Is She Also Afraid of Ghosts

Three hours after the release of Phantom Ghost Town.

Since many cultivators were live-streaming their gameplay, the forums were flooded with stories of experts being terrified by the sinister entities in the illusionary realm.

[Shocking: Lingxiao Sect’s True Disciple Locked in Basement, Death Gruesome!]

[Hahaha, Lingxiao Sect’s livestream is comedy gold! The drawing lots part had me dying!!]

[Poor True Disciple Zhou… but I still can’t stop laughing]

[Are these really Nascent Soul cultivators? How can they be so scared of mere ghosts? Disgrace to us cultivators!]

[Even the elite disciples of major sects are useless? Clearly, they only cultivate power, not their Dao hearts—without their fists, they’re nothing!]

[If you’re so tough, you try it]

[Fine, just wait! I’m going in right now!]

[Remember to stream it. If you actually clear it, I’ll send gifts!]

[Hahaha, after watching their streams, I feel like I could totally do better!]

[The smallest gap between me and a Nascent Soul cultivator yet!]

[Time to teach those big sects a lesson and show them what real skill looks like!]

……

The repeated failures of these experts made countless ordinary cultivators eager to enter the illusion and prove themselves.

After all, watching a livestream was one thing—playing it yourself was another.

By now, livestream permissions had been fully opened.

As long as one passed a blood essence verification, even rogue cultivators could broadcast.

Many rogue cultivators rolled up their sleeves, ready to showcase their skills.

The result?

They were brutally schooled by the Fear-Soul Binding Array.

And the weaker the cultivator, the worse they fared—many were so terrified they severed their connection on the spot.

The first wave of stubborn rogue cultivators soon returned to the forums, wailing about the horrors of the illusion.

Then came the second wave, convinced the first group was exaggerating…

……

Wave after wave, like a never-ending cycle.

It proved one thing: cultivators were inherently defiant and thick-skulled.

How could mere evil spirits scare me?

If Nascent Soul cultivators are like this, how could I possibly be afraid?

How could an illusion frighten me like this?

No, I have to prove myself!

With this mindset, cultivators threw themselves into the illusion again and again, battling ghosts in a futile struggle.

……

……

Zhong Yi’s illusionary world.

“Junior Brother Mu, you’re here—WHAT THE HELL?! JUNIOR BROTHER MU, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR FACE?!”

“It’s a Skin-Peeler!! It must have—AHHH!!”

“Damn it, Senior Brother’s dead too… Why is it still hunting?! AHHH, STOP CHASING ME!!”

“Junior Sister Zhou, drop the Yin-Yang Compass! It reacts to magical artifacts—QUICK—”

“AHHH!!”

……

After a series of screams, Zhong Yi’s team was wiped out—again—inside the Haunted Manor.

Back in the safe room, the four of them exchanged glances, still shaken.

“Dammit, why does it feel like the ghosts have different strength levels, not just types?” Zhou Yue grumbled.

“I noticed that too! Whenever that unlucky guy finds the ghost first, it’s always terrifyingly strong!” Zhou Qiaoling added, earning a glare from Zhou Yue.

“That Skin-Peeler… it peeled off my skin and stuck it onto itself… I-I was actually scared…” Even the usually fearless Mu Yawen looked unnerved.

“DROP THE ARTIFACTS, DROP THEM! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?!” Zhong Yi was fuming.

He had been analyzing the ghosts’ behavior and realized their vision was poor—but they could sense magical artifacts from a wide range.

That was why they had been instantly wiped out.

Zhong Yi even wondered if they could exploit this pattern to “kite” the ghosts…

“No, we’re going again! I refuse to believe we can’t beat a damn ghost illusion!” Zhou Yue’s frustration only grew.

In the game, under the influence of the Fear-Soul Binding Array, everything felt terrifying.

But back in the safe room, the fear faded, leaving only regret over their stupid mistakes.

So after every round, they immediately wanted to try again—to prove they weren’t that weak.

“Alright—HOLY SHIT! The Amateur difficulty is gone!!” Zhong Yi’s shout reminded the others of a crucial detail.

The initial Amateur difficulty only gave each player five attempts.

At first, Zhou Yue had scoffed, saying Amateur was beneath him. Now, he didn’t dare speak, his eyes practically glowing with desperation.

Everyone shared the same thought:

If the Amateur difficulty was already this terrifying…

What kind of nightmare are the higher difficulties?!

Zhou Qiaoling looked like she was about to cry.

Then she suddenly remembered the calming presence of Senior Sister Li Moran whenever they teamed up.

“If only Senior Sister Li were here right now…”

……

……

At the same time.

Icewing Pavilion, Sword Inquiry Peak.

The austere chamber was as cold as a glacial cavern.

Frigid air continuously seeped from the pavilion.

If not for the barrier surrounding it, the entire peak would have been encased in frost.

Amid the ice, a woman seated before the illusionary tower suddenly opened her eyes.

“Hah… Hah…”

Li Moran’s pupils were dilated, her chest heaving violently.

A storm of icy spiritual energy swirled around her.

Only after sensing the surging power within her did her breathing gradually steady.

The faint traces of fear in her eyes vanished, replaced once more by an abyss of frost.

“Why…?”

Li Moran fell into contemplation.

What was fear?

She had never given it thought before.

Even with her spiritual power sealed, she shouldn’t have been afraid of mere ghosts.

She had never feared death.

Yet Lu Ze’s illusion had achieved the impossible.

“This serves no purpose in cultivation… I’ll set it aside for now.”

……

……

The illusionary server world.

The remnant of the Heavenly Dao wore an expression of pure delight.

This time, while possessing the ghosts in the illusion, it had discovered a new joy.

In Phantom Ghost Town, ghosts were invincible.

Players had no means to harm them—only to flee or await death.

Coupled with the countless ways ghosts could torment cultivators, it was a perfect match for the remnant’s tastes.

As Zhong Yi’s group had guessed, in Lu Ze’s modified version of Phantom Ghost Town, ghosts of the same type had varying strength levels.

The stronger the ghost, the more ways it could torment cultivators—and the more brutal its hunting methods.

For example, the Skin-Peeler that had flayed a cultivator earlier? That had been the Heavenly Dao remnant’s personal performance.

“When will I get to play a Ghost Immortal-level character?”

The remnant licked its lips, still craving more, and glanced at Lu Ze.

The latter also wore a look of intoxication—but for a different reason.

Lu Ze was drunk on the endless flood of Demonic Path Value.

The efficiency of harvesting it through fear was shockingly high—almost on par with killing cultivators outright!

The more terrified the cultivator, the greater the yield.

At the peak of terror, the value could multiply tenfold!

For instance, the recent [+16], [+17], and [+18] Demonic Path Values had come from Zhong Yi, Zhou Yue, and Li Moran respectively.

All three of them achieved breakthroughs in the illusory realm. What made Lu Ze a bit regretful was that from now on, Zhong Yi's strength would no longer be 1.2 but 1.6.

"Soon, soon... After five rounds, they won't be able to play on the amateur difficulty level anymore."

In response to the question from the remnant spirit of the Heavenly Dao, Lu Ze replied.

In the amateur difficulty level, players have a protection period and won't encounter super-high-level ghosts.

Once they break away from the amateur difficulty...

The players are in for a real treat.

Just then, Lu Ze suddenly received a game invitation.

[Li Moran invites you to a custom game.]

Lu Ze's eyes lit up.

Why is this Li Moran still so obsessed with "Struggle between Immortals and Demons"?

She should contribute some demon path values. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Once the cultivators gradually get used to all kinds of evil creatures, it'll be a bit difficult to harvest such high demon path values.

Li Moran is such a high-quality player. Not only does she yield a high amount of demon path values, but she also often gives enlightenment experience and rare skills. Lu Ze can't afford to let her slip away.

"No, I have to give her a push!"

He knew very well that Li Moran preferred battle-oriented illusory realms because they were more helpful for her cultivation insights.

Recently, she had made great progress in "Struggle between Immortals and Demons".

Occasionally, she could even touch the threshold of "the unity of the human soul". She was second only to Bai Mu under the white curtain.

Whenever she saw that he was online, she would send an invitation for a one-on-one battle.

This time, Lu Ze flatly rejected her and sent a message in return.

[Bai Mu: Clear the highest difficulty level of "Ghost Town of Fear", or there's no way.]

[Li Moran: …]

After receiving a rather long ellipsis,

Li Moran's avatar instantly turned black and white.

Looking at her response, Lu Ze couldn't help but laugh.

"Who would have thought... She's actually afraid of ghosts."