Immediately, a strong force yanked Zhou Xuan upward, and everything around him reverted to the viscous, bright red blood.
His body rose rapidly, and once Bai Gu Monk pulled Zhou Xuan out of the Blood Well, Zhou Xuan collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.
He noticed that his body was covered with numerous purple marks—corpse spots that only appeared on the dead.
By the side of the well, the pocket watch’s hands pointed precisely to "one."
"I can’t believe I’ve accumulated so much death energy."
Zhou Xuan stared at the purple spots on his body, which took several minutes to fade just a little.
"The talismanic script states that each descent into the Blood Well must not exceed three sticks of incense’s time. Judging by this, if someone lingers too long, their body would fill entirely with death energy. At that point, whether I’d be alive or dead would become uncertain."
Zhou Xuan gazed at the large, persistent purple corpse spots that had yet to fade, fearing to take another risky descent into the Blood Well.
"I’ll go back down after these corpse spots have completely dissipated."
Bending down, Zhou Xuan picked up the "High Monk Moon Gaze" tattoo, carefully stored it away, and left the Totem Hall.
After concluding this journey to the Totem Hall, Zhou Xuan visited the Water Room, which was open 24/7. He filled two warm kettles with boiling water, returned home, mixed them with cold water to create a comfortable temperature, and took a bath.
When finished, Zhou Xuan changed into his pajamas and lay down on his bed, contemplating Peng Wen’s shocking words—the Tattoo Tree Clan intends to create a Heavenly God.
"Those people don’t seem crazy at all."
Zhou Xuan mumbled as he fiddled with his Bone Teeth, recalling the imposing aura exuded by Peng Sheng during combat.
As his thoughts wandered, Zhou Xuan found himself fixating on Peng Sheng’s sister.
That Peach Blossom Girl—he couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity, as though he’d seen her somewhere before.
Her figure, her height, her demeanor,
Zhou Xuan abruptly sat upright in his bed.
"Yes, it’s the Lantern Bride from the Secret Realm. I know who her post-wedding husband is."
The Peach Blossom Girl is destined to marry the Heavenly God in the sacrificial ceremony.
The Lantern Ghost Girl’s husband must surely be the Heavenly God, right?
"She is the Peach Blossom Girl. Three hundred years later, she entered my Secret Realm, becoming the spark of prosperity for my Tattoo Hall.
And now I return to three hundred years ago, to visit her home, and might even witness her wedding to the Heavenly God firsthand.
Could this all echo some unseen destiny?"
Zhou Xuan fell deep into thought...
Late at night, within a villa on Nine Hui South Road,
inside, Lin Xia and Feng Xigui were cuddled asleep when suddenly the ringing of a telephone in the corner of the bedroom pierced through the silence.
The weather was a bit chilly, and Lin Xia begrudgingly got out of bed to answer the phone.
A frantic shout blared from the receiver—it was her elder brother’s voice.
Following a desperate scream and the chilling sound of blood spilling, the receiver fell deadly silent.
Realizing something, Lin Xia quickly hung up the call and immediately tried to connect with the operator.
"Patch me through to East Market Street..."
"Miss, East Market Street’s which shop or residence, Miss, Miss." The operator inquired politely, but received no response.
The telephone line went lifeless, severed cleanly by a spinning, thrown Bone Token.
The Bone Token’s momentum didn’t falter, embedding itself into the telephone cabinet.
"Bone Elder Association."
The Bone Token served as an emblem of the Bone Elder Association. The one now before Lin Xia depicted an eviscerated man, engrossed in reading, his entire body writhing in decay.
The image symbolized the "Suffering Scholar."
The Bone Token’s arrival meant a Bone Elder was undeniably nearby.
Lin Xia cautiously focused her gaze on the doorway. To be exact, she fixated on the doorknob.
Never in a million years did she imagine a figure would suddenly emerge from the wall behind her—a frail elder.
On the elder’s chest gleamed the gold sheen of the "Divine Armor."
The Divine Armor was a commonplace Magic Artifact within the City God Hall.
Using the Divine Armor, the elder silently phased through the wall, appearing right behind Lin Xia, and seized her throat effortlessly.
Five tusks burst forth from Lin Xia’s face, with one violently ejecting itself to pierce the figure behind her.
The Suffering Scholar hooked his left middle finger, commanding the tusk to obediently halt.
"What are you doing?" Feng Xigui stirred from sleep, sensing an abnormality, and lunged toward the Suffering Scholar.
The Suffering Scholar raised his left finger, altering the tusk’s trajectory; it now impaled Feng Xigui directly between the brows.
Feng Xigui collapsed backward onto the ground, his eyes devoid of movement.
Lin Xia witnessed her husband killed by her own tusks, overcome with grief. But her throat, firmly squeezed, prevented her from sobbing aloud, and her tears cascaded uncontrollably.
"The Liao Ghost Hall is too small; dealing with you lot sullies my dignity."
The Suffering Scholar grasped Lin Xia’s tusks as they protruded from her face, inch by inch extracting them. The pain caused Lin Xia’s body to quiver violently.
"Tsk tsk, such fine teeth. My apologies, Miss Lin, my godson is about to endure seven sticks of incense. His spirit bone and spirit blood cannot fail..."
ps: Brothers, muah, today’s another big Chapter, muah.