This time, not only was the tattooed man dumbfounded, but the other players around him were also stunned.

Damn, isn't this going a bit too far?! Is this supposed to ward off bad luck, or is it going to kill them?!

The tattooed man realized what was happening and immediately yelled, "Damn it, are you trying to poison me?"

The next second, the candlelight in the ancestral hall suddenly turned a ghostly green.

All the villagers turned to look at the tattooed man at the same time, their necks making a sickening cracking sound as they rotated a full 180 degrees.

The tattooed man's curses stopped abruptly, and he stared stiffly at the NPC: "No... I... I..."

Taking advantage of what had just happened, Xiao Jin happened to see that each of them had a second face on the back of their heads—a pale, flat face without any features.

"Those who are disrespectful... shall be expelled from the ancestral hall..." The village chief's voice suddenly became a mixed male and female voice.

The tattooed man's body suddenly convulsed, and he was horrified to find his shadow twisting and deforming on the ground, as if his limbs were being pulled by an invisible hand.

With a "rip," his shadow was ripped off the ground, dragging his body as it slid into the pitch-black night outside the door.

"Help... gurgle..." His cries for help gradually turned into a drowning-like cough, and a large amount of black water gushed from his nose and ears.

The moment the tattooed man flew out of the shrine, the side quest on his character panel showed as 'failed'. After all, the quest required that no player could leave the shrine during the mission.

So, under the watchful eyes of all the players, the tattooed man's body was gradually submerged in the black water until he was assimilated and his body disappeared, leaving only a set of wet clothes behind.

The ancestral hall has returned to silence.

This time, the villagers' attention was no longer focused on the tattooed man, but on the other players.

Xiao Jin looked at the porcelain bowl filled with 'talisman water' in front of her. Her indifferent face was reflected in the water, as well as the dark figure pressed tightly against her back.

Seeing this, Xiao Jin picked up the bowl.

Since there's no way to avoid it, then drink! The others did the same.

Under the watchful eyes of the NPCs, Xiao Jin picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp. But just as the liquid was about to reach her lips, Xiao Jin secretly smuggled it into her spatial dimension, and even simulated swallowing.

In a short while, all the players put down their empty bowls in perfect unison.

The village chief seemed very satisfied as he watched the 'talisman water' being drunk up, and the group of people just stood there without making a sound.

The players could only stare at each other blankly.

An hour later, the sound of a distant drum suddenly broke the silence in the mourning hall.

The moment the resurrection sounded, all the NPCs moved simultaneously. Their gazes slowly turned towards the coffin, while the players felt a sense of foreboding.

Xiao Jin looked over and saw that the coffin lid in front of the mourning hall suddenly popped open with a gap about the width of a palm. The players were startled and quickly jumped up from their prayer mats, moving away from the coffin.

When Xiao Jin peered over the shoulder, he clearly saw the deceased's fingers move, and dense black runes appeared on his swollen skin.

The words wriggled like living things, gradually forming a blurry human face.

"Prepare to seal the coffin."

Turning around, I saw that the village chief had somehow changed into a scarlet burial shroud, and his face held a hint of excitement. The surrounding villagers had also changed their clothes, but they were now wearing white mourning attire.

If you look closely, you'll see that these mourning clothes are all made of white paper.

Immediately afterwards, the village chief, his withered fingers holding three bone needles that appeared out of nowhere, handed them to an old woman beside him: "First item... sewing up the corpse."

Xiao Jin watched the old woman threading the needle.

That wasn't an ordinary thread; it was a strand of blood-stained hair. As the needle pierced the deceased's lips, a clear swallowing sound suddenly came from inside the coffin.

But the old woman seemed not to hear her and continued to sew the corpse's mouth into a strange smiling shape.

Seeing this, the players silently crossed their arms and took a few steps back...

"The second item... Soul Suppression." The village chief knocked on the offering table, and two villagers carried in a pottery urn.

After opening the lid, a small two-headed snake was coiled inside, its body covered with patterns resembling cadaver spots.

The moment the small snake was placed into the coffin, it darted down the deceased's navel and into his abdomen. Its body twisted and turned beneath the flesh, a sight that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.

Just then, Xiao Jin heard a scream. She turned her head sharply and found that the female player on the outermost side had disappeared, and the number of players had changed to 10.

"The third item..." the village chief's voice suddenly became excited, "...a gift from the guests."

The candles on the offering table were all extinguished, and moonlight leaked in through the window lattice, casting twelve shadows on the ground—but only ten people remained alive.

Xiao Jin watched as the two extra figures slowly stood up, their outlines clearly showing the dead tattooed man and the missing female player.

"He just died like that! What the hell?" Some people couldn't believe it.

After all, they've reached this level, how could they be eliminated without even putting up a fight?

Since female players die so easily, does that mean they can die just as easily?

The sound of the wooden clapper at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) is like a death warrant.

Xiao Jin looked at the remaining players in the ancestral hall, and their expressions were not good.

Fortunately, the gift-giving ceremony was over, and the female player was likely the so-called 'gift'. Her death also saved the other players from certain death.

Before they could even feel relieved, the village chief's inhuman voice rang out again.

"After the ceremony, the coffin is sealed, and preparations for mourning begin."

The next second, several villagers stepped forward, holding dark iron nails in their hands, and hammered them hard into the coffin lid.

At the same time, the other villagers began to wail and cry.

It was supposed to be crying, but to the player it sounded like a piercing scream and inexplicable whispers.

"Waaaaah~"

"Ugh!" Xiao Jin shook his head, and when he looked up, his eyes were bloodshot.

“Something’s not right…” Feng Hao grinned with difficulty: “We definitely can’t hold out until dawn in this condition.”

Wang Zixuan, who was standing to the side, threw a glowing object to the ground, which then turned into a mist that enveloped her, and her own appearance was faintly visible in the mist.

Seeing this, Xiao Jin replied, "No matter what, first try to stop the crying. If that doesn't work, then force them to shut up."

Xiao Jin's face was full of murderous intent as she said this.

She'd already had enough of this tonight, and her patience was running out.

The mission only requires you to stay in the mourning hall; as for these NPCs...

Xiao Jin sneered, "It's just a funeral. Since you can't cry, then all of you should shut up and die!"

Her words resonated with Sui Feng and others.

Immediately afterwards, the group used props to block out the NPC's crying.