Hearing Qi Xinzhu's words, Da Tian's face suddenly turned icy.

"Does believing always work? Especially trusting a man? I knew a woman who always trusted a man, and for him, she gave her all. But it was all for nothing. The pain continued, and her life was a struggle until death!"

Qi Xinzhu gave Da Tian a curious look, puzzled at how such a usually optimistic person could become so intense when this topic arose.

"Da Tian, are you okay? Who are you talking about?"

"Uh, I'm fine, totally fine! All good here. As for who I was talking about, it was just a character from a novel! Hehehe!"

With that, Da Tian disappeared again.

Qi Xinzhu sighed lightly and returned to the dressing table in her room.

On the table lay a coppery-yellow ring, looking somewhat old and worn. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that it was a man's ring, rather thick and large.

This old brass ring possessed some kind of power; although Qi Xinzhu couldn't use it, the sensation was still very obvious.

Da Tian had told her that this was the groom's wedding ring and that she must keep it safe. Only when she met her groom and exchanged wedding rings with him would the wedding truly be complete.

Qi Xinzhu was not foolish; she knew that the ring might represent some sort of formal significance, so she had been carefully preserving it.

Qi Xinzhu picked up the ring and tried it on her ring finger before taking it off again.

It's too big and won't fit, but it should be a good fit for Lu Luo!

Originally, she too was repulsed by the control of the Nightmare Demon. But when Da Tian told her that the groom for the Dusk Ceremony would be Lu Luo, Qi Xinzhu's heart was not so resistant; instead, a faint anticipation arose.

Normally, waiting for Lu Luo to propose might take forever. Would a person with his personality really propose? Perhaps he never would in his entire life! Within the walls, wanting to be with Lu Luo would definitely be fraught with difficulties. Opposition from her family, interference from the Church—getting married would be incredibly difficult. But in the world of the Nightmare Demon, it was different; she could do as she pleased and let her true nature run free. Here, none of the constraints of worldly convention existed, nor the social responsibilities placed upon her. She simply wanted to be with Lu Luo, that was all.

Playing with the wedding ring, Qi Xinzhu leaned over the table and chuckled to herself.

I'm such a shallow woman!

...

Inside Circle Studio, everyone quietly waited for midnight to arrive.

When the clock struck twelve, the people of Circle Studio looked at one another, as if nothing had happened.

"Seems like nothing's wrong? Is it really okay?" Zhou Kai asked Lu Luo with uncertainty. "Brother Luo, it seems like nothing happened?"

[The moon has changed, and this change was sudden.]

"Something did happen."

"Uh, what happened?"

"The moon got more beautiful."

Lu Luo pointed to the moon in the sky, which had changed from its previously cratered and uneven surface to a white jade hue reminiscent of his past life. It was large and bright, almost illuminating the entire night.

"You are the bright moon above, and I am the youth down here. Truly beautiful!"

Lu Luo did not feel sleepy, but when he looked back at the other members of Circle Studio, he found that most of them were already asleep.

"Hey, what's going on with you guys? Brother Kane, wake him up."

No one spoke, not even Zhou Kai responded to him. Lu Luo looked bewildered at Zhou Kai.

[They've fallen asleep, hurry and wake them up.]

"Brother Kane? Dumb Hair?"

Zhou Kai and Bai Yuetong were now fast asleep. Not just them, all other members of Circular were drowsy; even Gu Fangyi had entered a dazed state!

"Brother Gu!"

Lu Luo immediately threw his hook and snagged Gu Fangyi's finger; the pain jolted Gu Fangyi awake. Then Lu Luo grabbed Zhou Kai, infused him with a surge of Life Energy, and after snapping a small branch, used it to bring Zhou Kai back to consciousness.

"Damn, that hurt like hell! What happened? I suddenly felt so sleepy."

Gu Fangyi also looked around alertly and spoke slowly, "Brother Luo, are you okay? We must have been…"

Lu Luo could see Gu Fangyi speaking, but his voice was becoming less and less clear, more and more distant. In Lu Luo's vision, the bodies of Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai were constantly twisting and folding in front of him.

Realizing the situation was not good, Lu Luo's first reaction was to turn around and reach for Dumb Hair's hand, but Dumb Hair in front of him was like rippling water, starting to ripple out in circles. With these rippling waves, everything around Lu Luo gradually changed!

He found himself in a pitch-black room where a single door glowed faintly. Besides that, the room was empty.

Lu Luo stood in place and sighed softly.

I originally thought we'd have to find the entrance to the castle or something, but now, it seems like that's unnecessary! An ability like Noah's? Did it completely affect the entire East Ring with its Domain? Or just our studio?

Lu Luo was not overly panicked; he always believed that the Nightmare Demon had a purpose in doing this! Although he didn't know what its purpose was, if he just continued onward in this place, he should find an answer.

...

Meanwhile, back in Circle Studio, Dumb Hair was shaking Lu Luo's body incessantly!

"Lu Luo? Hey! Don't fall asleep, Lu Luo!"

Bai Yuetong tried to grab Lu Luo, but he disappeared completely into the air like a ripple in front of her.

"Brother Gu! Brother Kane!" Several members of Circular also encountered the same situation.

Not only Lu Luo disappeared, but Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai did as well.

At this moment, the members of Circle Studio looked at each other in dismay, uncertain of what to do next!

"Sister Bai, what do we do now?"

Bai Yuetong hadn't answered when Lu Mengna floated over, suddenly announcing, "The Nightmare Demon's black tide is coming!"

"The black tide? It hasn't happened in over a hundred years, how could it possibly be now?" The group of Hunters led by Pang Ding and You Xiaoqi also found it hard to believe.

What the black tide meant, many had heard, but how outrageous the real black tide was, nobody knew!

"Bai Yuetong, is your information reliable? I mean, about the black tide." Though Pang Ding might not be the sharpest, he was one of the few who truly understood the significance of the black tide; in this, even You Xiaoqi couldn't compare to him.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Bai Yuetong conversed with Lu Mengna, then nodded her head. "Sister Na is a very special Specter Species, and she has some long-distance detection abilities. Most of the time, her information is likely accurate. If the black tide really occurs, what do you plan to do?"

The members of the Hunters looked toward Pang Ding, seemingly waiting for his decision.

Pang Ding's choice was quite simple; he casually took out the armband he used to wear, which was from Hunter Team 13.

"We are Hunters. No matter the past, the present, or the future, we are always Hunters, so we will go to the Wall of Explorers. Although we've left the Hunters' ranks, if the black tide moment truly arrives, our purpose, the oaths we've sworn, still hold true. To protect the honor of the Fourth Ring, we are duty-bound!"

With Pang Ding's declaration, the other Hunter members, including You Xiaoqi, also shouted in unison:

"To protect the honor of the Fourth Ring, we are duty-bound!"

Dumb Hair looked at these Hunter members with an indescribable emotion, although she often heard Zhou Kai or Lu Luo jokingly say this phrase. But when they truly fulfilled their past oaths, even Bai Yuetong, a woman, was stirred by their fervor.

"Brother Ding, Brother Qi, I…"

"Xiao Bai, don't worry! After this is over, I'll treat you to a wedding drink!"

"A wedding drink?"

"Mine and Pang Ding's."

"Then, you must come back!"

"Definitely."

You Xiaoqi hugged Bai Yuetong, then left with Pang Ding and the other Hunter members.

The other members looked toward Bai Yuetong.

"Sister Bai, what do we do now? Shall we go to the Fourth High Wall to get ready?"

Many members, inspired by Pang Ding's speech, were also filled with a will to battle for the Fourth Ring. However, Bai Yuetong immediately doused their enthusiasm with cold water.

"We're not going. Prepare to evacuate."

"Why?"

"Now that Lu Luo, Gu Fangyi, and Zhou Kai are all gone, I'm the largest shareholder of Circle Studio, so I have the right to refuse."

"Brother Ding and the others have gone to fight for the Fourth Ring, and I think we should too."

"Our strength isn't enough, so what's the point of going?"

"Fighting for the Fourth Ring is exactly what we should be doing."

"Anyway, I don't want to go."

Somehow, the members of Circle Studio began to argue.

The division among the members of Circle Studio at this moment was the last thing Bai Yuetong wanted to see. Looking at the other bewildered members, Bai Yuetong gazed at the bright moonlight above her, her face as cold as frost.

She stepped onto the table and said loudly, "Enough! I am Lu Luo's woman, and Lu Luo's fate is unknown right now. If he's dead, then I am the greatest beneficiary and shareholder of Circle Studio. Circle Studio might very well become my private property, so, to protect my personal interests from being violated, nobody is allowed to go."

Bai Yuetong's voice quelled the arguing crowd, and everyone gradually fell silent. Some members, realizing why Bai Yuetong had said this, felt some remorse and wanted to explain to her. However, Bai Yuetong cut them off with a gesture and turned to the other members of Circle Studio.

"Now, everyone prepare weapons, food, and water, and get ready to evacuate this place. If you have family, take them with you and head towards the Third Wall, which is the Wall of the Observer! If you have no family, like Lu Luo and the others, if you're orphans, then follow me."

"What? Head to the Third Wall now? Isn't the Fourth High Wall still not in an emergency?"

"Yeah, and besides, we don't even qualify to gain access to the Third Wall yet!"

"Just go. I'll figure out the rest!"

Bai Yuetong had already turned and walked towards the mech room, nimbly jumping into her white Mecha. This Mecha wasn't brand new; it bore many repair marks, but these were all battle scars, Bai Yuetong's personal honors.

She used a hair tie to secure her usually loose white hair and started the Mecha.

"Depart, for the Wall of the Observer!"

...

Lu Luo pushed open the door of his pitch-dark room. Beyond it stood the towering Red and White Castle! In front of him was a row of black fences, and below his feet lay the ruins of the Fourth Ring. The dead were everywhere, and the souls of the mournful blanketed the fields.

The Red and White Castle, incredibly, was atop the Fourth High Wall, becoming a semi-floating castle that clung to the wall at one corner, with most of it floating. At both ends of his field of vision lay the battered Fourth High Wall.

Is this what the Nightmare Demon imagines the Fourth Ring should look like, a completely broken world?

Lu Luo walked along the outside of the wall for a bit and noticed some other apparently normal humans, like himself, heading towards the castle.

Hmm, yes, I'm a normal human, Lu Luo had always thought so.

There were some brief exchanges of glances between them, but no one spoke, for the world in front of them was too eerily bizarre to put into words.

A complete Red and White Castle… this must still be the Nightmare Demon's nightmare realm, right!

[The nature of the space should be the same as last time, both belonging to the Domain power of Eighth Order Exotic Species. I just don't know if it's spatial transference or if you've been pulled in by the Nightmare Power.]

It makes no difference. We can't beat it anyway.

Lu Luo approached the castle, and the first thing that came into view was a long red-carpeted staircase. Every three steps along the staircase stood a fully armed soldier. Lu Luo had seen, even worn, these soldiers' uniforms before.

[Swamp Ding, Third Tier animal species.]

[Red Deer, Third Tier animal species.]

Lu Luo continued up the staircase. They were all Third Tier animal species, their forms orderly and expressions uniform, clearly the result of countless drills.

An old lizard man in a suit stood at the castle's main entrance, welcoming each person who entered.

"Good day, sir, please show your invitation!"

When Lu Luo arrived at the castle's entrance, he noticed that everyone entering had an invitation. But he didn't seem to have one, and he didn't know what these invitations said. The red envelope he had before had been left in his bedroom; he hadn't brought it with him.

This is bad! I can't even get through the main gate?

[It's probably not that simple; some people also don't have invitations.]

Lu Luo saw some people without invitations talking with the old lizard man and then being allowed to pass.

If not for the Observer, who would have thought that the one checking invitations at the door would be a Lord? Moreover, a Fifth Tier Lord who is much stronger than the Maternal Aquatic Mongoose.

[Lord Poison, Fifth Tier Lord, abilities unknown. Attributes: Strength 215, Agility 140, Constitution 220.]

After observing for a while, Lu Luo also stepped forward.

"Good day, sir. Please present your invitation!" Lord Poison, the elderly lizard man, greeted with a smile.

"I don't have an invitation," Lu Luo stated truthfully.

The old lizard man flicked his tongue, drawing three patterns in the air.

"While all who come are guests, the Dusk Ceremony prepared by Lord Nightmare Demon for his mother is not easily entered. Since you do not have an invitation, sir, you'll have to demonstrate your talents and win the favor of my lord. Are you a wise sage, a sharp detective, or a brave warrior?"

Lu Luo pondered for a moment. Intelligence, observation, combat—three options, huh? He subconsciously wanted to choose one of them, but as he was about to speak, he suddenly paused. If it's a choice, and the other party didn't say it had to be just one, why couldn't he choose them all?

"I am all three!"

The old lizard man seemed a bit surprised as he glanced at Lu Luo.

"A bold choice!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old lizard man suddenly made his move, pointing a finger at Lu Luo at great speed. Steam erupted from Lu Luo's body in an Outburst, allowing him to react faster, his own finger striking the ring on the lizard man's finger.

Applying a slight force, he removed the ring from the tip of the old lizard man's finger and then leaned back, standing in a somewhat exaggerated half-suspended pose. All the while, he did not fall over or move his feet. Throughout the entire process of removing the ring, Lu Luo didn't even touch the lizard man's finger.

[Dusk Ceremony Token - Wedding Ring (Female)]

"Sir, you have demonstrated your abilities and now possess the token of the Dusk Ceremony; you may enter," said the old lizard man.

Lu Luo's intelligence was his expression of versatility, his observation was the discovery of the ring's existence, and his bravery was the act of snatching the ring from the lizard man's hand. He perfectly exhibited these traits, and therefore he passed the old lizard man's test with flying colors.

"Thank you, Mr. Lizard Man."

The old lizard man smiled and bowed to Lu Luo, who returned the gesture with the same action.

As Lu Luo bowed back, Lord Poison stopped him again.

"Wait a moment. I prefer people to call me Bitter Ding. I am the most loyal servant of Lord Nightmare Demon. Even though you have passed the test, I am still curious, how did you realize that the ring was the token?"

[Because he has me!]

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Bitter Ding. My name is Lu Luo. When I was climbing the stairs, I noticed that you would twiddle with the ring in your hand every time you received a guest. Moreover, you only wore the ring on the second knuckle, not slipping it onto the third knuckle, which means the ring wasn't really worn. The most critical point is that this ring is for females; it likely doesn't belong to you, Mr. Bitter Ding. You wanted others to notice this detail, but many who did might have thought it to be merely a habitual action of yours. Furthermore, given the choices posed, most people would likely pick one out of the three, making it even less likely they would try to snatch the ring from your hand. Only someone who chooses all three options would genuinely have the opportunity to take the ring from your hand."

"A wise sage, a sharp detective, a brave warrior—simply perfect. Since you are here for the Dusk Ceremony, Mr. Lu Luo, you had better prepare well. Although there is still quite some time before the Dusk Ceremony begins, sometimes, time flies very quickly."

Bitter Ding's reminder made Lu Luo immediately aware of the timing of the Dusk Ceremony. He had discussed the details of the Dusk Ceremony thoroughly with the Nightmare Demon.

[Dusk Ceremony—the time should be set at dusk. When a bride leaves for her marriage, it should be at dusk under the bright moonlight, leading her towards happiness. 'Hun' refers to twilight, 'Nü' (woman) refers to the bride. 'Nü' and 'Hun' connected means: 'I return home in the twilight, as if walking a path of light, which is auspicious and joyous.']

If the Nightmare Demon arranged everything as he had described, then all that was happening now was just the prelude to the Dusk Ceremony. The real time for the Dusk Ceremony should be at dusk on the 19th. If dusk is around 5 p.m., that would be 17:00. It was currently the early hours of the 19th, meaning there were still more than sixteen hours to go until 17:00.

Therefore, everything was just beginning.

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