Chapter 1724: Not Entering the Pure Water Self-Confession Zone, the Tongue-Pulling Hell Strikes First

Oh, Beibei! You're being tormented terribly, aren't you? Is this truly what you intended?

Even though you are the White-Clothed Steward, the gatekeeper of the new Seven Sword Immortals, and your backing is the Saint Emperor Beishi clan from above the Heavenly Stair, can you truly lead Master Shou?

The spectators from the Five Domains, led by Feng Zhongzui, were impressed by Master Shou's devilish methods. This guy really shouldn't be provoked. But Sword Immortal Bei didn't seem to provoke him much. Why does he keep relentlessly tormenting only her?

Then again... at the scene, it seems that if anyone other than Beibei, who has a Saint Emperor background, were to be manipulated, they wouldn't be able to withstand the reckoning later. From this perspective, Master Shou seems to be benevolent?

Whether Xu Xiaoshou was benevolent or not, the victim Beibei had clearly lost all sense of that concept. She was like someone possessed, no longer herself, yet more like she had unleashed the true self appropriate for her age.

“Here, right here!” she led the way, taking Xu Xiaoshou, Feng Zhongzui, and the Five Domains' audience on the other side of the Transmission Mirror, towards the original back mountain of the Saint Mountain ruins.

“No, absolutely not!” The Saint Mountain refugee group could only fret anxiously behind them. But even if they banded together, they couldn't withstand Master Shou's single hand. How could they stop him? They could only follow on foot.

“Wait, why are they following us? Shouldn't they scatter? Aren't they afraid of death?” Feng Zhongzui glanced back, looking quite disturbed. The Saint Mountain refugee group isn't stupid, are they? The moment Master Shou enters the Dead Sea, he might trigger the traps of Emperor Cang Sheng, leading to an onslaught of arrows from the Evil Sin Bow. If they come, won't they just become targets sharing the firepower?

Uh... I think I understand something...

Feng Zhongzui looked at the semi-saint puppets, who seemed to be trailing along on invisible strings to 'protect' Master Shou, and sighed, choosing to ignore them. "I hope they can protect me too. No, I hope Master Shou can protect me."

Everyone, whether clear-headed, numb, or ignorant, followed Sword Immortal Beibei forward, as if heading for a beach vacation. Not a single one looked distressed. Only one person was worried about safety.

After stepping into the chaotic back mountain area, whose original appearance was hard to discern, Beibei took out her White-Clothed Steward's Token again, made a hand seal, and seemed to perform some unknown technique.

“Buzz!” A strange ripple spread out. The back mountain seemed to connect with something. Xu Xiaoshou instinctively lowered his gaze to his feet. Beneath his feet were crumbling mountain rocks and rubble, but he could already sense that beneath the mountain, and seemingly connected to the mountain above, at a profound and mysterious location, the connection flowed into a strange space.

In this space, he couldn't find a spatial node! "Even the spatial nodes have been erased, completely banishing it into a wandering world without a fixed abode." "Similar to entering the God's Legacy, can one only enter through 'guidance'?” The method of entering this Dead Sea is quite advanced. This aligns with Xu Xiaoshou's imagination of the security of the dungeons constructed by the five great Saint Emperor clans.

But it doesn't matter. With the Intent Dao Disk present, even if there's no spatial node, he can 'Dao-style mark' a place he's entered once. At worst, Ghost Willow also knows this 'guidance' method; he just needs to let it come and decipher it... Wait a minute!

As if something clicked, Xu Xiaoshou immediately contacted Ghost Willow, who had just finished communicating with the Sacred Embryo Plant and was in the process of creating a 'Gate of Guidance'.

“Yes, I built it,” Ghost Willow replied.

Xu Xiaoshou almost laughed out loud. So it turns out, after all the detours, it's a small world. The guidance from Guizhe Saint Mountain to the Dead Sea was Ghost Willow's handiwork?

But on second thought, it's understandable. After all, having lived for so long, even Dao Qiongcang couldn't break the rules of the God's Legacy. And of those capable of deciphering the 'guidance' method of the God's Legacy, Xu Xiaoshou had only ever seen Ghost Willow.

“Can you...”

“No,” Ghost Willow, knowing what Master Shou was about to ask, shook its head and denied, “After the guidance system was built, the full authority for entry and exit was handed over to the Holy Divine Temple. I no longer possess it.”

Xu Xiaoshou didn't believe him: “Even when building a tomb for an emperor, workers leave themselves an escape route.”

“Yes,” Ghost Willow nodded, “but it was blocked off.”

Well, that's rather unfortunate for you. However, this 'discarding the donkey after it grinds the mill' approach is quite typical of the Holy Divine Temple.

“It doesn't matter.” With the small path blocked, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't disheartened. Isn't there still Beibei, the little traitor of Saint Mountain? They can use the main path.

“Follow me closely.” Beibei, with her large sword on her back, turned her gaze and counted on her fingers: “Since you don't have tokens, I can only take you in directly, but don't resist.”

“If you resist and fall into some unnoticed alternate dimension, I won't be able to find you, nor will I look for you.”

The Saint Mountain refugee group nodded vigorously. Feng Zhongzui didn't even know what they were nodding about; he only wanted to shake his head.

“Master Shou, is there a possibility that my Feng family provides the Transmission Mirror, and Sword Immortal Bei carries it...?”

“The mirror is taller than her. Can you bear to ask her to do that?”

Beibei glared angrily upon hearing this, but dared not burst out. She felt that sometimes she was conscious, and other times even more so. The top priority was to lead this group into the Dead Sea, bury Xu Xiaoshou inside, and free herself.

Beibei said nothing more, once again produced her Steward's Token, and was about to make another move...

“Let me see.” Xu Xiaoshou reached out, drew the token to him through the air, and scanned it with his spiritual sense. Heh, amazing, it's truly Heavenly Secret Art! This thing can be deciphered with a single glance!

Clearly, the token was Dao Qiongcang's handiwork. Inside, a 'guidance' path was sealed with Heavenly Secret Art. The specific destination was indeed well-hidden. Evidently, Dao Qiongcang wouldn't be vague about something so crucial; even if Xu Xiaoshou quickly deciphered it, the answer would remain unknown.

However... it's all familiar names!

What to do, Ai Cang Sheng. Later, your trap, won't it also have traces of that flashy old Taoist?

“Go in.” Xu Xiaoshou himself could bypass the multiple obstacles of the Heavenly Secret Art and gain the authority of the White-Clothed Steward. In fact, if he wished, he could even gain the authority of the Dao Hall Master. The flashy old Taoist was gone, but his influence was still deeply imprinted on every detail of Guizhe Saint Mountain. With this token alone, even if he were destroyed, he could resurrect on the spot!

After pondering for a moment, Xu Xiaoshou tossed the token back to Beibei. How could the dignified Master Shou lead a group of people into the Dead Sea? It must surely be that the little traitor, the White-Clothed Steward, respectfully invited him, and he reluctantly deigned to enter. In reality, the 'guidance' for Beibei had already stopped at this point.

But since everyone had already been led to the entrance, when Xu Xiaoshou paused, Beibei was instead taken aback, unsure what to do. The Transmission Mirror was still transmitting. The people of the Five Domains were watching. Subjectively, Beibei wanted to resist, but she knew resistance was futile and would only lead to further 'guidance'. She could only pretend to know nothing, feigning continued control, and opened the rift to the Dead Sea, squeezing out words through gritted teeth: “Master Shou, please.”

“Coming!” The scene on the Transmission Mirror changed, and spectators across the Five Domains craned their necks longer than geese. Curiosity! This was a secret of Saint Mountain, something one wouldn't even dare to imagine exploring on a normal day, and even if you had spirit crystals, there was no place to buy a viewing ticket. But now, under Master Shou's lead, all you had to do was step out, find a Transmission Mirror, and you could watch a full panoramic view for free. And it came with a bonus, a life-risking commentator, Feng Zhongzui.

After some distortion, the image displayed a somewhat dim environment. As the mirror scanned left, right, up, and down, it rendered an underground karst cave from a first-person perspective for the Five Domains' spectators.

“Drip-drop!” It was very quiet. So quiet that one could hear the sound of water dripping. Not only was the underground cave silent, but the Five Domains' spectators were also holding their breath, staring intently. Who knew when or from where the Evil Sin Bow's arrows might shoot? Every extra glance gained was an extra glance earned!

Feng Zhongzui, the life-risking commentator, genuinely wasn't afraid of death. Adhering to the principle of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do,' he excitedly began to introduce: “We're in. Judging by the environment, it’s a karst cave, quite damp. But this isn't quite like the Dead Sea I imagined. Still, this is just the beginning, I suppose. I think changes will appear.”

It was unclear if the 'changes' in his words truly referred to changes or something else. But everyone knew that changes would definitely occur; they just didn't know when.

“The atmosphere is a bit oppressive. The visibility isn't great either. But I can still see a lot, and my internal power hasn't been suppressed much. It seems their spiritual essence and sacred power can still circulate... This isn't the Dead Sea yet, is it?”

Feng Zhongzui conveyed his personal feelings to the world, and the Transmission Mirror appropriately turned to Sword Immortal Beibei. Beibei hesitated. Having reached this point, being secretive wasn't very generous, and she might even be forced to be generous, so she said: “This is indeed not the Dead Sea yet. It's considered a buffer zone before entering the Dead Sea. Further ahead... do you see that clear water over there?”

The Transmission Mirror cast its gaze. The karst cave narrowed further ahead. At the distant end of the path, it twisted and merged into a narrow inlet. The inlet seemed to shimmer black. Behind it, perhaps it connected to the sea, but at the moment, it only looked like a narrow waterway beneath the rugged walls of the karst cave. The Transmission Mirror scanned left and right again. It seemed there was no other way to the Dead Sea besides this waterway.

“This is the only path to the Dead Sea!” Beibei nodded, confirming Feng Zhongzui's actions, then pointed to the surrounding cave environment and said: “This buffer zone, Hall Master Dao... er, Dao Qiongcang modified it. Every time we come in, we encounter a different environment. It can be a karst cave, a mountain cave, a sinkhole, or even a forest, grassland, or desert—anything is possible. It uses real scenery, corresponding to specific locations in certain alternate dimensions of the Holy Divine Continent, but they are all very secluded, places you probably haven't been. They were all submitted by the Red-Clothed... landmarks...”

Did I say too much? Beibei paused mid-sentence, realizing she seemed to be showing signs of becoming a true traitor. But if she didn't explain clearly, what if Xu Xiaoshou made her sing or dance while explaining?

Beibei cursed Xu Xiaoshou fiercely in her heart, then, thinking that to outsiders she still appeared controlled, she continued: “This is still not the Dead Sea. But the closer you get to the Clear Water Bay, the greater the suppressive effect. And actively wading into the Clear Water Bay is the only way to enter the Dead Sea, regardless of the scenery we see in this buffer zone.”

Pausing, Beibei surveyed the bizarre and beautiful karst cave environment, and said: “Dao Qiongcang said this might be the last glimpse of the outside world that Dead Sea prisoners will ever see in their lives. They could have had a beautiful life, but unfortunately, the mistakes they made do not permit them to continue enjoying such beauty. So before entering the Dead Sea, they are entitled to this one extra glance, but only this one glance.”

She looked at the Transmission Mirror, as if addressing the people of the Five Domains, and earnestly advised: “I hope everyone refrains from making mistakes. The Dead Sea is boundless, but turning back leads to shore.”

Hall Master Dao... Feng Zhongzui was somewhat moved. The Five Domains' spectators also felt a pang of sadness due to the compassionate and benevolent Hall Master Dao. Such a good Hall Master, why was he deposed?

Only Xu Xiaoshou's face held a strange expression. How could that flamboyant old Taoist be so flashy? Even at the threshold of the Dead Sea, he was still winning over hearts. And also...

“Is this truly not the Dead Sea?” He looked at Beibei, his strange expression no longer hidden.

“Mm-hm!” Beibei nodded heavily. “The Dead Sea has eighteen layers; the deeper one is imprisoned, the greater the crime. This is just a buffer zone, not the Dead Sea itself.”

“Then, what's this situation?” Xu Xiaoshou, however, raised his hand and, using Textile Art, unveiled a layer of Heavenly Secret world hidden from everyone's sight, even from the Sword Immortals and demi-saints present. Now, the Transmission Mirror clearly projected the exterior of a Heavenly Secret spherical world, encompassing its own universe, to the Five Domains.

This spherical world was covered by intricate Heavenly Secret Dao patterns. Xu Xiaoshou had merely removed its invisible Heavenly Secret array, without revealing the inner parts. Even so, the karst cave environment instantly became eerie. Because everyone could now vaguely hear heart-wrenching screams coming from within the Heavenly Secret world: “Ah... Let me go... Please, I beg you, let me go...”

Feng Zhongzui listened, his hair standing on end. What was happening? Not the Dead Sea, yet already the Dead Sea? Who put this Heavenly Secret world here? If Master Shou hadn't exposed it, would everyone have accidentally stepped in, been sucked in, and started suffering tortures that would elicit similar screams?

“Hm?” The Transmission Mirror focused on Beibei. Beibei, however, stood dumbfounded, showing no reaction. As the White-Clothed Steward and a member of the Ten-Person Deliberation Group, she actually didn't know about this additional mechanism in the cave passage.

Could it be Lord Cang Sheng's arrangement? Beibei felt she had made a mistake. Had she revealed too much information, giving Xu Xiaoshou enough time to see through this first 'trap'? She subconsciously turned her head, looking at Elder Fang and the others, seeking help. Beneath her gaze, there was only similar confusion. Fang Wenxin also didn't know why there was a Heavenly Secret world here. He knew about 'Plan Sixteen'—luring Xu Xiaoshou into the Dead Sea before attacking him. Everyone knew it, and Xu Xiaoshou himself probably knew it. But if a trap was waiting for Xu Xiaoshou right from the beginning, why hadn't Lord Cang Sheng informed everyone immediately?

We could have coordinated! Beibei turned back sheepishly, shaking her small head, her eyes full of confusion. “I don't know...” Xu Xiaoshou didn't need to use 'guidance'; he could deduce from her body, spirit, and consciousness that Beibei wasn't lying. Fang Wenxin and the others' emotions also showed no obvious agitation. In other words, none of them knew.

Ai Cang Sheng, is this all you've got? I'm a master of Heavenly Secret Art, you really forgot, didn't you?

“Move aside.” Xu Xiaoshou hesitated, still unwilling to step into such an obvious trap, so he used his finger as a sword and slashed forward. As he slashed, he immediately squatted down and pulled out the Broken Jun Shield, blocking his front and overhead.

Rip! The Heavenly Secret world was instantly torn open. At Master Shou's command to 'move aside,' everyone initially didn't know what he wanted them to yield for. But they heeded the advice. Everyone retreated half a step, or one full step. Feng Zhongzui was the most astute, retreating a full five steps, almost joining forces with the Saint Mountain refugee group.

This was clearly not enough. The instant the Heavenly Secret world was torn open, the screams from within, which had been only vague, peeled off their protective layer, becoming extremely piercing, almost shrieking: “No!!!”

A demonic sound! That voice, filled with savagery, despair, and terror, was more frightening than thunder, exploding in the ears of the Five Domains' people through the Transmission Mirror. A chill ran down their spines. Everyone simultaneously shivered in fright. But the trembling of their souls was secondary; the visible impact was truly terrifying.

As soon as the Heavenly Secret world split open, the shriek erupted. Countless bloody, flaccid tongues, vertical, horizontal, folded, crushed... in various forms, burst out from the center, shooting towards everyone in the karst cave. Tens of thousands! There was no escape! It was like a palm-sized balloon compressing ten thousand hairless dead rats; when the balloon burst, it was a rapid pop-pop-pop.

“Splat!” Beibei bore the brunt, struck by the endless bloody tongues. The icy, soft sensation stunned her small face and seemed to yank her soul out. Even her slightly parted lips felt as if snakes were trying to squeeze in.

“Waaaaah!!!” This was more terrifying than stepping on a cockroach or being thrown into a pile of spiders; Beibei felt like she was about to split apart. “Get awayyyyyyy――” She went completely mad, grasping her Emperor Sword and haphazardly slashing forward, but as soon as she opened her mouth...

“Ugh!” “Bleugh... Ugh! Ugh!!” Beibei was overcome. She felt that she would never, in this lifetime, forget the nightmare of today's karst cave. The putrid, squirming smell permeated her nose and mouth; the disgusting sensation of tongues pressing against her face, as if wanting to crush her through her clothes. She almost vomited bile, yet couldn't alleviate the terror and rage filling her heart. Spirit-refining attacks, sword art attacks... No matter how painful, Sword Immortal Bei was confident she could endure. But this kind of physical magical attack, these tongues... she feared even jumping into the Heart-Cleansing Pool wouldn't wash away the defilement she suffered today!

Xu! Xiao! Shou! Look what you've done!

The karst cave wasn't large, but it was filled with tongues. Feng Zhongzui was relatively far away, but the explosion was sudden and extremely close. Even though the semi-saints nearby immediately activated their sacred power to protect, that could only block physical damage. Numerous fat tongues were practically plastered against everyone's faces, wanting to slide off but getting jammed by subsequent tongues exploding forth, thus unable to fall away.

“Bleugh!” Fang Wenxin was retching, his old face ashen. The Transmission Mirror was distorted, as if its spirit was also startled—the pressure of the Saint Emperor of Han Palace had cracked the mirror, but it wasn't as startling as this moment. The people of the Five Domains were almost scared out of their minds. The ground was covered in vomit; some even threw up their overnight meal, creating a vile stench.

It was a critical hit right from the start. They had thought the Dead Sea's buffer zone would at least allow for some buffering. Unexpectedly, it first tore apart everyone's psychological defenses, using tongues for a face-to-face scare. Once the most terrifying experience was over, was the rest considered buffering? Was this the true meaning of 'buffer zone'?

“I'm sorry!” “Let me go!” “Please, I beg you!” The tearing sounds were too piercing. Coupled with these tongues plastered against their faces, it was more terrifying than the Tongue-Plucking Hell... No, this buffer zone *was* the Tongue-Plucking Hell, wasn't it?

Feng Zhongzui, suppressing his nausea, carried the Transmission Mirror forward after Elder Fang's punch had paved the way and pulverized the tongues. He passed by Sword Immortal Bei, who was covered in blood, utterly distraught, and uncontrollably convulsing, thinking 'my condolences'. He also passed Master Shou, who was emerging gracefully from the pile of fleshy tongues nearby, holding his silver Broken Jun Shield like an oil-paper umbrella strolling through Jiangnan after rain, thinking 'I'm impressed'.

He finally reached the source of the shrieks, but quickly froze. It was a golden-robed man with disheveled hair and a face full of terror. His golden robe was unstained by blood and dust-free, yet his entire being was utterly pathological! He knelt on a small scroll of sin decree, holding a golden Sword of Justice in his right hand, while his left hand tremblingly reached towards his mouth. He pulled out his tongue and cut it with the sword.

“Ah――” After finishing his trembling shriek, he began to kowtow. He knocked his head against the treasure seal on the ground, cracking his head open, yet still apologized frantically: “I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Let me go! Let me go!”

His tongue grew back again. He then continued to reach out, pull out his tongue, and cut it again with the sword... “Ah!!!” He kowtowed again, banging his head repeatedly. His eyes had completely lost their light; his entire soul seemed controlled by a demon, and blood and tears incessantly flowed from his eye sockets. Neither living nor dead. Neither human nor ghost.

“Let me go, please. I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong, Hall Master Dao...”