Translator: RogueKat | Editor: RogueKat

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An abandoned tunnel...

Zhang Yuanqing looked around in panic, suddenly finding himself in an unfamiliar environment. Anyone would feel lost and bewildered in such a situation.

"A tunnel? Is this the She Ling Tunnel from the Urban Legends?"

As a native of Songhai City, he certainly knew about the She Ling Tunnel, which was one of the top ten urban legends. When he was a child and wouldn't sleep at night, his grandmother used to scare him with such stories.

However, leaving aside the fact that these stories were just imaginary, even the real She Ling Tunnel that he passed by a few days ago on his way to his hometown to pay respects to his father was not like this, so old and decrepit.

"Oh, right. This is Spirit Realm, not the real She Ling Tunnel."

The cramped environment made Zhang Yuanqing uneasy, so he proceeded cautiously, with only the sound of his lonely footsteps echoing in his ears.

As he walked, he pondered his situation and the information he had been given.

There was no doubt that he had encountered a supernatural phenomenon and had been transported into the world of urban legends to complete a task assigned by a mysterious force.

"That voice gave me two tasks, one is to survive for three hours, and the other is to explore the Spirit Realm. The difficulty level is S-rank, and it's a solo death mode... This death mode makes me really uneasy."

Surviving for three hours means there will be great danger.

Exploring the Spirit Realm... It should mean exploring this tunnel. In other words, the tunnel is very dangerous?

Zhang Yuanqing quietly tightened his nerves. At the same time, a question flashed through his mind: What rewards would he get for completing the tasks?

Since it is a task, there must be rewards, right?

"Well, according to the attribute panel just now, my profession is Night Traveler, but my level is 0, not 1. Becoming a Night Traveler should be one of the rewards. But what is a Night Traveler?"

"Brother Bing is right. This black card can indeed change one's life, but I ignored the second half of what he said. It's difficult to control, does that mean it's dangerous?"

Zhang Yuanqing combined the information that he came to know till now and silently analyzed it.

Just then, the old-style xenon lamp beside him flickered a few times as if the circuit was unstable. Amidst the interweaving of light and shadow, Zhang Yuanqing vaguely saw a figure wearing a miner's hat standing under the light.

Fuck... He jumped up in fright, and his train of thought was instantly interrupted. Like a startled deer, he ran forward for some distance.

Looking back, the xenon lamp continued to shine steadily without flickering anymore.

The black figure wearing a miner's hat just now seemed to be his illusion.

With this scare, Zhang Yuanqing dared not stay in this haunted place and quickly headed towards the exit of the tunnel.

Clank, clank, clank... Zhang Yuanqing's footsteps reverberated in the eerie silence of the tunnel as he pushed himself to walk briskly for five or six minutes. The flickering old-style xenon lamp cast a dim glow, its arched dome creating an ominous atmosphere. Yet, this time, there was no sign of the figure wearing the miner's hat, which had spooked him earlier.

"It didn't follow me?"

He felt somewhat relieved but didn't dare to stop. Keeping his head down, he walked quickly. Suddenly, he noticed a detail on the ground that made his heart skip a beat.

The orange xenon lamp cast his shadow very long, and there were more than a dozen shadows following beside his shadow.

They have been following me all this time?!

A chill ran down Zhang Yuanqing's spine, sending shivers up and down his body. His face went white in fear and he ran frantically, his heart pounding in his chest with each thudding footstep.

Finally, the tunnel’s exit appeared ahead, and outside the tunnel was the cold and frosty moonlight.

Zhang Yuanqing rushed out of the tunnel in one breath, clutched his knees, and started gasping for breath.

After catching his breath, he looked around at the surroundings. The full moon hung in the night sky, shining lonely and casting a pale light that made the stars seem dim.

The lush forest bathed in moonlight, casting dense shadows all around. He found himself in a desolate mountain range.

The xenon lamps in the tunnel flickered a few times and then went out completely. The massive tunnel entrance was pitch black and silent, like the gaping maw of a beast waiting to devour its prey.

"I should get away from here, right now..."

Zhang Yuanqing's scalp tingled as he climbed the rugged mountain trail.

After taking a dozen steps, he turned back and saw a row of figures wearing old, torn mining clothes and hats, standing at the entrance of the tunnel, with their heads hanging low.

They stood in the shadow where the moonlight couldn't reach, silent as if seeing him off.

Zhang Yuanqing took a few steps back in shock, then twisted his body and ran up the mountain.

The branches and leaves on both sides of the mountain path were lush, and the scattered moonlight provided enough light for Zhang Yuanqing to see the way.

However, the terrifying silence in the mountains was unnerving. No insects or birds were chirping in the forest, making Zhang Yuanqing's footsteps sound particularly loud.

"It's too quiet. Even in this season, there should be insects and birds in the mountains."

He looked around, the full moon hanging in the sky, the tree shadows swaying. He had a lingering feeling like something was watching him from the darkness.

After walking for who knows how long, until his body was covered in a thin layer of sweat, Zhang Yuanqing finally emerged from the dense forest, and his field of vision suddenly widened.

The moonlight was like water, and the surroundings were silent. At the end of the rugged mountain road was an dilapidated looking ancient temple, standing quietly in the darkness.

The temple seemed to have been abandoned for who knows how many years. The front gate was covered in peeling, blackened paint and pitted with holes. The lanterns at the corners of the eaves had fallen to the ground, leaving only the bamboo skeleton.

The plaque was still there, covered in spiderwebs and hanging crookedly from the eaves. However, the light was too dim to make out what was written on it.

The steps in front of the temple were cracked and overgrown with weeds.

In this desolate mountain range, with no village or shop in sight, how could there be a temple?

Wait... a temple?!

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized and heard a voice from the Spirit Realm information introduction in his ear: "Do not enter the temple, do not enter the temple..."

"Following the strange voice's advice, I shouldn't enter the temple... Wait, I've already come out of the tunnel, which means what I'm really exploring is this dilapidated ancient temple."

After hesitating at the temple gate for a long time, Zhang Yuanqing carefully took a step forward, walking towards the dilapidated ancient temple standing in the dark, and crossing the broken threshold.

What met his eyes was a vast front yard, filled with wild grass that grew up to his waist. An old, half-human-sized incense burner was tilted and decaying amid the grass, weathered by the wind and rain for who knows how many years.

Under his feet was a path paved with bluestones, with weeds growing between the cracks of the stones.

As he followed the path through the withered grass, his gaze fell on the end of the bluestone path, where there was a broken main hall with a high foundation and six steps leading up to it. Faint yellow light seeped out from the lattice door of the main hall.

"There's light?"

In the silent and desolate surroundings, illuminated only by the bright moonlight, the light did not bring Zhang Yuanqing any warmth. If anything, it made him feel even more terrified.

Rustle, rustle...

Moving forward through the withered yellow grass, he remained vigilant as he walked towards the main hall. In the empty environment, his footsteps sounded particularly clear.

Rustle, rustle…

Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing's ears twitched, and he heard an extra pair of footsteps behind him as if something was following him.

He abruptly turned around, but the night was as calm as water, the wild grass was lush, and there was nothing behind him.

"Did I just imagine things?"

Zhang Yuanqing stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding with fear, before resuming his steps.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

The sound of footsteps came again, and this time he heard it clearly. Something was definitely following him from behind.

...Could this really be some sort of malevolent presence he encountered as soon as he entered the temple? He didn't dare turn around to check and hastened his pace.

The footsteps behind him also quickened.

Zhang Yuanqing couldn't take it anymore. Goosebumps rose all over his body as he sprinted towards the main hall.

The footsteps followed closely behind him as if they were his shadow.

As he ran towards the main hall, Zhang Yuanqing quickly broke through the withered grass and ascended the six steps leading up to the main hall. Finally, with a loud bang, he forced open the two lattice doors of the main hall.

The footsteps behind him suddenly vanished.

"Huff, huff..."

He gasped for breath, finally daring to turn around. Moonlight spilled over the courtyard, the wild grass, and the bluestone path, making everything seem eerily still and terrifying, but there was nothing there.

"Thank goodness it didn't follow me."

After catching his breath, Zhang Yuanqing gently closed the door of the main hall, as if shutting out his fear.

Then, he surveyed the scene inside the main hall. On a tall stone pedestal stood a goddess draped in fur, wearing exquisite clothing. Her face was round, and her eyes were slender, exuding a sense of benevolence.

The goddess held a brush in one hand and seemed to be clutching something in the other, but it was empty at the moment.

On either side of her were children with swords and maidservants carrying books.

In front of the pedestal was a dusty tribute table with candlesticks and a candle that was about 20 centimeters long and as thick as a baby's arm burning quietly on it.

The candlelight dispelled the darkness and seemed to dispel the fear in Zhang Yuanqing's heart. He felt much calmer emotionally.

On the left wall hung two faded and cracked wooden boards, which were engraved with Chinese characters.

Zhang Yuanqing walked over to the wall and gazed at the characters in the candlelight. The style of writing was classical Chinese.

His Classical Chinese proficiency was pretty good, and through a mix of guessing and reading, he had a clear understanding of the environment he was in.

This mountain was called San Dao Mountain, and the mountain god worshipped in the temple was called San Dao Mountain Empress.

This mountain goddess was a scholar from Song prefecture in the early Ming dynasty. She practiced at Sandao Mountain in Song prefecture, was proficient in the use of talismans, knowledgeable in alchemy, and could pray for rain, drive away ghosts, and bless the wind and rain in one region. Therefore, she was worshipped as a deity by the common people.

After her passing, the local government built this temple on San Dao Mountain and named it "San Dao Mountain Goddess Temple", which was managed by the successors of the goddess's teachings and served as a temple priest.

"This is a temple from the Ming Dynasty. It's been 500-600 years already," Zhang Yuanqing murmured.

At this moment, he couldn't help but sweep his gaze over the bottom of the tribute table and suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

A dark figure lay in the shadow at the bottom of the table.

Due to his previous state of panic and the dim candlelight, he hadn't noticed it immediately.

He was too panicked just now, and the candlelight was dim, so he didn't notice it at first.

Zhang Yuanqing nervously approached the dark figure and took a closer look. It turned out to be a skeleton.

Amidst his fear, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to this eerie mountain temple, the skeleton was not as scary.

As he walked a few steps closer, using the dim candlelight, he could see the clothing on the skeleton. It was wearing a dusty worker's uniform.

A worker?

"Was this a member of the construction team from back then? So, I have indeed entered the world of urban legends," Zhang Yuanqing guessed.

He then thought of an even more chilling possibility: perhaps the construction team from back then had also been lost in this place, just like he had.

And that's why there were urban legends about it.

If it was the former, then this so-called "spiritual realm" was created based on the legends.

But if it was the latter, it meant that the ancient temple had always existed, and the construction team and he himself were just victims.

Based on the historical background of the Mountain God Temple, Zhang Yuanqing leaned towards the latter.

"An entire construction team died in the temple, with only one survivor. People really do die here...and now that I've entered this temple, I could face unknown dangers at any moment..."

He took a deep breath and tightened his emotions, subconsciously looking around.

Then he suddenly realized a terrifying detail.

This ancient temple was from the Ming dynasty and had a long history, so how could the candle still be burning? Who was changing the candles in the main hall?

The more he thought about it, the more horrified he felt. Even the kind and gentle sculpture, covered in dust, seemed to exude a strange and eerie atmosphere in the candlelight.

Although the three clay sculptures were covered in dust, they looked lifelike and every detail was vividly carved, especially their eyes.

Standing on their pedestals, they gazed down at Zhang Yuanqing from their high position in the twilight candlelight.