Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 461: Chapter 397: No Plan is Foolproof

As the Blood Moon in the sky gradually returned to normal, the mission restarted. Yang Xiao and Cheng Cha struggled greatly before they were able to climb to the sixth step, but Tong Han, no matter what, could not make it. She was completely unable to exert any strength in one of her legs.

"Don’t force yourself anymore, just stay where you are," Cheng Cha advised in the direction of Tong Han, while explaining, "I’ve roughly figured out the rules of this mission. We don’t all need to escape. As long as one person climbs up the nine-tiered platform, that counts as a win!"

"What about the people left on the staircase?" Yang Xiao asked.

"As long as they ensure they don’t die, they will naturally come out unscathed after the mission ends," Cheng Cha raised his hand, pointing confidently towards the people standing on the platform above, "These fellows aren’t living beings. Judging from their positions, they should be part of some Formation. The condition to trigger the Formation is stepping on these nine tiers. Each level stepped upon will provoke an attack. That woman in red standing by the Blood Coffin is the core that drives the Formation. The Resentful Eye you obtained is related to her."

"Each person up there is by no means ordinary, and the Magic Artifacts in their hands are even rarer. From what I see, they are at least treasures of the Ghost Level, and that Big Red Blood Coffin is only stronger."

As Cheng Cha spoke about the Big Red Blood Coffin, his expression became significantly more solemn. The scene of it smashing Mi Shu had been too shocking.

Tong Han had completely laid down, leaving only Yang Xiao and Cheng Cha on the six-tired staircase. This time, a dim halo engulfed Yang Xiao, and the Blood Moon above his head dispersed again—all within the blink of an eye.

Yang Xiao had given up struggling because it was useless. Struggling would only waste precious physical strength. He also noticed an important detail: the strength they expended here was almost never replenished. Even after resting, his muscles still ached constantly.

In the next second, a figure on the stone platform moved—it was the fat and wide-bodied Monk.

It was an indescribable feeling or perhaps an illusion. The Monk stood in place unmoved, yet a phantom turned towards him. The rusted Guillotine Knife appeared before him. In an instant, it loomed larger than his entire body. Its blade, positioned vertically, swooped down towards him.

First, it vertically sliced open his head; to be honest, the knife wasn’t sharp. The blade almost crushed his skull, splitting his head in two. The halves of his head slid towards each shoulder. Yang Xiao’s vision and perception of the world grew bizarre, and he began to understand the plight of those unfortunate souls struck down by the horsetail whisk. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Pain.

It was too painful.

This was an endless torture, first the head, then the body, the spine, the chest, the abdomen, even the lower body, were all cleaved in two by the Guillotine Knife. Yang Xiao was in so much pain he wanted to scream, but his vocal cords had long been destroyed. Now, he was just like fish on a chopping board.

This cruel punishment seemed to go on for an indeterminate length of time. At any rate, just as Yang Xiao was about to faint, the force imprisoning him disappeared, and he collapsed to the ground in an instant.

With eyes wide open, panting heavily, when he turned his head, there was a tall figure standing behind him. The figure was four meters tall with a white robe fluttering, bearing the appearance of both male and female, and the graceful poise as if a celestial being had descended upon the world. It was none other than the White-robed Ghost Bodhisattva.

At this moment, the White-robed Ghost Bodhisattva’s hands were clasped together, eyes closed, her expression calm and tranquil, without sorrow or joy. However, her body was violently cleaved open, the grotesque wound on the Great Bodhisattva’s face, and her serenity, created an immense contrast that was absolutely chilling.

"Little... Little Holy Spirit White-Robed Buddha Mother!" Cheng Cha exclaimed.

This cry also made Yang Xiao startle, and he instantly turned to look at Cheng Cha. He didn’t expect this young man, who was about his age, to possess such knowledge. But this was not good news—after all, the origin of these matters was dubious.

Feeling the Evil Qi in Yang Xiao’s eyes, Cheng Cha shivered violently, his gaze filled with fear, "You... You are a disciple of the Black Buddha Mother?"

However, the next second, Cheng Cha seemed to realize something and shook his head repeatedly, "That’s not right. The Southeastern True Master of the Black Buddha Mother had been executed by several major families. Rumors say that this treasure was secretly taken by the Northwestern Qi Family, but not long ago..."

With that, Cheng Cha suddenly shut up, realizing something. Yang Xiao remained lively and active even after losing the Little Holy Spirit White-Robed Buddha Mother. This meant that there was something else on him, and it was more terrifying than the Little Holy Spirit White-Robed Buddha Mother.

"Younger Brother Yang, I hear you have a good relationship with the Northwestern Qi Family?" Yang Xiao suddenly asked, knowing that Cheng Cha’s real name was Yang Cha, and that he was actually part of the same family as himself.

"Not at all, I don’t even know them." Cheng Cha immediately denied any connection with the Northwestern Qi Family, especially since he still needed to cling to Yang Xiao’s coattails.

"It wouldn’t matter if you did. You’re right, this treasure was given to me by the Northwestern Qi Family, but it wasn’t a gift. I exchanged it for another treasure, and this matter is strictly confidential. Neither I nor the Northwestern Qi Family wish to publicize it," Yang Xiao earnestly explained.

"Understood, understood!" Cheng Cha nodded vigorously, "Don’t worry, I won’t go around blabbing about it."

"That’s good, because even if I were willing to let you go, the Northwestern Qi Family wouldn’t spare you. The second young lady of the Qi Family is not someone to be trifled with," Yang Xiao gave Cheng Cha a look that said he’d better watch out for himself.

After a brief rest, the task continued. This time Cheng Cha claimed to have figured out some of the rules for the mission, and together with Yang Xiao, they performed a certain consistent action while climbing the stairs. Following Cheng Cha’s lead, they reached the seventh level.

This time, with their left foot stepping on the back of their right foot, followed by the right foot stepping on the left, they pressed on, and indeed, they made it safely, nearly touching the eighth level.

Success!

As Yang Xiao successfully arrived in front of the eighth step, he let out a sigh of relief and held Cheng Cha’s analytical skills in high regard. However, when he turned his head, he realized that Cheng Cha hadn’t made it yet.

Looking back for him, the scene before his eyes startled him. He saw Cheng Cha with a ghastly pale face, trapped in place by a dim halo of light. Cheng Cha looked desperately at Yang Xiao, his eyes pleading for help, but with just one glance, Yang Xiao knew that only one ghost remained with him.

"Chu, help a brother out. I... I have no more substitutes left!" Facing life and death, Cheng Cha could no longer remain calm, especially with the path to survival right before his eyes – it wasn’t in his nature to die here, but he was also unsure of Yang Xiao’s situation. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

"Don’t worry, I won’t talk nonsense. I’m the most reliable person there is. Our Yang Family from the Ru Lin Academy is no weaker than the Northwestern Qi Family; I’m not afraid of them."

Feeling a sinister presence gathering around him, Cheng Cha’s face filled with despair. He regretted mentioning the identity of the Little Holy Spirit White-Robed Buddha Mother; now even if Yang Xiao wanted to save him, it would be difficult.

There’s always a slip in a hundred secrets, and his journey ended here.

"Time it yourself, I’ll swap you over." Yang Xiao calculated that he still had the Human Bone Rod and the Red Bridal Gown. He still had a chance.

At those words, Cheng Cha was stunned, then his face lit up with elation as he nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, do it... do it now!"

Both men turned at the same time, and the next second Yang Xiao suddenly felt enveloped by a chilling presence. When he opened his eyes, the familiar scene was back – he and Cheng Cha had switched places, and now it was his turn to be imprisoned by the halo of light.

The assailant this time was the strange woman with the yellow paper stuck to her face, dressed in a Five-Colored Garment, her neck showing signs of livor mortis.

The yellow paper fluttered, falling from the woman’s face and drifting towards him. Now that the yellow paper no longer hid her features, Yang Xiao finally saw the woman’s true face – a sight that shocked him on the spot.

Her face was too chaotic, with 7 eyes, 3 mouths, 6 noses, and 5 ears. The features were jumbled together, crowded on one face, creating a scene too horrifying to describe. Moreover, these eyes and ears were of different sizes, clearly not belonging to the same person. Yang Xiao even spotted an eye with a sea-blue iris among them.

Before Yang Xiao could take a closer look, the yellow paper had reached him, flying straight towards his face. Yang Xiao desperately tried to dodge, but it was in vain – the space in the cage was too small, and it was hard enough to turn around. He could only watch helplessly as the yellow paper edged closer, and with a gust of wind, it crookedly stuck to his face.