Chapter 449: No problem? No problem

"You know quite a lot," the captain said, looking intrigued. "Tell me, what exactly is the 'Nightmare' of the E-Xian race?"

Ning Yan flinched, not daring to refuse.

"Legend has it that when a pure-blooded E-Xian dies, the 'E' inside them transforms into a 'Nightmare'," Ning Yan began, his voice trembling. "It becomes a sealed realm, trapping anyone who disturbs their remains within it, forever unable to escape. Their flesh gradually vanishes until only their heart is left, fused with the Nightmare."

As Ning Yan spoke, Qing Qiu's eyes narrowed, and she quickly scanned their surroundings. Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged as he continued to observe the distant surroundings. Meanwhile, the captain let out a soft chuckle.

"You truly are a descendant of the E-Xian race," he remarked. "To know of the Arhat Nightmare Tribulation, that's impressive."

The moment the captain finished speaking, a rhythmic thumping sound, like a heartbeat, suddenly reverberated through the air. The ground trembled, and the mountains swayed, as if blood pulsed within them, emitting an intensifying crimson glow.

As the sky deepened to a crimson hue, Xu Qing and the others found themselves enveloped by this blood-red light. Soon, Xu Qing frowned, realizing that parts of his body were beginning to disappear. A fist-sized piece of flesh was gone from his right leg. There was no blood, no pain – the disappearance was entirely silent and imperceptible.

Xu Qing remained calm. After inspecting the wound, he activated the Poison-Forbidden Pill within his Third Heavenly Palace, and a potent toxic aura instantly permeated his entire body. At that moment, the others also started to lose their flesh. Half of Qing Qiu's palm vanished, and Ning Yan's right ear, along with a small portion of his face, disappeared instantly.

"It's started! We're finished!" Ning Yan shrieked, terror and despair filling his eyes. But his cry had barely begun when the captain swiftly approached, produced an unknown object, and shoved it into Ning Yan's open mouth. He then patted Ning Yan's stomach. Ning Yan's eyes widened, and he involuntarily swallowed whatever was in his mouth, speaking with a horrified expression.

"You, you… what did you make me eat?"

"Good boy, you'll find out soon enough," the captain replied with a half-smile, then turned his gaze towards Xu Qing.

Noticing the captain's gaze, Xu Qing turned to meet his eyes. The captain's actions throughout their journey had already confirmed his suspicions.

"Little junior brother, do you trust me?" the captain transmitted with a smile.

Xu Qing nodded. With a raise of his right hand, his Purple Moon Heavenly Palace vibrated, and the Purple Moon's aura spread out, flowing into Qing Qiu's body beside him. This aura didn't invade her but freely dispersed throughout her body, using the Purple Moon's power to help her resist the local dissipating force. As Qing Qiu looked on with a complex and bewildered expression, Xu Qing calmly transmitted a message to the captain.

"Senior brother, do you mean we still need more time before we can leave? How long?"

The captain smiled. Xu Qing's single sentence immediately conveyed what he wanted to express, and this shared understanding pleased him greatly. He then sent a divine thought.

"Little junior brother, I know you have many questions," he transmitted, "but this is something we can only do, not explain, for now. Just trust me. The Heavenly Peak Kingdom's ruler was right: entering the True Immortal's Ten Intestines is like solving a jigsaw puzzle; you can't just barge in. The Shebi Corpse we encountered earlier was the first piece, and this Arhat Nightmare is the second. We'll need about half an hour here, an hour at most, before we can leave."

Xu Qing nodded, then sat down cross-legged. As he quietly waited, he allowed even more of the Purple Moon's aura to linger around Qing Qiu.

Qing Qiu's feelings grew increasingly complex. This wasn't the first time she had sensed that this Black Heaven race member was treating her differently.

"This evil Black Heaven race member must have ulterior motives!" she told herself inwardly.

Time passed slowly. The captain's body was also dissipating, but he clearly had a method to resist, as his rate of disintegration was not fast. Xu Qing and Qing Qiu's dissipation was even slower. Only Ning Yan received no help, yet strangely, his body stopped dissipating. But Ning Yan felt no relief; instead, his heart pounded with growing dread. He realized that while his body had stopped dissolving, his stomach was gradually swelling outwards. It was as if something was gestating inside him…

Ning Yan's face paled as he stared at his bulging stomach, his eyes wide. Instinctively, he looked at the captain, pleading.

"Sir, what did you make me eat? I feel like something's wrong with my stomach…"

As he spoke, Ning Yan's stomach suddenly bulged outwards even more, making him instantly extremely tense. Qing Qiu gasped, and Xu Qing's expression also turned odd. He was reminded of Wu Jianwu's beloved beasts.

"What do you feel inside your belly?" the captain asked softly, hurrying to Ning Yan's side with anticipation in his eyes.

"I feel something kicking me inside my stomach," Ning Yan whimpered, on the verge of tears.

"Just relax and nurture your pregnancy!" the captain said with a cough.

Ning Yan wanted to curse, but he didn't dare. As sweat beaded on his forehead and indignation surged within him, he suddenly felt the thing inside his stomach begin to move, seemingly pushing against his navel, trying to bore its way out.

"Sir, it, it's…"

Ning Yan was horrified. The next moment, a sharp point emerged from his stomach, poking through his Daoist robe right at the navel. Xu Qing and the others instantly fixed their gaze upon it. Compared to the captain's anticipation, Xu Qing felt more curiosity. As for Qing Qiu, the sight made her spirit tremble, filling her with extreme wariness towards the Black Heaven race's sinister methods.

Ning Yan, his mind awash with boundless terror, screamed. Immediately after, his Daoist robe ripped open with a tearing sound, and tender green vines snaked out from inside. These vines were thin, rapidly intertwining as they continuously grew, rising higher and higher. They soon reached three zhang in length, their color shifting to brown and emitting an ancient aura.

"Youling Vine!!" Ning Yan cried out in astonishment as he stared at the vines.

A flicker of surprise crossed the captain's eyes, and he glanced at Ning Yan again. "Interesting. I'm finding out you know quite a lot, kid."

As he spoke, the vines emerging from Ning Yan's stomach bent at a height of three zhang, forming a perfect circle in just over ten breaths of time. The moment their ends connected, the circle began to ripple like water, transforming into a circular door.

"Let's go!" The captain winked at Xu Qing, then vanished into the circle.

Xu Qing didn't hesitate; he grabbed Qing Qiu and rushed toward the circle, vanishing instantly. Ning Yan panicked, about to cry for help, when a hand reached out from the circle, grabbed the part of the vine still connected to Ning Yan's stomach, and yanked him inside. The next moment, the vines forming the circle rapidly retracted as Ning Yan disappeared, vanishing completely.

When they reappeared, they were still in the jungle of the True Immortal Ten-Intestine Tree, but not in the woodpecker's previous area. They were now deep within the True Immortal Ten-Intestine Tree, right at its base. They were directly beneath the Ten-Intestine Tree itself!

The moment they appeared, a powerful wave of emotion surged through Xu Qing. This was the closest he had ever been to the True Immortal Ten-Intestine Tree. Before them, each Ten-Intestine Tree was a hundred zhang thick, clustered together and spanning a thousand zhang. At a height of several hundred zhang, they meandered in various directions, rising above the clouds and swaying gently. Countless slender leaves grew upon them, each with intricate vein patterns that seemed to contain fundamental laws. They emitted rich spiritual energy fluctuations, making it clear that even a single leaf would be astonishingly valuable. Innumerable branches spread outwards, their value clearly far exceeding that of the leaves. A subtle, precious light emanated from them, indicating they contained not only the power of laws but also Dao charm patterns. Each branch was a supreme treasure.

The trees themselves were dark brown. Aside from their branching limbs and leaves, their trunks were covered in protruding eyes that now stared at Xu Qing and the others. Along with a putrid stench, they emitted an astonishing oppressive aura. The impression was that the Ten-Intestine Tree… was alive! Or rather, the True Immortal itself was alive!

Under this immense pressure, Xu Qing's vision blurred. It was as if the Ten-Intestine Tree had transformed into a towering figure, dancing and performing a sacrifice before him. A sea of fire appeared around it, along with countless other cultivators dancing in unison. This blurring made Xu Qing extremely uncomfortable. The world before his eyes constantly shifted, alternating between the True Immortal Ten-Intestine Tree and the dancing figures in the fiery sea, gradually overlapping. His body seemed to contort with the visions, and his intestines trembled as if threatening to escape.

Xu Qing's breathing quickened. The power of both his Third Heavenly Palace's Poison Pill and Fourth Heavenly Palace's Purple Moon simultaneously erupted, spreading throughout his body and extending to Qing Qiu, which allowed him to somewhat dispel the blurring from his vision. Qing Qiu's face was pale, and she gritted her teeth, blood vessels visible in her eyes as she barely managed to hold on. As for the captain, his cultivation also erupted. Faces appeared within the pupils of his eyes, and within those faces' pupils, there were more faces, layered upon layer, helping him withstand the pressure emanating from the Ten-Intestine Tree.

Only Ning Yan seemed unaffected. As an iron-like sheen emanated from his body, the vines on his stomach undulated and swayed, perfectly synchronized with the Ten-Intestine Tree. He desperately wanted to flee, but the captain held the other end of the vine firmly. No matter how he tried to break free, he couldn't, so he could only sit there, dazed and heartbroken.

Xu Qing took a deep breath. Once his mind cleared, he immediately surveyed his surroundings. Beneath the True Immortal Ten-Intestine Tree, the soil was dark red, devoid of fallen leaves or broken branches. Xu Qing instinctively focused his gaze on the leaves and branches of the tree before him.

"So many branches. It should be fine to just break off one!" Xu Qing said, licking his lips as he looked at the captain. At that moment, the captain also looked at him, and both saw the same eager intent in each other's eyes.

Xu Qing darted forward. The captain, still dragging the highly reluctant Ning Yan, also dashed forward, instantly reaching the tree's base. Both he and Xu Qing acted simultaneously. The captain tore off three leaves, put them in his mouth, and swallowed them. Xu Qing snapped off a branch and swiftly tucked it into his robes.

After completing their actions, they exchanged glances.

"Nothing happened?"

"Nothing at all!"

As they spoke, the True Immortal Ten-Intestine Tree suddenly began to shake, swaying violently. A powerful wave of awakening emanated from it. This scene made Ning Yan gasp. He stared at Xu Qing and the captain as if they were courting death, truly feeling their madness and abnormality at that moment. Yet, the very next moment, Qing Qiu also moved. She got up, yanked off a leaf, and began to eat it.

"What?! You too!"