30: Sacrificing oneself for beauty, first encounter with soul-searching

Lin Gou didn't explain, only smiled.

He walked to the stone and flicked his finger.

A faint, almost negligible spiritual power accurately landed on the mossy stone.

“Tap.”

A soft sound.

Buzz—!

A strange buzzing sound rang out.

The circle of blood-colored runes rippled violently, like water disturbed by a tossed pebble.

The blood-red light on them flickered erratically, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

After a few breaths, all the light rapidly dissipated like a receding tide, finally returning to complete silence.

The Formation was broken just like that, silently.

Zhang Wei's mouth was wide enough to fit an egg.

He looked at the stone, then at Lin Gou, who had a nonchalant expression, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Zhao Linger's gaze towards Lin Gou also became more complex than ever before.

How many secrets was this person still hiding?

“Just good luck. I saw a similar Cracking method in an ancient text.”

Lin Gou shrugged and was the first to walk into the dark cave entrance.

【Running after showing off, so thrilling.】

【Next checkpoint, here I come.】

Inside the cave, a stronger, more nauseating stench of blood and gore assailed them.

In the darkness, only some glowing moss on the rock walls provided a faint, eerie green, will-o'-the-wisp-like light source.

Drip-drop.

Drip-drop.

The sound of dripping water, coming from an unknown source, echoed in the silent cave, grating on everyone's nerves.

The three walked cautiously for about a hundred meters.

The scene ahead made even Zhao Linger, who had the best psychological fortitude, gasp in cold air.

On the walls of the cave hung desiccated “jerky.”

No, that wasn't jerky.

Those were human corpses!

They had been impaled through their hands and feet by some sharp object, nailed to the stone wall like hanging paintings.

The skin of each corpse was shriveled and sallow, tightly adhering to the bones, their eye sockets and mouths exaggeratedly agape, their faces frozen in the ultimate terror and pain of their last moments.

The vital essence within their bodies had clearly been completely drained.

“Ugh—”

Zhang Wei could no longer hold it in and began to retch violently, leaning against the wall.

Zhao Linger's face instantly turned pale, but she gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with raging fury.

Among these dozens of corpses, she saw several familiar faces.

Those were all Outer Sect Disciples who had gone missing some time ago!

One of them was precisely her old friend!

Lin Gou's gaze calmly swept over these gruesome corpses.

A timely expression of anger and sorrow, identical to Zhao Linger's, appeared on his face.

But his inner thoughts were completely different.

【Hmm, very professional technique.】

【It should be done by first locking the Soul with a secret Spell, then slowly draining the vital essence, maximizing the preservation of the fear emotion before death.】

【Not bad, not bad. This Demonic Path cultivator is a meticulous person, with artistic pursuits.】

【Later, I'll let him try this move on me; my evaluation shouldn't be low.】

Just then, a suppressed, beast-like sneer faintly emanated from the depths of the cave.

The three exchanged glances, immediately concealed their auras, and stealthily moved towards the source of the sound.

Rounding a corner, the area ahead suddenly opened up.

A huge underground karst cave appeared before their eyes.

In the center of the karst cave was a blood pool with a diameter of over ten zhang!

The blood in the pool was thick like pulp, bubbling with blood-red foam, and an extremely evil aura permeated from the blood pool.

A gaunt man in a black robe stood by the blood pool, arms outstretched, a crazed smile on his face.

He was the target of this mission, the Black Fiend Demonic Path cultivator!

His aura had clearly reached the Peak of the Qi Refining ninth layer, just one step away from Foundation Establishment!

“Soon! It'll be soon!”

“As long as I absorb this pool of ‘blood essence,’ I will be able to break through the Bottleneck in one fell swoop and step onto the Foundation Establishment Dao!”

“Hahahaha! By then, who in the entire Qingyun Sect will be my opponent!”

Black Fiend's wild laughter echoed in the karst cave.

At that very moment, a demonized Yao Beast in the corner of the karst cave, currently gnawing on bones, suddenly raised its head, its crimson eyes fixed intently on the direction where Lin Gou and the others were hiding.

“Roar!”

A roar shattered the evil ritual.

“Who?!”

Black Fiend's laughter abruptly ceased, and he spun his head around, his cold gaze shooting over like two sharp swords.

“We've been discovered!”

Zhao Linger cried out softly.

“Kill!”

It had come to this; there was no turning back!

Her Flying Sword let out a clear, sharp hum, transforming into a white rainbow that flew straight for Black Fiend's head!

“Insignificant ants who don't know their place!”

A flicker of disdain crossed Black Fiend's eyes, and he casually waved his hand.

“Go! Tear them to shreds!”

In an instant, dozens of demonized Yao Beasts hidden within the karst cave, along with seven or eight Puppets refined from corpses, moved simultaneously!

They roared, bringing with them a foul stench, and lunged at the three from all directions!

The battle erupted instantly!

Zhao Linger's sword light was incredibly sharp; with every swing, a demonized Yao Beast was cut in half.

Zhang Wei also roared, brandishing his heavy broadaxe, and engaged in battle with an invulnerable iron-armored Puppet, the clang of metal against metal incessant.

Lin Gou, on the other hand, “panicked” and hid behind a stalactite, occasionally throwing out a low-level Fireball Talisman to harass the weakest Yao Beasts.

His performance perfectly matched that of an alchemist lacking combat experience.

However, the enemy's numbers were too great.

“Ah!”

A scream.

Zhang Wei, caught off guard, was ambushed from behind by another Puppet; several bone-deep wounds were clawed into his calf, instantly slowing his movements.

He was immediately entangled by two Puppets, finding himself in a perilous situation.

“Senior Brother Zhang!”

Seeing this, Zhao Linger's heart tightened, her sword-play shifted, and her Divided Soul went to save Zhang Wei.

It was this Divided Soul!

Black Fiend, who had been observing the battle from the side, suddenly shot out terrifyingly bright light from his eyes!

“Now!”

He seized this fleeting opening, his figure transforming into a blood-colored afterimage, instantly traversing dozens of zhang to appear behind Zhao Linger!

A withered claw, wreathed in dense blood Qi, tore through the air with a piercing shriek, heading straight for Zhao Linger's back!

This strike was both fast and vicious, completely unavoidable!

Zhao Linger felt the deadly crisis behind her, her heart turning to ice.

It was over.

However, just as the blood claw was about to touch her body.

A figure suddenly rushed out from the side, blocking in front of her with a desperate and tragic posture.

“Senior Sister, retreat quickly!”

It was Lin Gou!

Pfft!

The blood-colored claw shadow, without any obstruction, slammed entirely into Lin Gou's chest.

The sound wasn't like hitting a person; it was more like smashing a ripe watermelon with an iron hammer.

Lin Gou's body caved inward in an exaggerated manner, his entire being shattered, blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spewing from his mouth, drawing a tragic bloodline in the air.

He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the distant stone wall, then slid softly down, losing all signs of life.

Zhao Linger's pupils contracted violently.

Her mind was a blank.

“Lin… Gou?”

“Heh, interesting worm.”

Black Fiend licked the fresh blood on his claws, a cruel and curious expression on his face.

He didn't continue to attack Zhao Linger; instead, he slowly walked towards the muddy heap that was Lin Gou.

He lifted Lin Gou's limp body as if he were picking up a chick.

“To think there's an ant unafraid of death, actively coming to die.”

Black Fiend sneered, scrutinizing the breathless “waste” in his hand.

“Perfect. Let me search your Soul and see what kind of useless Disciple the Qingyun Sect sent to die this time!”

Soul Searching!

Hearing these two words, Zhao Linger and Zhang Wei, who had just recovered from their shock, simultaneously felt a bone-chilling coldness and despair.

Soul Searching Spell, one of the most vicious Spells in the Demonic Path.

Those afflicted would have their Divine Soul torn and crushed inch by inch, not only enduring the most extreme pain in the world, but after death, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, never to be reincarnated!

“Stop!”

Zhao Linger's eyes were bloodshot, and she frantically urged her Flying Sword to attack Black Fiend.

But Black Fiend merely waved his hand casually, easily deflecting her attack.

He completely ignored Zhao Linger, his withered, black-Qi-wreathed hand slowly pressed onto Lin Gou's head.

Terror descended.

Black Qi permeated the air.

Under Zhao Linger's horrified and desperate gaze, Lin Gou's body began to convulse violently.

His eyes suddenly rolled back, and black blood slowly oozed from his seven orifices.

The life force on his body was rapidly dissipating at a visible speed.

Like a flickering candle in a fierce wind, that last glimmer of light was about to be completely extinguished...