When Bao Gu returned to the cave hall, she found that all traces of the previous battle had disappeared.
The broken bones and flesh on the ground, along with the blood-stained, tattered clothes of the deceased, were all gone.
Even the scratches they had left on the rock walls during the fight had vanished.
The only evidence of their presence were the ribs that Yu Mi had cut.
She hypothesized that this corpse mountain was alive, and perhaps the scratches healed like wounds on a living being.
The mountain had absorbed the dead bodies and blood but hadn’t harmed her, Yu Mi, or Ling’er, possibly because they were alive.
Did this mountain only transport or absorb the dead?
She also recalled the large white snake they had encountered.
If it weren’t for the snake, they wouldn’t have found this place.
But why did the snake disappear after they entered?
Yu Mi looked around but didn’t notice anything unusual.
She asked, “Bao Gu, Ling’er, did you see anything?”
The little celestial fox shook its head and then looked at Bao Gu.
Bao Gu measured the distance between two ribs with her foot, estimating the thickness of the dead “flood dragon’s” body.
She then carefully examined the cave again and said, “Senior Sister, did you see the spine of this dead flood dragon?”
Yu Mi shook her head and said, “If I had seen the spine, would I have let it go? I’m sure there’s dragon marrow in it.”
Bao Gu said, “Senior Sister, I have a feeling that if we can get out of here safely, we’ll definitely end up outside the mountain. Otherwise, we’ll be trapped here.”
Yu Mi said, “Just say what you think.”
Bao Gu said, “Let’s not rush. We need to find the head and tail of this flood dragon first. Those are the most likely places to find a passage to the outside.”
After speaking, she rode her flying sword forward.
Yu Mi frowned and followed closely behind Bao Gu.
She then told the little celestial fox, “You find the way.”
The little celestial fox rushed ahead of Bao Gu, moving quickly.
It soon covered a distance of several dozen feet and pointed to a misty cave entrance ahead, saying, “Exit!”
while slowing down.
Yu Mi gripped the Lihuo Sword in her hand and pulled Bao Gu towards the misty cave entrance.
As they passed through the mist, their view suddenly opened up, revealing a familiar cave hall.
The ribs that had been cut still had traces of the Lihuo Sword’s aura.
Yu Mi exclaimed, “How did we end up back at the starting point?”
Bao Gu said, “The mountain has turned into a corpse mountain, and the flood dragon’s body has become a loop, with its head and tail connected…”
She pointed to the ground and said, “This is the stomach!”
Yu Mi furrowed her brows and said thoughtfully, “Did this corpse mountain deliberately lead us here?”
Bao Gu said, “The caves we came through earlier can widen and narrow, indicating that it’s alive. It could have sealed our path and trapped us in the cave, but it didn’t. Instead, it let us enter here!”
Yu Mi gripped the Lihuo Sword tightly and said, “Should we forcefully dig a passage out?”
She spoke with little confidence, feeling very heavy-hearted.
In nature, many creatures set traps to lure prey, like the pitcher plant that catches mosquitoes or the banyan tree that can cover an entire forest, trapping and killing those who enter.
Some demon trees with budding intelligence do the same.
This corpse mountain seemed to be similar.
Bao Gu smiled and said, “Sure!”
She leisurely measured the distance between the ribs in the cave hall with her foot, then stood in the middle of the hall, lightly tapping her foot.
She said, “Senior Sister, let’s dig here.”
Yu Mi raised an eyebrow and said, “Are you messing with me?”
Bao Gu said seriously, “Dig here! This is the only way out.”
Yu Mi furrowed her brows and thought for a moment.
She bent down to examine the ground, which was as hard as black iron, and looked at Bao Gu suspiciously, saying, “Are you sure?”
Bao Gu said, “Your Lihuo Sword is made from the best materials in the cultivation world and is of the pure yang and pure steel type, which restrains evil. If you’re worried about damaging the sword, you can use a talisman with yang fire to burn the ground first. It might make it easier to dig.”
Yu Mi looked deeply at Bao Gu and sighed inwardly, thinking, “If we get out, I really need to send Bao Gu to the Hall of Transmission for some lessons!”
There are many talismans in the cultivation world that restrain evil, each with a specific name.
Bao Gu, however, categorized them as talismans with yang fire that can burn evil.
She doubted Bao Gu could even name one of these talismans, let alone draw one.
But now was not the time to argue over such trivial matters.
Practicing fire-based techniques, Yu Mi naturally restrained evil spirits and ghosts.
The talisman methods Bao Gu mentioned were easy for her.
She immediately drew a talisman in the air and slapped it on the ground.
The talisman burned, releasing a foul stench of burning corpses, making her almost vomit.
She quickly used a purification talisman to disperse the smell.
The little celestial fox also rushed to Yu Mi’s side to benefit from the purification talisman, then looked at the burning ground in surprise.
Yu Mi noticed that the ground burned by the talisman was bubbling like boiling asphalt, but it emitted a foul stench of corpses.
She felt a chill and said, “Bao Gu, if I strike the corpse sludge with my sword, my Lihuo Sword will be ruined!”
She hesitated, then used the Duobao Spirit Monkey’s technique to move the melted corpse sludge to a nearby passage.
The sludge solidified as soon as it left the talisman’s burn, losing its metallic sheen.
Yu Mi tested it with a palm strike, shattering it into pieces, indicating it had lost its previous hardness.
One talisman quickly burned out, and Yu Mi had only dug a small pit.
She used another talisman and continued digging.
Before long, the cave hall was filled with foul-smelling smoke.
Bao Gu held her breath but couldn’t block the stench, feeling dizzy.
She shouted, “Senior Sister, is your talisman working? It’s burning so dirty, why is there so much foul smoke?”
The little celestial fox covered its nose with its paws and said, “This is corpse poison!”
It quickly retreated into the blood oath token.
Yu Mi fed Bao Gu a detoxification pill and said, “Didn’t you notice the corpse poison gets stronger the deeper we burn?”
She suddenly became alert and whispered, “Someone’s coming!”
She was about to extinguish the talisman on the ground but found it had already been put out by the melted corpse sludge.
She pulled Bao Gu into a nearby passage, hiding behind the “waste” they had dug up, and gestured for silence.
A few moments later, a young man, covered in blood and holding a large golden sword, stumbled out of the passage, covering his nose.
Yu Mi and Bao Gu exchanged glances, both seeing the word “Nan Yi” in each other’s eyes.
Bao Gu was about to rush out but was held back by Yu Mi.
Yu Mi shook her head and whispered, “Stay calm.”
“Ah-choo!”
A delicate cough sounded.
Nan Yi jumped to the corner in fright, pointing his sword at the source of the sound, shouting, “Jade Asura!”
A jade figure appeared from the void, holding her nose and coughing.
Her eyes were misty with tears.
She glanced at Nan Yi, then surveyed the surroundings.
Her face turned pale, and she shouted angrily, “Nan Yi, are you running for your life or seeking death! You—”
Nan Yi’s face was bloodless, and the corpse mist made him look even more ashen.
He shouted coldly, “Jade Asura, don’t push me too far! I have no grudge against you, why are you so relentless?”
Jade Asura snorted and said, “Someone paid for your life.”
Nan Yi said solemnly, “Didn’t I already give you spirit stones?”
Jade Asura laughed and said, “Someone already bought your head. How can I take your money and let you go? Besides, do you have monkey wine? Do you have the legendary primordial fruit? Your head can be exchanged for those!”
She spoke righteously, her face not turning red or breathless, only slightly green from the corpse poison.
Nan Yi was furious.
He snorted twice, looked around, and finally fixed his gaze on the pit in the middle of the cave hall, looking around suspiciously.
Jade Asura also noticed the pit and shouted, “Who’s there? Come out!”
As soon as she spoke, she disappeared from her spot.
Yu Mi glanced at Bao Gu and leaped out from their hiding place, laughing, “Nan Yi, what a coincidence!”
She held the Lihuo Sword, ready to strike, fearing an attack from the infamous Jade Asura.
Bao Gu stood up from the waste and shouted, “Jade Asura, it’s me.”
Jade Asura appeared in front of Bao Gu and said, “So it’s you!”
Nan Yi’s face was ashen, his expression dark.
He scanned the surroundings again, then laughed maniacally, “Even if you three join forces to kill me, so what? You won’t survive either! Look at this place! A corpse city built with corpses, this is the burial ground of the ancient ruins! If I can’t live, neither can you! Hahaha!”
Bao Gu gave Nan Yi a look as if he were an idiot and muttered, “Idiot.”
She noticed Jade Asura’s face looked terrible and realized this corpse city must be infamous in the Xuan Yue Ancient City.
Why didn’t the master of Qingfeng Pavilion mention such a place when introducing the ancient ruins?
Yu Mi coldly looked at Nan Yi and said, “I advise you to surrender. Maybe you can still live and explain yourself to Master Chen at Xuantian Sect!”
Nan Yi laughed coldly, “Do you think you can get out?”
He pointed to the pit and shouted, “Do you think you can dig through this place? Hahaha! Junior Sister, I’m desperate, and so are you!”
Bao Gu said, “Nan Yi, you actually have a way out. Surrender, and I guarantee you won’t die.”
Nan Yi laughed coldly, not believing Bao Gu at all.
Bao Gu said, “Your life is still valuable. I believe your father would be willing to pay a high price to ransom you.”
Yu Mi’s eyes darkened, and she turned to Bao Gu, saying, “You want to hand him over to the Taiyin Sect?”
Jade Asura said, “I don’t think there’s time! He’s too injured and weak to resist the corpse poison here. He’s almost done for.”
She paused and said, “It’s said that those who die here will become ghost puppets, never to be reborn.”
She looked at Nan Yi with ill intent, as if waiting to see his choice.
Nan Yi’s eyes turned cold.
He gritted his teeth and looked at the golden sword in his hand, then suddenly slashed his own neck.
Blood gushed from his wound, but instead of spreading, it flowed into the golden sword.
Jade Asura hooked a short curved knife from her waist and flashed to Nan Yi’s side, slashing at the golden sword!
Yu Mi’s Lihuo Sword sent out a fire dragon towards Nan Yi.
Nan Yi, not yet dead, instinctively swung his sword to block Jade Asura’s attack, getting knocked back into the wall.
His sword flew out and was caught by Jade Asura.
The impact narrowly saved him from Yu Mi’s fire dragon.
He slumped against the wall, looking at Jade Asura, and laughed bitterly, “Jade Asura, if I weren’t injured, you wouldn’t be my match!”
He then looked at Yu Mi and said, “Junior Sister, my only failure was not getting the inheritance of the Xuantian Ancestor… Haha… I was buried by your money! Haha, ha—” His laughter abruptly stopped as he died.
Yu Mi struck a fireball at Nan Yi, burning him to ashes in no time.
