The blonde girl ran barefoot through the midnight forest, seemingly pursued by something terrifying within the silent woods.
Her arms and legs were covered in wounds from dead branches, and her soles were already bloody, yet she persisted in running.
After a long, long run, she finally succumbed to exhaustion, and sharp pains erupted from all over her body. Only then did she dare to rest for a moment.
She crouched on the ground, and once her breathing evened out, she forced herself to stand.
In her current state, she couldn't linger here. Safety lay only in places with more people, where she might escape that thing.
At least in such a situation, that thing wouldn't target her next.
But as soon as she stood up, she saw a grotesque black figure standing less than a meter in front of her.
This figure wore a black suit, with long arms and legs. Its face was featureless, creating a stark disharmony with the dim forest, as if it were a creature not of this world.
Then, from the place where its mouth should have been, the muscles curved upwards into an arc – it was smiling.
The girl clutched her head, screamed, her spirit finally collapsing completely, and she squatted on the ground, screaming incessantly.
She screamed until she died...
Frightened to death.
Luo Feng, residing within the girl's body, fully experienced her entire journey from gaining hope to ultimate despair, yet was unable to interfere with her actions.
That bone-deep fear caused a ripple in his own heart.
But before he could even comprehend what was happening, he transformed again, becoming a high school student lying in bed, reading a novel on his phone.
This high school student wore a lewd smile as he reached an exciting part, wriggling in his blanket like a maggot, but he dared not laugh out loud, fearing his parents would find out he was staying up late reading.
Suddenly, however, he felt as if something had appeared in his blanket. Puzzled, he lifted the covers, only to see a long-limbed, faceless man in a suit hunched over in his bed.
A hand reached out and covered his mouth and nose, causing him to twist and writhe in the blanket like a grub, ultimately suffocating to death.
Next, Luo Feng became another woman.
This woman was driving alone on a deserted road at night, the only one present. Her high beams suddenly illuminated a faceless man in a suit with a deformed body...
One after another, in mere seconds, Luo Feng experienced the death throes of seven or eight people. The cause of these deaths was the same faceless man in the suit. The difference between this fellow and the black giant was merely a matter of size.
Invisibly, a trace of fear towards the black giant began to grow in Luo Feng's heart.
But Luo Feng quickly realized something was wrong; he had fallen into the faceless man in the suit's trap!
He then re-mobilized the spectral energy of the entire Sleepy Hollow. The vengeful spirits formed from the souls of the residents of Muyuan Community, who had hidden far away, and the tomb keepers wandering outside, had their spectral energy completely extracted and poured into Luo Feng's body. They could only perish in agony.
Luo Feng then instantly unleashed the energy he had drawn. The erupting spectral energy formed a powerful shockwave that plowed through the surrounding ground. If Tao Qingqing and Fo Hai were still observing from their original positions, they would have been caught in this attack.
Under such immense impact, the ethereal light and shadow enveloping him shattered, and even the black giant staggered.
Luo Feng, now awake, realized he had nearly been drawn into the coffin by the black giant. He gathered all his strength, conjuring a massive snare on his hand, and punched the black giant in the chest, causing its body to instantly explode.
To the surprise of both Wen Wen and Luo Feng, the black giant, after its body shattered, did not sustain any substantial damage. Instead, it transformed into numerous small black giants of varying auras, the smallest being as tiny as an infant.
They then regrouped, forming a complete black giant, albeit smaller than before.
It seemed this fellow's body was impervious to cutting attacks. Even if cutting attacks were to be used, it would need to be cut small enough for effective damage.
Luo Feng roared and engaged in another fierce battle with the black giant. The entire Sleepy Hollow was now ravaged, and it was uncertain if such immense damage would naturally refresh by tomorrow.
Their strengths were truly evenly matched, leading to a stalemate in the battle.
Luo Feng could utilize a massive amount of soul power to create special weapons, and his speed, strength, and reflexes were slightly superior to the black giant's. He could also mobilize spectral energy to unleash some devastating attacks.
The black giant, on the other hand, could trap people within a mottled illusory realm and was immune to conventional attacks.
If Wen Wen were to enter such a battle, he likely wouldn't last long, as it was equivalent to a continuous barrage of ultimate moves.
Not only Wen Wen, but this fellow also couldn't last indefinitely. Thus, within a few minutes, their auras had significantly diminished.
During these few minutes, Wen Wen had grasped the combat styles of both individuals and discerned their weaknesses.
However, Wen Wen still did not step forward. Who knew if these two had any hidden trump cards? Moreover, Wen Wen could bet his life that if he appeared, both of them would immediately target him.
Seeing Luo Feng's aura dwindle to a certain extent, a glint flashed in the black giant's eyes. It reached into its body and pulled out a small object.
The object was a square jade seal, intricately carved with a divine dragon. It was, unmistakably, the imperial seal from the Northern Yin Dynasty.
Given the black giant's size, the jade seal appeared as minuscule as a bean, yet it immediately captured Luo Feng's complete attention.
Luo Feng feigned indifference, saying, "The Northern Yin Dynasty has long since perished. This thing is merely an inanimate object. I have no need for it to rebuild the Northern Yin. Why are you bringing it out now?"
The black giant chuckled, "An inanimate object? How can you say that!"
"By today's standards, this is a containment item, the materialized embodiment of the Northern Yin Dynasty's national destiny. By forcefully binding your will and life to this jade seal, you significantly extended your lifespan, allowing you to reign as emperor for several more decades!"
Luo Feng's expression shifted; this matter should have been unknown to anyone.
The black giant scoffed, "You think no one knows? No, this matter was common knowledge in the Northern Yin at the time!"
"But you were still not content with these extra decades and sought true immortality!"
"It is precisely because of your greed that His Majesty tampered with your elixirs. His Majesty, who consumed the same elixirs, became Feng Gui Shen, the Lord of all Ghosts.
"As for you, in your later years, you suffered ill fortune, grew red hair, and became a tormented ghost trapped for a thousand years!"
"It is a pity that this inanimate object did not acknowledge His Majesty, which is why the Northern Yin Dynasty vanished not long after your death. This is also your responsibility."