Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

Using this characteristic, Gao Hai deeply experienced the painful feelings of this strange creature before its death, and in the process, he vaguely sensed the possible whereabouts of the core obsession.

Close your eyes.

Carefully perceive those remaining things.

The information discernment blessing from Jonathan came into play, enhancing Gao Hai's senses at this moment and making his perception clearer.

[She's quite the feisty girl, much harder to deal with than those other people. These outsiders' sorcery is really something else. And that old man too, we still can't be sure if we've dealt with him at all.]

I heard someone whispering something.

[She has a nice figure, I said... how about we...]

Some people chuckled softly, speaking lewdly to their companions and making suggestive gestures.

"Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten what that woman did? The clan chief even said she'll be used as a substitute for the mountain god's offering this year. Don't forget, the mountain god's offering must be a virgin. If you mess around like this now, aren't you afraid the mountain god will bring disaster upon your family?"

However, his companions scoffed at this. Well, not entirely. Judging from their expressions, it was clear that the villagers gathered there were tempted, but for some reason, they seemed to harbor a strong sense of apprehension towards the woman they had already defeated. Therefore, even though their desires were burning, none of them dared to actually make a move.

Even if we can't do it, we should at least get some interest back, right? Hmph, this brand looks pretty good, I'll take it.

Although they dared not touch the woman's body, these figures did not miss the small white jade pendant hanging from her waist.

Someone reached out and grabbed the sign, tearing it down.

The woman, who had been lying on the ground, barely alive, raised her hand and grabbed the other person's hand.

Give it back to me...

Amidst a piercing scream, the man who reached out had his entire arm snapped off.

Amidst the splattering blood, the villagers screamed in horror. Some fled, some cowered, but a few rushed forward with machetes and forks, attempting to attack the woman again. Others, seemingly possessing supernatural powers, chanted incantations, their purpose unclear.

Finally, when everything had calmed down, amidst the mess, a villager with a different demeanor stepped forward and said something to the person beside him. Then, someone came up and tied up the dying woman, binding her body and dragging her step by step towards the lake.

The villager who appeared to be the clan leader looked different from Li Ziyong and seemed to come from a different historical period.

Even as she was losing her strength, the woman continued to struggle, reaching out to grab the ground until her fingernails broke one by one, leaving behind a trail of bloody finger marks. Yet, she was still thrown into the lake and slowly sank to the bottom.

"This jade pendant...is it hers? Don't keep it; put it in the mountain god's temple. Have you forgotten the problems with the relics we left behind? If those people sacrificed by our Li family return as vengeful spirits, these leftover items will most likely cause problems, especially these Taoist priests and nuns—each of them possesses extraordinary abilities. It was already difficult enough to use them to deal with the evil spirits that were sacrificed before; if they also undergo changes, then this jade pendant you left behind will be a disaster!"

Before his vision was submerged by the water, Gao Hai saw through empathy that the clan chief had snatched the jade pendant and was sternly reprimanding the villagers present.

The jade pendant in the mountain god temple likely refers to the temple on Little Black Mountain, but it could also refer to the mountain god temple in the special space of Liu Family Village under the cover of night? No, that's not right. The latter mountain god temple is indeed very special, but many traces of survivors' activities have been left there before and after. If a Red Moon-level core artifact were hidden there, it's impossible that no one would have discovered it. So let's set our exploration target there from now on.

But speaking of which, was the clan chief referring to "Taoist priests and nuns"?

The Taoist priest who visited Li Family Village…was it from the lineage of the old Taoist priest Ge Yuan? So, this core obsession is with the old Taoist priest's disciple? Just like the young Taoist priest who was warned by a villager but failed to escape, the formation of this core obsession, and the formation of the knocking ghost, should have occurred around the same time. As for the night watchman, it must have happened after that, right?

I hadn't paid much attention to the old Taoist priest and his group before, only knowing that they might possess a special method for creating eerie paper figures. But now it seems their power goes far beyond that; they genuinely possess a certain level of extraordinary power, perhaps even comparable to Dark Night level or Red Moon level players. It's just that these villagers were able to utilize the mountain god's power and had the advantage of terrain, thus outmaneuvering them. Hmm… but if I remember correctly, the Liu Family Village people existed around the time of the old Taoist priest, right? It seems I'll need to investigate further to confirm the specifics.

Okay, that's a wrap. Time to head to the next place.

With that, Gao Hai relayed the information he had learned to Zhenfei and the others via the mental link, and then began to walk back to the village.

……

Stop.

……

It seemed as if I heard a sound, but I couldn't really understand what it meant. Even if I tried to perceive it carefully, I could only get vague feedback.

……please……

But this voice undoubtedly belonged to Miko.

No, to be precise, it was the voices of Miko and Ai that overlapped, as if they were both speaking and trying to express something to themselves.

Their voices were being transmitted through the mental link that he and Miko had established, but it seemed to be severely interfered with, so he could not hear the specific content or understand what they wanted to express.

...Please...be careful...

Concentrate fully and carefully feel the sound that is being transmitted.

...Be careful...He is coming...

Then, I finally understood the meaning behind that voice, and the chilling gaze that followed it.

He is already watching over himself.

He has begun to search for himself.

He is already on his way here, already approaching me.

Whether Gao Hai was willing to accept it or not, His will was being carried out irresistibly. And compared to His appearance in the dream during the third playthrough, His power was activated much faster this time, and the mountain god's restraint on Him was becoming weaker and weaker with each rewind.

However, Gao Hai did not feel too afraid.

Firstly, he was well aware that no matter what attitude he adopted towards that thing, the other party's behavior would not change in the slightest.

Secondly, after confirming that Hayasaka's voice was mixed with Miko's voice, he felt relieved and even a little surprised.

She is still alive.

Even without the protection of the Black Watch, Hayasaka Ai was not killed by the power of the Blood Flower.

It seems that as the game progresses, Bloodflower is gradually adapting, and thus its power is becoming more and more controlled, enough to absorb and fuse with a near-Red Moon level player like Hayasaka without destroying his consciousness.

This is good news.

No matter how difficult the situation, as long as we can confirm that people are still alive, there is still hope, and it is not yet time for complete defeat.

"call……"

Gao Hai let out a long sigh of relief.

So, all you have to do next is keep struggling, it's that simple.

{I've gathered information about a key artifact. Next, I'll head to the mountain shrine above the village. You guys continue exploring the well; let me know immediately if you find anything. Don't force yourself if you encounter anything unusual; just be careful in everything you do.}

After exchanging some words with the girls in the mental link, Takami and the clone controlled by Goto Ichiri, who had been quietly staying by his side, set off together towards the temple deep in the woods on the other side of the village, heading back to the village.

Chapter 109: The Backtrack Discovered by the Players and the Exploration of Another Area

{Each time you enter and exit this well, you arrive at a completely different place. This kind of mechanism is quite rare in dungeons. I really don't know how you guys discovered it.}

In Lijia Village, at the well area, Chachai, one of the players who plays the historian, stood in front of the well that had already been dug out and spoke with deep emotion.

Yes, the collision and combination of conscious thought and the power of supernatural tales has this aspect, which is a topic worth exploring in depth. However, what interests me more is, since this is only the beginning of the instance, how can you be so certain that there are clues worth investigating in this well? Did you have prior access to this information? Or is this not actually the beginning of the instance, but rather something that has already been going on for some time? We were all killed and couldn't retain our memories, so how did you manage to rewind time?

Another historian player, Tangyuan, spoke in the temporary mental link while turning to look at Zhenfei with a hint of curiosity and inquiry in his eyes.

While Gao Hai and Yi Li's clones were running off to capture the bride-dress ghost and search her body, the players who remained in the village were not idle either.

Zhenfei knew that it would be difficult for her to work with Gao Hai in this current instance. Staying by his side would only make them more vulnerable to being wiped out by "that thing," making the next playthrough even more dangerous and difficult. But precisely because of this, she wanted to do her utmost to help him in any way she could. Therefore, during the exploration of the well with the historian and the slacker gang, she mentioned many patterns about the well that the historian players had summarized in the previous playthrough. This caused players who had already noticed some details and had suspicions to realize something was amiss.

Will it be discovered after all?

Despite being prepared to be discovered from the beginning, less than an hour had passed between the meeting and the decision to cooperate and the actual start of exploring the well. These veteran players had already discovered the problem and found the answer immediately. Wasn't that a bit too fast?

As expected of Red Moon-level players who have survived more than ten different dungeons, even in this high-difficulty dungeon, their combat power is not very useful, but their knowledge, observation, and judgment are still top-notch. However, Hai Jun also said that it doesn't matter if the ability to rewind is exposed. The most important thing now is to try to find relevant clues and find a solution to the problem within enough time. After all, the threat of "that thing" is the most critical.

But what's the best way to say it in this situation?

{Yes, that's right, you can understand it that way, otherwise there's no need to be in such a hurry. If possible, please help us find the location of [Liu Family Village] as soon as possible. After all, if this dungeon drags on for too long, some terrible things can happen.}

Before Maki could come up with a suitable explanation, Chika had already given her answer in the temporary mental link.

Maki looked at Chika with some surprise, while the pink-haired girl simply replied with a "Trust me" emoji. She then continued speaking in the temporary mental link, giving a general account of the previous cycle without specifying the abilities of the black watch that Takahashi possessed, including the matter of the "Abyss Domain" dungeon level that historians had speculated about.

{Wow, that really happens. While time reversal isn't particularly rare in dungeons, it's a Red Moon-level dungeon, where a truly complete reversal is generally difficult. After all, at this level, both monsters and players possess a certain level of strength, so even a core-level monster's reversal wouldn't work for everyone. But this time, we all experienced time reversal, which means the power of the rules within this dungeon surpasses the Red Moon level. Hmm, I can more understand why I initially judged it to be [Abyss Domain Level].}

Chachai didn't react much to Chika's account, even though she mentioned the "Abyss Domain" level, a privately named level that historians had never revealed to any players before.

Tangyuan and Cat Brother from the Moyu Gang on the other side didn't react much either. Cat Brother muttered to himself, "So it's time rewinding?" and then fell silent. Xiao Guo, on the other hand, looked shocked and couldn't believe that a player could master the ability to rewind the entire dungeon.

Taoist Li Nianyou wasn't significantly affected by this situation; he was currently troubled by other information. It stemmed from Gao Hai's investigation of the core obsession of the [Water Ghost Lake], confirming that the obsession object was a jade pendant and the possible background of the wedding dress-themed artifact. After placing this information in the temporary mental link network, the player seemed to be affected by some external force. His already uncontrollable precognitive abilities became even more abnormal, and he began to see things he couldn't understand from time to time. Therefore, he wasn't participating in the operation at the moment, but instead stood guard nearby, observing the surrounding situation and trying to alleviate his mental abnormality.

In short, let's keep going. I just wanted to confirm some information, and this won't change our original action plan.

Okay, then this time Miss Tangyuan and I will go down the well together.

{No problem, no problem. Hopefully, we'll see something different this time. So, shall we try simulating the aura of the paper doll you mentioned before, or perhaps try simulating the aura of the strange creature on the object of your obsession?}

{Well... let's try the latter. We haven't quite figured out how this well works yet, so it's better to try a few different approaches.}

After a brief exchange, the players continued with their tasks as if they had never been asked the question. To be honest, Maki was somewhat surprised by their remarkable open-mindedness. She had initially thought that knowing about this might lead them to ask more questions, or even question and doubt her. However, these players showed absolutely no interest in that regard; after asking their questions, they went about their business without a single lingering thought.

"..."

Besides them, there was another player who was somewhat detached and also on guard duty: the historian Li Xiaoxiao. She also did not participate in the reconnaissance of the well, but this time it was not because she deliberately avoided it. Rather, the well itself was not very large, and if too many people were crowded together, it would be impossible to conduct a proper investigation. So, this "newcomer" stood aside.

Although she did not participate in the operation, she was in the temporary mental link, so she also heard what Chika had to say.

Rewind the instance timeline?

Has such a thing ever happened?

After thinking for a moment, Li Xiaoxiao took out a miniature statue, about the size of a finger, that was very carefully carved. The upper part of the statue looked like a devout nun praying, while the lower part was a semi-transparent sphere that seemed to contain an hourglass.

"There was no backtracking; there shouldn't have been any backtracking."

Li Xiaoxiao stared at the hourglass statue, which showed no signs of movement and did not react no matter how she shook it, and her brows gradually furrowed.

If time had truly been reversed, this object of my obsession should have reacted. And the further back in time I retraced, the more obvious the changes in the hourglass would have been. But now it hasn't changed at all, which is very abnormal.

Was it that my own obsession failed to correctly assess the situation? But this thing had never made a mistake before... However, Mr. Chachai and Ms. Tangyuan are not people who are easily deceived; they should have many ways to verify the authenticity of the information. If they can confirm this information, then it means the problem lies with me.

Tsk, this is a bit troublesome. It's one thing that we can't find any trace of those villagers, but how can they have such a time-travel method that is beyond the scope of calculation? Could it be that the man named Gao Hai possesses a time-travel power that surpasses the Red Moon level?

Clearly, unlike the others, this player entered this instance with a specific purpose.

This was already quite obvious in the previous playthrough, after all, this person inexplicably left the village and did not reappear until Takami and Hayasaka were captured by Blood Flower and the game was restarted. Maki and Kaguya had paid close attention to this.

Therefore, starting this playthrough, she and Gao Hai discussed paying special attention to this player. Although it was just an unfounded intuition, Kaguya believed that this newcomer to the history book field might possess some special information, and even suspected that her surname, Li, might be related to the Li family in some way. After all, according to previous investigations, although Li Family Village was located deep in the mountains, it had always maintained contact with the outside world. For one thing, the fact that these villagers had a concept of money was very important. This meant that these villagers didn't just rob caravans, but had a long-term trading relationship with the outside world, and might even have left behind descendants.

On this point, Kaguya even boldly speculated that Li Nianyou, the Taoist priest of the "Slacking Off Gang," was also related to the Li family by blood. The reason was simple: he also happened to share the surname Li and possessed extremely special prophetic abilities. Meanwhile, after Gao Hai mentioned the existence of a statue similar to the Mountain God within the Shirakawa Apartment instance, Kaguya also suggested that Li Youcai and Li Zhaodi, who came from the apartment, might also be related to the Li family by blood. She further speculated that the Li family might have deliberately spread the statue to create some kind of trap.

To be honest, when Maki first guessed whether Li Xiaoxiao was a descendant of the Li family, she thought Kaguya's idea might make sense. But then Kaguya guessed that the Taoist priest was also related to the Li family in Shirakawa Apartment, which made Maki feel that it was a bit far-fetched.

Should I say that my great-aunt was, after all, a member of the Shinomiya family? Her mind is full of conspiracy theories. Well, we can't rule out that possibility, although I still think her thinking is too far-fetched.

Regardless, Kaguya Maki considered Li Xiaoxiao, the player, highly suspicious. For this reason, in this playthrough, Takahashi summoned [Teacher] and hid her beside her, secretly observing her. If she took any unexpected actions, [Teacher] would follow and monitor her closely, ensuring she had complete control over her movements.