Why is My System Glitching

At the same moment, deep within the Hanz Clan Estate, the Hanz Stronghold sprawled across the Twin Peak Hill's core waist, a majestic complex of grand halls, opulent ballrooms, and guest chambers linked by winding corridors and serene courtyards. Crafted from rare, polished wood and gleaming stone, the structures towered over a dozen meters high, their intricate carvings of mythical beasts and swirling clouds still hinting at the clan's lost glory. The stronghold's vast footprint dominated the plateau, its shadowed eaves and cavernous interiors swallowing light, casting an oppressive gloom despite the midday hour.

Bang!

A deafening explosion shattered the silence as a side wall of a grand hall erupted in a blaze of blue flame and billowing mist. Three male cultivators from the GhostClaw Squad stumbled out, their faces pale with panic, robes singed and disheveled. As they fled, a faint black glow shimmered across the breached wall. Splintered wood fragments floated upward, drawn back to the gaping hole, and the ward formation hummed, seamlessly knitting the wall whole again, as if the blast had never occurred.

The trio bolted down a corridor, their footsteps echoing off the polished stone, and barreled into a cavernous guest ballroom. One slammed the heavy wooden gate shut with a backhand, the thud reverberating through the empty chamber. Ornate chandeliers hung motionless above, their crystals dulled by dust, while faded tapestries depicting the Hanz Clan's triumphs sagged on the walls, their threads unraveling like forgotten dreams.

"Damn it!" gasped the youngest cultivator, his breath ragged, his hair a wild mess. "Weren't the defensive arrays supposed to be decayed and useless? If Junior Brother Guff hadn't triggered that Thunderflame Dao Fulu to blast us out, the Soul Severing Sand trap would've swallowed us whole!"

The second man, a senior of this three men group, slightly calmer but no less uneasy, wiped his brow. "Four previous squads failed for a reason. High risk, high reward." He forced a grim smile. "Enough talk, Junior Brother Rand. Time bleeds faster than wounds. Since we're unharmed, welet's keep moving. The treasury house won't come to us by itself."

The younger cultivator, surname Rand, exhaled sharply, nodding. "Fine. Senior Brother Podes, here's the plan. you take the left wing. I'll scour the right. As for Junior Brother Guff—" Content originally comes from noveⅼfire.net

Rand's words died in his throat, his face draining of color. "What... where's Guff?"

Podes whirled around, his face draining of color. "...Junior Brother Guff?"

Guff was gone.

A chill slithered down their spines.