Chapter 322: When an Animal Blocks Your Path, There Must Be a Reason!
Inside the sealed general store, the scent of incense filled the air.
Rahman organized his things and walked to the closed front door, letting out a long breath.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the door, like a wisp of a wandering soul, struggling to illuminate this forgotten world.
The Chosen Ones, who had been tormented by the night all night long, should have been overjoyed to see sunlight.
But according to the rules’ warnings, the Chosen Ones all maintained a certain fear of sunlight.
Not every Chosen One dared to be as bold as Zhang Yangqing, opening the door directly.
Before opening the door, they still had to make sure there was no one outside.
Rahman only lifted the door curtain just a tiny bit.
Then he lay flat on the ground, checking through the gap in the curtain whether anyone was outside.
Only after confirming that the people who had knocked earlier had all left did Rahman open the curtain and step outside.
After quickly shutting the door behind him, he followed Rule 18’s instruction and first hung the black wooden sword above the front door.
After all, he wasn’t sure if he could make it back tonight. Better to hang it first and think later.
If he came back, he’d take the black wooden sword down.
If he didn’t come back, then it was as good as hung in advance.
That way, he could avoid violating the rules due to not returning.
When it came to understanding the rules, Rahman had his own set of skills.
The other Chosen Ones used similar strategies, prioritizing stability.
After all, those who couldn’t think on their feet wouldn’t have survived this long.
Zhang Yangqing might make it look easy and comfortable—just watching his big screen, you’d think this ghost story had no danger at all.
But in the eyes of the other Chosen Ones, this ghost story world was extremely difficult. Especially with the unexpected dangers looming ahead, it made people not even want to step out of the general store.
The general store had rules protecting it, and they were already familiar with those rules. But they knew nothing about the rules elsewhere.
Yet staying here was a slow death. Every second counted—that was what the Chosen Ones should be doing.
With that thought, some Chosen Ones who were venturing out for the first time poked their heads out first, looked around to make sure no one was there, and only then stepped outside.
Outside, the dead trees under the sunlight gave off waves of black mist, dimming this area somewhat.
Even though it was broad daylight, the Chosen Ones felt it was deeply eerie.
Dangers could be hidden all around. They needed to stay vigilant at all times—one careless moment could cost them their lives.
Moreover, the Chosen Ones had offended some guests last night. Those guests didn’t seem to retaliate immediately, but that didn’t mean they would forget.
Inside the general store with its rules, they naturally had no way to act. But now that the Chosen Ones had appeared in a place without rules, there was naturally a chance of being attacked.
So when Rahman walked, he didn’t even dare walk in the middle of the main road. He tried his best to walk along places with cover, so that if an attack came, he could find somewhere to hide and then figure out how to bypass the danger.
Many Chosen Ones, like Zhang Yangqing, chose to wear bamboo hats.
Some, for extra safety, also carried paper umbrellas.
Without exception, everyone was wrapped up tightly.
But when it came to fashion, the other Chosen Ones hadn’t put in much research. As long as their bodies were covered, that was enough. Surviving according to the rules was what mattered.
Sometimes, they looked a bit mismatched and awkward.
Only Zhang Yangqing, fighting on his home turf, had an outfit that made people’s eyes light up.
His cloak seemed tailor-made for him, and his clothes fit him perfectly.
Even an ordinary piece of clothing looked like a magnificent robe when he wore it.
It really made the audience sigh—sure enough, when a person is handsome, even wearing rags looks good.
The other Chosen Ones walked down the road, glancing back every few steps, and dressed oddly too, making them look like petty thieves.
Zhang Yangqing was more imposing. He walked in the center of the wide road, his steps firm and steady, as if every step was stamping a deep mark into this ancient land.
His upright figure, combined with his slightly mysterious mask, made him look exactly like a righteous wanderer—a hero who fought for justice while hiding his name and achievements.
It formed a huge contrast with the timid, shrinking appearance of the other Chosen Ones.
As the audience put it, Celestial Master Zhang had truly mastered the home-field advantage.
It also made many of Zhang Yangqing’s fans frantically take screenshots, capturing this beautiful moment.
Inside the ghost story world, all the Chosen Ones had the same goal—to go to Young Master Kongxu’s graveyard area.
After all, there was no information about other places at all. Only Young Master Kongxu had given his address.
As the Chosen Ones passed some small slopes, they could see the surrounding mountains stretching endlessly.
Standing at a high point, every mountain looked somewhat towering and majestic, like dragons coiled and tigers crouching, with endless dangers hidden within.
Especially when a gust of wind blew through, the trees in the mountains began to sway. These mountains seemed to come alive, baring their fangs and claws at the Chosen Ones.
Normal Chosen Ones didn’t dare set foot in places beyond their intelligence, lest complications arise.
Everyone was advancing according to the rough sketch Young Master Kongxu had given—though calling it a sketch, it was really just a simple route map.
Just from the markings on the map, one could tell this place wasn’t close.
Normally, it would take several hours. It really seemed like they couldn’t reach the place Young Master Kongxu mentioned.
And that was only under the assumption of no danger. Who knew whether the ghost story world had hidden dangerous traps along the way, waiting for the Chosen Ones to fall in and die?
This was also why many Chosen Ones hadn’t gone to Young Master Kongxu for help when facing danger yesterday.
It was now two in the afternoon. Based on the distance, they should be able to arrive within three hours.
If they ran into trouble on the way, they’d probably reach Young Master Kongxu’s graveyard area after dark.
At the mere thought of nightfall, all kinds of dangerous things appeared in the Chosen Ones’ minds.
They had seen quite a few bizarre guests last night.
Those guests might have been well-behaved in the general store, but that didn’t mean they were the same outside.
The general store was, put simply, the beginner’s village—a place to let everyone get a general understanding of what the anomalies here were like.
The real test could be said to have just begun.
Forest trails were hard to walk—winding and rugged. Unlike the Plague Town stage, there were no vehicles here.
Still, this stage wasn’t too bad. If it were the Polar Night Snowfield, not only would they have to keep walking, but they’d also have to endure the cold constantly.
Those with weaker constitutions couldn’t walk for long in the Polar Night Snowfield at all.
Right now, besides some equipment, Rahman also had gold-rimmed candles packed in a general store takeout box.
The takeout box had the words “Heat-Resistant” written on it, making it suitable for storing gold-rimmed candles.
Otherwise, in such scorching weather, the candles would melt before they even reached their destination.
There were actually quite a few good items in the general store. The Chosen Ones could choose according to the instructions.
And this box wasn’t cheap—ten yuan each.
When the time came, all these bills would be charged to Young Master Kongxu.
As a Chosen One who had cleared the Polar Night Snowfield and earned an SSSS rating, Rahman had some knowledge about mountain climbing.
His previous job was constantly climbing these harsh places, exploring ancient ruins. His physical fitness was naturally excellent.
When facing steep small slopes, other ordinary Chosen Ones chose to take detours, but he would climb straight up.
Of course, for the Daoists of Dragon Tiger Mountain, these were as flat as walking on ground—let alone someone like Zhang Yangqing.
“Strange, I really don’t feel hungry. If I’m not mistaken, I should have gone seventeen hours without eating.”
Rahman walked according to the map while feeling the changes in his body.
He only felt a bit weak from losing his heart, but he truly had no sense of hunger.
He also found it strange. Since when was his body this incredible?
Weak was weak, but he couldn’t feel tired at all, and his body was stronger than his original one.
Could it be that this stage’s body wasn’t a special body?
Or maybe I’ve cleared so many stages that I’ve been given more attributes, enhancing my physique?
Many questions appeared in his mind. He had earned S ratings or above in several clears, so his attributes had naturally increased quite a bit.
The higher a Chosen One’s attributes, the greater the bonus from the ghost story world’s special physique.
Rahman was also slowly experiencing the benefits.
But Rule 15 said, “Just because you don’t feel hungry doesn’t mean you don’t need to eat.”
But there wasn’t even a small mountain village nearby, let alone a city. Where was he supposed to find food?
He hadn’t spotted any wild fruit by the roadside yet. He couldn’t just eat grass and gnaw on tree bark, could he?
Besides, the trees here were rather strange. What if they were poisonous? Eating himself to death wouldn’t be good.
How to find food was also a huge challenge in this stage.
Otherwise, by the time he truly couldn’t walk anymore, finding food would be even harder.
After walking for about half an hour, the Chosen Ones still hadn’t found anything edible by the roadside.
But they didn’t dare take other paths, so they could only grit their teeth and keep going, seeing what would come their way.
Some bold Chosen Ones pulled up plants that looked like wildflowers and ate them.
It had to be said, there was actually some effect. At least their stomachs were filled, and their bodies weren’t as weak.
Because these Chosen Ones figured they probably weren’t normal humans this time, and their digestive systems might be different from normal people’s.
So anything nearby that looked edible, they picked up and tried.
Some Chosen Ones with strong wilderness survival skills even started eating insects raw.
In their eyes, these were all protein!
Especially when those Chosen Ones swallowed them in one bite—the bursting image simply terrified the audience.
Thankfully, they had seen plenty of wilderness survival footage before, or they’d have developed psychological trauma.
But for some Chosen Ones, this was perfectly normal.
Because among the Chosen Ones, there were many Transcendents. Some of these Transcendents had lived in deep mountains and old forests their whole lives. Their requirements for food weren’t that high.
Cicadas, monkey cicadas, locusts, bees—whatever they caught, they ate.
To survive, the Chosen Ones didn’t care about any of that. Many who hadn’t started eating yet also gradually began searching for food.
Anyway, whatever insects they caught, they’d eat if they could. If they didn’t dare eat them, they’d eat grass roots and tree bark.
Only with a full stomach could they have the strength to continue.
Zhang Yangqing simply had attributes that were too high, so he hadn’t felt weak yet.
The Chosen Ones each showed their own abilities in this mountain forest. After walking for about an hour, they emerged from one mountain area, but ahead appeared another strange forest.
Every tree trunk in this forest was extremely twisted, like humans in bizarre poses.
Looking closely, one could even see abstract bumpy marks on the upper parts of the trees, like miserable human faces.
The trees towered high, blocking out the sky. Even though it was three in the afternoon, most of the area inside was pitch black, with only a little sunlight penetrating through.
Just arriving here, the Chosen Ones always felt like pairs of eyes were watching them from inside, eagerly anticipating their entry.
And there was only one path here. Taking a detour meant everything was unknown.
“Normally, there should be rules for facing this kind of eerie area, right?”
Rahman looked at the forest before him and began to slow down.
Even from a distance, he could hear sounds coming from inside that didn’t seem like anything a living creature would make. It was chilling.
That eerie atmosphere made him feel completely uncertain. Wasn’t this obviously a trap?
Soon, Rahman found a stone monument by the roadside. He was about to run over to see if there were any rules.
When he got near the stone monument, he found an old man with white hair leaning against the other side of it.
The old man’s body seemed to have reached its limit of exhaustion. Even his breathing was extremely faint.
His skin was as dry as autumn leaves, and every inch of muscle seemed to declare its powerlessness to the years.
His face was wrinkled, and his teeth weren’t very complete either.
Behind the stone monument was a large tree, and he was leaning against the monument to enjoy the shade.
He seemed to carry the aura of a dying person, making people instinctively want to help him.
Rahman was very calm now. His first reaction was to observe his surroundings. There weren’t many trees nearby, and sunlight was plentiful.
It was a transitional zone between the mountain area and the forest, relatively open.
According to the intelligence he had gathered yesterday, ghost cultivator types of anomalies nearby were afraid of sunlight, so they were all active at night.
So-called demon cultivators were different. They didn’t look like humans, but they could move around during the day.
Rahman had also asked Young Master Kongxu about his own situation. Young Master Kongxu said Rahman was neither a ghost nor a demon—he was currently a type of “human.”
This “currently” was worth pondering. Even Young Master Kongxu didn’t know the specifics—he was only a ghost cultivator himself.
Just getting this information was enough to show that Rahman’s performance last night had been excellent.
Not just him—the other Chosen Ones were the same. They weren’t just selling things in the general store.
In the beginner’s village, they naturally needed to find guests they could communicate with, win their favor, and then start asking for information, gaining a preliminary understanding of this anomalous world.
Zhang Yangqing hadn’t asked for any information during the general store stage. He just needed to know how to follow the main storyline.
After all, in this world, some anomalies might not even be as familiar to him as they were to Zhang Yangqing himself.
Facing the old man leaning against the stone monument, the Chosen Ones all knew this must have triggered some kind of plot.
Normally, if he were a friendly NPC, helping him should yield some reward.
But based on the Chosen Ones’ experience, not every task could be accepted.
The ghost story world was full of trap tasks. After helping some dangerous NPCs, Chosen Ones wouldn’t just fail to get benefits—they’d actually be set up because of it.
But how to judge whether these NPCs were tricking you? Relying on gut feeling alone wouldn’t work.
Since the ghost story world placed him by the roadside, there must be a way to verify his identity.
That was to look at the intelligence the Chosen Ones had gathered in the first stage.
Rahman observed for a while, then picked up his peach-wood sword and walked over.
As long as this old man feared the peach-wood sword, he could be judged as having a problem.
Because this area was ghost cultivator territory, and this old man looked very human, he shouldn’t be a demon cultivator.
That being the case, the peach-wood sword was something they couldn’t touch.
If the old man wasn’t afraid, that proved he should be “human.”
But when Rahman walked under the tree’s shadow and came to the old man’s side, the old man showed no particular expression.
Rahman asked cautiously, “Elder, has something happened here?”
Hearing someone call out, the old man slightly opened his eyes and looked toward the direction of the voice.
That weak gaze made Rahman feel he probably posed no threat.
And he didn’t seem afraid of the peach-wood sword either.
“Young man, you’ve run into trouble. Could you do me a favor?”
The old man got straight to the point, saying he had sprained his ankle while walking. His foot was indeed badly swollen.
But he had to get home before nightfall, or his body would have problems.
If Rahman could carry him home, he would definitely reward him.
From just this simple conversation, Rahman knew where the trap was.
Because the old man had mentioned needing to be sent home before “nightfall.”
That meant if he wasn’t sent home before nightfall, something eerie would appear.
And that eerie thing might be the old man himself.
Some anomalies posed no threat to Chosen Ones during specific time periods.
But once that time period passed, they became terrifying existences.
This wasn’t a simple task. Rahman first asked clearly where exactly the old man lived.
If it deviated from his main quest direction—that is, away from Young Master Kongxu’s graveyard area—then it was probably a scam.
The old man described the location. Rahman took out the rough sketch Young Master Kongxu had given him and judged that it should be along this road.
After walking forward a good distance, then deviating slightly from the main route, one would reach the old man’s home.
It didn’t seem like a big problem. Since it was on the way anyway, Rahman agreed to his request.
Here, the Chosen Ones were roughly divided into two viewpoints.
The first was that in such an eerie place, how could there be an ordinary person?
The rules didn’t say I had to help him. He wasn’t even mentioned in the rules—because the rules mentioned a blind old fisherman, and this guy wasn’t even blind.
At this point, one could also choose not to help.
But very few Chosen Ones made this choice. Avoiding a challenge could also mean missing the answer.
The second viewpoint was the exact opposite—since the area ahead was definitely extremely dangerous, and this old man could survive in such a place, he must have special abilities.
If you helped him, you’d surely get an unexpected reward.
In the ghost story world, danger was sometimes also an opportunity.
It just depended on whether the Chosen One was willing to gamble. As long as it wouldn’t kill him, what was the harm in helping?
Rahman felt this might be an opportunity. After all, the journey was long, and having someone by his side was actually nice.
He was fairly good at utilizing NPCs. Last night, he had used three relatively friendly NPCs to deal with that dangerous anomaly.
With that thought, he helped the old man up and carried him on his back.
The old man was very light. For a Chosen One with an already extraordinary physique, it was no problem.
The main thing was, if he couldn’t get him home before dark, he’d find a way to dump him halfway and run.
In this stage, the clearest thinker was undoubtedly Miller, the Chosen One from Eagle Sauce Nation.
Miller examined the stone monument and the tree all around but found no rules.
So a bold idea came to his mind: maybe this old man was the so-called “rule.”
Because rules were the key to surviving danger in the ghost story world.
The forest ahead looked very dangerous. According to the old man, he lived here—how could he not know the dangers?
So he was very likely the “rule” here.
With that thought, Miller smiled and happily carried the old man on his back, stepping into this dark, eerie forest.
At this stage, the best performer might have been Miller, but the most outrageous performer was undoubtedly the Celestial Master of Dragon Nation.
On Dragon Nation’s big screen, Zhang Yangqing had also reached this place. He did indeed find an old man.
Just as the audience was expecting Zhang Yangqing to make some brilliant move, he didn’t even look back and strode directly inside.
This left the audience somewhat confused. Had Celestial Master Zhang discovered it was a trap?
Otherwise, how could he just leave without saying a word?
Viewers from other countries might not understand, but Dragon Nation’s audience was already bursting with joy.
The bullet comments came surging like a flood.
: See that? There’s an old man lying by the roadside. Never mind us ordinary people—even Celestial Master Zhang doesn’t dare help him up.
: There are no surveillance cameras in this place. If you got caught, it’d be hard to explain. I think Celestial Master Zhang is absolutely right to do this.
: If you didn’t hit him, why did you help him up? That would be the finishing blow.
: Although I don’t know what Celestial Master Zhang is trying to do, I think Celestial Master Zhang is awesome!
He’s the only one who dares to swagger into this eerie forest.
Even the Daoist peers watching the big screen didn’t understand. If it were those eerie guests and the general store, they could understand—that was within the scope of Dragon Nation-themed settings.
But these eerie trees had already exceeded the scope of normal cognition. They were already characteristic species of the ghost story world. How could Celestial Master Zhang still not care?
Could it be that he’d stayed in the ghost story world so long that he’d figured something out?
Everyone felt that Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master’s experience was already unmatched. There must be something he hadn’t revealed yet. So expert groups from every country were staring intently at his screen, wanting to see how he would get through this stage.
In the ghost story world, you might even find that Celestial Master Zhang’s actions were even more bizarre than the anomalies themselves.
When other Chosen Ones cleared stages, they were clueless and could only react to each move.
When Zhang Yangqing cleared stages, he always left the people outside baffled, only able to wait for him to use actual actions to “explain” later.
After Rahman carried the old man into the forest, sunlight could barely penetrate.
Normally, walking into such a dense forest, you’d smell the fragrance of soil and green grass.
But what Rahman smelled was the stench of rotting corpses.
These trees with their terrifying faces and twisted shapes always gave him a bad feeling.
He was afraid he might suddenly be attacked while passing by.
The old man on his back wasn’t heavy, but he seemed very weak, chatting with Rahman in bits and pieces.
Sometimes Rahman would ask ten questions and not get a single answer.
Rahman was afraid he might die on the way, and then all his work would be for nothing.
While observing his surroundings and letting his thoughts wander, he suddenly stopped.
Because a chicken appeared before his eyes. This chicken looked about the same as one from Blue Star.
Rahman swallowed at the sight. He’d eaten so many grass roots, tree bark, grasshoppers, and termites—he wanted some meat.
But just at that moment, the old man opened his eyes and said in a weak voice, “Friend, do not harm it. In our place, there’s a saying: ‘When an animal blocks your path, there must be a reason.'”
