46: Weird rules: Two people are lost at the start. If you don’t laugh, you will die!

Just then.

On the live broadcast screen.

The Joint Squad began to descend!

The deployment process was like a tumble dryer.

After a dizzy spell,

the seven appeared in a brand new world.

It was as if they had suddenly woken from a vivid dream.

Gu Yanci, Ye Liuli, Overlord Blade Ao Zhan, Ling Xi, Cang Xuan, Xiao Wuchen, and Ye Qiong—

these seven powerful individuals—

found themselves standing in the center of a small town square.

The sun was excessively bright, yet offered no warmth.

It cast a stark white glow upon the ground.

The air was thick with the cloying sweetness of candy, mixed with the scent of preservatives.

The houses lining the streets were brightly colored, almost unreal.

Like paper effigies, they exuded an aura of death.

The town's residents—

every single one, regardless of gender, age, or status—

wore the exact same, perfectly curved smile.

Their movements were graceful and slow.

They never spoke to each other, merely passing by with smiles.

Their eyes were hollow, like programmed puppets on strings.

The entire world—

beautiful, peaceful, and suffocatingly quiet.

Just as everyone stood on guard,

the cold, emotionless system prompt—

rang out in the minds of all seven of them.

“Welcome to 'The Perfect Cage', Act One — The World of Sorrow.”

“Detecting that 'Guardian' Su Ke Ke has stripped 'Zhang Wei' of her seven core emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, desire) and constructed seven independent worlds to ensure the absolute purity and happiness of 'Zhang Wei's' main body.”

“Phase One Mission: Retrieve Sorrow.”

“Mission Objective: In this world, find the incarnation that carries all of Zhang Wei's 'sorrowful' emotions. She has been banished by the world's rules and is the only 'flaw' in this Perfect World.”

“Mission Hint: She does not smile.”

As soon as the voice fell,

a virtual scroll emanating an ominous aura—

slowly unfurled before them.

“《Survival Rules of the World of Sorrow》”

“Warning: Among the following rules, there is one absolutely false guide and one unmentioned hidden rule. Please discern them yourselves. The consequences of violating the rules shall be borne by the participants.”

“Smile Rule: In this world, you must always maintain a smile. Any individual found not smiling will be deemed a 'sorrowful infected' and will attract 'purification'.”

“Curfew Rule: After dark, you must not remain outdoors. Please be sure to find a '"House of Rest"' with a 'white wind chime' to hide. The things wandering in the dark are not something you can contend with.”

“Bride Rule: Do not look directly at the 'Crying Brides'. They are merely mourning their lost loved ones and will not actively attack. Ignoring them is the best option.”

“Guide Rule: You can ask for help from 'Guides' wearing grey uniforms; they will take you to the nearest '"House of Rest"' free of charge. They are the maintainers of order in this world.”

“Gift Rule: Absolutely do not accept any 'candy' given by residents, no matter how tempting it looks. Eat it, and you will become one of them.”

“Target Rule: Your goal is to find the only girl who does not smile and who cries alone when the midnight bell tolls.”

The rules finished displaying.

The hot-tempered Overlord Blade Ao Zhan let out a disdainful snort.

“Smile? This King has traversed the Multiverse relying on his blade, not his face! What kind of ridiculous rules are these? Watch me cleave them apart with a single strike!”

He turned his head—

looking at the residents with their fake smiles.

His eyes were full of contempt,

his lips curled in arrogance and indifference.

On the other side,

the white-clad Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen couldn't help but frown.

His lifelong pursuit—

was a clear sword heart, severing all illusions.

Such rules that coerced the heart—

to him—

were a mental barrier that must be broken.

“Playing tricks. If the heart remains unmoved, all dharmas are empty. Once I find the so-called 'Purifier', one sword strike will reveal the truth.”

No sooner had he spoken—

than an anomaly occurred!

The moment Overlord Blade Ao Zhan's smile dropped—

a 'Guide' wearing a grey uniform—

and similarly sporting a standard smile—

appeared before him without warning.

“Sir, you seem a bit sad.”

The Guide smiled, his voice flat and emotionless, “Sadness needs to be purified, you know.”

“Get lost!”

Overlord Blade Ao Zhan roared.

The aura of an Eighth-Rank powerhouse erupted with a bang.

A power capable of shattering stars gathered at his fist, ready to strike!

However, he didn't get the chance to punch.

The Guide extended a white-gloved fingertip—

and lightly tapped Overlord Blade Ao Zhan's glabella.

There were no energy fluctuations, no clash of laws.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone—

Overlord Blade Ao Zhan—

this Eighth-Rank powerhouse—

his body—

like a distorted television signal—

began to violently flicker, distort, and then... amidst a harsh crackling sound—

transformed into a flurry of black and white data fragments.

After a gust of wind, he vanished without a trace.

“Ding! Participant 'Overlord Blade Ao Zhan' violated the 'Smile Rule', has been 'purified', confirmed dead!”

The cold system broadcast—

made everyone's scalps tingle!

“This... this is impossible!”

Xiao Wuchen's face changed drastically.

And at that moment—

from the street corner—

a figure in a wedding dress, with a veil covering her face—

slowly approached, sobbing softly.

That was the “Crying Bride” mentioned in the rules.

“Evil creature!”

Xiao Wuchen's Dao heart was shaken.

He directed his pent-up fury at the clearly abnormal creature.

He believed this must be the formation's core or eye!

“Break!”

A brilliant sword light tore through the air—

carrying a sword intent that could sever karma, it slashed directly at the bride!

However—

the sword light passed through the bride's body without any obstruction—

as if passing through an illusion.

The bride's crying didn't change at all.

Subsequently—

a grey-clad Guide—

appeared behind Xiao Wuchen like a ghost.

“Sir, you have 'anger' in your heart.”

The Guide still smiled, bowing to Xiao Wuchen.

“Anger is also an unpermitted sadness. It needs purification.”

With the same finger pointed out—

Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen—

this Seventh-Rank Sword Dao Grandmaster—

didn't even have time to react—

before he met the same fate as Overlord Blade Ao Zhan.

He turned into specks of light and vanished into thin air.

“Ding! Participant 'Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen' triggered an unknown condition, was judged a 'sorrowful infected', has been 'purified', confirmed dead!”

This scene—

through the live broadcast in the chat group—

was presented to audiences across the Multiverse.

The barrage of comments—

exploded instantly!

[King of Ten Thousand Dragons]: Useless Overlord Blade Ao Zhan, useless Xiao Wuchen, I even bet you could survive ten minutes!

[Star Sea Overlord]: Hahahahaha! I'm dying of laughter! There are always these thickheaded fools who think being powerful means they're awesome, but what's the result? This is rule-killing! Don't you understand?!

[Nine Nether Demon Lord]: Terrifying... too terrifying! That wasn't a battle, it was 'deletion'! That Guide isn't a living being at all, it's the world's rule enforcement program!

[Daoist Master Cang Xuan]: This humble Daoist understands now, in this world, power levels are useless! Only by following the rules can one survive! Those two idiots deserved their deaths!

[Future Heavenly Emperor - Huang]: ...What a strange Dao. It's not about fighting with laws, but turning 'rules' themselves into weapons to obliterate you.

[Lin Moyan]: (Hands clasped, eyes fervent) Is this the world of Lord Su Ke Ke? An order so absolute it brooks no defiance! It's simply... simply too perfect!

In the square—

the remaining five's faces were already pale.

Especially Seer - Cang Xuan.

His proud precognitive ability—

the moment he saw those two Guides—

the information he received was either blank or simply “danger”!

“Everyone!”

Gu Yanci's voice, cold and resolute, broke the deadly silence.

He no longer hesitated in the slightest.

He forced a stiff smile onto his lips.

“Smile! From now on, treat this as your instinct! Until we find a way to break it, the rules are everything!”

Ye Liuli, Ling Xi, Cang Xuan, and Ye Qiong—

these four strong-willed powerhouses immediately complied.

Five stiff, ugly—

yet perfectly standard “smiles”—

appeared on their faces.

They were like a group of clumsy actors—

beginning to mimic the expressions of the puppet residents—

in this bizarre world.

And just then—

in the sky—

the pale sun—

finally sank below the horizon.

The last ray of twilight vanished.

The entire world—

as if a switch had been flipped—

all the smiling residents wandering the streets—

stopped at the same moment, turned around—

and walked back into their respective houses with uniform steps.

“Click,” their doors closed.

The illusion of bustle faded.

The truth of deadly silence descended.

On the cold, dark streets—

only Gu Yanci and the other four remained—

along with the sickeningly sweet air.

Darkness—

was emerging from every corner—

like a tide.

Rule Two — After dark, you must not remain outdoors!

Just as they were falling into despair—

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.

A crisp, ethereal sound of wind chimes—

drifted from the depths of a dark alley not far away—

gently ringing out.

White wind chimes.

"House of Rest".

Was it a path to survival—

or... another, deeper trap?