Falling Dreams Playing Games 3

No one expected that passing through that blackness would feel like stepping into thin air, a relentless downward plunge. Their screams couldn't carry. Just when everyone thought they were going to die, they were caught by a ball of fire.

The fire was right beneath their feet, emitting red and blue flames that levitated them in the dark air. After their emotions had calmed somewhat, something new appeared behind them.

It was a light and flowing gauze. Upon closer inspection, golden words appeared on the gauze.

Only one character is displayed above: 镜 (jìng).

Huaiwen guessed what was going on and took a step back.

A cracking sound echoed in the void and darkness, and the gauze curtains instantly transformed into thousands of mirrors, surrounding them all.

In the darkness, the fire beneath their feet was the only source of light.

In the darkness, someone became curious about the mirrors and mustered up the courage to look at them. Using the light from under their feet, they saw their own reflection in the mirrors, which seemed no different from ordinary mirrors.

Huaiwen turned to face the mirror, and everyone's reflection was illuminated by the bright red, blazing fire beneath her feet. But she felt that this fire beneath her feet was like the fireball that Xuan Ye had unleashed that day, a fatal blow.

The mirror surrounded them, but left three paths for them to choose from. The man in blue urged everyone to split into three teams, with the stronger ones leading the weaker ones to ensure no one fell behind, but the others seemed to have lost faith in him.

Instead, it was Huaiwen who was the first to step forward, stepping into the darkness and inspiring everyone. Most people wanted to be on her team so that they wouldn't be the ones leading the charge.

Huaiwen was somewhat worried. Someone had to go down all three paths to find the entrance to the third level. Therefore, she couldn't protect everyone!

Another point is that she sent a clone out. So far, she hasn't sensed that the clone has finished its work, which means Uncle Li and the others are still in trouble.

Thinking it over, she knew she had to win this round and leave. She had to rescue Uncle Li and the others; she had to ensure their safety!

But now her top priority is to protect the people here.

Before Huaiwen could speak, a demon jumped out and asked if anyone wanted to join his team, so two demons followed him.

The man in the blue shirt, hands on his hips, said it didn't matter if they didn't follow him. He was perfectly fine with taking all the rewards for himself! As soon as he said this, people started to turn against him and sided with him again.

Finally, left with no other choice, the human and the demon followed Huaiwen. They looked dejected, clearly feeling that Huaiwen was definitely weaker.

Huaiwen didn't want to say anything, but seeing that they seemed to be going to their deaths by following her, she felt both angry and amused. In the end, she comforted her two teammates: "Don't be afraid. Even if we die, I'll be the first to rush ahead of you."

The two teammates only reacted slightly after hearing this.

The three teams all chose their respective paths, and after everyone had entered, Huaiwen quickly affixed nine life-saving talismans to their backs. This way, even if she wasn't there, they could still be protected from danger. She also conjured two spirit butterflies to track and observe them.

As Huaiwen walked in, all three paths immediately closed off. Huaiwen turned her head and realized there was no way to escape.

The three of them walked forward in the darkness, their reflections clearly visible in the mirrors on either side, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.

Soon they saw a door, and the person at the front, in a moment of excitement, pushed it open. In an instant, a blinding white light shone through, and when they opened their eyes, they were in a new place.

It was all white inside.

It was pitch black outside.

The mirror was gone, and the fire beneath their feet was gone too. But they were still suspended in mid-air.

The man shouted, "What place is this?"

The demon cried out, "It's all your fault for messing around!"

The two started arguing, and Huaiwen, after listening for a few moments, prepared to step in and mediate. Suddenly, the man and the demon were sealed by a protruding white object at their throats, causing them to struggle in mid-air.

Fortunately, Huaiwen reacted quickly and cleaved the attack in two with a single sword strike. They were able to catch their breath. This startled them so much that they followed closely behind Huaiwen.

Soon, more and more white dents appeared, slowly taking shape, forming pairs of white hands that surrounded them. The white hands lunged at them, but Huaiwen repelled them with a single sword strike.

Fortunately, the demon's magic was only of average quality. He quickly removed the hands that were trying to strangle people.

But those hands seemed endless, and no matter how hard he tried to cut them off, he couldn't get rid of them all. Huaiwen had to think of another way.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the three of them had shadows, but the hands did not. The more they slashed at the hands, the longer the shadows grew, and the white hands seemed to grow endlessly.

Huaiwen frowned slightly. She wondered if those hands thought they were outsiders, which was why they kept attacking. If they didn't have shadows, would they be spared the attacks?

With that thought in mind, Huaiwen immediately put it into action. She conjured a concealment spell, hiding the three figures. But unfortunately, the hands did not stop attacking.

Huaiwen sighed inwardly. She didn't understand Lingshan Xuanye at all, and she didn't understand Zuimenglou at all. It was her fault!

Before anyone could react, the man was snatched away again, instantly swallowed by the white light. The demon cried out, "This Drunken Dream Pavilion, it always comes up with something different! Isn't this a death sentence for demons?!"

Huaiwen pressed further, "Have you played through the second level?"

The demon shrugged, feigning mystery, and said, "I've played it before, but it's different from this one. Last time, you knew what to do in the second level. This time, it just gives you a hint to find a door, but doesn't say what kind of door it is. We'll definitely encounter many more doors later, and they might all be traps!"

Huaiwen's heart sank; she couldn't foresee the dangers that lay ahead. Just moments before, after completing the first level, she had praised Xuan Ye's game for being quite user-friendly. Now it seemed she had spoken too soon.

As the two were talking, the white hands lunged at them again! Huaiwen pondered, trying to find a way to break through. So instead of slaying the white hands, she avoided them, weaving through the intertwined grasping hands.

The demon watched Huaiwen nimbly dodge and exclaimed, "I didn't realize you were so capable."

Huaiwen didn't answer; she was completely focused. As she walked, she seemed to sense that the person who had just been swallowed up had become one with these hands.

Her guess was quickly confirmed! The man's face was covered in white, making it impossible to see. But it was clear he was struggling. Huaiwen made a cut, creating an opening, but the man's face vanished.

All of this seems very strange and baseless.

Huaiwen had no choice but to continue moving, and soon she spotted the person's face again. This time, instead of cutting, she channeled her energy into the face.

Using this force, the face broke free of the white barrier and let out a long breath. Huaiwen also breathed a sigh of relief, and she first asked if the person was alright.

The man shook his head, urging Huaiwen to hurry and get him out. Huaiwen followed him up and down the stairs, quickly asking, "Did you find anything in there?"

The man cried out, "What can I possibly find! It's like I'm wrapped in a white cloth, unable to breathe at all!"

Huaiwen had a sudden inspiration and repeated, "White cloth."

No wonder the fire beneath their feet vanished. The cloth, though torn, could be sewn back together, so no matter how they tried to cut it with their swords, it was useless.

"Start a fire!"

"What?" The man was dumbfounded.

Huaiwen stretched out his left hand, trying to conjure a ball of fire. But he couldn't. Huaiwen was annoyed for a few seconds, but then calmed down.

This Lingshan Xuanye is quite the manipulator; in the last round, he restricted all immortal techniques. This time, he didn't restrict one, except for one: the inability to start a fire!

She wants to break through these limitations, which is not impossible, but she worries that her breakthrough might lead to new changes and ultimately harm everyone.

"ah--"

As the demon cried out, Huaiwen flew over and injected another surge of power, saving the demon.

In the process of rescuing her, Huaiwen's right foot was grabbed by those hands. Huaiwen decisively raised her sword and slashed it off, but a white light suddenly reflected off the sword, blinding her and causing her to close her eyes for a moment.

In that instant, she was swallowed.

It was indeed like being wrapped in a cloth, unable to breathe. They couldn't open their eyes at all; they could only feel something pressing down on their faces, pressing down hard.

Huaiwen focused her mind and gathered all her strength. With a "bang," Huaiwen burst out of the cloth! She ran her hand across her eyes, and a white ribbon covered her eyes.

She looked up, gazing at the white surroundings. She swiftly raised her sword and circled it once. A cold light flashed on the sword again.

Huaiwen swiftly adjusted the angle of her sword, the cold light shooting obliquely. She was waiting for the burning sensation! She shouted, "Help me block these white hands!"

Seeing this, the demon became very obedient. He was being tormented by those white hands, leaving him breathless. Just as he was about to be grabbed and devoured by those white hands once more...

They smelled the burning of cloth.

Huaiwen and the demon looked down and saw the small, burning hole growing larger and larger until the fire surrounded the three of them. The man and the demon hid behind Huaiwen in fear.

In the final instant before the white was swallowed by the red, they were blinded by a white light again. This time, when they opened their eyes, they were back in their original positions.

They let out a long sigh.

But soon, the mirrors around them lit up, and when they looked, they didn't see their own reflections. Instead, they saw other people. Huaiwen remembered this person; he and the one in the blue shirt were in the same team.

Just as they were wondering what was going on, the fire beneath the man's feet in the mirror burst into flames. It engulfed him from bottom to top, and his screams and struggles pierced through the mirror, sending chills down the spines of those who heard them.

Huaiwen's eyes widened. She had clearly placed life-saving talismans behind them, so why weren't they working? Huaiwen stood there stunned. Lingshan Xuanye was even more terrifying than she had imagined.

Huaiwen reached out and conjured the spirit butterfly, wanting to know what had happened in the other part.

These spirit butterflies are interconnected and can sense each other. That is to say, no matter where the other spirit butterfly is, Huaiwen can directly learn what is happening on the other end through the spirit butterfly in his hand.

The message relayed by the spirit butterfly in his hand told Huaiwen...

The team in blue shirts, upon entering the door, were playing a game of "trust." They needed to make one person a captive of the carnivorous plant, and the others would advance directly to the next game.

But no one wanted to be a prisoner, no one wanted to be left behind. Whether they used rock-paper-scissors or wagered money, no one wanted to stay. This resulted in them being unable to complete the game tasks within the fixed time.

The carnivorous plant launched its attack. In an instant, it devoured one person. The one in blue was more agile and dodged, while the other, who also knew some magic, easily avoided it as well. The remaining person did nothing; the carnivorous plant did not attack him.

After swallowing a person, the man-eating plant retreats, and their round of the game ends. In this way, they have given the man-eating plant a prisoner, thus obtaining the key to open the next door.

But since they are passive, the game is lost. Therefore, some people die as a result.

But why? Huaiwen wondered. Hadn't someone already left behind a key to open the door? Soon, Huaiwen heard what the demon beside him was saying.

The demon spoke first, chuckling, "This is the first time I've seen such a death. Lord City Lord, you've come up with another new trick."

"What do you mean?" the person next to me asked.

The demon sniffed and replied, "You don't know?"

Huaiwen and the man shook their heads. The demon was a little surprised, and thought they were stupid. He rolled his eyes and replied sullenly, "In the Drunken Dream Pavilion, you can get anything you want. If the city lord has it, he can give it to you. If he doesn't, you can bet with him, and if you win, he can get it for you. But since you want it, it can't be given away for free. If you don't have money but want to play the game, then you have to see what the city lord wants from you."

"For example?" the man asked.

The demon chuckled: "Like your life."

The man asked anxiously, "So you mean if we can't find the door to the third level, we're going to die in here?"

"Yes." The demon's expression was serious. "It will be very difficult to get out this time."

The man was on the verge of collapse. He was greedy and wanted to win money, but he couldn't bear to lose his life: "But I paid to play, I didn't gamble with my life! You can't kill me, at most I don't want the money from this round. Besides, why didn't you say you wanted my life before we started playing the game? If you had said so earlier, I wouldn't have played."

The demon, however, seemed unfazed by his appearance: "You came to Drunken Dream Pavilion without even asking around, how foolish! But don't worry, since you're paying to come, the City Lord knows what's good for you and won't take your life. But—"

"But what?"

"If you can't pass the level, you'll be trapped inside forever and never get out! Until someone cracks the game."