Chapter 509: Stone Door on the White Bones

Her words made Zu'an's heart flutter. He was not so insensible as to miss the affection in her voice.

Gazing at her exquisite beauty, her alluring and affectionate eyes, and her luscious red lips, Zu'an could no longer resist and leaned in to kiss her directly.

Pei Mianman stiffened at first, but her body soon softened, and she responded to him with a mix of passion and shyness.

After a long kiss, they parted. Looking at the alluring Pei Mianman in his arms, he suddenly sighed, "What we're doing feels a bit unfair to Chuyan."

It would be one thing if it were someone else, but Pei Mianman and Chu Chuyan were best friends. He worried about how to tell Chuyan about this later; even a slight misstep could make her feel betrayed.

Pei Mianman rolled her eyes at him. "Haven't you two already divorced?"

Zu'an paused, then a smile appeared on his face. "Ah, you're right. Then, let's continue." He moved to kiss her again.

Pei Mianman scoffed, "Pah, you scoundrel!"

Zu'an knew she wasn't truly angry and simply watched her, chuckling.

Pei Mianman pushed him. "Stop fooling around. Quickly, help me check my shoulder injury."

"Alright!" Zu'an unbuttoned her collar and gently pulled down the fabric on her shoulder. Her skin, made even whiter and more delicate by the bloodstains, and the faint glimpse of her chest, left him momentarily stunned.

"What are you staring at? I told you to look at the wound," Pei Mianman chided softly.

"Oh, right." Zu'an's face flushed. He quickly refocused and began examining her, gently touching the scab on her skin. "Your injury is almost completely healed. The itchiness is just from the scabbing."

"Really?" Pei Mianman's heart lifted. "Will it leave a scar?"

"Of course not." Zu'an had sustained many injuries himself previously, but they had never left scars.

"Are you sure?" Pei Mianman was still a little uneasy. "Check my back again."

Zu'an chuckled as he checked her back. "Don't worry, even if there was a scar, I'd still want you."

"Pah, you wish! The men who want me could form a line from the academy gates all the way to Dragon Hidden Mountain outside Brightmoon City," Pei Mianman retorted, pulling up her clothes and buttoning them.

Zu'an chuckled. "Alright, alright, let's get out of here quickly."

As if sensing the demise of the gluttonous beast, the strange snakes that had hidden in the shadows were already beginning to emerge from the skulls. He had no desire to get caught in a battle with them again.

Pei Mianman nodded and climbed out of his embrace. As her injury healed, she felt her condition gradually improving. Though still somewhat weaker than her peak, she was now confident in her ability to defend herself. This realization made her marvel even more at the miraculous power of Zu'an's medicine, and her gaze towards him softened considerably.

Zu'an went to the opening in the wall, then suddenly turned back to store the gluttonous beast's corpse within his Glazed Pearl.

Pei Mianman covered her nose, a look of distaste on her face. "Why are you collecting that thing?"

"This monster hasn't been seen outside," Zu'an replied. "Perhaps its corpse will be useful someday."

His Glazed Pearl already contained numerous items. He wondered if the gluttonous beast's corpse would cause blood to surge or corrode the other contents.

Zu'an extended his consciousness to check and found that the gluttonous beast's corpse seemed to be stored in an independent space within the pearl, where objects did not interfere with each other. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"What use could such a disgusting, ugly monster be?" Pei Mianman muttered, still annoyed by the memory of being injured by the gluttonous beast. "By the way, your spatial artifact's capacity is truly enormous, isn't it? It can even fit a monster that large."

Zu'an smiled faintly. "Have you forgotten that giant dragon from before? If even that could fit, this thing is nothing." As he spoke, he revealed the Glazed Pearl for her to see.

Pei Mianman couldn't help but exclaim, "If people knew about such a spatial artifact, its significance would be no less than your Phoenix Nirvana Sutra! You just told me about it without any hesitation. Aren't you afraid I'll develop ill intentions?"

Zu'an smiled faintly. "If I can't even trust the person I love, living in this world would be too exhausting."

"The person I love?" Pei Mianman's heart skipped a beat, clearly deeply moved by his words.

At that moment, Zu'an changed the subject. "Of course, if you, my dear Mianman, truly harbor any ill intentions toward me, I welcome them anytime. Don't pity me just because I'm a delicate flower."

Pei Mianman responded with a flurry of light punches. "You rascal, you can never be serious for long."

After their playful banter, the two returned to the sloping opening in the wall. Noticing the viscous fluid coating the walls, Zu'an cautioned, "Be careful."

Fortunately, the substance wasn't corrosive; it was just very sticky and looked rather disgusting.

"Mm." Without needing a reminder, Pei Mianman also tiptoed, wary of stepping in it. Girls naturally felt a strong aversion to such things.

The two climbed up the slope, gradually feeling a degree of gratitude towards the gluttonous beast. First, it had helped them deal with the troublesome snakes. Second, the mucus it had left along the way made the climb easier. Otherwise, with such smooth walls and a steep incline, ascending would have been quite difficult.

A moment later, they finally emerged from the tunnel. Looking at the familiar clear gray mist surrounding them, they felt a strange sense of comfort.

"We need to be careful not to fall again," Zu'an said, looking at the steep slope below, still feeling a lingering sense of trepidation.

Pei Mianman raised a fist. "Don't worry, my injury is fully recovered now. Even if we encounter danger, I can help you bear the burden."

Zu'an smiled. "In that case, I'd still prefer not to encounter any danger."

Just then, a sudden warning surged in his heart, and he quickly pushed Pei Mianman aside. "Watch out!"

At the same moment, Pei Mianman also cried out, "Careful!"

They both leaped to the sides. A clear gray tongue struck the spot where they had just been standing, kicking up dust from the ground.

Seeing the familiar tongue, their hearts trembled, and they quickly looked to the side.

A terrifying figure slowly emerged from the clear gray mist. Its strange head, full set of white teeth, drooling mouth, and eyes on its shoulders were all identical to the creature they had just encountered below.

Another gluttonous beast!

"What kind of luck is this today? Why do we keep encountering these strange things?" Zu'an sighed. Yet, he wasn't overly concerned. Below, he had primarily suffered due to the gluttonous beast's ambush and his unfamiliarity with its traits. Now, with Pei Mianman recovered and his understanding of the creature's various tactics from their previous fight, this battle would clearly be much easier.

The gluttonous beast seemed to sense his disdain, letting out a series of strange cries as it lunged at Zu'an. With a powerful thrust of its hind legs, it appeared before him almost instantly.

Zu'an was prepared. He executed a sliding tackle, swinging his sword upward from beneath the beast, intending to use the Tai'e Sword to pierce its belly and disembowel it.

Unexpectedly, despite its large size, the gluttonous beast was remarkably agile. It slapped his sword aside with one paw, then swung the other directly at his face.

Simultaneously, its long tail lashed out, aiming for his abdomen.

Zu'an quickly propped himself on the ground, disregarding his image, and awkwardly darted out from under the beast's belly.

"Damn it, those internet keyboard warriors' theory of using a sliding tackle to kill a tiger was truly idiotic!" Zu'an cursed under his breath.

By then, the gluttonous beast had landed. It pushed off the ground with its front paw, then resumed its strange cries as it lunged at him again. Its agility far surpassed that of any human.

Just then, a stream of black flames flew over, coiling directly around the gluttonous beast. Clearly, Pei Mianman had made her move.

The gluttonous beast roared in alarm, though to human ears, it still sounded like a series of strange cries, just with a different pitch.

He didn't know what was happening with the gluttonous beast's skin, but the black flames, which were usually difficult to extinguish once attached, began to fade after the creature rolled around a few times.

Startled, Zu'an dashed forward. While the gluttonous beast's attention was on the black flames on its body, he plunged his sword directly into its shoulder eye, replicating his strategy from the beast in the pit.

The gluttonous beast roared in alarm, then fell silent. It hadn't expected to die so easily, with so many of its abilities still untapped!

Zu'an retrieved the Tai'e Sword. "Mianman, thank you so much for that."

"If you hadn't distracted it, my black flames wouldn't have been able to burn it." Pei Mianman then frowned, looking at the corpse on the ground with a mix of surprise and uncertainty. "But what's wrong with this monster? Why couldn't my black flames kill it?"

Her black flames could burn even steel to ashes, yet they proved ineffective against this creature's flesh and blood.

"This gluttonous beast is certainly strange. My dagger had no effect on it earlier either." Zu'an still hadn't figured out why his lethal dagger had been ineffective.

"A gluttonous beast? You know what this is?" Pei Mianman asked curiously.

"Yes, I've read some accounts about it..." Zu'an then recounted the descriptions he remembered.

Pei Mianman looked surprised. "Why have I never heard of that? Where did you read about it?"

Zu'an chuckled. "The world is vast and full of wonders; there's a lot you haven't seen yet."

Pei Mianman didn't doubt him. "This place is too eerie. Let's find an exit quickly."

Zu'an nodded. "Indeed. But the fog is so thick everywhere. We need to be careful not to run into those gluttonous beasts again."

No sooner had he spoken than a chorus of strange cries echoed around them.

Zu'an was dumbfounded.

Their bodies trembled, and they instinctively looked towards the source of the sound. Several vague figures appeared in the mist. What else could they be but gluttonous beasts?

Zu'an wanted to slap himself. What a jinx he was, encountering them right after speaking. It was as if his words held power!

If I said I wanted to be invincible and have many wives and concubines, would that come true too?

Although he was grumbling inwardly, he acted without hesitation. Grabbing Pei Mianman, he shouted, "Run!"

Dealing with one gluttonous beast was manageable, but with so many, they were no match.

Seeing them flee, the gluttonous beasts cried out and gave chase. However, halfway through, they suddenly spotted the corpse of the other gluttonous beast nearby. They stopped their pursuit, gathered around it, and began tearing and devouring it. Soon, the massive corpse was completely consumed, and even the blood that had spilled onto the ground was licked clean.

Meanwhile, Zu'an frantically pulled Pei Mianman along. Even though he glimpsed the gluttonous beasts' actions from the corner of his eye, he didn't dare to stop.

After running for an unknown duration, a large gate suddenly appeared before them.

The gate was exceptionally majestic, standing twenty to thirty meters high. Numerous massive stone pillars stood before it, each so thick that two people embracing could not encompass one.

Standing before the gate, they suddenly felt insignificant. A powerful sense of grandeur emanated from the massive structure.

Unfortunately, the gate was tightly shut. Given the immense size of the two stone doors, it was clear they could not be opened by human strength alone.

Unwilling to give up, Zu'an ran over and tried pushing, but no matter how hard he strained, the gate remained completely immobile.

"Ah!" Pei Mianman suddenly gasped.

Zu'an was startled, thinking she had been attacked by a gluttonous beast. He quickly spun around, only to see nothing around her.

"What's wrong?" Zu'an asked, rushing to her side with concern.

"There..." Pei Mianman quickly pointed to the side.

Zu'an followed her finger and saw a skeleton kneeling on a set of steps to one side.

The skeleton was remarkably tall and imposing. Even kneeling on one knee, it exuded an inexplicable aura.

"Could this also be one of the victims from that time?" Pei Mianman mused, recalling the piles of bones in the giant pit.

"Probably not," Zu'an shook his head, pointing at the skeleton. "Look, it's holding a long halberd and exudes a powerful aura. It must have been a formidable warrior in life. Moreover, its posture is peaceful, and there are no signs of injury on its body. It likely guarded this place voluntarily. We just don't know if it was a human sacrifice or if it died naturally and became a skeleton."

"Over there... there are more!" Pei Mianman exclaimed, pointing at the pillars in alarm.

Zu'an walked over to investigate and felt a chill down his spine. He had initially thought the lines at the base of the pillars were carved patterns, but upon closer inspection, he realized that each massive pillar was actually built upon a compacted corpse.

If not for the years of disrepair, which had caused damage and exposed some traces, they likely wouldn't have discovered that the pillars were built upon corpses.

A thought struck Zu'an. He suddenly recalled seeing similar patterns beneath the massive stone gate earlier. He quickly ran over to check and, sure enough, the entire gate was constructed upon numerous skeletons.

He roughly counted fifteen visible skeletons, with countless more buried beneath the ground.

"The people who built this place must have been incredibly cruel," Pei Mianman said, standing beside Zu'an, her body trembling slightly.

In truth, while she usually appeared cheerful and amiable, she was decisive and capable in her core. Yet, seeing the mass grave earlier and now buildings constructed upon corpses still sent shivers down her spine.

Zu'an said in a deep voice, "Perhaps this was their culture and customs. I know of an ancient civilization that used human sacrifices, believing it was the highest way to show respect to the heavens."

From watching the documentary "Yinxu" in his previous life, he knew that the Shang dynasty often practiced human sacrifice. This secret realm was also called "Yinxu." While he wasn't sure if the two were identical, there was undoubtedly a similar connection.

"But how innocent these people were!" Pei Mianman exclaimed, looking at the twisted skeletons beneath the pillars and stone gate. "Who would want to be used as sacrificial animals by their rulers?" She couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

"These were likely captives of war," Zu'an explained. "In that era, becoming a captive sealed a tragic fate."

Pei Mianman bit her lip. "Let's find another way. This place feels unsettling."

Zu'an hummed in agreement. The place certainly exuded an eerie strangeness everywhere.

As they searched to the side, Pei Mianman suddenly stopped and pulled him. "Careful!"

Zu'an paused, then noticed a bottomless cliff not far ahead. Its dark maw resembled a sleeping beast, and a mere glance sent a shiver of unease through him.

Pei Mianman picked up a nearby stone and tossed it down, but they never heard an echo. Both were aghast. Either the cliff was so incredibly deep that the sound of the stone hitting the bottom couldn't travel back, or there were spatial rifts or similar phenomena at the bottom.

Regardless, falling down was clearly not a wise choice.

They quickly turned around and explored in another direction. After a while, they frustratingly discovered that the other side was also a cliff, with an endless abyss below.

They finally understood that the path they had been on earlier must have been a suspended bridge; the dense, clear mist everywhere had simply obscured their surroundings.

This realization brought them immense relief. They had been terrified and fleeing from the gluttonous beasts just moments ago, yet hadn't missed a single step. If they fell this time, they certainly wouldn't be as lucky as they had been in the giant pit.

Pei Mianman was somewhat puzzled. "If it's bottomless below, then what's beneath where we just came from, and where that large stone gate is? It can't possibly be floating, can it?"

"Floating?" Zu'an said in a deep voice. "It's not impossible. This is a secret realm formed by an extraterrestrial meteorite. We might still be inside that strange stone tablet, and the spatial laws within could very well be different from the outside world."

"I can't believe we finally escaped that Mosquito Taoist, only to be trapped here again," he grumbled. "All I want now is to find a way out."

Pei Mianman, standing nearby, pursed her lips and smiled at him. "I actually think it's quite nice here."

Once outside, she would have to contend with telling Chuyan and the family's troubles. Spending some private time with Zu'an here wouldn't be an unpleasant prospect at all.

Just then, a series of strange cries echoed from afar. Her expression changed, and she suddenly remembered the gluttonous beasts and the skeletons, which instantly made her abandon the idea of staying here longer.

"Let's go back to the gate first!" Zu'an quickly pulled Pei Mianman back. If they continued forward now, they would run directly into the pursuing gluttonous beasts. If there was a way to get inside the stone gate, they might be able to escape. Even if they couldn't enter, they could defend themselves from a strategic position, preventing the gluttonous beasts from surrounding and attacking them from all sides.

Pei Mianman had clearly weighed the pros and cons and showed no hesitation. They quickly returned to the stone gate, pondering how to open it.

What they didn't notice, however, was a faint red glow flickering in the empty eye sockets of the skeletal warrior kneeling on the stone steps nearby.