Who Exactly Was He Trying to Mislead?

Amidst the flickering firelight, the crowd gazed upon the hundreds of coffins, feeling as if the pulsating shadows resembled the shadows of evil spirits, lurking behind the coffins, in the patterns of the ground, and in every place they couldn't see clearly.

Lin stood within Carlos's reach, carefully choosing his words: "Here..."

It's creepy.

Even without him saying it, everyone could sense the difference in the atmosphere.

I've seen multiple coffins in the same chamber before when I went into tombs, but none of them were as astonishing as this one. The tomb was so quiet that even a burnt piece of cloth falling to the ground could make one jump out of their skin like a startled bird.

The demon daoist deliberately arranged it this way; it was the last line of defense.

The immense psychological pressure, combined with the cramped environment and stuffy atmosphere of a cemetery, can easily induce hallucinations.

Unfortunately, the fear of those present was within a manageable range. After all, they had seen a lot in life, and even if they weren't crazy, they wouldn't be frightened by mere visual effects.

"The head you're looking for is in the coffin with the vengeful spirit's face carved at the end," Yu Fengchen to Zheng Zhan. "Go find it. The moment you open the coffin, send your skeletal flying head in first, otherwise it might get bitten by the wet corpse inside."

"You knew all that? You got the script, didn't you?" Zheng Zhan's pupils contracted, his expression one of disbelief and suspicion. Then he realized that Shen had no reason to lure him in to kill him; with Shen's abilities, he could harm him anytime he wanted.

"Is there anything else I should be careful about?" he asked.

"Most of the corpses here will turn into zombies. If you get too close, they will break open their coffins and attack you," Yu Fengchen replied.

Zheng Zhan: "..." Of course, he had thought of that when he saw the group of coffins, but if he wanted to find the coffin with the vengeful spirit face, he would have to go through many other coffins. What he wanted to ask was how to deal with it!

Yu Fengchen ignored him for the time being and turned to Yu Xing and the other two, saying, "The demon daoist's coffin has twelve nails, and the coffin corresponding to the black coffin in the ancestral hall looks exactly like the black coffin. Your task, barring any unforeseen circumstances, should be to converge the timeline. As long as you lie down in the black coffin, you will arrive at another place, make your choices there, and then you can leave the deduction."

"The Black Coffin is our mission. What about you? Before we find the Ghost Tree, are you planning to deal with the demon daoist alone?" Yu Xing raised an eyebrow, as if questioning him. "Can't I even participate in this?"

"Theoretically speaking, you can't touch what I'm getting back from the demon daoist," Yu Fengchen explained. "You'd better finish your mission and leave quickly. Staying here will only increase my uncertainty, and I don't enjoy adventure as much as you do."

"Alright then." Yu Xing shrugged. "Honey, I advise you to take more risks, otherwise you'll miss out on a lot of fun."

Yu Fengchen: "... Thanks for the reminder, but I'll pass. My situation isn't suited for courting death."

Yi Qing sighed, "What's wrong with courting death... You can become a ghost after you die, just like me. Isn't that more carefree than being a human?"

He hadn't expected a reply, but to his surprise, the cat in Yu Fengchen's arms turned and rushed towards him, its dark golden pupils fixed on his face, then it meowed meaningfully.

"Little guy, do you disagree with what I said?" Yi Qing became interested and floated towards the cat, but was Yu Fengchen blocked by Yu Fengchen. Yu Fengchen pulled the little black Bad Luck back a bit, and taking advantage of Yu Xing's words, pressed the black cat's head, "Did you hear that? Don't learn from weird uncles."

He was referring to Sheqing Ghost Yi Qing, but others assumed he was talking about Yu Xing, and no one questioned it.

Yu Xing, in the little black cat's eyes, should be a weird uncle.

Yu Xing, glared at the black cat, then glanced sideways at Yi Qing, before finally changing the subject. "Since you've pointed out the target to us, why don't you tell us about the dangers of the coffin formation? It's the last physical obstacle before leaving the deduction, and it's bound to cause some loss of life."

"You're right. My interference prevented you from obtaining the array diagram, and I need to apologize for that," Yu Fengchen smiled. "So I'll make sure you have no accidents here."

He conjured some rusty nails out of thin air. The nails were covered in a mixture of rust and bloodstains, dark and gleaming, exuding a fierce aura.

Yu Xing glanced at it and felt it looked familiar. Wasn't this the kind of nail Zhao Yijiu used to deal with the paper figures in Death Parallel Line?

The nails in front of them were smaller and thinner than Zhao Yijiu's, or rather, these were the normal size; Zhao Yijiu's long nails could have been used as javelins.

"These are from my teammates. They're incredibly effective at suppressing ghosts in coffins. Take a few each. If you trigger an anomaly, nail one to the coffin to temporarily prevent the thing inside from coming out. Use this time to continue searching. Once you find the target coffin, the nailed ghost won't be able to get out either." Yu Fengchen distributed the nails to them, keeping none for himself.

Carlos studied it for a while. "Tsk, not bad, feels nice to the touch, suitable as my magic prop."

Yu Xing bluntly retorted, "This is a one-time use item."

He could feel it as soon as he touched it; there was some kind of energy on the nail that could suppress ghosts. But this energy was like it was compressed in a container; once it was released, it could not be retrieved.

Come to think of it, if it's something that can be used anytime, then Yu Fengchen's gift would be incredibly generous.

The long nail spun around on Yu Xing's fingertip a few times before the system notification finally arrived.

[The long nail made by the woman: As its name suggests, this is a makeshift tool created by a woman to secure the coffin. Cherish this opportunity; you'll never get such an easy way to pass this level again, never!]

The system seems very unhappy.

Like the doll he hoped for, the long nail was not recognized by the system immediately, and the analysis after recognition also felt a bit off. Yu Xing chuckled and accepted the long nail.

"Let's begin."

The coffin, which had been lying dormant for over a thousand years, has finally met its unfortunate end.

People started disturbing their peaceful slumber. Not just one, but a whole bunch of them came, making a racket and bringing various smells that the corpses in the coffins disliked.

In this situation, a corpse awoke.

It sensed someone passing by and cautiously, yet boldly, placed their hand on its coffin lid, stroking it for a long time.

Then the man said, "San, look, this one is black, but the design seems a bit different from the one in the ancestral hall. Ugh, so annoying."

They touched my coffin, disturbed my sleep, and dared to say I was annoying!

It didn't really understand what others were saying; it only knew that a violent and angry emotion was rising in its chest.

A lazy voice responded from further away, "Then let's find the next one, hmm? Zheng Zhan, I've found your target. Is this it? This face should be vengeful enough, right?"

Really? Thanks!

The corpse in the coffin seemed to want to growl in anger, but its head wasn't there.

So all it could do was raise its hand and pound it on the coffin wall, successfully silencing the people outside.

These people should all die here... I want to put their heads on my body...

The corpse had no head, but its body, nurtured by time and yin energy, had developed a near-instinctive consciousness.

It erupted with an indescribable resentment, and was about to break free and tear apart the living who disturbed its peace when suddenly, an iron nail pierced through the not-so-thick coffin lid and nailed into its chest.

The corpse paused for a moment, realizing that the long nail and its coffin lid seemed to have become one, no, the entire coffin had become one. It pounded on it desperately, only making the coffin vibrate, but it could no longer open the coffin.

People outside said, "These nails are really useful, I'm so envious!"

A cold voice said, "Carlos, hurry up, the first zombie has appeared, and there will definitely be more and more after that."

The corpse pounded against the coffin walls, its body thrashing about like a fish out of water, but the coffin was too sturdy, and it couldn't break free.

Gradually, the corpse felt a power emanating from the nail that could lull it into a deep sleep. It struggled for a while longer before being swept into the endless abyss along with its hard-won, faint consciousness.

"It struggled so fiercely, I almost thought the nails wouldn't be able to hold it in place." Zheng Zhan stood a distance away, still shaken. "Hurry, hurry, I have to finish the mission! Good luck, everyone!"

He lifted the coffin containing the vengeful spirit's face that Yu Xing had found for him, and the skull in his hand flew swiftly inside. The inscriptions on his fingers and the skull were faintly glowing, giving it a somewhat sacred feel.

Taking advantage of Lin's inattention, Yu Xing whispered, "Is your ability a core sacrifice or something else?"

The inscriptions appear to be a set, but the skull and fingernails are clearly two different offerings that Yu Xing has never seen before, hence the question.

Zheng Zhan sensed that his flying skull had successfully devoured the human head inside the coffin. This coffin was probably the only one here containing a human head. The human head hadn't been absorbed by the Ghost Tree because of its special nature, and this special energy was very beneficial to his offering.

His task progress was also rapidly increasing, and he was almost ready to complete it.

This means that he can immediately leave the character's body and return to reality.

"My sacrifice can also be considered a core offering, just like the gambler in the Research Institute." Zheng Zhan chose a well-known predictor as an example, because when people mention gamblers, they think of gamblers' dice, a very classic core offering.

Actually, Zheng Zhan originally wanted to say Qu Xuanqing, who was more famous and whose Qu Xuanqing, [Wicked Grace], was notorious. However, for some reason, he felt it wasn't appropriate to put his name next to Qu Xuanqing's. He had a feeling that the terrifying woman would come after him because of his overestimation of his abilities.

"My Persona Mask is called 'Peeping,' and you can guess my core ability, but..."

Have you really never heard of me?

At this moment, Yu Xing and Zheng Zhan were close enough that Zheng Zhan could see Yu Xing's outline, but for some unknown reason, he could not sense Yu Xing's specific appearance. He felt as if a green mist was surrounding Yu Xing, blocking his perception.

"Oh? So you're a famous diviner too?" Yu Xing tilted his head. There were plenty of people he hadn't heard of. Carlos, too, seemed to have never met Zheng Zhan before. Even if Zheng Zhan was a famous person, he wouldn't be one of those high-level celebrity diviners.

"You haven't heard of me, but I have." Zheng Zhan, emboldened by his imminent departure, began to abandon his inhibitions. His tone was no longer as cheerful as when they first met, but instead carried a somber undertone. "San, Carlos, I don't recognize your names individually, but together I remember you're the October rookie king who killed the Ghoul."

He said that because the newcomer, Cerika, also called Yu Xing "San".

"Thinking about it this way again, you're still the winner of last week's Death Parallel Line?" Beneath Zheng Zhan's white-covered eyes, a smug smile played on his lips. "It was you... Lucky you!"

"Yes, it's me." Yu Xing didn't show the panic and nervousness that Zheng Zhan had expected about being recognized. He calmly admitted it, just like admitting that he had eaten an egg that morning.

He went on to ask his own question, "So, it's possible for core offerings to appear in sets? Then you should have other offerings with inscriptions, perhaps you're still looking for them?"

His diligent and studious demeanor made Zheng Zhan forget what he originally wanted to say.

"... You'll know about this once you go back and buy a few of my videos. I really didn't expect that you, who were supposedly trained by Qu Xuanqing, would not care about the information of the celebrity predictors at all. What, is it that she won't give you points to buy information? Or... does she not want you to have contact with people from other forces, afraid that you will run away?" Zheng Zhan's mission progress was almost over, and the corners of his mouth curled up in what he thought was a curve that would hit Yu Xing's sore spot.

"I heard you're very good-looking. Is that why that lone wolf Qu Xuanqing, took a liking to you? Brother, let me warn you, this kind of relationship won't last long. Once she gets tired of you, knowing her personality, she definitely won't leave you with a whole corpse. If you want to think about your future, you should find a force that can rival that woman and attach yourself to it."

The skull-headed flying man he named Xiaoman flew out of the coffin, its entire head covered in blood.

Zheng Zhan sensed that Yu Xing was listening attentively, so he softened his tone. "Xing, you can try coming to our late-night place. Medusa would definitely like someone like you, but she's different from Qu Xuanqing. Medusa always adheres to the principle of voluntariness and isn't as obsessive as Qu Xuanqing. Compared to her, you'll have a lot more freedom."

"Hmm, so you're a late-night person." Yu Xing tilted his head, wondering to himself, is this how late-night people view his relationship with Qu Xuanqing...?

It's a large guild, after all. They wouldn't just make up guesses. Did they buy the research results from the Research Institute?

Wow... This is getting more and more outrageous. Before, we just thought he was being noticed and mentored by Qu Xuanqing, but now we're directly assuming he's being "kept" by Qu Xuanqing?

Zeng Lai had already gone through a dungeon with him, so why would they allow the Research Institute to draw such an unreliable conclusion? Could it be some kind of deceptive tactic?

Zheng Zhan took Yu Xing's silence as a sign of consideration, and said, "Think about it. Thanks to the experience tester, I completed this mission far too easily. I didn't even need to do the timeline convergence. I've decided to give up this role."

He patted Yu Xing on the shoulder. "Keep it up, bro!"

Yu Xing was still wondering whether Medusa had bought real information and then used false information to deceive her subordinates, or whether the Research Institute had developed real information and then used false information to deceive the Midnight Guild, or Zeng Lai had done something to mislead his own guild into drawing incorrect conclusions...

Tsk tsk tsk, who are they trying to fool?