Chapter 1250: The Road to Victory

"I didn't see it," Yan Zhichun said, a slight hint of displeasure in her voice.

"How could that be...?" The old man was stunned, then murmured, "Those images flooded into my mind so wildly—we should all be the same, right? We're all humans, after all."

"You should stop obsessing over this for now. As long as you stay alive, you'll have plenty of time to research it later."

Yan Zhichun turned her head toward the distant Hei Yang, who had already blocked Tian Niu's attacks for the fourth time. Though it was called "blocking," the result was that he got knocked flying each time—he was barely managing to stay alive.

"No... my heart just can't settle down. Those images were so vivid." The old man reached up and clutched his messy hair, completely ignoring Hei Yang's plight as he rambled on. "I can still feel the sensation of every shovel stroke... but in the end... what happened at the end...?"

Yan Zhichun felt increasingly agitated inside. She vaguely sensed that this old man had some mysterious connection to Bai Yang.

But thinking about it, every "Jidao" was ultimately linked to Bai Yang in some way.

What caught her attention was the old man's mention of "ancestral memories." The way those images suddenly flashed in his mind was similar to her own moments of distraction. Did that mean his connection to Bai Yang was deeper than others'?

Yan Zhichun shook her head, realizing that what she needed to focus on now wasn't Bai Yang, but survival. So, while the old man muttered to himself, she shifted her position and glanced toward the nearest other "Jidao."

As she crouched down and started to stand, the old man grabbed her again.

"Little girl... you don't believe me?!" The old man's lips trembled, his voice changing slightly. "I saw those images so clearly... how can you not believe me?!"

Yan Zhichun's expression darkened. "I do believe you, but I can't discuss it in depth right now. We need to put this topic on hold."

"Put it on hold now...?" The old man exclaimed softly. "That won't do... Where will we find those 'ants' after we leave? What if I can't see those images anymore?"

No sooner had he spoken than Yan Zhichun heard Zhou Mo's voice in her ear.

"Tsk... I really can't figure you out, you wretch... What a critical moment, and you're arguing out in the open like this?"

"Which eye of yours saw me arguing?" Yan Zhichun sighed. "Wasn't it just him yelling on his own?"

"Get him to shut up already."

"Tsk, things are completely out of hand right now. In the whole square, besides Hei Yang, your spot is the noisiest."

"I'm trying." Yan Zhichun shook her head, then remembered something. "Zhou Mo... do you know this person next to me?"

"Tsk, I don't know that weirdo. People like that are usually the ones Jiang Ruoxue recruited."

"Ruoxue..." Yan Zhichun felt a pang in her heart. "She and Lao Sun were the first ones in... Are they okay?"

"They got lucky." Zhou Mo replied. "Tian Niu didn't expect us to come straight here. We didn't see her, and she didn't attack right away either—that wretch is still alive."

"I want to know more about this old man. His 'Hui Xiang' is really strong—help me contact Ruoxue."

Yan Zhichun finished speaking and realized she might have overlooked something. "Wait... you just said... you didn't see Tian Niu as soon as you entered?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Zhou Mo whispered. "With so many 'Jidao' experiencing 'Hui Xiang,' if we'd seen Tian Niu right away, would she have killed so many people?"

Yan Zhichun blinked, sensing that this information was important, but she couldn't quite piece it together.

Everyone had entered without seeing Tian Niu, which meant she must have activated her "concealment" from the start. But if she hadn't attacked immediately, that suggested she didn't know they were coming. So, why had she concealed herself beforehand?

These contradictory pieces of information seemed like a key breakthrough regarding Tian Niu.

"Tsk, I asked around." After a pause, Zhou Mo said, "That old guy was indeed recruited by Jiang Ruoxue. She said, 'I saw an old man shoveling the street and thought it was interesting, so I brought him into Jidao.'"

"Uh..." Yan Zhichun thought this absurd answer sounded just like something from Jiang Ruoxue, so she asked, "What about his 'Hui Xiang'?"

"Jiang Ruoxue's exact words were..." Zhou Mo sighed, "'Heh, I forgot.'"

"Good." Yan Zhichun nodded. "That makes perfect sense."

She stopped talking to Zhou Mo and focused her gaze back on the old man in front of her. She had a feeling she'd triggered some strange "cause and effect" again. The old man's hands gripped her tightly, and he was extremely emotional. If she didn't handle this, Tian Niu would likely notice the commotion.

"Old sir, how about we make a deal?" Yan Zhichun said. "You tell me about your 'Hui Xiang,' and I'll share a secret I uncovered about the 'Wumian Ren.'"

"What...? Really?" The old man paused. "You've seen people without faces too?"

"Yes." Yan Zhichun followed his train of thought. "Tian Niu is too dangerous. If we don't deal with her, we won't get a chance to investigate the 'Wumian Ren.'"

"Tian Niu? You mean that invisible person? What's so dangerous about her..."

The old man trembled and released his grip on Yan Zhichun. "I'm all about 'Xun Zong'..."

"Huh?"

Yan Zhichun was taken aback, realizing she'd accidentally stumbled upon a way to counter Tian Niu.

"How else could I track those faceless people?" The old man trembled as he spoke. "Whatever answer I want to know... I can always find the traces. At first, I just wanted to know where we came from, but all the answers led underground."

Yan Zhichun pulled her thoughts together and looked at the old man seriously. "Can you help us lock onto Tian Niu's position?"

"Isn't it just about winning...?" The old man said. "You're underestimating 'Xun Zong.'"

"What...?"

"Little girl, what you need to find right now isn't 'Tian Niu's position'—it's something else." The old man said earnestly. "Do you really need to see Tian Niu to win?"

"I don't quite understand." Yan Zhichun realized she didn't know enough about this old man. Besides tracking someone's location, what else could "Xun Zong" do?

The old man reached out on his own, plucked a long hair from Yan Zhichun's head, and held it in his hand.

"Little girl, what you need to find now is 'the road to victory.'"