Chapter 448: Shebi and Aro'e

Xu Qing nodded slightly, a faint glint appearing in his eyes. After glancing at the captain, he began to survey his surroundings.

The inner and outer areas of the True Immortal Ten Intestines had several distinct markers, apart from the boundary line drawn on the ground by the Thirty-Six City-States.

Firstly, the jungle in the deeper regions was much denser, with trees interwoven horizontally and vertically, appearing like ghosts and monsters in the dark night. It exuded a chilling atmosphere, and occasionally, faint whispers could be heard, making it incredibly eerie.

Secondly, a greater number of Dao Fruits had formed. The countless eyes on them were not constantly open; instead, they blinked incessantly and swayed individually, constantly shifting their gaze.

Thirdly, there were no withered leaves or fallen branches on the ground in the deeper areas.

The ground here was spotless, consisting only of bare earth.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze. He waited for the Black-Clad Guards to scout ahead before advancing, protected by Lin Yuandong.

As they moved deeper, the eyes hanging on the branches, which had been observing their surroundings, gradually shifted their gaze. Eventually, all of them rotated to stare directly at the group.

A faint maliciousness emanated from these eyes, integrating into everyone's minds through their gaze.

The group paused, their steps faltering. While remaining vigilant, they unleashed their cultivation energies. After waiting for a while and finding no other changes in the eyes, they continued forward.

The Dao Fruits in the depths of the True Immortal Ten Intestines could not be plucked. When touched, they would often transform into a mass of foul-smelling, decaying water.

As for dangers, they encountered some while venturing deeper. However, the Spirit Treasury cultivation of Zhou Xingwu and the Summit Nation's King proved immensely effective here. Coupled with the Black-Clad Guards, Xu Qing's journey was surprisingly uneventful.

An hour later, as they delved even further, one of the Black-Clad Guards scouting ahead suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream.

His body, entangled by a dark shadow, was directly pulled off the ground and hung upside down in mid-air. Before others could intervene to save him, the guard's body visibly withered, shedding countless drops of blood.

In the blink of an eye, he became a desiccated corpse.

Moreover, dozens of egg-sized bulges sprouted from his shriveled body, densely packed. They eventually all ruptured, and as yellow fluid oozed out, grotesque eyes emerged from within, staring at the group.

All of this made the cultivators present look grave. Most of them also noticed that behind the desiccated corpse, in the dense jungle, hung numerous other suspended skeletons!

Their number was tens of thousands; everywhere they looked, there were more.

Almost every branch bore a desiccated corpse, some even fused together, presenting a horrifying sight.

Most of these skeletons were rotted and desiccated, with their clothes tattered and barely clinging to them.

It was vaguely discernible that the clothing styles were varied, and the races of the victims were also different.

Furthermore, these skeletons were covered in numerous egg-sized bulges, some having dozens, others hundreds. When the wind blew, it swayed the large trees, causing the countless corpses to swing along with them.

The next moment, as they swayed, some bulges on the skeletons cracked open. As yellow fluid flowed out, grotesque eyes emerged from within, gazing at everyone present with intense malice.

Other skeletons, as they swayed, detached from the tree trunks like ripe fruit and fell to the ground.

Soon, as more bodies fell, the ground was covered in skeletons.

The Summit Nation's King's expression changed. This scene had never been recorded in the annals of the Thirty-Six City-States.

"Something is very wrong with the True Immortal Ten Intestines this time," the King murmured, his eyes narrowing. He quickly glanced at Xu Qing, then at the Black-Clad Guards, but did not speak his thoughts aloud.

Xu Qing's eyes sharpened, and he retreated a few steps. Just then, one of the fallen skeletons suddenly moved.

Its head began to swing mechanically, haltingly, as its neck rotated a full circle. The numerous eyes covering its face fixed on Xu Qing and the others, then it charged out like a beast, heading straight for the group.

A Black-Clad Guard in the front immediately struck, instantly cleaving the charging skeletons in half.

But at that moment, dozens more skeletons on the ground began to move, followed by hundreds. In a blink of an eye, all the skeletons on the ground leaped up, letting out silent roars, and furiously lunged at the group.

At that moment, the wind blew again, and many of the skeletons hanging from the tree trunks also stirred, struggling to break free, emitting strange roars as they attacked the group.

Zhou Xingwu's expression darkened. With a wave of his hand, a large number of skeletons in front of him disintegrated. All the Black-Clad Guards immediately acted to intercept them. Roaring sounds and energy fluctuations echoed in all directions.

Xu Qing did not engage. He watched everything with cold eyes, while the captain stood beside him, his eyes narrowed.

However, the danger here was not limited to this. Soon, even more skeletons emerged running from the depths of the jungle.

Some of these were grotesque bodies formed by the fusion of many skeletons, radiating combat power comparable to a High Palace Golden Core, leaping forth from within.

There were quite a few such fused corpses.

The area instantly descended into chaos.

Before long, soul-shaking roars echoed from the depths of the jungle. In an instant, dozens of shadowy figures appeared, emitting fluctuations comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators.

Furthermore, as the ground trembled, a giant beast composed of hundreds of skeletons appeared in the distance, radiating Spirit Treasury level fluctuations that shook the heavens and earth, causing everyone's expressions to change drastically.

What was particularly unsettling was that there wasn't just one such Spirit Treasury level skeleton, but several.

This scene moved Xu Qing, and he swiftly retreated.

The captain, however, had a strange glint in his eyes and transmitted a message to Xu Qing.

"As expected, the Shebi Corpse Tribulation has appeared. Little Ah Qing, the immense good fortune I spoke of before will surely be realized this time!"

"Senior Brother, have you been here before?" Xu Qing's consciousness fluctuated.

"Not in this lifetime," the captain murmured, looking up at the towering Ten Intestines in the distance.

Xu Qing was thoughtful and about to ask more, but the captain's expression suddenly changed. He grabbed Ning Yan, who was staring in horror at the skeletons beside him, and sprinted into the distance, rapidly transmitting a message.

"Little Ah Qing, follow me!"

Xu Qing didn't hesitate. He raised his right hand and grabbed Qing Qiu. As Qing Qiu's mind reeled, Xu Qing held her shoulder and pursued the captain.

As the four rapidly moved away, Zhou Xingwu, who was fighting the skeletons, suddenly turned his head. After seeing Xu Qing and the others' retreating figures, he was about to give chase.

But the next instant, the Summit Nation's King, who was battling two Spirit Treasury level skeletons, spat out a mouthful of blood, feigning defeat and falling back.

Without his obstruction, the two skeletons immediately rushed towards Zhou Xingwu.

Simultaneously, the Summit Nation's King also made his move, likewise blocking Zhou Xingwu.

Zhou Xingwu's expression changed. He had to abandon the pursuit, swiftly dodging while looking at the Summit Nation's King with a grim expression.

"Minister Zhou, I apologize, but the Divine Son has private matters concerning the Black Heaven Clan to attend to. It's inconvenient for us to follow. Please don't insist," the Summit Nation's King said calmly.

"Are you certain they are truly from the Black Heaven Clan? They left so hastily and wouldn't let us follow; there must be something suspicious!" Zhou Xingwu's expression was grim.

"Then, Minister Zhou, can you be certain they are *not* from the Black Heaven Clan?" the Summit Nation's King replied calmly, then added softly, "Besides, the decree you received doesn't include investigating their authenticity. Everything will be decided by higher authorities. Why take on this responsibility yourself?"

Zhou Xingwu said nothing more. He naturally understood the reasoning, and what he truly needed was precisely this kind of obstruction from the other party. This way, if any problems arose, he would have an explanation.

Meanwhile, seizing the opportunity while the skeletons were distracted by the Black-Clad Guards, Xu Qing and the other three sped through the jungle. The captain led the way, unleashing his full speed, carrying the trembling and terrified Ning Yan, constantly leaping and bounding.

Ning Yan was on the verge of tears. He didn't understand why they were still carrying him at this point, clearly knowing it couldn't be for good intentions; they definitely intended to use him for something.

Qing Qiu shared the same thoughts.

Held by Xu Qing, she followed behind the captain, swiftly leaping and weaving forward.

Qing Qiu was indignant and heartbroken. She wanted to struggle but knew it wasn't realistic.

Throughout, Xu Qing remained silent. While staying vigilant of his surroundings, he occasionally observed the captain.

He didn't continue to ask for the specific reasons.

Xu Qing felt that since he had chosen to trust his Senior Brother, there was no need to immediately demand an explanation.

Especially the captain's previous remark had already partially cleared his doubts.

"Not in this lifetime doesn't mean not in previous lifetimes..." Xu Qing murmured inwardly, his body swaying to avoid a branch ahead. He continued through the jungle with the captain, drawing closer to the deeper parts.

He also noticed that the captain's path was not straight; they were circling around this area, as if searching for something.

"Senior Brother, what are you looking for?" Xu Qing transmitted the question.

The captain's breathing was visibly rapid, and the light in his eyes was intense, showing not madness but an unprecedented yearning.

"I'm looking for A'luo'e. Why isn't it coming out yet? It should be right. First, the Shebi Corpse Tribulation, then it should be the A'luo'e Tribulation..."

The moment the captain replied, a sound suddenly came from afar.

*Tap, tap!*

*Tap, tap, tap!*

This sound immediately caught their attention. As they looked, they saw a three-foot-tall bird standing on a large tree in the distance. The bird was completely featherless, its body bald with some areas raw and bloody, dripping with blood.

Its eyes were blind, just two black holes. Its body twitched as it pecked at the wood.

The area where it was located gave off a bizarre sensation. If this area were likened to a painting, then currently, the painting had numerous holes in it.

Many parts were missing, here and there, making it appear full of holes.

As for the missing areas, they were pitch black, as if nothing existed there.

As this strange scene registered in Xu Qing and the others' eyes, the sound of pecking echoed once more.

Xu Qing's eyes slightly narrowed. He noticed that the sound produced by the bird's pecking had strangely materialized into a twisted musical note, drifting to the side.

Where it landed, the ground rapidly blurred as if being consumed.

Whether it was earth or trees, they vanished the instant the note touched them, turning into black holes.

"This is it!"

The captain watched all this, his voice filled with delight. As the pecking sound continued and a new musical note formed and drifted aside, he gestured to Xu Qing, then, carrying Ning Yan, headed straight for the note.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and charged out, grabbing Qing Qiu as he did so.

In an instant, the four of them reached the vicinity of the note. The moment they touched it, the note's power erupted, and their figures, along with the surrounding three feet of space, vanished with a *bang*, turning into a black hole.

The woodpecker on the tree continued to peck, steadily producing sounds.

Gradually, all the surrounding areas continually vanished. Once everything was gone, the woodpecker raised its head, flapped its featherless wings, and flew off, heading in another direction amidst unpleasant squawks.

Before long, it found another large tree, stood on its trunk, and continued to peck. Musical notes reappeared, and the surroundings vanished once more, repeating the cycle.

Under a blood-red sky, purple mountain ranges crisscrossed. The heavens had no sun or moon; light emanated from the dark red ground, reflecting upwards onto the firmament.

This was the place Xu Qing appeared after touching the musical note.

There were no plants or trees around. Neither the ground nor the mountains were made of earth or stone; they felt soft yet firm underfoot, giving Xu Qing the sensation of stepping on flesh.

Amidst the spreading red light, Qing Qiu's breathing quickened slightly. Like Xu Qing, she was observing her surroundings. Ning Yan, trembling all over, touched the ground, then immediately wailed.

"It's over! We've been swallowed by the Nightmare of the Calamity Immortal Clan. We can't get out of here..."

"Shut up!" the captain glared at Ning Yan.

Ning Yan immediately fell silent, forcing a fawning expression onto his mournful face as he looked at the terrifying Black Heaven Clansman before him.