CHAPTER 400: CHAPTER 170: WAITING FOR SUNRISE, PLAYERS (5K)

Wen Yan stared at that line of text, silent for a long time.

He knew that, without noticing, he’d entered a Domain again—must’ve been that when some Domain unfolded, he just happened to be within its range.

And this Domain could even trigger both of Scorching Sun’s passive effects.

Judging by this description, this Domain should be called "Netherworld."

Netherworld...

Wen Yan’s expression soured, hoping it wasn’t what he was thinking.

He took out his phone and checked it—sure enough, no signal.

He pushed open the door and walked outside. It was dead quiet, and the buildings around him were exactly the same as before—just with a far heavier, colder, more sinister feeling.

He looked up at the sky. Mist shrouded it, but faint, chilly moonlight still filtered down, illuminating everything around in a pale glow.

He stepped out of the room into the lobby—and not a single ghost in sight. All that remained were those weird paper figures standing in the corners and beneath the porch.

The paper figures, faced with such a sudden change, still dutifully held their posts, motionless.

Wen Yan inhaled sharply—a rush of thick Yin Qi entered his body, but in an instant, affected by Scorching Sun’s passive effect, he breathed it all right back out again.

It wasn’t that everything outside disappeared and then reappeared, but rather, that he himself vanished from Lord Zhu’s manor, and then materialized here again.

Wen Yan strode quickly around the courtyard—in addition to the paper figures, nothing else moved.

He walked out through the main gate—outside was empty, just a flat expanse of wilderness. The carriages that used to be here had vanished, leaving only darkness and deathly silence.

Wen Yan rubbed his forehead. Shit, I’m screwed.

How the hell is he supposed to break the game?

He’s become part of the game now, so how does he get out?

Before, even when he encountered a Domain, he at least knew the way in and out. Even if he had to muscle through, he could escape.

Now, it looks like he’s become an NPC—doesn’t even know how to get out. Whatever, he’ll wait and see. Maybe when it gets light, something will change.

Lord Zhu’s manor is huge. Behind it are not only medicinal gardens, but all kinds of processing facilities—Lord Zhu’s Yin and Soul Nourishing Pills are produced right here.

Certain ingredients are only effective when cultivated here. It’s like the difference between the fine wild ginseng growing on snowy mountains, and those thick radish-like ginseng roots farmed in flat fields.

And for the Soul Nourishing Pills, the crucial thing is just that tiny difference.

Wen Yan hadn’t explored before, but now he just wandered wherever. He drifted between courtyards, the paper figures only glancing his way; once they confirmed it was Wen Yan, they didn’t block him at all.

Lord Zhu’s steward had briefed the paper figures already—Lord Zhu had nearly sworn brotherhood with Wen Yan, told them to treat him with utmost care. Any who pissed him off should go stick their heads in a furnace and end it themselves.

Wen Yan wandered a bit, and at the back of the courtyard, there was a large greenhouse, overflowing with Yin Qi, thicker even than in the air.

He walked briskly over—inside was lush and verdant, the fields neatly lined with plants whose leaves were an inky green. Wen Yan glanced at them and gave up on trying to identify any.

Apart from a few common varieties, the rest were too much trouble to recognize for him.

Discovering it was just plants, Wen Yan was a little disappointed—he really wanted to find something alive right now.

Those paper figures, some had a glimmer of spiritual intelligence, but were still so stiff, not truly intelligent life—barely monsters among all the ghosts and monsters. Only the paper figures with true spiritual intelligence counted as real monsters.

After one lap and some sightseeing, Wen Yan came to the side of the grounds, looked at a scattering of desolate tombs there, then sat down at random, lit a cigarette, feeling a little melancholic.

Might as well wait for daybreak—just a few more hours till dawn.

...

Over at the Scorching Sun Department, no one was resting; all over the Divine Land, everyone had been notified and was working overtime.

Updates poured in rapidly.

"At present, the Yin Realm in Helan Mountain has completely vanished.

Parts of Fengdu have vanished as well.

Many ghost residential areas in Guanzhong County have disappeared.

Some of our field agents were tailing a few fierce ghosts, and when the countdown ended, they vanished too.

The entrance to the Nether Soul Realm, that giant hole, has closed up, but according to investigations, it seems only nether souls can now enter.

Beneath Dai Mountain, a new road has appeared. We haven’t sent anyone to check yet—our instruments went silent not far onto that path."

As they were reporting, new updates came in.

"Latest in from Guanzhong County—Wen Yan, who was visiting Lord Zhu’s manor, disappeared right as the countdown ended.

Nanwu County just reported: at the approach to the Underworld Road, a lot of evil ghosts have appeared—urgent... Uhh, update: don’t worry, it’s already been dealt with.

That’s it for now, no other major changes discovered."

...

In Wen Yan’s family’s villa community, everything was as calm as ever.

Old Zhao and the Five Brothers had already left the villa, lured back inside by the little zombie. Now they cowered at home, five heads stacked at the window, staring out, all trembling together.

"So creepy..."

"What killing intent!"

"Didn’t this Great Killer Star always say he wouldn’t kill anyone at his doorstep?"

"He’s not killing people, so what’s the problem?"