A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

However, the strange thing is...

Even though things were like this, the monster still didn't move.

There were so many opportunities just now—when Zhou Ke'er was flying her sword, when she was wielding her dagger, when she was lighting the fire...

The other party was like a monster waiting for Sailor Moon to transform, completely motionless.

It's so weird.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Zhou Ke'er immediately took two steps back in alarm.

## Chapter 362 357. Insect Creed

"Squeak!"

Just then, a loud and piercing chirping sound suddenly rang out without warning.

The figure then scattered with a "bang," along with the flames enveloping it.

The once bulky and large figure was instantly reduced to just a small path in the very center.

It slowly stepped out of the smoke and dust, revealing its true form to Zhou Ke'er.

Its head was a flat, inverted triangle, similar to that of a praying mantis, but it had compound eyes like those of a fly—and these compound eyes, magnified hundreds of times, appeared even more densely packed, making one feel nauseous. It also possessed enormous mouthparts, from which pools of dark green, viscous liquid flowed down its densely packed, sharp, tiny teeth, dripping onto the ground and corroding small pits.

Because its outer layer had just been scorched by Zhou Ke'er's flames, it was still faintly emitting heat, with thin mist rising from it.

"evil..."

Zhou Ke'er felt nauseous at the sight of this grotesque thing, especially its compound eyes, which triggered her trypophobia.

"Heaven and earth are boundless, the universe borrows its power, shrinking the earth to an inch, go!"

Zhou Ke'er immediately made a handprint, turned around and passed through the wall, ready to make her escape on the spot.

Regardless of whether he can defeat this thing or not, he simply doesn't want to confront it.

"...grass!"

After passing through the wall, Zhou Ke'er was about to make her escape when she realized that she seemed to have misjudged the distance. One of her hands was still stuck inside the wall. With no other option, she had to use the "shrinking the earth to an inch" technique again to finally escape completely outside the house.

"Tsk, you've only practiced for such a short time, how can you possibly master it..."

Zhou Ke'er pouted unhappily. After all, in that short time, he had spent most of his energy studying sword control techniques. He had only had time to look at the first few techniques in the "Two Years of Qi Refining, Three Years of Foundation Building" manual, and hadn't even practiced them yet. He had just barely managed to use them by following the instructions step by step. After all, these methods of circulating spiritual energy weren't easy to remember, and even if you memorized them, it wasn't so easy to use them from memory.

"Fellow Daoist from the East...please help me!"

Just then, a hoarse voice came from beside Zhou Ke'er.

Zhou Ke'er subconsciously turned her head and saw a young woman leaning on a cane—no, it should be called a "staff"—walking towards her with a limp. Her robes were tattered and torn, covered in ash and bloodstains, with several tears revealing the woman's skin underneath.

The staff she was holding, though now looking tattered and even the jewels embedded in it had lost their luster, was not hard to imagine how magnificent it must have been—as evidenced by the various gems it was covered in.

"...Whoa!"

Zhou Ke'er's eyes widened suddenly. Good heavens... so many pillows delivered to his sleepy head! Now he didn't know which one to sleep on first—wasn't this another set of equipment boxes and skill books delivered to his door? Not only could he get cultivation techniques from the immortal cultivation system, but he could also get magic spells from the fantasy system. This memory fragment was simply a holy land for leveling up skills!

If this person in front of me can communicate properly and understand reason (meaning to obediently listen to Zhou Ke'er), then I'll save her for now, spare her life, and let her teach Zhou Ke'er magic. If not... then Zhou Ke'er will have no choice but to kill and steal the treasure—after all, this is just a memory fragment, and the people in it have all died long ago. What Zhou Ke'er is killing are just illusions, not real people, so what's so sinful about it?

However, all of this is based on the premise that Zhou Ke'er can help this guy escape the pursuit first.

After all, not only had the insect-headed monster that had just confronted Zhou Ke'er broken through the wall and was rapidly chasing after her, but behind the female mage, there was also an insect-shaped monster chasing her. However, this insect-shaped monster was different from the one chasing Zhou Ke'er. It didn't look like a human, but rather like a giant centipede. It was long and thin, with half of its body still burrowed in the ground, constantly twisting its body as it chased after the female mage.

Zhou Ke'er clicked her tongue. The main reason was that when he used the watch to transfer his location, he couldn't bring other people with him. Otherwise, this situation would be very easy to solve.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ke'er could only open the "Two Years of Qi Refining, Three Years of Foundation Building" book in her watch again, quickly flip to the "Basic Control-Type Immortal Techniques" section, find a technique called "Invite Ghosts to Cover the Eyes," and follow the instructions on it meticulously.

"Heaven and earth are boundless, the universe borrows its power, please let the ghosts blind you, go!"

Zhou Ke'er gave a low shout, and with both hands, she brought two fingers together and slashed at the two monsters at the same time.

However, to everyone's surprise, the two monsters only paused for a moment before continuing forward, as if they had not been affected at all.

"Did the spell fail?...?"

Zhou Ke'er frowned slightly. Although this situation was not unexpected, after all, it would be strange if a beginner like him could make no mistakes when casting spells, it was still a bit troublesome to make a mistake at this critical moment.

"Fellow Daoist from the East, these monsters can sense direction even without eyes! Covering their eyes won't help!"

Just then, the female mage suddenly spoke up to remind her.

"Tsk..."

Zhou Ke'er pursed her lips and formed a hand seal again—you have to know that his spiritual power is almost gone. At most, he has the spiritual power of the first level of Qi Refining. Even with the dual cores, it only doubles. How can he withstand releasing so many spells at once?

"Six Ding and Six Jia, summon the gods to protect you, immobilization spell, freeze!"

Zhou Ke'er suddenly waved her hand at the two monsters again. Without even checking whether the move had succeeded, she pressed her watch without hesitation, teleported to the female mage's side, picked her up, hoisted her onto her shoulder, and started running away.

"Fellow Daoist from the East, why... do you have to carry me like this... it's very uncomfortable..."

The female magician, who was so shaken she was about to vomit, couldn't help but ask intermittently.

"Out of mana."

Without turning her head, Zhou Ke'er replied, "Is there anywhere that's temporarily safe? We need to get rid of these two monsters as soon as possible."

"Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist from the East... My spell is almost ready... Please help me buy five more minutes, and I will be able to open the 'Leap Gate'."

The female mage quickly replied upon hearing this.

"Five minutes?! You want me, such a frail person, to carry you and run like crazy for five minutes? Are you even human?! Don't you think this is a bit beyond human limits, you bastard!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but retort.

But at the same time, his hands were not idle. After finishing his rant, he immediately formed a hand seal and said, "Six Ding Six Jia, call upon the gods to protect, travel ten thousand miles, attach!"

## Chapter 363, Chapter 358. The Land of Etiquette (?)

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Ke'er suddenly increased her speed by a few points—although it was only by a few points and did not have any particularly obvious effect.

However, one thing puzzled him: according to the incantations, the power of the "Six Ding and Six Jia" was used to enhance his own power. While Zhou Ke'er didn't know much about the Six Ding and Six Jia, she at least knew they were guardian deities in ancient Taoist legends, or perhaps gods in charge of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. But regardless of which they referred to, the fact that Zhou Ke'er could actually borrow power from them was absurd.

Leaving aside whether the Six Ding and Six Jia are still alive in this fragment of memory timeline—if they are already dead, then of course they cannot lend out their power—but even if they are still alive... they are just phantoms in the fragment of memory, not real beings. So where does this so-called "borrowed" divine power come from?

"Fellow Daoist from the East, those two insect demons are catching up! Can you run any faster!"

While Zhou Ke'er was running and deep in thought, the female magician, who was being carried on Zhou Ke'er's shoulder, couldn't help but urge her on repeatedly.

"Shut up, or I'll throw you back here and run away!"

Zhou Ke'er pouted unhappily, "Hey, we have an old saying in the East, 'A drop of water in need should be repaid with a spring of water,' have you heard of it? Never mind, it doesn't matter if you haven't heard of it, anyway, what I mean is... since I saved you, shouldn't you show some appreciation?"

"But...but, I have nothing left but my staff! If I give you even the staff, then I'll..."

The female mage was startled and hurriedly said in a panic.

"As the old saying goes, it is impolite not to return what you have given. I saved you, so according to etiquette you should leave something behind. How about this, I don't care about material possessions, just teach me a few minor spells."

Zhou Ke'er curled her lips into a smile, finally revealing her true intentions. Moreover, she put on a gentlemanly act, as if to say, "I'm not deliberately taking advantage of your misfortune, but I have to do this according to etiquette and rules." She was truly shameless.

"Teach...teach you magic?"

The female mage, not expecting Zhou Ke'er to make such a request, repeated with a puzzled look, "What do you want to do with magic? What's the point? And... your power system is different from that of a mage..."

"You mean you can't teach me?"

Zhou Ke'er narrowed her eyes, glanced at the monster that was already very close, and then looked meaningfully at what the female mage was saying, while making a gesture with her other hand.

"Wait, wait, no, I didn't say I couldn't teach! Fellow Daoist from the East, don't worry, I can teach, I absolutely can teach!"

Seeing the situation was turning against her, the female mage quickly and decisively said, "We mages are different from sorcerers; we don't need to connect to the magic network. So, the spells we cast using magic power should also work if you adjust the way you circulate your spiritual energy! Therefore, I can teach you!"

"should?"

Zhou Ke'er gave a half-smile.

“Absolutely! Absolutely I can teach you! I swear on the name of the Xingyin family! If I can’t teach you, I will, I will... I will give you this family heirloom staff!”

Forced by circumstances, the female mage had no choice but to sign a humiliating treaty that ceded national sovereignty.

"You said it yourself, I didn't force you."

Zhou Ke'er solemnly distanced herself from the situation, then waved her hand behind her, using the ring's special effect to slow down the two monsters.

"Fellow Daoist from the East, look over there!"

Just then, the busy female mage, feeling temporarily out of danger, started babbling again—Zhou Ke'er really couldn't understand how she could be distracted while simultaneously casting spells and building up power—anyway, she pointed in a direction and said, "Look, someone fell over there. I can sense she's not dead, just unconscious. Should we...?"

"Don't even think about it! Forget about it! You're hopeless, just wait to die. Goodbye!"

While Zhou Ke'er subconsciously uttered three consecutive refusals, she took a moment to glance over and saw a young woman wearing a hood and holding a broom lying in a pool of blood. She guessed she was a witch or something.

The magic system skills can be learned from the one currently on her shoulder; there's no need to complicate things. Besides, it seems that the witch's abilities are not something that others can learn, right? That means this person is of no value to Zhou Ke'er, so there's naturally no need to save her.

After all, the people in this memory fragment are already dead in reality, so what's the point of saving their illusion here?

He wouldn't do anything pointless unless Zhou Ke'er was happy.

Not to mention that this matter is so troublesome, it will add to his burden.

"Why?! Aren't you Eastern Daoists all very helpful?! How can you not lend a helping hand when you encounter pitiful people in distress on the road?"

The female mage looked at Zhou Ke'er in surprise and asked, she had never seen such a shameless Eastern cultivator.

"Being helpful is one thing, but if you're in a dangerous situation yourself and do something that might not end well even if you do it, that's not being helpful, that's just being crazy."

Zhou Ke'er rolled her eyes. "And... what happened to the promised five minutes?! How much time has passed already?! Don't just stand there talking like you're not the one suffering while I'm carrying you on my shoulders. Is your spell ready yet?! I'm exhausted! If it's not ready soon, I'm going to throw you down to keep that witch company!"

"Alright, alright, almost done! Don't be so fierce! Aren't Eastern cultivators supposed to be polite and kind, like a gentle breeze?"

The female mage couldn't help but sob, "That's why I applied for a transfer here! Is it all just a rumor?!"

"...Nobody knows etiquette better than me, okay!"

Zhou Ke'er, with her neck stiffened, began to spout nonsense, "You clearly don't understand our etiquette well. Do you even know what 'a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall' means? It means that if you encounter a dangerous situation, you shouldn't foolishly go over, but should quickly avoid it. That's what a gentleman does! A gentleman is someone who understands etiquette."

"ah?..."

The female mage was completely bewildered and confused. Finally, she gathered her strength, waved her staff to open a warp portal in front of her, and asked Zhou Ke'er in confusion, "If that's the case, why did you participate in this evacuation assistance mission? Doesn't that put yourself in danger?"

"Who said I came here to participate in this? I just happened to be passing by and decided to play!"