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墨書 Inktalez
With a sly smile, Wan took out a piece of weathered bark from a tree, which at first glance looked like a dead snake. She said, "It's all up to you now!"
Then, she recited an incantation and placed the bark on the ground. A cloud of white mist rose, and the bark began to twist and transform into a snake, flicking its tongue as it slithered towards the Snake Pile.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight venomous snakes crawled over, wrapping their bodies tightly around the bark and rolling on the ground. I was terrified, cold sweat pouring down my back as I watched the bark, surprisingly supple, struggle in the grip of those snakes. Wan smiled slightly, seemingly pleased: "Hah! They seem unaware that death is upon them!"
"What kind of magic is this, Wan?" I asked curiously. Wan replied with a cold smile, "The Art of the Insect King. Whether it's bark or rope, it can turn into venomous snakes. In other words, using poison to counter poison!" Before she finished speaking, she pointed at the bark with her index finger, and a strange energy suddenly surged forth.
Following her finger, I saw the black snake formed from the bark suddenly emerge its head, flicking its tongue as it opened its mouth to bite one of the venomous snakes. The bitten snake went numb all over, suffering greatly; it loosened its grip for a moment before convulsing violently and ultimately rolling over to reveal its white belly—dead.
I began to understand; this snake made from bark had no life and was thus immune to all poisons. However, once it came into contact with venom, it meant that other snakes would be poisoned by their own toxins! This backlash was terrifying and could be fatal!
At that moment, I saw the snakes from the Snake Pile crawling towards the black snake one after another, wrapping themselves around it until they formed another dense Snake Pile that was alarming to behold.
"Brother Xia, let's go! We've made it through this ordeal!" Wan grabbed my hand and quickly moved forward. In an instant, we jumped several yards away.
"But what about that snake? Aren't you going to keep it?"
"This snake is just an illusion; it's merely a piece of dead bark and not worth worrying about. Brother Xia!"
"Oh!" I responded and hurriedly fled from that dangerous place.
Beneath us, countless venomous snakes were moving toward the Snake Pile, all heading for that piece of dead bark!
I quickened my pace, distancing myself further from the Snake Pile. All I could see were dark masses rolling on the ground, countless twisted figures gradually merging into one. Anyone with a fear of clusters would surely feel uneasy after witnessing such a sight!
"The Earthly Formation is just ahead..." I tiptoed to get a better look at what lay ahead.
What in the world? This place turned out to be a graveyard—overgrown with weeds and dotted with tombstones. There were mounds of graves everywhere. Looking further ahead, I could vaguely see hundreds of trees; their trunks were slender but tall. The bark had been stripped clean from each tree, and beneath them lay solitary graves. It seemed there was something hanging upside down from the trees, swaying left and right in the wind...
On this island in the South Pacific, why are there so many tombs resembling those from Han Territory?
As I drew closer, an inexplicable sense of unease surged within me.
No way!
What hung from the trees were not mere decorations but corpses!
Each corpse was wrapped in tree bark, head down and feet up, suspended like 'Human Zongzi.' One piece of bark had dried in the wind, revealing half an arm; the flesh on the fingers and arm had been eaten away by insects, leaving only bones…
"This is the Tree Burial method from the Miao Region. After a person dies, they are buried deep in the ground, and a large tree is planted on the grave to symbolize eternal life… Upon closer inspection of these corpses, they have been treated with the 'Upside Down Corpse' method. The bodies are wrapped in bark and left to dry in the wind so that toxins can be cultivated on them for refining poison…”
Horrified, I broke into a cold sweat, thinking, "It is hard enough for a person to die; after death, their body becomes a corpse and their soul a ghost. Why must they be dug up and 'hung like sausages,' left to be weathered by wind and rain? It is utterly inhumane!"
This method of burial makes it easy for Corpse Wax to form!
Corpse Wax is a peculiar phenomenon where a fat corpse remains submerged in water or buried in a damp, unventilated place for an extended period. After about a month, the subcutaneous fat decomposes into fatty acids…
There were at least a hundred hanging corpses here…
I approached one of the trees, and a foul stench assaulted my senses. I thought about how these bodies had long since rotted and had been drying here for so long that none would look good. With trepidation, I peeled back one of the 'Human Zongzi'…
I surveyed the hills; this Eye of the Vortex was indeed an ominous place. It absorbed the Killing Intent from its surroundings while also accelerating its absorption. Thus, this Evil Spirit Formation was incredibly formidable.
Suddenly, a chill rushed over me—not like a natural cold wind but more akin to the icy breath that accompanies Yin Ghosts when they move. Though it was bone-chilling, I managed to keep my spirits up.
Mountain Hollow was shrouded in a thick mist, exuding an unsettling aura.
"It stinks!"
As I expected, the corpse wrapped in layers of bark had long since rotted and begun to smell. Its eyes, nose, and mouth were completely devoured by maggots, and the flesh had dried out in the wind, resembling thin paper; the body had turned into a skeleton.
I suppressed my nausea and focused on the eyes embedded in the bark, all oozing a thick liquid, nearly identical and indistinguishable from one another. It wasn't that I didn't find these things disgusting, but to break the entire formation, I had to find the corpse that served as the focal point from within.
I noticed one tree had a corpse with pus and blood, the blood still black. So I stepped closer to the tree, touched the bark, and felt it was damp as if it had just been soaked in water. It was sticky to the touch. Bringing my nose closer, I found there was not even a hint of foul odor. I pondered, "This must be it." Hastily, I pried at the bark with my hands. With a loud thud, a corpse fell to the ground.
Looking down, it turned out to be a female corpse.
This woman appeared to be around my age, her hair cascading down her shoulders. She wore an embroidered native skirt, her figure slender and graceful. Adorned with silver necklaces and bracelets, her complexion was smooth as if made of fine jade; her skin was icy and translucent. Her eyes were slightly closed, and her red lips were slightly parted—she looked less like a dead person and more like a sleeping ice beauty.
"Here she is! Come quickly... Brother Xia!"
"Oh!" I glanced at the female corpse once more before turning and running toward the bowl's direction!
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