6kv Chapter 186: A straight 2-star danger level right off the bat?!
Chapter 186: A straight 2-star danger level right off the bat?!
Chapter 186 A direct jump to a 20-star danger level right off the bat?! (4000 words)
Like two shadows blending into the night, the two silently slid down the hillside, approaching the northwest corner of "Ghost Cry Village".
The "Hidden Shadow and Soul-Concealing Array" set up by Hu Hu Hu seems to have indeed worked.
The faint gray-black mist around him carried a chilling, sluggish feeling as it brushed against his body, but it did not cause any unusual movement.
The nauseating, fishy stench in the air seemed to have become somewhat "dulled" and less pungent under the cover of the array.
The closer you get to the edge of the village, the darker the soil becomes, with a faint rusty red hue, and it feels sticky when you step on it.
Several crooked mud-brick houses came into view, their walls mottled.
Half of the roof had collapsed, and the windows were dark and silent, without a trace of embers, only endless stillness.
The evil aura here is indeed heavy, like a stagnant pool, forming a stark contrast with the area in the center of the village that is lit by dark red soul fire.
Hu Huhu gestured, indicating that they should go around to the side of the outermost and most dilapidated house.
The two held their breath and moved like geckos, clinging to the cold earthen wall.
Lu Yuan's muscles were tense, and his five senses were heightened to the limit.
Even the heartbeat was deliberately slowed down, and the blood flow was almost stagnant, bringing the Taoist tortoise breathing technique to its extreme.
Not revealing even the slightest bit of vitality or truth.
The jade pendant in his arms was pressed tightly against his chest, bringing a cool sense of peace.
But most of their attention was focused on their ears, their eyes, and their almost instinctive sense of danger.
It was too quiet all around.
The only sounds were the silent flow of the gray-black mist and the barely audible breathing and heartbeats of himself and Hu Huhu.
This deathly silence is more unsettling than any noise.
Just as they rounded the first dilapidated house and were about to squeeze through the narrow gap between the two houses, something strange happened.
A very faint, dragging sound of footsteps, accompanied by a sticky sound like a wet cloth being dragged across the ground, came from the depths of the fog on the left.
coming!
Lu Yuan and Hu Huhu froze almost simultaneously, instantly stopping all movement and embedding themselves even deeper into the shadows of the corner.
Hu Huhu even closed his eyes slightly, as if he was using some special method to sense the "nature" of the newcomer.
The footsteps and dragging sounds grew closer.
Soon, a distorted figure slowly emerged from the gray-black mist.
Using the faint, dark red glow of soul fire emanating from the scattered houses in the distance, Lu Yuan was able to make out the outline of the thing.
That's hardly what you'd call a "person" anymore.
It was wrapped in a tattered robe whose original color was no longer discernible.
The limbs exposed beneath the robe were a deathly bluish-gray, their movements extremely stiff and slow, their legs seemingly filled with lead as they dragged themselves along the ground.
The most terrifying thing is its face.
His facial features were distorted and blurred, with only two deep black holes remaining where his eyes should have been. His mouth was wide open, revealing broken and blackened teeth.
A hoarse, drafty breathing sound came from his throat.
It had no obvious goal; it simply wandered aimlessly and mechanically "patrolled" back and forth in the narrow alley between two rows of dilapidated houses.
It's a "living corpse"!
Or rather, they were low-level servants created and driven by the Liu family's evil magic.
They only possess the most basic instincts for night patrolling, and their perception mainly relies on capturing "life force" and "abnormal yin energy."
Lu Yuan and Hu Huhu concealed their auras to the extreme, further enhanced by the "Shadow Concealment and Soul Hiding Array".
The zombie swayed past them less than three meters from the corner where they were hiding.
Those two black hole-like "eye sockets" seemed to glance in their direction, but didn't linger.
Continuing to drag its heavy steps, it "flowed" towards the other end of the alley, eventually disappearing into the mist.
Only the nauseating stench and the sticky sound of mopping gradually faded away.
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief, and a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on their backs.
If they had been discovered just now, even if the zombie was weak, the consequences would have been unimaginable if it had sounded the alarm.
"continue."
Hu Hu gave a signal with his eyes, and the two started moving again, moving like ghosts through the shadows of the dilapidated house.
With this experience, they became more careful, and Lu Yuan pushed his hearing and vision to the limit.
They don't miss any unusual movements or changes in light and shadow.
Hu Hu would occasionally sniff lightly with his nose or listen attentively.
It seems to be using the flow of evil energy and certain subtle "sounds" to discern directions and safe paths.
Relying on Lu Yuan's extraordinary senses and Hu Huhu's keen intuition about the evil environment, they continued on their way.
The two narrowly avoided several similar groups of "zombies" that mechanically patrolled different areas.
They also avoided some eerie runes that faintly appeared on the ground or walls, exuding a chilling aura.
Hu Huhu whispered a warning, saying that it might be a more hidden trigger-based warning system, and that triggering it could lead to something even more troublesome.
The closer you get to the center of the village, the more "complete" the surrounding houses become, although they are still dilapidated.
Occasionally, one can see the dark red glow of the soul fire shining through the window.
The eerie, fishy stench in the air grew even stronger.
It also had a faint, cloying sweetness, like some cheap spices being burned, which made people dizzy and uneasy.
Lu Yuan could sense that the old man's faint yet familiar Daoist aura seemed to be becoming clearer and clearer.
The direction points to the deepest part of the village, near the back mountain.
However, at the same time, the density of "zombies" in the surrounding area has increased significantly, and they are no longer just wandering aimlessly.
Some will remain stationary at certain intersections or in front of houses, like rigid sentinels.
A faint, almost whispering murmur began to appear in the air.
It was like the sound of wind echoing through an empty space, indistinct yet sending chills down one's spine.
The pressure has increased sharply.
Every step forward felt like navigating through darkness filled with cobwebs; a single misstep could trigger that invisible web.
Just as they were passing through a relatively wide alley, but piled with debris and unidentified skeletons, preparing to turn into another path that looked more secluded and led deeper into the village.
Lu Yuan suddenly stopped in his tracks, and at the same time reached out to stop Hu Huhu in front of him.
Hu Huhu immediately stopped and turned around to give him an inquiring look.
Lu Yuan did not answer immediately, but instead frowned and listened intently to the sounds coming from the depths of the path ahead.
His ears were far more sensitive than those of ordinary people. At that moment, he vaguely heard a sound from the depths of the path that was completely different from the dragging sound of the "living corpses".
Is that a chewing sound?
Very slight, very dense, accompanied by the "plop" sound of some kind of liquid dripping, and a satisfied, low whimper.
Hu Huhu had obviously heard this too; his expression turned somewhat grim, and he mouthed silently, "A filthy ghost?"
"There may be more than one."
"Filthy Ghosts" are another type of low-level evil creature kept by the Liu family. They like to eat rotten flesh and filth, and their senses are much stronger than those of "living corpses," with an exceptionally sensitive sense of smell.
Go around it?
The path is one of the only routes leading into the heart of the village.
The other route is a long detour and closer to the houses with glowing soul fires, making it more dangerous.
Lu Yuan's eyes sharpened, and he gestured to Hu Huhu, "Solve this quickly, don't make a big fuss."
Hu Huhu understood and silently took out two Yin Talismans, which were left over from before and had special runes drawn on them, from his satchel.
Another small section of dark red blood was pulled out.
Lu Yuan held his breath and focused his mind, as extremely faint golden lightning began to condense at his fingertips and was compressed to its limit.
As thin as a strand of hair, yet containing terrifying explosive power.
This is the micro-management application of the Palm Thunder technique, aiming for a fatal blow while keeping the sound to a minimum.
Like cheetahs hunting their prey, the two stealthily made their way to the entrance of the small passage, peering inside through the piles of debris and shadows.
Sure enough, deep in the path, near a half-collapsed earthen wall, three or four dark figures were huddled together.
They were smaller than the "zombies" and covered in a sticky substance, it was unclear whether it was mud or their own secretions.
They were greedily gnawing on a small patch of dark, foul-smelling filth, making teeth-grinding chewing sounds and satisfied whimpers.
They exude a sinister aura that is more active and more repulsive than that of "living corpses".
It's now!
Lu Yuan and Hu Huhu made their moves almost simultaneously!
Lu Yuan's fingertips shot out the compressed lightning, which split into three in the air and precisely entered the back of the heads of three of the "filth-eating ghosts"!
There was no loud explosion, only three very faint "pop" sounds, like bubbles bursting.
The three "filth-eating ghosts" stiffened abruptly, then collapsed, wisps of blue smoke rising from their bodies, their sinister aura instantly dissipating.
At the same time, Hu Huhu also threw out the Yin Talisman and Blood Thread in his hand.
The Yin Talisman was affixed to the forehead of the last "filth-eating ghost," which was also a little further away and seemed to sense something was wrong, about to raise its head and hiss.
The blood vessels wrapped around its neck as if they were alive, and then tightened suddenly!
The "filth-eating demon" only had time to utter a short, choking "ho" before its eyes rolled back.
The yin energy, suppressed by both the talisman and the bloodline, also collapsed.
The entire process, from taking action to resolving the issue, took only two or three breaths, and was almost entirely silent.
The two quickly stepped forward and dragged the corpses of the "filthy ghosts" to a more secluded corner, where they simply covered up the blood and eeriness with some miscellaneous items.
After doing all this, both of them had sweat on their foreheads, a result of both tension and the exertion of the burst of energy they had just released.
"Hurry up, we can't stay here any longer."
Hu Huhu whispered, "The blood and yin energy dissipated, though faintly, but it might still attract other things."
Lu Yuan nodded, and the two did not linger.
After passing through the path where the "filthy demon" had been dealt with, the road ahead became even more difficult.
The houses are no longer sparse, but closely packed together, forming deeper and more winding alleyways.
Dark red soul flames flickered in more windows, staining everything around them with an ominous crimson hue.
The eerie whispers became clearer, sometimes near, sometimes far, as if countless unseen things were whispering in my ear.
These whispers, speaking of vicious curses and twisted desires, constantly assault people's mental defenses.
Lu Yuan and Hu Huhu had to be even more careful, practically crawling.
They not only had to avoid the stationary or wandering "living corpses," but also had to be constantly aware of the more hidden and malevolent restrictive runes that might appear under their feet and on the walls.
Hu Huhu's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and the pointer of the Hu family's specially made compass in his hand trembled wildly.
Pointing in all directions, it shows the chaos and strength of the evil energy in this place.
Lu Yuan was in slightly better condition; his cultivation as a second-star Celestial Master and his unwavering will allowed him to resist most mental intrusions.
But that omnipresent, chilling, and evil aura still seemed like countless fine needles, constantly trying to pierce his protective aura.
The old man's familiar Daoist aura was now perceived more clearly, but also more faintly.
Like a candle flickering in the wind, it seemed as if it could be extinguished completely at any moment.
Its direction clearly points to the deepest part of the village.
There was a strange building built against the mountain, taller than the other houses, and entirely constructed of dark stone blocks.
The building had no windows, only a tightly closed, massive stone door covered with bas-reliefs of twisted animal heads.
A dark red, blood-like light shone faintly from the crack in the door, radiating a terrifying and chilling pressure.
"That place—should be the core of the Liu family, the place where they worship or imprison evil gods."
Hu Huhu's voice, filled with barely concealed fear, pointed towards the black stone house.
"Your master, Li Xiuye, is very likely inside, or down there."
Lu Yuan's heart sank.
To get in, you have to pass through this densest and most eerie area of houses.
He could sense that the "living corpses" here were not only more numerous, but also seemed to be more "agile".
No longer wandering aimlessly, it will occasionally stop, its dark "eye sockets" scanning its surroundings.
It was as if it was executing some kind of more complex command.
Lu Yuan and Hu Huhu lurked in the shadows of a half-collapsed woodshed, observing the situation at the intersection ahead and looking for an opening to break through.
Lu Yuan suddenly realized that his demon-slaying system had not issued any warnings so far!
If there really were a super evil god here powerful enough to cause the old man trouble, then his demon-slaying system should have already displayed a danger warning.
But now—
No —
Perhaps it's still quite far from that house?
After all, the danger indicator of the demon-slaying system is within 500 meters of Lu Yuan.
The distance from here to the black stone house in front should be more than 500 meters.
Lu Yuan pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and groped forward again!
If the old man is really trapped in that stone house, there must be a super evil god inside!
Just as Lu Yuan rapidly moved several dozen meters closer to the front, a sudden chill ran through him!
A blood-red character exploded in front of Lu Yuan in an instant!
[Type: Blood Skeleton Spirit Lord]
[Level of cultivation: Unknown]
[Type: A super evil god created by the Ghost-Controlling Liu family through generations of painstaking effort, using the blood and remains of countless spirits as a foundation, fusing the yin energy of the earth's veins, the vengeful spirits of the unjustly killed, and the remnants of an ancient mountain god, and nurtured by a hundred years of blood sacrifices at a place where the nine yin energies converge.]
Danger Level: ★★★★★★★★★★
[Note: It has initially acquired a pseudo-divine status and can control various powers such as bloodlust, skeletons, earth yin, and resentment. Within its domain, it can form a "Blood and Skeleton Ghost Realm," which greatly weakens living beings and amplifies evil spirits. It possesses incomplete divinity and is difficult to completely eliminate using conventional physical and Taoist methods.]
Lu Yuan: "??????"
This is fucking ridiculous!
A level 20 danger rating right off the bat?!