Walk the Nuo Opera, a Sacrifice for Gods and Ghosts!

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

After putting on the mask, Wu Wang felt everything around him grow much quieter.

Even though the other players were right beside him, he felt as if their voices belonged to another dimension. They sounded distant and hollow, almost illusory.

As expected, this mask was not as simple as he had imagined.

In fact, the moment he got his hands on it, the Red Vertical Pupil on his wrist had eyed it with great interest.

The effects of the human-skin opera mask appeared.

【Divine Persona Mask (Epic): Equipping this mask allows the user to perceive and make contact with another world.】

【Note: This contact includes, but is not limited to, functions such as channeling deities, questioning corpses, and consulting spirits. The user must proceed according to their own abilities, as the malice of the other world far exceeds your imagination.】

【Equipment Requirement: The user must possess normal human facial features and believe in the existence of gods.】

【Remark: The way of opera is to portray gods and interpret ghosts. Never forget who you are.】

The mask's description was both precise and vague.

Most importantly, Wu Wang wanted to verify a theory. After obtaining 【Undying】, he did believe in the existence of gods, but not in the traditional sense of faith.

He believed gods were simply beings from another dimension, or perhaps another plane of existence entirely. They were only called gods because their powers were currently beyond human comprehension.

Would this type of belief be enough to meet the mask's equipment requirement?

"Come… Come here…"

"Sir… let me have a good look at you…"

Just a few steps into the garden, Wu Wang heard decadent whispers in his ear. The provocative voice made him subconsciously turn toward its source.

There, in front of the garden's rockery, a scantily clad stunner was reclining on the edge of a pond.

Her voluptuous figure and beautiful face were unforgettable. Even though Wu Wang knew he had no interest in matters of love, his mind couldn't help but fill with improper thoughts.

Her slender hand stirred the water in the pond. Her long, straight black hair hung down, half-submerged, creating a pitifully alluring sight.

Wu Wang found it difficult to tear his gaze away. The stunner seemed to possess some kind of strange power.

The moment she turned her head to meet Wu Wang's gaze, she paused in surprise.

She seemed not to have expected that Wu Wang could actually hear her whispers.

The next second, the stunner's gaze became feverish. She licked her lips greedily as a glistening trail of drool dripped from both of her mouths.

Her voice grew even more fervent as she called out.

“Come quickly! Sir! This mountain is pressing down on me, it's so uncomfortable. If you undo these chains, I can come over and we can have some fun together~”

Wu Wang glanced at her legs, fair as white jade. A thick iron chain, as wide as a wrist, was fastened around her ankle. The other end stretched all the way to the base of the rockery.

He looked at her with great interest.

"First, answer a few of my questions."

The stunner writhed, flaunting her impressive figure.

"Please ask, sir."

Wu Wang asked doubtfully, "Have you seen a blue-haired punk come in here? Where did he go?"

At these words, she immediately knew he was looking for the corpse from earlier.

She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and smile.

“Oh, sir, if you've come looking for pleasure, let's not discuss other matters. I can tell you, though, that he's inside this rockery behind me. He had so much fun with me just now that he can't even walk.”

Although that was what she said, Wu Wang knew it was an absolute lie.

The Red Vertical Pupil could see the thoughts floating above her head.

【Once I trick this bastard over, I can remove these shackles and return to the Yang World.】

【If that fails, I can at least satisfy my appetite. How delightful!】

It seemed he wouldn't be getting any useful information from this woman. Her only goal was to lure him closer.

And so, Wu Wang continued.

"Let me ask you again. What is the place where dragons live called?"

The stunner blurted out, "A pool."

"What is the place where tigers live called?"

"A lair."

"What is the place where horses live called?"

"A stable."

"What is the place where rabbits live called?"

"A burrow."

"And the place where chickens live?"

"A coop."

Hearing this final answer, a strange smile appeared on Wu Wang's face.

“That's not right. The place where chickens live isn't called a coop.”

The stunner stared at him, confused.

Wu Wang leaned in and said mysteriously, “The place where chickens live is called a Business KTV. This isn't a Business KTV, so how would I know if you're a legitimate business? I don't dare come over. I'm afraid of a honey trap.”

The stunner's confusion turned to shock.

Even if she had never heard of a Business KTV, she understood now. This kid was simply toying with her!

An expression of fury immediately twisted her face.

Her bewitching features instantly became hideous. The flesh on her face began to fall away, revealing the scarlet muscle underneath.

Her once casually scattered hair, which had exuded a natural beauty, now began to spread and writhe like the tentacles of a demon, trying to ensnare Wu Wang and drag him away.

But Wu Wang only took two small steps back.

In that short distance, less than a meter, her twisted hair coiled toward him but stopped abruptly, unable to extend any further.

Looking at the stunner's face, now flushed red with anger, Wu Wang pointed at the ground and chuckled.

“I was wondering why there was water here. Turns out you use your hair to catch people, huh?”

Beneath his feet, at the exact limit of her hair's reach, the ground tiles were a slightly different color, as if recently soaked.

He guessed she had tried the same trick on the blue-haired punk who entered earlier, and had likely failed then too.

The disheveled female ghost spoke sinisterly, "Brat! Don't get cocky! I know you can see us now… Heheheh…"

“The others will find out too. You can't escape. You will remain in this garden forever and become one of us.”

“When that time comes, I'll be sure to properly educate you!”

With that, her black hair, which had spread across the ground, gradually retracted.

The scarlet flesh on her face repaired itself, returning her to her previous pitiful and beautiful appearance.

Only the look in her eyes remained, now filled with resentment and the cold amusement of someone looking at a dead man.

“Pending Death, what are you acting so crazy for?”

Just then, Zi Jin took a step forward and patted Wu Wang on the shoulder, a strange expression on her face.

As she approached, Wu Wang noticed she was clutching some kind of prop in her hand.

It looked like a talisman paper, similar to the ones Xiezhi had used, but its patterns were more complex.

He could only see a small part of it, however, so the Abyss God's Mark didn't provide any specific information.

Wu Wang rolled his eyes disdainfully. "I'm having a fit. Do I need to file a report for that?"

"Why are you acting like a doctor from Wanping South Road No. 600, trying to micromanage me?”

Now he was certain. Even if his understanding of gods wasn't based on faith, he could still wear the 【Divine Persona Mask】 normally. The woman he'd just seen was likely a ghost from the so-called "Yin World."

His words made Zi Jin breathe a sigh of relief. For now, it seemed he was still normal.

His comments were bizarre, vaguely hinting at a past in a mental hospital, but at least he mentioned something only a modern person would know.

This meant he likely wasn't possessed by one of the spirits in the Nuo Opera Garden.

Still, his earlier performance had been far too bizarre. Right after leading them into the garden, Wu Wang had started talking to himself in front of an empty rockery.

His expressions were so vivid it looked like he was toying with someone.

But no one, not Zi Jin, Xiaoxiao, Qiao Biluo, or even the book boy with the strongest perception, could detect anything near the rockery.

They had all concluded that Wu Wang must have been possessed.

The actual explanation was even more infuriating. The kid was just having a fit and scaring them for fun!?

Damn it! Is this really the time for games? Why pretend to be a ghost in a place that's already so gloomy and haunted?

Aren't you afraid we'd misunderstand and unload a pile of attack items on you?

After retorting to Zi Jin, Wu Wang turned and walked deeper into the garden.

He completely ignored the resentful voice that whispered from behind him.

“Walk the Nuo Opera… a sacrifice for gods and ghosts…”

“Show no reverence for gods and ghosts… and your life will be forfeit…”

“Don't keep me waiting too long… Die quickly… and be reunited with me…”