Chapter Thirty-One: Journey to the Terrifying Art Exhibition

Wang Hui watched everything unfold, still feeling dazed. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Hu Haiyan was the first to awaken. After the chaos had faded and peace returned, she looked at Wang Hui and asked, “What happened?”

Bitterness welled up in Wang Hui’s heart. They had slept through it all, waking to find everything resolved, while he had endured so much. Not only had he nearly suffered a mental breakdown, but he had inexplicably become the human slave of a bizarre creature.

Thinking of his new master, Wang Hui touched the faint mark on his forehead and swallowed. His master might truly be an extraordinary existence.

With this thought, Wang Hui turned to Hu Haiyan and smiled naturally. “The strange creature has been driven away by me.”

...

Feng Tianlin had his reasons for taking Wang Hui as his slave. He discovered that the emotions of fear in Taoists were irresistibly delicious. Just Wang Hui’s fear alone had propelled Long Mengting from E-level to D-level, but that was far from enough—he needed more Taoists to feed on.

People gather with their own kind, and like attracts like. Eventually, these Taoists would form a group, and Wang Hui would be the bomb Feng Tianlin planted among them. With Wang Hui’s talent, he would surely excel in such a group, and the better he blended in, the greater the bomb’s destructive power.

Those marked with his Nightmare Seal could never disobey his commands and possessed absolute loyalty. The only flaw was that, when used, the marked person couldn’t resist; otherwise, the curse couldn’t penetrate their mind.

But this was a minor issue. Feng Tianlin had countless ways to make someone accept his Nightmare Seal.

Now, Feng Tianlin had already left the school, as the terrifying art exhibition in Spirit City was about to begin. He was planning something big at the event.

Returning to the hotel where Ruan Miao had stayed, he sensed the presence of a strange creature—a D-level entity with a very weak aura, probably wounded. But since it wasn’t in Ruan Miao’s room, Feng Tianlin chose to ignore it; he wasn’t the sort to go looking for trouble.

He entered Ruan Miao’s room and found her painting. The artwork depicted a doll leading a host of bizarre creatures rampaging through a city.

Seeing the painting, Feng Tianlin was startled. Did his Nightmare Seal have a brainwashing effect? “What does this painting mean?”

Without turning, Ruan Miao replied, “You’re spreading fear.”

Feng Tianlin grew more confused. He pressed, “How do you know I want to spread my fear?”

---

Ruan Miao turned to him and rolled her eyes. “If you didn’t want me to help spread fear, what else would you have me paint?”

Feng Tianlin was speechless.

The time shifted to 2 a.m. the next day—the exact hour the Spirit City Horror Art Exhibition commenced. Ruan Miao appeared at the entrance and walked straight in.

This exhibition wasn’t as casual as the one in Well City. There were designated audience seats, staff who placed the paintings on the stage, and each piece was shown in turn.

Ruan Miao sat among the artists, keeping her gaze fixed on the stage.

Soon, the exhibition began. The host stood on stage with a strange smile. “Honored guests, artists, and our five esteemed judges, the Spirit City Horror Art Exhibition is about to start! Are you ready?”

Applause erupted from the crowd. As the grandest event in the world of horror, everyone attending was a connoisseur of fright. Each exhibition brought them fresh thrills, so it was eagerly anticipated.

“Let’s begin with the first painting—‘The Ghost by the Bed.’”

As the host spoke, the painting was displayed on stage, then broadcast to the audience through ultra-high-definition equipment.

“My god! This... this...”

“This painting is terrifying! There aren’t even any traditional horror elements, so why is it so chilling?”

...

Listening to the murmurs around her, Ruan Miao shook her head in disdain. These people were as ignorant as she once was. Once her painting was shown, they would understand true terror!

The five judges below remained unmoved. They had seen everything in this field, and this painting was child’s play.

Out of one hundred points, the painting scored seventy-six—decent, but nothing special.

Next came the second, then the third...

Compared to the first, these were even weaker, none scoring above eighty. The judges shook their heads. “This batch is pathetic. I’m bored to tears.”

“Exactly. I hope there’s finally a piece that surprises me.”

...

---

After the sixth painting scored fifty-one, a bespectacled judge couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed the table. “I came to judge—not to look at children’s drawings! If there isn’t a decent work soon, I’ll leave this exhibition!”

His outburst immediately drew everyone’s attention, but he didn’t care, settling back in his seat and looking to the host for a response.

This bespectacled man was a renowned master of horror in Spirit City. Though not a painter, his understanding of fear was profound, earning deep respect in the community. His protest left the host in an awkward position.

But the host quickly forced a smile and said, “Oh, the main attractions are always saved for later. The next few paintings scared one of our reviewers so badly they still haven’t recovered. I guarantee their quality will exceed your expectations! As an apology, I’ll bring them all up at once!”

The man with glasses snorted coldly. “Hmph! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

The host smiled, licking his lips. “Everyone, brace yourselves. These paintings are beyond your wildest imagination!”

With that, several staff members brought up four paintings, each covered by a cloth, hiding their contents.

“What’s this? Why cover them with rags? Do you think we’re beneath you?”

Dissatisfaction erupted from the audience.

“Please wait, everyone. We’ll unveil them one by one, so you can see what true terror is!” the host said as he uncovered the first painting. An impossibly frightening doll was revealed.

Silence.

No one dared breathe. Everyone stared at the doll, as if their souls were drawn to it.

But that wasn’t all. Without giving anyone a chance to recover, the host unveiled the second painting.

A little girl in a red dress appeared. At that, some people couldn’t hold back, and those with weaker nerves fainted outright.

Then the third, then the fourth—each painting was uncovered in succession.

The teddy bear, and the scene with the three entities together—this was terror layered upon terror, making hearts pound as if they might burst.