Is that the Buddha who followed us?

As King of Qin roared like this, both Ali and Shen Qi noticed that distant figure watching them, that Buddha with a face full of sorrow. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Yet, they were both extremely curious—if that Buddha had the ability to wipe out tens of thousands of the Extraordinary Western Sea Army head-on, he would have acted long ago. There would have been no need for him to collaborate with the King of Qin. He couldn’t do it, but since King of Qin called out to him, it meant this bald monk had some other capabilities!

"Amitabha Buddha!!"

With his sorrowful face, the Buddha clasped his hands together, and tears of compassion transformed into golden liquid, dripping down drop by drop. This scene, for some inexplicable reason, left people unable to look away. Clearly, it was a sickening image, but everyone couldn’t help but want to watch.

A Dharma to forcibly restrain the body?

Ali wondered—if such abilities existed, why not have used them to eliminate the Western Sea Army already?

No, something isn’t right... definitely not right. Stay calm...

Ali recalled Chen Qing’s words: no matter what, always remain calm. As long as you stay composed, every ability in this world inherently has its flaws.

And soon, a strange event occurred...

"Brothers, now is the time to achieve glory!"

Tian Liang’s voice echoed across the battlefield, while standing nearby, Ali felt a chill rise all over her body.

What’s happening?

This scene... isn’t this?

Time loop?

That monk actually possesses such an ability?

Meanwhile, within the Ink-Wash World, Shen Qi was also utterly shocked. Just moments earlier, King of Qin and Tian Liang had been there in this world but had now vanished. For a moment, Shen Qi couldn’t quite comprehend it.

The outside scene was similarly bewildering. The dead Buddha was alive again, and the soldiers who had charged forward before launched another assault. Even Tian Liang appeared completely unaware, shouting the same charge slogans as before!

What is... this ability?

Does this world truly harbor such a power?

Even someone like Shen Qi, a native, thought it was too excessive. Rewinding time—this ability was terrifyingly overpowered!

In his eyes, it was practically invincible...

"Mr. Shen Qi, you’re looking less composed than you were earlier, aren’t you?" The faintly mocking voice of King of Qin sounded from the side. Shen Qi turned, only to see that, at some unknown point, the man had appeared there.

"Your Highness King Qin has indeed found a trustworthy ally... but in the face of such an ability, are you truly so confident in him?" Shen Qi said grimly.

Space-Time Reconstitution—he’d seen Chen Qing use it in the Nine Heavens Mirror before, but this was different. At least memories hadn’t been rewritten back then. But here, it seemed that none of the soldiers, including Tian Liang, realized they had already been reset.

This ability... is truly horrifying!

"No need for Mr. Shen Qi to worry..." King of Qin said calmly. "That sorrow-faced Buddha’s ability isn’t without limitations. Not everyone’s memories can be rewritten. Look, you yourself, Mr. Shen Qi, remember what just happened, don’t you?"

Shen Qi paused for a moment, quickly deducing the reason. "Ah, I see. This ability depends on the individual. If the gap in strength is too large, memories get rewritten. If the gap is smaller, then they loop along with it?"

"Mr. Shen Qi is quick to understand..." King of Qin said with a faint smile.

"I see..." Shen Qi touched his chin thoughtfully. Even so, this ability was sufficiently heaven-defying. On the battlefield, it was practically akin to a trial-and-error tool: lose a battle, simply try again. It could be considered downright shameless.

It even worked against opponents of the same level. Even if the other side lost, they’d have another chance—truly daunting.

"Since that’s the case, why hasn’t Your Highness King Qin made a move yet?"

King of Qin glanced outside but said nothing.

"Oh... I understand now." Shen Qi chuckled. "What you’re after is Ali herself, isn’t it?"

"Right now, you only know that Ali is lurking near Tian Liang, but you’re not sure which one she is. The best strategy, then, would be to immediately replace Tian Liang and, in the blink of an eye, kill all the trusted aides before anyone notices. With Ali’s skills, there’s no way she could evade that. Yet, you haven’t done this."

"What you want is to confirm her identity first, then replace her—in order to gain control of the Thousand-Faced Fox’s abilities, correct?"

"So what if I am?" King of Qin replied coldly.

"Then I’m afraid Your Highness will need to try again many times..." Shen Qi laughed immediately.

King of Qin looked at the scene outside, his expression visibly darkening.

Those dozen or so trusted aides still maintained fanatical expressions, unchanged in the least, continuing their fervent charge.

This little fox...

He was certain Ali’s memory hadn’t been rewritten. So after the loop, upon seeing the surrounding scene, she should at least have shown some surprise, right?

Yet from the very beginning, he had been closely observing those trusted aides and hadn’t caught a single trace of abnormality.

When did that little fox develop such composure?

Faced with such a sudden change, not even her expression shifted!

"I told you before—don’t underestimate her. The Ali we have now is quite formidable," Shen Qi said with a grin.

The memory rewound to about ten days prior, when the Lyuzhou crisis had just passed. At that time, Ali sought Shen Qi out personally. Shen Qi was surprised back then, unsure why she was looking for him.

The reason was simple. She wanted to know how Shen Qi and Shen Qi’s team, such as Shen Qi, managed to remain so composed under any circumstances—never betraying their emotions through their expressions.

Ali had been particularly intrigued by Shen Qi’s ability: no matter what threats he faced, it was impossible to discern his inner thoughts from his face.

Ali was deeply curious about Shen Qi’s skill and wanted to learn it.

This was the first time Shen Qi had encountered such a request. Usually, people asked to learn his techniques—this was the first time someone wanted to learn his "emotionless" ability.

Hmm...

But, to be fair, it had proven immensely useful!

------------------------

Stay calm... stay calm, blend your expression with those around you. Don’t betray even a hint of weakness. If I get replaced by King of Qin, Jiangnan will truly be doomed!

Fortunately, she had done special training with Shen Qi beforehand.

The first phase of the Ghost King Technique was facing overwhelming fear. The Ghost King’s True Form would probe into one’s heart and suddenly manifest the thing you feared most. To achieve Shen Qi’s level of unflappable composure, one had to completely overcome such fears.

Those ten days had been like hell. The scenes she feared most appeared before her over and over again. Particularly that time—the nightmare of cockroach swarms devouring her body until her skin was stripped bare. She had vomited for three straight days.

But after enduring the training, she could truly keep a straight face.

Because in the Ghost King’s training, the more you feared, the more it would produce what you feared most. However, as long as your expression remained unshaken, the fear would grow weaker and weaker.

When the space-time was first reset, she did feel shocked. But luckily, thanks to Shen Qi’s training, no matter what strange events occurred now, her face would remain impassive. This skill was something she had forcibly developed through endless encounters with terror.

Bring it on...

Nestled among the guards, Ali smirked inwardly. No matter how many times you reset, if you dare take a step forward, the one who will lose... will still be YOU!!!