When the tree roots attacked, Yin Ci was actually able to dodge them. 

But Yin Deng couldn't do the same, the little girl was still unconscious on the withered lotus leaf, her red clothes standing out. The goddess wanted to use someone as an example to deter others, and it didn't matter who she killed. 

However, Yin Ci wasn't so easy to kill. Even if he was burned down to just a pile of bones, he could still come back from the fragments. He had attempted suicide enough times to accumulate a certain cold intuition.

The shallow pond wasn't deep enough to kill him, nor could it trap him. It was better to go along with the flow and fall into it, while also stimulating that fox. 

The tree roots pierced through Yin Ci's chest and pinned him to the bottom of the pond. The liquid there was different from the water in the Ghost Tomb Lake. It was slimy and sticky, but it didn't corrode his body. 

However, it still caused him pain. 

As soon as the liquid touched him, he felt his flesh melding together with it. The pain was far worse than Yin Ci had imagined, as if his entire body was being twisted into a living meat paste.

The pain was not the only thing flooding his mind, but also scattered thoughts that were more animalistic than human. Coincidentally, Yin Ci was familiar with this state - when suffering exceeds one's limits, the mind often shatters, leaving only instinct.

The white-clad monsters emerged from the flesh paste, which explained why they were completely unresponsive to pain. 

However, amidst the chaotic wailing, there was a glimmer of clarity. Through the connected flesh, some images flooded Yin Ci's mind.

Through countless eyes, "he" saw Bai Wei falling down. The goddess didn't take the honest and weak Bai Wei seriously. She brought him down to the bottom and threw him from a slightly higher place. This ensured that he wouldn't die from the fall and also prevented him from moving. 

Her method was similar to what Yin Ci had guessed - the people from Xizhuang Village were thrown to the outer pool and molded into mud figures. The people from Yuanxian Village were more precious, so they were put into stone lotus pods and waited to be sculpted into real statues.

Fortunately, Bai Wei was resourceful. Before he fell into the water, he threw out a climbing tool and hooked onto a withered lotus leaf. His body fell into the water with a splash, but he stopped just before hitting the flesh mud, barely keeping his body intact.

The goddess went straight to the central stone platform and picked up a jade scraper to finely carve the flesh statue.

An hour later, the goddess left. Bai Wei didn't immediately run away. He stumbled and climbed up to the middle of the stone platform and stared at the flesh statue for a long time, shedding tears for a long while. 

...It was no surprise, Bai Wei came into contact with the mud flesh layer after his fall, and had felt the emotions that came with it. He could probably guess what had happened.

But despite it all, Bai Wei did not leave. 

He chose a mound of flesh closest to the statue and slowly immersed himself in it. The mud draft slowly swallowed him up, causing his face to contort with sorrow. 

[She's still alive, she can't leave. I can't just leave her alone...] 

This thought finally brought Yin Ci back to reality. 

The situation was becoming complicated. Half of his body was mixed in with the flesh, his clothes were not corroded, but his Ghost Skin Suit, made of similar material to human skin, had long been torn apart. 

As the fusion increased, his incoming thoughts became clearer. Bai Wei in the flesh pile could undoubtedly sense him, but the connection was poor, and he couldn't tell his specific condition. 

[The living flesh is connected to each other, even in this state, I can still convey some thoughts... Are you still there? As long as we cut off the fused part, you can escape... I'll help you, you need to get out...]

The water was shimmering with dazzling golden light, and ashes were falling heavily onto the surface. Yin Ci widened his eyes. 

Escape? 

He wouldn't escape. 

Sword energy surged, cutting his messy body into pieces. As his body separated from the flesh layer, those vague thoughts drifted away. When the golden flames weakened, Yin Ci tightly gripped the Hanging Shadow Sword and leaped up. 

Since he had come here, he might as well go. 

Shi Jingzhi's life was much more important than this layer of window paper. 

Emerging from the water, Yin Ci caught sight of Shi Jingzhi standing in the center of the stone platform. His master stood tall and straight, with ashes falling like snowflakes from the sky. He exuded a suffocating pressure, like a thorn stuck between heaven and earth. 

But this thorn was fragile and on the verge of breaking.

Without hesitation, Yin Ci approached and embraced him, sweeping away the attacking tree roots with a single sword strike. Shi Jingzhi was taller than him, but in his weakened state he couldn't block Yin Ci's view.

The goddess created a tree root platform in mid-air, panting heavily. 

"What a pity for my Ghost Skin Suit," he lamented.

Yin Ci's body was ice-cold from losing a lot of blood, but the warmth from Shi Jingzhi's back against his damp chest brought a comfortable heat. Yin Ci closed his eyes contentedly, and his sword energy grew even more intense. 

"Shizun, since I brought you in, I will definitely send you out. Don't be angry about this, okay?" 

The shock and exhaustion mixed together on Shi Jingzhi's face, making him look pale and scary. He tightly held onto Yin Ci's wrist, his voice so hoarse that Yin Ci could barely make out his words. 

"......Ah Ci?"

Yin Ci smiled, "I'm a disobedient disciple, I came too late. Shizun is tired, why don't I go and kill that goddess to relieve his boredom?"

Without waiting for Shi Jingzhi's response, Yin Ci gently put him down and then leapt towards the goddess. 

The river and sea surged, and the sharp blade was unsheathed. The sharpness that had been hidden in the past was now unleashed with a sword strike, carrying a hint of a power that could slay gods and exterminate demons. 

The goddess was horrified. If Shi Jingzhi was still an immature beast, then this attacker was a genuine demon. She had witnessed so many with an immortal fate, yet she had misjudged this one person.

His face was as cold as ice, and his aura was as fierce and evil as a ghost. No matter how she looked at him, he was no worse than the one below.

She urgently summoned the roots, hoping to use her old tricks to defeat the enemy. However, to her surprise, the roots did not obey her commands and remained motionless. The surrounding insect eggs also stopped their attacks, revealing a blurry hesitation.

For some unknown reason, she had to rely on herself.

The goddess gritted her teeth and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

But before she could finish her sentence, a black sword tip emerged from her chest. The man completely ignored her and had already flashed behind her, decisively delivering a sword strike. 

She looked in shock at the wound on her chest. In the next moment, deep cuts appeared on her limbs and joints. The black sword danced like a butterfly, finally coming to a gentle stop at her neck, still warm with her own blood.

The goddess sat paralyzed on the platform of the tree roots, unable to move a muscle. This person was definitely a seasoned killer, with no wasted movements. He was stingy with his words, and cut off all her options as soon as he arrived, leaving her with only her tongue.

The goddess regretted a little - this person's moves showed no internal strength, and if she had left the Root Guardian alive, she wouldn't have been in such a sorry state. Seeing that her Shi Jingzhi's power was exhausted, she had been too haste.

Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in the world.

Yin Ci stood still in front of her, his sword intent as hard as iron, showing no mercy or pity, let alone reverence. 

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. This place is quite interesting, and I have something to ask you," said Yin Ci in a gentle voice, but the gentleness was accompanied by a chilling intent, making it all the more terrifying. 

"You must answer truthfully, and you cannot remain silent. I know better than anyone how to inflict the most pain on a person."

As he spoke the latter sentence, a sense of despair leaked out from the extremely cold and oppressive atmosphere. The goddess suddenly felt a bit dazed - how could someone with so much desolation still be alive?

The goddess hesitated for a moment, and the tip of the sword pierced through the acupoint on her neck, causing a surge of intense pain.

Yin Ci asked, "What are these statues of flesh? And what is the giant tree god statue behind it?"

The goddess's expression changed for a moment, and she even laughed, starting to speak to herself, "Very good. Your talent is exceptional, and with the one below, we won't need to gather materials for the god statue anymore." 

"You did not answer," sighed Yin Ci as he moved his sword slightly, slicing through flesh once again.

The goddess swallowed a scream and looked at him with a sinister expression. "As an immortal, I should be able to withstand pain. Boy, disrespecting the gods will bring you retribution."

"Retribution? I've already suffered plenty. Now, answer me properly. My little Shizun needs to rest for a while, so we have plenty of time," Yin Ci replied.

The goddess laughed, revealing blood-stained teeth. "Is that so?"

This time, she didn't use tree roots to attack Yin Ci. Instead, the roots shot out and hit her own body. The goddess was thrown back several yards and landed on the flesh statue behind her.

Unlike Bai Wei, who had merged completely with the statue, the goddess only sacrificed half of her body. Her lower half turned into mush and filled the empty skeleton of the statue. 

The skeleton was completely covered, and the statue of the flesh god sat dignifiedly, with half a living person on one side. The goddess had a translucent white skin, which contrasted with the dark red statue, like a bud on a withered branch.

But something was off about her.

The goddess's face was twisted, her long hair disheveled, and her eyes vacant. Her clothes had been burned and soaked in blood, clinging to her body like rotting skin.

She hung her arms down and spoke hoarsely, "Mere mortals dare to challenge a true immortal. You cannot escape..."

"Well, at least you can still talk," he said.

The sword swung down, taking half of the statue's head with it, and the goddess's arm was instantly severed. The head and arm rolled down the tree stump platform and crashed to the bottom of the forbidden area.

He hoped his cheap master wouldn't see this, lest he be scared half to death again. 

Yin Ci smiled as he swung his sword, ready to once again disable the enemy's ability to move. In the next moment, his smile froze on his face.

The statue was restoring itself.

Whether it was the arm of the goddess or the half-missing head, their cut surfaces extended countless blood-red fine roots, slowly forming a mass and gradually returning to their original appearance.

No one was more familiar with this scene than Yin Ci. Compared to Yin Ci himself, the statue recovered slowly and clumsily, but the method of recovery was undoubtedly the same.

In an instant, a certain fear seized him.

The Sweeping Bone Sword Technique rose, and blood and flesh flew.

The goddess was not afraid of pain, so Yin Ci no longer held back. He crazily cut the statue, as if he wanted to crush another himself. The remaining limbs fell off one by one, seemingly endless.

The goddess smiled gently and maliciously.

She stretched out her hands and threw Yin Ci's words back at him: "We have plenty of time." 

She merged further with the statue, and finally regained control over the tree roots. They gathered with the movements of the goddess, ready to strike. Yin Ci's sword gradually slowed down until it stopped completely.

The goddess thought he had given up: "Giving up is indeed easier. I'll melt you down first, then go find your master..."

A golden flame shot through the air and hit the goddess in the chest.

At some point, Shi Jingzhi regained his strength and climbed up the high platform with courage. 

He hung on the edge of the platform and planted his flag with a proud and imposing manner, as if he was going to demand an explanation from his disciple. However, when he saw the merged statue, Shi Jingzhi's face turned pale and he slowly disappeared from the edge of the platform.

"Sorry to disturb you," he said sincerely, and was about to climb back down. 

Yin Ci sighed and hooked the fox with the tip of his sword, lifting him back up. "Shizun, you came just in time. I was just about to go look for you."

Shi Jingzhi's gaze swept over the recovering statue, the chunks of flesh on the ground, and stopped on his disciple's unfamiliar face. He made a few gurgling sounds in his throat, only managing to squeeze out a miserable "no."

Yin Ci once again embraced his master's waist and held onto his wrist. "Master, take the sword."

Their body temperatures overlapped, and Shi Jingzhi calmed down a bit, finally speaking in human language again. "Ah Ci, what exactly—"

"There's a mechanism on the flesh statue that allows it to regenerate, but its speed isn't very fast. If we use Yang fire to burn it in time, we might be able to break its regeneration technique."

Yin Ci's voice was calm, as if this matter had nothing to do with him at all. Shi Jingzhi's reactions were slow, and he was unsure if he had really registered what was said. 

Upon hearing this, the goddess's face showed a sudden hint of nervousness. Yin Ci lowered his gaze, without much joy in his heart.

Seeing that the restoration of the flesh statue was still slow, Yin Ci knew that it was not yet complete and could not achieve perfect regeneration. As for what kind of destruction would be most effective for "regeneration," he feared he understood better than the goddess herself.

Compared to forcing her to explain, Yin Ci had already found something more valuable - a clear direction.

He had almost unlimited time and was not worried about not finding any clues. Instead, he was more concerned about another matter.

Could the unfinished flesh statue really be destroyed?

"Shizun, I'll swing the sword, and you can ignite the fire," Yin Ci said, getting very close. 

His warm breath brushed past Shi Jingzhi's ear, slid down his neck, and carried a hint of temptation.

"Come on, let's completely destroy this place." 

The author has something to say:

I'm guessing the master's reaction won't be complete until the dust settles, so for now, he can only hold it in (?)