I knocked on the door without using any martial world code words. If there was any meaning, it was like a traveler returning home at night, gently tapping on the door.

The moment I knocked, Bo Pi adopted a defensive posture. The tree trunk beside me was like an unfurling scroll, flattening out to both sides. The once-empty grass suddenly revealed a wooden door.

Bo Pi, as a ghost deity, also showed a look of solemnity. Her hand, hanging by her side, tried to grab the human skinning knife, but her swollen fingers couldn't grasp the handle.

That was the first time I'd seen a ghost deity panic and be afraid.

Bo Pi's voice trembled as she said, "Li Po, quickly remove the poison for me. If I recover, we might have a chance to fight..."

Should I let Bo Pi go?

The Four Dead Servants were all high-level ghost deities. I might be able to escape if I faced one alone, but I had no chance of defeating them in a one-on-one fight!

Releasing Bo Pi was like placing a ravenous tiger beside me, ready to devour me at any moment.

If I didn't release her...

Just as I was hesitating, the wooden door slowly opened before me, and someone poked out a white lantern from inside.

Bo Pi was so frightened that her limbs went weak, and she sat down on the ground. Mo Caiwei, who was closest to her, stepped forward and supported Bo Pi, her right hand flicking downwards, sliding a scalpel from her sleeve, the blade twirling as it locked onto the half-open door.

I raised my hand, signaling her to be calm, when a paper-crafted hand reached out from the door.

The one holding the lantern to welcome guests was actually a paper figure.

The paper figure, dressed in blue and white clothes, staggered out of the door: "Why are you living people?"

I looked at him straight in the eye and said, "Are living people not allowed here?"

The paper figure pointed to Bo Pi: "She can enter, but you can't."

Bo Pi, who had barely managed to stand firm, immediately slumped down again: "No, no, no... I'm not going in."

As Bo Pi struggled to retreat, the sound of clothes tearing through the wind came from the cliff. Ti Gu and the others were already chasing down from the cliff. Although they hadn't arrived yet, the sound of their clothes whipping through the air had already reached us.

Before long, three mad ghost deities would be standing before us.

As I turned my head, I reversed my yin energy and suppressed the vitality in my body, saying in a ghostly voice, "Can I enter now?"

The paper figure was clearly stunned: "Please... please come in, all of you!"

I pointed behind me: "The people behind me."

The paper figure sneered: "Just a bunch of slaves. If I don't let them in, they'll have to stand there obediently."

Slaves?

A paper figure who wasn't even a vengeful ghost dared to call ghost deities slaves!

Who on earth was he serving?

Following him through this door might allow us to escape the pursuit of the three ghost deities, but it could also mean escaping the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's lair.

Mo Caiwei hesitated for a moment, and Bo Pi broke free from her grasp, turning around and trying to run back, but I wrapped the Soul-Chasing Rope around her neck: "Come with me!"

"No, no..." Bo Pi shouted, struggling desperately, "I'll go back and fight them. I'm not going in..."

"Move!" As I dragged Bo Pi desperately backward, the paper figure reached out a hand, grabbed the Soul-Chasing Rope, and gently pulled it back, dragging Bo Pi to the ground.

The Bo Pi, who had been struggling desperately a moment ago, was now dragged on the ground like a dead dog, pulled into the door by the paper figure.

Before Bo Pi's feet had completely entered the door, the three ghost deities were already standing outside. Ti Gu raised his voice and said, "That..."

"Kneel!" The paper figure suddenly turned his head, and a pair of eyes drawn with ink swept behind him. The three ghost deities knelt on the ground at the same time.

The paper figure said coldly, "Disturbing the honored guest is something you can't afford. Kneel properly, all of you. Whoever dares to raise their head will die!"

Only after the paper figure saw the three ghost deities lower their heads one by one, lying motionless on the ground, did he sneer twice and lead us forward.

Only after entering the door did the paper figure release the Soul-Chasing Rope: "Honored guest, if you want to drag her, let her crawl on the ground like a dog. If you don't want to, I'll dispose of her for you."

Bo Pi's eyes were rolling back from being strangled by the Soul-Chasing Rope, and she couldn't even speak. I walked over and helped Bo Pi up, supporting her arm so she could lean half her weight on me: "We were just joking, she's my friend."

The paper figure just laughed once and then stopped talking, leading the way with the lantern.

Leaning on me, Bo Pi said softly, "Thank you."

Bo Pi was thanking me for protecting her dignity.

I transmitted my voice: "No need to thank me, we are enemies, not friends. I'm helping you because you're different from the three of them. You have the dignity of a ghost deity."

I paused and said, "What exactly is here? How could you be so scared?"

"I don't know, I'm just afraid!" Bo Pi explained, "Have you ever seen a small animal encountering its natural enemy? That's how I feel, I'm afraid out of instinct."

I quickly asked, "Are you afraid of the paper figure? Or the door?"

"Both!" Bo Pi's answer made my heart sink slightly: This is bad.

The situation here was worse than I thought.

When I looked up at the paper figure leading the way, he slightly raised the lantern.

My steps stopped instantly.