“Five minutes left on the countdown...” Lin Xiaolei muttered softly.
Five minutes? Could he really find a way to enter the path of survival within that time?
No matter what Lin Xiaolei was thinking, Zuo Lin'an had already made up his mind. Unless the path of survival vanished, he would absolutely not budge, not even a single step.
Four minutes left on the countdown.
Lin Xiaolei took a deep breath.
“Yao Wenle, right?”
As he spoke, lightning began to gather in his hands.
Zuo Lin'an was somewhat surprised. Did this guy want to talk to him? Well, that made sense. In the Paranormal World, there were bound to be plenty of ghosts that could communicate.
However, he didn't reply directly and simply kept his eyes fixed on him.
“Why won't you let me leave?” Lin Xiaolei asked. “My grandfather and I haven't done anything bad.”
Zuo Lin'an still didn't say a word. The standoff continued.
...
Three and a half minutes left on the countdown.
...
The lightning in Lin Xiaolei's hands continued to build. It looked as though he was preparing a powerful ultimate move for Zuo Lin'an.
“Did you know?” Lin Xiaolei continued. “When people die, their obsessions turn them into ghosts. In the beginning, they almost always seek vengeance on those who wronged them. Even if you want to kill, you should go look for your enemies.”
“My grandfather and I were only passing through. We have no connection to you.”
“If you attack innocent people on your path of vengeance, your pure ghost body will be stained with karmic obstacles. Even if you manage to successfully advance to the Blood-Clad Rank later on...”
“...You will never have any hope of becoming a Ghost King.”
Pure ghost body? Zuo Lin'an couldn't help but think of those three female players from before. It seemed one of them had mentioned wanting to capture him for an auction, simply because his specter aura was incredibly pure.
...
Three minutes left on the countdown.
...
Lin Xiaolei muttered a great deal, but Zuo Lin'an merely listened in silence. He had no intention of responding. All he needed to do was stall for another three minutes.
Just when he thought Lin Xiaolei would keep talking, the youth fell silent as well.
...
Two minutes left on the countdown.
...
A loud explosion suddenly echoed from the mountain in the distance. It was mixed with faint rumblings of thunder and the sound of shattering rocks.
Even standing here, Zuo Lin'an could see rocks falling from the mountain in the distance. From the looks of it, the battle between Feng Xingyun and Daoist Wufang was likely spectacular.
What a pity. Although Zuo Lin'an could observe it using his God's-eye view, he didn't look at it right now. Lin Xiaolei before him was the most important focus.
Hearing the noise, Lin Xiaolei clenched his fists tightly but didn't look back even once. The only reason he could stand here and find the path of survival was because of the time his grandfather had bought for him. He absolutely could not let his grandfather's efforts go to waste!
...
One minute left on the countdown.
...
Ten seconds left on the countdown. Nine... eight...
Soon, the countdown above the path of survival reached five seconds.
At that very instant, Lin Xiaolei, who had been silent all this time, suddenly lunged forward. Lightning crackled wildly in his hands. Although its power couldn't compare to the Heavenly Thunder Talisman the old Daoist had used earlier, it wasn't far off.
Only... had he forgotten that such lightning was useless against him?
Zuo Lin'an stood his ground, letting Lin Xiaolei charge straight into him.
Finally, the two figures collided amidst the blinding lightning.
Zuo Lin'an's body swayed slightly, but he quickly steadied himself.
He frowned slightly. He hadn't expected Lin Xiaolei's collision to carry so much force. If he hadn't been prepared, he might have been knocked back a step or two.
While Zuo Lin'an was unharmed, Lin Xiaolei was thrown back by the immense counterforce. He flew through the air, crashed heavily onto the ground, and blacked out instantly.
...
The countdown reached zero.
【The countdown has reached zero! The path of survival has closed! The player has failed to clear the dungeon and will remain in the Withered Forest and Barren Mountains forever!】
The path of survival slowly faded away. The dungeon had officially ended.
Zuo Lin'an also let out a sigh of relief.
【Congratulations! You have successfully wiped out the players. You are rewarded with 5 Contribution points.】
【An unsolvable specter has been detected in your specter dungeon. Would you like to apply for staff retrieval?】
At this moment, Zuo Lin'an's living body, still inside the old residence, pulled out his phone to check the messages.
He tapped to confirm the retrieval.
In truth, he knew that Lin Xiaolei stood absolutely no chance against a specter blocking the exit.
When the youth had gathered lightning in his hands earlier, it had seemed like he wanted to gamble everything on his lightning techniques.
But in reality, the lightning wasn't the main focus.
Lin Xiaolei had actually quietly buffed himself.
It was similar to a player's common talents, like 【Colossal Strength】 or 【Rapid Speed】.
They could multiply one's strength and speed several times over in an instant.
Just now, during the final ten seconds.
Lin Xiaolei had prepared himself, using his lightning techniques as a cover to charge at Zuo Lin'an. It was a desperate gamble to see if he could knock him aside.
Even if Zuo Lin'an had taken just a step or two back, the youth would have been able to slip into the path of survival.
Honestly, if Zuo Lin'an hadn't been on guard, that tackle might have actually succeeded...
“What a pity.”
“Actually, this is quite nice too.”
“After all, I've just gained two more useful puppets.”
Zuo Lin'an's specter body walked over to the unconscious Lin Xiaolei, picked him up by the collar, and headed back toward the old residence at the mountaintop.
Meanwhile, the two who had been fighting halfway up the mountain also stopped their clash.
The old Daoist had naturally received the dungeon notification as well.
The countdown for the path of survival had hit zero, the players had failed to clear the dungeon, and they would remain here forever.
Although he still held doubts about the part about remaining in the dungeon forever...
But...
He also noticed something unusual.
The notifications regarding the dungeon's main quests and his own talent seemed to have... vanished the very moment the clearance failed.
Could it be true?
At the same time, Feng Xingyun suddenly backed away a few paces and spoke with a smile.
“Master, welcome aboard. We are on the same side from now on.”
The old Daoist frowned. He didn't argue directly, only letting out a sigh.
“Where is my grandson?”
“Well...” Feng Xingyun said, “He failed to clear the dungeon.”
The old Daoist naturally knew that Lin Xiaolei had failed to clear it. After all, the dungeon notification had already appeared.
“I'm asking where he is right now.”
Feng Xingyun pulled out his phone and checked his messages.
“At the mountaintop.”
“Follow me up.”
The old Daoist quickly followed Feng Xingyun to the summit.
There, he saw the unconscious Lin Xiaolei lying on the ground, with the specter standing beside him.
And there was also Zuo Lin'an, who had just pushed open the gates and stepped out of the residence.
Disregarding everything else, the old Daoist rushed over to check on Lin Xiaolei. Only after confirming that the youth had merely fainted and was otherwise unharmed did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
“It's good that you're alright.”
However, just as he was about to speak to Zuo Lin'an, he suddenly saw the specter walk toward him.
Then, he watched as the two figures overlapped and completely merged into one.
“This is!”
He stood up in shock, his mouth opening and closing, but he didn't know what to say.
“A ghost-controlling technique?”
“No! No, this isn't a ghost-controlling technique!”
“You...”
“What is this...”
Zuo Lin'an smiled.
“The dungeon has ended. Since you two failed to clear it, you are now puppets of the dungeon.”
“Feng Xingyun, explain the situation here to them. I'll head back first. You can bring them over in a bit.”
“Oh, and remember to tidy up the dungeon before you leave, so it's ready for the next run.”
Feng Xingyun wore a smile.
“Rest assured, Young Master.”
Zuo Lin'an's figure vanished from the mountaintop platform.
Weighing his options, the old Daoist stood there dazed, looking left and right, completely at a loss.
Rate on N.U.
