Male or Female, Do You Have a Partner?

Falling, falling continuously.

Entering the black coffin this time felt completely different from the last time. Last time, Yu Xing was at least able to sit in the coffin peacefully, and the strange thing only happened after the coffin lid was closed.

This time, the black coffin seemed to have given up on disguise and swallowed him up like an abyss.

Yu Xing felt his soul chasing after his body, layer upon layer, blurring his consciousness. A distant, immense loneliness approached from afar, opening its bloody maw like a giant beast.

That feeling again.

Yu Xing's thoughts became increasingly stagnant, but his perception gradually became clearer. The darkness before him was like a tangible substance, a color that even light could not dispel.

He closed his eyes.

Strangely, after blocking her vision, Yu Xing was able to "see" instead.

He "saw" black and gold lines entwined around him, the lines were messy and sparse, with no beginning or end in sight, and he could only glimpse a gear-like image from the small section entwined around him.

It's time.

Time had ensnared his ankles, arms, waist, and neck, like a gallows.

It's like the only salvation on the edge of a cliff.

Almost the instant he realized the true nature of the threads that were appearing in his mind, the lines collapsed, and his body dissipated inch by inch, becoming part of the darkness.

"Bang!"

Yu Xing crashed to the ground.

It seemed like just a small jump; the feeling of him hitting the ground was like falling on flat ground, without any impact on him. He shook his head, and his somewhat long hair awakened his heart.

Her bangs had grown long enough to reach above her eyelids, and the hair at the back of her head had also dropped several centimeters. Yu Xing squinted, reached out and pulled her bangs back, and only then could she see the situation in front of her clearly.

He was on a stone wall.

To be precise, it's a small, recessed cave in a rock wall, with the ceiling covered in sharp stalactites.

There was a coffin beside him, and apart from that, the cave couldn't hold anything else; it was rather cramped.

Behind him was an endless abyss, and he could only vaguely see a similar stone wall on the opposite side a dozen meters away. Yu Xing touched himself and found that his flashlight was still on him, but his earpiece, camera and other items had all disappeared.

The completely unfamiliar surroundings piqued Yu Xing's interest, especially after discovering that although the Sheqing Dreamscape was still there, Yi Qing hadn't followed him down, which made him even more curious about this space.

What made Yiqing give up the "fun" of following him, leaving him to die alone in the coffin?

Yu Xing changed his posture, turned on his flashlight, and set it to the highest setting. The light pierced through like a sharp blade, and instantly, he could see the scene on the opposite stone wall.

The stone wall was pitted and uneven, filled with small holes like the one he was in. Each hole or platform had a coffin embedded in it, most of the coffin lids open, revealing the skeletons adorned with gold and silver inside.

It was unclear how long those corpses had been dead; there was no flesh left on their bones, but from the neck down, the skin and flesh were intact. Each head seemed alive, and there even appeared to be blood flowing under their faces, as if they could open their eyes and greet each other at any moment.

Very strange.

Yu Xing didn't see Carlos and Lin, and given that his hair had inexplicably grown so much, he guessed that he and the other two entered at different times. Shen had let them in to reconnect the timelines, but he didn't mention that they would be trapped on the stone wall, stuck in a limbo.

[Main Quest has been changed]

[You have obtained the secret to the demon daoist's resurrection, knowing that the key lies in the power of the Ghost Tree. You have perfectly completed the task assigned to you by the studio boss. Now, you only need to do the final finishing touches, such as consolidating the other timelines.]

[There is a version of you on this timeline. To converge the timelines, you must place the version of yourself on this timeline into the black coffin in the dark chamber above the stone wall. You cannot be observed by the version of yourself on this timeline. The closer the other person gets to you, the less trace you can leave on this timeline, unless the other person dies.]

[So, whether you try to use the existing environment of the cemetery to kill your timeline counterpart and then drag them into the coffin, or set up clues to lure them into the coffin step by step (this requires considering how to get them into the coffin), it's all up to your abilities.]

[Mission Reward: Survival]

[Mission Failed: Forever Lost]

[He's right behind you now.]

Suddenly, the system seemed to come alive, issuing Yu Xing a very specific task, even providing the method to complete the level.

"Kill... me from this timeline?" Yu Xing murmured, recalling what the demon daoist had said to them when he sat on the throne. So, the demon daoist hadn't lied.

He turned his head to examine the coffin, wondering why he, in this timeline, was lying inside it. Was he experiencing the life of a ghost?

Just as his mind went blank, three knocks came from inside the coffin.

Yu Xing smiled and, not intending to hide it at all, casually responded with three taps, as if to greet him from a different time.

However, because he was too close to the other party, he could leave very few traces at this time, and the sound of knocking on the coffin was very faint.

The next second, the coffin lid moved. Yu Xing stepped aside a little and saw the coffin lid open smoothly, revealing his own face inside.

Yu Xing felt his body suddenly become transparent, as if it didn't exist. Then, he sat up in the coffin, took out a powerful flashlight from his pants pocket, and casually shone it around.

For the sake of clarity, let's refer to Yu Xing in the coffin as "he" for now.

He looked around and pondered for a while, his gaze passing through Yu Xing's transparent body without noticing anything, then looked at his own legs, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Yu Xing, feeling a strange sense of watching someone else take over his body and actions, because even he didn't know what he was thinking at different times.

He bent over and stepped out of the coffin, shining his flashlight beam at the opposite stone wall, just like Yu Xing did. The difference was that even though Yu Xing's flashlight was also on, he couldn't see the other beam of light.

He examined the corpse on the stone wall for a while, then murmured, "So it was you who were watching me. Strange, I've never been here before. If this place has any connection to the surface of Heavy Yin Mountain..."

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that something was amiss.

The timeline he encountered after stepping into the black coffin this time seemed to be the past.

Judging from his appearance, it was obvious that this was also his first time entering this place, and the supplies he received were from Brother Sun's team. Clearly, the mystery that had been troubling Yu Xing for several days had been solved, and "he" represented the time when Yu Xing lay in the black coffin in the ancestral hall!

Sure enough, he hadn't experienced nothing; he had arrived at this stone wall space and seen many clues and hints about the "Ghost Tree."

The skeleton only had flesh on the skull, which corresponds to the habits of the Ghost Tree, which will grow the heads of the murdered people onto the tree and never decay. Unfortunately, at that time, he not only did not know about the Ghost Tree, but also forgot everything that happened in the coffin after he was taken out of it, leaving only a few vague intuitive memories.

Yu Xing fell silent, a rare hint of doubt appearing in her eyes.

"Ha..."

As "he" continued to explore the space, Yu Xing laughed, suddenly realizing, "So that's how it is! This is far more interesting than I expected!"

He became visibly excited, his gaze toward "him" filled with fanaticism, like a madman who had found his beloved toy. If anyone saw Yu Xing now, they would probably get goosebumps.

However, whether "he" sensed Yu Xing's gaze or not, he suddenly froze, and his pupils shrank imperceptibly.

After that, he began to examine the stalactites. Yu Xing knew that "he" had realized that the three knocks were not Carlos's response from outside the coffin, but rather the response of the "ghosts" near the stone wall.

However, seeing "him" looking like he was searching for someone in a trash can, Yu Xing almost laughed in exasperation. Even though he could empathize with the fact that "he" was ruling out the possibility of a ghost that was good at hiding, it didn't seem like he was catching a small insect, did it?

"Never mind, figuring out where I am is the most important thing right now." Yu Xing heard "him" mutter to himself, and the next second, a blood-stained Tang sword pierced through Yu Xing's chest.

No, it was inserted into the stone wall behind Yu Xing.

Yu Xing looked down at the knife embedded in his body, feeling no pain whatsoever. He moved slightly and realized that he and the knife seemed to have no contact area; the knife was like a projection to him, without any substance.

Little did he know that his slash had struck someone, he began climbing upwards with a long sword in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Yu Xing admired himself for a moment, then followed him.

In order to find out where the black coffin was, Yu Xing went in a straight line, unlike "him" who was still circling around the corpses on the stone wall. As a result, Yu Xing reached the top of the stone wall about four minutes faster than "him".

There was a path at the top, forming a 90-degree angle with the stone wall. In other words, there was a path that people could walk on normally. Yu Xing knew his mission and wasn't worried about any traps or mechanisms. He continued forward and found a very deep cave entrance.

The cave entrance was very conspicuous, and next to it stood a stone statue more than two meters tall. The statue had no face and carried a corpse on its back. It was wrapped in layers of bone vines starting from its feet, with ghostly tongues spitting out around it. Repulsive bird carcasses also hung from the bone vines.

Yu Xing clicked his tongue twice, took out the Sheqing Dreamscape, and began to create on the stone statue with this sharp dagger.

He sculpted a face for the statue—his own face.

The system's task was almost explicitly stated: he should kill his counterpart in this timeline.

But he didn't want to kill. No matter which timeline it was, it was still him. He believed he was smart enough that he didn't need to "kill each other" or even see each other to be able to keenly perceive the existence of another version of himself.

Therefore, all he needs to do is provide some hints.

When Yu Xing was sculpting, he looked at the bird carcass and was reminded of the stench of the Bird Carcass Forest. Inspired, he sculpted a look of disgust on the statue. He was an art student and often attended classes in the sculpture department next door when he was studying painting at school. He also had hands-on experience sculpting, so he had a good foundation.

He finished carving it in no time.

Looking at his work, Yu Xing let out a satisfied chuckle. As he stood up, he accidentally bumped into one of the corners of the stone statue. Suddenly, the entire statue collapsed and shattered into many pieces.

"..." Yu Xing was stunned for a moment, then saw the shattered surface, which was unusually smooth. He picked up two small stones and compared them. It was as if there was a magnet between the stones, and they attracted each other.

"So that's the design." Yu Xing curled his lips. This stone statue was actually pieced together, which made him think that his work was dead.

After such a long delay, "he" finally arrived, and as the distance shortened again, he became transparent once more.

Yu Xing simply let the stones lie scattered on the ground and continued to follow "him" deeper into the cave.

The cave went deeper and deeper, Yu Xing watched as "he" grew increasingly impatient and tense. He knew that although "he" couldn't see him, he could still feel his excited and fervent gaze.

Sure enough, not long after, "he" who was crouching and walking suddenly turned around, shining his flashlight directly at them.

Yu Xing didn't dodge at all; the flashlight pierced through his transparent body without leaving a trace. He admired the caution on his face, and his excitement grew even stronger.

Look, that's him.

He rarely showed any emotion when things were out of control, and his caution was rarely outwardly apparent. Now that he could see it so clearly, Yu Xing felt an urge to tear apart the calm facade of the "him" before her.

He longed to see more different, out-of-control expressions on that face... Perhaps this was a bit perverted, but Yu Xing was already someone with Personality Assimilation Degree as high as 54%, and no one could know exactly how his thought process worked, including himself.

He could also feel this destructive urge towards himself.

After a while, as the cave became lower and lower, he was crawling forward.

"This is the wrong way."

He murmured, involuntarily taking a step back.

Yu Xing's inner devil stirred. He stepped forward and, as "he" retreated, mischievously touched "his" calf, even giving it a squeeze just above the military boot.

He knew all too well that he was most disgusted by that kind of behavior, or that he was most likely to sense the flirtatious undertones it contained.

He approached the situation with a spectator's mentality, wanting to observe "his" reaction.

He indeed paused, holding his breath, and in that instant, Yu Xing heard his own breathing.

Huh?

His breathing echoed faintly in the cave, surprisingly creating a response, unlike before when he could not disturb the environment "he" was in when he was beside "him".

That way, "he" will definitely be able to hear it!

Yu Xing's breathing became erratic, and he seized the opportunity to try to convey more information to "him." In order to make "him" quickly realize his identity, he moved closer to him.

Yu Xing leaned close to "his" ear, wanting to see if "he" could hear what he was saying. Even if "he" couldn't hear it, the atmosphere created by his action would surely make "him" realize something was amiss.

But then, "he" regained his composure and began to mock Yu Xing in a manner that was all too familiar to her.

"Hey, you're pretty arrogant, aren't you?"

"May I ask whether you were male or female in your previous life, and whether you had a partner?"