At this moment, everyone immediately understood, held their breath, and looked vigilantly towards the source of the sound.
A middle-aged monk with disheveled hair appeared in front of him. He was hunched over and held a wooden basin steadily in his hands.
Although the distance was still far, the pungent smell of blood inevitably penetrated into everyone's nostrils, making people feel chilled.
Only after the middle-aged monk disappeared from our sight did we breathe a sigh of relief, and then we continued to move towards the cave entrance cautiously.
When we actually walked out of the cave, the scene in front of us surprised us.
What came into view were caves of various sizes, and a strong pungent smell hit them in the face. The smell was a mixture of decay, blood, and an unknown stench, which made everyone frown.
Su Qiyuan reacted quickly and tore off a corner of his sleeve without hesitation. He skillfully made a simple face towel and gently wrapped it around my face to block the unpleasant and pungent smell.
Seeing this, everyone followed suit. After taking protective measures, we moved forward slowly and carefully along the winding path in the cave.
It was eerily quiet all around, with only the sound of our light footsteps echoing through the cave.
Suddenly, an old man appeared from the fork in the road ahead without any warning.
The second brother became alert instantly and immediately drew the sword from the scabbard, placing it horizontally across his chest. His whole body tensed, his eyes fixed on the old man's every move.
However, to our surprise, the old man slowly turned and walked towards us.
As the distance got closer, we could clearly see that the old man had never raised his head, and his movements were slow and wooden, as if he was controlled by some mysterious force.
He just walked past us quietly, exuding a faint smell of decay.
At this moment, Senior Shangguan's gaze fell directly on the old man who was motionless. In an instant, his eyes turned red and his body began to tremble slightly.
Although the old man's hair covered his face in a messy manner, Senior Shangguan recognized him at a glance. This man was his master whom he thought had passed away long ago.
His face was full of shock and confusion. He couldn't understand why his master appeared here.
Moreover, the master in front of him was wearing dirty clothes and had a dull expression, completely different from the immortal image in his memory. What happened in between?
Senior Shangguan stood there in a daze, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure in front of him, his heart was in turmoil.
Then, he involuntarily stepped forward quickly, stretched out his hand and tightly grasped the old man's sleeve.
After the old man was grabbed, he still did not react, as if he did not notice that someone was grabbing him.
He just continued to walk forward mechanically and woodenly, without pausing for a moment, nor turning around to look at Senior Shangguan.
His eyes were empty and lifeless as he stared straight ahead, and he kept mumbling incoherent words.
Senior Shangguan stumbled forward a few steps, led by the old man, but never let go. He followed the old man's steps and called out anxiously, "Master, Master! Look at me! I'm Heng'er! What's wrong with you?"
However, the old man turned a deaf ear to his shouts, still maintaining that dazed look, and continued to drag Senior Shangguan forward.
Seeing this, everyone followed, with worried and confused expressions on their faces.
The second brother frowned, tightly gripped the sword in his hand, and looked around vigilantly in case of any unexpected situation.
Su Qiyuan stood beside Senior Shangguan, ready to help at any time.
Baili Yanran bit her lip, her eyes full of concern, and whispered, "What on earth is going on? How could Senior Shangguan's master become like this?"
Senior Shangguan became more and more agitated. He shook the old man's arm vigorously, trying to regain consciousness, but the old man remained unmoved.
Tears welled up in his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly: "Master, please wake up! What happened? Why are you here, and in this state?"
Just when everyone was at a loss, the old man looked at a dark corner with a dull look, and then walked straight towards there.
We looked at each other, full of suspicion, and followed the old man's direction.
He slowly bent down, picked up the wooden basin in the corner, and then held it in his hand woodenly, and walked towards another cave.
We didn't dare to relax and followed him closely.
Along the way, we met a few people who moved with the same dullness. They had empty eyes and ignored us, the uninvited guests. They were just moving slowly along a certain predetermined trajectory.
At this moment, the light ahead became increasingly dazzling, and the strong smell of blood surged towards us like a tide, mixed with bursts of painful screams.
Everyone's pace slowed down involuntarily, and a strong sense of unease surged in their hearts. They could only move forward slowly, bit by bit.
As we got closer, we saw a cave of medium size, with a dozen people hanging above it with iron chains.
The scene was extremely tragic. All those people were in tattered clothes, had haggard faces, and drooped their heads weakly.
The old man walked up to a young monk, placed the wooden basin at his feet, then stood up, slowly took out a dagger from his arms, and slashed at the young monk's arm.
The young monk had been unconscious, but the sudden pain caused him to twitch violently, and a faint scream came from his cracked lips.
His brows were tightly furrowed, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead, mixing with the blood oozing from the wound and dripping into the wooden basin at his feet.
Seeing this, I subconsciously held Su Qiyuan's hand tightly, my fingertips turned white, and I couldn't help but shiver in my heart.
The cruelty of this world of cultivating immortals is far beyond imagination. The blood and suffering are so bluntly exposed before our eyes, which is horrifying.
Looking at the crowd again, although their expressions were solemn, they were not frightened by the scene before them. It seemed that everyone had a strong tolerance. I was the only one who was still so timid after being in the world of immortal cultivation for so long.
After a while, the blood on the young monk's arm gradually stopped flowing.
The old man then took out a handful of herbs from his arms and stuffed them into his mouth stiffly and mechanically.
Then he carried the wooden basin and slowly walked towards another place. We didn't dare to delay and quickly tiptoed to follow him.
Xuan Lingzi took a few quick steps, approached the young man hanging by the chains, and suddenly asked softly, "Are you still awake?"
The young monk's eyes, which had been closed, suddenly opened when he heard the sound. His eyes were full of fear and desire to survive, and he looked at us eagerly.
He twisted his body hard, trying to swallow the herbs that were stuffed in his mouth. After struggling for a while, he finally managed to swallow the herbs. Then he shouted weakly and intermittently, "Hurry, hurry and save me!"
The voice was filled with desperate pleas, echoing in the gloomy cave.
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