211: Chapter 211 The Real Tianyuan

Jiang Xuance's outstretched hand froze in midair.

He looked at the rye flatbread on the table, then at Lu Cheng.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Cheng looked at the food, then patted Snow Spirit's head.

"Can you tell what this thing is?"

Snow Spirit lay on Lu Cheng's shoulder, her little nose twitching slightly.

Then, the entire fox scrunched up.

She grabbed Lu Cheng's collar with her two little paws and shrank her head back.

"Stinky."

Jiang Xuance was stunned for a moment.

"Stinky?"

He leaned down and sniffed again.

"I don't smell anything."

Snow Spirit looked at the basket of food very seriously.

"Stinky inside."

"Very stinky."

Xu Xinglan walked to the table and lightly swiped her hand in front of her eyes.

The next instant, a faint green light pattern rippled in her pupils.

The light pattern spread like the wings of a luan bird, its fine lines rotating along the edges of her pupils.

Innate Spirit Pupils.

The Spirit Pupils allowed her to see deeper structures beneath the Source Power.

Xu Xinglan looked down at the basket of coarse food on the table.

One second.

Two seconds...

Her face suddenly turned pale, and her stomach churned violently.

Xu Xinglan immediately took half a step back, almost throwing up on the spot.

Tang Zhiwei's eyes flickered slightly.

"What did you see?"

Xu Xinglan didn't answer.

She raised her hand to take out a Source Device Pen from her waist.

The tip of the pen touched the air, quickly sketching a pale blue incantation.

Once the incantation formed, she flicked her finger.

"Break."

Buzz.

The incantation landed on the table.

The next second, the food on the table seemed to have a layer of skin peeled off by something.

The surface of the rye flatbread began to crack.

The steam from the wild vegetable soup solidified.

A few multigrain dumplings also collapsed bit by bit.

Then, all the disguises shattered completely.

The expression on Jiang Xuance's face froze.

Where was there any coarse food left on the table?

In the basket lay piles of greasy white worms.

Some looked like maggots, fat, soft, and shiny, their segmented bodies wriggling.

Some looked like thin black threads, squirming out of the cracks in the flatbread, their tails still covered in mucus.

A few murky eyeballs floated in the bowl of wild vegetable soup.

The eyeballs varied in size; some belonged to birds, some to fish, and one was terrifyingly large, its pupil split into three lobes.

The pickled vegetables turned into waterlogged, rotten skin.

Transparent insect eggs rolled out of the multigrain dumplings.

Inside the eggs, tiny black shadows were twitching.

A rotten, sickly sweet, damp stench instantly burst forth.

Jiang Xuance covered his mouth.

"Blech..."

Gu Changqing stared at the eyeballs.

"There are Source Power imprints on the food."

Suppressing her nausea, Xu Xinglan took another look.

"Yes."

"There are incantation runes inside every piece of disguised food."

"Once eaten, the runes will enter the body."

"They might affect one's sanity, or they might turn a person into the same state as the villagers."

Jiang Xuance's face grew even paler.

Lu Cheng raised his hand and directly summoned a wisp of Myriad Tribulations Flame.

The Source Fire landed on the table.

The worms instantly let out shrill squeals.

They writhed, burst, and turned into black ash.

The eyeballs spun frantically in the fire, as if still trying to stare at everyone.

Snow Spirit jumped to the edge of the table, opened her mouth, and spat out a ball of Astral Flame Fox Fire.

Red-gold and silver-blue flames intertwined.

In the blink of an eye, the contents of the basket were completely burned to ashes.

A foul burnt smell still lingered in the room.

Lu Cheng waved his hand to open the window.

Outside, the sky had completely darkened.

There was no one on the distant village road.

The quiet, lively atmosphere of the daytime had vanished completely.

Lu Cheng took out a batch of food from the System Space.

Compressed rations, canned spirit meat, fresh water, and a few high-energy meal packs prepared by the academy.

He distributed the items to everyone.

"Eat this."

Jiang Xuance took the meal pack and was stunned to see Lu Cheng pulling things out of thin air.

"A pocket dimension?"

Lu Cheng nodded.

"Something like that."

"Acquired by chance before."

Jiang Xuance showed an envious expression.

"This is way too convenient."

Heavenly King Lin tore open a meal pack and took a bite.

"With this, at least we don't have to worry about starving to death."

Lu Cheng looked at the clean food on the table, but his mind was not completely at ease.

He calculated the time.

Normally, he should have received a new Hextech in the early hours of today.

But even after the sky went completely dark, the System remained silent.

Lu Cheng didn't think the System would be suppressed by this lousy place.

The System's level was clearly far beyond this Pseudo-Takamagahara.

That left only one explanation.

A full day hadn't passed in the outside world yet.

The day, night, and passage of time they experienced here were all distorted.

The "day and night" of this place did not correspond to the real time outside.

Lu Cheng kept this to himself for now, not speaking of it immediately.

The night grew deeper and deeper.

Gradually, howling winds began to blow across the entire Tianyuan Village.

The wind swept through the village entrance, causing the worn-out paper lanterns to sway frantically.

The window paper rattled loudly in the wind.

The dead branches in the yard rubbed against each other, sounding like someone grinding their teeth in a Whisper.

Eerie cries echoed from the distance.

Like a baby crying, a woman laughing...

Sometimes it sounded like many people whispering together in one place.

Heavenly King Lin sat by the door, his battle-axe resting across his knees.

"What on earth is out there?"

Xu Xinglan put down her meal pack, the faint green luan bird patterns rippling in her pupils once more.

"Let me take a look."

Lu Cheng frowned.

"Be careful."

Xu Xinglan nodded.

She walked to the window and looked outside through the window paper.

The moment her Spirit Pupils activated, the darkness outside the room seemed to be torn open a crack.

Blurry... she couldn't see anything clearly...

However, in the darkness, a tall, thin shadow could be faintly seen standing there.

It had no face.

Its body resembled an elongated puppet.

Its two arms hung down past its knees.

It stood beside the collapsed torii gate, its head slowly turning.

The next instant.

It made eye contact with Xu Xinglan.

Boom!

The luan bird patterns in Xu Xinglan's eyes instantly shattered.

She let out a muffled groan and took two steps back, her face deathly pale.

Lu Cheng quickly supported her.

"What happened?"

Xu Xinglan covered her eyes, her breathing rapid.

"Outside..."

It took her a few seconds to compose herself before she whispered:

"There's a monster... it saw me..."

Just as her voice fell.

A sound came from outside the courtyard gate.

Someone was knocking on the gate.

Very slowly.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Everyone inside the room looked toward the courtyard gate at the same time.

No one spoke outside the gate.

There was only the sound of knocking.

The sound drew closer and closer.

As if the knocking had moved from the courtyard gate to the house door.

Lu Cheng raised his hand, gesturing for everyone not to move.

The knocking outside the door went on for a long time.

Then, the sound of iron clanging suddenly echoed from the distance.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

The sound was very heavy.

Each strike heavier than the last.

The knocking stopped.

The thing outside seemed to hesitate.

A moment later, a dragging footstep sounded outside the door.

The thing left.

Lu Cheng leaned against the door, slightly circulating his Yueyao Pulse.

He sensed the cold, eerie aura outside the door gradually receding.

Then, the iron clanging also stopped.

Jiang Xuance let out a long breath.

"Is that blacksmith protecting us?"

Tang Zhiwei said softly:

"Not necessarily..."

"At least, as long as we follow the rules, they won't come in...?"

This night was exceptionally long.

The wind outside the window howled continuously.

Footsteps paced back and forth outside the courtyard.

Sometimes, someone could even be heard laughing softly right against the window.

In the middle of the night, Snow Spirit suddenly raised her head from Lu Cheng's arms and bared her teeth at the window.

Lu Cheng patted her back.

"Don't mind them."

"They can't get in."

"At least not tonight."

Almost everyone else barely got any rest.

Heavenly King Lin kept his grip on the battle-axe.

Gu Changqing leaned against the wall, his sword close at hand.

Xu Xinglan closed her eyes to rest, but her face remained very pale after her Spirit Pupils were injured.

Jiang Xuance held the Red-Armored Zheng, whose fur was completely bristled.

Tang Zhiwei was half-asleep and half-awake, her fingers always resting on her silver needle box.

Ye Beihan guarded the back window like an ice sculpture.

Only Lu Cheng slept soundly.

He even shifted into a more comfortable position.

Snow Spirit snuggled in his arms, the person and the fox sleeping in perfect sync.

Jiang Xuance watched this scene and remained silent for a long time.

"Brother Lu's mental fortitude is really incredible."

Heavenly King Lin glanced over.

"He might actually be treating this as a rest."

Tang Zhiwei laughed softly.

"That's good."

"At least it shows this place hasn't reached the point of keeping him awake."

After the long night passed, a hint of grayish-white finally appeared on the horizon.

The wind stopped.

The footsteps outside also vanished.

The village became quiet once again.

Dong...

Dong...

The sound of a gong echoed from the village entrance.

Someone was shouting:

"It's dawn."

"Guests may leave their rooms."

Lu Cheng opened his eyes.

Snow Spirit also raised her head and let out a small yawn.

"Ying..."

Everyone pushed open the door and walked out of the courtyard.

Outside, Tianyuan Village had returned to its daytime appearance.

Old men dried fishing nets.

Children chased each other.

Women drew water.

The one-armed blacksmith sat under his shed, repairing a blade.

Everything was exactly the same as yesterday.

Soon, the members of the Nordic Team and the Tianlan Ancient Kingdom also came out.

Reinhardt's face looked terrible.

There was an additional bloodstain on Lan Jin's robe.

Yue Wujiu had dark circles under his eyes, looking as if he had been calculating all night.

But Lu Cheng quickly noticed that someone was missing from the Sakura Island side.

Jinguji Ayane was also gone.

Lu Cheng frowned.

"Where is Jinguji?"

A Sakura Island team member shook his head.

"We haven't seen Lady Ayane since last night."

"As for the rest... I'm afraid I cannot explain..."

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.

Lu Cheng looked toward the depths of the village.

The gates of the secluded courtyard where Jinguji Ayane had been placed were tightly shut.

A new Shimenawa hung at the entrance.

As the wind blew, the Shide swayed gently.

As if warning outsiders not to approach.

This day passed very quickly.

So quickly that it sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

Taking advantage of the daytime, everyone went to gather clues.

They went to the well, the fields, the collapsed torii gate, and the blacksmith's shed.

But every time they were just about to discover something, the sky would begin to darken.

In the blink of an eye, dusk arrived again.

They had no choice but to return to their rooms.

The night was still filled with howling winds.

This cycle continued for two days.

Short days.

Long nights.

Everyone's condition began to deteriorate.

This discomfort came from both the body and the mind.

They seemed to be trapped in a decaying village, forced to live by its rules.

Gathering clues by day.

Hiding in their rooms by night.

Continuing at dawn.

Retreating at dusk.

Relying on the brief daytime made it extremely difficult to gather any truly useful clues.

Very little could be confirmed at the moment.

Most of the villagers did the exact same things every day.

The children always played in the mud at the village entrance.

The farmers always worked in the cracked paddy fields.

The women always drew water by the well.

The old men always dried their nets.

Only a very small number of villagers possessed clear, independent mobility.

The village chief.

The one-armed blacksmith.

And a few elders who occasionally appeared in the depths of the village.

After Jinguji Ayane's disappearance, the village chief offered no explanation.

When asked, he would only say:

"The child of the Jinguji family has her own path."

Lu Cheng strongly disliked this statement.

On the daytime of the fourth day.

Reinhardt, Lan Jin, Yue Wujiu, and Yun Qi came to the Dragon Kingdom Team's courtyard together.

Reinhardt got straight to the point.

"Let's cooperate."

"We can't go on like this."

He also looked somewhat exhausted.

Even a Godchild-level Genius couldn't withstand the torment of this day-and-night cycle.

Lan Jin leaned against the door, his voice low.

"The days are too short."

"The nights are too long."

"If we keep following the village's rules, we'll be worn to death sooner or later."

Yue Wujiu took out a bronze compass with a chipped corner.

"I have calculated it."

"Tonight is the turning point."

"If we want to break this deadlock, we must go out tonight."

Jiang Xuance's scalp tingled as he listened.

"Are you sure?"

Reinhardt looked at Lu Cheng.

"What do you think?"

Everyone in the room also looked at Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng fell silent for a moment.

If they stayed for another three, five, or ten days, the outcome would only get worse.

This village was slowly consuming their time and judgment.

Lu Cheng finally spoke.

"We can cooperate."

"We go out tonight."

...

The night came even faster than the previous three days.

The sun plummeted almost instantly.

The village fell into darkness once more.

The wind howled.

Footsteps soon sounded outside the courtyard gate.

This time, everyone did not sit inside and wait.

Lu Cheng walked to the door and pushed it.

The door didn't budge.

It felt as if it had been locked from the outside by something.

Jiang Xuance said in a low voice:

"The door is locked."

Lu Cheng looked at the door bolt.

"Then break the lock."

Heavenly King Lin raised his axe.

"I'll do it."

The axe fell.

Bang!

The wooden door shattered.

The wind from outside instantly rushed in.

The lanterns went out.

Darkness rushed over them.

Everyone rushed out of the courtyard.

Then, everyone froze for a moment.

At this moment, Pseudo-Takamagahara finally revealed its true nighttime appearance.

Blackish-red water flowed along the muddy road.

The paddy fields were crawling with bloated corpses, lying face down, with bone spikes resembling ears of rice growing on their backs.

Black hair kept gushing out of the well, wrapping around the wooden bucket and crawling onto the village road bit by bit.

The windows of the low wooden houses all glowed with an eerie green light.

Behind every window, a faceless face pressed against the glass.

Beneath the collapsed torii gate at the village entrance, human-shaped paper dolls hung in dense clusters.

The paper dolls swayed in the wind, their limbs flailing wildly.

The children who played during the day hung upside down from the tree branches, their necks stretched incredibly long, their mouths split open as they let out shrill laughter.

The old man who dried nets had spread his fishing net across half the street.

There were no fish in the net.

It was entirely filled with struggling human hands.

The body of the woman by the well was split at the waist; her lower half was submerged in the well, while her upper half dragged the wooden bucket as she crawled toward them.

The one-armed blacksmith stood under the distant shed.

He was not repairing a blade.

He raised his head, staring at everyone.

The hammer in his hand was dripping with black blood.

Countless Whispers echoed in the wind.