The paper figure's face was lifeless and rigid, devoid of vitality, its pale eye sockets fixed intently on the floor beneath the bed. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing's heart gave a sharp jolt, his arms prickled with fine gooseflesh, and a long-forgotten fear surged through him. This fear was not merely the fear of impending danger—it was more deeply rooted in humanity's instinctive dread of the strange and the eerie. For instance, after watching a horror film, one might hesitate to go to the bathroom or cover their head with the blanket while sleeping. Yes, Zhang Yuanqing had been frightened into reverting to childhood anxieties by the paper figure. Since becoming the Night Wanderer, he had never encountered such a moment before. The Night Wanderer's skill had always been unpredictable and effective; while he had faced enemies whose movements were skillfully countered, and even once directly perceived the spirits of the Night Wanderers, this was the first time he had felt the paper figure had actually seen him. Yes, Zhang Yuanqing was certain beyond doubt that the paper figure had seen him. He was profoundly afraid, yet his actions were without hesitation. He rolled once, clearing the space beneath the bed, then reached into the void, grasping the burst gun and calmly depressing the trigger. The paper figures had substance—anything with substance could be damaged, and a ranged firearm was ideally suited for this purpose. According to the attribute description of the rouge box, the spectral entity could only inhabit objects that had been coated with rouge. If such an object was destroyed, the figure should be effectively resolved. Let's try that! "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The muzzle erupted in flames, the dark-red trajectories striking the paper figures. Yet the bullets did not burst—they instead emitted a soft, hissing sound, like a gentle boiling. As though a hot iron had been plunged into a marsh. A deep, dense aura of shadow rose around the paper figures, dissipating the kinetic energy of the bullets, extinguishing the flames, and vanishing without a trace. Nearly tangible shadow energy… Zhang Yuan's pupils slightly widened. This was definitely not a power possessed by spectral entities at the extraordinary stage. "Thump... thump... thump..." Zhang Yuanqing maintained his shooting stance, allowing the bullets to densely penetrate the negative qi, splashing up faint crimson glimmers with a bubbling "puff... puff..." sound. At the same time, two delicate streaks of dark red light emerged within the dark room. Zhang Yuanqing quickly went through his props and techniques. At first, he thought of the red veil, but then abandoned it—the ghost bride’s qi was significantly weaker than that of the paper figures before him. Moreover, he lacked the courage to engage in close combat with the paper figures. The decisive leg kick from the Houtu Boots, capable of exerting the strength of a Saint Realm cultivator, should easily shatter the paper figures. Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing reached for the Houtu Boots and tossed them to the first deceased figure beside him. The first deceased figure slipped both feet into the boots and completed the dressing, while Zhang Yuanqing himself donned the yin-yang robe. The paper figure had vanished. No. 1, the spirit, had shattered the shadow conjured by the illusion—a most graceful and adept technique wielded by vengeful spirits. Tic-tic-tic… the red dancing shoes suddenly rushed toward the host. Behind me?! Zhang Yuanqing’s heart tightened. Almost at the same time, a paper figure, pale-faced and adorned with vibrant crimson makeup, appeared behind him, raising a stiff arm to grasp the human’s neck. Before the paper hands could make contact, a cold aura surged forth, coating Zhang Yuanqing’s back and neck with a thin layer of frost. "Boom!" He raised his rifle and fired a shot into No. 1’s chest. The bullet exploded, and a flash of light erupted. A surge of crimson flame erupted, engulfing Zhang Yuanqing’s body. As the flame from the exploded bullet began to fade, it suddenly swelled and solidified into a figure draped in robes of yin and yang. He donned the Yin-Yang robe not to activate the Water-Fire Array, but to leverage the Fire Master's fire element and the Water Ghost's ability to transform water, thereby engaging the paper figures in prolonged combat. While Water-Fire duplicates are immune to physical attacks, they cannot withstand damage at the spiritual level. Facing powerful spirits, setting up the robe array would be a foolish move—dividing the spiritual essence in two effectively nullifies his strength, making him vulnerable to instant annihilation by the spirits. Against the ghost dolls, the issue was primarily insufficient numbers, requiring him to summon duplicates to compensate; once the numbers were sufficient, the ghost dolls could no longer attack. Yet the paper figures were different. Zhang Yuanqing's palm erupted with flames, which he pressed against the back of his neck. His face immediately contorted, his lips twitched, and a hissing sound emerged, with wisps of pale smoke rising. "Ah! This yin energy can literally freeze my flesh and tissues," he gasped. "If it catches me, even the Night-Wanderer would be unable to withstand it..." Using the flames to expel the yin energy, Zhang's other hand remained active, continuously triggering the mechanism. At the same time, the imprint of communication in the consciousness sea split the spiritual body into two, each entering the shadow corpse and launching a powerful, determined advance. Zhang Yuanqing ceased firing and pressed a button on one of the Cat King speakers inside his pants pocket. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The thunderous drumbeat resonated throughout the room, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure, shaking the spirit and instilling deep, innate fear. The paper-bodied figure trembled, then stiffened. Ding-ding-ding, Wandering One No. 1 approached steadily, the yellow light on the right boot of his boot growing thick and tangible, as if solid. From their earlier encounter, Zhang Yuanqing observed that the paper figure was particularly wary of the "decisive leg" of the Later Earth boot—this single strike could reach the level of a Saint Realm cultivator. Thus, he swiftly devised a plan: using the drumbeat from the Cat King speaker to intimidate the spirit-bound paper figure, while splitting his own spiritual body into two because the drumbeat affected both allies and enemies, and Wandering One No. 1 could not remain immune—only he, as the host, could Suddenly, the two streaks of crimson within the paper figure's eyes flared to life, solidifying into two twisted, strange incantations. Eyes of Seduction! Oh no... Viewing the incantations directly through the lens of the corpse, Zhang Yuanqing felt his resolve sink. In the next instant, his will unraveled completely—his thoughts became tangled like a mess of ropes, and he lost all capacity for clear thought. The ambient yin qi surrounding the paper figure surged, emitting a series of crisp "crack" sounds as a thin layer of ice rapidly formed on the surface of Wanhao No. 1, then flowed and danced across it, instantly transforming the body into a statue of ice. Then, the paper figure tilted its head ninety degrees, turning its gaze toward Zhang Yuanqing behind the corpse. Instantly, the figure vanished, reappearing behind the only human present in the room. Its crude, paper-thin arms lifted, cradling Zhang Yuanqing's neck. A sudden ripple of yin qi surged through the room, and a spiral of invisible air currents formed instantly at the back of his neck. In large, steady streams, his vital essence was drawn into the paper Under intense stimulation, Zhang Yuanqing broke free from the influence of the Eye of Persuasion, only to feel his limbs grow stiff and numb, his body frozen by a dreadful阴 qi, making even simple movements like lifting his fingers difficult. Within a few moments, his skin lost its luster, becoming dry and dull, and fine, intricate wrinkles began to appear at the corners of his eyes and forehead, deepening along his temples and forehead—the lines of his face intensifying. He suddenly appeared twenty years older. Despite his desperate efforts to issue offensive commands to the Yin Corpse, Unit One remained frozen, its joints and flesh stiff and numb, unable to support his commands. Attempts failed—the Paper Figure proved too strong. The gap in strength was simply too vast. Zhang Yuanqing grew increasingly pessimistic and hopeless, realizing that his plan to overcome the minor boss through sheer strength was not feasible. Even with all his tools and tactical arrangements, he could not prevail against the Paper Figure. Then he would have to use the Divine Magic Staff. Unless absolutely forced to, Zhang Yuanqing didn't want to resort to this item—drinking poison to quench thirst wasn't a solution that would resolve the problem. But now, there was no choice; at least, drinking poison would buy him a little more time. Feeling the deep weariness and weakness seeping from his very bones, Zhang Yuanqing made a final, desperate effort, gathering his last reserves of strength. His fingers, trembling and slow, reached into his pants pocket, aiming to activate the Cat King speaker's suona. Finally, two crucial pieces of information were filtered out: First, that on the night Mr. Xu purchased the rouge box, the paper figure only killed Mr. Xu himself, and no villagers in the adjacent houses were harmed. Second, the spirit of resentment has an intense craving for blood—only by offering sufficient vital essence can it be pacified. I now understand: the rouge box kills only one person per night, or one person’s blood is sufficient to satisfy it. Once it drains the victim’s blood completely, it ceases to kill. Therefore, only Mr. Xu died that night—well, this is a single-player scenario! For a spiritual realm practitioner, killing just one person is equivalent to certain death. Zhang Yuanqing released his fingers from the button controlling the suona music and instead reached upward into the air. He grasped a glass test tube, inside which flowed a clear, luminous golden liquid. The tube’s mouth was sealed with a wooden cork, tightly preserving the vibrant life energy within. Life essence! A figure, appearing both real and ethereal, drifted out of Zhang Yuanqing’s body, wrapped the test tube, and moved toward the first deceased. This ethereal figure is precisely Zhang Yuanqing's spiritual body, having manifested through the art of divine journey and detached from his physical form. Zhang Yuanqing is willing to take a bold gamble—letting his physical body be drained of vital essence and observing whether, after the paper figure has "killed" him, it departs contentedly or continues to attack Entity No. One. If the former occurs, he has won the bet; if the latter, his spiritual body will immediately use the life essence to revive his physical form and then summon the Vamapada杵 to meet the vengeful spirit in a mutual destruction. He dares to make this gamble because he holds the life essence in reserve, and since his physical body enters a state of apparent death upon achieving the divine journey, there remains a twenty-minute window during which his spiritual body can return and offer a chance of revival. Thus, he has no fear of his vital essence being completely drawn off. Zhang Yuanqing also has no fear that the paper figure will prioritize attacking his spiritual body, as the item information of Blood-roses specifies that the paper figure only craves fresh blood. Although Entity No. One is a shadow entity, it still possesses a vital "life" aura. Therefore, To be sure, if the paper figure truly targets the ethereal version of himself, Zhang Yuanqing still has one move—he can immediately return to his physical form, activate the second form of the Red Dance Shoes, and escape with them. In terms of fleeing and evading, the Red Dance Emperor has always been no weaker than his peers. At this moment, his physical body is rapidly shrinking, his cheeks sunken, his skin wrinkled from dehydration, slowly transforming into a mummified state. Zhang Yuanqing can't help but hold his breath (mentally); he doesn't know whether the魔君 has also employed a similar method, but this is the only way he has deduced from the副本 information to break the deadlock. While the one physical form and the ethereal presence remain tense and watchful, the Red Dance Shoes remain unconvinced, continuing to attack the paper figure—indeed, growing increasingly agitated and more forceful in its assaults as the owner's physical body succumbs to death. Eventually, the physical body is completely transformed into a mummy, the esteemed Yuan Shi Tian Zun falling victim to the wrath of the resentful spirit. The paper figure, now fully saturated with vital essence, appears even more vividly rosy on "Plink~" It released its crude, simple grasp, allowing the shriveled body to fall. The paper figure's stiff, rigid neck turned, gazing toward the first deceased. After a silence of perhaps ten to fifteen seconds, the paper figure advanced with stiff, precise steps, making soft "shushing" sounds, toward the door. It ceased its killing. The red slippers followed relentlessly, pursuing the paper figure without respite. I was right—disengaged, disengaged... Zhang Yuanqing had halted its endless pursuit. As the foot in the embroidered shoes stepped over the threshold, one step at a time, into the darkness, Zhang Yuanqing's ethereal form remained alert, never relaxing its vigilance. After roughly five minutes, stillness settled both inside and outside the room. No movement was heard within the deep, dense darkness. Not quite. There were sounds. The red dance shoes wandered around the room, pausing occasionally by the body and occasionally by the spirit, a message appearing above: 【Would you like to dance with me…?】 Yet it didn't know whether to demand a price from the lifeless body or to seek compensation from the spirit that could not dance. This was the first time it had encountered such a bug. Finally, Zhang Yuanqing grew impatient and drifted toward the body, "popping" the cork, then lifting the rigid jaw of the body, inserting the tube directly into the throat. This was because the body could not swallow. Once all the life fluid in the tube had entered the body's stomach, Zhang Yuanqing withdrew the tube with another "popping" sound. Gradually, the dry skin regained fullness, the flesh lifting and stretching the loose skin, each passing second bringing the body one step closer to fullness. This process lasted for several seconds, and not only did the skin fully recover, but it also became even more supple and radiant, as if reborn. Yet there was no breathing, no heartbeat. When Zhang Yuanqing's spirit detached from his body during the night journey, his physical form remained like this—this was the state of apparent death. Only then did he truly feel at ease, sinking back into his body. The very next moment, his physical eyes opened, pupils initially diffused as they fixed on the ceiling, then rapidly constricted. He began to breathe heavily, as if regaining his heartbeat after being submerged in water. At this moment, the first deceased completely expelled the negative qi from his body, and his joints regained their suppleness. "Ah! Ah! Ah…" "It's too difficult! This absolutely can't be an A-tier dungeon! I just want to rest—I want nothing more than to be undisturbed!" Zhang Yuanqing greedily inhaled the fresh air. Then, he heard a light, rhythmic tapping sound echoing softly at his ears. You are an exception… Zhang Yuanqing's expression stiffened, and he silently rose from the bed. After dancing with the red shoes, Zhang Yuanqing sat down by the side of the bed—not to rest, but because sitting allowed him to think more clearly. Though he had narrowly escaped the crisis of the paper figures, Zhang Yuanqing felt no joy at all, as he had already sensed something was amiss. "This is an A-tier dungeon? Seriously, this is more brutal than even an S-tier one. By the second watch, the paper figures had nearly drained my entire reserve of resources. What about the boss at the third watch? Where's the Princess?" The difficulty of the Lost Village's dungeon completely surpassed the A-tier standard. Even within the S-tier range, it likely belonged to the most formidable tier. This clearly didn't make sense. Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows deeply. "Something's wrong with this dungeon—there must be a problem somewhere. I have to identify and resolve it before the third watch, or I'm finished." Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he went over every detail of his journey into the dungeon—his conversations with Wang Xia'er, the old man, and the Cat King speaker, as well as all the observations and experiences he had gathered. Time passed slowly, and with repeated reviews, he began to grasp something—though it remained somewhat hazy. Zhang Yuanqing didn't rush. Once he grasped that faint sense of intuition, he pulled out a few blue pills from his pants pocket, held them in his palm, and then recalled his father's final appearance in his mind. His mental faculties gradually surged, his heart began to beat beyond capacity, and soon he entered the "super-brain" state—fragmented memories flashed rapidly, and meaningless noise filled his ears. A warmth surged in his nasal passage, and fresh red blood flowed out. Immediately, Zhang Yuanqing swallowed the pills to calm these negative sensations. Then, he went through every scene since entering the realm, frame by frame—revisiting the texture of the stone house, the direction in which the roadside dry grass had fallen, and every detail, meticulously replaying it in his mind. "A few months ago, I met a wandering Taoist who said the rear mountain range was a blessed site of geomantic excellence—there must be a major tomb somewhere deep within." "Wang Xiao'er, one of the villagers, had stolen the burial goods and intended to sell them in the provincial capital to wealthy families." To his surprise, that evening she had come out with him... "At around four in the morning, everyone in the village had died... "The ancient tomb is located in the southwest of the western hills, twenty-three li away. "Run! Run quickly!" Zhang Yuanqing suddenly woke up, stepping out of the 'replay' mode. He stared at him in wide-eyed astonishment, as if enlightened.