Chapter 100: No Way...

    "Fuck!" Unable to restrain his anger, Shen Nianzu punched him in the face.

    He had used all of his strength in that punch, sending Jin Jiuchi skidding across the floor. He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms in repulsion. Oh how wished he could bleach his ears and brain and forgot that he ever heard this sentence! "Do you even hear yourself? If other people were here, they would think that you’re a pedo!"

    The more he dwelled on Jin Jiuchi’s words, the greater his disbelief grew. A mocking chuckle escaped his lips, laced with incredulity, "Is your skin as thick as a brick?" He jeered. "Do you think I’m going to let you take a bite just because you ask? Ha! In your dreams!"

    Alas, he had spoken so many words, but Jin Jiuchi’s side was as silent as a graveyard. Shen Nianzu finally deigned to glance at his direction, only to see that the man was still slumped on the ground without moving an inch.

    He almost walked over at first, but considering Jin Jiuchi’s previous bad record, it was highly likely that the man was just faking it in order to gain pity. He refused to be tricked again, by this version of Jin Jiuchi on top of that!

    Feeling like he had seen through Jin Jiuchi’s cheap tricks, he sneered and added in derision, "Do you think I’m going to say yes if you lie there like a corpse? Get up! If you don’t want the other players to see you, go hide yourself for the rest of the night!"

    But Jin Jiuchi still did not respond to him.

    Feeling a little strange, Shen Nianzu called out, "Hey." He gingerly walked over, summoned his icy blade and poked Jin Jiuchi’s ass with it. "I told you to get up."

    As he received no reaction, a flicker of unease crept into his mind, causing the corner of his lips to twitch. He cast the blade aside and hastily lifted Jin Jiuchi up, only to gasp in alarm when he realized that the man was truly unconscious.

    "Wait, seriously?" Shen Nianzu’s brows furrowed as he examined him. "You really fainted just because of—" His voice trailed off all of sudden, his fingers trembling. Color drained from his face, and his eyes widened in horror as he stared at Jin Jiuchi’s motionless form. Frantically, he pressed his ear against Jin Jiuchi’s chest, but silence was all he got.

    Jin Jiuchi’s heart did not beat, and he was not breathing either.

    ***

    Gulu gulu gulu...

    Beneath the serene fac?ade of the lake, bubbles danced upon its still surface. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the icy depths, splashing water all around.

    "Puah—!" Jin Jiuchi gasped for breath and choked, almost coughing his lungs out as he had accidentally swallowed too much water when he sank unprepared. "Cough cough... damn it, the water tastes so bad!!"

    Jin Jiuchi had no idea what those spirits were made of, but they tasted extremely bitter and sour like the putrid essence of decaying nightmares, swirling on his tongue like a vile concoction of forgotten fears and festering despair.

    "Ptui ptui!" He tried to spat the lingering taste away from his tongue to no avail, as it clung to his palette akin to sticky gum. "Gah, so disgusting!"

    He pushed his wet hair backwards and tried to open his stinging eyes, only to see a different scenery than the one he had fallen from.

    The water of the lake no longer glimmered in a soft blue hue, but transformed into an ominous black that tainted the surroundings with utter filth. Its polluted depths cast a shroud of darkness, enveloping the area in an eerie gloom.

    Were it not for his excellent eyesight, Jin Jiuchi would have met with difficulty trying to maneuver his way out of the lake. He looked around in confusion as he wrung the filthy water out of his shirt. "The ethereal lake doesn’t suit its name anymore... what is going on?"

    A gust of chilly breeze blew by, sending shivers down his spine. "So cold!!" His teeth chattered as he hugged himself. No, he could not stay in his wet clothes like this. Looking around, his keen eyes fell on tattered robes on the ground a distance away from the lake and his silver eyes lit up in delight.

    He hastily discarded his soaked clothes in lieu of wrapping the robes around himself. Though it was a bit dusty, at least it offered him warmth!

    "Geez, leaving me here alone after I nearly drowned..." he grumbled in complaint for Anna’s lack of camaraderie. "What kind of faithful servant does she claim to be?!"

    Huffing and puffing, Jin Jiuchi finally decided that he should make it out of this place first. He had no idea why the color of the lake changed all of a sudden or how long he had spent here, but Shen Nianzu should have been worried about him, right?

    He relied on his memory to return to the direction where he had come from. However, he could not help but grow increasingly perplexed when he encountered several more peculiarities along the way. For example, the once softly luminescent murals lining the hallway now appeared as ordinary carvings devoid of any ethereal glow. Not only that, he noticed that the area around him seemed freshly constructed, as if it had been built not too long ago.

    How was it possible? He vividly recalled thick vines snaking along the walls when he first entered, so what had brought forth the change?

    Keeping the doubt in his mind, Jin Jiuchi continued to walk until he reached the stone door. And lo and behold, he saw a ray of dim light spilling in through the tiny crack of the door in the middle, proving that it could already be opened!

    Excited, he burst out through the door and spread his arms wide, cheering, "Finally! I’ve made it out!!"

    "Nian’er, I should search for Nian’er first!"

    He bounded toward the stairs, taking them two or three steps at once, and hastened to the rear of the temple. If Shen Nianzu were to follow behind him, they would certainly cross paths in the middle! Alas, as he reached the spot, he abruptly halted in his tracks, frozen by the sight before him.

    S–So many people!

    Tens if not hundreds of people stretched like a serpentine trail, lining up to enter the temple from the front. It stood to reason that such a huge crowd would definitely yield some noises, albeit a hushed one, but it was not the case this time. An eerie silence pervaded the air, with each person bowing their head low. Some displayed grotesque wounds on their bodies, others were soaked with water, while the majority appeared emaciated as if they had not eaten for months.

    Jin Jiuchi’s eyes went to the last person in line, and his eyes almost fell out of his sockets when he saw an extremely familiar face.

    It was none other than the male Intermediate player who had died of divine punishment this morning!

    "Hey!" Jin Jiuchi rushed forward, excited to see an old acquaintance. "Hey, you! I don’t know what your name is and... uh, you don’t know me either! But I have seen you before! What are you doing here? Didn’t you die this morning?!" He reached out to grab the man’s arm, only to watch in horror as it crumbled under his touch like fragile charcoal turning to ash,

    "AH—!" The player screamed on top of his lungs, tears of blood rolling down his decayed and wrinkled face as he collapsed to the ground. "Please... have mercy! I won’t do it again! I will not disrespect God again!"

    Jin Jiuchi stared at the hysterical man, then at his own hands with a dumbfounded look. "Wait a minute..." a mind-boggling possibility crossed his mind, and he turned around to survey the motionless crowd around him. They looked pale and lifeless—

    No, that’s not right.

    They were indeed lifeless. Because these were spirits who had transcended the mortal realm.

    As soon as the terrifying realization dawned upon him, Jin Jiuchi’s hands flew to his face, fingers splayed across his cheeks as his jaws hung open in a silent scream.

    "No way... have I died for real?!!"

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    A/N: Congratulations for making it to Chapter 100, everyone! Thank you so much for being here with me and let us celebrate JJ’s death! *cheers* *pull confetti popper*