Little Feng Bei’s frail hand was held in Master Zheng’s large, warm one.

Little Feng Bei looked up, staring blankly at the Mighty Man before her, who had a single wing and whose body was covered in strange, black tattoos.

After being possessed by the Caged Sparrow, Zheng Xiu’s appearance was now far removed from the creature known as ’Human’.

Zheng Xiu grabbed Little Feng Bei, and her memories, the memories of the Feng Clan couple, and the memories of the villagers mashed into a chaotic jumble and flowed into his own within this strange environment.

He didn’t understand why this was happening, but through it, he learned everything about Baili Village, learned of the darkness and gore buried deep beneath the peaceful settlement.

In the beginning, everyone’s aspirations had been simple.

Strange flowers covered the surroundings, but even as they blanketed the area, they continued to spill madly from the Darkness.

The floral scent was overwhelming.

The petals of the small red flowers curled like dragon claws. Along their outer edges grew long, slender pistils, the tips of which glowed with a bloody light, trembling slightly.

The red flowers swarmed forward in crazed clusters.

SSS!

The Caged Sparrow acted to protect its host, wrapping Zheng Xiu in a thin layer of black qi.

Where the tentacle-like flowers touched the black shield of qi, they hissed and let off wisps of green smoke.

"Go!"

Zheng Xiu’s consciousness returned to the present. Within that glob of memory fragments, it was as if he had lived their entire lives, but it seemed to have all happened in an instant!

He yanked Feng Bei up with all his might, only to see the black sludge beneath her sucking her in.

Feng Bei said nothing, just stared blankly at where her right hand was clasped in Zheng Xiu’s.

’I know I was born an Omen, bringing ruin to all my friends and family, so how can this person be completely fine?’

POP~

Zheng Xiu put his back into it and finally succeeded, violently pulling the lower half of Feng Bei’s body from the abyss.

Pulling Feng Bei along, Zheng Xiu beat his wing, batting away the red flowers behind him. He swung his blade with his right hand, carving a path through the floral thicket and leaping into the air.

Suddenly.

"Younger Brother Zheng!"

PUFF!

Not far from where Zheng Xiu had rescued Feng Bei, from within the Darkness, Wang Cangyun’s face was a savage mask. Like an Evil Ghost crawling out of Hell, he forcefully squeezed the upper half of his body out of the smooth, mirror-like "darkness".

In mid-air, Master Zheng turned at the sound and was stunned by the Treasure King’s wretched state. The Treasure King’s flesh was currently mangled and rotting, as if he’d been soaked in strong acid for some time. There wasn’t a single intact patch of skin on his body. His head looked as if it had been half-eaten by some creature, with bloody, tofu-like brain matter oozing out.

Using the last of his strength, he threw a human-shaped shadow at Zheng Xiu—it was Old Wei’s illegitimate son, Wei Chen!

After throwing Wei Chen, the Treasure King allowed the flowery tentacles to crawl all over him and drag him down into the abyss.

"I beg you, save the Young Master! I can die with no regrets!"

"Younger Brother Zheng!"

"Younger Brother Zheng!"

"Younger Brother Zheng!"

"Younger Brother Zheng!"

"I beg you... save him!!!"

Wang Cangyun’s pleas were like roars.

He believed Younger Brother Zheng Haoran would save them.

He was of the Zheng Family bloodline.

A dragon among men.

A paragon of righteousness.

He... he surely would!

...

’How did the Treasure King climb out?’

Zheng Xiu looked at Wang Cangyun’s miserable state, finding it hard to imagine what had happened in the Darkness.

’What in the world is that place?’

Wei Chen, who had been thrown into the air, had skin that was scorching hot and crimson, as if seared by fire.

To be honest, Zheng Xiu didn’t really want to save him, and besides, his hands weren’t free. But Old Wang was incredible—his aim was perfect. Zheng Xiu, just for show, stuck out a foot to hook him.

"Live!"

The dying Wei Chen suddenly opened his eyes, threw his arms out, and desperately clung to Zheng Xiu’s calf.

His face, scorched by the high temperature, had lost its former gentle, scholarly look; now, covered in blisters, it appeared utterly savage.

"Hahaha—"

Seeing that Younger Brother Zheng was indeed righteous and had saved Wei Chen, the Treasure King, his wish fulfilled, closed his eyes and laughed heartily.

"If there is a next life, I will surely announce it to the heavens, burn incense, kowtow, and become sworn brothers with Younger Brother Zheng!"

"A pity!"

"A pity!"

"A pity!"

A pity this was just an illusion of the past.

Twenty years ago.

’Whether I save anyone or not, I can’t change a thing.’

’You were all supposed to die here twenty years ago.’

’Saving you today is just to give myself some peace of mind.’

Zheng Xiu looked back, his expression cold. He silently bid farewell to the Treasure King, then beat his wing and ascended higher.

The howling wind from his ascent blew the messy hair away from Feng Bei’s eyes.

Those eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Following the fluctuations of Feng Bei’s mood, the surrounding darkness peeled away, rapidly receding behind Zheng Xiu.

The rain stopped, the wind died, the thunder ceased, the clouds parted, and the sun rose.

"Can Feng Bei really... live on?"

Feng Bei asked suddenly.

’What a life-or-death question to ask right now.’

Zheng Xiu nodded decisively. He understood Little Feng Bei’s memories and knew what she was worried about, so he gestured with his chin. "Look, you haven’t brought me any misfortune. Aren’t I still alive and well?"

Feng Bei froze.

The black curtain of night was violently torn open.

Rolling mountains, five-colored clouds at sunrise.

The morning light shone down, illuminating the three of them.

Daybreak!

The Dawn of victory!

"Hahahaha! Speedrun!"

Master Zheng had been tortured to hell and back in the Ghostly Realm, and though he had grown used to the pain and even secretly enjoyed it, he still felt an irrepressible, cathartic joy now that he was about to clear it.

[You are about to complete "Baili Village - Act II: Strange Tales of a Mountain Village".]

Just then, countless tiny mosquitoes flew before the elated Master Zheng, forming a line of text and ruining his mood.

But Master Zheng had to read it patiently.

[You are hesitating, wondering if you should truly rescue Feng Bei and Wei Chen.]

[They were supposed to die here.]

[In a single thought, you will decide whether they live or die.]

[Dawn is imminent. You have a vague premonition that once you rescue them, there will be no turning back.]

[You are about to complete "Ghostly Realm - Baili Village".]

Zheng Xiu was taken aback.

’I’ve already maxed out my alt account, would I be crazy not to clear the instance?’

The last sentence made Zheng Xiu understand instantly.

It meant that if he really left, his progress would be permanently saved, with no way to go back.

It was exactly the same as the prompt when he’d entered the second act from the first.

Master Zheng slowed his flight and carefully reviewed his run, confirming that the Baili Village instance had been farmed nearly bare. He was finally relieved.

Zheng Xiu looked down and couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath of the fresh morning air.

Under the morning light, Baili Village was in shambles, yet the version of it that had been washed away by the flood and left in ruins had now returned to its original state.

The villagers’ corpses lay scattered across the ground.

Gazing into the distance, Zheng Xiu didn’t see the bodies of Feng Bei’s father or the Treasure King.

Other than that, everything was back to normal, as if the strange events of last night had all been an illusion.

Zheng Xiu nodded and landed on the main road.

At the edge of the sunrise clouds, a seven-colored rainbow stretched across the mountains—a breathtaking sight.

A familiar pulling sensation came from his Main Body. Feeling it, Zheng Xiu realized it was time for him to go.

"Goodbye."

Zheng Xiu didn’t linger. His monstrous form had already reverted to normal.

Feng Bei lowered her head and covered her eyes, but the gaps between her fingers were a little too wide. Her left eye was filled with gratitude and curiosity.

It turned out that Master Zheng’s clothes had been blown to shreds during last night’s killing spree. Right now, Master Zheng was a very unrestrained Mighty Painter.

As soon as Zheng Xiu landed, Wei Chen fell unconscious, his body scorching hot and constantly blistering. It was hard to say if he would live or die.

Through the gaps in her fingers, Feng Bei dazedly watched "Zheng Shan" walk away.

Suddenly.

That figure turned into a wisp of green smoke and gradually faded.

In the blink of an eye, the great benefactor who called himself "Zheng Shan" had completely vanished from Feng Bei’s sight.

...

SPLASH!

Zheng Xiu had planned on opening his eyes and having Scarface Liu bring him a sumptuous breakfast to celebrate clearing the instance.

But when his consciousness shifted, he didn’t return to A Cell as he’d expected.

A wave of vertigo washed over him. He heard a "splash" and realized he had fallen into water again.

Emptiness, loneliness, pressure, depth, darkness.

When he came to, Zheng Xiu was in a deep, black pool, sinking continuously.

This scene was not unfamiliar to Zheng Xiu. By truly clearing Baili Village, he had once again entered the Prisoner’s Path.

TAP. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

After sinking for an unknown amount of time, Zheng Xiu’s feet touched solid ground. A winding path stretched out before him, extending to the unknown end of the space.

Forking paths extended in all directions, and strange lights and shadows could be vaguely seen at their ends.

Zheng Xiu resisted the urge to take a side path and strode forward along the main one.

As he walked, a black door appeared before him.

In such a dark place, it was highly likely Master Zheng would have walked right into a black door.

But when this door had appeared out of thin air, its frame was outlined in a faint, gray light, making it extremely conspicuous.

On the door were the words "Jiazi-9".

Zheng Xiu paused, but didn’t overthink it. ’If there’s a door, open it.’

The "Jiazi-9" door opened silently.

[You have ventured further into the Deep Path.]

[You have advanced further within the Path.]

[You pushed open the "Jiazi-9" door.]

[You have comprehended "Unbreakable"!]