r18novel Chapter 48. Get lost!
Chapter 48. Get lost!
"Get out of here!!!"
boom!!!!!!!
One after another, pitch-black, extremely thin hands suddenly reached out from the restaurant!
Dangerous!
"Croak!!!"
The croaking of frogs is like thunder!
A deafening sound exploded instantly, like a thunderclap!
The sound waves, almost visible to the naked eye and imbued with internal energy, instantly caused cracks to appear in the entire building!
The actions of countless sinister forces also slowed down!
The emaciated, desiccated corpse slowly widened its eye sockets...
But he hadn't realized it yet!
A tremendous force, also imbued with internal energy, struck his head!
Die!
quack!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Chen Tieshan vaguely heard something.
But I couldn't hear it clearly.
and……
Headache.
A severe headache.
hateful!
It was as if someone was using a red-hot iron rod to violently stir Chen Tieshan's brain.
"hiss……"
Chen Tieshan gasped and struggled to open his eyes.
What came into view was darkness.
wrong.
It's not dim.
It's candlelight.
The flickering candlelight burned all around, illuminating the entire room in an alternating light and shadow.
Chen Tieshan blinked, trying to get a better look at his surroundings.
Where is this...?
He remembered that he had just been on the street, leading his disciples to eat at Zuixianlou...
Yes, Zuixianlou.
He should be at Zuixianlou right now.
but……
Chen Tieshan braced himself against the ground and struggled to sit up. His muscles ached all over, as if he had been severely beaten.
In other words...
Have I fought?
But... he doesn't remember anything at all.
Chen Tieshan took a deep breath, trying to recall what had just happened.
My mind was a mess, with only a few scattered fragments flickering in my mind.
There was laughter.
There was singing.
It smells like wine.
It smells like meat.
then……
And then nothing happened.
"Damn it..."
Chen Tieshan gritted his teeth and shook his head violently, trying to clear his mind.
As a martial artist with an outwardly radiant inner energy realm, only one step away from the limit of martial master, he believed that in this Hidden Sun City, apart from City Lord Zhang, no one could make him faint without any resistance.
But now...
He not only fell into a coma, but he also couldn't remember what had happened.
This sense of powerlessness filled Chen Tieshan with deep fear.
Damn it, what on earth happened?!
By the way, Drunken Immortal Pavilion is eerie!
I've fallen for that strange trick! I've been lured into the Drunken Immortal Pavilion!
Had he fought against something supernatural? Why did he have no recollection of it?
Chen Tieshan took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and composed himself.
But the next moment, resentment welled up in his heart.
Faced with the bizarre...
I realized how weak and powerless I was.
This realization was like a bucket of cold water poured over Chen Tieshan from head to toe.
What is the Inner Qi Realm?
What are the limits of a martial arts master?
Compared to those utterly illogical and bizarre phenomena, it was nothing but a joke. But a sliver of doubt also arose within him…
In his own memory, his perception seemed to have been rewritten, so how did he become sober now?
Chen Tieshan gave a wry smile and looked around.
The surrounding scenery gradually became clear.
This is a spacious hall, decorated in a magnificent and opulent style, with red lacquer carvings everywhere.
The walls were adorned with calligraphy and paintings, and antiques were displayed in the corners, making it look exactly like a private room in a high-end restaurant.
but……
Chen Tieshan's gaze fell on the floor not far away.
There, two corpses lay.
To be precise, they were two mummified corpses.
Skin and bones, emaciated and twisted, his face frozen in a state of extreme pain and fear.
Chen Tieshan's pupils suddenly contracted.
He recognized him.
That's Wang Daniu.
And there's Old Li.
His disciple.
"Big Ox..."
Chen Tieshan muttered to himself and staggered over.
He crouched down and reached out to touch Wang Daniu's face, but as soon as his fingers touched the dry skin, he couldn't help but pull them back.
it's too cold.
It was icy cold.
And that feel...
It's like touching a piece of cured meat that's been dried for decades.
"Old Li..."
Chen Tieshan then looked at the equally shriveled corpse next to him.
Old Li's eyes were still open, his pupils dilated, and his mouth was wide open, as if he were screaming silently.
"..."
Chen Tieshan remained silent.
He slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly.
These two disciples had followed him for three years.
Although his talent is average, he is diligent and honest.
Especially Wang Daniu, although he is not very bright, he never slacks off in his training and is the most reliable one in the gym.
And Old Li...
Old Li also has an elderly mother to support.
Chen Tieshan remembers that Old Li would save most of his meager monthly salary and send it home.
I usually can't even afford to eat a decent meal.
But now...
are dead.
And he died such a tragic death.
Chen Tieshan closed his eyes, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
"sorry……"
He said in a low voice.
"It's my fault that you all got into this mess..."
If he hadn't insisted on taking everyone out to eat, if he hadn't suddenly decided to treat everyone, if he hadn't failed to notice the danger...
These two young people should still be alive.
They should still be practicing at the martial arts school, still working hard for that meager monthly salary.
But now...
Everything is gone.
Chen Tieshan sighed, but as his thoughts became clearer, he froze.
Wait, why did I suddenly suggest going out to eat?
!
?
How many disciples did he have?
Where were Da Niu and Lao Li when I first noticed something was wrong?
Chen Tieshan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear, grief, and guilt in his heart.
Now is not the time to be afraid, nor is it the time to ponder where the anomaly came from.
He is still alive.
That means there might be other people alive here.
The second young master of the Lu family, that little girl, and the other disciples...
He must find them.
Chen Tieshan raised his head and began to carefully examine his surroundings.
This hall was much larger than he had just seen.
Beneath the glittering decorations lies an indescribable sense of eeriness.
Those paintings and calligraphy works appear to be the work of famous artists, but upon closer inspection, the expressions of the figures in the paintings are extremely distorted, as if they are enduring immense pain.
The antiques were arranged neatly, but each one was stained with dark red dirt.
is blood.
Chen Tieshan squinted and continued to observe.
Then he saw more corpses.
Dozens of corpses lay scattered haphazardly in various corners of the hall.
Some wore long silk robes, while others wore short coarse cloth outfits.
There are men and women, old and young.
Without exception, they were all dried corpses.
Skin and bones, with a hideous face.
Fortunately, the young master of the Lu family, the young lady of the Lu family, and his disciples were all still alive, lying casually on the ground just like him.
This made Chen Tieshan relax a lot. He turned his head and carefully examined the dried corpse on the ground...
This...this is way too much!
"How much is this...?"
Chen Tieshan felt a wave of dizziness and dread.
So many people...
Why is there no information in this city?!
Moreover, judging from the state of the body, it was clear that the person had not just died.
These people look like they've been dead for a long time.
But considering the appearance of his disciple, this may have happened recently.
But how many people have died recently?
In other words...
Their consciousness had long been subtly influenced, so how could they not have noticed that dozens of people had gone missing in the city?
He immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
This so-called Drunken Immortal Pavilion is simply like a...
cemetery.
Chen Tieshan shivered.
He was preparing to continue his search when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something wriggling on the ground.
He suddenly lowered his head—
All around the corpses were swarms of insects.
No.
That's not an insect.
It's a leech.
Leeches, about the thickness of a thumb, dark red in color, and with a slippery surface, were slowly wriggling on the floor.
They lay on the corpses, opening their sucker-like mouths to gnaw on the dried-up flesh.
It makes a sticky, nauseating chewing sound.
"Chirp...chirp..."
Chen Tieshan suppressed the churning in his stomach and stared intently at the leeches.
Then, he discovered something even more terrifying.
Those leeches...
It has eyes.
It's not like the degenerated, almost invisible little black spots of a common leech.
Rather, they are real, human eyes.
Wet, bloodshot, and rotating human eyes grow on the surface of the leech's body.
Some leeches grow on the head, some on the abdomen, and some are even covered with countless eyes all over their bodies.
All those eyes turned around and stared intently at Chen Tieshan.
"..."
Chen Tieshan's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
The feeling of being watched by countless eyes made him afraid to breathe.
He instinctively took a step back—
Squeak!!
Almost the instant he moved his foot, the leeches that had been lying on the ground all raised their "heads".
Their eyes were all wide open, fixed on Chen Tieshan's location.
Then--
Click.
Click.
Click.
The dried corpses that had been lying on the ground, completely lifeless, began to move.
Their joints made a teeth-grinding grinding sound, and their stiff bodies slowly crawled up from the ground.
His head was twisted at an odd angle, and all those empty eye sockets were "looking" at Chen Tieshan.
Chen Tieshan's heart pounded.
He immediately assumed a defensive stance, and his internal energy circulated wildly.
step.
It only moved one step.
Then all those dried-up corpses came back to life.
This……
What is this?
Chen Tieshan gritted his teeth, not daring to make any further rash moves.
Because he knew perfectly well that although those mummified corpses looked fragile, they were not living beings!
This means that even if he can defeat the opponent, he may not be able to kill them.
Once a living person's head is smashed and their internal organs are injured, they will collapse and not be able to get up!
But they're all dead, so who knows how to prevent them from getting up!
And there are too many of them.
Dozens of mummified corpses, plus countless leeches on the ground.
If a fight really breaks out...
Chen Tieshan was not confident that he could escape unscathed.
Moreover, he is in very poor condition right now.
My internal energy is severely depleted, and my body is somewhat weak.
What should I do?
Charge out?
still is……
Just as Chen Tieshan hesitated, the dried corpses began to walk towards him.
Their movements were stiff and slow, but each step was extremely firm.
Meanwhile, the leeches on the ground began to wriggle, like a dark red tide surging towards Chen Tieshan.
"Damn it..."
Chen Tieshan gritted his teeth, preparing to fight to the death.
The big deal is death!
He clenched his fist, gathering all the remaining internal energy within him, preparing for a full-force attack—
boom!!!
A loud bang!
The once magnificent restaurant began to tremble violently.
The walls were shaking.
The floor was shaking.
Even the air was trembling.
An extremely oppressive and terrifying atmosphere surged from the depths of the building, sweeping through the entire space as if it were a tangible entity.
Then--
One after another, pitch-black, extremely thin hands suddenly emerged from the walls, under the floor, and on the ceiling of the restaurant!
Those hands were withered and thin, the skin clinging tightly to the bones, and the nails were long and sharp, gleaming with a black sheen.
The entire wall suddenly exploded!
Broken bricks and tiles poured down like a torrential rain!
What happened?!
Chen Tieshan was still in shock when the next moment those hands passed him and rushed straight out the door!
Before Chen Tieshan could even realize what was happening, a mummified corpse closest to him was struck hard by a dark figure. Its entire body flew backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily against the wall and shattering into a pile of broken bones!
"What—!?"
Chen Tieshan instinctively raised his hand to protect his face from the flying pebbles.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
He squinted, staring intently at the hole in the wall that had been blasted open.
What is that?
Friend or foe?
Is it eerie?
still is……
The smoke and dust gradually dissipated.
A dark green figure slowly appeared.
That is……
Chen Tieshan was stunned.
He stared wide-eyed at the sight before him, incredulous.
Crouching at the edge of the hole was a...
Toad.
A massive creature, half a meter tall, entirely dark green, with muscles like cast iron and skin covered in a hard keratin layer…
A giant toad.
Its huge, beady green eyes were coldly scanning the inside of the building.
Two streams of hot white vapor shot out of his nostrils, leaving long trails of mist in the dim candlelight.
"Croak~~~~~~!" The deep croaking of the frog was like a thunderclap!
This is……
"..."
Chen Tieshan's mouth gaped open, his mind blank. He remembered! Before he lost consciousness, before he was bewitched, he had last heard this frog's croak!
but……
Why is it only one...?
A toad?
……
Chen Tieshan stared at the giant toad in shock.
A toad!?
A toad sent the dried corpse flying!?
and……
Chen Tieshan blinked, wondering if he had seen wrong.
That toad...
It looks like...
Does it look familiar?
Fang Yuan squatted at the edge of the hole, his large eyes coldly scanning the inside of the building.
He saw Chen Tieshan.
I also saw dried corpses and leeches all over the ground.
Then I saw that long, narrow figure. Was that guy dead?!
"Quack."
Fang Yuan was deeply suspicious.
But the next moment, he no longer needed to doubt such things!
because--
Those damned ghost hands attacked again!
"Croak!?"
Fang Yuan's pupils contracted.
Danger!
Almost instinctively, he activated the "Toad Palace Step," his hind leg suddenly exerting force, and his entire body shot backward like a cannonball!
Whoosh-!
The dark green figure left a trail of afterimages and instantly disappeared from its original position.
And the very next moment after he left—
*Clap clap clap clap clap!*
Dozens of pitch-black arms slammed down on the spot where he had just been squatting!
The force was so great that it smashed countless cracks into the hard floor!
Gravel flew everywhere, and dust billowed up!
Fang Yuan flipped over in mid-air and landed steadily on the other side of the hall.
He turned around and looked—
Those dark arms did not retract.
Instead, they seemed to come alive, dancing wildly in the air before turning in unison towards Fang Yuan.
"Whoosh—!"
They've attacked again!
It's incredibly fast, giving no one time to react!
"Croak!"
Fang Yuan let out a low roar and advanced instead of retreating!
He pushed off with his hind legs again, and his body shot out like an arrow, heading straight for those arms!
Since we can't avoid it, then—
Smash them!
"Quack! Qu ...
With a loud shout, Fang Yuan suddenly spun around in the air, his thick hind leg sweeping out like a battle axe!
[Mountain Shaking Force] Level 7, unleash its full power!
boom!!!
The wind howled, and the air exploded!
That extremely powerful force collided instantly with the arms at the very front!
Click—!
A crisp snapping sound rang out!
Several dark arms were swept off by Fang Yuan's kick!
Black bone fragments and dried flesh scattered everywhere, turning into wisps of black mist in the air!
"Croak!"
The enormous toad bounced up again the moment it landed.
Its figure moved like a ghost, weaving among the densely packed arms!
Each jump was accompanied by a crisp cracking sound as if bones were breaking!
Each time it lands, it crushes several arms that are trying to sneak up from underground!
The combination of the "Toad Palace Step" and the "Mountain Shaking Force" unleashed astonishing destructive power in this confined space!
In just a few breaths, dozens of arms had been shattered by Fang Yuan!
but--
Those arms seemed endless.
As soon as Fang Yuan smashed one batch, another batch immediately poured out from the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Moreover, their numbers are increasing and their speed is getting faster and faster.
Chen Tieshan, standing to the side, was completely stunned!
A toad, that strong?!
Is this reasonable?