Chapter 64: Past Events in the Village

In the world of cultivation, the only vehicle capable of reaching Yellow Mud Village is Bus Route 88. Any other vehicle would need to be brought up using spatial treasures like a spatial pouch.

Focusing his thoughts on the driver in red, Ye Feifan quickly concluded that the vehicle behind him did not belong to the red-clothed driver.

Ever since they last parted ways with the bus, Old Hei and Little Huang had recounted all sorts of details about it to Ye Feifan... They deduced that the bus could venture out even on non-stormy nights, yet the red-clothed driver harbored some apprehension, deliberately choosing to drive only on nights of thunderstorms.

Moreover, with the ancient spirit-gathering tree standing in the village, the red-clothed driver surely was not that foolish...

The illusion felt so utterly real!

Outwardly, Ye Feifan displayed not a single trace of emotion, but inwardly he was extremely tense, quietly waiting for the vehicle to crash into his back. Strangely enough, what followed was a piercing, agonizing pain.

A hammer?

The headlights vanished, and Ye Feifan's lower back was struck heavily. The sensation felt like a square-shaped surface of impact, and judging by the touch and weight... it was most likely a hefty stone hammer!

He had betted correctly!

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ye Feifan continued forward. The sounds of battle constantly echoed behind him, with sabers, spears, swords, and halberds taking turns in the fray... Gunshots and screams rang out ceaselessly, accompanied by all the familiar sounds of men, women, children, monsters, and engines playing over and over again.

The hand on his shoulder had vanished without a trace, yet the shadow on the ground now possessed an additional, hulking, humanoid figure.

Was this the mastermind behind the scenes?

Even knowing there was a monster right behind him, the moment he recalled the quest prompts, Ye Feifan gritted his teeth, swallowed his pride, and faithfully adhered to the principle of discretion being the better part of valor.

What kind of hint was the system trying to give him?

Torn by intense inner conflict, Ye Feifan felt as though a whole year had passed. His eyes were bloodshot, and his vision had grown quite hazy.

Such torment... it was truly more than one could bear...

Unknowing how long he had walked, the asphalt road was eventually replaced by a stretch of concrete.

Standing on the concrete road, Ye Feifan was somewhat dazed to find himself bizarrely standing right at Fatty's doorstep.

Where had that road gone?

Subconsciously, he pulled out his pocket watch... 6:03 AM...

Had dawn broken?

Lifting his head instinctively, Ye Feifan discovered that the sky was still dark... To be precise, the sky was completely obscured by a dense canopy of tree crowns, though the distant horizon held a glimmer of light.

Puffing away his pocket watch, Ye Feifan turned around to look back at the path, only to find with a chilling sense of bizarre eeriness that the concrete road had completely vanished.

Had he returned to the starting point once again?

"Nightmare-grade side quest [Watch Your Back]: In the dead of night, doesn't that familiar concrete road feel rather intimate? You are watching it, and it is watching you. Do you have the courage to step upon the path? Then come on... Stroll down the mysterious country lane of Yellow Mud Village at midnight. During this time, you must not look back, you must not stop, and you must remain until dawn to complete the task. Reward: two lucky draw tokens, five thousand merit points, and one projection stone (containing the secrets of the Yellow Mud Fields)."

What on earth had happened?

Where was the country lane?

The front door of Fatty's house was unlocked. Ye Feifan hesitated for a moment before stepping inside, making his way with familiar ease to the kitchen.

Fatty had not yet returned. Ye Feifan sat down before the table, recalling everything that had transpired during the past night.

With the ancient spirit-gathering tree keeping watch, presumably no one would dare to come and stir up trouble, right?

Closing the kitchen door, Ye Feifan slumped across the table and drifted into the dream realm.

With practiced skill, he applied a few drops of vitality liquid to the crops in the dream fields, then proceeded with his dream-fishing endeavors, targeting once more the tavern waiter and the upper echelons of the Liu family.

Heaven had eyes; if the Patriarch of the Zhang family knew that his peaceful slumber was due to Ye Feifan finding a new target, he would surely weep tears of joy and perhaps even send a red packet to the Liu family.

After fishing up a pile of dream fish, however, Ye Feifan made a significant discovery: the colors of those dream fish seemed noticeably dimmer.

Was his spiritual energy exhausted?

Tossing all the dream fish into the dream-refining furnace in one go, Ye Feifan sat upon the ground and began inspecting the acquired projection crystal.

Examining the crystal for a moment, he activated it, and a projection emerged... within the dark dreamscape... a 3D virtual image materialized.

It was impossible to tell what time period the images depicted, but those figures in black looked somewhat familiar... They seemed to be the very same men in black who had ambushed him in the grove...

Could they be from the Liu family?

Dozens of men in black slowly approached...