I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 276 - 241: Sacrifice (Two-in-One)

Sang Que knew he wanted to go back, but before she could say anything, He Buning turned to her, "This city is beyond saving. Escape and live well, don’t let down those who want to save you."

A broad hand heavily patted Sang Que on the shoulder, and He Buning gave her no chance to speak, turning and disappearing behind the ruins of the Evil Suppression Bureau, which had already turned into an ink painting.

"Sister... what do we do?" Xia Chan approached, holding Xuan Yu, and asked Sang Que.

Sang Que saw a broken door like an ink painting lying in the ruins by the roadside, and she opened her right hand.

Earlier, she wanted to risk it once, to open the door and lead everyone out, even if the secret got exposed. Living is the most important thing; as long as you live, there’s no obstacle you can’t overcome.

But Yu Da seemed to know her thoughts and her abilities, and he stopped her.

Now, calming down to think, she realized she knew nothing about the power of the fifth layer. If she used the Yansheng coin to touch these doors that had turned into ink in the Ghost Realm, perhaps the secret of the Yansheng coin would be directly exposed to General Cao.

She knew nothing about General Cao either, and whether the door could open in the Ghost Realm of the fifth layer was still unknown.

But if the secret got exposed, perhaps the Ghost Opera Troupe and General Cao would choose to sacrifice everyone, forcefully leaving her and the Nine Songs Sacred Object behind.

If that outcome happened, it would mean cutting off everyone’s path to survival.

Sang Que clenched her right hand again; relying on the Yansheng coin was not possible now.

Xia Chan trembled all over, holding the still unconscious Xuan Yu, terrified to the extreme.

Among the street ruins, some people didn’t escape in time, half their bodies crushed under the rubble, the other half already merged with the ink painting, twitching occasionally.

Xia Chan didn’t want to become like that; she wanted to live, she always wanted to live on, to eat more delicious food with her sister, to see more scenery.

"Little Chan, let’s go! Sister will take you out!"

Suddenly a donkey brayed, Sang Que and Xia Chan turned to see a Black Donkey galloping amidst the ruins, pursued by several blood-stained, eerily smiling ’people.’ Their faces had turned into opera masks smudged with paint, stepping as if on stage, in a bizarre state.

Yin Child flashed behind those people, and their heads instantly rolled off as their bodies fell.

They must have been surviving townsfolk, unable to resist after hearing the Opera God’s voice, turned into such.

The Black Donkey panting heavily ran to Sang Que’s side, braying once; it arrived just in time.

Xia Chan helped Sang Que onto the donkey’s back, quickly galloping towards the nearest city wall.

Yin Child paused behind the two, turning to look at the shaky ink mountain, sensing from every part of the city an increasingly intense feeling of fear.

...

Below the four-sided city walls, in a world composed of ink paintings, hundreds and thousands of townsfolk gathered together, striving to walk towards the foundation of the nearest city wall, attempting to leave Wangshan City through the breach.

The emergence of the Ink-Wash Ghost Realm suppressed the once rampant Evil Spirits, and the Ghost Coffin carried enough people, leaving the city with the coffin.

Yet cruel fate did not spare anyone; whoever touched those things turned into ink, marks of ink appearing on their bodies, turning the entire person into one in the painting, eventually dissolving into a pool of ink, from which pitch-black Evil Ghosts climbed out.

Even without touching, as everything around them changed, the townsfolk were gradually transforming.

Fear and despair dominated everything.

"Oh God, is Wangshan City going to be completely destroyed here like Fengning City?"

"Pray to the gods, save us. If not us, at least spare the poor children."

"It’s the Evil Suppression Bureau’s traitor bringing the destructive Yin Child from Fengning City, joining the Ghost Opera Troupe and intending to kill us all here!"

Some had seen Sang Que maneuver Yin Child, agreeing to the recruitment by the Ghost Opera Troupe.

At that time, the group had already been scattered throughout the city, and this news spread rapidly, known by more and more people.

The ordinary townsfolk didn’t understand the inside story or witness the Yin Child personally; they knew little about Fengning City’s events, but they all knew Fengning City was annihilated, with no living person left.

Now Wangshan City’s situation reminded them of Fengning City, and the fear of death constantly pervaded their hearts.

Suddenly, heaven and earth underwent drastic changes; everything ink around them trembled momentarily, and cries erupted from the crowd. Everyone turned their heads towards the Evil Suppression Bureau’s direction, seeing a gigantic, bright red opera mask appear on that ink mountain, grinning sinisterly at the land below.