A Brilliant Plan to Clear the Dungeon

Chapter 3: A Brilliant Plan for Completion

Outside the village, over a dozen figures in black hurried along. A closer look would reveal that their attire was completely different from that of the Central Plains people; they were dressed as Miao tribesmen. The burly leader of the group caught sight of the village under the cover of night and came to a halt.

"This is the place. We'll find an inn to rest first, then head to Fairy Spirit Island to hunt down that traitor. Listen, this mission was personally ordered by the Cult Master. If anything goes wrong, you all know the consequences, don't you?"

His voice was hoarse and steady, laced with a hint of murderous intent. The dozen men behind him all changed color, clearly recalling those so-called 'consequences,' before speaking in unison: "We swear to serve with our lives!"

After speaking, the burly Miao man seemed to sense something and scanned his surroundings. However, the area remained silent, with nothing to be heard but the rustling of weeds in the wind.

Dismissing his suspicion, the burly man waved his hand and strode into the village, followed by the dozen Black Miao tribesmen in single file.

Once the figures of the Black Miao were swallowed by the night, the village entrance returned to a deathly silence. It was hardly surprising; it was already evening, and villagers rarely ventured out at such an hour.

Just then, a figure suddenly darted out from the bushes at the village entrance.

Dressed in tattered clothes like a beggar, it was Li Wei.

Clearly having held his breath for too long, Li Wei gasped for air. The sensory perception of that burly Miao man had been terrifying; it felt as if he were trapped in a thicket of thorns, unable to move a muscle, make a sound, or even breathe.

Li Wei was certain that had he taken even a slightly deeper breath, he would have been discovered. While he didn't know the combat strength of these Black Miao, they were clearly beyond his current capabilities.

"It seems these Black Miao have only just arrived, which means I still have plenty of time!"

After careful consideration, Li Wei did not return to the village but instead headed toward Ten Mile Slope outside the village.

Li Wei was very familiar with the game Xianjian. The protagonist, Li Xiaoyao, learned the Shushan Sword Technique from the Wine Sword Immortal at the Mountain God Temple on Ten Mile Slope. One could say this plot point held no danger at all.

But the problem lay in the mission evaluation on the Yellow Paper.

Assisting Li Xiaoyao in learning the Shushan Sword Technique was rated D-Rank, while killing the Black Miao was only E-Rank.

The fact that this task was more difficult than killing the Black Miao was hard to fathom. The only explanation was that there must be some latent danger hidden in the shadows.

Since he was already aware of the danger, the best approach was to avoid it. Given Li Wei's current state, the only and most effective method was to alter the plot.

Having been here earlier that afternoon, Li Wei easily found the dilapidated Mountain God Temple. He then took a flint and a canister of kerosene from his robes.

He had taken these from a farmhouse; although he hadn't asked the owner's permission, Li Wei couldn't afford to care about that now.

The Mountain God Temple had long fallen into disrepair and was overgrown with weeds. A large plaque hung crookedly above the door, its inscriptions completely illegible. The surroundings were pitch black, and in the wilderness, it was enough to stir a sense of dread.

The last time Li Wei was here, he had been scratched by some plant hidden in the grass. This time, he didn't dare get too close. Standing five or six meters away, he splashed the kerosene onto the piles of dry grass surrounding the temple.

That's right!

Li Wei intended to burn down the Mountain God Temple.

By doing so, there was a high probability of changing the original plot. It was very likely that Li Xiaoyao would be able to learn the Shushan Sword Control Technique the moment he met the Wine Sword Immortal.

Even if he couldn't, the mission would change due to the temple's destruction. Whether the new difficulty would be higher or lower was a toss-up, but for Li Wei, the risk was worth taking.

Furthermore, he wanted to prove one thing: whether his intervention as an outsider could change the tasks on the Yellow Paper.

The canister of kerosene was soon emptied. Li Wei simply tossed the container into the ruined temple and picked up his flint.

Just then, a sense of danger welled up from the bottom of his heart.

He could clearly feel a chill of Yin energy against his back.

Without hesitation, Li Wei instinctively lurched to the side. Almost simultaneously, a pale hand swiped past his back. Had he been a second slower, he would surely have been caught by those white claws.

After steadying himself, Li Wei looked back and broke into a cold sweat.

A lantern the size of a washbasin was floating in mid-air, and that pale arm had just extended from the lantern's lid.

The arm was slender, clearly belonging to a woman, but it lacked the color of a living person. The skin looked as if it had been soaked in water for over a dozen days, presenting an eerie, deathly pallor. The five fingers were smooth, but the several-inch-long nails completely ruined any sense of beauty. Seeing such an arm in the dead of night, all one could feel was terror.

Swallowing hard, Li Wei felt his heart pounding uncontrollably. This was his first time encountering such a situation, but having anticipated that he might run into such ghosts at night, he quickly calmed himself.

Li Wei began to rapidly formulate a strategy.

Option one: Use the flint in his hand to burn the lantern.

This plan seemed feasible, but implementing it would be fraught with difficulty. Not to mention whether he could get close to the creature, it was unclear if such a ghost even feared fire.

The risk was too high; the plan was rejected.

Option two: Engage the creature in a direct fight. Perhaps this Lantern Monster was as fragile as it was in the game. Li Wei remembered that in the game, even Li Xiaoyao, as an ordinary person, could finish off such monsters in a few hits.

But this wasn't a game. If anything went wrong, there would be no chance for regret.

The risk was too high; the plan was rejected.

Option three: Run.

This was the most prudent method Li Wei could think of, and the best choice to keep himself away from danger.

He struck the flint behind his back and tossed it onto the kerosene-soaked grass. Oil catches fire instantly, and with the dry grass, the flames spread in a heartbeat.

During this, Li Wei took a moment to glance at the Lantern Monster, and it scared him half to death.

The arm inside the lantern began to reach further out, and soon, a pitch-black human head emerged. A closer look revealed that the black mass was actually hair.

Dense, black strands obscured the creature's face, but the inability to see it only made it more terrifying. Seeing that the Mountain God Temple was already a sea of flames, Li Wei didn't look back and fled.

He remembered the path he had taken clearly, so he didn't run blindly. However, after only a few steps, he felt a chill on his ankle, and Li Wei stumbled and fell without any warning.

Looking down, Li Wei felt his scalp go numb.