Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 255 - Scalps Tingle

The Murong Clan members hesitated and didn’t dare act rashly after discovering the seal.

“Murong Clan, what are you guys waiting for? Hurry up and open it!” The surrounding people began to lose patience and urged the Murong Clan to open the entrance quickly.

It had been nearly half a month since they had entered the Python Mountain Battlefield, and they would have to leave in a few days. Many people still hadn’t seen any treasures, making this their last chance. They would have to wait for another decade if they missed this tomb.

Ten years was too long, and they only fought for the present.

The crowd began to pressure the Murong Clan to unlock the entrance. If the clan continued to resist, they risked being forced by experts present, potentially earning the crowd's ire.

“Everyone, please heed my words. This could be an ancient seal, and we are uncertain of what lies within if we were to unseal it. The repercussions could be severe!” A middle-aged man from the Murong Clan stepped forward, pleading with the crowd to reconsider their demands.

No one knew what was sealed inside, but if they were lucky, it might be an ancient tomb. If they weren’t lucky, a monster might be sealed in there.

“Murong Shan, is your Murong Clan planning to monopolize this tomb? It’s been thousands of years since the ancient battle; any creature sealed within would have long perished.” A piercing voice rang out, accusing the Murong Clan of attempting to hoard the treasures within.

This accusation incensed the five members of the Murong Clan. They had spoken out of concern for everyone’s safety, yet found themselves being accused of selfish motives.

“Brother Zhao is right. Even if creatures were sealed in there, they would have perished by now, after so many years. Hurry up and undo the seal!” Everyone echoed along, placing the Murong Clan in a difficult position.

It might offend everyone present if they didn’t open up the seal. But if they undid the seal, they might unleash a formidable monster that no one could handle.

“Second Uncle, let’s open it. I’m also curious to know what’s inside,” Murong Qi said. Young and curious, he wanted to see what was inside.

Under everyone's persuasion, Murong Shan had no choice but to approach the seal.

Liu Wuxie didn’t say a word throughout this ordeal. The seal was blurred, and it was impossible to see it. He took out some weird items and engraved them on the huge rock.

This made Liu Wuxie narrow his eyes as Murong Shan was drawing a spiritual array. The entire tomb was a natural spiritual array, and they could enter by opening the entrance.

The surrounding large rocks began to creak, and the rocks below started to separate, revealing a small gap. The seal had been in place for too long, and Murong Shan was unable to break it with his current skill level.

The surrounding people rubbed their palms together excitedly, eager to rush in.

“Second Uncle, let me help you!” Murong Qi stepped forward and used a shovel to pry open the two rocks, expanding the slit.

A decayed air seeped out from the slit, and everyone quickly covered their noses in case it was poisonous. Time slowly passed, and the slit gradually expanded, and this made everyone feel nervous by the minute.

When the last rock was moved, a one-meter width entrance was exposed. The insides were dark, accompanied by a moldy and damp smell.

“Senior Murong, according to your speculation, there’s something imprisoned inside?” Several youths came over to ask Murong Shan.

“That seems to be the case judging from the seal!” Murong Shan replied, but he wasn’t entirely sure about it. It was merely his speculation.

“Who cares about what’s sealed inside? It must’ve died after so many years.” Some couldn’t contain themselves and wanted to enter the cave.

More people gathered from the surroundings, and no one was willing to go down first in case there might be danger.

“I’ll go first!” A robust man stepped forward and jumped into the cave, instantly devoured by the darkness. No one knew what was happening inside.

“Lu Cheng, what’s it like down there?” someone yelled.

“It’s damp, but it’s safe. It seems to be an underground palace!” Lu Cheng replied. He couldn’t feel any discomfort even after being inside for so long.

“Let’s go!” One after another, more people jumped into the cave. But the entrance was only so broad, and those who didn’t have high cultivation didn’t even have the qualification to get close.

Liu Wuxie frowned as he stood on the outer region.

There’s something weird about the seal. Even after so many years, the seal still exists, meaning that whatever is imprisoned inside is still alive, Liu Wuxie thought to himself. As for what was imprisoned inside, no one knew.

Fifteen minutes later, there weren’t many people outside, as everyone had entered the cave. Looking around, Liu Wuxie noticed that he was the only one standing outside. Seeing this, he took a deep breath and planned to go down and take a look.

Since he had come this far, he couldn’t just turn back. Besides, he had already disguised himself, and no one knew his true identity.

As Lu Cheng had described, the interior was damp. Liu Wuxie grabbed a handful of soil and rubbed it in his palm. He could smell a faint stench coming from the soil.

“Wait, the soil indicates that this place wasn’t sealed for thousands of years. There must be other entrances because the soil is fresh.” Liu Wuxie frowned. Where was the other entrance if this place wasn’t entirely sealed? This left Liu Wuxie baffled, and it was a question he couldn’t resolve anytime soon.

Suddenly, cracking sounds came from above as the entrance slowly closed up, with the surroundings plunging into darkness.

“Shit!” Liu Wuxie executed the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance and tried to open the entrance. But the rocks wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he tried. There was a seal outside, and it couldn’t be opened with human strength.

This meant that they were all in trouble now with the entrance sealed. Since they couldn’t leave, were they going to be buried alive?

Those who had entered first were already deep in the underground world, exploring and unaware of the sealed entrance.

“It looks like I’ll have to find another way out with the entrance sealed!” Liu Wuxie composed himself quickly, knowing he couldn’t panic now.

Since the soil was fresh, there must be another exit. He followed the tracks on the ground and hurried on.

As Liu Wuxie ventured deeper, he realized that this subterranean world was far more expansive than he had initially thought. The passage was lined with blue bricks on both sides, remarkably undamaged despite the passage of time, save for some moss.

After approximately fifteen minutes of walking, he encountered a three-way fork in the path, marked by footprints on the ground. Nearly a thousand people had entered and dispersed at this junction.

Liu Wuxie stopped briefly before picking the middle path. The ground began to dry up, and strange patterns appeared on the walls on both sides. The stench in the air also grew stronger as he walked.

The overpowering stench, reminiscent of urine, caused Liu Wuxie to frown and shut off his sense of smell. The underground world was shrouded in darkness, limiting visibility to a mere three meters. However, by relying on his Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie could perceive his surroundings as clearly as if it were broad daylight.

“What is this?” Liu Wuxie abruptly stooped down upon spotting a groove about the width of a human arm. It was curved as if something had slithered past. As he progressed, he noticed more similar markings on the ground.

“Draco-pythons!” Liu Wuxie exclaimed. Could these marks have been left by draco-pythons slithering across the ground? This realization sent a chill down Liu Wuxie’s spine. He began to suspect that they might have inadvertently entered a draco-python’s lair.

If that were the case, their fate would be sealed. Draco-pythons lived in colonies, and their nests could house tens of thousands of them. Each one was a formidable creature, and the number of humans present wouldn’t even suffice as a snack for them.

A Golden Python was already so tough to deal with, and Liu Wuxie couldn’t imagine running into a group of them.

“ARGH!” A scream jolted Liu Wuxie from his thoughts. The source of the scream wasn’t far off, approximately a hundred meters away.

Liu Wuxie quickened his pace and knew it was safer to stick with the crowd. If he traveled alone, the snakes would easily make him their prey.

He didn’t dare to increase his speed and wielded the Heretic Blade in his hand. The Ghost Eye pierced through the walls, and the scene fifty meters away became visible. There were three massive pythons, each over ten-odd feet in length.

The pythons had ensnared five men, three of whom were being slowly devoured after being bitten. The remaining two were trapped in the pythons’ grip, their screams echoing as their bones were crushed. Liu Wuxie dared not approach, knowing that even if he attempted a rescue, these five were already doomed.

The trio of pythons detected another human presence and turned their cold gaze towards Liu Wuxie. Despite the darkness impairing humans’ vision, it did not affect the pythons, who were well-adapted to the subterranean environment.

The three pythons hissed, warning Liu Wuxie to stay away. This made Liu Wuxie curious, and he wondered if there was something about him that the pythons feared.

Both sides fell into a deadlock. Liu Wuxie couldn't retreat because he could only press forward to find the exit. This lasted five minutes before the pythons burrowed into a massive cave and disappeared with the five men.

Liu Wuxie finally understood why Zuo Hong and the others didn’t dare venture too deep into the Python Mountain Battlefield. Even experts in the high levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm would turn into food for these pythons.

The Ghost Eye enabled him to see five hundred meters away, and he felt a chill down his spine when he heard the hissing voices in the surroundings. Even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as him couldn’t help feeling a lingering fear.

Liu Wuxie observed the same scenario in various regions: the human cultivators who ventured in were swiftly turned into meals for the pythons. Merely an hour after their entry, they had suffered substantial losses, and the sheer number of pythons sent shivers down Liu Wuxie’s spine.

“The exit! I have to find the exit quickly!” Liu Wuxie executed his movement technique and delved deeper. As the passage began to widen, an underground world appeared before him with a massive underground palace.

“Who the hell built such a colossal underground palace?” However the palace was heavily damaged, with many buildings collapsed.

There were also marks of pythons everywhere. This underground palace had long become a nest for the pythons.

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