Seeing this, Old Dong's last shred of hope completely vanished.
He faced the camera lens, adjusted his emotions, and began to deliver his last words: "This life of Dong's has not been one of great kindness, nor of great evil. I am merely an unremarkable old man! My only talent has been in archaeology, where I've made some contributions. But facing death, it's not worth mentioning."
"To die now at the scene of a beloved job is indeed a fitting end, and I have no regrets."
"If there is one regret in this life, it is that I feel I have failed my wife. The world may think she pursued me for my wealth and I her youth. Little do they know, we were truly in love, with no other attachments."
"After my death, all my assets shall be transferred to my wife. No one else shall touch them."
*Click!*
Traces of petrification began to appear on Old Dong's face, making it difficult to even open his mouth.
"There's no more time, this is the end!"
"My wife, my friends, the world I love, and even my enemies, farewell."
As Old Dong uttered his last syllable, the petrification instantly spread across his entire face.
In the blink of an eye, Old Dong turned into a stone figure.
Only a faint glimmer of light remained in his eyes.
When that glimmer disappeared, Old Dong was officially petrified, becoming one of the Eight Divisions of Myriad Demons' Statues.
"I said goodbye to so many people, but didn't mention you. Isn't that a bit unfair?"
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in Old Dong's ear.
Then, a figure appeared in Old Dong's vision.
Ying Chen!
Originally, the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue in Old Dong's eyes were only one step away from stepping out of his eyes and completely petrifying him.
But the moment Ying Chen's figure appeared in Old Dong's eyes, the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue reacted as if they had encountered their natural predator, their bane.
With a unified scream, they turned and fled.
However, after taking just one step, they shattered into a wispy illusion, dissolving within Old Dong's eyes.
As the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue dissolved, the petrification on Old Dong's body gradually receded.
After a while, Old Dong shook off the petrified debris and came back to life!
"Mr. Ying!"
Old Dong looked at Ying Chen, tears of joy streaming down his face.
He nearly fell to his knees before Ying Chen.
Ying Chen patted Old Dong's shoulder, signaling that it was alright.
Then, he turned his gaze to the surrounding demon statues.
"Why are your tongues sticking out so far? I don't like it."
Ying Chen said to the Long-Tongued Ghost.
Then, Ying Chen grabbed the Long-Tongued Ghost's tongue and pulled hard.
With a *snap*, the Long-Tongued Ghost's tongue was severed from its root within its mouth!
Simultaneously, the stone statue of the Long-Tongued Ghost let out a pained cry.
The entire stone figure trembled uncontrollably!
As if begging Ying Chen for mercy!
At this moment, the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue, with their backs to Ying Chen, should have taken the opportunity to sneak attack him.
But unexpectedly, the two demon statues fled frantically!
They dashed away in the direction furthest from Ying Chen!
"Did I say you could leave?"
Ying Chen suddenly turned and looked at the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue.
Under his gaze, the two demon statues instantly froze, losing their ability to move.
However, the two demon statues also began to tremble, clearly terrified of Ying Chen and trying to beg for mercy!
"Zhang Daoling was quite something, casting statues with living souls, and even setting such a constraint for you."
"But why didn't he simply annihilate you all? Why did he have to seal you within these statues?"
"Is there a secret hidden within you?"
Ying Chen's eyes gleamed as he stared at the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue, and asked.
Unfortunately, the two demon statues could not speak.
They could only tremble and beg incessantly.
"No answer?"
"Very well, you've got backbone! I like my monsters with integrity!"
"To show my respect, I'll send you on your way!"
Ying Chen praised them with a thumbs-up.
Then, he gripped the heads of the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue in each hand.
With a sudden burst of strength.
With a *crack*, both the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue turned into a pile of stone dust.
They were utterly annihilated, disappearing from this world!
At the moment of their death, the Yu Rong Statue and the Flying Squirrel Statue were filled with a torrent of complaints about Ying Chen.
Who the hell had backbone?
Who the hell had integrity?
We just can't speak!
To think that humans a thousand years later would be so despicable!
As the two demon statues were destroyed by Ying Chen's casual effort, all the remaining demon statues felt a profound sense of dread.
Especially the Long-Tongued Ghost, which trembled even more violently.
If it weren't for being trapped in its stone form, it would have already knelt down and begged Ying Chen for mercy!
As for their ability to move and sneak attack when not being watched by humans, not a single demon statue dared to use it.
They might not be intelligent, but they weren't stupid!
If they couldn't see that Ying Chen was a formidable opponent, they might as well have committed suicide by smashing their heads against a wall!
Thus, a peculiar scene unfolded: with Ying Chen's back turned, all the demon statues silently moved, clearing a path.
As if respectfully ushering Ying Chen out of the demon statue formation!
Witnessing this contrasting scene, Old Dong couldn't help but sigh inwardly – weakness is the original sin!
When he was alone, these demon statues couldn't wait to devour him.
But with Ying Chen present, not only did these demon statues dare not move, they actively pointed the way and escorted Ying Chen away!
However, Ying Chen clearly had no intention of leaving.
Because Professor Li and Wang Zizai had not yet been found.
Those two were undoubtedly experiencing the same thing!
Whether they had already been petrified was unknown.
Ying Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and he locked onto a direction, leading Old Dong forward.
.........
Professor Li held his breath, standing still.
Around him were four demon statues!
These four demon statues were in different poses, encircling Professor Li.
Professor Li had no possibility of escape, seemingly destined to become the blood meal of the four demon statues!
"Calm down! Calm down! Li Chengzhi, this isn't your first time in this situation! You've been through many! Especially the first time you met Mr. Ying, it was more than ten times more terrifying than this!"
"You survived back then, what is there to fear now?"
"Li Chengzhi, don't waste your energy on fear, it's completely useless! You should focus on thinking of solutions! Don't let down the name your mother gave you – Chengzhi!"
Professor Li muttered to himself, constantly cheering himself on.
Remarkably, this method actually worked.
Professor Li's fear subsided, and he became genuinely calm.
Professor Li looked at the four demon statues just within reach and suddenly had an idea!
Since the demon statues froze when they were watched, all one needed to do was to find a way to stare at all four demon statues simultaneously!
Professor Li, of course, did not have four eyes, nor could he use his camera lens to capture such a wide area to his left, right, and behind him.
But, if Professor Li couldn't, others could!
Professor Li took a deep breath.
The next second, he suddenly closed his eyes.
As Professor Li closed his eyes, the four petrified demon statues all came to life.
Their blood-red eyes opened, flashing with intense malice, and they were about to devour Professor Li!
But at this moment, Professor Li made a move that the four demon statues could never have anticipated!
Professor Li suddenly crouched down!
This caused the four demon statues to suddenly face each other!
"Damn it!"
This was the last thought of the four demon statues before they petrified.
Instantly, due to facing each other, the four demon statues fell into a continuous state of petrification.
Allowing Professor Li to escape their encirclement!
He calmly extricated himself!