Horror in the Ancient City

Walking along the ancient bluestone street, houses lined both sides, but not a soul was in sight. It was deathly quiet. In such an enormous ancient city, there were actually very few people. By now, night had fallen. From behind, the Shanhai man called out again, "Best not to go out at night. Find a room to stay in as soon as possible, or else... if something happens at night, you bear the consequences yourself!" *Best not to go out at night?* *Does that mean you technically can?* Su Yu felt a bit perplexed. And what about these armored guards? They were still guarding the city gate—would they be fine? "What about you?" Su Yu turned back to ask. "Us..." The Shanhai man said in a distant, eerie tone, "Us... we won't be in any danger. We are part of this ancient city." Su Yu fell silent, vaguely grasping some implicit truth. He asked no more questions and continued forward. There were many houses lining the street. Some looked quite dilapidated, and even their doors and windows showed signs of decay. However, Su Yu did not dare try anything; the Shanhai man had warned never to damage the buildings here, and besides, they were indestructible anyway. Moreover, damaging them invited danger. Outside every house hung a wooden plaque. Occupied, or unoccupied. Every plaque displayed occupancy information. As Su Yu walked, the door of a house suddenly swung open. The next instant, a jade talisman was tossed out. Su Yu was startled, thinking he was under attack, and hurriedly dodged backward. The jade talisman hit the ground with a soft clatter. Su Yu looked closely. The jade talisman was stained with fresh blood. His heart stirred. *Is this to become a resident of the ancient city?* He glanced toward the open doorway, catching sight of a pair of eyes. It was an enormous elk. Seeing Su Yu, the elk was startled as well, hastily retreating. It stared at Su Yu with terrified eyes before slamming the door shut with a loud bang. "Huh?" Su Yu blinked, quickly understanding. *Did that creature think I was the one collecting the jade talisman?* *Someone is supposed to collect the talisman after it's tossed out, right?* *More importantly, if I picked it up, would the creature still become a resident?* With doubts lingering in his mind, Su Yu felt a twinge of amusement and dread. If someone threw out a talisman and he snatched it away, then after three consecutive days, that fellow would assume they had gained residency and could stay permanently—only to find out they hadn't. Wouldn't they be completely doomed? If you don't leave after three days, danger strikes. Wouldn't that mean certain death? *You think you're a resident, but in fact, you're not!* *How tragic would that be!* He looked down at the jade talisman on the ground, sorely tempted to test it. It was tossed out so casually—could it just be picked up? Just as the thought crossed his mind, Su Yu's heart jolted violently. The "Calamity" divine character leaped with unprecedented fury! An intense warning! Su Yu was horrified. He shot backward in an instant, retreating hundreds of meters. The Calamity character was still throbbing, though slightly less violently than before. Right at that moment, a shadow materialized where the jade talisman had been dropped. A pitch-black silhouette. Beneath the cloak of night, the shadow stepped toward the jade talisman, reaching out to grasp it. The blood-stained jade talisman vanished into the shadow's grip. The talisman disappeared, and the shadow began carving something into the wooden plaque hanging by the door. A moment later, the shadow prepared to leave. Yet Su Yu's heart churned in astonishment. *What the hell is that?* The perception jade showed no light dot at all! The distance was certainly less than a thousand meters. Could it be an Invincible? Impossible! A mere shadow collecting jade talismans being at the Invincible Realm? Are you kidding me? Just as he was thinking this, the Calamity divine character violently twitched once more. Su Yu fled without hesitation. At that exact moment, the shadow abruptly turned its head toward him. From its dark, hollow eyes shot a streak of gloomy light, hurtling straight at Su Yu. Su Yu was terrified, feeling a crushing sense of imminent crisis. Relying on sheer instinct, he flickered across the street. Under the cover of night, he was the only living being on the road. The sound of breaking wind was deafening. Yet throughout the street, not a single inhabitant opened their door to look outside. In the ancient city, everyone understood one absolute truth: best not to go out at night. Even if heaven and earth were being overturned outside, never step out to watch the commotion, or the one dying might be you. In this ancient city, anyone daring to wander at night was either a reckless fool or an absolute powerhouse. No matter what happened, going out at night invited doom. Su Yu pushed his Five Elements escape techniques to their absolute limit. Unfortunately, he could not utilize earth escape here at all; the ground could not be penetrated, which was utterly terrifying. If Fu Tuling ever came here, he would be easily hacked to death. Su Yu fled relentlessly, but that gloomy light pursued him like a shadow clinging to his form. The black figure itself had already vanished, leaving behind only this beam of eerie light. As Su Yu fled for his life, the Shanhai armored guard at the city gate also sensed the commotion. He turned his head toward the city interior. Su Yu had not made it far, so the guard clearly spotted the black beam pursuing him. His expression shifted slightly, and he quickly sent a voice transmission, "Hurry, find an unoccupied house to take cover! That is ancient city death light! If it stains you, the ancient city dead spirits will hound you relentlessly, and death qi will consume you!" Su Yu was so frustrated he could spit blood. *I didn't do a damn thing!* *I was walking peacefully, and that elk suddenly hurled a jade talisman out. How was I supposed to know I'd run into this kind of trouble? What a nightmare!* The black beam behind him was indeed brimming with heavy death qi. From the Shanhai guard's words, it sounded like a tracking marker. Dead spirits... ancient city dead spirits—was that referring to that black shadow? No aura of life! No wonder the perception jade failed to detect it. It wasn't that the entity was overwhelmingly strong, but that it wasn't a living being at all! The perception jade could not detect things without life. This creature was far too dangerous; if not for the Calamity divine character's warning, had Su Yu lingered by the jade talisman, he might have been crushed to death by that shadow in an instant. Su Yu scanned frantically. Right beside him stood a small cottage, its wooden plaque indicating it was unoccupied! Su Yu charged straight for it! With a loud thud, he slammed open the door, darted inside, and yanked the door shut. At that exact instant, the death qi outside crashed heavily against the door. A faint wisp of death qi slipped through the crack of the door, latching directly onto the arm Su Yu had used to close it. The door shut tight, and the rest of the death qi vanished. Yet a thread of death qi now wrapped around Su Yu's arm, rapidly corroding and devouring his flesh and blood. Su Yu was horrified! He had no time to deliberate. Letting out a low roar, vast amounts of heavenly origin qi surged forth. He immediately activated the Immortal race's Vitality Stimulation technique, followed by the Immortal race's Flesh Regeneration technique. Heavenly origin qi and death qi intertwined on his arm. They clashed violently, grinding each other down. This continuous struggle lasted nearly half an hour before Su Yu finally exhaled in immense relief. He swung his arm; it was fully intact. The death qi had been completely eradicated. However, the consumption of heavenly origin qi was horrifying—it took a whole ten portions! All that for just a tiny wisp of death qi! Lingering fear gripped Su Yu. If he had been struck by that entire beam of death qi, his flesh and blood would probably have been devoured down to the bone in an instant. "What on earth was that thing?" Su Yu's heart pounded. That thing was an ancient city dead spirit? *Damn it!* *I just entered the city, and it treats me like this? Totally inhumane!* *If I didn't have heavenly origin qi and didn't know the Vitality Stimulation technique, wouldn't I be completely done for?* Being wrapped in that death qi could easily suck a person dry. Truly terrifying! Su Yu had sensed danger the moment he arrived in this damned place, and now he had truly experienced it firsthand. Not knowing whether the death qi outside had dissipated, Su Yu didn't dare open the door again. Looking down at his arm, he stroked his chin thoughtfully. Admittedly, while this death qi was terrifyingly effective at devouring flesh, heavenly origin qi and death qi seemed to be natural nemeses. When the two clashed, the conflict had actually accelerated his body tempering a bit. "Death qi... heavenly origin qi..." Su Yu stroked his chin again. Still, it was far too dangerous. Better not provoke it. A fleeting thought had just crossed his mind—should he go out, gather some death qi, and bring it back to study? It seemed quite potent! However, that had only been a casual wisp flung by the shadow. If he encountered that shadow again, he would be in deep trouble. If it hit him with hundreds of strands of death qi, that would be lethal. Suppressing his thoughts about what had just transpired, Su Yu finally had time to inspect the room he had ducked into. It was pitch-black! Without hesitation, Su Yu produced an enormous luminous pearl. It wasn't actually a pearl, but rather a weapon-forging material that radiated bright light, immediately illuminating the entire room. Taking a look... Su Yu was speechless. It really was a tiny house, around fifty square meters. It was divided into an inner and outer section. He was currently in the outer room, which passed for a living room. An inner door stood half-open, leading to what passed for a bedroom. Su Yu could see everything clearly; that was all there was. A living room and a bedroom. Nothing else! No kitchen, no study... This house was close to the city gate. In the grand scheme of things, it belonged to the slums, located in the 36th ring. It was completely normal that it had nothing! Right now, the front door was firmly shut. In the living room, aside from a broken wooden table and a few wooden chairs, there was nothing else. Su Yu walked past the half-open inner door into the bedroom. There was only a plain wooden board for a bed. Completely empty! Absurdly rudimentary! "Are there really fortuitous opportunities in this place?" Su Yu clearly remembered Moduona mentioning that these houses held certain opportunities. Did they really? He looked around circle after circle, sensing nothing at all. Not a single trace of an opportunity. Or was the 36th ring simply too low-grade? The houses here had probably been inhabited countless times by now, hadn't they? Even if there were opportunities once, they would be long gone, wouldn't they? Su Yu looked at the dilapidated, grimy wooden bed. Was he really going to spend the night here? This small shack didn't even have a window. Su Yu felt nothing but disgust! Yet outside, he didn't know whether the death qi was still lingering, and he didn't dare venture out recklessly. Was he really going to waste a whole day trapped in this broken room? Even having entered through the main gate, he could only stay for seven or eight days. Was he supposed to spend an entire night idling here? ... While Su Yu was pondering whether to head out, Back by the city gate, several armored guards were looking toward the small house. One guard asked in a low voice, "Commander, is he dead?" "The ancient city death light seemed to penetrate the house." "Then he must be dead!" "Should we go check if anyone's alive? If no one's there, we can go collect the corpse!" "..." Several guards muttered among themselves. The Shanhai commander also looked in that direction, frowning slightly. He had held high hopes for the kid; he had just proclaimed the rise of an expert, and the guy died immediately? Talk about dreadful luck! Just as someone was preparing to become a resident and tossed out a blood-stained jade talisman, an ancient city dead spirit happened to mobilize to retrieve it. Of course, it was also partly because the kid was a newcomer. Under normal circumstances, seeing that jade talisman should have prompted an immediate escape. But that fellow actually lingered there for a bit. Lingering was bad enough, yet he even spied on the dead spirit from not far away. Pursued by ancient city death light, perhaps... a portion had seeped into the house. Once stained by the death light, even if he didn't die, he would be crippled. Even if he survived, the death light remaining in his body would soon attract the dead spirits to track him down again. In the ancient city, encountering a dead spirit was virtually a death sentence. Of course, one could leave the city. But the next time they entered any ancient city, they would be targeted by dead spirits, permanently cutting them off from ancient cities. Moreover, the lingering death qi would gradually cause the contaminated person to perish. Today, the Shanhai man had questioned himself time and again. *I thought he was Su Yu, but he might not be.* *I thought an expert was rising, yet the moment he arrived he was targeted by a dead spirit—what kind of rise is that?* *I thought he was about to die... but could he still be alive?* How complicated! The man shook his head, saying nothing more. Such luck was truly one of a kind. He didn't even know what to say! "Wait until dawn to go look!" the man commanded. Even for them, wandering around at night was forbidden. Staying by the city gate, the dead spirits wouldn't come here or target them. But entering the city and bumping into them would still cause trouble. It was best not to head over at night. The other guards nodded. Then they would wait until daybreak to collect the body! ... Inside the room, Su Yu waited for a while and rummaged around, finding absolutely nothing. Staying here all night? What a waste of time! "Death light..." Su Yu muttered. The death light was indeed dangerous, but he knew Immortal techniques and possessed heavenly origin qi, which seemed capable of neutralizing it. Of course, it could only neutralize a small amount; facing too much would still be perilous. In that case, if an Immortal encountered a dead spirit here... provided they had sufficient heavenly origin qi, the danger wouldn't be overwhelmingly high. "Is the death light outside gone?" Su Yu still wanted to explore more. The next time he entered, he might have to walk the main gate again, which would waste an enormous amount of time. Crucially, would the city even allow him to take the main gate a second time? Su Yu didn't fully understand the rules yet. In any case, it was best to save time and not let it go to waste. So what if there was some danger? It wasn't as if he lacked the means to resist. The Calamity divine character wasn't pulsing much now either—did that mean the danger had passed? Thinking this, Su Yu didn't want to spend the whole night in this broken shack at all. If he hadn't been worried about the consequences of damaging the buildings, he would have dismantled the house just to inspect it. Whether it could be demolished was another matter, but he genuinely doubted that this decrepit shack was indestructible to everyone. "I need to go outside and look!" Unable to suppress his restless nature, Su Yu was unwilling to spend his very first night trapped in this miserable hole. Furthermore, having eroded the death light, he possessed somewhat greater confidence. Besides, he wanted to see if that dead spirit would pursue him again. Carefully easing open the door, Su Yu waved his hand outside without stepping out. He wanted to probe first; even if his arm was touched by death light, he could grind it away. ... At the city gate. The Shanhai man froze, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. Looking again, an arm had indeed reached out. "He's fine?" What incredible luck! Pursued by death light, the fellow had managed to avoid contamination. His luck was remarkably good; the guard had thought he was dead for sure. "Commander, he's okay?" The other guards spotted the arm as well, thoroughly astonished. What absurd luck! The death light hadn't touched him! He certainly had guts. Having just provoked a dead spirit, he was already impatiently reaching out to test the waters. Such boldness was entirely fitting for an arrogant genius. He simply hadn't suffered enough yet! A guard beside him chuckled. "If this guy had been touched by the death light earlier, he'd probably have been scared out of his wits. He just hasn't tasted hardship!" The Shanhai man said nothing. He took a glance, and seeing that Su Yu was unharmed, refrained from commenting further. Another guard laughed, "Commander, does this fellow actually want to go back out? If he meets a dead spirit again and has no empty house to take shelter in, he's dead meat. He's already encountered trouble once—could he really want to go out again?" "Who knows." The commander shook his head. Who knew what went through the minds of these geniuses? Could the guy before them truly be Su Yu? Once again, he was uncertain. Earlier, the escape technique was exceedingly swift, bearing some resemblance to Su Yu. But his agonizingly slow traversal of the main gate seemed inconsistent. In short, he was thoroughly confused now. ... Outside the door. All was calm. Su Yu tested the air for a moment. Sensing the death light was gone, he let out a sigh of relief and stepped out of the room once more. He had no desire to spend the night locked inside that shack! The street remained as desolate as before. The dead spirit was nowhere to be seen. Su Yu walked out of the house and pressed forward. Soon, he arrived before the house where he had encountered the crisis—the one housing the elk. He wanted to see what the dead spirit had carved on the plaque. He had seen it scratching and drawing, clearly leaving something behind. Su Yu glanced at the wooden plaque and quickly made out an image. An elk's head! "Huh?" An incomplete elk head! Su Yu stroked his chin thoughtfully. *Could it be that to become a resident, over three consecutive days, the dead spirit will carve the likeness of the blood's owner onto the wooden plaque?* *Does that mean the plaques of the city's residents might actually bear their portraits?* *Is it really that fancy?* *They even paint a portrait for you?* However, the portrait looked rather eerie, seemingly painted using that drop of blood—crimson and ghastly. *Knock, knock, knock!* Su Yu knocked on the door. That elk had nearly gotten him killed, so he decided to give it a scare. "..." After knocking for a while, Su Yu seemed to hear the sound of violent shivering from within. The door remained firmly shut. Su Yu chuckled. How amusing. His mischievous streak flared up; this felt just like dressing up as a ghost to scare people in his childhood. In the distance, the Shanhai guard was utterly speechless. *Damn it!* *This guy is definitely very young.* In the dead of night, having nothing better to do than knocking on doors to terrify an elk in an ancient city—this was definitely not the behavior of a mature expert. This had to be Su Yu; Su Yu was precisely that young! Truth be told, knocking on doors in the middle of the night really was terrifying. Night in the ancient city was inherently horrifying. The Shanhai man had no doubt that the elk inside was terrified out of its wits, probably curled up in a corner, shivering uncontrollably. What a menace! Anyone would tremble in its place. Beside him, one of the guards was between tears and laughter. "This guy is way too bold! When he reaches the 35th ring, he'd better watch out for the Night Patrol giving him trouble." The Shanhai man said nothing. That was the kid's problem, nothing to do with him. Still, his audacity was undeniable! ... Meanwhile, Su Yu knocked for a while, and since the elk refused to open up, he didn't dwell on it. If he were inside, he wouldn't open the door either. He was simply venting a bit of frustration at the elk. Throwing out a jade talisman out of nowhere had caused him so much hassle. Leaving the elk behind, Su Yu continued along the street. On both sides, houses remained tightly shut. Some were not residences, looking more like shops, though he had no idea what they sold, or whether anyone dared open a shop here. After walking for a bit, he spotted a house with a wolf depicted on its wooden plaque. Was this a local resident? Su Yu recalled the unfinished elk portrait from before. So this was a finished one; this wolf was an established resident of the city? The portrait was also crimson, giving off an eerie vibe. "Sigh!" Su Yu let out a sigh. There was no one around to explain the situation to him. The masked operative from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion had provided scant information, merely giving a broad overview without delving into any specifics. And in this blasted place, not a soul could be seen at night. Even if he wanted to ask, there was no one to ask. The guard at the city gate had been reasonably polite earlier, but he remained stationed there and likely wouldn't come over, perhaps bound by duties or restrictions. Soon, Su Yu found another empty house. Standing at its doorway, he suddenly shouted, "Anyone alive? Come out and chat!" "..." He prepared himself to duck into the house at any moment! If he ran into a dead spirit, that would be disastrous, so he always secured an escape route. In the dead of night, his shout likely startled quite a few people. Su Yu didn't care; he was genuinely bewildered. In this ancient city, he had no idea where to seek benefits right now. At this moment, he genuinely hoped Moduona would pop out for a chat. As long as they didn't fight, they could talk about anything. "Moduona, are you there? Come out and chat!" Just as he was shouting, a patrol of ten armored soldiers riding black steeds galloped toward him through the night. The lead guard was clad in black armor, revealing only a pair of dark, cold eyes that flickered with chill as he stared at Su Yu. Speaking in the common language, he barked coldly, "Insolence! It is late at night; shouting is forbidden! Enter a house immediately!" Su Yu finally saw living beings! They were alive! The perception jade indicated their presence. As for whether they were human, that was unclear; here, it was difficult to tell whether someone was human or not unless they revealed their true form. "Shanhai Realm!" Su Yu sensed their strength: one Shanhai, while the other nine were all at the Lingyun Realm. Quite formidable. In this damned place, experts were plentiful. "General, I'm a newcomer and don't quite understand the rules here. Could we chat a bit?" Su Yu smiled warmly. "I won't waste your time for free." With that, a profound armament appeared in his hand. He chuckled, "General, could you offer some guidance?" Since they were alive, they had desires. Money makes the world go round, after all! The black-armored expert swept a cold gaze over him and barked, "Get inside!" Su Yu forced a laugh. "General, are you the city guards?" "Get inside!" the black-armored expert barked again in a low voice. "Make another disturbance, and you will be executed without mercy!" Su Yu frowned slightly, but his smile quickly returned. "General, I just want to ask about the situation. Do you know Moduona? I'm his friend..." *Clang!* At that exact instant, the black-armored commander thrust his spear forward. Su Yu swiftly ducked inside, and with a booming crash, the door shuddered under the spear's impact, ringing loudly. Outside the door, the black-armored commander snorted coldly! A dark glint flickered in his eyes. "Now that you've entered Tianmie Ancient City, behave yourself and obey the rules here! Defying the Night Patrol while on duty will not be tolerated!" Inside, Su Yu heard the reprimand and scowled. He snorted in return. The door wasn't damaged, and the guard hadn't received any punishment, likely because of his status as a local guard. Still... he was only acting so arrogant because of his position here. Out in the outside world, these fellows might have merely been experts from minor races, wanderers from destroyed realms. Yet upon arriving here, shielded by the city's rules, they dared discipline geniuses from major races. A dog relying on its master's clout! Su Yu cursed inwardly. This ancient city didn't belong to them; it had existed since antiquity, and they were merely freeloading occupants. Su Yu sighed. Forget it. Living under someone else's roof without knowing the situation, it was best not to provoke them. *Backing down? I can do that.* Su Yu called out again, "General, could I trouble you to tell me where Moduona lives?" "Shut your mouth! Utter another word, and you will be expelled from the ancient city!" the commander barked again from outside. Su Yu's expression shifted before he said in a faint, eerie tone, "General, ancient city residents and guards can't possibly stay inside the city for the rest of their lives, can they? There will always come a time to leave. Why be so heartless?" Outside, the commander paused slightly. *This guy is threatening me?* He hadn't expected this! Someone actually dared threaten the Night Patrol inside the ancient city. With a cold snort, the black-armored commander said chillingly, "Human, do not provoke me! Do you think you're safe just staying inside? The Night Patrol possesses the authority to search for outlaws. This commander can apply to open the house you occupy. Do you wish to die?" "..." *Damn it!* *That works too?* Of course, Su Yu was not afraid of him. The other party was in the Shanhai Realm, but felt like he was only at the first or second stage. Su Yu truly had no reason to fear him. However, clashing with the city guard here risked drawing out that ninth-stage Sun Moon city lord, which would be true catastrophe. Su Yu felt terribly aggrieved and frustrated! *I was just asking for some information. Why be so utterly heartless and arrogant?!* *He wouldn't even accept a profound armament!* Forget it, when tolerance was called for, one had to endure. Once he grasped the situation, he would see if he could kill this fellow, or hunt him down and eliminate him upon leaving... Countless murderous thoughts crossed Su Yu's mind in an instant. Yet the next moment, he assumed a meek and humble tone, "General, please calm your anger. I am a newcomer and know nothing. If I caused offense, I beg the general's noble magnanimity..." He added, "This profound armament shall serve as an apology to your lordship!" With that, he quickly cracked open the door, tossed out the profound armament, and shut the door again immediately. The black-armored commander caught the profound armament. A dark glint flashed in his eyes as he examined it. Its quality and grade were quite good. He said no more, pocketing the weapon, and warned coldly, "No more shouting. Be it gods, demons, or humans, behave yourselves here!" "Understood!" Outside the door, the patrol of ten departed, their horses' hooves clattering crisply through the night. Su Yu cursed inwardly! *Just you wait!* *Did you think my profound armament is that easy to take?* *I've marked you!* *We'll see about this!* Turning around to inspect his new lodging, it was somewhat better—considerably larger than the previous one. If all else failed, he would just rest here for the night. Dawn should be approaching soon anyway. Once it was light out, he could venture out to ask around. Su Yu felt dejected. The ancient city... was truly eerie. Forget it, he would rest tonight. Wasting a night was fine; it would give him time to consolidate his realm. Tomorrow, he would look for someone to gather intelligence from. There should be humans in the city as well; the elderly human he had encountered at the gate earlier seemed to be inside the city and hadn't left. Su Yu sat down casually on a chair. Right at that moment, the "Calamity" divine character flickered slightly. Su Yu's heart stirred. He looked around. Danger in the room? No way! He checked his surroundings, detecting no danger at all. Yet what Su Yu failed to immediately perceive was a faint wisp of death qi seeping in from all directions—extremely subtle. However, very quickly, as Su Yu prepared to cultivate and withdrew a sliver of heavenly origin qi... suddenly, endless sizzling sounds erupted! Su Yu was horrified! Only at this moment did he detect the anomaly! *Damn it!* The death qi was extremely faint, so subtle he had barely sensed anything amiss. But it clashed naturally with heavenly origin qi, and the two immediately engaged in violent collision! "Must leave within three days..." At this moment, Su Yu felt a sudden jolt of realization! *One must leave within three days!* *Why must one leave?* *Because in this damned place, death qi silently and invisibly seeps inside?* *What kind of safe house is this? It's a massive death trap!* However, people in the past must have noticed something unusual, which was why the three-day limit had been established. Within three days, the impact probably wasn't severe. But once past three days, the death qi might erupt violently, killing the occupant! No wonder people died here for no apparent reason! "Terrifying. If I didn't have heavenly origin qi... wouldn't I be completely oblivious?" Just as Su Yu was turning this over in his mind, a halo of light suddenly radiated from the surface of his body, repelling some of the faint death qi... Su Yu froze. What was this? After a long pause, Su Yu muttered, "Is this... the reward for passing through the main city gate?" He examined it closely—nine halos of light. At this moment, the first halo had grown somewhat faint. After neutralizing a sliver of death qi, the halo showed signs of crumbling. Nine halos... did that mean they could ward off nine instances of death qi? "So those who enter through the main city gate can stay a few days longer?" One question after another surfaced in Su Yu's mind. Looking around the room again... *Damn it, this isn't a house at all—it's a coffin!* *A coffin!* This chilling thought arose in Su Yu's heart. This ancient city... was monstrously sinister!