Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

But the painting was like a leech, impossible to burn or wet, and it kept coming back even after it disappeared... In the end, he asked someone to find a local spiritual medium, who told him that he had to give the painting to someone else. That's why the scene that happened during the day occurred.

In other words, this painting is probably a strange object!

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Chapter 60 Caught in the Trap

Zhao Hao woke up groggily in the morning, and groggily took the water bowl and sat on the bed to ponder.

Did something go wrong during yesterday's practice?

In my dreams, I'm usually quite lucid, although it's difficult to control my wandering thoughts and prevent them from altering the dream. But I'm very clear about my own consciousness.

But last night, although I successfully entered a dream, it felt like I was really dreaming, and many times I didn't even realize that I was dreaming!

How can it be that some people regress the more they practice?

The master can only guide you through the door; the cultivation depends on yourself. My current "Dream-Based Spiritual Energy Accumulation Method" is quite different from the Hidden Dragon Sleeping Elixir Technique that Uncle Tie taught me. Even Uncle Tie can't give me much more guidance now!

It's really not easy to cross the river by feeling for the stones!

Zhao Hao didn't pay any attention and got up as usual to practice boxing, eat breakfast, and take the bus.

When we arrived at the shop, we handed the painting to Uncle Tie, who then put it away.

After a busy day of practicing magic, Zhao Hao went home to sleep in the evening.

Before going to bed, Zhao Hao habitually checked his system log, only to find the following entry: "I feel like something's not right!"

Although the diary usually records trivial matters and often contains harsh words or complaints, this time it seems a bit strange.

Zhao Hao pondered for a long time but came up with nothing.

He hadn't practiced his barrier spell much tonight, wanting to enter his dream with full energy, but to his surprise, a bamboo forest still appeared in his dream after he entered it.

Zhao Hao stood beneath the tall, vermilion torii gate, a spherical barrier enveloping this small world. But outside the barrier, a silent, dark green bamboo forest clung tightly to the edge of Zhao Hao's dream...

Zhao Hao felt as if the bamboo forest was closer to him, or perhaps it was just his imagination.

His thoughts kept switching between lucidity and dreams, sometimes realizing he was dreaming, and sometimes unconsciously taking it as reality.

He woke up slowly the next day and sat on the bed with a frown.

If he still hasn't realized something's wrong, he's really letting down his reputation as an old silver coin.

He slapped his thigh: "I've been infected!"

My thoughts in the dream were influenced by psychic energy, making them unclear and ambiguous.

Normally, a person wouldn't remember their dreams after waking up, but Zhao Hao's cultivation method was special, and the torii gate might have played a role, along with the effect of the barrier, so he did remember the contents of his dream.

How could it be a coincidence that a superhuman who primarily cultivates through dreams would involuntarily dream of a bamboo forest for two consecutive nights?

There's no bamboo in Ameriko!

When Zhao Hao thinks of bamboo forests, the first thing that comes to mind is the painting he received the day before yesterday!

Zhao Hao didn't care about anything else; he didn't even eat breakfast and rushed to the shop to find Uncle Tie.

After listening to Zhao Hao's account, Uncle Tie's expression turned serious. If what Zhao Hao said was true, then even if the painting wasn't a ghost, it was definitely a high-end, extraordinary item.

However, extraordinary items all exhibit spiritual energy fluctuations, which one cannot fail to detect. Therefore…

Uncle Tie said, "You should contact that seller right away!"

Zhao Hao hurried to find Ms. Sera, while Uncle Tie tried to seal the painting with a spell in the altar of his warehouse.

Mr. Louis was nowhere to be found. Not only him, but his wife and son had all vanished overnight. Only a young daughter and an older son who was away were left. Several of the plantation's laborers and servants had also disappeared!

These people's personal belongings were all on the bed, but they're gone! It's certain they didn't leave on their own!

Zhao Hao now realized that there was a big problem. Even if he got the painting, Louis couldn't escape. This was no ordinary thing!

Why am I so unlucky? One bad thing after another happens!

Uncle Tie was absolutely right when he said that the Extraordinary would seek out the Extraordinary.

Now we can only hope that Uncle Iron's seal will work!

The dream had no effect. The bamboo forest reappeared in Zhao Hao's dream, and it was even closer, almost squeezing into the barrier!

He vaguely saw a well in the bamboo forest, and a basin of clothes beside the well...

As soon as it was light, Zhao Hao arrived at the shop and shook his head at Uncle Tie.

These strange creatures possess abilities that are often unreasonable and impossible to counter!

Zhao Hao called Colt, who, along with several Secret Service personnel dressed in hazmat suits, carefully placed the painting in a container and took it back to the Secret Service for safekeeping.

Before leaving, Colt patted Zhao Hao on the shoulder: "If there's anything I can do to help, give me a call!"

Although he didn't really trust the secrets of the mysterious organization to begin with, Zhao Hao was still inevitably disappointed when he saw the bamboo forest again in his dream.

At this moment, the bamboo forest had already begun to compress the barrier, and with considerable force; the emerald bamboo at the edges had already deformed the barrier! If this continued, the barrier would soon be destroyed!

This time, the well in the bamboo forest was much closer; Zhao Hao could almost see the moss growing on it. And there was a force drawing him towards it.

"There's no other way, it seems we have to take a gamble."

The next day, Zhao Hao found Fatty and told Uncle Tie and Fatty about his current situation.

"I reckon we can't hold on for more than a few days. I'm thinking of taking a gamble and going into that ancient well to take a look." Although Zhao Hao seemed carefree, he wasn't entirely confident. But he couldn't afford to lose face, could he?

Who knows what we'll face this time? Those who went missing have never returned.

Moreover, because it's a dream, no one can help even if they want to.

Uncle Tie has been burning the midnight oil to read books these past few days, but normal supernatural methods haven't worked.

He wanted to fight fire with fire, hoping only a strange creature could defeat another strange creature. He wanted Zhao Hao to hide inside the "Qingming Festival Tomb Sweeping Picture"!

The problem is that the "Qingming Tomb Sweeping Picture" was not safe to begin with, and it would be even worse if the two ghosts caused some unpredictable changes due to their conflict!

“I suspect this might be a way to enter a strange realm. Zhao Hao, you might still have a chance of survival.” Uncle Tie took out two items.

An old pocket watch—this is also a strange object, but it's the kind that's least harmful, and could even be considered helpful.

"This is called a speed-up pocket watch. After activating it with psionic energy, it will significantly increase your speed and reaction time for the next minute. The trade-off is that it consumes psionic energy and stamina very quickly. If you use it too frequently, you'll be exhausted!"

"As for this talisman..." Uncle Tie held a piece of greenish-blue hard talisman paper, looking nostalgic.

"This is the Heavenly Capital Five Thunder Talisman, at least a Bronze 2-star talisman. It's extremely valuable! When you come back, you'll have to work for me for free for three years to pay off your debt!"

A bronze level 2 talisman—that's more than just incredibly valuable; didn't you see the fat guy's eyes widen in amazement?

Bronze is completely different from iron!

With this talisman, Zhao Hao's chances of survival have increased by at least 50%.

Of course, if Zhao Hao fails to return, then Uncle Tie will lose both his money and his life.

The fat man didn't mince words, reluctantly taking out his yellow gourd. "My Wood-Fire Gourd may not be as good as Uncle Tie's talisman, but it's still a good treasure of Black Iron 4-star! It's half of my fortune! Ritian, you better come back!"

"Alright! I know! We won't die, it's not a big deal!" Zhao Hao snatched the gourd and played with it, he had been wanting to study it for a long time.

Even last-minute cramming can be effective. Uncle Tie hadn't taught many techniques before, because he believed that trying to learn too much at once would lead to a lack of understanding, and that learning too many techniques could be detrimental to one's path to transcendence.

But he couldn't worry about that now. He picked out a quick-to-use spell and taught it to Zhao Hao, hoping to increase Zhao Hao's strength as much as possible. He'd deal with the rest later!

This technique is called "every bush and tree is an enemy," a kind of illusion technique, also known as the legendary illusion technique.

It's an illusion technique; otherwise, it would be impossible to learn it in just one afternoon.

As darkness fell, Zhao Hao, with Xiao Ruan in his arms and Ju Zuo in his embrace, fell asleep on the bed in the shop.

The fat man didn't leave either; he and Uncle Tie stayed on the side to protect him.

He also encouraged Zhao Hao: "Brother Ritian, go and come back soon! It's just a strange place, right? What's the big deal?"

Zhao Hao smiled, then lay down and fell asleep.

Since he started practicing the Hidden Dragon Sleeping Elixir Technique, he has never suffered from insomnia again and can sleep whenever he wants.

Upon arriving in the dream world, the barrier had become severely deformed and was on the verge of collapse.

After thinking about it, Zhao Hao decided to just back down.

With a small soft chair in his left hand and an orange stool in his right, he strode directly towards the ancient well in the bamboo grove...

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Chapter 61 Five Consecutive Draws in the Mysterious Realm

Zhao Hao shook his head, snapping out of his daze.

"What's going on? What am I spacing out about?" Zhao Hao couldn't help but ask himself.

Just as he said, there was no time to lose. The strange psychic energy was having an increasingly severe impact on his mind.

If you wait until you completely lose control and are passively drawn into a bizarre situation, it's better to take the initiative.

He thought back carefully and realized that in his dream, he had deliberately dispelled the barrier, and then a large bamboo forest began to envelop his dream.

Then, guided by that feeling, I walked to the well.

Looking down, I saw a reflection of myself in the clear spring at the bottom of the well.

"At that moment, the reflection was also looking up at me..."

Zhao Hao suddenly turned around... Behind him was no longer the simple dream he had painstakingly constructed over many nights, nor the tall vermilion torii gate, but a bamboo forest and a path.

"It's not a dream!"

Zhao Hao now clearly understands that he is not in a dream.

"So Uncle Tie was right, and we're in a strange realm right now?"

The terms "strange realm" and "strange object" are related; an inexplicable space is a strange realm.

Uncle Tie told himself that the eerie realm could be anywhere.

It might be in the underworld, the land of the dead; it might be in some unknown corner of the psionic sea; it might be in some eerie place in the underworld; it might even be in people's dreams, in legends, or in the cracks of time...

The origin of the eerie realms is uncertain, but many are related to the eerie gods.

It was for some unknown reason that the power of the eerie god gathered and created the eerie realm.

Some of the eerie realms are extremely dangerous, practically guaranteeing death. For example, the "Avici Hell"!