What everyone saw was a pitch-black tunnel, where even Transcendent Realm experts could only see a mere one meter ahead. Anything further was shrouded in complete darkness.
Ling Xiao clenched Dai Yuling’s hand tightly.
For others, the terrifying darkness was not much for him. Although his vision was restricted as well, the release of the "True Essence Ball" ensured that he could clearly "see" everything within at least a ten-meter radius.
"Let’s also catch up!"
Ling Xiao and Dai Yuling walked at the very front.
Following them were Leng Hao and others.
Far behind them were Bai Feifei and the rest of the group, led by her.
Ming Tian was still lagging far behind.
As soon as everyone entered the tunnel, they felt an eerie sense of pressure as if a great force was physically weighing down on them, making it extremely uncomfortable to walk.
Thankfully, after some time to adjust, it eventually became more bearable.
However, the space around them still felt as though it was continuously shrinking, and Ling Xiao realized that this was not an illusion.
It was a real sensation, and judging by the rate of contraction, they had to get through the tunnel within a quarter of an hour, or else there would be trouble.
Of course, the most unbearable part of the tunnel was the decaying odor.
The entire tunnel was nearly filled with filthy water, floating in which were extremely disgusting things, including rotting corpses and various insects.
Female disciples like Bai Feifei and Dai Yuling couldn’t stand this repulsiveness, so once inside the tunnel, they simply looked straight ahead, refusing to glance at the path beneath their feet.
However, this approach was indeed very dangerous.
For no one could predict whether something would suddenly leap out from the filthy, stinking water.
But Dai Yuling was not concerned; with Ling Xiao by her side, all she needed to do was focus on what was ahead.
Bai Feifei also had Shen Tian Lin wooing her, so she probably wouldn’t have any issues either.
Just like that, after walking for five or six minutes, they could clearly see that the tunnel narrowed significantly, although not to the extent that they would be trapped there.
Ling Xiao suddenly raised his right hand, "There’s a strange corpse. Although it’s lying in this stinky water, it hasn’t decayed at all."
Everyone stopped and looked in the direction Ling Xiao was pointing.
They had to use glowstones to broaden their visibility.
The light from the glowstones reached the end of the tunnel.
There, a sealed metal door stood.
Near that metal door lay a body, a very clean one without a hint of decay—utterly eerie.
"It’s just a corpse. What’s the big fuss about!"
Perhaps because Ling Xiao had performed too outstandingly and gained quite a few treasures, he had caused jealousy among many.
Some people thus spoke out in sarcasm when Ling Xiao abruptly stopped.
Ling Xiao sneered and said nothing, merely tapping Dai Yuling twice, sealing off her hearing.
At that instant, the corpse suddenly stood up and, at the same time, a shrill and eerie laughter echoed instantly.
The disciple who had just mocked Ling Xiao died miserably, holding his head as blood spilled from all his orifices.
Since he was the closest to Ling Xiao and the corpse, he suffered the most severe damage.
"Remaining count: eighteen!"
No one paid attention to the dead disciple; everyone followed Ling Xiao’s example and blocked out their hearing.
One could see the corpse’s head slowly lifted, then that pale and sinister face was revealed under the luminescence of the fluorescent stones.
The light paired with the pallid face was truly a bit terrifying.
"Hey, this guy couldn’t still be alive, could he?"
Although everyone here were Transcendent Realm Martial Artists, there were still many among them with faint hearts.
Hearing the trembling voice, Ling Xiao couldn’t help but chuckle and said, "If he isn’t dead, that might be even better; perhaps there’s a great opportunity lingering here."
Everyone was communicating with telepathy, so even with their hearing blocked, they could still contact one another.
Having said that, Ling Xiao gently patted Dai Yuling’s hand, signaling her to stay put, and then he quickly walked towards the resurrected corpse.
Seeing Ling Xiao approach, the corpse seemed to realize that its voice was no longer a threat to Ling Xiao and the others, so its eyes began to flicker with a green color.
This was clearly a different tactic.
Amidst the crowd, screams rang out again, followed by the sounds of combat.
"Remaining number, seventeen!"
"Remaining number, sixteen!"
Two people had died in quick succession, and from the original fifty, only sixteen remained!
The two who had died were dragged into the stinking water by pale arms that suddenly reached out, and they were smothered to death.
This scene immediately tensioned up everyone’s emotions, but fortunately, they were all martial artists with quick reflexes, which avoided more deaths.
"Idiots, killed by an illusion; what a waste!"
Shen Tian Lin snorted disdainfully.
After all, he was one of the top ten Core Disciples, and he quickly noticed the peculiarities of these attacks.
If you were not afraid, these things could not harm you, but if you harbored fear, once the terror accumulated to a certain degree, the illusion would turn into a real attack.
Of course, Ling Xiao also noticed this, but he wasn’t as harsh and wouldn’t utter such displeasing words.
He turned back to look at Dai Yuling, and seeing that she was alright, he continued walking forward.
Neither the terrifying voices nor the illusions affected him in the slightest; faced with such fear, he didn’t even react at all.
He even directly took out the Ice Dragon Sword, readying himself to shred the strange creature into countless pieces at any moment.
Although it was unclear what this creature was, it seemed to have some intelligence. Sensing Ling Xiao’s disregard for its attacks, the creature’s eyes glinted green again, and it unleashed a new technique.
In that instant, a corpse that looked ghastly pale suddenly transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman!
About twenty years old, she was dressed in a thin, gauzy garment, with long black hair cascading down her back, and her pretty face was flushed and radiant, revealing a seductive smile.
But the most unbearable part was the allure of her semi-transparency.
Just considering beauty, she was almost on par with the Moon Lady, only lacking in her temperament.
Behind, several male and female disciples felt a constriction in their breathing.
A few male disciples actually started to walk over in a dazed and foolish manner.
Ling Xiao too was stunned for a moment and even sheathed his Ice Dragon Sword.
"Hmph, so Ling Xiao has a weakness after all, and that is lust. If I’m not mistaken, this must also be an illusion; yet he fell for it."
Shen Tian Lin huffed, then said to Tantai Lingzi beside him, "Senior Sister, with your beauty, if you were to employ the art of seduction, you could probably bewitch him completely."
"Idiot, underestimating him will cost you dearly!"
Tantai Lingzi certainly didn’t underestimate Ling Xiao as Shen Tian Lin did, and she held him in high regard.