〈Isn’t Chu Yang the Liar? Why would he kill Qi Dengzui? Does the Liar need to kill people?〉
〈Maybe it’s like the mechanism in “Day and Night Campus” in the end, it’s all a free-for-all, and whoever’s left is the winner.〉
〈Wait, isn’t Chu Yang’s weapon a sword? How does he have a scythe?〉
The scythe sliced through the air, ringing out a crisp sound in the silent corridor.
Guan Si moved again, summoning a formation.
However, the white barrier shattered into specks of light the moment it touched the Death God’s scythe.
Qi Dengzui immediately realized the situation was dire.
Chu Yang’s combat power was completely abnormal it wasn’t the strength he should possess at all.
Time was pressing; Qi Dengzui had no chance to ponder Chu Yang’s anomaly. He could only rush back to his room and shut the door as fast as possible.
The door was flimsy, but at a critical moment, it could at least buy some time. If the door couldn’t hold Chu Yang back, he wouldn’t have had Qi Dengzui open it earlier.
Qi Dengzui recalled the initial announcement.
[If someone is damaging the door, you can find ways to reinforce it to resist the destruction.]
Repair formations only worked in the soul-space. So how exactly did one reinforce the door in the physical world?
It couldn’t possibly be by physically blocking it with one’s body, could it?
The door’s damage deepened with each of Chu Yang’s attacks, and soon its health was nearly depleted.
Guan Si unleashed a defensive formation.
〈Defensive Formation: When the door’s health drops below 30%, generates a 3-second invincible defensive barrier.〉
It was during those 3 seconds that Ji Mi arrived.
He raised his hand to form a seal and shouted, “Guan Si, use an item!”
Qi Dengzui’s items had been mostly used up when he killed the black-suited wrathful ghost in the soul-space. At this point, the only ones with ample items were Guan Si and Ji Mi.
The Ghost-Controlling Formation flew into Chu Yang’s body. Unlike Ghost Meng Shu, Chu Yang wasn’t fully controlled in every word and action by Ji Mi, but he was temporarily unable to attack.
Qi Dengzui didn’t understand his intent.
Items came from the shop in the soul-space. Even if they could be used on wrathful ghosts in the physical world, Chu Yang wasn’t a ghost at all, how could he be controlled by an item?
In a flash of insight, Guan Si suddenly understood.
“Chu Yang is a ghost he’s a physical-world body ghost!”
〈What? How could Chu Yang be a ghost? Every instance requires taking the examinee’s certificate at the start, and Chu Yang’s certificate had no issues.〉
〈Exactly, and Chu Yang is a fairly well-known freshman at the Paranormal Academy, plenty of people know him.〉
Guan Si said, “He’s been replaced by a body ghost.”
The broadcast sounded.
[Congratulations to examinees Qi Dengzui, Guan Si, and Ji Mi for unlocking the qualification to answer the final question.]
[Please defeat the wrathful ghost, find the key point, solve the final question, and pass the exam.]
Their thinking had been too narrow all along. Because they spent so much time in the soul-space, the body ghost’s presence wasn’t prominent. Plus, the body ghost had killed Meng Shu, which further convinced them that there was a single, separate body ghost in the physical world.
And that rule about the “Liar” only served to muddy the waters, drawing their attention to the Liar among the examinees and making them overlook the possibility that the body ghost could kill an examinee and take their place.
“Chu Yang’s weapon is a sword; the body ghost’s weapon is a scythe. The Chu Yang now is the body ghost!”
If he guessed right, the time Chu Yang was replaced was roughly when he said his door was broken and asked to come into Qi Dengzui’s room.
His door was broken, but he didn’t turn into a wrathful ghost. Instead, he merged with the body ghost and was replaced by it.
There was indeed a Liar in the inn, but this Liar, Chu Yang, hadn’t even had the chance to lie!
〈Ice Seal Formation: Reduces the wrathful ghost’s attack speed by 80%.〉
Ji Mi’s formation time was almost up, and Guan Si quickly followed up with the Ice Seal Formation.
Ji Mi tossed out another talisman to extend the formation’s duration and said, “Qi Dengzui, think of something fast we can’t hold out much longer.”
“Activate the Myriad Transformations Formation first,” Qi Dengzui said. “Use whatever you’ve got.”
〈Myriad Transformations Formation: Randomly transforms into an item not available in the shop, not limited to this exam venue.〉
It seemed that rolling the Italian cannon had used up all of Qi Dengzui’s luck, because both Guan Si and Ji Mi ended up rolling a “Guillotine” item.
〈Guillotine: When the wrathful ghost’s health drops below 30%, directly deals damage equal to 10% of its maximum health.〉
Oh no. Screwed.
Qi Dengzui closed his eyes, truly not expecting the two of them to be that unlucky. The Guillotine could only be used when the wrathful ghost’s health was below 30%, but Chu Yang was still at full health making it a useless item.
Just as Chu Yang was about to resume his attack, Ji Mi suddenly thought of something and said, “Qi Dengzui, the shop in the physical world seems off. I just went there, and there’s something inside!”
Qi Dengzui’s expression hardened, and he said, “Got it. Do you still have any items?”
“Yes!” Ji Mi said. “I still have 3 talisman launchers.”
He was a “Ghost Tamer,” naturally having an affinity for talismans and the like. After entering the shop, he basically bought nothing but talisman launchers.
Guan Si said, “I have 2 as well.”
Combined, Ji Mi and Guan Si had a total of 5 talisman launchers, which could hold out for 15 seconds.
That was enough.
Qi Dengzui said, “Use the talismans!”
All 5 talismans were activated simultaneously. Seizing the moment, Qi Dengzui quickly opened the door and withdrew from the room. The three of them sprinted toward the shop, the scene strikingly similar to the final escape sequence in Escape from the Madhouse.
When they reached the shop, Qi Dengzui suddenly paused. He wasn’t sure whether he could trust Ji Mi.
Chu Yang was a ghost, what about Ji Mi?
Why would he approach the shop when the announcement explicitly said not to enter it?
Behind them, Chu Yang was almost upon them.
There was no time left.
Enter the shop or not this was a forced-choice question with only two options, and he had to make a decision.
Right, and he lived; wrong, and he died.
His heart pounded wildly, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Just before Chu Yang caught up, he chose to step into the shop.
[Announcement 5: There is a shop in the inn. If you enter it, leave immediately and do not purchase any items. If you purchase items, we will no longer be able to provide you with any protection.]
They had broken the rule of Announcement 5.
The shop in the physical realm was completely different from the one in the soul realm. Items were still displayed, but their descriptions were eerily strange.
〈AAA: The vengeful ghost loves this formation it makes him feel full of power!〉
〈BBB: You’ll obtain a cursed weapon. It’s incredibly powerful, but it will devour your soul~〉
〈CCC: 50% chance to break free from control. Anyone who controls you will pay the price~〉
〈DDD: Unknown formation, but I’m sure you’ll like it~〉
The bullet comments couldn’t hold back.
〈Damn, what kind of descriptions are these.〉
〈Which one can we even use? Feels like they’re all useless items.〉
Chu Yang saw them enter the shop and flew into a rage. He swung his scythe, chopping down again and again.
Qi Dengzui dodged sideways, trying to sort out the effects of these items amid his chaotic thoughts.
Chu Yang’s attack speed was blindingly fast. Even at his peak condition, Qi Dengzui would struggle to evade, let alone now, wounded and far from his former strength.
“Guan Si, there must be a loophole in the announcements and rules. Think about it.”
Qi Dengzui was stretched thin. The ghost couldn’t attack Guan Si in the soul realm, so Guan Si was relatively safe for now. Finding the loophole had to fall to him.
Most of the announcements and rules had already been tested, but the only ones still uncertain were. Rule 6 and the unfinished Rule 7.
[Rule 6: Every so often, the vengeful ghost will grow stronger. The ghost may leave, but do not let your guard down.]
The ghost grows stronger, why would it grow stronger?
That had been Qi Dengzui’s question from the very start. The ghost could have killed Meng Shu but chose to flee instead.
He looked at the items in the shop.
The vengeful ghost loves.
A cursed weapon.
Could it be that the shop in the physical realm was actually the vengeful ghost’s item shop?!
At that moment, Guan Si felt an unprecedented clarity. All the inconsistencies began to link together into a single thread.
The ghost leaves, there are items in the shop, the ghost grows stronger, examinees can’t buy items from the physical realm.
He understood!
Guan Si said, “Brother Qi, destroy the items! Those are the ghost’s enhancement tools.”
Hearing Guan Si’s voice, Chu Yang suddenly panicked.
At the same moment, the broadcast rang out:
[The vengeful ghost has entered a frenzy!]
[Examinees, please note: during the frenzy, the ghost’s defense, attack power, and attack speed will all be greatly boosted. The frenzy lasts for 3 minutes total.]
“Damn it.”
Even Qi Dengzui couldn’t help but curse. The ghost could go berserk too.
Chu Yang’s combat power skyrocketed, his death scythe slashing like a black blur toward Qi Dengzui.
Guan Si summoned the Skeleton Bone Umbrella again, using its body to block attacks for Qi Dengzui.
The Skeleton Bone Umbrella was far stronger than the Glass Fan, but Guan Si wasn’t in an offensive position. All he could do was defend, not counterattack.
The tide turned abruptly. They were one step away from victory when they got blindsided.
The ghost going berserk, that must be the unfinished Rule 7.
Guan Si used his last item besides the “Guillotine”: the Ice Seal Formation.
〈Ice Seal Formation: Reduces the ghost’s attack speed by 80%.〉
Chu Yang slowed slightly, but with the frenzy boost, his speed merely returned to pre-frenzy levels still terrifyingly fast.
They were nearly at a dead end.
The scythe grazed Qi Dengzui’s right arm, slicing off a chunk of flesh. He barely dodged the blow, his handsome, cold face drained of all color.
As he dodged, he tore off the black cloth wrapped around his hand and quickly bound it around his right arm to stop the bleeding. His nerves were numb with pain, and his breathing came in heavy, ragged gasps.
His voice was weak as he said, “Guan Si, enter my body!”
Guan Si didn’t ask what he intended to do. Even though he knew that, given Qi Dengzui’s current physical condition, the moment he returned to Qi Dengzui’s body, he might collapse and be unable to get up.
Yet at that moment, he still chose to trust Qi Dengzui.
Because he knew that Qi Dengzui had once saved his life with his own.
Even if Qi Dengzui no longer remembered it.
Guan Si said, “Alright.”
He flew into Qi Dengzui’s body, and at the same time, Qi Dengzui left his body, returning to his soul state.
Without a bed, there was no medium for the soul to leave the body. The only way was for Guan Si’s soul to forcibly squeeze into Qi Dengzui’s body, forcing his soul out.
Having left his body, Qi Dengzui finally had the energy to release the cannon he had stored away.
The cannon wasn’t aimed at Chu Yang. Instead, its muzzle turned and fired straight at the prop counter in the shop.
Since props from the soul world could be used on body ghosts, this cannon could likewise destroy the shop props in the physical world.
This remaining cannonball was the last glimmer of hope!