txolops Chapter 119 The Prisoner in the Painting, Inner Demons in Chaos
Chapter 119 The Prisoner in the Painting, Inner Demons in Chaos
The blood pool bubbled and gurgled.
The drawing paper, suspended in mid-air, made a sound as if the paper was being rustled by the wind.
Gu Yan maintained the outstretched hand position, his fingertips only an inch away from the drawing paper, yet he could not press down no matter what he did.
The originally smooth surface of the Xuan paper rippled like water.
The red-clad female corpse in the painting has eyes stained with ink, from which real blood is flowing and dripping down the edge of the paper.
Before long, small, bright red flowers were splashed on the floor.
"Little one, your spiritual energy is depleted."
That mocking voice went straight into Gu Yan's mind:
"This paper realm is indeed profound, actually touching the edge of the rules. Unfortunately, you are too weak. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet you dare to use the rules? Aren't you afraid of the backlash and your death?!"
Gu Yan's face was deathly pale, and cold sweat slid down his cheeks, flowing into his eyes and stinging painfully.
He didn't speak, but gritted his teeth and desperately squeezed out the little spiritual power in his dantian. The many spirit stones beside him had already turned to dust.
The Tai Chi diagram of gods and demons had reached its limit, and like gears meshing, it emitted a creaking sound as it struggled under the strain.
The crack in the center of the drawing paper is expanding at a visible rate.
A pale, fleshy hand, with the realistic texture of blood and flesh, was struggling to reach out from the crack, gripping its edge and tearing it apart with all its might.
"Sizzle~"
The piercing sound of tearing silk echoed through the empty hall.
Gu Yan's heart sank.
That old hag, what terrifying power she possesses!
He is in extremely poor condition right now.
He had almost exhausted all his energy and spirit in order to cast the spell "All Things Return to Paper". Now, he felt his legs trembling even when he was standing, let alone casting a spell.
We have to find a way!
Gu Yan glanced around out of the corner of his eye.
Li Qingge lay unconscious in a distant corner, her fate unknown.
The imposter's corpse rotted in the corner, utterly useless.
The only variable is that still-boiling pool of blood.
"What? Not saying anything?"
The female corpse's voice rang out again, this time with a soporific charm: "Give up. If you release me, I can take you as my male concubine. I see you have extraordinary talent, and within you is a yang energy that even makes my heart tremble. If you cultivate with me, the Golden Core path will be within your grasp, and even the Nascent Soul stage will be a piece of cake."
As she finished speaking, the scene before Gu Yan changed.
The once eerie and terrifying underground palace vanished into thin air.
An extremely luxurious warm chamber came into view.
Red candles burn brightly, and light gauze sways gracefully.
That menacing crystal coffin transformed into a large phoenix bed.
On the bed, the hideous female corpse was gone, leaving only a stunningly beautiful woman.
She was draped in a thin veil, her skin as white as snow, and her peach blossom eyes gazed at Gu Yan with tender affection. She raised her jade hand slightly, assuming a posture of being at his mercy.
"Come on... Gu Lang..."
That voice was so soothing it melted your bones.
Gu Yan's eyes momentarily became unfocused.
His foot took a step forward uncontrollably, and the fingers that had been forming a hand seal slowly loosened.
Upon seeing this, the female corpse in the painting moved its outstretched, pale, ghostly hand even more violently, its nails growing larger, ready to pierce Gu Yan's throat at any moment.
However, just as Gu Yan took the second step.
He suddenly stopped.
A flash of clarity appeared in those previously hazy eyes, followed by a deep sense of disdain.
"I'm telling you, big sister."
Gu Yan sighed, looking helplessly at the stunning beauty: "Your illusion magic can only fool a naive like Zhao Lingfeng. Can't you be a little more modern? Who still uses such outdated tricks these days? Besides, your taste is so tacky. This bright red and green decor makes it look like you've walked into some nouveau riche's wedding room."
The beauty in the illusion froze.
"We'll see."
Gu Yan curled his lip and pointed to his face: "Although I may not have much morals, I do have my bottom line. You're at least several hundred years old, and even if I were desperate, I wouldn't be interested in a piece of dried meat, would I? Can't you have some self-awareness?"
"You...you're...asking for death!"
The illusion shattered with a crash.
Enraged by this venomous rebuke, the female corpse's voice turned shrill and piercing, like a vengeful ghost demanding her life.
"I will tear your soul from your body and refine it into a mortal realm! May you never be reincarnated!"
"boom!"
The drawing paper trembled violently, and large swaths of ink, as if alive, splashed out from the paper, transforming into black bats that swarmed towards Gu Yan.
These bats are not physical entities, but rather pure manifestations of resentment. Once bitten, even one's soul will be corrupted.
Gu Yan was prepared.
While he was deliberately provoking the other person with his words, his hand had been rummaging in his sleeve for quite a while.
"go!"
Gu Yan suddenly pulled out a handful of white paper money from his sleeve and scattered it at the swarm of bats.
"Heaven and earth are boundless, the paper spirit borrows its power! Explode!"
Each of these paper money notes is extremely special, with intricate runes drawn on them in cinnabar. They are fire spirit runes that Gu Yan usually uses to practice his skills.
"Boom boom boom!"
Clusters of golden flames exploded in mid-air.
When those resentful bats encountered the intensely yang flames, they let out a series of mournful screams and vanished into wisps of smoke.
But this is just a drop in the ocean.
The female corpse was still struggling in the painting, and the ghostly hand had already stretched out more than halfway, even squeezing out half of her shoulder.
That terrifying pressure descended upon the hall once more.
Gu Yan felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making each breath incredibly difficult.
He knew he couldn't hold on any longer.
The power of the paper industry is crumbling.
If she were to break free completely, given her current state of rage, I would be torn to shreds.
Since it can't be stopped...
A look of madness flashed in Gu Yan's eyes.
Then let's make this cage even smaller!
Instead of trying to repair the paper with his spiritual power, he made an extremely bold move.
He suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood containing his life essence onto his hands.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, his hands flashing out like lightning, grabbing both ends of the tearing drawing paper!
"Sizzle!"
As soon as Gu Yan's palm touched the drawing paper, a puff of white smoke rose up; it was the corpse's aura corroding his flesh.
The pain was excruciating, but now was not the time to be sentimental, so Gu Yan gritted her teeth and endured it.
"Want to get out? Go back here!"
Gu Yan roared and slammed his hands together.
He was folding paper, not ordinary folding, but a forbidden technique of the pinnacle of paper-folding art: Sumeru Folding.
A two-dimensional space is forcibly compressed into a three-dimensional cage through a special folding technique!
"You dare!"
The female corpse realized Gu Yan's intention and let out a terrified scream.
The outstretched ghostly hand was frantically scratching at Gu Yan's arm, leaving several deep, bone-revealing wounds.
Gu Yan was covered in blood, and his usually smiling face was now contorted into a hideous demon.
"What wouldn't I dare to do!"
"First act: Heaven is round, Earth is square—trapped!"
Gu Yan's hands flew, and he forcibly folded the huge sheet of paper in half.
The female corpse's half-body had just emerged when it was violently squeezed back by the force of spatial folding, producing a crisp sound of bones shattering.
"Act Two: Surrounded by Enemies on All Sides, Seal the City!"
Fold the drawing paper in half again.
The space was further compressed.
The woman's screams became muffled, as if she had been trapped in a deep well.
"Third fold...press it down!"
Gu Yan's ten fingers were already a bloody mess, with some parts even exposing the finger bones, but his movements became faster and faster, so fast that only a blur remained.
The drawing paper, which was originally as tall as a person, was transformed into a paper box the size of a palm by Gu Yan's frantic folding.
This is the "ghost square" in the art of paper-making.
"Let me out... I was wrong... I'll give you treasures... I'll give you my inheritance..."
The weak, pleading voice of the female corpse came from inside the cardboard box.
At this moment, she was trapped in this space that was only a few inches square, her body was twisted and compressed to an extreme degree, and the pain was more unbearable than being cut into pieces.
Gu Yan completely ignored her pleas for mercy.
He was at his last gasp, clinging to life by sheer willpower.
Gu Yan looked at the cardboard box in his hand, which was still jumping and trying to break free of its restraints, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
Paper is just paper, after all.
Even if the space is folded, without the power to suppress it, it will eventually be broken through by her.
We must add a lock to this cage.
Gu Yan looked at the boiling blood pool in the center of the hall.
That place is where the Yin energy of the entire underground palace gathers, and it is also the source of the female corpse's power.
"Since you like drinking blood, then I'll let you drink as much as you want."
Gu Yan staggered to the edge of the blood pool and took out a red thread that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket.
This red thread is called the Soul-Locking Rope, and it is an extremely yang substance that has been soaked in black dog blood for forty-nine days.
He tied one end of the red thread to the cardboard box, and the other end...
Gu Yan took a deep breath, and the divine and demonic Tai Chi diagram within his body rotated in reverse, drawing out a trace of the power of the dragon pearl that had been dormant in his dantian.
"puff!"
Gu Yan opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of golden flame, igniting the red thread.
This fire is dragon flame!
The flames followed the red line and spread onto the cardboard box.
"ah!!!"
An unprecedentedly piercing scream erupted from the cardboard box.
Dragon Flame is the absolute nemesis of Corpse Fiend.
With a wave of his hand, Gu Yan threw the paper box burning with golden flames directly into the boiling pool of blood!
"Use blood as the catalyst, fire as the prison! Suppress them!"
"Boom!"
The moment the cardboard box fell into the blood pool, the entire pool seemed to boil, churning violently.
Countless streams of blood tried to rush up and extinguish the golden flames, but instead became fuel for the flames.
The power of the blood pool was ignited by the dragon flames, transforming into a massive alchemy furnace.
The female corpse trapped in the cardboard box became the elixir in the furnace!
"I'm not reconciled... I'm not reconciled at all..."
The woman's voice grew weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared completely into the rolling waves of blood.
On the surface of the blood pool, a golden Bagua pattern slowly emerged, a seal formed by the intertwining of dragon flame and blood.
After doing all this, Gu Yan felt as if his spine had been removed, and he lay on the ground.
His hands were still trembling, and drops of blood dripped onto the jade floor.
My vision began to blur, and my ears were ringing.
The feeling of weakness after being overdrawn over overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
"Damn it... we've really lost out this time..."
Gu Yan muttered to himself, looking at his hands, which were in such a terrible state, and wondering how many spiritual medicines he would need to repair them.
But he held on and dared not faint.
After all, in this cannibalistic place, fainting is tantamount to death.
He forced himself to move slowly to a pillar, sat down against it, took out a handful of healing pills from his storage bag, and without caring about the risk of his body exploding, stuffed them into his mouth, chewed them up, and swallowed them.
The medicinal properties dissipated, bringing warmth and relieving the stinging pain in the meridians.
Gu Yan gasped for breath, his eyes scanning the main hall warily.
The cardboard box temporarily suppressed the female corpse, but it was a fire without a source and couldn't last long.
Once the dragon flames have burned out, that old hag will come out again sooner or later.
Before that, we must find a way to leave this place, or find a way to kill her.
Gu Yan's gaze fell on the empty crystal coffin.
The female corpse came out in a hurry, and it seems there was something left in the coffin.
He gritted his teeth, leaned on the pillar to stand up, and staggered toward the crystal coffin.
With each step, the bloodstains underfoot deepened.
Arriving at the coffin, Gu Yan peered inside.
The bottom of the coffin was covered with a thick layer of brocade, which remained bright and shiny despite its age.
In the center of the brocade sat a palm-sized jade slip and half a tattered map.
Gu Yan reached out and picked up the two items.
The jade slip felt warm and smooth to the touch, and it was engraved with four ancient seal characters: "True Explanation of Sunset".
And that map...
Gu Yan unfolded the document and his pupils immediately contracted sharply.
This is actually a map of the core area of Sunset Valley!
At the deepest part of the map, there is a red skull marker with a line of small text next to it:
"The place where a Nascent Soul cultivator fell is an extremely ominous place."
Gu Yan's hand trembled slightly.
A Nascent Soul cultivator?!
In this Sunset Valley, a powerful cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage is actually buried?
Before he could take a closer look, he suddenly heard groans coming from behind him.
"Well……"
Gu Yan turned around abruptly, the dagger in his hand sliding out of his sleeve.
In the corner, Li Qingge's long eyelashes trembled a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes were still somewhat dazed, as if she had not fully recovered from her previous coma.
When she saw what was happening in front of her, she was stunned.
The main hall was in a mess, with charred marks and deep craters left by the fight everywhere.
That terrifying pool of blood was burning with eerie golden flames.
The usually timid Gu Changsheng was now standing beside the crystal coffin, covered in blood, holding a dagger, his eyes sharp as blades, showing no trace of his former weakness.
"Gu... Changsheng?"
Li Qingge tentatively called out, her voice hoarse.
The sharpness in Gu Yan's eyes disappeared.
With a flick of his wrist, the jade slip and map disappeared into his sleeve.
Considering that he would need to see Li Qingge later, he immediately reverted to his honest and cowardly self.
"Oh dear! Princess! You're finally awake!"
Gu Yan threw down the dagger and scrambled to Li Qingge's side, crying and shouting with snot and tears streaming down his face:
"You scared me to death! You don't know, that old hag suddenly went mad and jumped into the blood pool to immolate herself! It must be Your Highness's boundless good fortune that scare away that demon!"
Li Qingge looked at the man crying his eyes out in front of her, and then at the blood pool burning with golden flames in the distance.
Self-immolation?
Are you kidding me?
The intense yang energy emanating from the flames was clearly the result of some extremely domineering cultivation technique.
And the terrible injuries on Gu Yan's hands were definitely not something that could be sustained by simply hiding.
Li Qingge did not expose him.
She gave Gu Yan a deep look, tried to stand up, but found that her spiritual energy was completely depleted, and she was about to fall down again as soon as she moved.
Gu Yan reacted quickly and caught her.
"Princess, be careful!"
A warm touch came, mixed with the strong smell of blood and sweat on Gu Yan's body.
Li Qingge instinctively wanted to resist, but her physical weakness left her no choice but to lean on this man's arms.
"Help me... to sit down over there."
Li Qingge pointed to a relatively clean open space next to her.
Gu Yan obediently did as instructed, her movements incredibly gentle.
After settling down, Li Qingge took out a bottle of top-grade pills from her storage bag and swallowed them, which made her complexion regain some color.
"Gu Changsheng".
Li Qingge suddenly spoke, her tone flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Your humble servant is here."
Gu Yan lowered his head, looking as if he was awaiting punishment.
"No matter who you are, or what methods you used."
Looking at the flickering golden flames, Li Qingge said softly, "For what happened today, I owe you my life."
Gu Yan stiffened, then raised his head, revealing a set of bloodstained white teeth, and said with a simple smile, "Your Highness is too kind. This is what I should do."
"Oh."
Li Qingge chuckled softly, it was unclear whether she believed it or not.
"Let's rest for half an hour, then we'll leave."
Li Qingge closed her eyes and began to regulate her breathing: "Now that the female corpse has been suppressed, the restrictions on this underground palace should have loosened. Let's go find the true inheritance."
"Yes."
Gu Yan responded and stepped aside.
He leaned against the stone pillar, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his divine sense had already probed into his storage bag and enveloped the jade slip he had taken out of the crystal coffin.
True inheritance?
Gu Yan sneered inwardly.
I'm afraid the biggest secret of Sunset Valley is already in my hands.
only……
He glanced at the cardboard box still struggling in the pool of blood.
What did the woman's last words mean?
"You can't trap me..."
While Gu Yan was pondering, he did not notice.
At the deepest part of the blood pool, at the bottom of the cardboard box.
Wisps of black energy were silently swimming towards Gu Yan's body along the red thread connecting them.
Don't miss out: Chapter 119, The Prisoner in the Painting, Inner Demons in Full Release, Click Here.