Chapter 156 Night Candle Rules 34 Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!

Unbeknownst to them, all those still wandering outside were drawn toward the only source of light in this dangerous and dark world, and those who had entered were all attracted to this gathering. Thus, all those who had survived after entering were concentrated here, watching the few people standing at the top of this world confront each other.

In terms of sheer numbers, the side with three gold names has the advantage. In terms of reputation and support, Nanmen Jue's side is completely outmatched. Therefore, even with Nanmen Jue, this thug, present, the reincarnators dare to come and join the fun.

With the situation clear, Zhang Jin wore a calm and composed smile, seemingly confident of victory.

A low chuckle rang out.

All eyes turned to the person who was laughing. Under the barrage of gazes, Nanmen Jue went from chuckling softly to laughing wildly, laughing so hard that the bleeding that had stopped in her chest started seeping out again.

Ying Yao frowned, but said nothing. He simply leaned closer to Nanmen Jue, ready to catch her if she swayed or fell.

Nanmen Jue didn't sway or fall. She finished laughing to herself, then looked at Zhang Jin with a half-smile, "You've prepared quite well for this moment, haven't you?"

"No need to rush, it hasn't even started yet," Zhang Jin said with a smile. "I've prepared a big gift for you, are you curious?"

Nanmen Jue gazed at him quietly.

“Young man, it’s not good to be too hasty in doing things, so I won’t give you this gift for now.” Zhang Jin took a few steps closer to Nanmen Jue, the two of them almost nose to nose, and could clearly see their own reflections in each other’s pupils. “Don’t worry, it’s right here, everything will be resolved.”

“That suits me perfectly,” Nanmen Jue said.

The two gazed at each other silently, both with smiles on their faces, yet an aura of power gradually rose from them. Apart from the other Jinming members nearby, those at the innermost part of the encirclement began to involuntarily retreat.

Zhu Wenjun, seemingly forgotten by everyone, blushed and breathed heavily.

Nanmen Jue was the first to back down.

Zhang Jin narrowed his eyes. "Even though she just stabbed you in the back, you're still willing to protect her? Nanmen Jue... just what kind of person are you?"

“They are your enemies,” Nanmen Jue said coldly.

Before Zhang Jin could say anything more, someone suddenly shouted in terror, "Look at the sky! What's that?!"

Everyone looked up and saw a figure appear on the huge black scales.

He stood on one end of the scale, pressing the other end down. A cloak, half black and half white, covered his entire body, making it impossible to tell if his body was human. Under his hood, he also wore a mask that was half black and half white, with exaggerated expressions painted on it in red paint. The white side was laughing exaggeratedly, while the black side had its corners of its mouth turned down, as if it were crying and showing pity.

"That is... the Judge!"

The crowd retreated in a clamor, yet dared not truly leave the barrier of light, for only inside would they be safe from the attacks of the transparent monsters outside. They seemed to be afraid of the light.

Or rather, it is fear of what is in the light.

"Ah, the big boss has appeared," Zhang Jin said, his tone not showing panic, but rather a hint of scrutiny and mockery.

Terra asked, "Have you seen him before?"

"No, of course not. This strange Judge is the first time I've ever seen anything like it," Zhang Jin said with a smile.

Nanmen Jue was also looking at the Judge, the most dangerous and bizarre figure in legend, who had appeared before her, yet she felt very calm.

Things have already progressed this far, panic and fear are no longer useful. She must remain calm; only by staying calm can she find a way to break the deadlock.

As everyone discussed the matter in fear, a blank screen appeared in front of each person, just like the quantum computer screen in an interstellar world.

Nanmen Jue stretched out her finger to touch it, but her fingertip didn't go through; she touched the solid object.

As she moved her fingertip, lines appeared on the screen, and she realized that this was their "answer board".

Ying Yao was also trying to explore the screen. Nanmen Jue turned her head to look, and although Ying Yao's fingers touched the screen, she couldn't see any lines on it.

"Write down your names, genders, and ages." An inorganic voice rang in everyone's ears. "Starting tomorrow, a question will be presented to you every day. You can lie, but I will know."

The judge's voice sounded like a mechanical synthesized voice, devoid of any emotion. This artificiality in his words sent a chill down one's spine.

Zhang Jin chuckled, but it was unclear what he was laughing at.

“Based on your answers, weights will be generated. When the weight is heavier than mine, each person will have an excess of pardon value; when the weight is lighter than mine, an excess of pardon value will be deducted. Finally, through calculation, the verdict for each person will be determined,” the judge said. “The questioning will continue for three days.”

After saying this, the judge fell silent. He stood quietly on the scales, his grotesque mask gazing down like a high and mighty deity.

These words were simple, but after a brief understanding of their meaning, the crowd below erupted in a tremendous commotion!

"Are you kidding me? Isn't everyone only responsible for their own answer? Why are you implicating others?!"

"Does he mean that it's not enough for me to be innocent; if others are guilty, I might be implicated?"

"Not necessarily, it depends on the weight of everyone's answers."

"Bullshit! This is just dragging everyone down! It depends on what questions they ask tomorrow. If someone really dares to hold everyone back..."

The murderous intent in his words was palpable. The person who had spoken earlier was startled and remained silent for two seconds before saying, "Don't get agitated. All the Jinming members are here now. They won't stand by and watch everyone die."

"What... Oh, a green name? Never mind then. No wonder you're so naive. Who can control whom in this space? Those guild leaders can only control their own guild members at most, plus there's Nanmen Jue... If there's any murder-related problem, Nanmen Jue alone can weigh as much as all of us."

"Shh! Shh! Are you crazy?! He might hear you..."

"So what if he hears it? If he incurs public wrath, will he still be able to kill everyone?" The angry man still lowered his voice.

However, they still underestimated Jin Ming's physical abilities, and all of Jin Ming's words were taken to heart.

Ying Yao said, "Is this also part of your plan?"

Zhang Jin smiled without saying a word.

Ying Yao glanced at him and said calmly, "If I could think of a way to control the supernatural, I would suspect that you have controlled the judge, and even know what questions he will ask."

"You're overthinking it. No one can control the supernatural," Zhang Jin said casually.

Nanmen Jue remained silent, but his mind was preoccupied with Ying Yao's words.

Ying Yao wasn't the type to exchange pleasantries casually; his words were always purposeful. Did he genuinely suspect that Zhang Jin could control the supernatural? What he would face next was already predictable.

Nanmen Jue has a notorious reputation for ruthlessness, but she hasn't publicly committed any murders yet, and she's even been stabbed, making her seem less threatening. However, if her existence hinders everyone's interests...

This entire ghost realm will become her hunting ground, Nanmen Jue's hunting ground.

Ying Yao had obviously thought of this, and all his muscles tensed up. As someone who knew him well, Nanmen Jue could easily sense his tension.

He wasn't nervous for himself, but for Nanmen Jue's situation.

Nanmen Jue reached out and squeezed his clenched fist tightly. She had lost too much blood and her fingers were a little cold. Ying Yao trembled slightly, then quickly squeezed back. The warmth of her body transferred to Nanmen Jue's hand, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

As always, calm and arrogant.

“Now, write down your information,” the judge said.

Nanmen Jue wrote down his name and age, hesitated for a moment when writing his gender, and then boldly wrote "male".

If Zhang Jin really controlled the judge, then he might be able to see everyone's answer sheet. She took a gamble and decided that lying about information that wasn't an answer wouldn't be punished.

The screen disappeared after the writing was finished, and countless streams of light flew from all directions into the judge's hand.

“The barrier will disappear in five minutes,” he said.

Someone's eyes widened immediately. "Wait, this barrier is disappearing? There are monsters outside!"

However, regardless of whether people were terrified or not, the judge stood quietly in the air, as if he had never changed since time immemorial.

His meaning was clear: he didn't care about human life or death; if they didn't live to come back and answer the questions tomorrow, then so be it.

The scene became chaotic. Nanmen Jue chuckled softly, turned around, and left.

"Are you just going to leave like that?" Zhang Jin asked.

"What, are you planning to start a war right here?" Nanmen Jue said without turning his head.

She walked away with long, resolute strides, without any hesitation. Ying Yao followed, along with a few other people from the crowd.

Zhang Jin smiled and turned to look at Zhu Wenjun. The girl seemed to have had her soul sucked away; even her fear was no longer apparent. She was looking in the direction Nanmen Jue had left.

"It's useful, but not that useful," Zhang Jin said. "It's really a bit of a problem."

...

"Don't go any further. Let's find a place to treat your injuries."

Stepping back into the darkness, Ying Yao grabbed Nanmen Jue's arm.

He took out a candle and lit it. The faint, soft light repelled several approaching monsters and also illuminated his serious face.

Nanmen Jue glanced at him. "Oh ho, who owes you money?"

In the days when Ying Yao had shown his face, he rarely looked this bad.

Ying Yao stared silently at Nanmen Jue, his face a mixture of anger and worry. The light was too soft, softening his features, revealing something deeper that Nanmen Jue couldn't discern.

She knew perfectly well why Ying Yao was angry, so she deliberately ignored him.

However, when she didn't respond, Ying Yao knew to take the initiative.

"Give me back the props," he said immediately.

"What, you're already reluctant to part with it?" Nanmen Jue chuckled roguishly. "Don't worry, I didn't mean to steal it from you. Just lend it to me a little longer."

Ying Yao stared at her pale face for a moment, then reached out and covered her eyes.

Nanmen Jue was startled, his eyelashes blinked unconsciously, and he encountered a damping sensation because he had brushed against Ying Yao's palm.

Then she felt something wriggling and trying to pry her eye out of her eye socket, just like when it was put in, and taking it out would involve a similar excruciating pain.

Nanmen Jue instinctively wanted to scream, but remembering that she wasn't alone and that countless people were watching her, she forced herself to hold back.

I'd rather lose my head and bleed than lose face!

Fortunately, the process was quick, unlike when it was put on, which required an adjustment period. When the sticky substance was removed, along with the health deduction buff, Nanmen Jue felt a sense of relief.

She suddenly remembered that when Ying Yao took this thing out that day, he seemed so nonchalant? So he was just putting on an act in front of her too?

Stunned by the realization that "Ying Yao is showing off," Nanmen Jue fell silent for a moment. Before he could speak, a gasp was heard, followed by a sharp voice.

"What are you doing?!"

So sharp and so shocking, Nanmen Jue didn't immediately recognize Mo Gui's voice.

"Brother Jue still has a knife stuck in his chest! Couldn't you wait a bit longer... uh?"

Ying Yao took his hand down, and Nanmen Jue blinked his dry eyes. A transparent, bowl-shaped lens floated in Ying Yao's palm.

The two powerful figures turned their gazes to the astonished boy.

Nanmen Jue asked, "What are we going to do next?"

Mo Gui: ...

He seems to have misunderstood something. Is it too late for him to close his eyes and pretend to faint?