Hearing the exclamations ahead, Chen Jing quickly looked over and, following the light of the torches, saw cages made of intersecting iron pillars beginning to appear in the passageways on both sides.
The cage was crammed with human corpses, packed tightly together. The stiff yet vivid faces of the desiccated corpses on the outermost layer were pressed against the cage, sending chills down one's spine.
"Ah!" Zhang Taoying screamed in fear and took several steps back.
Chen Jing and the others were alright; they often scavenged and had seen many corpses. However, this was the first time they had ever seen such a dense scene of corpses piled up in cages, which inevitably brought them quite a shock.
On the contrary, He Lili, who looked very quiet, was the first to come to the corpses and carefully observe them.
"Most fatal wounds are in the throat, which are the kind of wounds that are caused by human sacrifices."
"The blood has been drained..."
"The body showed no signs of decomposition, making it difficult to determine the time of death."
Listening to He Lili speak these words in a calm tone, Chen Jing gained a new understanding of her.
In the former Song Dynasty, corpses did not decompose normally; the dense fog and spiritual energy here were imbued with a certain power.
He Lili subconsciously brushed her hair aside and said, "It's a bit like the methods of the flesh priests over in Xiangliu Wetland. I heard they like to refine human flesh into some kind of elixir."
Refining flesh and blood into elixir... is it the essence of life? Chen Jing suddenly recalled his encounter at the Donglai Pawnshop.
Mo Wujiang regarded his apprentices as the elixir of life!
"So, you mean," Chen Jing asked cautiously, "that the one who built the dungeon beneath the arena was a heretic or evil spirit?"
He Lili looked at the various corpses and shook her head: "Not necessarily. Look, these corpses not only have the facial features of the Song people, but also those of the Lan Dynasty, Xia Dynasty, and Tian Dynasty."
"Judging from their age and the scars on other parts of their bodies, they are very likely prisoners of war."
"Using prisoners of war for blood sacrifice?" Chen Jing asked in astonishment.
"It's hard to say right now." He Lili was about to continue the examination when Mo Wuge's voice came from behind.
"Why did you stop? Keep going and report back to me if you find any danger."
He was at the very back of the line, near the door, standing on the stairs, giving orders to those in front.
"Let's go," Dao Nan said.
“Hmm.” Chen Jing said, “I suspect that the people from the Meijing Dojo also came here and passed through here. The campfire before belonged to them. Maybe we can find something ahead.”
After a brief exchange, the group continued forward, moving between the dungeons on either side.
Suddenly, after walking through the queue, Chen Jing saw the door of one of the cells in front of him open with a snap.
The dried-up corpses inside suddenly rushed out and fell on the scouts at the front.
"Are you alright..." Dao Nan was about to go over to help him up, but he immediately stopped in his tracks.
The corpses were tearing at the fallen soldiers in front of them, who were screaming in agony.
They fought back desperately, but there were too many zombies, too densely packed, and they were overwhelmed and had no chance to resist!
Not good! Chen Jing drew his straight sword, Lonely City, but instead of looking at the people being attacked in front of him, he looked back at the one-way passage they had come from.
"It's a zombie outbreak!" He Lili exclaimed urgently, "They've turned into zombies!"
Then, she realized something and looked at the passage behind her a beat later than Chen Jing.
The passageway was quiet.
Dao Nan had already drawn his sword and stepped forward, while Li Ai also transformed his hand into a beast claw, grabbing at the zombies.
Chen Jing didn't have time to think too much. He drew his sword, Lone City, and the Eye of Assassination quietly unfolded.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Chen Jing and his two companions quickly eliminated the zombies that stood up and approached them. Although the zombies were stronger and more resistant to attacks than humans, they were slow to react and could not make use of their numbers in such a confined space.
However, at that moment, Chen Jing saw the armored figure stand up in the deepest part of the prison.
That's Mélorian!
The senior disciple of Meijing Dojo.
He wore light armor and carried a straight sword as he walked out of the prison, separated from Chen Jing and the others by the horde of zombies that had turned into corpses.
At that moment, Chen Jing saw his face.
The pupils are deep black, with no visible whites.
Wandering spirit! The word popped into Chen Jing's mind.
Mellorian has become a wandering ghost!
Mellorian advanced with the horde of corpses, his sword aimed straight at Chen Jing.
Clang!
Chen Jingge blocked the sword strike, but had to back away because the pressure on the defensive line increased with the addition of Mellorian to the battle. It would have been easy to deal with the zombies or Mellorian individually, but now the zombies ignored Mellorian and attacked Chen Jingge and the others together with him, forming a good coordination for a short time.
Merlot's sword ignited and struck Chen Jing's sword again. The instantaneous high temperature and immense force almost made Chen Jing lose his grip on the hilt.
Li Ai and Dao Nan, who were on either side of Chen Jing, were also tied down by the zombies and unable to participate in the battle.
Right behind them, Zhang Taoying, who was wearing an eye patch, ripped it off.
In an instant, an invisible wave swept by. The zombies were unaffected, as if blown by the wind, but Melloran was briefly slowed down.
This is Zhang Taoying's method of dispelling evil spirits, and it also has some effect on wandering souls.
Chen Jing seized this opportunity. He activated his Assassination Eye, using it to enhance his accuracy. He manipulated the Lone City to find a gap in the zombie's attack and stabbed it viciously into Mei Luoliang's vitals.
puff.
Mellorian collapsed to the ground.
What a precise strike!
After losing their leader, the zombies could no longer pose a threat in this terrain and were easily eliminated by the three.
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