[Sin value reset to zero, soul sublimated, soul strength increased by 20%, can now enter some special locations.]

Xu Lang received the system prompt, and his heart stirred slightly.

When the Brain Domain Divine Treasures opened, his soul resistance increased by 50%. His spirit talent, Power and Will, increased his spirit resistance by 300%. This 'soul strength,' however, was the first time he had heard of it; it seemed to be an overall enhancement of all soul attributes.

"This is for you. Use it directly. Later, when you reach the General Selection Platform, choose the blood-red Yin Marshal." Grandmother looked at Xu Lang and spoke.

"Grandmother, you..." The Deliverance from Calamity Nether Envoy's expression shifted, his mind wanting to stop her. But remembering the life-saving trump card he himself had given Xu Lang, he swallowed his words.

[Nightmare Eye · Killing Crystal: A crystal filled with killing intent. One-time use item. After use, maintains a 'Killing Aura' for three hours, making you more likely to gain favor from Ghostly Deities of the same attribute.]

"Thank you." Xu Lang raised his hand and caught it.

Xia Xingyuan's gaze flickered, paying attention to Grandmother's demeanor.

Sometimes, a simple 'thank you' is a probe.

"No need. The fact that the Homesickness Terrace didn't manifest all your killing karma was also a failure in my work." Grandmother shook her head.

—That blood-red crystal is a good thing!

Hearing Grandmother's reply, Xia Xingyuan immediately had a plan in mind and spoke up, "May I ask, you two, now that we've passed this stage, what is our reward?"

"The reward has already been given to you." Grandmother said indifferently, "Your souls have been cleansed, pure and unblemished. Using what you call 'skills' will become easier, and you will be less prone to disturbance by evil thoughts."

Less prone to disturbance by evil thoughts?

Xu Lang was startled. His consciousness touched his lower abdomen, found his 'good brother' had a reaction, and felt relieved.

A life without desire or pursuit was not his goal.

"The days of kidney deficiency are gone forever, no need to panic..."

Xu Lang's eyes became clear again.

As the saying goes, once you've tasted the marrow, you know the flavor. And as the charm of his tenants increased and their numbers grew, he knew the flavor, flavor, flavor, flavor, flavor, flavor, flavor.

"Hmm?" Grandmother frowned and glanced at Xu Lang, then shook her head and said, "Now, who among you is still willing to proceed to the next stage? If not, you can turn back and return the way you came now."

The Hundred Flowers Contemplation Emperor cupped her hands and said, "I have never heard of any player entering the next stage. May I ask what the game content of the next stage is?"

"No comment!" Grandmother replied coldly.

The Hundred Flowers Contemplation Emperor felt that Grandmother was not as easy to talk to as the Deliverance from Calamity Nether Envoy, somewhat unreasonable.

This was the normal state of NPCs.

Additionally, it's worth mentioning that although players were accustomed to calling these powerful neutral entities NPCs, in reality, these NPCs had extremely high degrees of freedom. If you truly angered them, they might directly take action to suppress players.

This was also the reason why players were so respectful towards NPCs.

"Ahem, actually, it wouldn't hurt to let them have some psychological preparation." The Deliverance from Calamity Nether Envoy suddenly coughed lightly twice. Seeing Grandmother look back at him, he continued, "It's been a long time since anyone has passed the fourth stage. Giving them a little psychological preparation is good."

Grandmother said nothing more.

The Deliverance from Calamity Nether Envoy lowered his head to look at the group of players, his expression indifferent:

"The game content of the fourth stage of the Netherworld is called the General Selection Platform."

"There are ten Yin Marshals inside. Select the Yin Marshal you wish to attach yourselves to, complete the corresponding task, and you can pass."

Those were the rules. It sounded very simple.

Wang Yazhi voiced a light doubt, "Attach ourselves? What does that mean? Faction warfare?"

Xu Xiaomeng whispered, "Are we still going alone? Can't we return to the dormitory?"

Xu Ruyan frowned, instinctively guessing, "Could there be tasks involving killing each other? It would be safer if we chose the same Yin Marshal then."

The Platinum Luxury Apartment group buzzed with discussion, and others had similar concerns.

"This is the only round of the game where you won't need to use your dormitories anymore." The Deliverance from Calamity Nether Envoy said in a bland tone.

Grandmother narrowed her eyes slightly.

The Deliverance from Calamity Nether Envoy was speaking a bit too much today. Smart people could tell this was indirectly revealing information about the game content of the round after next.

"Well then, make a decision quickly. Are you turning back now, or continuing to push forward?" Grandmother's clear voice rang out, like the pleasant sound of jade pendants, instantly startling everyone into stopping their discussions.

The women of the Platinum Luxury Apartment turned their gazes towards Xu Lang.

The Hundred Flowers Contemplation Emperor, Xia Xingyuan, and the others were also looking at Xu Lang.

If Xu Lang left, they would absolutely turn and leave without another word.

Before coming, they had all inquired about the situation regarding the Netherworld Invitation. At most, they had learned the content of the first three stages.

This meant no one had ever passed the fourth stage, at least no one at their level had heard of such a thing. This was enough to indicate the danger of the subsequent stages!

"We choose to continue." Xu Lang had come this time with the intention of fighting to the end.

If it really came to it, he would just use Nightmare Coins to reinforce himself.

To be honest, he was already strong enough now.

For game difficulties normally matched to a player's Experience, with his current configuration, passing was almost guaranteed.

Not every game instance was as perverse as the Mad King Building, so he probably wouldn't need to use Nightmare Coins.

"Good." Grandmother revealed a smile, seeming very pleased that someone was willing to continue playing.

"We..." Tao Xiu looked at the Hundred Flowers Contemplation Emperor, his heart struggling intensely.

He wanted to play, but he was also afraid of a total wipeout.

Their gains this time were already substantial, and they had no concept of the next stage. It was purely a gamble.

The Hundred Flowers Contemplation Emperor was also hesitating, but after glancing at Han Zhixiu, who was nonchalantly chewing Bubblegum, she gritted her teeth, her eyes becoming resolute. "We'll continue playing too!"

Han Zhixiu gave the Hundred Flowers Contemplation Emperor a surprised look. "Sister Nian, you better think this through carefully."

"Yeah, the next round of the game is likely to be extremely dangerous." Cao Yaxuan also advised.

The Hundred Flowers Contemplation Emperor felt something was off.

These outsiders were actually advising her not to take the risk? Were Zhixiu's dorm mates really this kind-hearted?

At a time like this, shouldn't the logic be that everyone charging through together would be more powerful? Why were they advising her to leave?

Xu Lang knew these guys were all hoping to get to the Grandmaster Building through the Taleblade Demon Box. It was just that their acting was a bit poor, too superficial.

"And you?" Grandmother looked at the Thousand Illusions Dormitory group.

Xia Xingyuan's face was conflicted.

Before coming here, he had only planned to play two stages. Now, his gains had already exceeded expectations.

"Boss, we still have a lot of raw materials left." A young male tenant from the Thousand Illusions Dormitory licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with greed.

The other players from the Thousand Illusions Dormitory also seemed restless.

"Yeah, boss. If we don't use up those raw materials, didn't we endure that Yin wind for nothing? What a waste of suffering!" a female player from the Thousand Illusions Dormitory said.

Xia Xingyuan raised his hand, silencing the others. Looking at Grandmother, he said, "We choose to withdraw!"

After speaking, as if knowing his tenants would have objections, he offered an explanation.

"Sunk costs should not participate in major decisions!"

"We can keep the raw materials for use in the next round of games."

"The final two stages are absolutely not ordinary. You can tell just by looking at the specifications of the Nether Envoy."

"What doesn't belong to us, simply doesn't belong to us!"

"Right now, even if we're not withdrawing with a full load, we're still making a huge profit!"

After his explanation, no one had any further objections.

Hearing his analysis, the players from the Epiphany Abode immediately felt some regret.

They had been blinded by profit after all! They should have tried to dissuade their Dorm Owner just now!

But there was no helping it. The Hundred Flowers Contemplation Emperor had privately told them that after the two items boosted her, her combat power had increased by nearly fifty percent.

With such huge gains, it was hard to resist the temptation.