Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

Changle: "What if he just forgot?"

Li Mo: "How could you forget something so important? It's like forgetting your ID for the national college entrance exam."

Changle: "National college entrance exam? ID? What are those?"

Li Mo: "You don't need to know. I looked at the corpse closely just now. Wrapped in such thick clothes, yet not a single drop of sweat on an ordinary person. What more explanation do you need?"

Changle: "That…"

Suddenly, the others realized that the corpse on the ground hadn't even had a drop of sweat. While martial artists could regulate their body temperature, how could an ordinary person climb a mountain in such hot weather without sweating at all?

Unless…

"Wearing a bamboo hat and keeping his head down meant you guys didn't see his eyes at all. I checked them. The cloudiness of the vitreous humor indicated he had been dead for days."

"You were carrying a dead man on the road. Tell me, I'm really curious what kind of road you think you're on?"

Li Mo snapped irritably. He had been distracted by Changle and hadn't noticed the oddness of some people in the group.

Ghosts can't feel hot or cold, and they lack basic human physiological characteristics, including normal vision.

A dead person's eyeballs are very insensitive to light, but they have a strong ability to perceive certain things in specific situations.

For example, lights in the dark, the sound of wind chimes, and striking red ropes.

Lights in the dark will flicker erratically when a ghost is near, the sound of wind chimes will go from gentle to sharp and piercing, and red ropes will fade…

Li Mo wouldn't tell Changle and the others about ghosts. They wouldn't believe him even if he did.

They would only believe it when they saw it with their own eyes.

But by then, they'd probably be close to death.

That shroud was a ghost, controlling a corpse to blend in with the group.

The red ropes on it had faded significantly, meaning it had already attracted a lot of bad things, possibly even some that were already among them.

They would turn into true ghosts by nightfall.

Li Mo hadn't warned the others before fleeing because he needed those disobedient ones to stay behind and hold off the unknown ghost.

Ultimately, they had discovered it too late, and there wasn't enough time to deal with it properly.

Li Mo's goal was to bring back Hua. Hua was surely trapped at the source of the Bizzare Entity. He had no reason to waste time on a group of irrelevant people.

Even with his restart ability, life was still precious, and he couldn't waste a restart in a situation like this.

"The road of the dead… the road of the dead…"

Changle repeated Li Mo's words, then suddenly exclaimed, "The Road to the Underworld [Huangquan Road, the path spirits take to the afterlife in Chinese folklore]…?!"

"Whether it's the Road to the Underworld or not, if you keep going, you'll reach the Gates of Hell soon enough," Li Mo scoffed. "Let's go, up the mountain."

After Li Mo's explanation, it was clear that some people were starting to waver, wanting to stick together for safety.

Changle's expression was grave. She had heard tales of ghosts and monsters in the palace, but this was Taixu Mountain, the residence of an Immortal.

If such malevolent beings existed even here, wouldn't that mean the Immortal revered on the mountaintop was…

"If that's really the case… what about them? There are still many people behind us who haven't come up. I'll go call them to catch up. It's safer together, and we can be more prepared for the next dead person," someone suggested.

Caring about teammates was a good thing; Li Mo wasn't against it.

But in the current situation, being overly kind was dangerous, as no one knew if the people who followed were human or ghost.

Some ghosts could be identified by specific characteristics, like the Head Ghost; others couldn't.

Li Mo didn't want to travel alongside a ghost about which he knew nothing. If he accidentally triggered a one-hit kill rule, it would be a waste of a life and increase the risk of using the Head Ghost.

The Head Ghost prioritized attacking those with superior physical attributes. If Li Mo died again, reaching a state of having died twice, most Bizzare Entities wouldn't be as physically strong as him.

That would render the Head Ghost unusable.

Li Mo quickened his pace up the mountain. The temperature on the thermometer was dropping rapidly.

Judging by the sudden, inexplicable death just now, it was highly likely they had encountered another ghost with a one-hit kill rule.

There was almost no room to react or resist when a one-hit kill rule was triggered.

It was like the rule in St. Freya Academy where opening a certain door meant certain death. Li Mo never dared to enter that door during the funeral process.

These kinds of Bizzare Entities were difficult to deal with, with an extremely high mortality rate.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Stop! If you don't wait for the others to catch up, what will happen if something goes wrong?!" someone shouted at Li Mo.

Li Mo stopped, his expression slightly displeased, appearing somewhat angry.

"Wait if you want to. Don't blame me if you die. Even if I'm alone, I can still reach the summit."

With that, Li Mo ran towards the summit without looking back.

This action put the others in a dilemma.

On one side was the mysterious Mingyue, and on the other were their companions they had traveled with for so long. Choosing one meant abandoning the other, and a blind choice could lead to their own demise.

"Changle… what do we do? Do we follow him, or stay here and wait for the others?"

Four burly men, radiating intense True Energy, surrounded Changle, awaiting instructions.

Three other ordinary martial artists and one commoner looked at each other, unsure what to do.

Changle glanced around. The original group heading up the mountain had numbered around twenty, and now there were only nine of them here.

If they chose to follow, they would lose about sixty percent of their members, which was a very unfavorable outcome for their goal of reaching the summit.

They were bound to encounter strange and dangerous situations during the ascent of the Heavenly Path, and they would need to sacrifice lives to overcome them. They had all agreed to use their best skills and not hold back. Whether they lived or died was fate; whoever's turn it was, it was their turn.

Changle had initially planned that with over twenty people, excluding a few ordinary individuals, the rest were all outstanding talents in the martial world, giving them a high chance of reaching the summit.

Even if they suffered heavy losses, she could still survive to the end and kowtow to the Immortal.

"Let's wait for the others, Changle. While we may not know each other intimately, we at least have a general understanding of each other from traveling together. Surely a stranger who appeared out of nowhere isn't more trustworthy?"

A martial artist stepped forward to voice his opinion.

"Indeed, that young man's origins are unknown. We've been walking the Heavenly Path for two days, and several people have died to get here. Climbing the Taixu Heavenly Path is definitely not something one person can accomplish. It has nothing to do with strength; there are some checkpoints that require people to sacrifice themselves."

"I'll do whatever you guys say. I'll follow the majority's opinion," the commoner chimed in.

All eyes turned to Changle. The black-clad men remained silent.

Clearly, Changle was their leader, and what she said went.

"Delaying things will only bring more variables. If nothing unexpected happens to the group behind us, they should be able to reach the summit. If something does happen, there's no use in us joining them."

"Since that brother who calls himself Mingyue is so confident, he must have some hidden secrets. Following him wouldn't be too disadvantageous for us either."

Changle explained her reasoning. In truth, she also felt uneasy.

This unease had no clear source, but the jade pendant at her waist was vibrating, alerting her to the impending danger sooner than others.

Li Mo's strange behavior earlier made her believe he knew a lot but was unwilling to reveal it.

Perhaps he had revealed it, but they just hadn't paid attention.

Changle recalled Li Mo's words: "If you insist on climbing to the top, not only will you not get what you want, but less than a handful of you will come back alive."

He didn't say "alive on the way up," but "alive on the way down"…

If those words weren't a lie, then it meant he clearly knew what the danger was.

The dangers of ascending the mountain were insignificant in his eyes.

If that was the case, then to reach the summit and kowtow to the Immortal while still being alive, they had to follow him.

"Let's run."

Changle took the lead, the first to give chase.

The four black-clad men followed without hesitation, right behind Changle.

The other martial artists hesitated for a moment, then gritted their teeth and decided to follow.

Only the commoner, panting heavily after running a few steps, stopped by the side of the road, choosing to wait for the main group.

"Damn it, instead of trusting well-known companions in the martial world, they choose to believe a stranger who popped up out of nowhere!"

The commoner grumbled, sitting down to recover.

The long climb was too physically demanding. Even if he wanted to follow, he didn't have the stamina.

He could only sit and wait for the others to catch up.

"With just those few people, how could they reach the summit without anyone sacrificing their lives? If they encounter some kind of soul-reaping, unkillable 'demon,' they'll have to rely on us ordinary folks to block it!"

"That's right, how could a group of twenty-plus people all die? Those few will die soon enough. How are they going to reach the summit? The larger group behind us is more reliable."

The man sighed, feeling indignant.

The sun gradually set, casting its afterglow on the mountain ridge, painting it in golden and red hues.

The trees in the valley cast long shadows, growing longer and darker as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Amidst the dappled shadows, a hunched figure slowly walked up the mountain.

The leaves rustled softly, making a whispering sound.

As twilight faded, the sky lost its daytime brightness, gradually sinking into a hazy dusk.

The distant mountains were shrouded in twilight, their outlines blurring.

As night fell, stars began to twinkle, scattered across the dark sky. Faint starlight illuminated the mountain path dimly.

The creatures in the valley gradually fell silent, leaving only the occasional bird call and the buzzing of insects, flying erratically, making noisy, sharp, panicked cries…

"Meow…"

A sharp, piercing meow was out of place in the mid-levels of the Heavenly Path. Animals like cats and dogs shouldn't be here.

The man gradually woke from his nap, straining his ears to listen carefully. He still couldn't hear any footsteps.

Since he had sat down to wait, no footsteps had come from below.

This was completely illogical. It shouldn't take too long to catch up over this distance, right?

The man shook his head, trying to dispel the terrifying thoughts in his mind.

"No, no… how could a group of twenty-plus people all die? They must be being extra cautious, taking a lot of time to deal with any unexpected situations they encountered. And seeing that it's getting late, they must have stopped to rest."

"Damn it, if only I hadn't followed Changle and the others in the first place! Now I'm all alone!"

The man came up with a plausible explanation to comfort himself.

In his mind, the people in the large group were individuals he could never aspire to reach, beings he could only look up to. They were all dragons among men, how could they be wiped out without a clear reason?

"Meow…"

Another familiar meow, but this time there was something new.

A dead calico cat suddenly fell from the tree above the man's head, landing on the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Where did this dead cat come from? Get away!"

The man, already in a bad mood, kicked the dead cat away. However, the cat's eyes remained open, staring fixedly at the man.

The man tightened his clothes, a chilling sensation creeping over him.

The surrounding air suddenly turned cold, as if winter had arrived. The chirping of insects ceased abruptly, creating an unsettling silence.

Just then, the sound that shouldn't have appeared came.

"Meow…"

This was the third meow.

The first told him, I'm here.

The second was the man's last chance, but he hadn't seized it.

When the third meow sounded, the death rule was triggered.

"Tap… tap… tap…"

Very light footsteps came from around the corner. The man was overjoyed, thinking that the group behind him had sent someone to find him.

He happily walked to the corner, but to his disappointment, he didn't see the others. Instead, he saw a hunched old woman wearing a shroud, her body twisted grotesquely. Her towering hunchback was even higher than her head.

"Who are you?"

The man asked impatiently, reaching out to lift the woman's hat to see her face.

But as he reached out, he was shocked to see that his hand had completely changed.

Beastly fur grew on his arm, and his human fingers shrunk, replaced by sharp claws.

"An illusion… it must be an illusion!"

The man shook his head frantically, blinking hard, trying to clear his vision.

When he opened his eyes, nothing had changed. His hands were completely transformed into cat paws.

Soon, the night no longer seemed dark. The man's vision was clear and bright even in the darkness, but the colors had shifted dramatically.

As the cat-pawed hand lifted the hunchbacked old woman's hat, underneath it was the face of the dead calico cat, the resemblance uncanny.

The man was terrified. He was about to scream, but found that a meow came from his dry throat instead.

"Meow…"

Then, accompanied by a whimper, the man's face twisted and deformed, becoming increasingly like the face of the slain calico cat.

His spine snapped and arched, his back bulging like a small hill. His head slowly drooped, and his consciousness faded.

He had become a cat-faced old woman wearing human clothes.

After an unknown amount of time, dark clouds obscured the pale moon. The twenty-odd corpses at the bottom of the Heavenly Path stood up.

Each wore a hat, pulled low over their heads, their backs hunched, thick clothes concealing the fur on their bodies.

They slowly walked towards the towns below the Heavenly Path, searching for their remembered loved ones and friends.

On the other side, Changle and the others had caught up to Li Mo as quickly as they could.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, Li Mo's pace noticeably quickened. He didn't turn around.

It wasn't until Changle called out, "Brother Mingyue," that Li Mo stopped, but he still didn't turn around. Instead, he took out his thermometer.

When the footsteps got closer, the thermometer didn't show a significant drop in temperature, and Li Mo finally relaxed some of his vigilance.

"You guys are lucky you chose to follow," Li Mo said calmly, turning around.

The words seemed a bit arrogant, and some of the martial artists were displeased.

"Brother Mingyue, what do you mean by that?" Changle asked humbly.

Li Mo took a deep breath, deciding to give them one last chance.

"That's not something you need to know. I'll say it again: if you insist on going up the mountain, it's almost impossible to return alive."

"As for the reason, I can't tell you. If there's a real reason not to go up, we'll naturally go back down."

Before he could finish, a martial artist retorted angrily, "We've spent so much effort and time to get here. How can we just turn back?"

"Are you trying to hog the Immortal's blessings for yourself after reaching the summit? Why else wouldn't you reveal the specific reasons? If there's a real reason we can't go up, we'll naturally descend."

The four black-clad men surrounded Changle, still silent.

Changle considered for a long time. He had to reach the summit. Unlike the others, he had a very important matter to attend to, and it could only be accomplished by personally meeting the Immortal.

"Sigh…" Changle sighed. "Brother Mingyue, you have your reasons for climbing the mountain, and we also have our reasons for having to climb it."

"As for the dangers we might encounter after climbing, those are things we have to consider ourselves. Brother Mingyue doesn't need to worry about them."

"Even if we die, it will be our own fault, and it will have nothing to do with you. Brother Mingyue, please proceed forward. Feel free to give us occasional pointers, and we will also help Brother Mingyue to the best of our abilities."

Changle didn't want to antagonize the mysterious Li Mo. He chose a cooperative, mutually beneficial approach that wouldn't hinder either of their goals.

Li Mo thought for a moment, carefully looking at the people behind him.

Changle had four black-clad men who seemed to be bodyguards, and three wandering martial artists, making a total of nine people including himself.

Li Mo wasn't clear about the true situation on Taixu Mountain. If there were one-hit kill rules, he would need someone to test them.

That way, he wouldn't die instantly if they encountered danger.

But the cost was that these people, who hadn't encountered Bizzare Entities before, might trigger more unknown rules, putting him in a situation where he was attacked by multiple rules at once.

A team was a double-edged sword, with both advantages and disadvantages.

"Alright, I have only one condition."

"Brother Mingyue, please speak freely."

"Don't give me orders. Also, it's best if you listen to me at crucial moments. A team needs a leader, but to you, I'm just a stranger, so I won't force myself to be the overall commander. I just need you to listen to me at certain critical times."

"That includes you, Changle. I know you have a special identity. Let's get this straight: if you don't listen in such a situation, I won't hesitate to deal with you before dealing with the problem."