The moment that ghostly face appeared, Zhao Kongcheng felt as if the very world had flipped upside down. An overwhelming sense of dizziness washed over him.
His brow furrowed, and he tensed every muscle in his body to keep himself from losing his balance.
Before his eyes, everything seemed like a spinning kaleidoscope—disordered, fragmented, and impossible to follow.
"Damn it... it can use the Forbidden Domain too. This is where I fall...," Zhao Kongcheng muttered to himself, his mind flashing back to what Wu Xiangnan had said before the mission:
"...Forbidden Domain Sequence 176, Ghost Face Earth Manifestation. Within the area of the Forbidden Domain, all living beings whose realm is equal to or lower than that of the caster will have their perception deceived, and the spatial concepts will be reversed.
In Ghost Face Earth Manifestation, up, down, left, right, and front, back, all shift at the will of the Ghost Face King. While it's possible to resist with one's own awareness and experience to some extent, it's clear that any attacks within the Forbidden Domain will be weakened, making them far less effective.
Therefore, unless you're at the same level as the captain, no one else on the team can face the Ghost Face King head-on, or they'll be walking straight into their death..."
Sure enough, the damn Forbidden Domain was as disgusting as ever. As a firsthand experiencer, Zhao Kongcheng was now fully aware of how terrifying this Forbidden Domain truly was.
So this is how the captain managed to severely injure the Ghost Face King in this very Forbidden Domain? He's just as much of a freak!
Zhao Kongcheng took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
"Roar——!!"
Roaring sounds came from all directions, and he couldn't determine the position of the Ghost Face King. The earth trembled slightly, and Zhao Kongcheng could feel the Ghost Face King rapidly closing in.
Where is it coming from?
In reality.
The terrifying and grotesque ghost face loomed in the air, but Zhao Kongcheng remained still, almost like a statue. With both hands on his knife, his brow furrowed in concentration.
He didn't realize that the Ghost Face King had already silently moved behind him.
In Zhao Kongcheng's perception, everything—sight, hearing, touch—was shifting at a terrifying speed, as though he were trapped inside an ultra-powerful washing machine, and incorrect information flooded his mind, making it impossible for him to distinguish reality.
The Ghost Face King stared at the oblivious Zhao Kongcheng, a sinister grin spreading across its pale, monstrous face.
It crouched down slightly, then, like a massive cannonball, broke through the rain and shot toward Zhao Kongcheng. Its claws gleamed coldly as it slashed toward Zhao Kongcheng's neck.
It could almost taste the warm blood spraying out and covering its body, yet just as its claws were about to strike Zhao Kongcheng, an unexpected turn of events happened!
Zhao Kongcheng, as if his back had grown eyes, suddenly swerved his body, narrowly avoiding the Ghost Face King's claw!
Immediately after, his straight blade cut through the air in a wide arc, aiming directly at the Ghost Face King's head!
Clang——!
A sharp collision rang out. The Ghost Face King's enormous hand grabbed Zhao Kongcheng's blade, then, with a forceful kick, sent Zhao Kongcheng flying like a ragdoll!
But even so, the look in the Ghost Face King's eyes was filled with shock.
It couldn't understand how Zhao Kongcheng had managed to sense its attack.
Zhao Kongcheng crashed heavily onto the ground and let out a cry of pain. Struggling, he climbed back to his feet, but a mocking smile curled on his lips.
"Surprised? Didn't see that coming, huh?"
Zhao Kongcheng leaned on his knife and grinned, his expression full of sarcasm.
"This Forbidden Domain of yours is seriously messed up. If it were any other time, I would've totally fallen for your trap and ended up dead. But unfortunately..."
Zhao Kongcheng pointed upward with his finger.
"Today, it's raining."
"You can deceive the perceptions of living beings, but you can't stop gravity from pulling down the rain. The rain hitting my skin gives me a sense of touch.
You might be able to make me think the rain is coming from all directions... but I can use that to figure out the true direction!"
Zhao Kongcheng smirked and spat out a mouthful of blood, raising his straight blade in the air with a self-satisfied grin.
"I'm not bragging, but if I had my own Forbidden Domain, you would have died a thousand times over!"
"Roar——!!"
The Ghost Face King was thoroughly enraged by Zhao Kongcheng's words and charged toward him, its fury intensifying.
Zhao Kongcheng, still with his eyes closed, predicted the direction of the attack. With his terrifying combat instincts and experience, he clashed with the Ghost Face King's attacks for several more blows!
But even so, his efforts were limited.
When the Ghost Face King unleashed its full power, Zhao Kongcheng—just a mere mortal—could only barely keep up before being grabbed by the monster. It struck him heavily in the chest, breaking two of his ribs, sending him flying again.
This time, it took him five whole seconds to stagger back to his feet.
If it weren't for the knife blocking part of the damage, that last blow would have been enough to kill him.
Cough cough cough... He spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his face pale as death.
The Ghost Face King stood still in the rain, its gaze cold and determined as it took slow steps toward him...
At that moment, a voice suddenly called out from behind Zhao Kongcheng!
"Zhao Kongcheng! Zhao Kongcheng!!
—Zhao Kongcheng!!!"
Zhao Kongcheng froze. He vaguely recognized that voice.
Wait a minute... isn't that...
He opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated, remaining silent.
His expression was complicated.
...
At that moment, outside the Zone of No Fear.
Lin Qiye stood on the patch of empty land nearby, the rain soaking his hair, yet he seemed completely unaware. He yelled out loudly:
"Zhao Kongcheng! Stop hiding! I know you're nearby!"
After shouting, Lin Qiye stood still for a moment, listening. All he could hear was the sound of the heavy rain—nothing else.
"Damn it, the bat clearly saw a cloaked guy with a monster disappear right here. How could there be nothing... Did I missee it?"
Lin Qiye frowned and began looking around.
Suddenly, his eyes locked onto something.
He saw three strange signposts standing alone about ten meters away.
Lin Qiye walked over and wiped the rainwater off the signs, then softly read aloud the words on them:
"No Entry Ahead? When did this sign get here? And... this setup looks strange."
Lin Qiye lowered his head in thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
"It seems like he mentioned his Forbidden Domain is a hidden battlefield-based Forbidden Domain. What was it called... Zone of No Fear?"
Lin Qiye studied the three signposts in front of him, a smile forming on his lips. He once again yelled loudly:
"Zhao Kongcheng! I know you're inside the Zone of No Fear! Open the door and let me in!!"
One second... two seconds...
A voice came from behind the signposts, faint and low:
"Why the hell are you out here, running around in the middle of the night? Get the hell back!!"