floated out from the palm mirror, and two figures transformed into human form, attacking Wulu with delicate fingers, one on the left and one on the right.

"I knew you were hiding a demon."

He chuckled and dodged to the side. When Jinghua Shuiyue's hand touched him, he slapped down hard with his whisk, and blue smoke rose from the spot where he was hit. But Jinghua Shuiyue did not back down. They wanted to take the girl away!

The room was incredibly oppressive, and the force restraining her from behind was immense. Xiang He lightly tapped the surface of the large umbrella with her tightly gripped hand, chanting, "Heaven and Earth Thunderclap, Law and Unity Sacrifice!"

The large umbrella emitted a small light, the dense black aura behind her thinned slightly, and the pressure on Xiang He lessened considerably. She immediately braced herself with both hands on the ground, quickly pulled out a talisman from her cloth bag, and tossed it behind her—

"what!!!"

A piercing scream came from behind. Xiang He quickly turned around and glanced back. He saw a human face in the darkness, howling in pain.

It appeared to be a woman, half of her face was hidden in darkness, only her mouth could be seen moving, "Help...help me..."

The voice startled Xiang He; it was exactly the same as "Ye Shuyao's" voice!

Xiang He immediately reached out and removed the talisman from her body, then turned around and rushed towards Wu Lu, using a large umbrella as a weapon to strike at Wu Lu.

Before she could make a further move, black yin energy suddenly transformed into a long rope, which instantly wrapped around her wrists and opened her hands.

The Mirror Flower Water Moon technique was used to sever the connection, causing Xiang He to relax her guard. She glanced back and saw Ye Shuyao's real soul with red eyes, smiling sinisterly.

"You actually...refined your soul!"