Chapter 41

He realized it.

The origin of everything lay in this old man’s desire.

At first, he wanted to live, so he built the village with the refugees;

later, he wanted to live longer, so he made a pact with the Yin Yuan God and became a ghost;

now he felt being a ghost was too suffocating;

he wanted to rise up, rebel, and take the role of the Yin Yuan God himself.

And what then, after that?

Endless.

Human desire is like a chasm that can never be filled.

To satisfy it, those trapped within are willing to pay any price.

“Say what you will—right now, you only need to tell me: will you make this deal?” The old village chief’s tone had turned cold.

He was also deeply confused.

This creature, who could alter his appearance at will, had first been pierced through by his own bone spurs, then fallen from great height.

Finally, the old man himself had used the Yin Yuan God’s power to place a curse upon him.

Yet here the man stood, normal and present at the grand ritual.

And he bounced around as if utterly unharmed.

How was this possible?

“If you won’t make the deal, what can you do to me? You can’t catch me.” Wu Wang stood and began packing food into the box.

If I don’t get back soon, my second sister will go hungry.

The old village chief’s face darkened. “From today on, unless the grand ritual succeeds, no one may leave the village a single step without the Yin Yuan God’s permission.”

“Now that Zhang Sanfeng and the Sacred Maiden are gone, after the three-day ritual ends, the Yin Yuan God will sacrifice the entire village, and the village will become his domain.”

He had already concluded Wu Wang killed Zhang Sanfeng.

With no Yin Yuan Sacred Maiden now, and no little madman’s life to settle the debt—

“You don’t want to be trapped here forever, do you?”

At these words, Wu Wang understood.

He knew what the main quest erased by the Abyss God was!

【Escape Yin Yuan Village within three days】

Or rather—【Exterminate the Yin Yuan God】!

After all, Wu Wang had tested it himself.

Indeed, there was no normal way to leave this village.

Whoever stepped into the surrounding forest always ended up circling back.

Trying to persuade the Yin Yuan God to let him go was pure fantasy.

Then the only option was to kill him!

Kill a Nightmare-tier dungeon boss…

“Once I replace the Yin Yuan God, I’ll have the right to set you free! A win-win!” The old village chief’s expression had grown unhinged—he had waited too long.

The chance to break free from the Yin Yuan God was within reach.

How could he possibly let this man slip away?

Wu Wang fell silent for a moment.

Then he picked up the packed food box and prepared to leave the viewing platform.

He said coldly: “Give me one day to think. I’ll give you my answer at the ancestral hall tomorrow night.”

He ignored the old chief’s calls behind him.

Wu Wang leapt down from the platform and vanished into the crowd.

Even as the old chief gazed down from his highest perch, he could not tell which villager Wu Wang had become.

But he wasn’t worried.

He knew this man would return to him.

Because he had smelled the same scent on him—

The scent of longing for freedom and release.

“Come to think of it, his scent is even stronger… What exactly is it…?”

The old village chief muttered to himself as he sat back down, watching the ritual performance.

He pondered the scent that drew him—what was it?

It resembled the Sacred Maiden’s aroma.

But far more alluring.

Who had this man encountered to acquire such a scent?

————

Wu Wang, having quietly left the square, hurried toward the mid-slope.

Along the way, he pondered two things—

First: the truth behind the Yin Yuan Ritual, and the whereabouts of the true Yin Yuan Sacred Maiden.

When the old chief spoke those words, Wu Wang glanced at his panel.

【Side Quest 1: Investigate the Village Chief’s Secret (Completed)】

This proved the old chief had not lied about his origins.

He truly was an ancient relic from two hundred years ago.

But the next side quest showed no completion marker.

【Side Quest 2: Uncover the Truth of the Yin Yuan Ritual and Find the True Yin Yuan Sacred Maiden】

This meant the old chief had concealed something about the Yin Yuan God.

The truth was not necessarily what he claimed.

He would need to meet the Yin Yuan God himself to confirm.

Second: what was this pollution broadcast?

If he remembered correctly, Principal Wang had gained the Abyss God’s aura by hearing a strange broadcast.

After that, Gaoshan High School became corrupted.

Now, the corruption in Yin Yuan Village stemmed from the same source.

This proved the dungeon world was not entirely independent!

But broadcasts must have an origin.

Wu Wang didn’t believe the Abyss God was broadcasting.

The Abyss God could erase a dungeon with a single glance.

He was too terrifying.

Yet the aura emitted by the broadcast was pitifully weak in comparison.

It was more like someone was using the Abyss God’s accidentally leaked aura to slowly corrupt other dungeons.

“Who would do this? A player? Or some NPC?” Wu Wang’s thoughts grew increasingly chilling.

Added to this, during the public test, it had been mentioned—

【After three consecutive failed completions, a dungeon will manifest in reality】

Someone was deliberately increasing dungeon difficulty to force them into reality!

What kind of catastrophe was this?

Though he himself was immortal,

his second sister was not.

If a dungeon manifested beside her…

“Forget it. Don’t overthink. First, clear this dungeon quickly.” Wu Wang shook his head to clear his thoughts.

His motivation had always been simple—

Grow stronger, strong enough to protect his second sister under any circumstance.

And strong enough to find the Abyss God’s true form.

Then ask him to kill him.

He might be the only being in the world capable of ending Wu Wang’s existence.

Perhaps Wu Wang could even learn the reason for his immortality from the Abyss God.

Wu Wang had longed for true death for a very long time.

Just as water and air are the most primal needs of ordinary people,

death held for him the same irresistible pull.

Perhaps this was the curse of immortality.

“Hehe~ Chicken soup’s ready~”

Wu Wang cheerfully pushed open the wooden door.

It was just like bringing cooked food to call his second sister out of her room in reality, where she was gaming.

It was just like preparing a meal in the real world and going to call your second sister, who was gaming in her room, to come eat.

But upon entering, she saw her lying stiffly on the bed.

Her eyes tightly shut, cold sweat pouring down.

Her entire body trembled, her breathing grew rapid, and she clenched her teeth, emitting a chattering sound.

It was as if she were trapped in an endless nightmare.

Her spirit was being relentlessly tormented.

“Ah!”

Before Wu Wang could step forward to check on her condition,

Wu Xiaoyou suddenly sat bolt upright, eyes snapping open as if rising from a deathbed.

Fear spilled uncontrollably from her eyes.

Seeing Wu Wang’s worried gaze, she stammered tremblingly: “I… I had a nightmare. I saw a strange man. He told me to pass on a message: don’t make any deal with the old village chief.”

“Huh? You’re Cao Cao too? Do you kill people in your dreams?”

Wu Wang was puzzled.

How could a dream mention him?

Even know about his deal with the old village chief?

No sooner had he spoken than Wu Xiaoyou trembled even more violently.

She had never felt such a chilling cold in her life.

The scientific worldview and materialism she had absorbed since childhood shattered instantly.

Even without understanding how this could happen, she instinctively knew what had occurred—

She had encountered a ghost.

“That guy said… his name was…”

“The Great God of Yin Bonds.”