The Blood God Appeared Too Soon

That familiar fragrance.

[The player has died. Game over.]

[One life remaining detected. You may choose:]

[Revive on the spot and continue playing.]

[Start over and continue playing.]

The familiar scene, the familiar music—Lin Feng had been pushed out of the world once again.

This time, Lin Feng had developed Banyan Tree PTSD.

Red-Line Worm PTSD.

After playing for just a little while, Lin Feng already had two lingering traumas.

Still, thinking back to what he had just seen...

To be fair...

Those corpses had been seriously freaky.

He took a moment to process what he had seen. He had originally planned to use one life to find the source of Clear Spring Stockade's crisis. He had never expected to find the Thirty-Six Stockades Map instead, right at the waist of that so-called Thousand-Household Commander.

He had found the key to clearing the level outright.

And he still had one life left.

But that fragrance?

Lin Feng remembered when he had first entered the game. When that fragrance drifted over, the high-ranking Daoist priest's body had shown no reaction at all.

Now that was a difference in ability.

Wait.

The high-ranking Daoist priest—that fragrance had been [Five-Organs Incense].

Back then, a thought had flashed through the priest's mind. Lin Feng had not taken it seriously; he had been so focused on clearing the level that he had paid little attention to the details.

But now, thinking back carefully...

Lin Feng recalled a few things.

Lin Feng froze. It suddenly occurred to him that when he had smelled it on [The Road Ahead], [Five-Organs Incense] had automatically surfaced in the high-ranking Daoist master's mind.

[Five-Organs Incense] was an ancient form of witchcraft that used humans as sacrifices, cultivating medicinal ingredients within their five organs, much like human-shaped cordyceps.

It originated in the Primordial Shang and Zhou.

It was a hallucinogen.

When shamans communed with heaven and earth, they needed some Five-Organs Incense to help them enter a trance.

It was those hanging corpses.

The Thousand-Household Commander's corpse contained Five-Organs Incense.

If that was the case, there was a way to get around this obstacle. Wasn't it just a matter of cheesing it?

Surely a few lives would be enough to find a shortcut the developer left in!

As for the green blood on the Thousand-Household Commander, Lin Feng frowned. He felt he had seen it somewhere before, too.

The huge hand in the mud pit?

Ever since entering the mountains, Lin Feng had felt that everything was interconnected.

At that thought, Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and clicked [Start over and continue playing], brimming with fighting spirit.

No way was he dying this time.

This time, he would clear it in one life.

His vision went black, then brightened again. A breeze brushed past. Lin Feng opened his eyes and, before Peng Tianli could speak, grabbed the low table and looked at Hundred-Household Officer Zhu.

"Hundred-Household Officer Zhu, take the table."

Then he glanced around and motioned for Peng Tianli to remove the Shrine's door and use it as a shield.

Peng Tianli: "???"

"Third Lady, apply the Secret Insect-Repelling Medicine to all of us."

Third Lady: "???"

"Liao Chi, bring out your Blood Buddha Aspect first."

Liao Chi stiffened. Having his technique exposed so bluntly sent a chill through him.

Lin Feng drew his sword. "If you want the Thirty-Six Stockades Map, follow me. Hurry!"

At the mention of the Thirty-Six Stockades Map, Peng Tianli and Liao Chi exchanged searching looks. Watching Lin Feng and Hundred-Household Officer Zhu head out, Peng Tianli finally decided to follow and see.

They had come for the Thirty-Six Stockades Map, after all.

He took down the door and ran out after Lin Feng.

"Young Daoist," he said with exceptional politeness, not even breathing hard despite carrying the door panel, "where are we going?"

"There's a deep pool ahead where they draw water. There are Worm Thralls in it! Don't kill them with sharp weapons—they have Gu Worms inside them! The Thirty-Six Stockades Map is above the pool. Listen to me!"

Lin Feng kept it brief. "Liao Chi, use your aspect to drain the Worm Thralls dry."

Liao Chi ran swiftly, remaining silent. There was no telling what he was thinking, but a faint bloody haze did seep from his pores.

"How did you know about my trump card, young Daoist?"

Liao Chi could not help asking.

Lin Feng glanced at him. "Survive, and I'll tell you."

Liao Chi fell silent.

They could all tell that the young Daoist they had waited half the night for was in a great hurry.

Third Lady took out a sachet and applied the secret medicine to everyone present.

Except the guide.

Left behind, the guide was at a loss. He took out his usual three items again and began playing dead.

Three minutes!

Lin Feng plunged into the dense forest. The entire group sprinted along the way, and unexpectedly, not a single Worm Thrall emerged from the deep pool!

They had not come out yet!

"Charge uphill!"

Five minutes.

Seeing this, Lin Feng wasted no time leading them past the nearby area and farther uphill to the square before the Forbidden Ground. At the sight of corpses strewn everywhere, even Peng Tianli could not help drawing a sharp breath.

"They drank poisoned water."

Lin Feng spoke sparingly, signaling for everyone not to touch the corpses nearby.

"Their bellies are full of Gu Worms."

Peng Tianli clicked his tongue at that. Standing before the Blood Buddha, Liao Chi's eyes were pitch-black and his face deathly pale. He took out a Prayer Wheel, and as he walked, the corpses beside him shriveled into dried husks.

He cleared the way up front.

Bloody wisps rose from the corpses and entered Liao Chi's mouth and nose.

Lin Feng left Liao Chi alone. He could tell that this Blood Buddha technique seemed to come with restrictions.

The Blood Buddha seemed to be sucking his blood.

He was passing that cost on to the corpses.

Sensing Lin Feng's gaze, Liao Chi said, "Within three zhang, I can extend its blessing to protect you all."

Peng Tianli glanced at Liao Chi's aspect and licked his lips, looking a little envious.

He swore, then said, "Almost Eighth Rank, huh."

Eighth Rank?

Lin Feng made a mental note of that. Apparently, there were ranks here, too. What rank was someone who was almost Eighth Rank?

Seventh Rank? Ninth Rank?

How did the ranking work?

But this was no time for chatting. Lin Feng led them to a spot where they could see the great banyan tree. Pointing toward it, he asked whether any of them could retrieve an object from a distance.

"Retrieve an object from a distance?"

Only ten minutes had passed along the way, but Peng Tianli was already convinced. He might have been arrogant, but he was no fool. Before coming here, he had known that the people backing him had already lost several lives to these Thirty-Six Stockades. These mountains were dangerous!

Peng Tianli was nothing if not pragmatic. Getting the map came first.

Hearing the young Daoist's question, he chuckled. "Daoist, I can!"

He patted his chest. Amid billowing black mist, a Striped Tiger leaped out.

"Within five zhang, no problem at all."

He thumped his chest in assurance.

Five zhang, about fifteen meters. Enough!

"Just the map, not the corpse. There's hallucinogenic incense on the corpse."

Lin Feng signaled for them to be careful, then told Peng Tianli to throw the door panel he was holding!

The door panel spun through the air and struck the trunk!

One hit.

The trunk bled!

That single blow sent the human figures on the tree tumbling down again. Lin Feng pointed at the Thousand-Household Commander and shouted, "That one!"

As soon as he spoke, the Striped Tiger charged over, bit down at the Thousand-Household Commander's waist, and jerked its head, wrenching the map free between its jaws.

Peng Tianli was overjoyed.

Then something Lin Feng had never expected happened.

[Five-Organs Incense] worked on spirits, too!

The Striped Tiger caught the scent of Five-Organs Incense, swayed, and vanished. Lin Feng turned to see Peng Tianli collapse, the smile still on his face.

He was dead.

The Striped Tiger shared some inexplicable bond with Peng Tianli: they prospered together and suffered together.

What the hell!

Lin Feng had never imagined things could get this absurd. But beside Third Lady, who had remained silent all this time, the little spiders surrounding her giant spider surged forward one after another and actually brought the map out.

"Go!"

Lin Feng turned and shouted for them to leave. None of them dared linger. The eerily smiling corpses on the great Banyan Tree did not chase them, merely watching Lin Feng flee in a sorry state, as though laughing at him.

They dared not waste time. As the four descended the mountain, the Worm Thralls revived and burst from the pool. The Blood Buddha behind Liao Chi reached out to seize them, while Hundred-Household Officer Zhu swung the low table, carving a bloody path through.

They reached the stockade gate and were about to slip away.

Suddenly, a piercing howl rang out from the mountain behind them.

Lin Feng looked back and saw a line of bloody text appear behind him.

[Blood God, Phase One]

I'll settle on a regular update schedule: eight in the morning and five in the afternoon, with two updates a day during the free-release period.