Chapter 124: The Game Begins

At that moment, Fang Mu had an elegantly dressed woman in his arms, guiding the wine cup in his hand to her lips.

The wine trickled down from her chin to her neck, finally soaking the light fabric over her chest.

Once the garment was drenched, the scene became somewhat indecent.

The woman’s eyes were hazy with intoxication as she reached up and hooked her arms around Fang Mu’s neck.

At the sight, everyone present had different thoughts, each forming their own conclusions.

Fang Mu’s gaze remained calm. His hand touched the woman’s waist. It was soft, with no difference from that of a living person.

Yet the notification for his Corpse-Touching Art never came.

The strange being before him, though seemingly real, did not belong to the category of Yin Corpses.

Fang Mu released the woman and withdrew from her embrace, returning to his seat.

The Lord of Azure Cloud City watched everything in silence, revealing not the slightest emotion. He drained the wine in his cup.

The dance continued. In the blink of an eye, nearly the time it took for an incense stick to burn had passed.

No one said or did anything. They merely sat there quietly.

The scene felt absurdly extravagant, more like a reception for honored guests than a Mysterious Strange Ruin.

Yet everyone understood that this was like a smile concealing a knife. An even greater danger might be waiting for them.

The Lord of Azure Cloud City set down his cup and clapped his hands.

The dancing woman seemed to receive a command. She turned into a wisp of blue smoke and gradually vanished.

“Is it finally beginning?”

That was what everyone was thinking.

“Can I touch the corpse now?”

That was what Fang Mu was thinking.

The Lord of Azure Cloud City glanced around at the gathered people and smiled. “Since you have crossed countless dangers to come here, you are honored guests of my Azure Cloud City. Now that host and guests have enjoyed themselves, why don’t we play a game?”

Inside his armor, the Lord of Azure Cloud City’s face looked extraordinarily strange. He was clearly smiling, but aside from the upward curl of his lips, there was almost no expression on his face.

A smile that did not reach the flesh—perhaps that was the most fitting description.

A game? What were they playing at a time like this?

The others exchanged glances, unable to determine what the Lord of Azure Cloud City was plotting.

“My Azure Cloud City gathers extraordinary people from all under heaven, each with their own interests,” the Lord of Azure Cloud City said slowly. “I imagine you already noticed that on your way here.”

Fang Mu rubbed his chin. The words were so obscure that he could not tell what they meant.

“Rules are something my Azure Cloud City must have.” The Lord of Azure Cloud City rose to his feet. “Everything must be founded upon rules. I, too, have a hobby. I enjoy watching performances.”

As the Lord of Azure Cloud City stood, the four ghostly shadows beside him moved as well, stepping directly before him to face the crowd.

“Time is limited today.” The Lord of Azure Cloud City stretched lazily. “I’ll simply draw four subordinates at random to put on a performance. You will verify yourselves against these four and see whether you can give me a good show.”

As he spoke, an excited expression appeared on the Lord of Azure Cloud City’s face. At last, he produced four slender lots.

The four ghostly shadows bowed respectfully, then each drew a lot from the Lord of Azure Cloud City’s hand and held it before them.

Once the lots had been drawn, a door appeared behind the Lord of Azure Cloud City. He stepped through it directly, leaving behind a final sentence:

“From shortest to longest. This game is not so simple. Win, and you live. Lose, and you die.”

The door vanished. Only the four ghostly shadows and the people in the hall remained.

Fang Mu watched the Lord of Azure Cloud City disappear. To be honest, he had been preparing to make a move.

This was a fat target. If the Lord of Azure Cloud City did not intend to deal with them personally, how could he let it escape?

Yet at the crucial moment, Iron Diviner Immortal had pulled him back, and Fang Mu had stopped.

The lots in the four ghostly shadows’ hands changed and suddenly burst into flame.

The shadows did not move, simply allowing the lots to burn.

Taking advantage of the moment, Fang Mu turned around and asked, “Why did you stop me just now?”

A solemn glint appeared in Iron Diviner Immortal’s eyes. He smiled bitterly. “Brother Fang, I’ve heard of this Lord of Azure Cloud City. I heard about him from the Master of the Ghost Market. He should be on the same level as the Master of the Ghost Market.”

Fang Mu froze.

On the same level as the Master of the Ghost Market?

Fang Mu was not a fool. Although he possessed an advantage others lacked, he was not an utterly reckless man. His boldness was built upon certainty.

If the Lord of Azure Cloud City truly stood on the same level as the Master of the Ghost Market, then they really had to take the broader situation into consideration.

But why did the Master of the Ghost Market know the Lord of Azure Cloud City? Was the Mysterious Strange Ruin connected to the Ghost Market as well?

Iron Diviner Immortal saw through Fang Mu’s thoughts and shook his head. “I don’t know either. Although I control one street in the Ghost Market, the market has countless streets. How could I know everything?”

Fang Mu rubbed his chin. “But this is only a small Mysterious Strange Ruin. Something feels terribly wrong. Can a small Mysterious Strange Ruin really contain an existence this powerful?”

The man in blue beside Director Wu had said that this was merely a small Mysterious Strange Ruin. Yet an existence of this level was here. Could that possibly make sense?

It was as if the final villain of a beginner’s dungeon had somehow appeared in a novice village.

Zhang Liu spoke up. “It really is only a small Mysterious Strange Ruin. Did you notice what the Lord of Azure Cloud City said earlier?”

“What he said?” Fang Mu frowned. “Rules. You mean there are other rules built upon them?”

Zhang Liu nodded. “Think about it. A Mysterious Strange Ruin isn’t some tale written by a scholar, and its villain won’t foolishly increase the difficulty step by step. If he could eliminate us once and for all, why wouldn’t he simply act?”

Fang Mu pondered for a moment. “In other words, he is also bound by the rules and cannot act personally. If he did, he would violate the rules of this small Mysterious Strange Ruin. That is why he sent these four strange beings. But what exactly are the rules?”

Zhang Liu shrugged. “No idea. Mysterious Strange Ruins are extremely enigmatic. Even we can’t see through them.”

While the group was speaking, the lots held by the four ghostly shadows were nearly burned away.

The shortest lot was the first to finish. One after another, the others burned out as well, until the final lot was consumed.

“Time’s up!”

The four ghostly shadows shouted in unison.

The magnificent palace around them disappeared, as though water had been splashed across an ink painting. Its brilliant colors gradually faded away.

Slowly, the hazy surroundings became clear once more.

Fang Mu focused his eyes and discovered that they were seated around a ring-shaped table.

More than a dozen people formed a circle, filling every seat around it.

At the exact center of the round table stood a ghostly shadow, calm and unhurried.

“Has it begun?” Fang Mu asked with considerable interest. He wondered what kind of rule-bound game would come next.

“Welcome to my world, everyone. My name is Ghost One.”

The ghostly shadow called Ghost One spoke. Its voice carried a tearing quality, as though it had been assembled haphazardly from fragments.

As Ghost One spoke, all kinds of delicacies appeared on the ring-shaped table.

“Eat…” Ghost One said slowly. “Soon, you won’t be able to eat anymore, because there’s no way any of you will leave here alive…”