I heard you had a white moonlight who died young.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuang Yujing produced a bow and arrow. He fired several shots in quick succession, locking the four directions of northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. A barrier rose from the ground, trapping the ghostly energy in the center. The rest that had spread outside the barrier was insignificant and would disappear soon, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Just when everyone thought everything was settled, the trapped ghostly energy suddenly came alive and began to swirl into a tornado, crashing into the barrier.

He An pulled Zhuang Yujing back a little: "Sect Master, let's go down and take a look."

As the flying sword landed, Fan Zhiyi had to praise how well these people landed; it landed precisely where the surrounding area for hundreds of miles should be a graveyard.

The air was thick with gloom. Fan Zhiyi looked at the endless rows of small graves and trembled as he said, "Should I wait for you here?" Going in would be pointless; it would only give him a heart attack. If this were the beginning of a horror novel, although leaving the group and going solo would easily lead to game over, with the things Bing Nandong had given him, he should be able to hold out until they returned.

"Stop talking nonsense, we won't be coming back later." Zhuang Yujing pushed Fan Zhiyi forward a step. "Xiaoman, watch him."

"Okay, Master."

Damn, he doesn't want to risk his life at the grave.

As Fan Zhiyi was thinking this, he hadn't walked far when he suddenly heard a series of rhythmic "thump-thump-thump" sounds behind him. He forced himself to ignore them, but the sounds were too jarring in the quiet night to be ignored.

Because he was timid, Fan Zhiyi walked in the middle, so he nudged He An in front of him: "Hey, did you guys hear any noise behind you?"

He An didn't speak. The strangeness gradually spread. Fan Zhiyi stopped, He An in front stopped, and Xiao Man and Cen Jun behind him also stopped, but the sound of the impact continued.

"Host, congratulations on getting separated from them."

Fan Zhiyi: "..." So, he didn't want to guess what was in front of and behind him at all.

Hearing a series of crackling fireworks sounds in my head, I wondered, "What kind of achievement can this possibly accomplish?"

I'm speechless. Why is it always him who gets scared? These ghosts are so immoral. Do they only pick on the weak?

Fan Zhiyi silently pulled out his dagger. Fortunately, he was wearing the clothes that Bing Nandong had given him, which could ward off ghosts, and he also had talismans and other self-defense items on him.

Yes, fully equipped.

Ughhhhh, but he's still a coward at heart, and that hasn't changed at all!

Fan Zhiyi swallowed hard. Staying frozen here wasn't a solution; he needed to figure out the situation first: "Bai Bai, what kind of person is this 'He An' in front of me? How aggressive is he?"

"The system can provide you with a detailed view!"

"Shut up!" Fan Zhiyi refused, turned around, and came face to face with Xiaoman, who had a creepy, stiff smile on her face behind her.

"..."

After staring at each other for a while, and seeing that "Xiaoman" didn't make any moves, Fan Zhiyi boldly poked him with his dagger. He watched as the other person fell backward like a thin piece of paper, crushing the stiffly smiling paper-like figure that looked exactly like Cen Jun.

Fan Zhiyi: "6." Maybe he'll have a psychological trauma if he sees Cen Jun and Xiaoman again.

"Bai Bai, show me the map and mark the route out."

Fan Zhiyi bypassed the still-fallen piece of paper belonging to He An, refusing to look at it.

Not knowing what lay beneath each step, Fan Zhiyi could only mutter "Don't blame me if it's strange," apologizing as he awkwardly led Bai Bai forward. He mentally searched for any lighting spells, ready to put them to use.

Wasn't Bingnan Dong supposed to be around here? Where is he?

"Bai Bai, where is Bing Nan Dong?"

“It’s impossible to pinpoint it.”

"Oh, there are times when you can't locate yourself."

"Because this is the world of cultivation." The white, mechanical voice said.

"What about He An and Xiao Man?"

"The host's current situation is equivalent to entering an inner world. They are still safe together, only the host is missing."

"It's always me. Is this novel targeting me?"

At times like these, Fan Zhiyi could appreciate the benefits of Bai Bai. She had someone to talk to and keep her company, which provided her with some comfort. Otherwise, given Fan Zhiyi's personality, she would have scared herself to death.

"Bai Bai, if I really die when the system disconnects, is there still a chance to revive?"

"As long as the main system determines that the host is valuable for completing the mission of this world, and this world still exists, then the system will try to find an opportunity for the host to be resurrected."

"What are your criteria for judging value? Completing the task with both quality and quantity?"

"If the host insists on an explanation, then it is that the host is still needed by the novel and the male protagonist."

Fan Zhiyi paused, frowning. "What do you mean?"

The system remained silent, as if its previous statement was already a definitive response to Fan Zhiyi.

Without the system's voice in his mind, the sounds of impact seemed particularly eerie and violent, maintaining the same frequency and distance that Fan Zhiyi had initially heard, as if no matter how far Fan Zhiyi fled, it was all in vain.

The canopies of the trees were haphazardly rubbed and intertwined by the wind, making the tree shadows look like menacing ghostly hands.

At some point, Fan Zhiyi heard footsteps behind him. He swallowed hard. He was following the map, but he kept getting back to the starting point.

Fan Zhiyi knew perfectly well that they had encountered a "ghost wall" (a type of maze or illusion). According to folklore, if someone else could break in at this point, the situation could be broken. However, he didn't know how long it would take He An and the others to find their way here.

The more critical the moment, the more important it is to stay calm. Fan Zhiyi took a deep breath and thought to himself with a bittersweet smile, "At least now I won't suddenly lose control of my body like I did when I first transmigrated. That feeling of powerlessness is the most terrifying."

Fan Zhiyi continued walking forward, but the footsteps behind him were always a step ahead, getting closer and closer, as if they were just trying to scare him.

"Bai Bai, can you calculate how long it will take for those footsteps behind me to be completely behind me?"

Five more steps.

Fan Zhiyi silently counted, and after taking the fourth step, he gripped the dagger in his hand and then slashed it cleanly behind him, leaving nothing but the sound of wind breaking.

Fan Zhiyi's hair was blown back, revealing his smooth forehead. He looked at the endless forest and the weeds swaying in the wind. He broke out in a cold sweat from fear and tension. The wind blew against his body and felt cold. His heart began to race. Fan Zhiyi dared not close his eyes and began to walk towards the place where the impact sound came from.

Sure enough, something was trying to lure him over; if he didn't go and meet it, he couldn't expect to get out.