Chapter 37: Oh no, have I become a sacrificial offering?

“Little brat... you aren't from the Zhang Mazis' family... you're that thing that just cursed me, aren't you?” the Skeleton Ghost said in a halting, sinister voice.

The finger bone in his hand grew sharper.

The gaze he directed at Wu Wang grew increasingly greedy.

He hadn't noticed at first.

It wasn't until the kid kicked him and made contact that the Skeleton Ghost realized the boy carried a faint fragrance.

That scent held a fatal temptation for him, much like a traveler lost in the desert, on the verge of dehydration and death, suddenly stumbling upon a bottle of ice-cold spring water.

He had never seen anything so wonderful!

Brother, you smell so good!

“No, I am a butterfly.”

Wu Wang’s form gradually reverted to his original appearance. He wasn't quite used to the child's stature; otherwise, that previous kick could have sent him much further, allowing him to create distance.

He couldn't afford to play tough right now.

He wasn't worried about being killed by this vengeful spirit.

Rather, he was worried about being captured.

As the saying goes, if you lack the ability to break free, being captured alive is far more tragic than death.

Cracking his neck, he gave a cheeky grin. “My species is called—the Reverse Butterfly. Remember that, I'm a Reverse Butterfly.”

With that, he leaped high into the air.

As he jumped, something resembling a grenade slipped from his hand.

It exploded the moment it hit the ground.

In an instant, the entire interior and exterior of the hall were shrouded in an eerie white mist.

The Skeleton Ghost suddenly realized he could no longer sense the boy's presence at all.

【Smoke Without Harm Thunder: Upon use, creates a surrounding mist in which all perception and damage-dealing actions are impossible. Duration: 10 seconds.】

【Note: Smoke Without Harm is a universal law!】

This was also a trophy Wu Wang had obtained through the tears and blood of looting.

To be honest, that guy Tu Xingsun didn't have any items for direct confrontation.

Almost everything he had was related to escaping.

Unfortunately, a man so skilled at running ended up dying during his one and only greedy adventure.

As expected, one's sense of security must rely on Aka.

“I want to fly to the sky~ shoulder to shoulder with the sun~ the world is waiting for me to change it~”

Wu Wang hummed the lyrics to "I Believe" as he drifted further away through the air.

It had to be said that the skill *Cloud-Treading Steps* was already broken just by the fact that the double-jump was stackable.

Theoretically, as long as one had enough stamina, one could step on their left foot with their right foot to reach above the stratosphere.

The greatest limitation of this skill should, in theory, be—how to land safely from such a height.

It was a bit like being "riding a tiger and unable to get off."

Wu Wang had tested various landing methods many times over the past three days.

He discovered that the pressure experienced at the moment of using the skill was equal to the pressure his current body could withstand.

In other words, continuous double-jumping was easy because the pressure was always just his own body weight.

But once a certain height was reached...

If he intended to cancel the skill...

And after free-falling to a safe height, he attempted to land via another double-jump...

The final double-jump would actually have to withstand the pressure compounded by gravitational acceleration.

His knees would instantly shatter.

Therefore, Wu Wang chose the simplest landing method.

That was to pick a spot where he wouldn't hit anyone.

And then slam headfirst into the ground.

As long as the height was sufficient, he would die on impact.

Resurrecting on the spot was equivalent to a safe landing.

Safety does not equal immortality.

The inequality is solved!

*Puchi—*

“Where do you think you're going?” the Skeleton Ghost's voice drifted from the hall.

Wu Wang looked down.

His chest had been violently pierced by some sort of sharp, bony object.

The ten-second smoke effect had expired.

He hadn't expected that even at a distance where his silhouette was nearly invisible, the opponent could still inflict damage through some means.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—*

Because death interrupted the double-jump, the sound of rushing wind filled Wu Wang's ears as he fell.

He squinted his eyes, trying to fall as far away as possible.

*Boom—*

Ultimately, Wu Wang slammed violently into a house within the village.

The moment he died, he resurrected.

When he opened his eyes, he happened to find familiar faces—

Auntie Li and Uncle Li.

The two were looking at him with expressions of pure terror.

They were still holding carving knives, in the middle of engraving something.

Looking closely, it was the engraving of names on spirit tablets.

The name was already finished—

【Spirit Tablet of Zhang Sanfeng】

“?”

Wait, brother, why are you making a spirit tablet for me?

Before the Li couple could react, Wu Wang reached out, grabbed the bone spike in his chest, yanked it out, and pressed it firmly against Auntie Li's throat.

With a cold expression, he asked, “Why are you making this spirit tablet?”

Seeing his wife threatened, Uncle Li was about to fly into a rage when he saw the bone spike push forward an inch.

Auntie Li's skin was pierced.

One more inch and it would hit her throat.

He immediately waved his hands, answering anxiously, “Don't do anything! Let's talk this out! This tablet is for the little madman on the mountainside by the village entrance. The village couldn't find a suitable Yin-Marriage Saintess this year, so we have to use the backup plan.”

“Backup plan?” Wu Wang raised an eyebrow and asked.

“The village has always kept that little madman around just in case this situation happened. If we truly can't find a Saintess, as long as we sacrifice him to the Yin-Marriage Great God, things might not be perfect this year, but at least disaster won't descend,” Uncle Li said, revealing everything he knew.

Wu Wang understood instantly.

So that was it. No wonder the dungeon's introduction forced him to make a choice.

Either he would be sacrificed to the Yin-Marriage Great God, or he would have to hand over the girl he found to be the Yin-Marriage Saintess.

One meant he would be unlucky.

The other meant someone else would be unlucky.

On the surface, this choice seemed simple.

But in reality, whether looking at it from the perspective of whether the girl was related to Wu Xiaoyou, or analyzing it from the perspective of clearing the dungeon...

Wu Wang could never hand her over.

In the three days before entering the dungeon, he had chatted frequently with Baili Dao.

He already understood the common knowledge regarding the [Spirit Calamity Game].

He was facing a nightmare-level dungeon with a total clear rate of less than 1%.

If one could clear this game just by sacrificing an outsider...

Then this game would be truly idiotic.

“Redemption or Sin...”

“Everything has its destiny...”

Wu Wang recalled the two sentences from the dungeon's introduction.

But he had no time for more thought.

That eerie Skeleton Ghost was still hot on his heels!

Since the entity usually wore the old village chief's human skin to face the villagers, it meant he would have to put the skin back on to come out and chase him.

While he couldn't run at full speed in the old, decrepit form of the village chief in front of the other villagers...

He would most likely call upon the more agile villagers to carry him back to where he fell.

If he hadn't happened to see this spirit tablet...

Wu Wang would have run much further by now.

Having finished his questioning, he suddenly shoved Auntie Li toward Uncle Li.

Taking advantage of the moment the man caught her, he turned to leap out of the house.

Before leaving, seeing the large, white steamed buns on the table, Wu Wang grabbed one and stuffed it in his pocket.

He was still feeling bitter about not getting to eat that bun before he left.

Just before stepping out, he said coldly to the two

“Steamed buns still need to be white to be swallowed with peace of mind.”

Since Uncle Li could say those things, it proved Wu Wang's previous suspicion was correct.

The villagers were not ignorant.

They knew exactly what they were doing, and they felt no remorse.

This village was full of villains!

“Eat buns soaked in human blood, and beware of retribution.”

“Especially the retribution from those who died unjustly.”