day and night

The little girl advanced and waved her hand before Hong Tao's face. Hong Tao remained fixed on the distant desert, disregarding the motion before him.

Slowly, a smile crept across the little girl's face.

"It's quite simple, really," she began.

"You discovered a flaw in this game, rendering them immobile and trapped here. And as for me—well, I sensed the unusual disturbances from beyond," she explained calmly.

"But since this loophole—the corpse of the wolf demon—has been devoured by me. it effectively will nullify the constraints on the two souls, They will soon regain their senses," the little girl divulged.

Leaning close to Liu Ping Ping, she whispered, "While I was aware of the anomaly, I couldn't breach this concealed realm. However, when the loophole emerged, it created numerous fissures in the fabric of space. It presented an exceedingly rare opportunity for me to enter."

With that, the little girl turned on her heel, poised to depart.

"Wait a moment!" Liu Ping's sudden shout halted the little girl's departure.

"I freed those two souls, I've settled things with you," the little girl remarked casually.

"I would like to know if—is this situation universal? Are all the dead under control?" Liu Ping's voice resonated with intensity.

The little girl's laughter erupted spontaneously. "You appear to be only a bit older than me. I find your innocence quite cute."

"—Treasure the time you have left. Once you die, your soul will no longer be yours," she advised solemnly, shaking her head as she prepared to depart once more.

Liuping persisted, "You haven't answered me yet. Please, consider this a debt I owe you "

The little girl turned to face Liu Ping, deliberating for a moment before leaning in to whisper, "Perhaps there are some souls beyond control."

"However, ultimately, the destiny of all sentient beings is to be enslaved eventually" she continued.

"Why is this?" Liu Ping inquired.

The little girl responded softly, "For the wielders of these souls, the fate of sentient beings is merely a means to bolster their own strength. They will not let go of any soul willingly."

"This is the tragedy of sentient beings, but this brings them joy" she concluded solemnly.

"—Welcome to this game," a voice echoed.

A gust of wind swept through, carrying sand away as the little girl vanished into thin air.

After a moment passed, Zhao Chanyi and Hong Tao appeared to awaken abruptly.

"Did someone just appear here?" Hong Tao questioned uncertainly.

"I think so. I saw a little girl, but I can't recall what she said," Zhao Chanyi replied.

"I'm not sure. She's gone now," Hong Tao confirmed.

Both of them exchanged perplexed glances.

Liu Ping remained silent.

Overwhelmed by the events unfolding before him, Liu Ping found himself at a loss for words.

"A profound terror is lurking in the void, fixating its gaze upon our world," he ruminated silently.

Master...

Everyone is manipulated and utilized to decipher the mysteries of the world...

Is this what you refer to as the great terror?

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Liu Ping fell silent for a while.

Eventually, the trio embarked on their journey, retracing their steps towards the path they had traversed earlier. After a lengthy trek, they arrived back at the entrance of the underground cave.

Following a brief discussion, they unanimously agreed that it was best not to linger any longer. With safety in mind, they promptly returned to the subterranean realm.

The sudden appearance of the unicorn mount had caught the attention of the wolf demon, a valuable acquisition indeed.

Coupled with the treasures gathered earlier, including the wolf demon's two daggers, hook, and crown of white jade, the trio found themselves in possession of a substantial wealth of spirit stones. This fortune would afford them a well-deserved respite.

Before departing, Hong Tao turned to Liu Ping with a grateful smile, clasping his fists in a gesture of respect. "My friend, I am indebted to you for saving our lives."

Liu Ping waved off the gratitude, replying, "Please, there's no need for formalities. Saving you was simply the right thing to do."

"Fair is fair, my friend. However, there is something important I must impart to you," Hong Tao interjected solemnly, his gaze piercing as he addressed Liu Ping.

Zhao Chanyi chimed in with a smile, "Indeed, your adeptness in safeguarding yourself has earned our confidence and respect. Therefore, you have to pay full attention to what we are about to tell you."

"What's the matter?" Liu Ping asked, sounding puzzled.

"There are countless lifeforms in the wilderness, and humans are just the most common kind," Hong Tao said.

"There is a place called Orchid Valley, which is where you were born and the name of the village. Three days ago, all the villagers were eaten by monsters. Only you survived and wandered alone in the wilderness," Zhao Chanyi explained.

"What are you talking about?" Liu Ping was bewildered.

"Also, this place is about to leave the world of death, so this is goodbye" Zhao Chanyi added.

The two nodded at Liu Ping and smiled together.

As Liu Ping was about to speak, he suddenly realized something and looked intently at the two of them. He saw their figures gradually blur.

Hong Tao emphasized his tone: "Your profession is a scavenger."

Zhao Chanyi said, "Turn in all the things you pick up, ask for what you want, and say that you want an official identity."

Hong Tao added, "We can only say so much..."

Zhao Chanyi continued, "You can only rely on yourself in the future. Take care of yourself, my friend."

The two of them then fist-bumped Liu Ping.

Everything around turned into light and shadow, gradually spreading like ripples, becoming dim in the void, and disappearing under the curtain of night with the wind.

Liu Ping remembered the little girl's words and couldn't help but stand still.

Lines of burning small characters quietly appeared in the void:

[The hidden Space-Time has disappeared.]

[You passed through many obstacles in this hidden Space-Time and arrived at an unknown location.]

All the small text was collected and disappeared into the void.

At this time, the surrounding scene had completely changed, and Liu Ping found himself still standing at the entrance of the underground cave.

In the desert outside the cave, Liu Ping could vaguely see scattered lights and smoke.

Liu Ping stared at the scene for several breaths, then recalled the words of the cultivator in the tomb.

"This charm will create a certain power, and those who sense it will come to your aid and guide you out of the world of death."

Liu Ping sighed.

It dawned on him that Hong Tao and Zhao Chanyi had accompanied him all the way to guide him out of the world of death.

There were also the two practitioners from the tomb.

They... were dead, their souls controlled.

Despite this, they still attempted to help him evade danger and, even more remarkably, guide him out of the world of death.

In other words—

Although their souls were enslaved, they were still fighting against their captors!

Besides...

The monsters in the world of death.

The entity attached to Wang Cheng's corpse, the creature made of countless fused corpses, and the figure wielding the bronze giant hammer.

Even that little girl.

Behind these monsters, there must be a huge mystery hidden.

Liu Ping suddenly felt something and frowned.

In the desert...

All the lights suddenly vanished.

The crowd under the lights disappeared along with them.

—' Where did they go?'

　　 Liuping pulled out the fan and rushed forward vigilantly.

　　 It didn't take long before he reached the spot where the light was seen.

　　 That is a sand dune.

　　 There is no one on the dunes, only a black steel machine stands still.

　　 Liuping walked around the dunes, but found nothing unusual, and finally came to the steel machine step by step.

　　 The height of this machine is just as high as his chest, and it emits a slight light.

　　 When Liu Ping approached it, all the glimmers gathered and swept over him.

　　 Between the electric light and flint, in the corner of the void, the line of small text displayed in the sequence has changed:

　　 [Concealment lifted.]

　　 [Your current state is: alive.]

The next second, an indifferent and ruthless voice emanated from the black machine:

"Welcome, living person."

"You are a trash with a combat power of only 10.5, so your identity must be stated."

"I come from Lancao Valley, I am a scavenger," Liu Ping replied.

The machine paused, then spoke again:

"So, lucky scavenger, it is very difficult for you to reach Boundary Monument 0371 alive."

"Do you want to leave the world of death?"

Liu Ping was about to speak but suddenly hesitated.

He paused for a moment.

Then he said, "If I don't leave at this time, can I leave later?"

"Anytime," the machine replied.

"Thank you, then I won't leave for the time being," Liu Ping said.

The floating light slowly flew back into the machine.

The machine entered a silent state again.

Liu Ping stepped back and found a place to sit down not far from the black machine.

He began to wait quietly.

Time passed.

At a certain moment, Liu Ping got up again, brushed the dust off his body, and walked to the machine.

"I am a scavenger, please send me out of the world of death," he said.

In the black machine, the indifferent voice sounded again:

"Scavenger, it is very difficult for you to reach Boundary Monument 0371 alive. You are welcome."

"The transmission is about to begin."

"You will leave the world of death and arrive in the Dark Mist Town of Dragonblight."

"Please enter."

The black machine quickly transformed into two huge doors, which slowly opened to both sides.

Outside the door...

The blazing sun hung high in the cloudless blue sky, shining on the wilderness in its heyday.

However, inside the giant steel gate was an endless dark night, without a trace of sunlight.

Day and night were separated, life and death were separated.

This was a spectacle Liu Ping had never seen in his life.

He tried to stay calm and silently said in his heart, "Launch 'A Man Without a Role'."

A strange wave enveloped him.

As the sequence's text displayed line by line, he stepped through the black door.