“Good, good, we’ve got somewhat of a plan. The only question is—where exactly is this so-called Mountain God hiding? Don’t tell me it’s actually sitting in the temple.” Lin Baoyu got straight to the point.

The stronger a paranormal entity was, the smarter it tended to be. Something on this level wouldn’t be dumb enough to sit right in the Mountain God Temple with a target painted on its back. That temple was most likely a decoy.

“If it were me, I’d hide in the safest place,” Su Lingling said. “After all, this Mountain God should still be in its growth stage. Its power might not be at its peak yet.”

Everyone fell silent, thinking it over.

The safest place… For a paranormal entity, that would naturally mean somewhere humans couldn’t possibly get close—among a horde of its own kind.

“Of course… In the mist.” Jiang Zai suddenly realized.

Only now did he connect the dots. It was obvious—no other place had such a dense mass of entities. The fact that every last one of them had gathered in that fog couldn’t be natural. It was clearly the Mountain God’s doing, pulling them together as a living barrier. That was the source of it all.

“So it’s clear now. The Mountain God is hiding behind that crowd of entities. Seal it away, and the future domain collapses on its own.”

“Wait,” Su Lingling cut in sharply. “I just remembered—when Bai Wan’s fire was tearing through the ghosts, every single one of them was pushing forward, except for one. That one retreated instead.”

She frowned, recalling the detail. “It was wearing deep green clothes. Hair is all messy. Couldn’t see the face.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up at once.

“But even if we know which one, cutting through that mob is another matter.” Lin Baoyu scowled, picturing that sea of bodies.

“I have one method,” Jiang Zai said after some hesitation. “If I can successfully pull it off, it should let me take you all and break through. But… the chance of failure is pretty high. Out of four tries, I’ve only managed to awaken a paranormal item once”

“You mean Paranormal Awakening?” Lin Baoyu’s eyes went wide, shocked and envious.

No wonder the veteran had reached A-rank—he’d already brushed against one of humanity’s trump cards.

Humans had two ultimate aces: Awakening—the potential within themselves. And Paranormal Awakening—forcing a paranormal artifact to unleash its true, hidden power. The latter demanded years of use, ironclad compatibility, and trial by fire in countless dungeons.

“We’ll have to gamble. Otherwise, when Bai Wan’s sewer-time runs out, we’re screwed,” Su Lingling said grimly, glancing at the countdown over the Mario pipes.

“Alright. Then we gamble.” Jiang Zai clenched his teeth.

The team prepared to move.

“Hold up, this way.” Bai Wan waved them over to another pipe.

Shhh—

He tapped the side, slipped in, and the others, curious, followed.

Whoosh!

After a long slide, they popped out on the other end… right into the very center of the fog.

“This Mario sewer of yours isn’t just a lifesaver—it’s a transport hack too,” Jiang Zai muttered in awe. It really was like opening a whole new road out of thin air.

Everyone peered into the haze, searching for that deep-green figure Su Lingling had described.

But what Bai Wan’s eyes locked onto first… was himself.

A pale, black-eyed future Bai Wan shambled slowly forward. Every step he took, entities around him inexplicably tripped over their own feet, sprawling flat and bowing like kneeling supplicants. The further he drifted, the more the crowd crumbled before him, as if his very presence forced them to submit.

At that moment, an aerial cable car screeched overhead, bolting straight toward the group. Its windows were crammed with twisted faces—locals who’d once been tourists, now turned to ghouls, leering with split maws and lolling crimson tongues.

The car hurtled down from the sky, ready to dump a rain of passengers while ramming its hulking frame into them.

Everyone tensed—until the cable car passed the future Bai Wan. His pitch black eyes glanced up in a daze, lifted a pallid hand, and made a hitchhiker’s gesture, wanting to get on.

And then—

The cable car abruptly collapsed midair, plummeted like a stone, and exploded.

BOOM!!

A mushroom cloud rose, the blast frying dozens of entities in a single sweep.

Bai Wan’s mouth twitched.

Even as a ghost, I’m still griefing my own teammates? That was the Bug Domain from the future!

At least, for now, it has yet to target them directly. And thankfully… no sign of a future white-haired weirdo.

“This way—the one in green. I see it.” Jiang Zai suddenly spoke.

Not far ahead, an entity in a dark green outfit, hair hanging in tangles, moved warily through the horde—out of place compared to the rest. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveIꜰire.net

“Then we strike before it realizes we’ve spotted it,” Jiang Zai said.

“Yeah. Take down the source, and this shit ends.” Lin Baoyu readied his guns.

The group traded looks. Then, leaving the weakest Luo Lan back to play guide, they charged.

The mob turned at once, shrieking, and surged at them.

Bang bang! Lin Baoyu whipped out both pistols, his focus sharpening like a razor’s edge.

Bullets flew, each round pinning a ghost silent in place. His accuracy was flawless—his Focus skill in full force, turning him into a living turret.

Su Lingling flared her second lantern. Blue fire, taken from a dungeon and modified—spilled out, chilling the air. The entities nearest her slowed as though slogging through molasses, then burned where normal flame from her first lantern took hold.

Jiang Zai worked his hook with one hand, snaring and yanking ghosts away, while the other produced a soot-black fire poker—an artifact he’d claimed from an old stove pit. One blow from this thing could stagger even an S-class entity. It was how he’d climbed to A-rank in the first place.

He had relied on it to save his life in many dungeons. Over time, he eventually noticed that the paranormal entity dwelling within the poker seemed to be creeping into his flesh.

When a person fused with a paranormal item, they could further unlock its power. The price, however, was that repeated use would inevitably lead to being eroded by the item itself.

Jiang Zai’s eyes sharpened. His hair writhed. The fire poker bled shadows as a black domain began to spread—

—and then sputtered out. He snapped back to normal, regret flashing in his gaze.

He’d failed. Paranormal Awakening denied him this time. The others’ faces tightened. Without that edge, this would be hell.

And then Bai Wan stepped up, cool as could be.

“No worries. Don’t panic. Stick with me—Uchiha Sasuke’s got this.”

He pulled out the one-shot weather switch.

The skies blackened instantly. Lightning coiled in the clouds.

And Bai Wan spread his hand toward the heavens, lowering it in a smooth arc.

“Raiton—Kirin. Full-map edition!”