Chapter 6: Shrouded in Darkness (6)
Gongsun Ding swore he had never seen such pitch-black night since the day he was born.
Just a few meters away from the faint glow emitted by the Heart Sword, it was as if someone had flicked off the lights — pitch dark, not even the rough outline of objects could be made out.
Standing near the boundless dark of the forbidden area, even an extra second there felt like absolute torture.
Suddenly, a shrill scream from a woman shattered the silence not far away. It was the first human voice they had heard since entering the Floating City, aside from their own!
If they didn’t follow up on this, they might miss something important.
After some wrangling, Yanhong, the top disciple, was left behind by the sect leader to assist Gongsun Ding. Deep down, he felt a bit peeved. After all, this forbidden place was always shrouded in mystery, and now that he finally had a chance to see it, it was spoiled by such a trivial matter!
“Gongsun Ding, there’s no need to overreact.
It’s probably just some ordinary woman losing her way in the dark, screaming for no reason. No big deal!”
Gongsun Ding didn’t appreciate the condescension in his tone. “If it’s really nothing, why do I have to deal with it? You stay here and keep watch. I’m taking others to check it out.”
Yanhong shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Gongsun Ding sighed in resignation and led a few people toward the direction of the scream.
In their minds, the area near the entrance to the forbidden place should have been a gardens with sparse trees, the ground covered in soft grass that would have made lying out and soaking up the sun an absolute delight.
But just a few steps in, they felt something sticky on the ground, making every step feel uncomfortable as their feet squelched.
Gongsun Ding squatted down to sniff the ground, and his expression shifted instantly. “Uh-oh, this seems like bl**d.”
No sooner had he spoken than someone nearby suddenly exclaimed a horrified, “Yikes!” and stumbled a few steps before regaining their balance.
“What did I trip over? Something soft!”
Everyone lowered their floating Heart Swords to shine the light on what lay beneath them.
What they saw next? Let’s just say it was not for the faint of heart.
In the mere few meters illuminated, they found a heap of fresh corpses!
Upon closer inspection, they realized they were all Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples, their heads apparently bitten off, with jagged, bloody wounds looking more like someone had taken a rough kn*fe to them.
Gongsun Ding grimly declared, “We need to report this to the sect leader immediately; something is definitely off here!”
Just as they were about to retreat, one disciple suddenly screamed loud enough to raise the dead.
“What was that for?! Don’t scare us like that!”
Gongsun Ding snapped, his patience wearing thin.
The disciple was shaking as he pointed to one of the bodies, gasping, “That… that corpse has a bracelet just like mine!”
“Bracelet? It’s probably a coincidence… maybe we bought it at the same shop?”
The disciple fervently shook his head.
“No way! That’s the one my mom left me! Look, it has a chip – from when I accidentally bumped it last year!”
Gongsun Ding frowned, squatted down despite the rising nausea, and yanked the bracelet off the dead wrist.
A quick comparison later, and everyone was stunned into silence.
It was identical, even the wear patterns lining up perfectly!
“Could it be… could it be…”
The disciple gulped hard, not daring to voice the possibility that was sending chills down everyone’s spines.
“We should check the other corpses,” Gongsun Ding urged, also unnerved. He forced himself to inspect others’ bodies.
Maybe it really was just a coincidence.
Minutes later, all their faces were as pale as ghosts.
It was like stepping into a bizarre and ridiculous world.
“What… how could this happen?” Gongsun Ding muttered, his usually smooth hair now a disaster from running his hands through it in panic.
He’d spotted two corpses that shared the same features – a light mole on the chin, just like him!
The rest were no better off.
What does it feel like to suddenly see your own mangled corpse piled like rubbish? Only the poor souls could understand.
Gongsun Ding panted, “No matter what, we need to tell the sect leader NOW!”
The group couldn’t bear to stay any longer; every second next to those corpses was agony.
Even contemplating it sparked endless terror.
If they had indeed died before, then what about the people who were flipping through the bodies just moments ago? Were they even really themselves?
They practically rolled out of there, as if escaping a nightmare, hoping it would dilute the fear that was close to driving them insane.
“Yanhong! Yanhong?”
They reached the entrance only to find Yanhong and the others had vanished without a trace. Gongsun Ding immediately started searching wildly.
Could they have been claimed by the head-munching monster out there?
“Forget them! Let’s head for the tunnel!”
Maybe because three people were missing, the crew was moving a bit slower this time.
But as they entered the tunnel, they were immediately assaulted by a stench so foul, it almost knocked them off their feet.
Oh man, what the heck happened here? It was like a sewer erupted! This smell was not something one could put into words.
But Gongsun Ding pressed on, determined to let the sect leader know the truth, even if it meant charging through hellfire and brimstone.
He grit his teeth and sprinted toward a bl**d pool, just as Li Ying Tian was about to unlock the third magical restriction.
“Master, there’s something weird here; there are a ton of our own corpses outside!”
“Seriously, so many corpses!”
The remaining ten disciples pushed past Gongsun Ding and his group.
“Gongsun Ding, don’t distract Master while he’s channeling!”
“Move it! Do any of you even speak properly? I can’t understand a word!”
“Hah, look who’s desperately trying to grab attention!”
“If you can’t keep up, step aside! Does scheming mean anything?”
Gongsun Ding was fuming. “Get back! We’re running out of time!”
Meanwhile, Li Ying Tian had unlocked all the magical restrictions. At that moment, a shadow dashed right before him, slipping through the rock-solid barrier as if it was made of air, not to mention tearing through the last heavily locked door with his bare hands!
How could he not be in a panic?
With all the shouting from behind him, Gongsun Ding’s voice faded into the background,
At that moment, his eyes were solely on that nearby door.
…
P.S.: Today’s four updates! Please keep supporting! Send a bunch of tickets!
Some readers mentioned the main character hasn’t shown up in a while; Feng Yalin is indeed controlled by the protagonist!
Is it because of the name that the identification feels weaker?
