I am a full-level celestial master, you let me enter the strange talk of rules?

The audience's concerns are not unfounded.

For the chosen ones who cannot decipher the key information, every step on the Undying Mountain could lead to an abyss of despair.

Zhang Yangqing's existence once again highlights the enormous gap between top-tier chosen ones and ordinary chosen ones, a gap that seems like an insurmountable chasm.

What is meant by the chosen one of the ghost story world, and what is meant by the 'resident' of the ghost story world?

On the big screen of the Korean chosen ones, every second felt like dancing on a knife's edge, making the hearts of all the viewers race involuntarily.

The relationship between Song Zai Xian and Beng Shan truly went through life and death trials.

Along the way, from the initial tentative steps to the later tacit understanding, they have risked their lives to save each other more than once in times of crisis, and it was by supporting each other that they made it to this point with great difficulty.

This friendship is especially precious in the cold world of ghost stories.

However, as they ventured deeper into the core, misty area where the patrolling envoys lurked, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

They could clearly feel that their movements were becoming increasingly sluggish, as if their limbs were bound by invisible chains, and every time they raised their hands or took a step, it became extremely heavy.

The circulation of energy within the body was also sluggish, as if trapped in a sticky swamp.

Faced with relentless attacks, a ghostly hand, exuding an aura of death, suddenly emerged from the ground;
A bizarre fruit with a grotesque mouth that sprang from twisted branches;

Even the newly emerging, elusive, and purely malicious whispering pseudo-humans, unlike the white-skinned pseudo-humans, are not purposeful; they only have the instinct to kill.

The two began to appear overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the demands.

"Swoosh!" Song Zaixian's shoulder blade was once again grazed by the shadowy fingertip of a ghostly hand, leaving a trail of blood. Numbness and a feeling of life draining from the wound immediately followed.

"Bang!" Beng Shan smashed an incoming eyeball fruit with a punch, and the dirty blood splattered on the wound on his arm, making a "sizzling" corrosive sound, causing him to groan in pain.

Their clothes were already tattered, their bodies were covered with wounds of all sizes, blood and filthy mucus mixed together, and their breathing became heavy and disordered.

Just as they barely repelled an attack and were catching their breath back to back, Song Zaixian suddenly realized something and his expression changed drastically: "Where's the child?! Where did the child go?!"

Bengshan suddenly looked around. Thick fog filled the area, and visibility was extremely low. Where was the one-eyed white boy?
"Uncle! Help me! Something is grabbing me! It hurts so much!"

Just then, from the depths of the thick fog not far ahead, came the shrill, terrified, and tearful cries for help from a boy with only one white eye! The voice was filled with helplessness and despair, and even included cries of "Mommy!" which were heartbreaking to hear.

Song Jae-hyun's head buzzed, as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer.

Watching this boy, whose fate was somewhat similar to his own childhood, fall into danger once again, and hearing his heart-wrenching cries for help, a strong sense of self-blame overwhelmed him instantly.

Song Zaixian's eyes instantly reddened, and his voice trembled: "It's my fault! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have brought him in without knowing the specifics! I was too hasty, too eager for clues! I've ruined him!"

Overwhelmed by guilt and an urge to make amends, he nearly lost his mind and rushed toward the direction from which the sound came without thinking. "Are you fucking crazy?!" Bengshan, who was more seriously injured and with blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth, used all his strength to grab Song Zaixian's shoulder tightly, with such force that it almost crushed his bones.

Bengshan roared, his voice hoarse from his injuries and urgency: "The strange things here mimic sounds to lure their prey! Have you forgotten what we encountered before? That was a complete trap! We just escaped from there. Do you know how dangerous it was? We almost lost half our lives in there!"

"But...but I promised him! I would take him home!" Song Zaixian struggled, his eyes filled with pain and struggle.

"Who do you think you are?! What makes you think you can save him?!"

Bengshan, enraged by their lack of ambition, launched into a tirade of sharp and incisive words:

"That kid is stronger than both of us! If even he can't handle it, what good will you do if you go over there now?! I know you're anxious and kind-hearted, but this isn't the time for you to show mercy! Look at the state we're in now!"

He pointed to the bleeding wounds on their bodies and the persistent feeling of weakness: "We have too many negative conditions! If we don't find a place to treat them soon, we'll collapse before we can even save him! We must first find a way to stabilize our injuries and regain some strength before we have any hope of saving him!"

Bengshan, panting heavily, stared intently into Song Zaixian's eyes and said, word by word, "Listen carefully! If he were still alive, we would risk our lives to save him once we recover! But if he is already dead, then our actions now would be nothing more than pointless suicide! Do you understand?!"

There was no malice in Bengshan's curses, only an anxious disappointment and a resolute desire to wake his companion up.

He understood Song Jae-hyun's empathy for that child, that strong resonance of wanting to save "his former self".

But kindness must be based on reason; blind impulse in this godforsaken place will only lead to everyone's utter ruin.

Song Zaixian was stunned by Bengshan's barrage of angry words. Looking at Bengshan's face, which was even paler due to excitement and injuries, and his eyes, which were also bloodshot but filled with determination and worry, Song Zaixian's feverish mind finally cooled down.

Yes, what was I doing just now? Knowing it was a trap, why did I still jump in?

He took a deep breath of the blood-stained and foul air, forcing himself to calm down: "I'm sorry, Brother Bengshan, I acted impulsively."

For some reason, Song Zaixian, who was known for his calmness and wisdom, seemed to become somewhat sluggish, less calm, and less cold-blooded after entering this area.

Many clues and anomalies that should have been quickly connected were interrupted and obscured by the thick fog and the continuous crises, leaving him no time to make more accurate judgments.

The fog ahead was so thick it seemed to solidify into a gray wall, carrying a pungent, nauseating, and slightly fishy smell.

The two decided not to risk going forward, but instead carefully retreated a distance to find a relatively sheltered spot behind a huge rock that seemed to be free of any strange phenomena for the time being, where they prepared to rest for a while.

They leaned against the cold rocks, sat down with difficulty, and took out the few remaining supplies and medicines they had with them, preparing to treat their wounds and regain some strength.

However, the gears of misfortune had already begun to turn.

Just as they took out their medicine and hadn't even had time to bandage each other, a sudden, icy "wind" blew past without warning.

This wind wasn't naturally formed; it carried an ominous rhythm, stirring the surrounding thick fog into an unnatural, violent flow and churning, as if it were alive! (End of Chapter)