531 Distortion (1/2)

”Sss…”

Chen Xin drew a sharp breath of cold air.

She had just seen Jiese, a most meticulous monk, walk towards a ditch like he was in a trance.

If it had happened to her, she would not have been able to escape.

”Seems like...we're in trouble!”

In the darkness of the night, Fang Yuan turned towards Tantai Guihu and company, who had most of the colour drained from their faces.

”Be careful. I don't want to injure any of you by accident!”

Before any of them could respond, Fang Yuan unleashed his curse. With his black robes on, Fang Yuan looked like the Grim Reaper. Torrents of fresh blood flowed down from the inside of his sleeves and oozed across the floor.

Black figures began to surface out of the bloodstream. They were spirits and frolicked all over the place with abandon.

”Sw...swarm! It's a ghost swarm!”

Chen Xin nearly keeled over in fright.

Even the most elite exorcist would find it challenging to survive a ghost swarm of this level.

This young man was amazing. What exactly was he? Why was he even more mysterious than this village?

”Go...turn over every nook and cranny in the village and report back to me. Don't miss anything!”

Fang Yuan's eyes were now fully black. They looked even more gruesome in the light of the ghostly fire.

He issued his decree like some kind of ghost lord and the spirits scattered in all directions.

”Grrk! Grrk!”

The night was silent once more and only the grinding of Chen Xin's teeth could be heard.

”Hmm?”

Through the ghost swarm and the power of his curse, Fang Yuan felt his senses expand in reach until they encapsulated the entire village. He could now detect every single disturbance in the area.

It was this sensory web that allowed him to capture the presence of a terrifying entity!

”The origin...of the curse? It doesn't seem to be of the real world…”

Fang Yuan was silent for a moment. Suddenly, his expression changed.

The ghost swarm he had sent out was being dispatched of with haste. Although many of the spirits were as good as cannon fodder, there were numerous elite Murderous grade ghosts as well!

”Well done...you actually destroyed my ghost swarm in such a short time!”

Fang Yuan gritted his teeth and forced out a laugh.

”What? Was the ghost swarm destroyed in a moment?!”

Tantai Guihu did not know what to feel.

The curse of this village was well beyond what he was capable of dealing with, even as an elite exorcist. The only person they could rely on now was Fang Yuan!

”If this is the case, then we should wait till daybreak...we can't see very well in the dark. We'll be able to find out more in the morning!”

Tantai Guihu suggested after thinking for a bit.

”Mm...we could do that!”

Fang Yuan was fine with anything. After all, he had tested the waters and understood that the curse in the Ghost Sealing Village was of the Strange Level!

Sealing up this curse would require great power and a good timing.

'The origin...could it be in the alternate dimension? No, with my abilities, not even the netherworld would be able to block out my senses...that feeling…'

Fang Yuan was mulling over a major doubt, but he kept it to himself.

'If my guess is correct, this curse would be a pain to deal with…'

…...

Dawn.

As the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon, they could see that the entire village was enveloped in a fog.

”It is but a common fog!”

Tantai Guihu concluded after examining the air.

At this point, he seemed to realise something and looked around. The 4 of them had arrived at the village entrance unknowingly.

A large man carrying an axe and firewood on his back happened to pass by. He flashed a smile at them when he noticed them.

”You are...visitors from the outside world?”

”Sir...didn't we just meet only yesterday?”

Chen Xin asked him with a puzzled look on her face.

”Yesterday? I was chopping wood the whole day. Didn't meet anyone from the outside world!”

The big man scratched his head.

”Are you people here to tour the place? Or are you archaeologists?”

”How can you not recognise us?”

Chen Xin forced a stiff smile from her lips and looked at the sky. The sun was leaning towards the west. It didn't look anything like dawn.

”Weird people!”

The big man muttered to himself and walked away with his stack of firewood.

Jiese was dumbfounded and experienced a myriad of emotions.

”Time…”

A curse of the Strange Level could reverse cause and effect, and even distort space and time!

Fang Yuan was intrigued.

Even the sages could not turn back time. But this curse could!

Even though the phenomena was local, it was no small matter!

”You are saying...that we have returned to the day before when we first entered the village?”

Tantai Guihu pondered quietly and looked around him.

”Then...where is Chen He?”

”In an infinite time loop, a death caused by the curse is irreversible?”

Fang Yuan nodded to himself. He understood more now.

”Impossible, how can time turn back...why can't my brother come back?”

Chen Xin put her head in her hands. She looked as though she was about to suffer a breakdown.

”Actually, it isn't hard to figure this out. Our equipment and appearance have reverted back to the way they were on the day before…”

Fang Yuan looked down at the belongings he was carrying with him. He then strode towards the village assertively.

”The curse was activated the moment we entered this village. We won't be able to leave the place unless we resolve it once and for all!”