Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Suddenly, I felt a tightness in my chest. Just as I was about to approach the iron door, my hand was pulled back by Mu Xuanche. I was taken aback and turned around. At his gesture, the scene before me struck me with an overwhelming shock.
Just a brief glance sent chills down my spine, and I couldn't hold back the contents of my stomach.
I felt an inexplicable tightness in my chest again. As I was about to inspect the iron door, Mu Xuanche grabbed my hand. I froze, turning back to him, and at his urging, the sight before me hit me like a ton of bricks.
Just a fleeting look made my hair stand on end, and I felt the bile rising in my throat, causing me to sway and then retch.
This was the most unforgettable and disgusting sight I had ever encountered in my life.
Before me stood a tall tree with branches stretching outward. I couldn't understand why there was such a seemingly endless tree in this floor space. The entire area felt distorted. What should have been a room no more than two meters high seemed to stretch infinitely upward, densely covered by thick leaves, with tangled strips of paper emerging from tender green foliage.
What made me feel nauseous was not just the sudden appearance of this giant tree but what hung chaotically from it—human bodies that had been severed.
Bright red blood stained the roots of the tree a bizarre crimson color. Under the dim light of flickering candles, blood flowed across the ground and gradually spread to my feet. It was only then that I noticed my soles were deeply immersed in a Blood Pool.
Like flesh torn apart by beasts, mangled skin hung carelessly from the outstretched branches. Pieces of meat that looked like they had been sawed into chunks dangled from the tree, while entrails and intestines glistened under the candlelight in an unsettling shade of purplish-blue. Arms and toes soaked in the Blood Pool floated heavily.
At that moment, I suddenly felt an eerie sensation beneath my feet. Lifting my foot, drops of blood fell from my soles. Looking down at the candlelight, I felt my heart lurch violently. There lay an eyeball tinged with blood, soaked in crimson liquid until it appeared orange-red.
I stumbled back a couple of steps, nearly falling over, but realizing I had stepped into the Blood Pool meant I'd be covered in blood if I fell. I hurriedly grabbed Bai Qiling, who stood silently beside me, using him to steady myself. I desperately wanted to escape this hellish place.
Indeed, for me, this inexplicable space that had appeared out of nowhere felt like hell. As I stood in the watery Blood Pool, listening to the clear sound of dripping water beside me, my scalp tingled with dread. Just imagine: before you lay a sea of bright red blood, and on a tree sprouting fresh buds hung human limbs. I wasn't sure how strong my mental fortitude was, but at that moment, I felt like I was on the verge of breaking down.
I turned to push open the iron door behind me but found it unyielding. Mu Xuanche and Bai Qiling also seemed impatient with the shocking scene before us and walked over to frown at the door as they attempted to push it open.
In an instant, both Mu Xuanche and Bai Qiling whispered something and withdrew their hands.
"What’s wrong?" As soon as I spoke, my voice echoed as if it had fallen into a valley; immediately after, an eerie mocking response came from somewhere unknown, tearing at my already uneasy mind.
"The door will drain your spiritual energy," Mu Xuanche said, frowning as he drew the Devouring Blade. With each strike, his expression grew more fatigued. I was on the verge of breaking down, just about to stop him from swinging the blade again when a bubbling sound, reminiscent of a kettle boiling, suddenly came from behind us.
I instinctively turned around and saw that the once calm Blood Pool was now bubbling with blood bubbles. It seemed as if some force had poured into this Blood Pool, causing it to sway violently. I didn't have time to ponder the cause of these changes. Instead, I instinctively drew my dagger, and together with Mu Xuanche and Bai Qiling, we stood in front of the iron door, gripping our weapons tightly and watching vigilantly ahead.
My gaze swept over the severed fingers and internal organs rising from the Blood Pool. This sight was far more suffocating than what I had witnessed during my single visit to a medical laboratory's dissection room. The air was thick with an indescribable stench of blood and decay.
I recalled how we had barely stepped into the room before the iron door locked behind us, almost as if a crocodile had opened its mouth wide, waiting for its prey to arrive.
This was a trap, yet we had stepped in without hesitation.
The boiling blood bubbles began to swell and change. With a soft "pop," they burst open, showering us with splattering blood that fell from above like rain. The monsters within the bubbles gradually revealed their true forms.
They were ghosts clad in crimson armor, their eyes wide open as blood rained down upon them from above, staining their faces. I could only vaguely see their faces twisted in rage and ferocity behind the blood, resembling lions provoked into a frenzy. Each ghost shared common traits: some were missing eyes, others lacked hands or legs; some stood before us with terrifying upper bodies alone, while others had half their heads severed. If one looked closely, it seemed possible to glimpse their brain matter and fluid. These ghosts appeared to be quietly observing us through whatever remained of their bodies.
In that moment, I suddenly understood why there were so many corpses hanging from that tree; they must have been severed from these ghosts. What I couldn't accept was that blood continued to ooze from the severed parts of these ghosts. I could no longer distinguish whether it was the impact of the Blood Pool below or if they were genuinely bleeding fresh blood from their heads and arms.
I noticed that a candle had fallen to the ground and extinguished itself at some point, but the scene before me gradually became clearer. The large tree emitted an eerie blue glow that illuminated this horrifying tableau even more vividly.
One ghost remained with only lips and a long tongue that seemed to smile as it licked its lips. I froze in place. I had seen such a chilling smile on Chen Yi'an's face before; it resembled a tiger eyeing its prey, determined to swallow it whole.
"They've locked onto you," Bai Qiling whispered.
Before I could react, Mu Xuanche stepped protectively in front of me.
At that moment, those ghosts erupted into piercing shrieks as if commanded by someone. My scalp tingled; it felt like nails scraping against a chalkboard once again. My heart felt as if it had been torn wide open. Just as I was about to faint, Bai Qiling suddenly slapped my shoulder, instantly pulling me back from the brink of darkness. He produced two pieces of cotton from somewhere and said, "Put these in your ears; it seems these ghosts can manipulate minds this way."
I followed his instructions and glanced at him. Although I could still hear those monsters' screams, they seemed significantly weakened now. If I focused even slightly, they no longer posed any threat to me.
In an instant, the ghosts lunged forward.
Mu Xuanche let out a low growl, wielding the Devouring Blade infused with spiritual energy as he leaped ahead, slashing horizontally.
Blood light danced in the air as those swept by the blade erupted in white smoke, falling into the Blood Pool as pools of fresh blood.
Bai Qiling also brandished the Garo Chain and flew forward. The two of them protected me as we pressed on, while I could only rely on my short dagger for defense.
I could no longer discern what was happening around me; all I knew was that as more and more ghosts were slain, the area illuminated by the eerie blue glow of the large tree expanded. It felt as if another daylight was slowly rising in this enclosed space. I saw that Mu Xuanche and Bai Qiling's faces were splattered with blood, their originally handsome profiles now taking on a bizarre and enchanting beauty under the crimson hue.
Mu Xuanche fought desperately to prevent the ghosts from reaching me. I had no idea how long it had been; in this place, there seemed to be no distinction between day and night. The ghosts even clawed at Mu Xuanche's flesh at one point, but he immediately shook them off.
(End of Chapter)
Comment 0 Comment Count