The Insoluble City

The empty glass was slammed back onto the table with a loud thud.

Then the gentle voice lost its sinister tone, leaving only emptiness. "The water snake Bronze statue represents a kind of evil god worship from the Yin Yang City."

Neither Yu Xing nor Zhao Yijiu expected that after pouring that cup of tea, the Lingren would suddenly utter such a straightforward remark.

Even before discussing the specific terms of the deal, the Lingren unusually took the initiative to provide information, without pausing. "Life and death are chaotic in Yin Yang City. Those who enter are either assimilated to the point of not wanting to leave, or they consciously watch themselves being trapped and dying inside."

"This city has no lord, no guards, no war, and no famine."

But there is God.

God?

Yu Xing thought, "Indeed, I can't avoid this word."

In ancient times, "gods" were the most terrifying ghosts and monsters. They influenced people's thoughts and were more deeply rooted than mere fright.

He wanted to ask more questions, but for some reason, he felt he shouldn't interrupt the Lingren, so he simply listened in silence.

"I received these messages when I destroyed that Bronze statue. Yin Yang City is a theocratic world where every household has a belief and a form of worship. To us, all these gods are evil, but to the inhabitants there, there has never been a distinction between evil and righteous gods."

The Lingren said softly, "Some gods like to take the lives of their believers, so those who worship them regard death as eternal life."

"Some gods enjoy watching their believers gradually turn into monsters, so those who worship them live longer than anyone else under their will."

Yu Xing's heart skipped a beat.

"There, life is the cheapest thing; a mere glance at an evil god can bring death as soon as it arrives."

"However, at the intersection of Yin and Yang, the population remains a fixed number. They don't truly die; they simply continue living in a different way. They are still residents of Yin Yang City."

"They can marry, but they'll never have children; they can be killed, but they won't die. They can never have peace, but they won't even see the hope of growing old."

"Wait!" Yu Xing's eyes widened, and he felt a long-lost chill spreading from his mind to his body.

The Lingren described... isn't that...?

"Shh, don't say it." The Lingren gave a faint smile and put his index finger to his lips to signal him to be quiet.

Yu Xing suddenly remembered Yi Qing's "mistake".

He exhaled, his hands and feet feeling cold.

The Lingren continued, "Over countless years, it's likely that not a single person in the entire Yin Yang City remains of their original self. They have experienced death and resurrection, becoming monsters in human skin."

"The only way to make this stagnant Yin and Yang flow is..."

He suddenly rolled up his sleeve, revealing his arm and a strange, snake-shaped brand on it. "We."

"Every time an outsider enters, it means that one resident can die completely."

"And we will replace a resident, becoming an eternal part of Yin Yang City, and under the watchful eyes of many evil gods, we will walk towards 'immortality.'"

This is the immortality of Yin Yang City.

It is eternal life, and it is also eternal death.

Yu Xing felt a chill run down his spine. He had always understood how desperate it was to be unable to decide one's own life or death.

At that time, the "immortals" will not be happy, but will only feel fear—boundless fear.

The Lingren showed the brand on his arm. "The reason I know so much is because I've been locked onto by the power of the water serpent. That water serpent should be called 'Qianjie' to be precise. She's one of the seven evil gods of Yin Yang City. She's skilled at bewitching and seducing, and she loves to distort the beliefs of her followers."

"This thing in the abandoned house is just a Bronze statue that a resident secretly carved and worshipped. After being recognized by Qianjie, it gained a tiny bit of Qianjie's power. Therefore, the abandoned house became known as a 'secluded house' in people's minds, and whenever it is mentioned, they don't feel that anything is wrong."

"All residents must make an offering; this Qianjie mark was originally supposed to be the ticket to Yin Yang City." The Lingren lowered his sleeve and chuckled, "What a pity."

Yu Xing received and processed this information. Even just listening to it made him feel dizzy and confused, as a strange thought gradually took root in his mind.

This is pollution, more terrifying than any ghost or monster, an irresistible pollution.

He turned to look at Zhao Yijiu, but Zhao Yijiu's expression remained unchanged, and she even gave him a "what's wrong?" look.

Yu Xing shook her head to indicate that she was fine.

When the Lingren uttered the word "originally," Yu Xing knew things had likely changed. The original ticket was no longer a ticket; so what was the new ticket?

Just then, the Lingren glanced at Yu Xing as if Spiritual Sense: "Only one ticket stamp is given per corridor visit. My stamp doesn't count because something of a higher level than the Bronze statue appeared here. That thing also gave a ticket."

"A Xing, take your clothes off."

The evil god Qianjie excels at bewitching, seducing, and distorting perceptions.

Yu Xing's thoughts came together. Moist air filled his nostrils, and he heard a dense crawling sound in his ears. It felt as if a snake's head had shoved past his groin again.

Snake den.

He had been inside the snake pit, but he didn't remember.

Unbeknownst to Yu Xing, he had already pulled down his collar, revealing his chest heaving somewhat violently.

Yu Xing snapped out of her daze, looked down, and was shocked to see a snake-shaped brand on the center of her chest.

An even more severe wave of dizziness swept over him in an instant. In a daze, Yu Xing felt as if he were surrounded by something cold. He was startled, and a sharp pain shot through his head, finally bringing him fully awake.

Zhao Yijiu simply helped him up from the side.

"Are you alright?" Zhao Yijiu looked at Yu Xing's mark with some alarm. "Could this be... a ticket?"

Yu Xing got the tickets last night.

The item that gave her the ticket was of a higher grade than the Bronze statue, and its power as the Qianjie Evil God was also stronger. It distorted Yu Xing's perception, making it temporarily impossible for him to recall.

So that's how it is.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Yu Xing's forehead, down her cheek, down her neck, and then slid deeper into her chest.

As soon as he let go, the collar snapped back, covering everything.

"Just as I expected." The Lingren didn't seem surprised, but simply smiled and congratulated, "A Xing, you won."

Yu Xing steadied herself, adjusted her breathing, and forced herself to calm down.

He was somewhat excited at this moment, so his thinking was more agile. He sorted out the information one by one, and the key points slowly emerged.

Therefore, the tickets were all in the form of branding.

The Yin Yang City will open sometime in the future. Before that, all those who want to enter the instance must first obtain the mark of a certain evil god. Once they enter the instance, they will be automatically classified as followers of this evil god. This should be a kind of faction selection.

Becoming a believer means being contaminated, and this is the most terrifying test that the predictor will have to go through. At that time, let alone completing any mission, just resisting the contamination and not being assimilated will probably take a lot of effort.

But what's even more perplexing is that Yin Yang City only allows entry, not exit; the number of residents remains constant. They can enter with a ticket, but they can't leave.

No wonder, Yin Yang City is such a high-level simulation dungeon, and in all the rumors,... no one survived.