Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

Chapter 254 Strange Changes in the Ruins

As the group approached, the scenery around the main hall gradually came into view.

Within a radius of several hundred feet, the ground was entirely composed of slightly wriggling flesh and blood.

Large and small mud pits were scattered across this fleshy ground.

The larger ones were several meters in circumference, while the smaller ones were only the size of a washbasin. The muscle tissue along the edge of the pit had clearly collapsed, the edges were ulcerated, and a yellowish-brown fluid was oozing out.

The liquid was very viscous, and occasionally a bubble would rise up, bursting out a grayish-yellow wisp of smoke with a strong smell of corpses.

Master Baidu glanced past the pits of flesh, his eyes fixed on the grand hall perched atop the blood and gore.

The main hall is about five zhang high, about seven or eight zhang wide, and its depth is not visible from the outside, but it is at least more than ten zhang.

The wall was made up of layers of dark red, fleshy folds, each as thick as an arm, with slightly curled edges that revealed a deeper red inner layer.

A viscous liquid seeped out from the gaps between the folds, slowly dripping down the wall and pooling into dark puddles at the bottom.

The main hall has no windows on the front, only a doorway that is two zhang high and more than one zhang wide.

Looking through the doorway, one can see that the hall is brightly lit.

Against the wall stood several rows of bookshelves made of flesh and blood, on which were stacked more than a dozen jade slips.

In the open space between the bookshelves, there were several dark red stone platforms, on which various objects were placed.

A pure white jade bottle, an ancient sword with runes flowing across its blade, and a palm-sized bronze cauldron...

Judging from the spiritual light emanating from these artifacts, their quality is definitely not low; they are at least at the level of magical artifacts.

Gongfa.

magic weapon.

Moreover, none of them are ordinary goods.

"This..." Ghost Banner Daoist swallowed hard, his voice changing, "Isn't this too obvious?"

Anyone with eyes can see that something is wrong with this hall.

Granny Toad squinted for a long while, then slammed her cane heavily on the ground: "Old poisoner, when you came here ten years ago, was it in the same state?"

Master Baidu frowned and fell into deep thought.

In his memory, the ruins ten years ago were not like this at all.

Where did you get your poison manual from?

Why can't I remember suddenly...?

"This grand hall didn't exist back then."

Master Baidu took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in his heart. "The current state... it seems that the ruins have been corrupted by something."

After hearing this, Lu Laosan remained silent, but took out a copper bell wrapped in black cloth from his waist.

A faint scratching sound came from the coffin he was carrying on his back; the thing inside was restless.

"Shall we still go in?" Ghost Banner Taoist pulled out three triangular banners from behind his back, his voice already carrying a clear intention to retreat.

"This is clearly a trap. I've been traveling the world for so many years and I've seen all sorts of strange things, but I've never seen anything this strange."

"In my opinion, perhaps..."

'

"Not as good as what?"

Master Baidu turned his head and looked at him coldly.

Ghost Banner Taoist swallowed the rest of his words after being looked at by him, but the hesitation on his face did not diminish at all.

"Since you've come all this way, are you really willing to just leave like this?" Master Baidu remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the bookshelves and stone platform in the hall.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the others changed.

Granny Toad wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

She had known Master Baidu for many years and knew his temperament; once he made up his mind, nothing could sway him.

Lu Laosan was quite decisive, patting the coffin behind him: "If the superior goes in, I'll follow."

As he said this, his gaze inadvertently swept over the few corpse-driving apprentices behind him.

The apprentices turned pale, but dared not utter a sound.

Only the Ghost Banner Taoist was holding three triangular banners. His sallow face showed no expression, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner struggle.

"Master... I think I'd better not go."

After hesitating for more than ten breaths, Guiban Daoren finally spoke, "This is too strange. Something is very wrong with this secret realm."

"I cultivate the art of capturing souls and refining ghosts, so my perception of evil energy is more acute than yours. The aura in that hall is not something our level of cultivation can provoke."

Master Baidu stared at him for a while, then said indifferently, "Fine, Brother Guiban, if you don't want to go in, then do as you please."

Ghost Banner Taoist was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting the other party to agree so readily.

"Thank you for your understanding."

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then turned and waved to the three desperados behind him, "You lot, come with me."

The three desperados exchanged bewildered glances. One of them, a man with a scar on his face, forced a smile and asked, "Master Daoist, where...are we going?"

"Go back."

Ghost Banner Taoist lowered his voice, "This secret realm is strange. While there's still time, let's return the way we came."

"But..." The scarred man glanced at the backs of Master Baidu and the others, then looked at the eerie hall in the distance. "Alright, we'll listen to you, Daoist Master."

The three followed the Ghost Banner Taoist back the way they had come.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

Master Baidu, Granny Chan, and Lu Laosan were gathered together, discussing something in hushed tones.

Ghost Banner Taoist withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace.

From the moment he stepped into this secret realm, he had been secretly using the Soul-Binding Technique to probe the aura of this place.

The souls of those who died did not dissipate, but were instead absorbed by something.

This kind of maneuver is simply beyond his ability to handle.

He didn't stop Master Baidu from going to his death.

But he didn't want to be buried with them.

"Hurry up," Guiban Daoren urged, his pace quickening.

The three desperados followed closely behind, jogging all the way until they disappeared into the depths of the gray wasteland.

Master Baidu looked at the departing figure of Daoist Guifan as if he were looking at a corpse.

After entering, his subconscious kept warning him that only by entering that main hall would he have a chance of survival.

However, he did not tell the others about this.

Ghost Banner Taoist, what a fool.

"It's better that they've left."

Granny Toad approached, leaning on her cane, and whispered, "Old Poisoner, won't that guy cause trouble?"

"What could he possibly do to cause trouble?"

Master Baidu sneered, "With his meager cultivation, it's uncertain whether he can even leave the secret realm alive. Even if he does, he won't know what we gained inside."

"That's true."

The old woman nodded slightly and said no more.

Lu Laosan approached from behind and gestured behind him, "Master, what about these people..."

'

Master Baidu turned around and glanced back.

He brought three men with him.

The old woman had two medicine boys.

In addition, there were Lu Laosan's four apprentice corpse-driving students.

Nine is enough.

"Should we send them out in batches to scout ahead?" Lu Laosan asked.

Master Baidu nodded: "We'll follow behind, keeping our distance."

The old woman grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"That suits me perfectly."

She turned to look at the two apprentice doctors behind her, her tone icy.

"You two, go first."

The two apprentices turned pale. The youngest of them was so frightened that his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground.

"Old woman—I, I—"

"It's fine if you don't leave."

The old woman raised her cane, and a poisonous needle as thin as a cow's hair sprang from the toad's mouth at the end of the cane, piercing the medicine boy's neck.

Before the boy could even scream, he went limp as if his bones had been removed, his skin turning bluish-purple at a visible speed, and finally turning into a puddle of pus.

"Is there anyone else who doesn't want to leave?"

The remaining apprentice scrambled to his feet and staggered forward. Lu Laosan gestured to the four corpse-driving apprentices behind him, "You guys follow too, don't stray too far."

The four apprentices looked at each other, their faces as white as paper.

One of them, his lips trembling, tried to say something, but was pulled back by the person next to him, and forced to follow.

There's no need to rush the three people brought by Master Baidu.

They were all skilled in martial arts, and although they were intimidated, at least their legs didn't go weak.

The nine people, spaced a dozen steps apart, slowly walked towards the main hall.

"Pfft."

"Pfft."

The fleshy ground beneath their feet was getting softer and softer, and they would sink in an inch with every step.

The writhing muscle fibers seemed alive, and as people walked by, they actually moved in the direction they were being trampled.

Granny Toad frowned and glanced at the soles of her feet. The shoes were covered in a thick, yellowish-brown liquid, and the stench of the corpse made her feel nauseous.

"Something's not right about this ground."

Master Baidu didn't reply, his gaze fixed on the main hall's entrance.

The young apprentice leading the way suddenly stopped, trembling all over.

"Grandma... there's something on the ground ahead."

Granny Toad squinted and looked over. About twenty feet from the entrance of the main hall, a huge bulge rose from the fleshy ground.

The bulge is as big as a round table, rising and falling as if it were breathing.

There is a crack at the top, from which dark red liquid seeps out continuously. The liquid flows down the curve of the bulge and pools at the bottom.

"Go around it," Master Baidu said calmly.

Yao Tonghua was almost speechless: "Go...go around?"

"Aren't you going to hurry up and leave?"

The boy gritted his teeth, took a slouch, and tried to go around the bulge.

He had only taken two steps when the bulge suddenly began to tremble violently.

A pale arm suddenly emerged from inside.

The arm was completely bloodless, its skin covered with dark purple lividity, and its five fingers were twisted into an abnormal arc.

The young apprentice was terrified and turned to run away.

But the arm seemed to sense his movement, and instantly stretched out, grabbing his ankle.

"what!"

The boy screamed in agony as he was dragged down onto the bloody ground.

The four corpse-driving apprentices were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly, and the three people brought by Master Baidu also changed their expressions and instinctively shrank back.

"Don't panic."

Master Baidu took out a grayish-green pill from his sleeve and flicked it with his finger.

The pill landed precisely on the bulge, exploding into a cloud of dark green smoke.

The smoke landed on that arm, and the skin immediately began to fester.

The arm involuntarily retracted, but the five fingers gripping the boy remained firmly in place, dragging him towards the crevice as well.

The fleshy ground was like a giant maw, slowly swallowing him up.

"Grandma, save me..."

'

The boy's voice grew weaker and weaker until only muffled sobs remained.

The bulge twitched violently a few times, then returned to calm.

The crack closed up again.

Granny Toad watched all this expressionlessly, as if what had just disappeared was not her medicine boy, but an ant.

"Master, shall we continue forward?"

Master Baidu did not answer, his gaze fixed on the closed crack, his brows furrowed.

"Have you noticed that those bulges are moving?"

Everyone was taken aback. Upon closer inspection, they realized that the surrounding bulges were indeed slowly wriggling and moving towards them.

Moreover, several mud pits were bubbling slightly, with the liquid churning, as if something was surging up from the depths.

"They were alerted."

Master Baidu made a decisive decision: "Everyone come here, gather together, don't scatter."

The remaining eight people quickly gathered together, forming a circle back to back.

The surrounding fleshy ground began to rise and fall, with bulges emerging from the mud pit like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Some of the cracks had severed limbs protruding from them, all with pale skin and covered in lividity.

"Are these the people who came in earlier?" Old Lu's expression was rather unpleasant.

"Charge!"

Master Baidu looked at the main hall's entrance, which was less than twenty feet away.

"Only by entering the temple can we survive."

Granny Toad gritted her teeth, slammed her cane on the ground, and the toad on the cane opened its mouth, spewing out a thick black mist that formed a barrier around everyone.

"Hurry! This black mist won't last much longer!"

Master Baidu rushed out first, his figure as fast as a ghost.

Granny Toad and Lu Laosan followed closely behind, while the remaining eight people scrambled and stumbled along behind.

The surrounding bulges burst open, and pale arms emerged from the cracks, scratching wildly at the ground.

Some of them had already crawled out of the cracks, revealing their incomplete torsos.

Their eyes had all been gouged out, leaving only dark, bloody holes.

The coffin behind Lu Laosan shook violently, and the thing inside frantically scratched at the coffin lid, as if it had sensed something.

"Shut up!" Old Lu slammed his hand on the coffin lid, and the commotion inside the coffin actually subsided a bit.

As Master Baidu stepped onto the steps in front of the main hall, his vision suddenly blurred.

The world spun around.

When his vision cleared again, he was already standing in the very center of the main hall.

The walls were all dark red and fleshy.

"What's going on?!"

The old woman's voice came from the left, filled with obvious shock and anger.

Master Baidu turned his head and saw Granny Chan and Lu Laosan and the others inside.

"What about exports?"

Lu Laosan shouted sharply, his eyes scanning the surroundings frantically.

There is no door.

The four walls were completely sealed, and even the doorway that had been seen earlier had vanished without a trace.

Only those flesh-and-blood bookshelves and stone platforms remain standing in place.

"This isn't right..."

'

"Master Baidu said in a deep voice, and subconsciously took two steps toward the wall."

He had just taken a step when a huge eyeball suddenly descended from the sky above the hall.

Everyone raised their heads.

The eyeball, the size of a millstone, hung beneath the dome of the main hall. It was entirely black, with only the pupil glowing with a faint red light.

A mocking voice came from the eyeball.

"Welcome to the Trial Hall."

"Only one of you will leave this hall alive."

"That person can take away any cultivation manual on the shelf, as well as... all the belongings of the dead."

'

'

Master Baidu stood motionless in place, as if desperately trying to recall something.

Why does this scene feel so strangely familiar, yet I can't quite place it?

"Ten years ago... the ruins... the Poison Sutra..."

The expression on his face gradually changed from confusion to horror.