Just now, Wang Xiao Huan's white lantern was protecting us overhead, allowing us to see each other clearly.

Now, the white lanterns have all been smashed out by the falling rocks, and we can no longer distinguish between the living and the dead.

Zhu Xiaoyu said in a deep voice, "Recount, quickly!"

Someone said, "Don't recount. If you recount now, aren't you afraid there will be one too many?"

Zhu Xiaoyu roared, "Who's speaking?"

I gently stopped Zhu Xiaoyu with my hand, "Don't panic!"

I said softly, "Everyone, stand with your backs to the wall on the left, holding hands, and move outwards. No matter what happens, don't stop! Move quickly!"

Someone sneered, "Is Hall Master Li trying to send us to our deaths?"

"Now you want us to take someone's hand. Do you know if you're holding the hand of a person or a ghost?"

When people are in the desolate wilderness, the thing they fear most is walking into a place without light, where they can't see anyone.

It's even more dangerous for two people to walk in together.

If two people get separated in the dark of night, never take someone else's hand.

You might think you're holding the hand of a companion? Maybe you're grabbing a dead person.

The person behind might think they're being led by a companion, but in reality, a dead person is dragging them onto a path of no return.

The person in front might think they're pulling a companion, but in reality, they're dragging a dead person along.

When the dead person suddenly turns their face or taps you from behind, you'll realize you've been pulling a dead person along the whole way, and it'll be too late.

That's because the dead person has already chosen the place where they want you to keep them company, and only then will they let you see who they are!

I said sternly, "Everyone, get against the wall, do you hear me!"

"Whoever is against the wall, slap the wall to tell me you're ready."

After I shouted, there were four claps from the wall, which must have been Feng Ruoxing, Ye Yang, and Wang Xiao Huan signaling to me.

Another sound came from beside me, Zhu Xiaoyu slapping the wall.

Zhu Xiaoyu said, "Hurry up and get ready!"

Before long, the sound of slapping the wall gradually rang out.

Someone said in a trembling voice, "How… how are there two more people?"

One person died in our group, and the number of claps exceeded the original number by one, which meant that dead people had already infiltrated our group, and more than one at that.

Now, no one knows where those dead people are standing?

I said in a deep voice, "Starting from the front of the line, take out spirit talismans one by one. Everyone take out ghost-repelling talismans."

"After you have the spirit talisman, hold out your hand!"

As I spoke, I moved towards the right side of the black stone path.

At this moment, a burst of fire had already erupted at the front of the line.

The yin energy in the black stone path was too heavy. As soon as the spirit talisman was taken out, regardless of whether there were ghosts around, the spirit talisman would be stimulated by the yin energy and explode with sparks.

After one burst of fire lit up, the second, third bursts of fire… lit up one after another. In the next instant, my curved saber suddenly flew out.

The circling saber followed the right wall of the black stone path. With continuous collisions, sparks also constantly erupted between the saber's edge and the wall.

Suddenly, the sparks flying in the air overlapped with the light bursting from the spirit talisman in someone's hand. Strangely, a hint of green light burst out from the two clusters of light.

My second saber flew towards the place where the sparks overlapped. This time, after the curved saber collided with the right wall, it rebounded towards the opposite side. Phosphorescent light burst out when the saber's edge struck the wall.

That saber strike of mine had eliminated the ghost mixed in with the group!

Just as I was about to sheathe my saber, I suddenly felt a tightness around my ankle – it was a cold palm that reached out from the wall and grabbed my ankle.

Before I could react, the wall behind me suddenly flipped over from left to right, pulling me into the wall.

Just as I felt my feet leave the ground, the sound of the mechanism wall constantly turning echoed throughout the black stone path.

We were all taken into the mechanism!

As soon as this thought popped into my head, I fell into the depths of the earth.

When I woke up, I was sitting in a space of only two square meters, with a table in front of me, and brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table.

Is this an examination hall?

The place where I was sitting was clearly the examination hall used for imperial examinations in ancient times.

Before I could react to what was going on, I heard someone say, "Write down how you fell into the black stone path's mechanism. Those who write correctly can live, and those who write incorrectly will die!"

"Don't think that you can escape this disaster just because you are exorcists. No spells work in the black stone path. The paperweight on your table is made of black stone. You can try and see if you can use spells!"

I picked up the stone bar, which was more than a foot long, and carefully examined it for a while before putting it back in its original place.

The person who spoke didn't deceive me. That black stone could indeed suppress magic.

In other words, we can only use martial arts here, but we can't use secret techniques.

The voice said again, "If you can't give an answer within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, or if you answer incorrectly, the only outcome is death!"

I sat in the examination hall, picked up the brush, and kept recalling what had just happened in my mind.

I suddenly couldn't understand why I had fallen into the black stone path's trap.

There will be an extra chapter tonight to celebrate the successful meeting of my two lovely assistants: Xiao Maoer (Nie Xiao Chun) and Zixi (Feng Ruoxing). Ga ga.