Escape Filming Location

“Search every corner, leave no detail unchecked, and pay attention to anything unusual,” Hawkeye said, turning to Qian Cangyi.

Cangyi nodded and headed to the right, beginning his search along the perimeter of the circular clearing.

Minutes ticked by as Cangyi glanced up at the sky, his anxiety mounting. The two of them circled the clearing again and again, but the Death Ritual Stele remained elusive.

“Wait… the rain…”

“If the Death Ritual Stele is invisible, maybe the rain can reveal its location.”

The thought sprang into Cangyi’s mind, but he knew the chances were slim. If the rain could truly expose the stele’s location, they would have already found it during their earlier search.

Rain soaked his hair and clothes, dripping onto the ground. Cangyi strained his eyes, determined not to miss a single detail. Yet, apart from the spots where he and Hawkeye stood, the rainwater showed no discernible changes.

This meant the Death Ritual Stele wasn’t in the clearing.

Suddenly, Hawkeye turned to look at Cangyi. His gaze was calm, yet it made Cangyi deeply uneasy. It was the kind of look that seemed to pierce through everything-a warrior’s gaze, one who had danced on the edge of death and now faced his fate with quiet resolve.

“The Special Item’s effect has worn off,” Hawkeye said, his voice steady, devoid of panic.

Cangyi glanced down at his arm. The golden specks were gone. On their way to the clearing, no amount of rain had washed away the golden sand-it had clung to their skin as if fused to it. Now, it had vanished, signaling the end of the item’s protective power.

Slowly, Cangyi turned his head toward Yuxi Village. The scenery remained unchanged, but he could feel it-the Dark Shadows were closing in fast.

A streak of red lightning tore through the clouds, and the rain intensified, its heavy drops stinging his face. Cangyi raised his left hand to shield his forehead, squinting against the downpour. Exhausted, he felt his legs falter, stepping back to regain his balance.

Thunder roared, followed by another flash of lightning. Cangyi’s eyes widened as he saw the gathering Dark Shadows creeping closer, like executioners preparing for their grim task. And he and Hawkeye were the condemned.

“Hawkeye, you must have a plan, right?” Cangyi shouted, his voice rising above the storm. At this point, their exposure hardly mattered-even if the Dark Shadows noticed them, it wouldn’t change anything.

Hawkeye remained silent, motionless, simply watching Cangyi.

“Say something! How did you survive before? Maybe we can find some clues!” Cangyi yelled, moving closer to Hawkeye.

Finally, Hawkeye spoke. “It’s completely different. The previous films had no clues. Now, there are clues, but following them leads nowhere.”

“The chain is broken in the middle-unless there’s a way to reconnect it.”

But these weren’t the words Cangyi wanted to hear.

“What way? Do you have another Special Item? Just… just hold on a little longer. We might find it!” Cangyi dragged his weary feet forward.

“I only had one Special Item, and I already used it,” Hawkeye replied, his expression unchanged.

The Dark Shadows had silently arrived at the clearing, spreading out to encircle them. This time, there would be no Special Item to save them.

“Where is the Death Ritual Stele?!” Cangyi couldn’t hold back his frustration and shouted at the sky.

Another red lightning bolt illuminated the clearing, revealing fleeting silhouettes around its edges. Judging by their clothing, they were likely villagers. The Death Ritual was gradually transforming them, which explained why they could briefly see the villagers of Yuxi Village.

Cangyi glanced back-the Dark Shadows were closing in.

“Stay calm, stay calm!” he muttered to himself, taking deep breaths. Though his heart raced with panic, he tried to convince himself otherwise.

“How can I stay calm? I’m about to die!” Cangyi sprinted toward the center of the clearing.

The clearing was spacious, and its center offered a brief reprieve from immediate attack. Cangyi wanted to live-even if only for a second longer.

Rain lashed his face, and the accumulated exhaustion and despair washed over him like a tidal wave. He closed his eyes, seeking a moment of respite, even if just for a few seconds.

He was utterly drained.

After only a few steps, Cangyi stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

Hawkeye watched as Cangyi propped himself up with both hands, remarking, “Tripping on flat ground won’t improve your Character Rating. It might even lower it.”

Cangyi knelt on one knee, turning to examine the spot where he had stumbled. Pain radiated from his left foot.

The ground was perfectly flat-not even a pebble in sight. There was no logical reason for him to trip.

This anomaly snapped him out of his despair, his mind racing.

“My left foot hit something just now.”

Cangyi widened his eyes and reached out with his right hand, completely ignoring the encroaching Dark Shadows.

“It wasn’t just my imagination.”

His hand swept over the spot where he had stumbled, but it encountered nothing.

“There must be something different here-it can’t just be invisibility.”

“Could it be…”

Cangyi recalled the moment he had stumbled. The overwhelming fatigue and despair had compelled him to close his eyes. Closing his eyes-this action was fundamentally different from before.

Li Chenxi’s mysterious illness also came to mind-a condition that caused temporary blindness during episodes.

Cangyi’s heart began to race, pounding as if it would leap out of his chest.

His hand continued its sweeping motion, but this time, he chose to close his eyes.

As his hand moved, it struck something solid. The impact stung, but Cangyi didn’t care. He immediately reached out with his other hand.

Simultaneously, the description of the Death Ritual Stele from the journal surfaced in his mind: a rectangular block, roughly the height of a chair, as thick as a thumb, engraved with strange symbols.

His hands now rested on the solid object. Its dimensions matched the description perfectly.

The very thing that had tripped him was the Death Ritual Stele!

“I found it! The stele can only be touched with closed eyes!” he shouted.

From Hawkeye’s perspective, Cangyi appeared to be kneeling on the ground, his hands groping at empty air.

“What do you mean?” Hawkeye’s expression showed a hint of surprise.

Cangyi didn’t bother explaining. The moment he had shouted, the surrounding Dark Shadows accelerated their approach.

Scattered hammers lay across the clearing, but none were within Cangyi’s reach.

Just as he prepared to dash toward one, Hawkeye’s voice rang out.

“Catch!”

Cangyi turned to see a hammer landing a meter in front of him-close enough to grab with a quick bend of his knees.

The Dark Shadows were mere seconds away, but Cangyi only needed two.

“Ahhh!”