Seeing that collapsed building, Li Yi couldn’t help but recall the scene when he first entered the Ruined District with Crow and his group.
At that ti, it was a similar building...
No wonder these buildings were uninhabited, they really were dangerous, even the Chief of Investigation Bureau, Zhang Lei, had disappeared. It was known that he was a master who had awakened his Spiritual Sense and was considered a pillar of the community in Tianchang City.
The group did not venture deeper into the building, they just stopped as soon as they entered the entrance.
Because not far in front of them, a newly erected barricade tape was visible.
"We can’t go any further, once we cross this tape, the signal will disappear. I had a teammate who just crossed the tape by less than ten ters, turned around and then disappeared without a trace, it’s very strange," Liu Yue imdiately said, stopping the others from moving forward.
"Are you kidding ? People disappear in less than ten ters?" Wang Jian widened his eyes, finding it unbelievable.
Liu Yue said, "Would I lie to you? I vaguely have a theory that there is so peculiar presence within this building that can interfere with people’s brains, causing illusions, so anyone who goes in disappears because they are all deceived by what they see and encounter, which is all fake. Therefore, this building has trapped everyone."
"While that’s a possibility, it’s not likely. You know the team leader has awakened his Spiritual Sense, it’s nearly impossible to deceive him."
Wang Jian then furrowed his brow, feeling that Liu Yue’s speculation was not very accurate.
Liu Yue sighed and said, "You make sense, it’s understandable if we, who have just awakened our Spirit dium and Cultivators, are deceived, but it’s preposterous for the team leader to be deceived. However, having said that, if there really is sothing inside that can even deceive the team leader, then rescue would be almost impossible."
"Have you tried using the thod of sensing the Energy Field to perceive the problem with this building?" Just then, Li Yi suddenly spoke up.
Hmm?
At this remark, everyone turned their eyes towards Li Yi.
"What thod is that?" Wang Jian was startled.
But Liu Yue’s eyes lit up imdiately, hastily adding, "Wait, perhaps it’s worth a try, I understand what Li Yi ans. If there’s really sothing wrong with this building, then the energy here must be very special; maybe we can really find sothing out. But to sense the energy around, one needs to enter ditation, which is not usually done here because it’s too dangerous."
"If soone helps watch over, then there’s no need to worry," Li Yi said.
"Right, I will try it," Liu Yue said.
Liu Yue was quick to act; he felt this was a solution and imdiately walked forward a few steps, settling down at a spot closest to the barricade tape, and then closed his eyes to begin ditation.
"Let him try, no harm in it, we’ll watch from the side," Wang Jian didn’t object, thinking it was worth a bold attempt.
At that mont, Li Yi didn’t speak further, not wanting to disturb Liu Yue’s ditation process. He just observed the surroundings while waiting for results to erge.
Ti passed.
Suddenly,
Liu Yue entered the ditation state.
But at that mont, a gentle breeze suddenly rose within the building.
At first, everyone didn’t think much of it, considering it a normal phenonon, but soon, Li Yi noticed sothing wrong; not only did the wind grow stronger, but his vision also began to blur, as if sothing clouded his eyes.
"Sothing’s wrong, there’s trouble, we need to leave here," he realized and imdiately shouted, quickly retreating.
However, sothing eerie happened.
Neither Wang Jian nor Chen Hao next to him showed any signs of moving, like rigid corpses, frozen in place, while Liu Yue still maintained his ditative posture.
Nobody responded to Li Yi.
"Wang Jian?" Li Yi called out again.
But Wang Jian still remained motionless, and even more bizarrely, the back route they had retreated through had disappeared, replaced by a seemingly endless darkness, which made Li Yi, who had planned to escape, abruptly stop.
"How can this be... could it be that they don’t have a problem, but it’s who has?" At this mont, Li Yi’s complexion shifted rapidly, unable to comprehend the situation.
Everything had been fine just a mont ago, and he was also standing outside the caution tape.
How could everything beco so strange after a gust of wind?
"Wang Jian, Chen Hao, can you hear ? Sothing is very wrong here," Li Yi imdiately approached the two n, reached out and tapped them, trying to wake them up.
But as he reached out his hand, he was startled.
The flesh on the back of his own hand had bizarrely disappeared, as if it had rotted away, exposing stark white bones, and not just him, Wang Jian and Chen Hao’s faces also had their flesh disappear, similarly revealing white skulls, which looked alarmingly chilling.
With ti passing, more and more flesh disappeared, and if this continued, it was estimated that all the flesh on their bodies would disappear, leaving only skeletal fras behind.
And this condition seed irreversible.
At this mont, Li Yi began to panic.
Because the scene before his eyes was even more bizarre than when he first ventured into Ghost Street.
"Could it be that I am to die here?"
A sudden fear arose in Li Yi’s heart as he now saw the flesh on his own palm had completely vanished, leaving only bones.
But he felt no pain, as if everything was so natural.
However, Li Yi had a feeling that if all the flesh on his body disappeared, he might truly die here.
"Could it all be an illusion?" In his panic, this thought surfaced in Li Yi’s mind.
If it were an illusion, that would be a relief, but what if it wasn’t?
Watching the flesh on his body disappear little by little, the fear of death intensified, and he didn’t know what to do at that mont.
"There is great terror between life and death, congratulations, you’ve entered into the illusion..."
Just then, suddenly a voice rang out abruptly near Li Yi’s ear. The voice, with a tone of haughty disdain, seed reluctant to speak.
"Who? Who is speaking, who are you?" Li Yi was startled and shouted loudly.
Looking around, besides Wang Jian, Chen Hao, and Liu Yue, there were no other people.
"Evil Earth Prisoner, don’t be so loud; yelling won’t cover up the fear in your heart," the voice continued.
Li Yi cald down slightly and then realized, "Born evil? These words sound familiar, wait, it’s you... the resentnt residing in the half Sword Coin? I knew long ago that the burial goods were not clean. Last ti I almost died at the hands of soone as despicable as you."
"Hmm, if it weren’t for your family..."
Before finishing, the voice abruptly stopped, as if touching upon so taboo, then imdiately changed the subject, "Boy, do you want to live?"
"Could it be that you want to help ? You’ve been trying to kill all along," Li Yi said suspiciously.
The voice said, "There are too many evil Earth Prisoners, and in my current state, I won’t last long or kill many. You have a deeply evil nature, and you will surely beco demonized in the future. As long as you live, you can help kill more Earth Prisoners. It would be a pity if you died now; where else could I find soone as deeply demonic as you?"
"..."
Is that appropriate to say?
What about having a deeply evil nature, letting oneself live to kill more people?
Listen, are these even human words?
"Alright, there’s not much ti. If you can’t find a way before all the flesh on your body disappears completely, you’ll stay in this illusion forever and turn into a skeleton. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you this ti; I want to see you beco demonized with my own eyes," the voice scoffed.
Li Yi’s expression changed, and finally, he gritted his teeth: "Fine, I’ll trust you this ti. How do you plan to help ?"
"First, we need to find the source of the illusion. Don’t stay here. The people around you can’t wake up; they’re too weak, their Divine Souls insufficient, lacking even the qualifications to enter the illusion. They can only stand in place and wait to die. If you weren’t protected by so terrible curse, you would be dead too," the voice stated.
Li Yi’s heart chilled.
This resentnt in the Sword Coin revealed much information in just a few words, and there existed so terrible curse on himself?
When had this happened, and how was he unaware?
"What are you standing around for? Do you want to wait until all the flesh on your body has disappeared before you act? If you move quickly enough, perhaps you could still save your teammates," the voice urged.
Li Yi shuddered and dared not delay any longer; he imdiately sprang into action, charging straight ahead.
The building’s appearance hadn’t changed; it was still the sa layout as before.
"Left," the voice continued to guide.
Li Yi imdiately turned left and kept walking.
But he had not taken two steps before his expression suddenly changed, for he saw a human-shaped skeleton, dressed in clothing, standing motionless. The skeleton had no flesh whatsoever, completely clean.
"Hmm, just an unlucky soul who died here, pay it no mind, move forward," the voice disdainfully said.
Li Yi withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace.
"Go upstairs," the voice directed.
Li Yi followed the voice’s guidance, moving more rapidly through the building. The flesh disappearing from his body was growing more extensive; by now, he could see the stark white bones of his thighs. If he didn’t change sothing soon, he was certainly done for.
He hurried upstairs.
On the stairs, he saw another skeleton.
The clothes on the skeleton looked familiar, likely belonging to an investigator who had gone missing in this building. Although he could move within the illusion, this was as far as he could go.
"I don’t want it to end like this." He felt an inexplicable dread and quickened his pace.
"Stop, turn left, then move forward; you should see the source," the voice prompted again.
Li Yi’s steps abruptly halted, then he saw clearly.
This was the ninth floor of the building.
Upon entering this floor, he imdiately saw several people, though none were whole—they all looked like skeletons, but so flesh still clung to their bones; they hadn’t beco completely skeletal.
These Skull People seed alive; as Li Yi appeared, they all turned their heads to look.
Those hollow eye sockets that lacked eyes seed genuinely able to see what Li Yi looked like.
"Are they the investigators who ca here before?"
As Li Yi walked, he observed and tentatively guessed by their clothing.
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