It was nothing short of a brutal and inhumane massacre!
At the top of the grotto, a group of heavenly maidens clad in white drifted as light as celestial beings. They held bone flutes, playing a haunting and mysterious melody.
Within Ruyi Pavilion, thousands of hungry ghosts seemed drawn by the magical music. They emerged from the mist one after another, surging upward in an endless tide.
The twelve heavenly maidens pressed the bone flutes to their lips, playing a mournful, sobbing tune.
The melody was exceptionally strange, so sharp it made one's skin crawl. It was like a demonic sound piercing the ears, striking directly into the depths of the soul.
Everyone present who heard the music took on a ferocious look. Resentful energy surged within them, and they turned to slaughter their companions without restraint.
It was as if the sound were the fingers of a glamorous ghost scratching against their eardrums, stirring the most deep-seated cruelty and violence within their hearts.
Screams, cries of pain, wails, curses...
What had just been a den of ultimate pleasure and vice was transformed into an Avici Hell in the blink of an eye, leaving only the stench of blood lingering before their eyes.
High upon the platform, the monk Huiyuan, the Dragon Prince, Auntie Wanbao, Old Man Hu, and the black robed witch stood at the center of a formation. Each harbored their own ulterior motives, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the massive hanging coffin above.
Beneath the hanging coffin, accompanied by cries of agony, countless souls drifted upward. Their spirits were sucked into the black coffin, causing the one thousand, one hundred and twenty-eight heavy iron chains to vibrate and emit a dull, clattering roar.
In just a few breaths, the giant black coffin showed signs of opening. The edges of the wood rumbled, and the cultivators exchanged looks of delight, each seeing a trace of triumph in the others' eyes.
“This method truly works!”
Auntie Wanbao's eyes burned with intensity. She couldn't help but take a step forward, unable to hide her thoughts even as she clutched her kerchief. “I heard that in the past, when Empress Houtu transformed into the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the few remaining Great Witches of the world followed her, sealing themselves within Witch Coffins.
“I wonder which Great Witch's remains are buried in this coffin. By a stroke of luck, this monumental providence has fallen into our hands.”
“Legend has it that during the Primordial era, spiritual energy was abundant. No matter their origins, any demon could become a demon saint with a lifespan equal to the heavens.
“Setting aside the cultivation techniques left by a Great Witch, even a single Witch Corpse could aid one's cultivation and lead them directly to the deity transformation stage!”
Old Man Hu glanced intentionally or unintentionally at the silent black robed witch and chuckled:
“However, such an opportunity is rare. If we can enter the secret realm, what we manage to seize then will depend entirely on our own abilities.”
Huiyuan pressed his palms together and remained silent. The black robed witch gave Old Man Hu a few extra looks before focusing even more intently on controlling the twelve heavenly maidens and driving the hungry ghosts.
“It's too slow. Although the Gates of Hell are open tonight and the Underworld cannot detect us for now, the gates will close in two hours.
“At that time, soul reapers will surely patrol this Yin Yang Road. Killing a few soul reapers is no trouble, but if we are caught and the matter reaches the higher-ups, none of us will escape!”
The Dragon Prince was too impatient to play along with the others. His eyes swept around sinisterly as he pointed at the creatures fleeing through the grotto.
“No one in the pavilion tonight can be allowed to escape. Since we are doing something great, we should do it cleanly—this Prince will go and lend that black barbarian a hand!”
Before his voice had even faded, he transformed into a long white dragon and lunged toward the center of the grotto. He breathed out clouds and mist, his long tail lashing and his dragon claws churning. With every movement, crimson blood sprayed and lives were snuffed out!
“Rumble!”
Massive boulders fell, blocking all exits. The demons and ghosts, left with no way out, could only flee in all directions, hiding in the grotto's crevices to plead for their lives.
“Hahahaha! Exhilarating! This is truly exhilarating!”
As he watched the demons and ghosts flee in panic, the white dragon's head swayed, and a booming laugh erupted from his chest. Countless heaven-reaching ice spikes erupted from the ground, turning into blades of slaughter that claimed one life after another...
Countless black resentful souls rose into the air, seeping bit by bit into the stone coffin. The sound of trembling chains echoed through the grotto.
A bone-chilling cold seeped from a corner of the coffin. As if in response, black mist flowed like water from the ground, carrying the hungry ghosts and transforming them into clumps of black mud that rushed eagerly toward the black coffin—
...
...
“Boom!”
“Boom, boom, boom!”
“Boom, boom!”
Nan Zhi rolled across the ground, narrowly avoiding an ice spike aimed at her ribs. She followed up with a backhand strike, decapitating a hungry ghost. Without even a moment to catch her breath, she hurriedly latched onto a descending iron chain.
A golden lotus floated faintly above her head.
This flower was far inferior to the Buddha's Radiance of the nun Miaoyun—but fortunately, with the blessing of this flower, the demonic music of the bone flutes could only penetrate her ears through a thin barrier. It sounded like the buzzing of mosquitoes or the chirping of summer cicadas, allowing her to avoid disaster.
In the vast Ruyi Pavilion, within the countless layers of grottoes, black resentful energy continuously surged upward toward the black coffin at the top.
As the resentful energy accumulated, the black coffin began to change. The lid trembled incessantly, as if tossing on boiling water.
This was a premeditated sacrifice.
As expected, the souls of the thousands of inhabitants of Ruyi Pavilion were being used as a catalyst to open that stone coffin!
Watching the white dragon wreaking havoc above, Nan Zhi couldn't help but clench her fists.
Such a cruel and heartless method meant the masterminds had no intention of letting any of them leave alive!
Or rather, in their eyes, the souls and demons in Ruyi Pavilion were no different from ordinary formation materials or medicinal minerals!
“Aaaagh!!”
A demon transformed into its true form, wielding a brush artifact as it charged toward an exit. Somehow, it actually managed to carve out a path of blood!
Saved!
But before the smile of survival could fade from its face, an ice spike pierced its chest in the next second. Its soul was sucked into the stone coffin, and its corpse fell to the ground like a pile of mud.
The gap in cultivation was too great; there was no way to escape.
Nan Zhi held her breath.
In cultivation, while some could reach the heavens in a single thought or achieve immortality through a stroke of luck and sudden enlightenment, the reality for most was different.
For ordinary cultivators, the strength gap between different ranks was like a natural chasm that could not be easily crossed.
Not to mention that Nan Zhi was only at the Qi Refinement Great Circle; even if she stepped into Foundation Establishment right now, she would be no match for a Golden Core cultivator.
—And that wasn't even considering the Level 89 Nascent Soul dungeon about to open before her.
Since she couldn't escape, she would have to find a way to fight for her life!
The essence of cultivation was, after all, about “fighting.”
The “The Tiger in the Mountains” dungeon alone had allowed her to obtain two blue-quality pieces of equipment. Who knew what good things she could farm from this Nascent Soul dungeon?
If there was truly danger, even if she couldn't reload, at most she would just die again.
Besides, Xu Zi, who was traveling with her, was still missing...
These high-level cultivators saw them as mere ants and objects, but they didn't know that when a monumental opportunity fell from the sky, even a little Qi Refinement cultivator like her would dare to fight for it!
Thinking of this, Nan Zhi flipped her Fish-Dragon Guillotine behind her back. She moved like a startled rabbit, leaping out and clinging to a hidden section of the rock wall, where she crouched in wait—
Mirage Pearl Escape!
A layer of mist suddenly arrived, gently enveloping Nan Zhi. Blending with the thick mist of Ruyi Pavilion, no one could tell that a living person was clinging to the dark grotto wall.
...
...
After an unknown amount of time, the black mist grew heavier, and the cold in the grotto intensified. A layer of ice three feet thick formed from the ground up. With countless corpses piled high and hungry ghosts turned to mud, the black stone coffin finally began to open—
“Creeeak! Creeeak! Creeak...”
The lid trembled, and the entire grotto shook with it. The ground heaved and mountains swayed as if the heavens were collapsing, but the group standing together could not help but look joyful.
Though it was only a small opening, everyone saw it clearly: at the bottom right of the stone coffin, a crack the width of a thumb appeared.
Instantly, the surrounding spiritual energy became active. The faint, ancient sound of bells and drums echoed from the depths, and the waves of energy emanating from the crack acted as a reassurance to the group!
Old Man Hu greedily inhaled the spiritual energy, his entire body trembling with a desire to dive in immediately:
“It is true, it is true! As expected of something from the Primordial era! The spiritual energy inside is many times denser than the current world! Even in the cultivation world, among the Nine Provinces' immortal mountains, there is no secret realm with such spiritual energy leaking out!”
As he spoke, a phantom image of a celestial landscape drifted above the stone coffin. It showed immortal grass, jasper flowers, jade towers, and pavilions, as well as roaring demon beasts and brilliant golden light.
One look was enough to know it was a magnificent place.
“It's done! There really is an ancient secret realm inside this stone coffin!”
Auntie Wanbao's eyes lit up, and she instinctively took a step forward. But before she could move, the Dragon Prince, in his true form, acted first. He transformed into a streak of light and “whooshed” into the stone crack.
“Everyone! This Prince shall go first! Within the secret realm, it's every man for himself. Don't expect this Prince to show any mercy!”
“You!”
Auntie Wanbao stomped her foot, hating that she hadn't taken the lead. Fearing the Dragon Prince would snatch all the treasures, she threw out a jade pendant. Enveloped in its protective light, she flew in after him!
“Hehe, my cultivation is not as high as yours, fellow Daoists. Why don't we travel together so we can look out for one each other?”
Old Man Hu was more cunning. Seeing that both of them had entered safely, he stroked his beard and bowed to Huiyuan and the black robed witch, inviting them.
“Offering flesh and blood to serve the Witch Spirit.
“Monk, you... do not forget what you promised me.”
The black robed witch dropped these words and gave Huiyuan a deep look. The latter smiled and chanted a Buddhist prayer as he watched them.
“Naturally. This is what this monk pledged. As long as the price is sufficient, I will not go back on my word.”
The black robed witch then leaped, falling into the stone crack. Old Man Hu, seeing this, felt only half-relieved as he followed suit—
Unexpectedly, in the next second, a sudden change occurred.
...
...
【Note: A setting was added in the previous chapter. In this special dungeon, you cannot exit, and death reloading is disabled. The death effect is replaced with “resurrection on the spot.”】
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