Back Mountain

"No."

The Ghost Groom's body was oozing blood, his madness terrifying. "I don't accept this. I don't accept this ending."

His entire body began to break apart, and he let out a beast-like roar from his throat. He accelerated to his limit, charging at Bo Shuo like a madman.

Everyone present felt their hearts tighten. Their lips moved, but they couldn't make a sound.

Even a B-rank examinee would struggle to escape an attack that was close to self-destruction.

Yet, the young man remained standing calmly in place. His excessively long hair fell onto his red robe. His superior, cold, and sharp eyes looked at the incoming attack without a trace of fear.

Instead, he curled his lips with amusement.

"Idiot."

Now!

The sharp blade suddenly broke through the last weak point. Then, Bo Shuo leaped forward, his red robe billowing. He used the force of his movement to retreat two steps to the side.

The Ghost Groom's attack then became his death knell.

The Ghost Domain shattered with a roar.

The battle finally froze on the Ghost Groom's contorted, furious expression. His original hatred was shattered by this turn of events. Upon realizing what was about to happen next.

Terror and dread filled his ghastly face.

Immediately, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.

It was the Scalpel, which had been ruthlessly inserted into his stomach.

Then it was violently pulled out.

"Bang."

A raging fire erupted behind him, and the wind howled in his ears.

The young man with black hair and a red robe retracted the blade at his fingertips. The fire behind him blazed into the sky, casting a molten gold hue onto his robes. The shadows beneath his feet stretched endlessly.

Overwhelming, carrying an insurmountable pressure.

This scene was witnessed only by the examinees who had been rescued.

Not far away, high-ranking examinees who sensed the Ghost Domain's destruction and came to investigate were also stunned in place.

None of them expected that all this commotion was caused by Bo Shuo.

With this kind of strength, you're telling me he's just a C-rank examinee?

What does that make us? Fakes?

(Emotion Points from examinees +9999 + 999 + ...)

Bo Shuo, who had handled everything with ease in front of everyone, now felt every muscle in his body aching. His bones creaked with tiny cracks from moving so intensely.

But thankfully, everyone's figures began to dissipate, forcibly sent to some location in reality.

The next moment, Bo Shuo's feet landed on soft soil. His mind reeled, almost causing him to lose his balance.

Bo Shuo naturally knew he was at the end of his strength. Blood boiled throughout his body. The perilous escapes he had just experienced were seared into his mind like brands, and faint burning sensations lingered on his skin everywhere.

It was... too... too stimulating.

(Using 10,000 Emotion Points for recovery)

A warm current flowed through his entire body, and his physical functions were recovering at an incredible rate.

007: "Host, we've already been teleported to the back mountain."

Bo Shuo propped himself up against the nearby stone wall, barely able to stand.

He was currently in an unknown cave on the back mountain.

"Someone's coming in from outside."

007's alert made Bo Shuo vigilant.

His current condition wasn't great. If he encountered any high-ranking hostile ghosts, he would have little power to fight back.

Bo Shuo expressionlessly assessed the situation, his offensive stance already prepared.

Xi Guici carried the 'offering' in his hand and headed directly toward the designated sacrificial spot, following the route from his memory.

As he neared, his steps faltered.

Faint wisps of a bloody scent drifted through the air.

In just a short while, Xi Guici could confidently conclude that someone was inside the cave.

Suicidal.

Xi Guici lowered his gaze to the cave not far away. His light gray pupils revealed a cool detachment, and the corners of his lips curved upwards.

Then, without hesitation, he walked straight in, pretending he hadn't discovered anything.

As soon as he entered the cave, a blade was pressed against his abdomen. Xi Guici instinctively wanted to fight back, but suddenly, his nose caught a familiar, faint scent of cedarwood.

In an instant, Xi Guici gave up resisting and found himself a suitable, comfortable position, allowing the young man to pin him against the stone wall.

Following the force, Xi Guici tilted his head up and indeed saw the young man with dark hair and a red robe looking down at him. The alluring red robe fell upon him, and in a daze, it felt like an intimate closeness.

A low chuckle escaped Xi Guici's throat, "Mr. Bo."

Hearing this familiar voice, Bo Shuo immediately felt something was wrong.

Upon seeing the man he was holding against the wall, his mood became complicated.

Dude, it's you again?

What a coincidence, what a coincidence.

Xi Guici, on this side, certainly didn't think that way. Ignoring the blade pressed against his abdomen, he leaned his upper body forward slightly, "We are fated. I truly didn't expect it to be you."

He had originally thought an ungrateful little bug had come.

He hadn't expected it to be the person he had been longing for.

How could this not be considered fate?

Startled by the breath suddenly close to his ear, Bo Shuo's hand trembled. He pressed down, creating another hole.

The scent of blood intensified in an instant.

The person he had mercilessly stabbed breathed a little heavily, collapsing towards Bo Shuo as if losing all strength.

Bo Shuo didn't indulge him. He got up and dodged, then pulled out a white handkerchief to wipe the scalpel in his hand.

"So heartless," Xi Guici sighed. He didn't fall as the script dictated but pushed himself up to stand.