Chapter Forty-Six: The Blood Curse of the Living Sacrifice

If it could be described as the roar of a beast, it would be more accurate to call it the thunderous growl of a starving demon beast. The ground beneath our feet began to soften like a swamp, pulling us deeper. Through the widening cracks, I could see countless blood-red lights in the dark abyss below. As the ground tilted and collapsed, the entire Lingyun Temple crumbled in an instant.

It was too late to escape. I joined Da Xian in casting a protective barrier around us, shielding us from the falling rubble and the attacks of the demon beasts below. We safely landed in the nest beneath Lingyun Temple, where Xinghuo Hall's demon beasts were kept.

The air was thick with dust and a pungent, acrid stench. As I took a few steps forward, I felt something sticky underfoot, causing me to jump back, only to bump into something that felt like a lump of flesh. The utter darkness heightened the indescribable terror, making me reluctant to move further.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed around us, followed by a sharp "crack," and the surroundings were illuminated by firelight.

How to describe it?

Everything around us seemed painted with old, congealed blood, now turned entirely black. The ground was overgrown with moldy fungi, feeding off the decaying flesh embedded in the hard surface. Under some stones lay the corpses of demon beasts, their dark green blood staining the ground and walls.

This was a slaughterhouse for demon beasts.

What had been a threat to us had now cleared some obstacles. Perhaps the Grim Reaper never engages in futile endeavors, and these unlucky creatures had become our scapegoats.

But despite surviving this danger, the stones above had completely sealed the way out. Escaping through the top was now impossible.

"Qingyue! Come quickly, there's a passage here!" Yier's voice called out from up ahead.

"I'm coming!"

I carefully avoided the rotting flesh and blood on the ground and ran to Yier. "How did you move so fast? I didn't even notice."

Looking past Yier, I saw that Da Xian, Senior Brother Luoxi, and Linglu had already ventured deep into the corridor, their figures vanishing into the darkness.

"Maybe it's too dark here, and you didn't notice us," Yier said calmly, gazing into the corridor. Given her history with Xinghuo Hall, it made sense for her to be familiar with this place.

"Yier, why did Da Xian and the others leave directly? Can they manage without you leading the way?"

"Don't worry. I already told them the route. There are many demon beasts blocking the path. With those three clearing the way, finding the sealed exit will be much easier," Yier's response surprised me.

Yier's unusual behavior made me suspicious. In such a dangerous place, splitting up seemed reckless. I cautiously asked, "A sealed exit?"

"This place was set up by Xinghuo Hall to breed demon beasts. They periodically release a poisonous incense to make the beasts kill each other, selecting only three out of a hundred for further breeding." Yier walked deeper into the corridor, suddenly stopping to open a mechanism door. She looked back to check if I was following, then continued, "At the center of this cursed ground, they created a passage sealed with a living sacrifice curse to prevent the beasts and the captured people from escaping."

"So you must know how to break this curse?"

"Of course. Just follow me." The deeper we went, the dimmer the firelight became. When Yier opened the final hidden door, an eerie green glow seeped out, arousing curiosity about the strange world within.

Before I could linger, Yier pulled me inside.

Unexpectedly, my feet felt the sensation of grass and solid earth beneath them, rather than the sticky, damp, hard stone ground of the outside world. Looking around, I saw strange flowers and plants emitting a faint green light, thriving in this environment. As we moved towards the center, it became clear that this relatively spacious area had a circular mound in the middle, entwined with these glowing plants.

"Follow me," Yier said, gripping my hand tightly. She ruthlessly trampled the flowers and plants underfoot, creating a path to the central mound.

"This mound contains the blood curse that seals the exit. If we destroy what's inside, we'll be free. Hurry up, Qingyue," Yier urged.

"What's inside here?" I pushed aside the plants covering the mound. The sight within made me shudder, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

I had heard of human sacrifices...

But hearing is nothing compared to seeing. The bodies used as sacrifices were perfectly preserved, with a layer of waxy, dried skin tightly adhering to the bones, as if their blood and flesh had been completely drained. The twisted expressions on their faces hinted at the agony they had endured in life.

It was truly brutal and ruthless.

"Qingyue, why are you just standing there? Destroy these things quickly so we can get out!" Yier grabbed my arm, urging me.

She seemed eager, too eager, and I could sense her true intentions were about to reveal themselves.

"No rush, no rush. Yier, it's my first time seeing a living sacrifice. I'm curious about how they perform this dark art. Let me take a closer look," I said, deliberately stalling and pretending to examine the flowers and bones intently.

"There's nothing worth looking at. We can study this from ancient books once we're out. This blood curse is a simple spell that doesn't require much thought. Just destroy it," Yier insisted, pulling me towards the bones with a hint of anger in her voice. "Stop looking! Come over here!"

"Alright, alright. Why are you in such a hurry? Da Xian and the others haven't arrived yet," I said, slowly pulling my hand back.

The person before me was definitely not Yier. I couldn't fall into her trap.