Translator: CKtalon
Zhou Wen passed through Witch Castle and arrived at the garden. He saw Gaiman and company standing motionless in the garden as though they were possessed.
What happened? Zhou Wen was alarmed.
Although there was a Shapeshifting Beast in the garden, with Gaiman and company’s abilities, it wouldn’t be easy for the Shapeshifting Beast to kill them. He had only taken about ten minutes to take Wang Lu out and return.
Zhou Wen didn’t believe that Gaiman, Lance, and company had been tricked by the Shapeshifting Beast in such a short period.
Furthermore, Gaiman and company were only standing in the garden. There were no wounds on their bodies, and there were no signs of battle around them. It didn’t look like a battle had just happened.
However, Gaiman and company stood there motionless like statues.
Zhou Wen looked towards the center of the garden, where Gaiman and company were facing.
There’s no tree... Zhou Wen was immediately alarmed.
The other parts of the garden looked identical to the ones in-game, but there was no tree in the middle.
There was a grave at the spot where the tree was supposed to be. In front of the grave was a tombstone, and on the tombstone was a strange mask.
The mask was like a ghoul, but it looked a little like a clown. It was strange and comical, different from any mask Zhou Wen had seen before.
Gaiman, Lance, and company stared intently at the mask on the tombstone. They didn’t even blink. Their breathing seemed to have stopped.
There’s really a grave and mask. Frod wasn’t lying. Zhou Wen sized up the mask. He activated Truth Listener and the Heaven-Opening Scripture to their limits.
However, as he watched, he realized that he couldn’t move his gaze away from the mask.
The eye sockets of the mask seemed to be two black holes that wanted to suck away Zhou Wen’s soul.
Not good! Zhou Wen was alarmed. His first reaction was to summon Demonic Neonate, but he realized that he couldn’t even summon his Companion Beast.
It was as if there was some mysterious force blocking his thoughts, preventing him from contacting his Companion Beasts.
Damn it, what’s going on? Zhou Wen didn’t have time to be shocked and angry. He first attempted to switch Essence Energy Arts. They could be used, but his body still couldn’t move.
Regardless of which Life Soul or Life Providence he used, his gaze was firmly fixated on the mask, and his body couldn’t move.
It’s over! Zhou Wen became disheartened.
Now, there was really nothing he could do.
Zhou Wen was only glad that he had forcefully sent Wang Lu out. Otherwise, she would have died here as well.
He switched his Life Soul to the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder. The garden had an hour limit. By only being able to stand there immobile, he would definitely die once the hour was up without the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder.
Even with the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder, Zhou Wen didn’t know how long he could live.
He didn’t believe that the mask only mesmerized people into standing there. It definitely had other abilities. It might even eat people.
I can still last for a period of time with the Heaven-Opening Scripture of the Highest Elder, but Lance and company don’t have it. If they can’t leave this place within an hour, I’m afraid they’ll die immediately. Zhou Wen estimated that there was only about forty minutes left until the hour limit in the garden.
What can I do? Countless thoughts flashed through Zhou Wen’s mind, but he couldn’t think of a solution.
He couldn’t move his body or contact his Companion Beast. Although he could use his Essence Energy Arts, they weren’t enough to free him from the strange power of the mask.
As time ticked by, cold sweat broke out on Zhou Wen’s forehead. As the hour was getting closer, he still couldn’t think of a way to save Lance and company.
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, Zhou Wen heard a strange sound coming from the grave. It was a very dull knocking sound.
He kept hearing the sound because the Truth Listener earring had been on his ear the entire time. Its ability was still working, allowing Zhou Wen to hear that the sound came from the grave.
The soil above the grave trembled and with a dull sound, the pile of soil rose as though something was about to drill out.
I knew it. Something happens every time I enter a dimensional zone in real life. Will I be eaten by the dead this time? Zhou Wen was extremely depressed.
He wasn’t afraid because there were no such things as supernatural beings in this era. All of them were dimensional creatures. Since ghosts and gods were dimensional creatures, what was there to be afraid of?
Knock! Knock!
The sound from the grave continued to sound, becoming clearer and clearer. It was no longer as dull as before.
Soon, Zhou Wen realized that in the grave, a strange box appeared as though some force was pushing it from beneath.
That’s a coffin? The coffins Zhou Wen had seen in the past were squarish, but the style of this coffin was somewhat strange. It was a hexagon.
Knock! Knock!
The sound came again, and the coffin trembled with the sound. Now, it was certain that the sound came from inside the coffin. It looked like something was about to rush out.
Clang!
Just as Zhou Wen was thinking about it, he suddenly heard a loud bang. The coffin lid flew up and Zhou Wen saw a hand reach out from the coffin and grab the edge of the coffin.
It was a pale hand with slender fingers, but it was very thin as though it was malnourished.
The fingernails weren’t long, but they showed a strange jade color. They didn’t look like normal cuticles.
Soon, another hand extended out. A pair of hands pressed down on the sides of the coffin. It looked like it was using a lot of strength. Even the tendons on the back of the hands protruded.
Then, Zhou Wen saw a head slowly rise up.
Long hair covered his face, making it impossible to see what he looked like. From his figure, he should be a man.
The man stood up from the coffin. His figure was about the same as Zhou Wen’s. He might be slightly taller, but not much taller.
From its appearance, it was actually a human.
It’s impossible for it to be a human. Why would a human sleep in such a place? As Zhou Wen was pondering, the person pulled back his hair with both hands, revealing his face.
The moment he saw the face, Zhou Wen was so surprised that he nearly escaped the mask’s control. This was because the face looked identical to Lance’s.
Zhou Wen used Truth Listener to observe his figure again and realized that his figure was identical to Lance’s. It was as though he was carved from the same mold.
However, he was thinner than Lance and looked a little malnourished.
He can’t be Lance, so who is he? Zhou Wen was very sure that he wasn’t Lance because Lance was just like him, standing there in a daze.