Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 621 The Seduction of Lanruo Temple
The setting sun, like blood, dyed the ruins of Lanruo Temple a dark red. The air was filled with the smell of burning and a faint, fishy stench. Several crows perched on the charred treetops, emitting piercing cries.

“This place is even more eerie than yesterday.” Zheng Zha kicked aside a charred wooden plank, revealing wriggling tree roots underneath.

The roots writhed like wounded snakes, with dark green sap oozing from their broken ends.

Fang Yu walked at the front, the Thor's Sword humming in its sheath. Without turning his head, he said, "The urn is under the dead tree in the northwest corner. Xiaoqian said it was sealed by Grandma with a talisman."

He paused, then said, "Zhan Lan, you have a keen sense of smell, so pay attention to any sounds coming from underground."

The zombie-like Zhan Lanqing ran her white fingers across the mottled wall, her nostrils twitching slightly: "There's something moving underground. More than one."

At the back of the line, Zhang Ming kept wiping away cold sweat.

Ever since Lin Xiaoyu disappeared, he felt like there was a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows.

He quietly lagged a few steps behind, his fingers unconsciously stroking his wristwatch, which contained his only 10 bonus points, not even enough to buy the cheapest healing potion.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" Zhou Mingxuan turned around and glared at him. "Want to be left alone and then dragged away by a female ghost?"

Zhang Ming chuckled twice, quickened his pace to catch up, but couldn't help glancing into the depths of the woods.

The shadows of the trees there swayed gently, as if hiding countless eyes.

Suddenly, a silvery laugh came from the right!

Zhang Ming suddenly turned his head and saw a woman in a red dress standing behind a tree twenty paces away, waving at him.

The woman had skin as smooth as cream, lips as red as cinnabar, and almond-shaped eyes that were full of affection.

The worst part was that she deliberately stuck out her pink tongue, and that playful look made Zhang Ming's mouth go dry instantly!

"Come on~" the woman mouthed, pointing slenderly into the depths of the woods.

Zhang Ming's heart started pounding!
Zhang Ming is not stupid.

He is a smart man.

He certainly knew who the woman in front of him was.

He had seen A Chinese Ghost Story; the woman in front of him was Xiaoqian's partner.
Little Butterfly!

However, his cultivation level has decreased significantly.

Zhang Ming's mind raced.
'With my current enhancements, dealing with a female ghost like this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Even if I can't defeat her, I still have Yan Chixia's Diamond Sutra.'

'If I really can't beat them, that guy in my team is here. If I yell, he should be here in a second, right?'

Zhang Ming glanced at his teammates who were completely unaware in front of him, then looked at the alluring Xiao Die.
A crazy idea exploded in my mind!

'If I just coast through every horror movie, earning the same reward points as those trash without any side quests, when will I ever reach B-rank bloodline?'

Give it your all!

Greed overcame fear!
He wants side quests!

Zhang Ming pretended to tie his shoelaces, and after the group turned past a crumbling wall, he immediately crouched down and disappeared into the woods.

Xiaodie appeared and disappeared in the distance ahead. Every time Zhang Ming was about to catch up, she would gracefully drift a few steps away, always maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Unbeknownst to them, the surrounding trees grew denser and the light grew dimmer.

"Wait for me!" Zhang Ming shouted breathlessly, completely unaware that the ground beneath his feet had become damp and soft.

Xiaodie stopped by a small lake, with her back to him.

The lake water was as black as ink, with a few withered leaves floating on its surface.

"You've finally arrived." Xiaodie's voice was sickeningly sweet as she began to untie the ribbon around her waist. "I've been waiting for you for so long~"

Zhang Ming swallowed hard, watching her slowly take off her coat, revealing her snow-white shoulders.

His mind went blank, leaving only the most primal impulses.

"I'm coming!" he shouted in a hoarse voice, and rushed over in a few steps.

Just as he was about to touch Xiaodie, Xiaodie suddenly turned around—her beautiful face melted like wax, revealing rotting flesh and stark white bones, several maggots crawling out of her dark eye sockets, and her bright red tongue turning into a forked snake tongue!

"Ah—!" Zhang Ming screamed in pain as his foot slipped and he fell directly into the lake.

The icy lake water instantly filled his mouth and nose, and even more terrifyingly, countless hands grabbed his ankles from underwater!

He struggled desperately, finally managing to grab onto a protruding rock and climb ashore, only to see a pair of pale, bare feet standing before him. "Zhang Ming." The familiar voice made him freeze.

He slowly raised his head and saw Lin Xiaoyu looking down at him with a strange smile on her lips.

Her neck was tilted at an impossible angle, her skin was a bluish-gray like that of a dead person, and her fingernails had swollen into pitch-black claws.

"You...you weren't dead?" Zhang Ming slumped to the ground, shuffling backward with his hands and feet.

Lin Xiaoyu tilted her head, her voice sometimes near, sometimes far: "Yes, I'm dead. You killed me." She suddenly screamed, "Do you know how painful it is to have tree roots piercing your whole body?!"

Zhang Ming frantically pounded his body, yelling, "Fire! Fire!"

In despair, he felt something inside his body snap!
A surge of heat flowed from the dantian to the limbs and bones, and red lines appeared on the surface of the skin!
"Don't come any closer!" he roared, shoving his hands forward with all his might.

"boom!"

A wall of fire appeared out of nowhere, forcing the two female ghosts back several steps.

The flames were an eerie bluish-green, and the surrounding air seemed to distort.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!" Zhang Ming was overjoyed when he saw that Xiao Die and Lin Xiaoyu couldn't get close.

"You didn't expect that, did you! My fire can intensify the damage to spirits! Come on then, if you dare!"

"Captain! Zhang Ming is missing!" Zhou Mingxuan's shout broke the silence of the group who were digging up Xiaoqian's ashes.

However, the interruption lasted less than a second before everyone picked up their tools and continued digging at the ground.

Zhou Mingxuan looked at Fang Yu, "Captain?"

Fang Yu said "Oh," then yawned, took out a toothpick and tapped his teeth. "Where did Tang Sanzang and his disciples go?"

Zhou Mingxuan: "What the heck? Captain, what kind of time is this? You're still joking? It's okay if Zhang Ming dies, but if the teammates disappear one by one, does that mean Grandma has some kind of ability to kidnap people without them even noticing?"

"Being killed and enslaved by demons will increase your strength, and they will all become our enemies, Captain! You can't let your guard down!"

Everyone knew that Zhou Mingxuan didn't care about Zhang Ming's life or death at all; he was actually afraid that the difficulty of reincarnation would increase.

Fang Yu waved his hand, "Alright, since you've put it that way, I'll go."

Having said that, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.

By the lake, Zhang Ming, engulfed in flames, forced the two female ghosts to retreat continuously.

"Lin Xiaoyu! Say something! Say something! Hahahaha! You didn't expect this, did you? You killed yourself trying to get revenge on me, but you still couldn't beat me!"

"So what if you die and your strength doubles? Trash is trash. I chose a trashy ice bloodline, and my blazing flames are meant to kill you, you worthless wretch! Are you in a hurry? Hahahaha!"

Zhang Ming continued his taunts, completely unaware that someone had appeared behind him.

"what!"

The female ghost Xiaodie's surprised shout made Zhang Ming feel incredibly uncomfortable. Little did he know that Xiaodie's exclamation was purely because of Fang Yu's appearance.

"Hahaha, scared now? Too late! After I kill you, take the reward points and side quests, and then strengthen myself a few more times, one day, the Central Continent Team will be in my hands!"

After he finished speaking, Zhang Ming suddenly felt something was wrong behind him. When he turned around abruptly, he felt his blood run cold!

However, he quickly regained his composure. "Captain, Captain! I've caught them both! Quickly, get rid of these two female ghosts! The reward points and side quests are all yours!"

Fang Yu nodded. "Go ahead and do it. My Divine Protection will keep you safe."

Zhang Ming smiled and nodded, "Since the captain has spoken, then I'll do it."

Zhang Ming had just taken a step forward when he suddenly noticed a white light emanating from Lin Xiaoyu's body. The protective shield had actually been placed on the female ghost Lin Xiaoyu!
Zhang Ming turned around stiffly, "Captain, Captain, did you... did you hire the wrong person?"

Fang Yu ignored Zhang Ming completely and turned to Lin Xiaoyu instead, saying, "Girl, the time for revenge has come. Make your move."

Tears streamed down Lin Xiaoyu's face as she ran forward, heading straight for Zhang Ming in the flames!

Zhang Ming took a step back and watched helplessly as Lin Xiaoyu, protected by divine protection, ignored the flames and rushed towards him!

"go to hell!"

"Ice Queen!"

(End of this chapter)