Zhang Yuanqing returned to the main hall, bathed in candlelight, calming the pain of his recurring illness and at the same time undergoing a purification. According to the timeline, the vengeful spirit would attach itself to him within one or two minutes—by then, it would definitely be unsuitable to enter the eastern courtyard and face the zombies directly. After resting for four or five minutes, his condition worsened steadily: a persistent headache accompanied by mild dizziness. He knew this was the initial manifestation of the corpse toxin gradually eroding his body. The candlelight in the main hall seemed unable to cleanse the toxins within him. "I can't delay any longer…" He needed to make good use of the red ballet shoes' thirty-minute duration and secure victory in the dungeon as swiftly as possible. Zhang Yuanqing left the main hall and walked along the stone path, weaving through the overgrown grass, arriving at the quadrangle courtyard. Standing amidst the rising grass, he opened his inventory and summoned the red ballet shoes. Two delicate beams of dark red light danced gracefully through the night, transforming into a pair of fresh, elegant dance shoes. "Choose the second form!" Zhang Yuanqing silently murmured. The crimson slippers dissolved again into faint, deep red glimmers, sweeping out two arcs to envelop his feet. In an instant, his running shoes transformed into a pair of large, red dance shoes. After all, wasn't this just a subtle transformation into women's attire? Fortunately, it was flat dance shoes, not heels... Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his feet with a touch of discomfort, feeling rather odd about it. He forced himself to ignore this detail, took out the sealing talisman, held it firmly in his hands, and walked through the arched doorway, stepping once more into the eastern courtyard. There, the grass swayed gently under the bright moonlight, two large buildings stood still and serene—everything was so quiet and peaceful. He carefully surveyed the area, spotting no trace of the zombies. With cautious steps, he moved through the courtyard and approached the large building divided into four rooms. The room housing the coffins had its wooden door blown off—he need not enter; he simply looked across the threshold at the scene within. Moonlight filtered in through the gaps in the roof tiles, illuminating the body, the coffin, the upturned lid, and the bronze mallet—all still in place, untouched. No ghosts were visible in the room. "Could it have settled back into the coffin?" he wondered, unable to see inside from his current angle. As he hesitated, he suddenly noticed the moonlight dimming, shadows descending from above and enveloping him. Then, a strong night breeze carried with it a thick stench of decay and a low, guttural roar. It—was it hiding in the tree? Zhang Yuanqing was startled, his heart suddenly tightening, instinctively reaching for a retreat. In the next instant, the red dance shoes on his feet glowed with a soft, deep red light, and Zhang Yuanqing slipped, sliding out in a sudden, sweeping motion, leaving a clear trail through the grass before he could react. Thud! The shrouded zombie landed short, missing him entirely. Averted—averted! Zhang Yuanqing scrambled to his feet, breathless with relief, his heart finally settling back in his chest. The Red Dance Shoes truly are magical—their evasive abilities surpass what he anticipated. With his own reaction speed, he couldn't have avoided the zombies' charge just now. Zhang Yuanqing's confidence surged. "Huff-huff…" The zombie, its hair like dry grass, roared loudly, shaking the very eardrums. Its bulging eyes grew more fierce. It flexed its knees and surged forward again, moving with the speed of a high-speed automobile. As the stench of decay filled the air, the terrifying creature was now close at hand. Zhang Yuanqing's feet involuntarily twisted, smoothly carving a half-circle, avoiding the sharp claws while simultaneously striking the zombie's back. Then, naturally, he executed a split—his body collapsed suddenly, a strong gust of wind whistling over his head, his arms sweeping across. "Ow! Ow!" Zhang Yuanqing's face twisted in pain. He wanted to clench his hips and cry out, but the Red Dance Shoes had already propelled his legs, launching him into the air. He soared high, then forcefully kicked the zombie squarely in the chest. Thud! Amid the rumbling sound, the zombified figure's tattered garments kicked up fine dust. It roared in anger and frustration, being violently thrown onto its back by the immense force. Opportunity! Seizing this moment, Zhang Yuanqing, despite the searing pain in his hip, took several swift strides and firmly struck the镇尸符 against the highly decayed, foul-smelling face before him—directly onto its forehead. "But with so many workers on site, one would think resolving the zombified corpses should be no problem—after all, they're all seasoned men. How could they possibly be so inadequate?" Zhang Yuanqing sighed suddenly, knowing the reason now. The sealing scroll had been found inside the pocket of the corpse at the window. The elder had acquired this item, yet he had not shared it with his companions—he had kept it to himself. Human hearts are more complex and more terrifying than ghosts and spirits. Having dealt with the zombies, the next step would be to go down to the well to confront the unprincipled female ghost. However, before that, there was one other matter that deeply concerned Zhang Yuanqing. He left the zombies behind and walked toward the room displaying the coffins, stepping over the threshold with his hand resting on the doorframe. In the dimly lit room, moonlight streamed in like beams. He paused before the mummified body, bent down, and picked up the bronze cone. Though it was clearly a bronze object, it felt cool when held—yet surprisingly, it was warm and smooth, like jade. Immediately, a message appeared in his field of vision. 【Name: Subduer of Demons】 【Type: Weapon】 【Function: Purification, Calming Spirits, Defeating Evil Spirits】 【Description: A weapon infused with the power of the Sun God, it is the supreme force against all阴 (yin) entities. By sacrificing one's vital essence to this杵, one gains the power of the Sun God.】 【Note: Powerful, indeed—won at the cost of one's life.】 Indeed, a piece of equipment. Its functions suggest it surpasses even the candles in the main hall. The construction team elders had hoped to use it to defeat the zombies, but their efforts fell short. Alas, they had already lost too many personnel before even facing the zombies directly… Zhang Yuanqing is relieved that he made the right judgment. The red ballet shoes were skillfully employed to overcome the challenge. Of course, the construction team elders had no choice—they could not tame this rule-based artifact, and the majority of them perished under the weight of the red ballet shoes. With this artifact, specifically effective against yin entities, combined with the red ballet shoes, my chances of successfully completing the trial have greatly improved. Holding the Vumó Chopper, he felt a strong sense of confidence and, before the five minutes were up, left the room and returned to the courtyard. This time, he headed straight for the ancient well for his final inspection. The well's opening was deep and dark, with a rising scent of dampness and decaying vegetation. He looked down—Zhang Yuanqing tightened the Vumó Chopper, adopted a defensive stance, lifted one foot onto the well's rim, and then stepped down, moving smoothly along the well's walls as if they were level ground. Previously, he would have been too afraid to descend, not only due to potential dangers at the bottom, but also because, without a rope or any assistance, jumping into the well would have meant certain death. Soon, he reached the well's shallow bottom, where the moonlight had grown very faint. The water in the well had long since dried up, leaving black silt at the bottom, with clumps of wild grass growing along the edges and deep green moss covering the well walls. "There's no ghost down in the well..." Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brow, thinking this didn't make sense—clearly, I had just seen a female ghost with no face emerge from the well. He carefully inspected the well bottom again and again, since the red ballet shoes had a limited wearing time. Eventually, he had no choice but to climb back up the steep well wall and hurry back to the eaves of the main hall. Only then did he remove the red ballet shoes. ... In the main hall, bathed in the dim candlelight, Zhang Yuanqing leaned wearily against the table of offerings. The poison from the corpse was spreading deeper into his body—after dizziness, he now experienced shortness of breath and pain in his heart and lungs. Time was running out. "I've explored both rear courtyards and successfully subdued the zombies. My mission isn't complete yet, which means there's still one area I haven't explored..." He had checked every room in the courtyards, even descended to the well bottom—there could be no oversight. Then, where exactly was the missing piece? When all other possibilities had been eliminated, whatever remained—no matter how incredible—must be the truth. He murmured to himself and slowly lifted himself up. There was no place to explore beyond this one; this was the very place, this very hall before him. Zhang Yuanqing slowly scanned the hall, his gaze finally settling on the three-dimensional clay statue of the Goddess of the Mountain. A detail he had noticed the very first time he entered the hall had stayed with him. The statue's right hand was empty, yet it appeared as though grasping something—indicating that it had once held an object. He had not known what she had originally been holding, but now he did. It was the Vengeance Staff. With a sense of trying it out, Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward, inserted the golden Vengeance Staff into the hollow of the statue's hand, then leapt down from the pedestal and took a few steps back. Almost at the moment he retreated, cracks began to spread across the pedestal's surface, releasing a steady stream of dust. Then, the entire pedestal collapsed, revealing a dark, empty cavern beneath.