The three returned along the same route. When they passed the altar, Zhang Shi left a mark with Lao Duan at the spot where Zhao Feng had disappeared, so that if Zhao Feng managed to escape, they would know that they had left safely.

As you ascend, passing through a long series of stone steps, the stone coffin that had been there earlier has been covered again. The passage is now dark, with only an oil lamp providing light.

Zhang Shi tried to move the stone cover, but found that it was as if it were sealed shut. Despite his best efforts, the stone cover remained motionless.

"Go to hell!"

Having encountered a series of setbacks on his journey through the dungeon, Zhang Shi was already seething with anger. In a fit of rage, he drew Old Duan's sword and slashed at Shi Gai three times.

Old Duan was incredibly sharp, cutting the stone cover into several pieces as easily as slicing tofu. Several beams of light pierced through, making the cave much brighter.

Zhang Shi kicked the stone cover open and moved the rubble away. The sky outside was still overcast, and there was nothing unusual.

After glancing at Lao Duan, Zhang Shi's mind cleared up instantly, realizing that sometimes, violence was a simpler and more effective method.

Zhang Shi was the first to climb out of the coffin, then reached for the oil lamp, and pulled Wu Qing up with him.

The two looked towards the cave, but Ge Dalong was nowhere to be seen.

Another person has vanished into thin air!

Zhang Shi could no longer distinguish whether he was angry or fearful.

Wu Qing's face turned pale, and she shouted towards the cave.

"Old Ge, Old Ge, are you there?"

"Giggle~"

She was met with a shrill laugh that echoed through the cave, sounding quite eerie.

Wu Qing was startled and took two steps back. The pit was uneven, and she almost fell.

Zhang Shi helped Wu Qing up and glanced at the team panel.

Both Ge Dalong and Zhao Feng appeared to be in normal condition, but no matter what he said, they did not respond.

Zhang Shi tried shaking the bell, but nothing happened.

"Let's go back to the ancestral hall first. Remember, don't leave me."

Zhang Shi's words were somewhat ambiguous, and Wu Qing blushed slightly, but she knew that now was not the time to get bogged down in trivial matters.

Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong were likely trapped in the cave by some unknown force. Zhang Shi dared not risk their lives, so he took out a large amount of stone to block the entrance to the cave before leading Wu Qing back to the village via the path.

Zhang Shi cautiously used his Dingzhen technique to clear the way, and along the way he did not encounter any evil spirits or strange monsters.

When Zhang Shi returned to the ancestral hall, he glanced at the time; it was already four in the afternoon. In the wilderness, it was already sunset.

But the sky over the village remained gloomy and unchanged.

The village remained deathly silent. The gate to the ancestral hall was wide open, and the black tiger lay prone in the same spot, seemingly resting.

Holding the old Duan sword, Zhang Shi stepped into the ancestral hall. Recalling the Black Tiger's body reassembling, he had some guesses in his mind. After hesitating for a moment, he threw the Soul-Binding Bell at Black Tiger's side from a distance.

"Here you go, this is what you wanted."

Now, tell me, where are my friends?

Black Tiger swallowed the bell whole, straightened up, shook its fur, and revealed the holy silver crossbow bolt hidden beneath it.

"I didn't expect you to retrieve the bell so quickly."

Black Tiger circled around Zhang Shi and Wu Qing, its yellow eyes fixed on Zhang Shi.

"There should be two more coffins in the cemetery. If they are opened in time, they might be able to wake up."

"However, I'm hungry now."

Having said that, Black Tiger leaped high into the air and pounced on Zhang Shi.

What was originally a ten-meter distance, Black Tiger leaped and pounced on Zhang Shi's side.

Wu Qing's Ancestral Staff was activated again, this time summoning a taunt totem.

A blue protective shield enveloped the entire ancestral hall, rendering the black tiger's attacks ineffective against Zhang Shi, with all the damage being transferred to the totem.

Black Tiger's attack failed, and he tried to retreat, but Zhang Shi had been preparing for a long time. The kitchen knife in his hand gleamed coldly, and in one swift motion, he decapitated Black Tiger, sending his head to the ground.

"Hehehe, I underestimated you."

The black tiger's head was separated from its body, but it was still speaking. What gushed from its body was not blood, but a pool of filthy, pitch-black liquid.

Within the murky liquid, those familiar fleshy buds reappeared, rapidly reconstructing the body. Just as Zhang Shi's second strike landed, Black Tiger reappeared, full of life, and with a nimble leap, dodged Old Duan's blade.

"Your weapon is quite good."

Despite suffering a minor setback, Black Tiger remained unfazed and even praised Old Duan, seemingly confident of victory.

I glanced at the task panel and found that the task had entered stage four.

Hidden Quest 4: Obtain the [Soul-Relieving Bell]

With his two companions facing a life-or-death crisis, Zhang Shi dared not delay. Seeing that the black tiger was unlikely to be defeated in a short time, Zhang Shi tossed Dingzhen to Wu Qing and said to her.

“I’ll hold this beast off here. You go check out the graveyard, and be careful on the way.”

Wu Qing nodded. Although she knew the journey was dangerous, time was of the essence, and she couldn't afford to think too much. She left some medicine behind, cast a protective barrier on Zhang Shi, and then turned and rushed out of the ancestral hall.

Black Tiger watched Wu Qing leave without making a move to stop her.

"With that totem, she won't last long before she's swallowed up and nothing is left but bones."

Zhang Shi slashed again with his sword.

Knowing how formidable Old Duan was, Black Tiger dared not confront him head-on. Relying on his agile movements, he darted back and forth in the courtyard of the ancestral hall.

Zhang Shi struggled for a long time but couldn't even touch a single hair on its head. Seeing that the black tiger seemed to be deliberately expending its energy, Zhang Shi temporarily stopped attacking, held Lao Duan in front of him, and asked.

"You've eaten all the corpses in the graveyard, haven't you?"

"Aren't you the Black Tiger of the village? How come you've turned your evil claws on the people you're supposed to protect? Do you even deserve your title?"

When the past was mentioned, Black Tiger seemed quite melancholy. He was not in a hurry to fight Zhang Shi to the death. Instead, he squatted on the ground and reminisced about the past.

“You are an outsider and don’t know what’s happening in this village.”

"Since the village was sealed by the mist, no one has been able to leave the village, and few have been able to come to the village. Without the sun in the sky, over time, the villagers have all gone mad and turned into crazed monsters."

“I have my own mission. I have no choice. I must survive and protect this village, no matter the cost.”

Having said that, the black tiger pounced on Zhang Shi again, who retreated while swinging his sword to defend himself. Old Duan severed the black tiger's claws, which turned into a pool of sentient liquid that flowed towards the tiger.

Zhang Shi tried using fire, taking out a torch, lighting it, and throwing it onto the puddle of liquid. But the liquid only emitted a wisp of black smoke, extinguishing the torch in the blink of an eye.

"It's no use. How can mundane things harm me?"

"I'm not playing with you anymore. Just obediently accept your death and become my nourishment."

The black tiger spat out a beam of dark light from its mouth, and Zhang Shi was struck by it before he could react.

After the dark light touched Zhang Shi's body, it turned into a wisp of black energy and gathered towards Zhang Shi's head.

Zhang Shi's consciousness began to blur, his eyelids became extremely heavy, and before he could react, he fell into a deep sleep.

The black tiger ahead revealed a cold, human-like smile as it slowly approached Zhang Shi.