"The matches got soaked? Could it be a water ghost?"
"Not necessarily. The records say lighting too many lanterns can anger evil spirits and ruin ignition tools... We need to find the cabinet where the matches are stored."
"How are we supposed to find anything in this pitch-black darkness...?"
"Ow, damn it! Watch where you're going!!"
"Let me handle it. I'll lead the way—just follow me!"
...
The darkness in this illusion was even more oppressive than in the horror games of his past life.
In Phasmophobia Town, each person could only carry four items.
This was the first time the four of them had entered the illusion, and they had no idea what to bring. Mu Yawen had come empty-handed...
So the other three had each brought different items.
Their only source of light was the dim glow of the spirit lantern.
Mu Yawen, the bravest of them, volunteered to carry it at the front.
Zhou Yue followed behind, with Zhou Qiaoling third and Zhong Yi bringing up the rear.
By the time the light reached Zhou Qiaoling, it was already too faint to see clearly, forcing her to clutch Zhou Yue’s sleeve.
The four of them inched forward, searching the room for the cabinet holding dry matches.
After circling the room once, they still hadn’t found it.
"I think there’s a basement... Maybe it’s down there."
Zhong Yi, at the back of the group, suggested.
"Got it!"
Mu Yawen immediately turned around.
"Ugh, my sanity dropped again... It’s already at 65!! I feel so uneasy—is it just my imagination...?"
Zhou Qiaoling’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper.
"No, probably not... Junior Brother Lu must have set up some high-level formation in the illusion. When sanity drops, we become more sensitive to our surroundings..."
Zhong Yi quickly chimed in.
"Every 10-point drop changes how we perceive things... And according to the records, evil spirits feed on fear. If sanity gets too low, it might attract deadly consequences."
"Ahhh!! Senior Brother Zhong, stop talking! You’re making it even scarier!!!"
Zhou Qiaoling’s unease deepened.
Earlier, when their sanity was still around 90, the ghosts had even dared to take photos with them and helped Zhong Yi change his shoes.
But now, at 65... wouldn’t that mean...?
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became.
In the surrounding darkness, she couldn’t shake the feeling that ghosts lurked everywhere...
"Don’t panic. Remember, the system said this is amateur difficulty... For the first five minutes, the spirits won’t hunt us."
Zhong Yi spoke faster now.
Just as he finished, a shrill screech echoed from outside.
The group froze, their steps halting in unison.
"What was that?"
"Sounded like a crow..."
"Wait!"
Zhou Yue suddenly smacked his forehead.
"How long have we been in this haunted house...?"
Zhong Yi hesitated. "I think... it’s been five minutes..."
The four held their breaths as Mu Yawen hurriedly quickened his pace.
"Ahem, don’t panic... Sanity starts at 100. We’re still above 60, so it’s not too—"
"Zhong, shut up!! The crow just cawed!!!"
"Pah, that’s definitely just Junior Brother Lu’s way of reminding us the grace period is over... Honestly, if we just find the matches—"
"Wuwu... Senior Brother Zhong, please stop. The more you talk, the scarier it gets..."
"Junior Sister Zhou, don’t worry. I’m right behind you. If anything happens, I’ll—"
"Zhong, are you freaking scared?! You’re talking way more than usual!!"
"N-no! I just—"
"Shut up! Mu found the basement entrance!!"
Zhou Yue’s shout finally silenced Zhong Yi.
Under Mu Yawen’s guidance, they descended the creaky basement stairs.
Creak... creak...
The stairs were old and worn.
Every step produced a deafening, grating noise.
In the cramped space, the echoes felt even more unsettling.
"Wow, Zhong’s actually listening for once. Didn’t think he’d stay quiet..."
Zhou Yue cleared his throat.
"Zhong, maybe you should say something. It feels weird without you..."
Even Zhong Yi’s rambling was better than the mind-numbing creaks.
But there was no response.
"Tch, come on, man. You’re not seriously sulking, are you? We’re bros—don’t give me the cold shoulder!"
Zhou Yue kept talking, unsure whether he genuinely wanted Zhong Yi to speak or just needed the noise to drown out his own fear.
"Zhong... Zhong?!"
After a few calls, Zhou Yue’s unease grew.
He whipped around, straining to see through the darkness.
The dim light only revealed vague outlines—nothing clear.
"Zhong, don’t mess with me... This isn’t funny!"
"Zhong! Say something... Zhong?!"
"Oh no—Zhong’s gone!!"
As Zhou Yue’s panic escalated, Zhou Qiaoling’s grip on his sleeve grew increasingly shaky.
"B-bro..."
Her voice was laced with tears.
"If... if Senior Brother Zhong really disappeared..."
"Then..."
"Who’s..."
"holding my sleeve?"
The moment she said it, even Mu Yawen, at the front, felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Zhou Qiaoling trembled as she slowly turned her head.
Halfway—
Haa...
A cold breath brushed against her ear.
Instantly, her mind was consumed by terror.
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
"GHOST!!! HELP!!!"
......
......
At the same time.
Zhong Yi stood alone in a cramped, pitch-black room.
Four wooden doors lined the walls—north, south, east, and west.
Staring at the countless blood-drenched hands stretching from the ceiling, he let out a bitter laugh.
"So... I’ve run into a ghost wall."
He had already tried the east and west doors.
Each time, he’d step through only to return to the same spot.
And with every failed attempt, the bloody hands above him descended further.
The closer they got, the more violently they writhed.
As if sensing prey, they even whispered maddening murmurs.
"One more mistake... and those hands will reach me."
Watching the black blood drip from the ceiling, Zhong Yi narrowed his eyes, forcing himself to stay calm and analyze the situation.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined—
A Nascent Soul cultivator like him, trapped by something as trivial as a ghost wall.
"No... Junior Brother Lu wouldn’t design an unsolvable puzzle."
Shaking his head, he searched for a way out.
His gaze landed on a bronze mirror resting on a dilapidated table.
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
