With the final key fragment in hand, all the key fragments Фэн Юань had stored in his backpack emerged. Looking at the two metal discs, Фэн Юань breathed a sigh of relief and said
"Finally, it’s done."
The Black Mist unsurprisingly sealed the carousel, but this time it was different from before. As the Black Mist sealed the carousel, the entire amusement park seemed to enter a state of closure. The flickering neon lights gradually dimmed, leaving only the dim streetlights barely illuminating the way. The decorations that originally looked brand new suddenly appeared mottled and decayed, as if they had experienced the passage of time in an instant.
"Tsk, this environmental change, could it be they’re throwing some strange creatures at us?"
With a pout, Фэн Юань complained as he hurried toward the entrance of the Tashimar Fantasy Circus. The white fog quietly gathered, and waves of coldness sent a shiver down Фэн Юань’s spine.
"This change is indeed strange. Could this be another hurdle?"
Veronia surveyed the surroundings and said perplexedly, as the white fog thickened, it seemed there was some dangerous presence lurking in the shadows, secretly watching the group. However, before she could decide whether or not to step into the thick fog to investigate, a giant crack blocked their path forward.
The crevice ran across the road, reaching into the distance. Фэн Юань approached the fissure in the earth and leaned over to look at the abyss that appeared bottomless, and said
"This thing seems impossible to fly directly over. Strange, what’s the purpose of severing the path at this time."
"Perhaps it’s necessary to defeat an enemy before proceeding?"
Noticing the strange creature emerging from the shadows, Veronia narrowed her eyes and summoned the Crystal Rose, launching it. The vines of the Crystal Rose shot into the fog like sharp spears, but apart from a faint sound of something penetrating fabric, nothing else happened.
"What a bother, I thought clearing those amusement facilities was enough."
With a sigh, Фэн Юань clapped his hands and walked toward the greenery shrouded in white fog. The closer he got, the more apparent the peculiar shadows hidden in the dim light of the fog became.
The crystal-clear lance of the Crystal Rose stabbed into those shadows, yet they seemed completely unaffected, sometimes vibrating.
What are those things? Фэн Юань found it strange; there were no signs of life from them, and they seemed not to be living beings. Could they be some Призрак Series creatures?
With this thought, Фэн Юань intentionally lagged a step behind Xiao Ji. The entity posed no significant threat, at least not as far as he could perceive. If indeed it was a Призрак Series creature, letting Xiao Ji handle it would be just right, since its attributes naturally restrained strange creatures like this.
Xiao Ji hadn’t expected Фэн Юань to think so much; it only perceived Фэн Юань’s step backward as a feeling of protection, making Xiao Ji quite delighted, blissfully ignoring the fact that Фэн Юань’s strength was clearly higher than its own and would hardly require protection.
Excitedly, Xiao Ji made a sound and flapped its wings, stirring up a fierce wind. However, the wind did not blow away the white fog; instead, the shadows trembled more violently in the wind. Upon seeing this, Фэн Юань was stunned; could that thing possibly be...
Rushing forward, seeing the scarecrow obscured by the white fog, Фэн Юань scratched his head and said puzzledly
"Are we scaring ourselves?"
"No, where did the scarecrow come from in this place? Besides, when we passed here earlier, did you see such a thing?"
Veronia followed closely, regarding the scarecrow with a serious expression. Although the object appeared harmless, its mere presence was abnormal.
"A terrifying scarecrow? Forget it, let’s just destroy it and be done."
Circling around the scarecrow, Фэн Юань muttered as he borrowed power from Xiao Ji, hurling a pitch-black fireball at the scarecrow, watching it engulfed in fierce flames. Фэн Юань scratched his head and said
"This thing, really has no life?"
Xiao Ji’s Flame of Death had a strong restraining effect on Призрак Series creatures. Thus, with this fiery encounter, Фэн Юань guessed it might be a high-concentration aggregation of Призрак Power; otherwise, the flames wouldn’t burn so vigorously. But conversely, if it were a Призрак Series creature, it wouldn’t be so unresponsive to being burned.
"Perhaps the enemy is something quite peculiar."
Sensing something, Veronia smiled strangely and hooked a finger, the Crystal Rose lance abruptly emerging from the ground, instantly piercing a cute rabbit. In Фэн Юань’s view, the rabbit, with its snow-white fur, seemed quite adorable, except its crimson eyes appeared ominously unsettling.
"A demon disguised as a rabbit?"
Watching the lively rabbit, Фэн Юань said confusedly; it seemed oddly unaffected, even though Veronia had heavily injured it.
"It doesn’t look like it. This thing appears to be an elemental aggregate with no real soul, why not let Xiao Ji test it to find out?"
Pinching her chin and observing the strange rabbit, Veronia suggested. Xiao Ji looked at Veronia and Фэн Юань with confusion, not understanding the situation, why was it dragged into this matter?
"An elemental aggregate? Xiao Ji, try using attacks targeting the soul to see if you elicit a different reaction."
Hearing Veronia’s words, Фэн Юань instructed Xiao Ji. Although unclear of Фэн Юань’s intentions, Xiao Ji followed Фэн Юань’s directive. Yet, the Death Series’ ultimate move against the rabbit only made its form appear somewhat ethereal.
"It’s indeed an elemental aggregate, a special one condensed from emotions. But why a rabbit?"
Staring at the rabbit still trying to escape the Crystal Rose lance that pierced it, Фэн Юань muttered and sighed. This sudden appearance was truly...
Since no significant information could be gleaned from the rabbit, Фэн Юань eventually let Xiao Ji completely disband it. As the energy forming the rabbit dispersed, the surrounding white fog unexpectedly receded, and even the giant crack vanished with the retreat of the fog.
"Truly bizarre things; could it be we need to clear rabbits throughout the amusement park?"
Seeing the fog disperse only in a small area, Фэн Юань said with a headache. Due to the elemental aggregate nature of the rabbit, its tracks were challenging to find, and with the amusement park being so vast, thoroughly clearing them could consume an unimaginable amount of time.
"Perhaps, but then again, it might not be necessary."
After pondering for a moment, Veronia smiled slightly and said. With a sigh, Фэн Юань led the group forward once more.
Along the way, earthly cracks appeared now and then, but these didn’t present much of an obstacle for the group. Knowing the key to overcoming them, it was merely a matter of spending some effort in seeking out the rabbits.
Upon arriving at the giant iron gate, seeing there hadn’t been much change, Фэн Юань finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thankfully, we don’t have to completely clear the amusement park; otherwise, it’d be a real pain."
Placing the two disc keys into the corresponding slots, there were two soft clicks, and the locks securing the gate slowly released. Without needing Фэн Юань to push, the gate suddenly began to open inward slowly. At the same time, cheerful music came from behind the door, despite looking like an iron gate unable to block the wind; it seemed to separate two different realms.
Noticing the white fog reappearing behind them, starting to approach the iron door, Najia urgently shouted
"Hurry up and close the door!"
Although unsure of the cause behind the white fog’s abnormal changes, it guessed something unfavorable was happening. Upon hearing Najia’s shout, Фэн Юань, though confused, quickly dashed inside.
As the group ran into the colorful mosaic tile path in front of the circus, Yang Hongzhi, under Najia’s guidance, worked with Xiao Hei to close the door.
Seeing the area behind them once again covered by the white fog, Фэн Юань was puzzled and said
"What’s that thing up to now?"
Contrary to the now eerie amusement park, the current location where the group stood was illuminated by various colorful lights. Cheerful music and occasional giggles from children made the iron gate seem like the door dividing hell and paradise.
"I don’t know what the white fog truly is, but I feel if it infiltrates this area, something bad will happen."
Najia explained to Фэн Юань, though merely a hunch, Najia felt this wasn’t without reason, although it wasn’t clear why it had such a premonition.

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