Chapter 243 The Possibility of Opening the Passage

Chapter 243: The Possibility of Opening a Passage

If the Bloodthread Ghost’s earlier claims were true, then the resurgence of this violent aura likely stemmed from another instance of the mysterious Eerie Entity within the mirror world losing control.

Moreover, the force pressing in from all directions this time was even more immense than before. The reek of blood and decay was so overpowering that even Su Bai felt discomfort. The space within his vision was tinged crimson, and even the furnishings in the parlor twisted within a bloody vortex.

Su Bai’s torment from side effects was due to absorbing too much disordered energy in a short period. He needed more time to stabilize this energy within his body and gradually harness it for his own use. During such a phase, Su Bai should have remained in a quiet place, meditating with his eyes closed. Pushing himself to participate in the nightmare game while barely holding his body together would only prolong his suffering from the side effects.

But now, not only was Su Bai’s body deprived of adequate rest, but another external oppressive force was also pressing down on his human form, even affecting him mentally. As a result, Su Bai could feel the two uncontrollable forces—one internal and one external—beginning to conflict.

During the previous two occurrences, the out-of-control force within the apartment wasn't particularly powerful for Su Bai. Thus, the power of the Fog City Lord within him had achieved an overwhelming victory, allowing Su Bai to remain completely unaffected by the bloody-violent aura. Su Bai even had reason to speculate that if the bloody-violent aura were to gain an overwhelming advantage in this clash of intensities, the chaotic energy within his body, which continuously produced negative side effects, might actually calm down.

That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

However, the area Su Bai and the others were currently in was, after all, the periphery of the true "Mirror Apartment." The influence of the out-of-control force should be somewhat diminished in the world outside the mirror.

Su Bai glanced around. Players like Yao Qing, Chen Xi, and Meng Zhi, who hadn’t been sufficiently immersed under the red moon, were already so oppressed by the force that they could no longer hold on. If this continued, ordinary humans would undoubtedly suffer a mental breakdown.

Not long after the bloody-violent aura descended, Su Bai’s recently recovered spirits grew weary again. The sounds reaching his ears became dull, like hearing through a barrier. The other players were even worse off, feeling as though they had been trapped in a blood-soaked world for an exceedingly long time.

Yet, in reality, the force quietly receded after just four or five minutes, lingering in the world outside the mirror for an even shorter time than during the previous two occurrences, as if the out-of-control Eerie Entity had managed to regain control in time.

“The frequency of loss of control is continuously increasing.” The Bloodthread Ghost, on the other hand, remained seated steadily. “If this continues, even the world outside the mirror will become uninhabitable. By then, forget about you all—even we won’t be able to last for seventy-two hours.”

Su Bai could sense that, even though the Eerie Entities knew the world outside the mirror wasn’t a permanent refuge, they were still trying every possible method to escape the world inside the mirror. In other words, even these eerie beings could no longer endure the blood-soaked world corrupted by the out-of-control force.

Nearby, Wind Chime also reached out to steady herself on the sofa, her brow slightly furrowed as if the bloody scent hadn’t completely dissipated.

“How many options do we have left now?” Perhaps because Su Bai had displayed unexpectedly powerful abilities, Wind Chime instinctively turned to him, seemingly hoping to hear some better ideas.

“...” Su Bai didn’t immediately answer Wind Chime’s question. Instead, after a moment of contemplation, he turned his gaze to the Bloodthread Ghost on the other side. “Before making a choice, I have a question. If I remember correctly, you once presented sacrifices to that out-of-control Eerie Entity? And allowed blood to inundate the mirror world?”

“In other words, you didn’t just try to possess humans outside the mirror—you also dragged humans, body and all, into the mirror world?” Su Bai recalled what the Bloodthread Ghost had said earlier. “Do you know how to open… a true passage?”

So far, what these ghosts had done seemed limited to dragging human consciousness or other entities into the mirror world. This way, they could escape the mirror by possessing human bodies, reaching the world outside the mirror where they could find respite, to some extent.

But if they had truly tried to offer human sacrifices and blood as food to the out-of-control Eerie Entity, then these ghosts should know how to truly open a passage between the world inside and outside the mirror. This would allow humans to enter the mirror world with their physical bodies, and even enable ghosts to escape to the outside world without needing to possess anyone.

“After all, you’ve been extremely cautious with Yue Zhengqing.” Su Bai glanced at Yue Zhengqing, who was tightly wrapped in bloodthreads.

On the other side, Qin Yuxuan’s lower body had been horrifically burned by Wind Chime’s flames, and his throat had been slit by the ghost that possessed him afterward. Yet, he could still serve as a vessel for possession, indicating that these Eerie Entities didn’t care about the integrity of human bodies. The security guard who moved his lower body with the help of a chair was likely the same.

But the Bloodthread Ghost, despite already having Xiao Xiaodie’s body, still carefully protected Yue Zhengqing, who had nearly been burned earlier. Combined with what Su Bai had seen earlier—something entering Yue Zhengqing’s body through the mirror—he had reason to suspect that the Bloodthread Ghost was hiding something.

For example… the method to truly open a passage between the mirror world and the outside world.

“Could it be that Yue Zhengqing can help you open the passage?” Sang Sang had lost a significant amount of blood during the process of summoning the lanky apparition behind her, and her face was now somewhat pale. But perhaps because she had successfully summoned the ghostly figure, even after experiencing the descent of the bloody aura, her vitality and spirit weren’t much weaker than Wind Chime’s.

Sang Sang’s tone wasn’t particularly serious, as Yue Zhengqing didn’t seem like a major figure in this parlor. He wasn’t the strongest in terms of ability, and his malice didn’t even compare to that of Qin Yuxuan, the mind-controller whom Wind Chime had punished.

The Bloodthread Ghost, however, looked at the lanky apparition behind Sang Sang, then at Wind Chime, before finally settling its gaze on Su Bai.

“We don’t have the ability to open the ‘mirror,’ but the ‘mirror’ appears due to malice from the outside world.” After a period of silence, the Bloodthread Ghost finally spoke slowly. “The human body is like a heavy stone tied to one’s feet when sinking into the sea—cumbersome and burdensome. Under normal circumstances, it’s impossible to pass through the ‘mirror.’ Malice, on the other hand, is like a balloon tied to humans and ghosts, capable of carrying ghosts and humans who abandon their bodies into the mirror world.”

“So, if humans want to enter the mirror world with their bodies, they need a bigger balloon… more malice?” Su Bai said, giving Yue Zhengqing a strange look. “According to this logic, instead of Yue Zhengqing, you should have chosen that half-burned guy over there.”

Yue Zhengqing wasn’t a good person, but his malice should pale in comparison to Qin Yuxuan’s.