Free Web NovelShe didn't know how long she had been falling, the bizarre colors swirling in her vision began to fade rapidly, and Lu Yibei fell heavily onto the cold and hard ground, hitting her head dizzy and her internal organs churning.
Why didn't she manage to fly this time? She clearly tried...
Perhaps, it was affected by the power of the black shadow?
Lu Yibei thought, slowly sitting up and fumbling to check that her body was not injured and that her ancestral cleavers and talismans were not lost, then she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pricked up her ears.
Breathing sounds, heartbeats, and the dripping sound of water falling within the unseen cave structure...
These were all the sounds she could hear.
Looking around, it was completely dark, she couldn't see anything, as if the light was blocked outside the sinkhole.
Having been used to light, she suddenly lost her vision and felt very uneasy, taking several deep breaths but still unable to adapt to this environment.
Recalling the process of her fall just now, she felt waves of lingering fear.
The last time she entered the Bamboo Scroll Illusion, she had looked down from a high altitude, catching a glimpse of a corner of the space beneath the sinkhole.
In her impression, the shape of the sinkhole was irregular, and upon closer inspection, it resembled a gaping mouth, filled with strange rocks, like sharp fangs within the large mouth.
Not hitting any sharp, protruding rocks when she fell could be considered a blessing in disguise.
As Lu Yibei thought of this, Gu Qianqian's figure flashed in her mind, and her mood instantly became heavy.
She wondered if Gu Qianqian had been so lucky...
...
In the darkness, Lu Yibei fumbled around and found a spot to sit quietly with her back against the rock wall, not rushing to get up and move, but waiting for her eyes to adapt to the darkness, continuously taking deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
The last time she overlooked the sinkhole from above, she not only discovered that the terrain was treacherous and rugged, but also found that the area beneath the sinkhole was filled with large and small caves, complex and intricate, like a vast, endless maze.
In such an environment, completely losing her vision and stumbling around like a headless fly could easily lead her into inexplicable dangers.
She also dared not rashly use Spells or talismans for illumination; in the complete darkness around her, a sudden appearance of light might become some kind of signal, attracting dangerous and terrifying things.
The boundless darkness, the faintly chilling coldness, and the potential dangers intertwined, creating a suffocating pressure.
...
Time in this confined, dark space became meaningless.
Lu Yibei sat still for a long time, her eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, but visibility was still very low; she could only see things within about half a meter of her, further away, around one meter, only blurry outlines remained, and beyond two meters, it was completely plunged into darkness.
This situation made her feel very uneasy; her eyes had vision beyond ordinary people, and even in places like Shihekou Middle School where there was hardly any light, she could see clearly.
However, it was completely different here.
In the surrounding darkness, there seemed to be some strange power obstructing her vision.
Perhaps I should move; staying in this cursed place for a long time will only make my situation more dangerous; not finding a way out is tantamount to slow death. Lu Yibei thought.
She vaguely remembered seeing in 'Animal World' that some types of snakes have heat-sensitive organs, meaning darkness does not significantly affect their movement.
Lu Yibei didn't know if the so-called Great Serpent God and the various urban legend associated with it had similar abilities; if so, staying put would mean being locked onto by them sooner or later.
What's more...
Her heart had been beating violently, as if craving something, constantly guiding her forward, and gradually her will was also affected by that craving, finally making a decision.
It seems she can only grope her way forward... Lu Yibei muttered to herself, got up, held onto the rock wall with one hand, and walked forward; there seemed to be some strange growth on the ground, which was unusually slippery when stepped on...
...
After walking in the darkness for a while, Lu Yibei suddenly frowned; she vaguely saw a blurry outline enter her line of sight ahead.
What is it?
She drew out two ancestral cleavers, holding one in each hand, and approached cautiously, stopping a step away from the object, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
It was a black wooden box about half the size of a person, square-shaped, with some faint carvings visible on it.
So it was one of those wooden boxes used to hold sacrifices?
She wondered what material it was made of; falling from such a height, ordinary wood would probably have shattered long ago, right?
She also wondered about the sacrifices inside...
Thinking of this, Meng Raoze's dying request suddenly flashed in her mind, she slightly furrowed her brows, walked forward, and fumbled to open the wooden box; a bloody smell mixed with a faint stench immediately assaulted her nostrils.
Inside the box was a deformed infant with one eye and one leg, with scattered black scales on its small body.
Lu Yibei didn't remember fishing such a strange infant out of the water tank, so it must have been a sacrifice ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) sent from another similar place.
At this moment, it lay quietly in the wooden box, covered in blood, completely lifeless.
Although this strange infant already showed a tendency towards becoming a Strange Tale, seeing such a young life perish before her eyes, Lu Yibei couldn't help but sigh inwardly, 'How pitiful.'
Just as she was about to close the wooden box again and continue exploring, a cold wind suddenly blew beside her, and the next moment, a black shadow suddenly flashed past her eyes, followed by a slight sound of bones colliding near her ear.
Following the direction of the sound towards the wooden box, her pupils suddenly constricted; she saw that the strange infant's corpse, which had been lying quietly in the wooden box just moments ago, was now just a pile of white bones after the black shadow flashed past.
Something is nearby, it devoured the strange infant's corpse!
But...
Where is it now?
A wave of fearful gloom swept over her heart, and the coldness seemed to have grown hands and feet, crawling up her spine to the back of her head; Lu Yibei swallowed hard and acted quickly, turning around and leaning her back against the rock wall.
Compared to complete darkness where she could see nothing, this kind of darkness where she could vaguely see some outlines was the most terrifying.
In this environment, her extremely weakened senses could feel something approaching nearby, but as soon as the opponent concealed itself slightly, she could no longer find its trace.
Lu Yibei leaned against the rock wall, concentrating her attention and being vigilant of the changes around her; she could feel something in the darkness nearby, crawling rapidly and making rustling sounds.
Soon, a low hiss entered her ears, which at first sounded like a snake's hiss, but upon closer listening, it was more like a human imitating the hissing sound of snakes.
Damn it, this cursed place really hides some kind of Strange Tale that can move freely regardless of the darkness.
Lu Yibei cursed in her heart and silently pulled out a First Light Spring Wind Curse, cupping it in her palm, ready to throw it in the direction of the sound at any moment.
In the darkness, the strange hissing sound became shorter and shorter between intervals, and closer and closer, becoming increasingly piercing and sharp, like crying or laughing, making her hair stand on end.
"Click—!"
Suddenly, there was a soft sound in the darkness, like something kicking a stone while moving quickly; Lu Yibei caught this momentary sound and looked in that direction, followed by a burning sensation in her eyes.
It's there!
Her gaze slightly focused, and without hesitation, she fiercely threw the talisman in her hand towards the direction that caused the burning sensation in her eyes.
The First Light Spring Wind Curse arced through the air, followed by a burst of dazzling emerald green light; by the light, Lu Yibei saw a group of eerie and deformed figures.
They had bodies the size of infants, with swollen and rotten faces, no eyes, nose, or mouth, only three black holes; their bodies were covered in black scales, their withered arms supported their bodies, and their lower bodies had completely transformed into snake shapes.
There were many of them, but they seemed very weak; swept by the light and flames of the First Light Spring Wind Curse, a large number of them fell.
But even more managed to escape, as if in fear, keeping away from the emerald green light and flames, yet unwilling to leave, still circling Lu Yibei, crawling and lingering on the gray-black rock wall.
They were crowded together, a dense mass with no end in sight, like a swarm of giant ants with the color of decaying corpses.
And what made Lu Yibei even more uneasy was not those mutated strange infants, but something else.
She saw that the ground was covered with a lot of black, sticky substance that looked like asphalt.
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They looked like some kind of bizarre urban legend marching army, wriggling deeper into the fork in the path, expanding and contracting.
Did they look somewhat like the black shadows summoned by Hui婆? Lu Yibei frowned.
Soon, the urban legend tainted by the light and flames of the First Light Spring Wind Curse were burned to ashes amidst screams, and then the flickering emerald green light gradually dimmed.
When everything plunged into darkness again, Lu Yibei's heart instantly rose to her throat. In the darkness, those infant-like urban legend were crawling rapidly, emitting faint rustling sounds.
Waves of foul stench surged over. That smell felt more nauseating to Lu Yibei than anything she had ever encountered, as if it were a corruption originating from the soul.
Fear constantly stimulated Lu Yibei's nerves. Finally, when her eyes once again caught the source of the burning pain, she threw the charm in that direction for the second time.
Emerald green light and flames instantly surged up. The urban legend burned by the light and flames fell to the ground, twisting their small and ugly bodies, continuously emitting screams that sounded like crying and laughing, scaring away other urban legend that wanted to approach.
Seeing this, Lu Yibei swallowed hard. Taking advantage of this brief moment to catch her breath, she forced herself to calm down and quietly began to ponder.
These things looked very similar to those strange infants, but they had clearly completely transformed into urban legend.
Could it be the infant spirits left behind by the strange infants who were used as sacrifices after they died?
No, no, their existence doesn't seem to have the characteristics of the evil spirit type described in si ye shu. Instead, they are very much like mutated types...
When Lu Yibei thought of this, the emerald green light and flames gradually extinguished. She hurriedly threw a few more charms towards the distant, menacing urban legend, allowing the light to persist.
If they are mutated types, then it's a bit strange. The birth of a mutated type requires a real physical body, but as sacrifices, they...
Wait, does the legendary Great Serpent God not devour the physical bodies of the sacrifices at all, or rather, has He never devoured any sacrifices?!
Lu Yibei was stunned for a moment, somewhat startled by her second conjecture.
If the Great Serpent God has never devoured sacrifices, what were the villagers sacrificing to time and time again?
According to the saying in si ye shu, "As long as you believe devoutly, it is possible to be born," is it possible...
Thinking of those villagers, Priests, and Hui婆, worshipping a deity who had long since abandoned them, constantly creating slaughter and bloodshed, and then unknowingly creating some other urban legend, a chill couldn't help but rise in Lu Yibei's heart.
Just as her thoughts were completely focused on the urban legend possibly created by the villagers, footsteps came from a distance, followed by a faint earthy yellow glow emerging from the darkness.
That light was precisely Gu Qianqian's innate Spirit Mark outer garment.
...
On the other side.
"System, are you really sure the ancestral hall is nearby? We've been walking for two or three hours. You don't mean you don't know the way at all, do you?"
"How could I not know the way? No one understands the tricks here better than I do!"
However, it's really strange. I clearly felt the familiar aura of the ancestral hall nearby! Why isn't it here... the system muttered inwardly while loudly refuting Gu Qianqian.
Just then, Gu Qianqian suddenly let out an exclamation in her mind, interrupting the system's thoughts.
"System, System, quickly look at what that is ahead!?"
Following the direction Gu Qianqian pointed, they saw the steep rock wall densely covered with strange infants with deformed bodies. From a distance, it looked like a carpet woven from decaying flesh.
Surrounded by that "carpet," a small-figured girl was holding charms in her hand, throwing them out from time to time as if feeding koi in a park.
System, "..."
This, this is...
Is that Disaster trying to tame the urban legend, or is she surrounded by urban legend and in trouble? Why is it a bit unclear?
Forget it, no matter which one it is, just stay away from her.
Based on the system's experience, whether it's a favorable situation or an unfavorable one, as soon as Disaster gets involved, it will definitely turn into a dangerous situation.
"Gu Qianqian, let's go, let's take a detour, don't get involved with her!"
"But..." Gu Qianqian hesitated to speak.
"But what? Did you forget? Just now she even suggested using you as a sacrifice!"
"Oh..." Gu Qianqian replied, casting a reluctant glance in Lu Yibei's direction, and walked towards the cave fork beside her.
The moment she turned into the fork, the light changed from dark to bright. Her toe kicked a wooden box hidden in the darkness.
"Thud—!"
With a muffled thud, the wooden box tipped over onto the ground. The dark lid opened, and a small-bodied infant rolled out. Its tender white, fragile body touched the ground, struggled uneasily twice, and then let out a cry.
"Wuwu... Wuwu..."
Although the crying was weak, in this dark and dead silent environment, it instantly traveled far, completely enough to attract those mutated strange infants.
"System, System, it's a living, completely normal infant!" Gu Qianqian shouted excitedly in her mind.
"Gu Qianqian, you ♦ shut up quickly! Look behind you!" the system cursed in a low voice.
Gu Qianqian was stunned for a moment and turned her head to look behind her.
She saw a patch of scarlet light points in the distance, in the darkness, like the eyes of some creature, bypassing Gu Qianqian's body and falling onto the dying infant, filled with malice...
...
Lu Yibei was weighing which was more cost-effective: wasting a few more charms to carve out a bloody path, or unleashing the large-scale killing Spell she had secretly learned from her Old Dad. Suddenly, she heard an infant's cry and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
Immediately after, she noticed that all the mutated strange infants surrounding her suddenly retreated, attracted by the infant's cry from a distance, and ran away screaming.
Those bursts of ear-piercing strange screams were filled with the resentment of those who couldn't obtain normal life towards the living.
Lu Yibei looked in the direction the mutated strange infants had gone. Only then did she notice the familiar yet faint earthy yellow light in the distance.
Is it Gu Qianqian? Did she encounter a living strange infant?
Lu Yibei was stunned for a moment, then her heart cried out that something was wrong, and she immediately followed behind the mutated strange infants, chasing after them.
Rushing forward was her instinct to save someone, but as soon as she rushed to Gu Qianqian's vicinity, she regretted it.
...
At this moment, the corrupt divine blood in Gu Qianqian's body had long been cleared. Facing the mutated strange infants whose Spiritual Energy fluctuations were only around D-level, she completely formed a crushing advantage. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The metal baseball bat whistled through the cave, causing bursts of whimpering low sounds. Wherever it passed, the mutated strange infants were instantly churned into plumes of bloody mist.
Under the golden light attached to the metal baseball bat, Lu Yibei saw that the foul-smelling blood spilled onto the ground, on the black, shiny, viscous substance intertwined like plant roots. They were instantly activated, wriggling like the blood vessels of a living creature.
Their wriggling speed became faster and faster. In the dark cave around them, faint bursts of heavy thudding sounds could be heard, sounding as if an incredibly huge heart was beating violently in the distance.
Lu Yibei's eyes were burning intensely. The intensity had reached the level of the fourth-tier urban legend she had summarized herself.
Bizarre and motley images constantly flashed before her eyes. Waves of strong negative emotions, without any medium, drilled into her mind.
Broken words and murmurs sounded in her ears, converging into noise whose content was indistinguishable.
Amidst those bursts of noise, she felt a strong desire for destruction. The next moment, she witnessed terrifying fear.
It was a pile of dark, shiny objects that came from the darkness in the distance, unimaginably large, almost filling the cave which was over ten meters high. It was like black sludge, but it wasn't still.
The viscous, shiny surface constantly rolled and surged, splitting and proliferating various animal organs, as if performing an ugly and twisted imitation of natural creations.
Seeing such a nightmare-like scene, Lu Yibei didn't have time to warn Gu Qianqian, nor did she have time to chant the description originating from within her. She instinctively cried out.
"Power leveling! Call for power leveling!"
The next moment, the surroundings seemed to freeze, and her ears fell into a dead silence...
