Whether Shuyang was the real name of that Corpse Witch is something that no one can ascertain now. Even if Shuyang was a man or a woman, tall or short, no records exist. What Zhu knew was just some rumors about him. The Corpse Witch was originally a rare clan. When the name Shuyang first appeared, it was probably around the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Some people saw several creatures in Yunnan that looked like corpses but were not, and the rumors about them became more and more exaggerated. Soon, someone dug up the name Shuyang as the originator of it all.
Whether Shuyang joined the Central Heaven Gate, and whether the Central Heaven Gate already existed at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it is indeed something that no one can confirm. However, rumors about Shuyang persisted until the peak of the Central Heaven Gate. People began claiming that some of the Central Heaven Gate's monsters were also created by Shuyang. At that time, the Corpse Witchcraft sect of the Central Heaven Gate publicly stated that Shuyang was a member of the Central Heaven Gate.
That's all Zhu knew. There are still big question marks over Shuyang's works and his true origins.
"So, can we be sure that the underground palace belongs to the Shuyang's sect?"
I asked again.
Zhu shook his head and said, "I can't. If we could figure out the origin of these monsters inside and whether the corpse witch is really the old immortal of Zhongtianmen for hundreds of years, then we could address the problem. But right now, there's no way, to be honest. This time, we are somewhat feeling our way in the dark. We had too little preparation and insufficient information."
After Zhu finished speaking, he patted my shoulder. I could sense the regret in his tone, but sometimes apologies are futile.
"Alright. We've rested enough. Let's get ready to go!"
Wei Changping called from outside. I stood up, turned around and met eyes with Guyu. He put away his machete and looked at me with sharp eyes, giving me the feeling of looking at a corpse.
I led the way, with Wei Changping at the back, and we headed towards the iron gate. Guyu stood behind me, seemingly vigilant for any slight movement from me.
"If I were you, I would send the girl back first."
I said as we walked.
"Her life and death have nothing to do with me. When necessary, she can take your place."
Evil thoughts involuntarily made me glance back at Guyu. To some extent, this man was more terrifying than the leader of Sanshan.
The iron gate was still open. As I carefully looked inside, I didn't see any strange creatures. Then, I waved backwards and went inside the iron gate. There were definitely more than six pale-faced monsters we had seen before, and the other strange creatures were nowhere to be found. The feeling of us being in the open while they lurked in the shadows made me very uncomfortable.
As we looked around, it felt like there were many eyes staring at us.
"Be careful."
Dai An reminded. Guyu pushed me from behind, urging me to continue forward. As Shen Mengtian said, the entire palace was divided into three levels. There were many damaged stone steles standing in front of the entrance, some of which looked like gourds. We weren't archaeologists and were not interested in these stone steles and statues, so we passed through the clutter of stone sculptures and headed towards the gate.
The palace gates were wide, wider than what I had observed from a distance. There were two things resembling stone lions at the entrance, but strangely, their heads were already smashed. I stood at the entrance and did not walk inside. Guyu behind me immediately urged, "Hurry up. What's wrong?"
"Something's not right. It seems like the qi around here is chaotic, it's very strange. How could this qi change?"
I looked around and didn't see any creature's shadow or any terrifying earth beasts. However, the originally smooth qi turned eerie and terrifying as soon as I stepped into this underground palace, continuously impacting my senses and creating a strange feeling.
"Qi?"
Guyu was also puzzled. Just then, I heard a "thump, thump..." sound coming from the surrounding walls, which frightened everyone. They quickly shone their flashlights around, but there was nothing. It turned out to be a false alarm.
"There's nothing here. Are you deliberately trying to scare us? Afraid and dare not come in?"
Dai An raised her crossbow, sneering and shouting. I didn't say anything and stepped into the gate. A few seconds later, everyone entered the first level of the underground palace. It was very dark. After entering, I realized that the space on the first level was larger than I had imagined. Actually, when we enter a temple to worship, we sometimes get this feeling, that it looks like a small house, but when we go inside, it turns out to be spacious.
"It seems there are no traps. Let's split up and search for treasures. Baxiaoshan, you and your people stay here, I'll be with you guys."
Guyu did not abide by the agreement between me and the leader of Sanshan, he wanted to keep the treasures for himself. Or perhaps he meant to take my share instead of the leader of Sanshan.
"Your leader is a principled person, I have an agreement with him, the treasure obtained should be split equally."
"Hmph, I didn't violate the boss's rules. Your share is to buy your life from me, understand?"
Gu Yu is a greedy person. Most outlaws are willing to risk their lives for wealth. I wisely kept my mouth shut and watched Dai An and Wei Changping plundering in the darkness.
"There are monsters in the palace, and they definitely haven't gone far. You'd better make your men watch out."
I whispered, thinking to myself, it would be best if these two guys were eaten by the White-Faced Monster. But I didn't expect my evil thought to actually come true!
"Big brother, it seems like there's something here, haha!"
I heard Wei Changping shouting loudly to Gu Yu, probably having found a treasure, and then this guy slowly walked over with a flashlight. The fat man sneered and said, "Hmm, don't mistake dog shit for treasure."
While he was speaking, Wei Changping suddenly screamed and fell to the ground in an instant.
"Big brother! Big brother!"
He screamed repeatedly, frightening all of us and causing Gu Yu to rush over with a flashlight, shouting, "Changping, what's wrong?"
"My foot is stuck, something is pulling me from underground! It hurts, ahh! Big brother, my foot! Something is biting my foot!"
Wei Changping's cries became more and more piercing, filled with horrifying echoes of tearing. Gu Yu ran over at full speed, and Dai An also rushed over from the other side, the two of them gathering around. I stood far away and couldn't see what exactly happened to Wei Changping in front of them.
"What's going on?"
The fat man walked over to me and whispered.
"I don't know, it seems like they encountered some obstacle."
I said, frowning.
By now, Gu Yu had rushed to Wei Changping's side, grabbing his upper body as if there was quicksand underground, and at this moment, Wei Changping's lower body had sunk into the ground, the flashlight's beam shining on his face. Looking closely, it was the face of a dead person! Pale, with clear signs of bleeding, eyes rolled back and devoid of consciousness.
Gu Yu and Dai An worked together to pull Wei Changping out from underground, and the two of them sat heavily on the ground, looking exhausted.
I pulled the fat man and led everyone to approach carefully. But we saw Gu Yu and Dai An panting heavily, and only Wei Changping's half body remained on the side.
In just a few minutes, his lower body had been completely eaten, all the way to below his chest. His ribs were not intact, looking like a miserable death. Dai An and Gu Yu didn't speak, both staring blankly at Wei Changping.
"How could he have died?"
Dai An muttered to herself, finding it hard to accept. Luo Qiong went forward, trying to observe Wei Changping's body, but Dai An pushed him away angrily.
"Damn it, don't touch my brother's body!"
Dai An cursed, while Shen Mengtian behind me had already vomited all over the place. This young girl had never seen such a bloody scene before, almost vomiting bile.
"Luo Qiong is a hunter, he's seen all kinds of animal carcasses, let him take a look, he might discover something."
Zhu Zi hurriedly explained, though Dai An still glared and didn't let us get close, until Gu Yu next to her lowly shouted, "Anzi, come back! Let them take a look. If we don't figure out what bit him, we're all in danger!"
Dai An finally stepped back, and Luo Qiong went to the body, after carefully observing for a while, stood up and said, "He was bitten by a fish."
"What the hell! Fish?"
Dai An exclaimed in surprise.
"You heard me right, I can guarantee that this is a wound caused by a fish bite, and there is more than one!"