txolops Chapter 82 Visitors from the Xuanmen Sect
Chapter 82 Visitors from the Xuanmen Sect
The alarm bells are still ringing.
The sound wasn't produced by individual strikes, but rather as if the entire outer layer of the Demon City had been grabbed by the throat and was being violently coughed. The bronze bell struck with a dull thud, while the drumbeats were rapid, far drowning out the howls, barking dogs, and the scraping sounds of demon soldiers' armor in the streets and alleys, even causing the ground to tremble slightly.
Huang Chen hid in the shadow of a collapsed wall in the back alley of Penglingfang and glanced at the sky.
The night was not yet over, and the sky was tinged with a deathly gray.
Smoke billowed behind the wall, not from cooking fires, but from a blackish-yellow, toxic fumes that smelled of oil and sweetness. It drifted out from the cracks in the tiles with the wind, stuck in the nasal cavity, and made one's throat feel greasy.
There were already demon soldiers patrolling the street and blocking the road.
The roars from ahead came in waves.
"Seale the area!"
"Seale the area!"
"If any live goods go missing from the register, anyone who dares to let one go will risk their life to fill the gap!"
'
Huang Chen did not back down.
After obtaining half of the roster in Chapter 102, he originally intended to continue his stealthy approach and gradually uncover any remaining clues from the outer layer.
But now that the bells and drums have sounded, the situation is already ruined. Continuing to hide will only send those people in the neighborhood into the fire.
He exhaled a breath of stale air, and a thought stirred within him.
A pale golden light swept across my eyes.
Name: Huang Chen
[Realm Level: Early Celestial Immortal]
[Physical Fitness: Intermediate Witch Clan Battle Body (with incomplete insights from the Advanced Witch Clan Battle Body)]
[Current Status: Qi and Blood are being depleted, but the spirit and soul are stable, and the karmic fire can be mobilized]
[Overall assessment: Capable of overwhelming the outer defenses of the Demon City]
The next instant, the system's cold notification sound exploded in my mind.
[Ding! Side quest triggered: Burning Spirit Cooking Workshop]
[Mission Objective 1: Slay the Master of the Spirit Cooking Workshop]
[Mission Objective Two: Rescue the imprisoned humans]
[Mission Objective 3: Retrieve the complete Blood Banquet Roster]
[Task Rewards: 30000 Karma, 14000 Merit]
Huang Chen's lips twitched slightly.
"OK."
He uttered a single word in a low voice, raised his hand to press the edge of the black wind cap, slid along the wall, and flipped into the workshop.
It smells worse inside the courtyard than outside.
A dozen or so large copper pots were arranged in three rows, with crackling flames burning beneath them. White oil sizzled inside, and occasionally half a finger bone would float to the surface, only to be pressed down by a long-handled iron ladle.
The walls were covered with dried skin bags, some of which were made of demonic beasts, while others were clearly human skin with curled hair still stuck in the corners.
Two demon servants were carrying a bucket of bloody water and running towards the kitchen.
Before the figure in the shadows could be clearly seen, Huang Chen had already arrived.
Click.
The neck of the first servant demon snapped instantly, the bucket overturned, and blood splattered everywhere. The second demon had just opened its mouth when Huang Chen covered its face with a palm strike, the force of which caused its skull and fangs to cave in.
The body collapsed limply.
Huang Chen crouched down and picked up an oil-stained domino from beside the broken wooden bucket.
The back of the dominoes is engraved with four crooked, demonic characters that read "Three-story cellar," and there are also gold-stamped bloodstains on the edges.
His gaze shifted, looking towards the depths of the kitchen.
There was the sound of chains dragging on the ground.
There were also people sobbing in hushed tones.
Huang Chen pushed off with his feet, his entire body sweeping into the corridor like a low, dark line. Strings of bone lamps hung from the ceiling, their pale green flames illuminating the filthy black footprints on the floor tiles, which felt sticky underfoot, like stale mud mixed with oil and blood.
Just after rounding the second bend, the three gatekeeper demons ahead turned around at the same time.
With a fork in one end, a knife in the other, and a crossbow bone on his back in the middle, Huang Chen had just opened his eyes wide when he threw out the Wind-Stabilizing Pearl.
hum!
A sudden burst of invisible light spread out, and the swirling poisonous smoke in the entire corridor seemed to be gripped by a giant hand, frozen in mid-air, even the candlelight tilted but did not sway.
"enemy--"
The word "demon" wasn't finished.
Huang Chen rammed into the middle of the three demons, his shoulders and elbows striking out, first smashing the ribcage of the demon wielding the knife, then grabbing the face of the demon with the crossbow bone and slamming him against the wall.
The third demon with the forked spear had just raised his weapon when the Asura Blood Blade slashed across his throat, spraying blood, but it was suppressed by the Wind-Stabilizing Pearl, preventing even the blood mist from dissipating.
The entire corridor fell silent for a moment.
Only in the far end of the cellar could one hear the faint echo of chains clanging.
Huang Chen didn't stop, and kicked open the bone gate.
Behind the door are downward stone steps.
A wave of heat mixed with the stench of blood rushed towards us. The stone steps were inlaid with red-eyed bone beads, making the ground look like a esophagus leading to the belly of a beast.
The further down they went, the clearer the cries became, mixed with the sounds of whips, branding irons, and the bubbling of some kind of boiling liquid.
When Huang Chen descended to the third floor, his expression turned completely somber.
The cellar was very large.
The prison cells were arranged in close proximity, and the iron bars were not made of iron, but of refined human bones, which were joined together in an array pattern. Gray contracts and strips of paper were hung on the bars.
Each contract details the price, origin, and destination, and even includes phrases like "can be used to extract oil," "can be used for banquets," and "can be cooked alive."
The people in the cells were huddled together, young and old. Some had their ears cut off, some had bone nails in their legs, and many more were covered in filth and burns, too afraid to look up.
Someone saw Huang Chen first.
He was a middle-aged man with half his face burned, and a black chain remnant, a common practice of the Broken Pulse Camp, was still attached to his wrist.
He stared at Huang Chen, stunned for a moment, then his throat suddenly trembled.
"You...you are..."
A woman next to him, so thin that only her eyes shone, also suddenly sat up.
"It was him, the one who smashed the sacrificial canal!"
The moment the sound was heard, several prison bars were thrown into chaos.
"Master Huang!"
"It really is Master Huang!"
The moment the sound was heard, several prison bars were thrown into chaos.
"Master Huang!"
"It really is Master Huang!"
'
"Don't make a sound, lest you attract the demon!"
The last sentence was almost shouted out while crying.
Huang Chen's gaze swept over them one by one.
He might not remember all of these people's faces.
But he recognized the wounds on their bodies. The nail marks from the Severed Vein Camp, the branding left at the Northern Foothills sacrificial site, and the gray contract burn marks that only appear after repeated resales.
I've been rescued from the brink of death.
They were rescued again.
It felt like a piece of red-hot iron was being pressed into Huang Chen's chest.
He didn't say much, only whispered, "Everyone, step back."
'
As soon as he finished speaking, the Humanitarian Prison Monument suddenly appeared in his palm.
The moment that broken ancient stele appeared, the air in the cellar seemed to grow heavier.
The humanistic patterns on the monument lit up, carrying an ancient sense of suppression, and crashed straight into the center of the dungeon array in the middle of the prison bars.
boom!
The bone structure cracked, and the array patterns crumbled inch by inch.
The railings, made of human bones, trembled violently, emitting shrill cries like those of an infant.
Huang Chen went a step further, pressing down on the monument with his five fingers, crushing the core of the formation along with the blood groove below.
Puff puff!
Dozens of gray contracts exploded simultaneously, sending black smoke billowing out.
The chains on the bars came loose, and large sections of the bone bars collapsed.
Some people were so frightened that they huddled together, while others rushed to the railing, their hands trembling, as if they couldn't believe they could actually get out.
Just then, the furnace door at the deepest part of the cellar was suddenly flung open.
A wave of intense heat, carrying the stench of oil and grease, rushed towards us.
Huang Chen!
'
The sound was shrill and piercing, like a piece of iron scraping bone.
You actually dared to break in!
'
Huang Chen looked up.
The Master of the Spirit Cooking Workshop emerged from the firelight step by step. His outer robe looked like it was made of countless pieces of skin sewn together. A string of miniature human skulls hung on his chest. His face was covered with a thick layer of ointment, which was inlaid with gold powder and ash. However, the corners of his mouth were wide open, as if he was always smiling.
He was holding a bone cauldron in his hands.
The cauldron was small, but it was so white that it shone brightly. Oil droplets constantly seeped from its walls, and when the droplets fell to the ground, they ignited into blue flames.
Inside the cauldron, the soul fire churned and surged, and one could vaguely see distorted faces floating and sinking in the flames.
The shop owner squinted, his laughter trembling.
"Okay, okay, that saves me the trouble of going to find you again."
"Half of the roster is in your hands, and the other half is with me."
You want to save people? I'll turn them into ashes right in front of you.
'
With a flick of his sleeve, dozens of gray talismans flew up and shot straight towards the prison bars behind him.
A murderous glint flashed in Huang Chen's eyes.
The twelfth-grade imitation of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus suddenly spread out around him, the crimson flames like a swirling circle of lotus petals, engulfing all the gray talismans rushing towards the prison bars. The Yin Fire, which was specifically used to burn souls and refine contracts, twisted instantly upon contact with the Karmic Fire, emitting a series of fine crackling sounds, like countless insects being crushed.
The shop owner's expression finally changed.
"Karmic Fire?"
'
"You are a human—"
Huang Chen had already rushed forward.
He shattered the ground with a single stomp, and, braving the flames emanating from the bone cauldron, charged straight into the area within three zhang.
That wave of fire was no ordinary fire; it was mixed with soul fire and human oil. It would penetrate the flesh as soon as it got close, and even the surface of the Xuanhuang armor was sizzling as it burned.
Huang Chen refused to back down.
He raised his arm to protect his head, and then punched the brothel owner in the center.
The workshop master roared, and the bone cauldron pressed down, its mouth fiercely covering Huang Chen. Flames surged forth, and even the stone wall was scorched black in an instant.
Taking advantage of that momentum, Huang Chen suddenly closed in and smashed his fist into the fire.
boom!
The shop owner's shoulder bone collapsed on the spot.
The tattered leather robe exploded, splattering blood, flesh, and ointment, and the person flew sideways, crashing into a row of medicine shelves behind them.
The bottles and jars shattered, spilling out black liquid and semi-molten human fat, instantly making the ground as slippery as a layer of wax.
The shop owner screamed as he got up, unable to lift his left arm, and the smile on his face was completely shattered.
"Stop him! Stop him!"
'
The hidden doors around the cellar opened simultaneously, and more than a dozen guard demons from the hamlet rushed out.
Huang Chen didn't even look. He flicked the Soul-Binding Banner, and black mist swirled out, first whipping over the two fastest-rushing ones.
The Asura Blood Blade followed with a horizontal slash, sending three heads spinning as they flew away. The remaining few tried to circle around, but were grazed by the edge of the Karmic Fire Lotus, their flesh instantly ignited, and they screamed as they rolled into the blood tank.
Taking advantage of the moment, the workshop owner turned around and rushed towards the furnace.
Embedded on the stove is half of a thick bone book, densely covered with blood characters; it is the other half of the complete Blood Feast register.
He grabbed the bone book and pressed the furnace mechanism with his other hand, causing the entire cellar to shake violently as the fire doors opened simultaneously.
"die!
'
"Die, all of you!"
"The roster has been burned, and the people have been burned too. Let's see what you have to say for yourself!"
'
The burning oil spread wildly along the underground blood channels, and dozens of prison cells caught fire simultaneously. The humans who had just broken free screamed in terror. Some children cried sobbing, and several men with broken legs desperately tried to push those around them to higher ground, but they themselves could not get up.
Huang Chen's eyes darkened, and he formed a hand seal with his left hand. The Karmic Fire Red Lotus stopped releasing its power and suddenly contracted, transforming into layers of fire curtains that enveloped the prisoners, effectively keeping the evil fires outside.
The consequences came immediately.
The fire wave from the guild master's bone cauldron lost its suppression and crashed into Huang Chen's back with a bang, causing his chest to churn and the stone slabs beneath his feet to crack one after another.
The shop owner, seeing this, laughed maniacally.
"Protect him! Aren't you supposed to protect him?!"
'
"Humans protecting each other, how beautiful!"
"Are you done talking?"
The shopkeeper's laughter faltered.
The next moment, Huang Chen's figure swayed, ignoring the flames behind him, and charged forward again. His Mountain and River Boots crushed the oil and fire on the ground, and he was right in front of the shop owner in one step.
The shop owner was so frightened that his dough trembled violently, and he lifted the cauldron to block it.
Huang Chen clasped his hands together, his five fingers gripping the scalding hot cauldron handles.
The skin and flesh were instantly charred, and blue smoke billowed out.
He stubbornly refused to loosen his grip.
"You don't love practicing?"
Huang Chen let out a low roar, his arm muscles bulged, and he actually snatched the bone cauldron from the shop owner's hand. With a backhand flip, he slammed the entire cauldron down on his head!
Boom!
The workshop owner's head, along with half of his shoulders and back, was completely encased in the cauldron.
He kicked wildly with his legs and pounded the cauldron with both hands, making it thud loudly. His screams were muffled inside, sending chills down everyone's spine. Huang Chen pressed down on the cauldron with one hand while his other fist slammed against its wall one after another.
One punch.
Two punches.
Three punches.
The screams inside the cauldron quickly turned into wailing, and then into sobs that sounded like coughing up blood.
When the fourth punch landed, cracks spread all over the surface of the bone cauldron, and the fifth punch directly caused the bottom of the cauldron to bulge.
The sixth punch.
boom!
The bone cauldron, along with the head inside, exploded.
Bones, lava, bits of flesh, and soul fire were scattered all over the ground.
Just as a wisp of gray-black divine soul emerged from the shattered cauldron, Huang Chen raised his hand and grabbed it.
The Nine Nether Soul-Slaying Talisman flashed in his palm, and that wisp of soul was instantly shredded into ashes, not even having a chance to utter a complete plea for mercy.
【Ding!
[Slaying the Master of the Spirit Cooking Workshop, reward calculation in progress...]
A brief silence fell over the cellar.
Immediately afterwards, the system notification sounded again.
[Ding! Side quest progress updated]
[Task Objective 1: Completed]
Huang Chen didn't go to see it.
He rushed to the furnace first and pulled out the half of the bone book. The back of the bone book was still branded with the owner's private seal. Inside, there was not only the list of blood banquet participants, but also several pages of leather ledgers, recording which camp, which demon market line, and which demon army these people had been resold from.
He casually flipped through two pages, his pupils contracting slightly.
Broken Vein Camp.
The sacrificial site at the northern foot of the mountain.
Hanpo Ferry sells goods.
Replenishing positions in overseas markets.
These people didn't just suddenly end up here.
They were passed from pit to pit, their prices kept increasing, until finally they were sent to the City of Ten Thousand Demons to await that blood feast.
"Master Huang..."
The man from the Broken Vein Camp staggered over, his legs still trembling.
"And there are two more dark cells behind it, holding some who are about to collapse."
Huang Chen nodded and put away the bone book and account pages.
"Those who can walk, bring those who can't. Follow me."
The man's eyes were red-rimmed, and he nodded emphatically.
As expected, the dark cellar deep inside held more than a dozen people. Two old men were nearly dead, and three teenagers had their tongue pins removed, their hands and feet burned and bleeding. Huang Chen distributed Rejuvenation Pills and Vitality-Replenishing Pills to the most severely injured, and then had those who could still stand carry the others on their backs.
No one is competing for it, no one is grabbing it.
They just kept their heads down and did as instructed.
This group of people were terrified of being sold and beaten; they didn't even dare to cry openly. It wasn't until Huang Chen punched open the last gate of swill and blood, letting in a blast of cool air mixed with putrid water and the night wind, that someone squatted on the ground, holding a emaciated child, and sobbed uncontrollably.
The swill drain was narrow and dirty.
The canal water was black, with bits of bone, grease, and rotten vegetable leaves floating in it, and the stench was unbearable.
But for these people who had just crawled out of the cellar, the stench was cleaner than the smell of the stove fire.
Huang Chen walked at the front, with the Wind-Fixing Pearl hanging above his head, pressing down a layer of air through the miasma and poisonous smoke in the canal.
The people behind them waded through the sewage, helping each other along, inching forward step by step. Someone recognized Huang Chen and tried to speak several times, but in the end, only a trembling "Thank you" came out.
Some people couldn't say anything, they just clung tightly to their companions' hands, afraid that in the blink of an eye they would be back in the prison.
This underground swill channel leads directly to an old well outside the city.
Two more groups of demon soldiers from the neighborhood pursued them along the way, but Huang Chen dealt with them in a few moves. The last demon soldier who was escorting the guards tried to escape, but as soon as he turned around, he was pierced through the back by a black iron blade, and his body fell into the sewage, splashing up a black wave.
By the time everyone climbed out of the dry well, the east was already faintly turning white.
Outside the well was a wasteland on the outskirts of the city, with withered grass reaching knee-high, heavy night dew, and a chill permeating the grass blades when the wind blew.
Several people who had just climbed out couldn't help but shiver when they came into contact with the morning breeze, unsure whether it was from the cold or lingering fear.
Huang Chen stood by the well, taking one last look at the things he had brought out from the Spirit Cooking Workshop.
The complete list of names for the blood banquet is on the left.
The store's account books are on the right.
The ledger pages were hardened by oil stains and made a soft rustling sound when turned. Lines of names, quantities, and transshipment marks were densely arranged on the pages. In addition to the Golden-Eyed Demon General's receiving stamp, there was an unfamiliar dark red seal on the last few pages.
It's not a demonic mark.
It is a magic seal of the immortal sect.
Huang Chen's gaze stopped, and he slowly looked down.
"A distinguished guest of the city lord's mansion."
'
"A visitor from the Xuanmen sect."
"The chief host of the blood banquet, jointly presiding over the sacrificial ceremony."
'
Beside the well, an elderly man who had been rescued was leaning against the stone rim, panting. Seeing Huang Chen's strange expression, he asked in a hoarse voice, "My benefactor, what's written in the account book?"
Huang Chen did not answer immediately.
His fingertips pressed against the leather ledger page, his eyes reflecting the fading light of dawn, his face expressionless. After a couple of breaths, he handed the ledger to the middle-aged man beside him who could still read.
The man only glanced at it before freezing in place.
"This...this isn't just about demons..."
Huang Chen closed the register and looked up at the distant City of Ten Thousand Demons.
The city lights were still on, and the echoes of the alarm bells drifted intermittently through the morning mist.
He lowered his head and turned to the ledger again. Next to the dark red seal, he saw a name clearly visible.
Master Xuan Yao.
Huang Chen paused, his fingers moving slightly.
The wind blew across the dry well opening, and the edges of the account book pages rustled.