Chapter 44: The Nine-Word Mantra

Most of human fear stems from the unknown.

Once you know what you are about to face, the fear diminishes significantly.

Ji Yun had seen ghosts before.

Therefore, his acceptance of supernatural events was much higher than that of ordinary people.

He walked out of the room. Although there was still a sense of apprehension in his heart, he did not lose his composure like the others.

In comparison, after leaving the light, the discomfort in his eyes became even more acute.

...

This T4 dormitory building used to be a hospital before it was converted into a female dormitory.

Both sides of the corridor were lined with abandoned rooms.

As someone walked past, the environment would constantly prompt the imagination to run wild: wondering if terrifying things were hiding in those rooms.

Commonly known as scaring oneself.

Ji Yun naturally knew what this meant.

He had seen it in experience posts shared by transcendent individuals on gossip forums.

Even ghost entities at the "malignant ghost level" found it difficult to possess healthy human beings.

Physical methods were understandable—direct head-on confrontations.

If a psychic evil spirit truly wanted to kill someone, it usually had to terrify them first.

Only by extinguishing the three fires of yang energy on a person's body could it get close enough to possess them.

Urban legends like Sadako and Hanako from the island nation operated on the same principle.

Judging from the current situation, the "ghost" tonight was likely a low-tier psychic evil spirit.

Or perhaps a prankster ghost.

With this thought in mind, Ji Yun reined in his wandering thoughts and stopped letting his imagination conjure up terrifying imagery.

The corridor was only a little over a hundred meters long.

After walking just a short distance, the light behind him grew increasingly distant.

Far away from the crowd, the yang energy weakened.

An unknown ghostly wind blew from somewhere, whistling straight into his collar.

A terrifying environment coupled with a chilling wind would normally cause goosebumps to rise.

Yet Ji Yun discovered that his body lacked that hair-raising sensation of dread.

Instead...

Was it becoming increasingly comfortable?

When he first stepped out into the corridor, Ji Yun found it strange and assumed it was just an illusion.

Later, as that feeling of comfort grew clearer and clearer, he became certain of what was happening.

This was "yin energy."

Previously, staying clustered with the crowd meant the yang energy was too strong, dispersing the yin energy.

Hence, he hadn't felt much.

Now, walking out alone, the soothing sensation of a fish returning to water was particularly palpable.

He realized that the chilling sensation might very well be the breath of the netherworld.

Because he was a transcendent, he experienced it as a sense of pleasure.

The last time in the Ruins Realm, he had just fused with an evil entity, so the sensation wasn't distinct.

Now, it was crystal clear.

...

"So it really is a Ruins Realm."

It was from this that Ji Yun confirmed his conjecture.

The T4 dormitory building could never possess such dense yin energy.

Yet at the same time, he was filled with puzzlement.

How could a Ruins Realm descend upon a place like a school where yang energy converged?

It made no sense whatsoever.

Besides, if it was a Ruins Realm... when did it enter?

Unlike the last time he went to the Liu family estate where the descent of the Ruins Realm brought obvious changes to the architectural style.

This T4 dormitory building was already a decades-old structure, and it looked completely unchanged.

"If it's a Ruins Realm, things might be a bit troublesome..."

Ji Yun thought of various posts on the forum.

However, the gradual comfort in his body led his thoughts to wander in a more positive direction.

Setting the ghost entity aside, this yin energy was not a bad thing for him.

He had been worrying about where to replenish yin energy to nourish his ghost, and had even considered consuming that ten-million-worth [Yin Soul Bead].

Never did he expect to be given a pillow just as he grew drowsy.

This dense yin energy satisfied the hunger of the evil entity within his body, giving him a thread-like pleasure that resonated deep within his soul.

Once his body felt comfortable, the remaining sliver of panic in Ji Yun's heart was diluted even further.

The closer he got to the restroom, the more it felt like stepping deeper into water, and the physical comfort continued to rise.

The evil entity inside him was also devouring it greedily.

Whereas he had feared encountering a ghost moments ago, he was now far more calm and composed.

With his own courage and fortitude, low-tier ghosts wouldn't find it so easy to finish him off.

...

He walked all the way to the end of the corridor.

There was a public restroom here.

Earlier, there was still a sliver of moonlight filtering in from outside the dormitory building.

Inside the restroom, however, it was pitch black—you couldn't even see your own fingers in front of your face.

And the yin energy was even denser.

Anyone with half a brain could deduce that some terrifying entity must be lurking inside.

Yet the rules of the game had to be obeyed.

Ji Yun took a deep breath and swept the flashlight beam of his phone forward.

Though afraid, he had no intention of "passively gaming" and having his body controlled.

He stepped inside.

Lowering his phone so that the light illuminated only a small patch of space right in front of him.

This way, the beam wouldn't scatter, allowing him to see things more clearly.

Behind him, however, lay an abyss of darkness.

...

The sensation that something was following right behind his neck, blowing cold air, grew increasingly intense.

Turning back in the night made the three fires of the body much easier to blow out.

Ji Yun did not look around suspiciously.

For he had already seen through certain rules of this game.

Since the "ghost" hadn't killed directly, it either didn't want to kill or couldn't kill.

Regardless of the scenario, fear was entirely superfluous.

...

Stepping into the restroom, it proved to be a very ordinary women's restroom.

There were no urinals.

Only a row of partitioned stalls.

Some were open, but most were closed.

"The fourth stall..."

Ji Yun walked in, counting the stalls, and quickly found the fourth one.

The restroom door was shut.

According to the Maneki-neko, this stall concealed the "truth of the game."

Ji Yun had already guessed that this haunted building was most likely a Ruins Realm.

Therefore, it was all the more necessary to track down the source of the resentment.

Both Truth or Dare games had involved the restroom; anyone with common sense could guess that a major wave was waiting for him inside.

At the very least, it would be a punishment far more terrifying than "eating a mouse."

Facing the stall door, Ji Yun could already picture the terrifying monster hidden inside baring its fangs and snarling at him the moment he opened it.

Even though he deliberately suppressed his fear, his heart pounded violently.

Sooner or later, he had to face it.

Standing before the door for two breaths, Ji Yun didn't wait to be forcibly possessed. He took a deep breath and slowly reached out to push open the stall door.

Little by little.

With extreme caution.

Within the narrow space, the light from the phone was also restricted.

It was an inward-opening door.

Ji Yun's gaze followed the illumination of the flashlight, scanning inch by inch.

The moment he pushed it open just a crack, the tip of a gray sneaker came into view!

Thump.

His heart gave a violent lurch.

Someone was in the stall?!

The instinct of fear made him want to stop pushing, pulling his hand back as if touching a live wire.

Ji Yun forcefully froze his hand mid-air, using his reason to steel his courage: "This is just an attempt to scare me... The moment I flinch and my courage falters, most of my yang energy will weaken."

Realizing he had to face it one way or another.

With a fierce look in his eyes, he did not pull his hand back.

Instead, he shoved the stall door wide open with a violent push!

Better a sharp pain that's over quickly than a dull knife cutting flesh!

With a loud thud, the restroom door was pushed forcefully open.

Ji Yun had mentally prepared himself for a "ghost" hidden inside the stall to lurch out and scare him.

Yet unexpectedly, the door met with zero resistance.

Huh...

It was actually empty?

Until he pushed it all the way open and the door panel bounced back, he saw that the fourth restroom stall was completely vacant.

Only a pair of gray sneakers sat beside the squat toilet.

These were the same shoe tips he had seen earlier.

Ji Yun was baffled: Where was the ghost?

This turn of events left him completely nonplussed.

...

At the same time, looking at that pair of sneakers, Ji Yun frowned and muttered to himself, "Strange, why is there a pair of men's shoes in a women's restroom?"

Could these shoes be the "truth of the game"?

Taking another look.

He felt the shoes looked somewhat familiar.

Before he could recall where he had seen them,

Drip, drop, drip.

It sounded like the sound of dripping water.

Drip...

Drop...

Drip...

Dead silence reigned in the washroom.

Thus, the sound of dripping water was exceptionally clear.

Water sounds in a restroom were normally quite ordinary.

Ji Yun strained his ears, wanting to figure out where the sound was coming from.

Right at that moment,

Several drops of an unknown liquid landed right on his shoulder, leaving it damp.

A faint smell of blood drifted into his nostrils.

With his shoulder dampened, Ji Yun raised his flashlight by reflex and looked up toward the ceiling.

The next instant,

His pupils dilated sharply!

The expression of relief that had just been on Ji Yun's face instantly distorted violently from fright.

The place illuminated by the flashlight was precisely where his vision converged.

There,

There was a hole in the ceiling,

And right at the opening of the hole,

He saw it,

A pale human face jammed into the opening!

The corners of that face's mouth hung in a bizarre curve, resembling a lewd grin.

Its rolling eyeballs stared straight at Ji Yun, who was holding the flashlight.

The moment their eyes met, Ji Yun shuddered violently, feeling as though his soul was instantly about to detach and float away.

Damn it!

A massive wave really did come!

...

The ceiling had a drop-suspended ceiling, and one of the panels had been pushed aside.

Right in the center of that opening was that pale human face!

It looked like some perverted wretch who was currently sprawled across the ceiling, peeping at people using the restroom!

Its pupils were unfocused, and that smile grew increasingly eerie.

In the trance of their locked gazes, Ji Yun felt as though the face was grinning weirdly right at him.

"What the hell!"

Even though Ji Yun had anticipated various scenarios, he never expected to encounter this particular sight.

In an instant, every hair on his back stood on end.

In a flash of lightning, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his body arched and he sprang backward out of the washroom.

Ji Yun realized he had fallen for the "ghost's" scheme.

The reason why human hair stands on end is actually a manifestation of yang energy being scattered by fear, allowing yin energy to enter the body.

Having been terrified, the "fire of profound malevolence" atop his head was likely about to be blown out.

Dangerous!

There was no time to overthink.

The moment he retreated violently, the Nine-Word mantra slipped from Ji Yun's lips: "Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing!"

Simultaneously, his hands rapidly shifted through nine different hand seals.

This was the courage-boosting secret technique his Third Uncle had previously taught him.

Dealing with haunted houses inevitably brought special situations where one might be frightened.

This secret technique possessed miraculous efficacy.

The Nine-Word mantra could rapidly stabilize the mind, ward off evil spirits, elevate thoughts, and solidify yang energy!

Combined with the hand seals, this Nine-Word mantra could quickly stabilize a person's three spiritual fires.

For those practicing magical arts, it could instantly condense magical power and drive away evil specters.

Having practiced forming these hand seals whenever he had free time these past days, Ji Yun was already thoroughly proficient.

Almost the instant he was startled, the Nine-Word mantra rapidly steadied his mind, and his pounding heartbeat immediately subsided quite a bit.

The rapidly leaking yang energy also stabilized in an instant.

His goosebumps instantly retreated.

However, what surprised Ji Yun once more was this:

As he steadied his mind, the "person" on the ceiling did not lunge down.

He understood that it was merely a dead body.

A prop meant for intimidation.

Since it hadn't managed to scare him, the ghost could do nothing to him.

"Hoo... Heh..."

"Hoo... Heh..."

"Hoo... Heh..."

With his chest heaving violently and taking several heavy breaths in succession, Ji Yun finally felt his soul return to his body.

The small of his back felt slightly cool; touching it, he found his back covered in cold sweat like grease.

This was a sign of yang energy dissipation.

Had he not stopped it in time, that scare would have drained the majority of his yang energy.

That would have been the optimal moment for the yin entity to invade.

Fortunately, he had been prepared and steadied his mind in time, leaving "that thing" unable to do anything to him.

...

It was over.

Presumably because the second round of the game had been completed, Ji Yun no longer felt that unseen constraint forcing him to play the rules of the game.

He distinctly felt a sense of relief and relaxation.

Standing at the entrance of the fourth restroom stall for quite a while, he finally calmed his heavy breathing.

Lingering fear from the scene just a moment ago caused Ji Yun to mutter to himself, "If anyone else had come here, they probably would have been scared to death right on this spot."

The person on the ceiling had likely been scared to death.

Normally, Ji Yun could have returned now.

Yet, frowning in deep thought for a moment, he didn't rush to leave.

The reason he had been so terrified by the face on the ceiling just now was multifaceted.

Catching him off guard was one thing.

More importantly, he recognized the identity of that face.

It was none other than Song Wei!

He was none other than the person from the livestream group who had come to the restroom during the previous round of Truth or Dare!

That guy was already dead.

For reasons unknown, his corpse had been hidden in the restroom ceiling.

Then came the question.

Who on earth was the "Song Wei" who had just gone back to play the game with everyone else?

The thought sent chills running down his spine.

Ji Yun instantly realized what the "truth of the game" actually was.

A ghost had replaced Song Wei and had been playing the game with them all along!

...

"So that's how it is..."

Ji Yun gazed at the restroom door before him, murmuring to himself.