Black Evil Origin and Underground Secrets
The black aura slowly seeped out through the cracks in the secret door's seal, curling up like a living creature upon landing, leaving a dark trail on the bluestone slab. Wherever the trail passed, even the remaining Bloodline Gu corpses in the cracks of the stone were instantly reduced to ash. The Red Sun Gu on Lin Shen's shoulder suddenly let out a sharp hissing sound, its red halo shrinking sharply, as if in fear of the black aura. The warmth of the Guixu water in his palm suddenly turned cold, as if drained of its warmth by some force.
"Retreat! This thing is even more sinister than the Yin Sha!" The Great Elder swung his sleeves, pulling the two young clansmen behind him. The remaining trace of cinnabar on the peach wood sword glowed faintly, but it instantly extinguished as it approached the black energy. The Second Elder crouched down and gently touched the black mark with the hilt of the peach wood sword. The blade cracked with a crack, and he retreated in shock. "It's the 'Black Sha'! Ancient texts record that this is a more ancient evil than the Guixu Yin Sha, capable of devouring all yang energy and reducing even poisonous insects to ash!"
Ah Zhu's face turned pale as she quickly wrote on the linen: "Ancient books say that the Black Evil is hidden in the deepest part of the source of Guixu and is suppressed by three layers of seals. How could it seep out from here?" As soon as she finished speaking, the Black Evil at the seal of the secret door suddenly surged and instantly spread into a black mist half a person's height. Countless distorted human figures vaguely emerged in the black mist, and the outlines of those figures were exactly the same as the ancient stone statues unearthed in Qingwu Town.
Lin Shen suddenly remembered the note Chen Ba had left in the black wooden box: "Beneath Guixu lies a 'prison,' which suppresses not the Yin evil, but the 'bone-eating soul.'" He hurriedly pulled out the note and unfolded it in the dim light of the oil lamp. Black water stains had seeped across the edges, and the previously blurred Miao characters suddenly became clear: "Three layers of seals: the first suppresses the Yin evil, the second suppresses the Black evil, and the third suppresses the 'Bone Master.' If the Black evil emerges and the Bone Master awakens, everyone in Qingwu Miao Village will be sacrificed."
"Bone Master?" Li Ye gripped the dagger he had picked up again. The blade was still stained with blood from the previous fight. "What is that thing?"
The Great Elder walked over to the note with a solemn expression, his fingers tracing the Miao characters. His voice trembled, "This is the most ancient taboo in the Miao village. Legend has it that in ancient times, a member of the tribe devoured hundreds of poisonous insects and the Yang Qi of Guixu in order to achieve immortality, eventually transforming into a half-human, half-poison monster known as the 'Bone Lord.' It can control the black evil spirits and feed on the Yang Qi of living people. Back then, our ancestors exhausted the entire tribe's strength to seal it at the bottom of the source of Guixu, even setting up three layers of seals... But now, the black evil spirits from the second layer have seeped out, which means that the seal at the bottom is also..."
Before she could finish her words, the stone chamber floor suddenly shook violently, and a loud rumbling sound echoed from the stone wall behind the secret door, as if something heavy had struck it. Ah Zhu suddenly pointed to the stone wall next to the Gu furnace, where faint lines had emerged from the shaking. The lines resembled the pattern on the secret door seal, but with many more twisted lines, like some kind of map. "It's a secret code! A map of the underground passage is hidden in this stone wall!" She quickly stepped forward and touched the lines with her fingertips, dipped in Guixu Water. Wherever the water passed, the lines instantly turned golden, outlining a clear path on the stone wall.
"The end of the passage should be the bottom seal of the Source of Guixu." Lin Shen looked at the "Three-Layer Sealed Tower" marked on the map. The red light of the Red Sun Gu gradually stabilized. "The Red Sun Gu can restrain the Yin Sha, and perhaps it can temporarily suppress the Black Sha. We need to go down the passage and see what happened to the bottom seal."
The second elder shook his head and pointed to the symbol in the corner of the map: "This is the 'forbidden passage talisman'. Our ancestors have marked it. The passage is full of 'yang-eating insects'. This kind of insect feeds on yang energy and can even devour the water of Guixu. We can't get through at all." As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Yao suddenly coughed twice and pointed to her cuffs - there was a pattern embroidered there that was similar to the passage map. She found it in an old box at her grandmother's house in Qingwu Town when she was a child.
"My grandmother said this is a 'Gu-avoiding Pattern,' which can protect against the Yang-eating Gu." Meng Yao unfolded her sleeve, the silver lines around the edge of the pattern gleaming faintly under the oil lamp. "She also said that if anything happens in Qingwu Town, I should take this to the back of the Miao village and find the 'trap door' under the 'three-story pagoda.'"
Lin Munan immediately pulled out a pen and paper from his backpack, copied the Gu-avoiding pattern, and distributed it to everyone. "We can paint the pattern on our clothes. Perhaps it can temporarily ward off the Yang-devouring Gu." Ah Zhu added, "I also have 'Evil-Repelling Grass'. Dry it in the sun, grind it into powder, and sprinkle it on your body to ward off the invasion of the Black Evil."
Everyone quickly got ready. The first elder handed the injured clan leader over to two tribesmen for care. He and the second elder were accompanied by three tribesmen who were familiar with the terrain: "We are familiar with the terrain of the source of Guixu and can help you find the bottom seal." Lin Shen put the Red Sun Gu back into the black wooden box. The warmth of the water of Guixu spread again. He held the copper bell tightly - this was forced on him by Ah Zhu, who said that it could summon the guardian Gu of the Miao village at a critical moment.
The entrance to the passage was hidden behind the Gu furnace, hidden in the stone wall. A Gu-suppressing talisman served as the key. Lin Shen placed the talisman on the groove in the stone wall. The talisman instantly transformed into a golden light, and the stone wall split apart with a rumbling sound, revealing a pair of stone steps leading downward. Embedded in the walls on either side of the steps were ancient bronze lamps, their wicks made of white bone. When lit, they emitted a faint blue flame, illuminating the dense clusters of Sun-Devouring Gu on the stone steps.
Translucent and three times larger than the Bloodline Gu, the Sun-Devouring Gu lay motionless on the stone steps. But as they approached, they suddenly raised their heads and trembled their tentacles toward the Gu-repelling pattern on Meng Yao's sleeves. Ah Zhu hurriedly sprinkled the evil-repelling grass powder. The powder landed on the stone steps, and the Sun-Devouring Gu instantly retreated, clearing a path. "Don't touch the wall! The bones in the bronze lamp will attract the Black Evil!" she warned in a low voice, her footsteps so light they were almost silent.
After walking for about half an hour, a circular stone chamber appeared at the end of the stone steps. In its center stood a three-story stone tower—the very same sealed tower marked on the map. The first-story door was open, revealing a pale green aura of evil within. The second-story door was half-open, with black evil pouring out continuously from the gap. The third-story door was tightly closed, densely engraved with Miao script, and the door knockers were two hideous skull sculptures, their eye sockets oozing black liquid.
Just as Lin Shen was about to approach the third-story pagoda door, the Red Sun Gu suddenly flew out of a black wooden box. A red halo enveloped the entire stone chamber, and the black evil spirit seeping from the second-story pagoda door instantly stopped. He took the opportunity to walk to the third-story pagoda door. When the Guixu Water at his fingertips touched the door knocker, the black liquid in the skull's eye sockets suddenly boiled, and the Miao script on the door began to glow, forming a clear text: "The Bone Master has awakened. A sacrifice of 'Red Sun Heart' and 'Guixu Blood' is required before it can be resealed. If both are missing, the whole world will become a prison."
"Red Sun Heart? Guixu Blood?" The second elder frowned. "Red Sun Heart should be the core of the Red Sun Gu, and Guixu Blood... could it be someone with the bloodline of Guixu Water?" His eyes fell on Lin Shen - ever since Lin Shen absorbed the Guixu Water, the breath of Guixu was in his bloodline.
Lin Shen's heart sank. Just as he was about to speak, the three-story pagoda door suddenly shook violently. A thud echoed from the stone wall behind it, as if a gigantic monster were ramming into the door from within. Ah Zhu suddenly grabbed his wrist and wrote on the linen cloth, "Chen Ba's note also read, 'The Red Sun Gu recognizes its master, and the Guixu blood shares the same origin.' You are the one who can re-seal the Bone Master!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Black Evil at the second-floor gate suddenly surged, instantly breaking through the Red Sun Gu's halo and rushing towards Lin Shen. The Great Elder immediately swung his peach wood sword to block the Black Evil, but the sword was instantly devoured by the Black Evil, turning it into ash. "Hurry to the third-floor gate! We'll help you block the Black Evil!"
Lin Shen looked at the people battling the Black Demon in front of him, then at the three-story pagoda gate, which was shaking increasingly violently. He clutched the black wooden box tightly in his arms. Chen Ba's sacrifice, the safety of Qingwu Town, and the fate of the Miao village all weighed heavily on his shoulders. He took a deep breath and ran towards the three-story pagoda gate. The Red Sun Gu swirled above him, and the red aura surged again, interweaving with the Guixu Water in his palm to form a golden barrier, forcibly carving a path through the Black Demon.
Just as his hand was about to touch the third-floor pagoda door, the banging noises behind the door suddenly stopped. A hoarse voice rang out from behind the door, as if countless people were speaking at once: "Finally... I've waited for you, the heir of Guixu..."
The voice carried an ancient, yet bone-chilling chill, instantly dropping the temperature of the entire stone chamber to freezing. Lin Shen paused. The red light of the Red Sun Gu flickered violently, as if warning him—what awaited him beyond the door might be something even more terrifying than the Black Fiend.
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