bayedsolid Chapter 320 The Ghost Hand Reappears
Chapter 320 The Ghost Hand Reappears
Chapter 320 The Ghost Hand Reappears
As dawn broke, the Shen family's forces had already assembled. Besides the Shen family, many reinforcements arrived at Cloud Recesses, their banners varied.
The inscription not only bore the name Shen, but also the names of other families such as Li and Wei. Accompanying the Shen family patriarch were several elderly people, presumably the heads of other families.
Xiao Xingchen didn't care about any of that; the more people, the better. This Demon Suppression Prison was like a hungry beast, waiting for its prey to arrive.
He mingled with Shen Hao and his group of young men, all ready to go.
For a moment, almost all eyes were on this operation. Tian Ling watched intently, but made no move.
They showed no anger at the Shen family's provocation, merely watching indifferently.
With Xiao Xingchen's steps, the prelude to conquering the Demon Suppression Prison was officially begun.
The black fog had dissipated considerably compared to the previous days, but the black water on the ground remained corrosive, giving a chilling sensation when stepped on.
Even though Xiao Xingchen was prepared, upon stepping inside, she was still hit by a nauseating stench—the stench of a decaying corpse.
"Sir, what should we do?"
The first group, led by Shen Hao and spearheaded by Xiao Xingchen, comprised a team of about a hundred people. They were the vanguard; the Shen family wouldn't entrust the entire Shen clan to a scholar of unknown origin. Only after the first group made progress would they launch a full-scale assault.
"Follow me,"
Xiao Xingchen had no idea what to do, so he rushed in without looking back. You have to know that he is now a mortal with no cultivation. If he does this, how can Shen Hao not follow?
If even a mortal dared to rush in, what were these cultivators afraid of? After all, no one believed Xiao Xingchen was going to his death. Excluding that factor, there was only one reason: the scholar knew this place intimately, and he was certain there was no danger before rushing in so quickly.
With Xiao Xingchen leading the way, the first group quickly disappeared into the black mist, leaving the onlookers somewhat unsettled.
Let's start with the Shen family patriarch; he showed a look of satisfaction.
"Old Wei, am I right? This mortal really knows the details of the Demon Suppression Prison, otherwise he wouldn't have rushed in so recklessly. He must have been confident to do this. Can your worries be put to rest now?"
"Could he really know? Unbelievable! I've never heard of any mountain family before. Are we just ignorant?"
The elder of the Wei family, known as Old Wei, frowned deeply. He had suggested entering in batches, as Xiao Xingchen's identity wasn't yet trustworthy. However, after seeing him rush in directly, even he was beginning to waver.
Unless a mortal is fearless, they wouldn't dare rush in like that.
It must be said that Xiao Xingchen's actions stunned many people, even causing some unusual reactions on Tianling's side.
It was far too brutal and direct; they just barged straight in. Nothing dangerous happened inside the black mist. Either this was thanks to the white-robed scholar, or the black mist had already dissipated and the danger had vanished. Either way, impatient people would have already begun to lose their composure.
However, this calm lasted only a moment, as screams echoed from within the black mist not far away.
The black mist swallowed the dawn's light, and Xiao Xingchen walked solemnly in the center of the group.
The crimson flame array formed by the Shen family cultivators flowed around their bodies, and fine bubbles rose from the black water beneath their feet; each step felt like treading on rotting entrails.
Shen Hao's sword suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, and the fire spirit jade on the tassel instantly dimmed.
"Something's not right!" Shen Hao raised his hand to stop the group, and the Crimson Flame Banner unfurled, radiating a three-zhang (approximately 10 meters) of crimson light.
"The black water is absorbing our spiritual energy,"
Before the words were finished, screams came from ahead. Three cultivators were suddenly bound by blood vines that sprouted from the ground, their skin and flesh visibly withering away.
Xiao Xingchen's pupils contracted sharply. Runes floated on the surface of the vines, the very patterns of the Star Pivot Immortal Locking Array manifesting. His mind was shaken, and he gained a renewed understanding of Xizhu.
Xi Zhu even recognizes this grand formation, which shows how sophisticated she is. However, there's no time to worry about that now. As Xi Zhu instructed, he needs to present something that the Shen family can trust before letting the others in.
"Wind arises from the Xun position, fire burns the sky from the Li position!" Xiao Xingchen's fingertip touched the bronze fragment, where the mottled rust peeled away, revealing a bluish light.
The black mist suddenly surged and boiled, and nine phantom chains shot up from the ground, shredding the blood vine into dust.
The character "敕" (imperial decree) on the fragment suddenly shone brightly, reflecting the star map of the dome.
To everyone's horror, the position of the Big Dipper perfectly matched the direction of the chains, and at the end of the chain corresponding to the Yao Guang star, a celestial corpse with its collarbone pierced could be vaguely seen.
The Shen family patriarch, who had been watching all this from the outside, slammed his dragon-headed cane down heavily: "It really is an imperial edict from the capital!"
The immortal corpse, its collarbone pierced, seemed to open its eyes at that moment. The ancient and oppressive aura emanating from it caused everyone's knees to buckle, as if they couldn't withstand the pressure of the immortal corpse and were about to kneel down.
"The foundation of the Star Pivot Immortal Locking Array is locking immortals, and this immortal corpse is the array's core. According to the star map, we can break the black mist by destroying the chains that pierce the immortal corpse,"
Xiao Xingchen shouted to the crowd behind him.
"Okay, everyone, let me go first!"
Shen Li drew her sword and suddenly slashed it towards the void, the sword light shooting out in all directions, heading towards the emerging immortal corpse. However, her sword energy was swallowed up by the black mist the moment it was released. Not only that,
Under the dark purple light, everyone was shocked to discover that blood was seeping from the ground beneath their feet. The blood droplets, once exposed, transformed into pale, lifeless arms.
"Watch your step,"
The group instantly descended into chaos, and Xiao Xingchen shuddered in terror. It was that same feeling again; the first time he entered the ancestral temple, he was grabbed by a pair of hands reaching out from the ground and dragged down to the Silent Temple.
Now, the ghostly hands reappeared, and not just one pair, but countless arms emerging from the ground. He could feel a pair of hands reaching up to his ankles.
Not only him, but sword flashes continued to slash towards the ground, yet no matter how the group struggled, their hands gripped their feet tightly like chains.
"Sir, what is this?" A terrified cry echoed, and the cold sweat on Xiao Xingchen's forehead betrayed his true feelings.
Xi Zhu didn't say that this formation would be like this, and the touch of these hands is so cold. Are we going to be dragged into the ground again?
"Don't struggle, just let these hands drag us down,"
He awoke with a start and suddenly roared, but his words were no longer enough to calm the others down. After all, apart from him, no one else was experiencing this strange phenomenon for the first time.
"What are you talking about? I feel like we're all going to die if these hands aren't severed."
Shen Li leaped continuously in the void, but those hands seemed to anticipate her position, catching her precisely with each landing.
"Trust me, do not resist,"
That's what he said, but most people didn't believe him; some even swung their swords at their own feet.
As the ghostly hand appeared, screams echoed throughout the Demon Suppression Prison!