In the shadows at the edge of the light, I saw that the well wall was covered with dense black vines that looked exactly like those outside.
They spread across the well walls like a network of blood vessels.
Between these vines, one can vaguely see some pale bones.
I recognized it at a glance; it was definitely human bones.
What gave me the creeps even more was that in the densest places where the vines intertwined, there seemed to be blurred and distorted human faces, men and women, young and old.
This is a well of souls!
Seemingly sensing the presence of living beings, the vines suddenly began to writhe wildly.
Those blurry faces simultaneously emitted extremely shrill screams, their eyes suddenly focusing on me!
His eyes were filled with venomous hatred, as if I were the murderer who killed them.
My scalp tingled; this thing was terrifying!
Just as I was about to back away, I realized that my legs had been locked by the vines without my noticing.
"That bastard knows how to scheme," I cursed inwardly.
The vines at the wellhead were already stabbing straight at me like venomous snakes. If I were pierced through the heart, that would be a minor matter; the worst thing would be for my flesh to become their prey.
Then I'd just become a clown, coming all this way to be killed.
At that critical moment, I suddenly threw out the lucky charms I had prepared beforehand, bit my tongue, and spat out a mouthful of blood onto them, muttering incantations:
"Heaven and Earth, the profound origin of all things! Golden light, appear swiftly, to protect the True Man! So be it!"
The talisman exploded with a blinding golden light, and the vines and roots immediately hissed and burned, emitting foul-smelling black smoke.
The roots that were stabbing at me failed to retract, the vines on the well wall twisted in agony, and the human face let out a wail.
It works! But it only provides temporary relief.
The yin energy here is too heavy; relying solely on amulets is not enough to seal this well.
I stepped back a few paces and quickly took out a stack of yellow talismans and five-emperor coins from my cloth bag, arranging them around the well according to the orientation of the Big Dipper.
Then I took out a three-edged bone needle, pierced my left palm, and let the blood drip onto each copper coin and yellow talisman!
As blood dripped down, the cinnabar runes on the yellow talisman glowed faintly, and the Five Emperor Coins emitted a low hum.
I suppressed the dizziness caused by excessive blood loss and the invasion of yin energy, made hand seals, and rapidly chanted incantations.
"The Northern Dipper's decree, sealing the netherworld! The earth's veins are stabilized, evil spirits cannot invade! With blood as the catalyst and this instrument as the proof, the seal is complete!"
As the last character for "seal" was uttered, the seven Five Emperors Coins trembled violently, emitting a faint golden light. They seemed to be connected by invisible rays of light, forming a net of light that enveloped the well opening.
The five-emperor coins hummed loudly, making a crisp sound, and the surging yin energy at the wellhead seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier.
The vines and human faces on the well wall seemed to be burned, emitting even sharper and more painful screams, desperately trying to break free, but unable to do so.
I breathed a sigh of relief, having succeeded temporarily, and wished I could just stay there and take a nap.
But I can't rest now. The seal won't last long, and the vines outside are becoming even more violent because of my actions at the eye of the formation.
I staggered back to the mezzanine passage and desperately climbed upwards.
As I approached the cave entrance, I heard Luo Tianhe's angry roar coming from above.
The terrified screams of Li Huai and the tourists clearly indicated that the situation had deteriorated to an extreme degree.
"Luo Tianhe, hold on, I'm coming!"
It must have been tough on him; out of so many people, he was the only one with any fighting ability.
I crawled out of the hole using both my hands and feet, and saw that the house was in complete disarray, as if an earthquake and a tornado had struck at the same time.
Not only the doors and windows, but even several roof tiles were torn off, and several thick vines lashed out from the holes.
At this moment, Luo Tianhe was like a lone boat on the sea, struggling to stay afloat.
Luckily, I left some things here, otherwise half of the people here would be dead in a short while.
"Chen Yan, how's it going down there?" Luo Tianhe asked anxiously when he saw me come out.
"We've found the root, but I can only seal it off temporarily. This house is built on one of its key points. We need to leave here immediately and go to higher ground in the village, or find another way!"
I spoke rapidly, while simultaneously grabbing several cinnabar talismans that hadn't yet taken effect from the ground and quickly sticking them in several key locations inside the room.
"This will hold them off for a while, let's go!"
"Brother, how do we get out? The door is blocked, and all we see outside the window are those things!" Li Huai, that coward, cried out in a tearful voice.
I glanced at it, and he was right; the doorway and windows were completely covered by black vines.
After all, our place is quite conspicuous, with the presence of many living people.
My heart sank. The only way out was through the hole in the roof, but vines were also creeping in from there.
"Luo Tianhe, give me the sword. You go and set up the table against the wall. We'll break through the roof and go out. I'll clear the way!"
I yelled.
Without saying a word, Luo Tianhe first threw the Thunder Strike Sword to me, then kicked over the broken wooden table, and together with Li Huai, stood it up and leaned it against the hole in the roof.
I took the sword and began to talk to the lightning sword.
"Now you put in the effort, I'm completely exhausted, and I can only rely on you to get out!"
"Don't worry, I've got you covered! Besides, I'm not an object, so don't keep lending me out to others. It's much more comfortable with me in my master's hands!"
The sound of lightning striking the sword echoed in my mind. At first glance, this seemed reasonable, but I couldn't help but refute it.
"Luo Tianhe is my brother who has gone through thick and thin with me. How can he be considered just anyone? What you're saying is so unfair!"
The Thunderstrike Sword fell silent, only lightning crackling across its blade.
I took a deep breath and leaped upwards, using the tilted tabletop as a springboard.
The lightning-struck sword, crackling with electricity, stabbed fiercely at the dark purple vines.
"You little devils, let's give you something exciting!"
The lightning sword pierced the vine with a sudden burst of lightning, causing the vine to convulse violently and retract abruptly.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I grabbed the protruding brick on the roof with one hand, swung hard, and squeezed through the hole, landing on the roof.
At this moment, the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and rotten, burnt stench. Looking around, the entire Murong Village was a scene of hell, with nearly half of the houses ablaze and flames shooting into the sky.
What's going on? Why would someone take advantage of the chaos to set fires at this time?
The next moment I realized that these people set fire to their homes not to burn them down, but to suppress these strange vines.
Although these things are strange and evil, they are inherently yin in nature and have an innate fear of fire, which is yang.
By this time, Sun Wang's house was already surrounded by dense vines. I didn't have time to think further.
"Come on up here quickly!"
I shouted down at the top of my lungs, my voice urgent.
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