Hou Guisheng had encountered far too many ghosts in his life and entered countless supernatural barriers, but none had ever presented a situation like this.
Once he stepped into this entirely new area, he found a scene identical to the previous one.
Four dark green walls enclosed a vast, empty space of a hundred square meters. Voices were compressed and reverberated through it, layer upon layer, exerting an unconscious, oppressive effect on the mind.
Four Stone Pillars supported the space, creating four blind spots of moderate size.
Their shadows hinted at unsettling details and oddities within those blind spots, yet when he listened carefully, there was nothing.
"The longer I walk, the more this space intensifies the fear and unease inside me."
Hou Guisheng was, of course, different from Xu Chan. His experience and breadth of knowledge meant that he viewed the same things from a broader, more expansive perspective.
So, as soon as he arrived, he took out a candle.
The candle was as thick as a human arm, a sturdy cylinder with a black, glossy wick that had clearly been burned many times.
Hou Guisheng gently took out his lighter and lit the candle. A faint wisp of smoke drifted upward, brushing past his gloomy, wary face.
He had not moved from where he stood after entering. Instead, he waited for the fumes from the burning candle to drift through the vast space until they permeated every corner.
The warm candlelight offered a trace of comfort.
Yet the hand Hou Guisheng held the candle in trembled slightly, and the exposed edges of his palm showed signs of reddening and blackening.
The price of its high temperature continuously scorched the palm holding it, while also extending the sin object's range to its maximum.
Safe. Quiet. That was the feedback