Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
When Guo Huaiyi first arrived in Futu Ridge from the Provincial Capital, he didn’t bring much with him. On the night of the Old Man's death, the entire village went to the funeral. I was in a hurry to get to the Ancestral Grave Forest after stealing the Zhou Compass from Guo the Blind's house. At that moment, Guo Huaiyi was standing on a mound of earth and asked me, "Brother Yang, why are you sweating so much in the middle of the night?"
I replied, "In this desolate place, is it wrong to take a girl out for some exercise?"
Guo Huaiyi remarked, "You have quite an interest, my brother."
I said, "Keep it low-key."
At that time, I casually looked at Guo Huaiyi standing on the mound, particularly noticing his pair of large leather shoes. In Futu Ridge, everyone, including myself and Huzi, wore black Layered Sole Shoes. These shoes resembled Old Beijing Cloth Shoes but had thicker soles made from discarded cowhide leather, with layers of fabric stitched tightly in between. They were unattractive but very durable.
Only Guo Huaiyi wore shiny leather shoes. It seemed that his upbringing in the Provincial Capital had influenced him; he had a bit of a cleanliness obsession and appeared somewhat effeminate. Even though he practiced Evil Techniques of the Ghost Gate, some of his habits remained unchanged—like taking off his shoes before entering a coffin.
Mr. Chang was startled by my words and exclaimed, "Isn't Guo Huaiyi the son of a leader from the Provincial Capital? What is he doing in a coffin?"
I explained, "It's complicated. In short, the son of the Provincial Capital leader has been dead for a long time. The real Guo Huaiyi is the son of Futu Ridge's Feng Shui Master, Guo the Blind. He disappeared after entering a forbidden area; I didn't expect him to be hiding here."
I walked towards one of the chains when Mr. Chang grabbed my arm and asked, "What are you trying to do?"
I replied, "I need to push the coffin down. This Guo Huaiyi knows dark arts; he has died once before and has come back seeking revenge through these evil techniques. I sympathize with him, but he might indiscriminately kill innocent people. Besides, those two have been lying low for so long; it must be related to something in that forbidden area—they're not good news."
Seeing my determination, Mr. Chang didn’t stop me. I secured the gun I borrowed from Chen Jixian at my waist and then began to climb down along the chain.
The height was at least two or three hundred meters; if I fell, I would surely die. I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for a while, and although my hands and feet felt weak, I could only grit my teeth and continue climbing down.
Upon reaching the Magma Column, I found myself standing on a patterned layout of symbols and text, with lines of incomprehensible Yinwen written in the center. This Guo Huaiyi, during the Ten-Year Catastrophe, either inflicted wounds upon himself to draw bizarre patterns or studied things that ordinary people would not look at. No one knew what he was up to.
I kicked his obnoxious leather shoes off the edge and was about to push open the coffin lid when a familiar voice suddenly reached my ears.
"Yang Hao, he has noticed you."
Zhou Manman's spirit emerged from my body, her form flickering uncertainly.
"Manman, you finally woke up," I said with some excitement.
Zhou Manman replied, "I woke up shortly after you entered the forbidden area, but I haven't had the chance to find you alone."
"I'm just glad to see you're okay," I said. "By the way, how did you know Guo Huaiyi was aware of my presence?"
Zhou Manman explained, "Guo Huaiyi revived himself using a method involving Yin souls and absorbed my Soul Power. For a short time, he can't fully convert my essence into his own. Just now, I sensed a stirring of his spirit."
"Yang Hao, who are you talking to?" Mr. Chang's voice suddenly echoed from the stone steps.
"I'm not talking to anyone; I'm just a bit scared and singing to bolster my courage. I'll be there in a moment," I explained to Mr. Chang before turning back to Zhou Manman. "So, Guo Huaiyi can hear me now but can't move?"
Zhou Manman nodded. "That seems to be the case. When he trapped me in the coffin, I vaguely heard him mention looking for something in the forbidden area, perhaps related to the Dragon Vein beneath it. The killing intent in this Dragon Vein area is overwhelming and greatly affects me. I need to return now."
With that, Zhou Manman's spirit vanished. I looked at the Crystal Coffin before me and vaguely saw someone lying inside.
The lid of the Crystal Coffin was not nailed shut. I pushed it aside and saw Guo Huaiyi lying inside, covered in dried petals.
Guo Huaiyi was somewhat of a neat freak; he must have sprinkled a large amount of petals inside the coffin to mask the smell after removing the body.
I reached into the coffin and slapped him. Although he and Zhou Manman were only bound by Yin Marriage and did not have a true marital relationship, they still held the title of Underworld Couple, which left me feeling uneasy.
Guo Huaiyi suddenly opened his eyes, looking at me with anger, unable to speak.
I spat at him and said, "Don't blame me. Look at you, acting all strange. I might just end up killing you by accident. The most important thing is that you bullied my woman!"
I pushed against the coffin with all my might, but unfortunately, it didn’t budge.
The Crystal Coffin was made from solid stone; such a large coffin must weigh at least eight or nine hundred pounds. Even if I managed to lift the lid, I couldn't push it.
It seemed Guo Huaiyi heard my strained effort and showed a hint of disdain on his face. I leaned over the coffin, panting heavily, and then hoisted the terrified Guo Huaiyi out from inside.
As soon as Guo Huaiyi emerged from the coffin, the Magma Column beneath us suddenly shook violently. The Yinwen surrounding the coffin began to change and twist rapidly, transforming into a bizarre pattern in an instant.
I recognized that pattern; it was something I had seen when using the Zhou Compass to look into Guo Huaiyi's past—an image I had glimpsed behind him.
"Using dark arts? You deserve to die!" I shouted as I threw Guo Huaiyi off the Magma Column. From several hundred meters up, that would be enough to kill him. Meanwhile, the Magma Column shook violently beneath us, looking like it was about to collapse.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Eight chains were anchored around the Magma Column, and three of them snapped immediately. Mr. Chang's voice echoed, "Yang Hao, hurry back! The Magma Column is going to collapse!" I could see the mountain beneath the Magma Column had already fractured, and the ground beneath me was tilting. I dashed toward the chain closest to the stone steps and leaped.
The moment my hands grasped the chain, it broke beneath my feet. I crashed against the mountainside, and my flashlight fell downwards.
I looked down in panic. As the beam of light illuminated the jagged mountain surface, I vaguely saw a figure clinging to the rock, seemingly trying to climb up.
"Mr. Chang, do you see what that is down there?" I asked after catching my breath.
"Let me take a look." Mr. Chang pulled out a box of large matches from his pocket, struck one, and tossed it down towards the stone steps. In the dim glow, a shadow flickered past.
"Can you check again?" I said, feeling a bit frightened.
Mr. Chang struck another match and then ignited the entire box before throwing it down to the steps.
With the bright flames illuminating the area, I saw a person rapidly climbing up along the mountainside surrounding the stone steps, and that person was Guo Huaiyi.
"It's Guo Huaiyi!" I shouted and quickly began to climb up.
Mr. Chang was waiting on the steps to help me. As he pulled me up, he asked, "At this height of several hundred meters, didn't you throw him down? How can he still be alive?"
"Let's go, we need to get out first," I urged Mr. Chang as I pushed him forward.
But just as I finished speaking, a tremendous force pulled me back violently, and I crashed heavily onto the altar below.
I stumbled to my feet and saw Guo Huaiyi standing on the stone steps, looking at me with cold eyes. He waved his hand lightly behind him, and one by one, ancient oil lamps on the mountainside lit up with a roar of flames.
The entire underground world instantly became bright. Guo Huaiyi shouted at me from the stone steps, "Dare to ruin my plans? Even if that old fool told me not to kill you for now, I can no longer hold back. Die!"
From several dozen meters away, Guo Huaiyi gestured toward me, and my head suddenly slammed against the edge of the groove in the altar. Fortunately, I reacted quickly and managed to cushion the impact.
Suddenly, an invisible hand grasped my neck. Guo Huaiyi, standing in the distance, stretched out his fingers and lifted me into the air, saying, "Let this be your blood sacrifice before my true rebirth in blood!"
One hand clutched my neck while the other reached for the gun behind me. Bang! Bang! Bang! A few shots rang out, catching Guo Huaiyi off guard. One bullet struck his face. Although he practiced dark arts, he was still flesh and blood; he screamed in agony while covering his face.
I fell from the air onto the altar, coughing uncontrollably.
Mr. Chang had quietly approached Guo Huaiyi from behind and kicked him off the cliff.
"Down he goes again," Mr. Chang said as he glanced at me.
I looked at Mr. Chang in surprise. He urged, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and run! He'll be back soon!"
I quickly got up and ran up the steps, using the light from the lamps on the mountainside along with Mr. Chang to escape this underground world, ignoring Guo Huaiyi's furious roars below.
Comment 0 Comment Count