Chapter 512: Stone Gate on the White Bones

Zu An's heart fluttered at her words. He wasn't so dense as to miss the affection in her voice.

Gazing at her exquisite beauty, her charming, passionate eyes, and her alluring red lips, Zu An could no longer resist and leaned in to kiss her.

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

After a long moment, their lips parted. Looking at Pei Mianman, who radiated charm in his arms, he suddenly mused, "This feels a bit unfair to Chu Yan."

If it had been anyone else, it might have been different, but Pei Mianman and Chu Yan were best friends. He didn't know how he would ever tell Chu Yan about this, as even a small mistake could make her feel betrayed.

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

Zu An paused, then a smile touched his lips. "Oh, right. You're absolutely correct. Then let's continue." With that, he leaned in for another kiss.

Pei Mianman scoffed, "Bah, you scoundrel!"

Zu An knew she wasn't truly angry and simply watched her, smiling.

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

"Alright!" Zu An unbuttoned her collar and gently pulled down the fabric from her shoulder. Her skin, even whiter and more delicate against the bloodstains, and the tantalizing glimpse of her chest, left him momentarily stunned.

"What are you staring at?" Pei Mianman asked coyly. "I told you to look at my wound."

"Oh, right." Zu An felt his face flush. He quickly composed himself and began examining her, gently touching the scabs on her skin. "Your injury is practically healed. It's only itching because it's scabbing over."

"Really?" Pei Mianman's heart filled with joy. "And will it leave a scar?"

"Of course not," Zu An replied. He had sustained many injuries himself in the past, but they had never left any scars.

"Are you certain?" Pei Mianman was still a little uneasy. "Could you check my back again?"

Zu An chuckled as he checked her back. "Don't worry. Even if there were a scar, I'd still want you."

"Hmph, don't flatter yourself," Pei Mianman scoffed, pulling her clothes back up and buttoning them. "Men who want me could line up from the academy gates all the way to Dragon Hidden Mountain outside Moonbright City."

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

As if sensing the gluttonous beast's demise, the strange snakes that had been hiding in the shadows began to emerge from the skulls. He certainly didn't want to find himself in the predicament of fighting them again.

Pei Mianman nodded and climbed out of his embrace. As her injury recovered, she felt her condition improving significantly. Although still somewhat weaker than at her peak, she was confident she could defend herself. This made her marvel even more at the miraculousness of Zu An's medicine, and her gaze towards him softened.

Zu An went to the hole in the wall, but then suddenly turned back and stored the gluttonous beast's corpse away using his Glazed Treasure Pearl.

Pei Mianman covered her nose and asked with a disgusted look, "Why are you keeping that thing?"

Zu An replied, "This monster is unlike anything seen outside. Its corpse might prove useful in the future."

His Glazed Treasure Pearl already contained many items, and he wondered if the gluttonous beast's corpse would cause any internal issues or damage other stored goods.

Zu An extended his senses to check and found that the gluttonous beast's corpse appeared to be stored in an isolated space within the pearl, where items did not interfere with each other. He then breathed a sigh of relief.

"What use could such a disgusting, ugly monster possibly have?" Pei Mianman asked, annoyed as she recalled being injured by the gluttonous beast. "By the way, the capacity of your spatial artifact is enormous! You can even fit a monster that big inside."

Zu An smiled slightly. "Have you forgotten about that giant dragon? If I could fit that in, what's this by comparison?" As he spoke, he showed her the Glazed Treasure Pearl.

Pei Mianman couldn't help but exclaim, "If others knew about a spatial artifact like this, it would be just as significant as your Nirvana Sutra of the Phoenix! You told me about it so openly; aren't you afraid I might develop ill intentions?"

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

"Person you love?" Pei Mianman's heart trembled, clearly deeply moved by his words.

Then Zu An's tone shifted. "Of course, Big Mianman, if you truly develop any ill intentions toward me, I'd welcome them. Don't pity me just because I'm a delicate flower."

Hearing this, Pei Mianman playfully punched him. "You scoundrel, you can never be serious for long."

After their playful banter, they returned to the sloping hole in the wall. Looking at the slime around the walls, Zu An reminded her, "Be careful."

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

"Mmm." Pei Mianman didn't need reminding; she tiptoed, careful not to step on it. Girls naturally had a strong aversion to such things.

The two climbed up the slope, and gradually, they both felt a bit grateful to the gluttonous beast. First, it had dealt with the strange snakes, and second, the slime it left behind made climbing much easier. Otherwise, with such smooth walls and a steep incline, ascending would have been quite difficult.

After a while, they finally emerged from the tunnel. Looking at the familiar pale gray mist around 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 and feeling a lingering sense of dread.

Pei Mianman raised a fist. "Don't worry, my injury is completely healed now. Even if we encounter danger, I can help."

Zu An smiled. "Even so, I'd still prefer not to encounter any danger."

Just then, a sudden warning surged in his heart. He quickly pushed Pei Mianman aside. "Look out!"

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

They both jumped aside, and a pale gray tongue slammed down exactly where they had stood, kicking up a cloud of dust.

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

A terrifying figure slowly emerged from the pale gray mist. Its bizarre head, gaping maw 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?" Zu An sighed. "Why do we keep running into these bizarre things?" However, he wasn't overly concerned. Down below, they had been primarily ambushed and suffered losses due to unfamiliarity with the gluttonous beast's abilities. Now, Pei Mianman had recovered, and they understood the creature's various tactics. Fighting it again would clearly be much easier.

The gluttonous beast seemed to sense his disdain, roaring with a strange "ying-ying-ying" sound and lunging at Zu An. With a powerful thrust of its hind legs, it appeared before him in the blink of an eye.

Zu An was prepared. He immediately slid under the creature and swung his Tai'e Sword upwards, aiming to stab into its belly and disembowel it.

To his surprise, despite its large size, the gluttonous beast was incredibly agile. It slapped his sword blade aside with one paw, while the other swiped directly at his face.

At the same time, its long tail darted toward his stomach.

Zu An quickly braced his hand on the ground, disregarding his appearance as he awkwardly dodged out from under the beast's belly.

"Damn it! That theory from internet keyboard warriors in my previous life, about sliding under to kill a tiger, is utterly idiotic!" Zu An cursed under his breath.

The gluttonous beast landed, pushed off the ground with its front paws, and then roared again, lunging at him with an agility that far surpassed any human.

Just then, a stream of black flames flew over, directly engulfing the gluttonous beast. Clearly, Pei Mianman had intervened.

The gluttonous beast let out a startled roar, though to their ears, it still sounded like a "ying-ying-ying," albeit with a different tone.

He didn't know what was going on with the gluttonous beast's skin; the black flames, which were usually difficult to shake off, began to extinguish after the beast rolled around a few times.

Zu An, surprised, dashed forward. While the gluttonous beast was distracted by the black flames on its body, he thrust his sword directly into its shoulder eye, just as he had done with the one in the pit.

The gluttonous beast let out a startled roar, then fell silent forever. It hadn't expected to die so easily, with so many abilities still unused!

Zu An retracted his Tai'e Sword. "Big Mianman, thank you so much just now."

"If you hadn't diverted its attention, my black flames wouldn't have reached it," Pei Mianman said. Then she frowned, looking at the corpse on the ground with a mix of surprise and uncertainty. "But what's with this monster? Why couldn't my black flames burn it to death?"

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

"This gluttonous beast is certainly peculiar," Zu An said. "Even my dagger had no effect on it earlier." He still couldn't figure out why his death-strike 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 recounted the descriptions from his memory to her.

Pei Mianman looked surprised. "How come I've never heard of it? Where did you read about it?"

Zu An chuckled vaguely. "The world is vast and full of wonders. There's plenty you haven't seen."

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

Zu An nodded. "Indeed. But with such thick mist everywhere, we need to be careful not to run into those gluttonous monsters again."

No sooner had he spoken than a chorus of "ying-ying-ying" sounds rose and fell around them.

Zu An froze.

Their bodies trembled, and they couldn't help but look towards the source of the sounds. Several indistinct figures emerged from the mist—what else could they be but gluttonous beasts?

Zu An wished he could slap himself. What a jinx! No sooner had he spoken than it happened, as if his words held power.

So if I were to say I want to be invincible and have a harem, could that also come true?

Although he was complaining inwardly, his actions were swift. He grabbed Pei Mianman and cried out, "Run!"

They could handle one gluttonous beast without much trouble, but with so many, they were clearly no match.

Seeing them flee, the gluttonous beasts roared with strange "ying-ying-ying" sounds and gave chase. However, halfway through, they spotted the corpse of the other gluttonous beast nearby. They all stopped, gathered around, and began to tear at and devour it. Soon, the massive corpse was completely consumed, along with every drop of blood that had spilled onto the ground.

Zu An, meanwhile, dragged Pei Mianman and ran for their lives. Even though he glimpsed the gluttonous beasts' actions from the corner of his eye, he didn't dare stop.

They didn't know how long they had run before a massive gate suddenly appeared before them.

The gate was incredibly majestic, standing twenty to thirty meters high. In front of it stood many massive stone pillars, each so thick that two people embracing it couldn't span its circumference.

Standing before the gate, they instantly felt tiny. A sense of immense grandeur washed over them as they gazed at the colossal 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.

Zu An, not giving up, ran over and tried to push it. No matter how hard he tried, it remained completely still.

"Ah!" Just then, Pei Mianman suddenly gasped.

Zu An was startled, thinking she had been attacked by a gluttonous beast. He quickly turned to look but saw nothing around her.

"What's wrong?" Zu An asked, coming to her side with concern.

"Over there..." Pei Mianman quickly pointed to the side.

Zu An looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a skeletal figure kneeling on a set of steps.

This skeleton was incredibly tall and imposing; even kneeling on one knee, it still exuded an inexplicable aura.

"Could this also be a victim from back then?" Pei Mianman thought of the countless bones in the large pit they had seen earlier.

"Probably not," Zu An said, shaking his head and pointing at the skeleton. "Look, it's holding a long spear and exudes a powerful aura; it must have been a fierce warrior in life. Also, its posture is peaceful, and there are no wounds on its body, so it likely volunteered to guard this place. I just don't know if it was buried as a sacrifice or if it died naturally and turned into bones."

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

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 saw that each massive pillar was constructed upon a skeleton.

If not for the extensive disrepair, which had damaged many areas and exposed some traces, they likely would not have discovered that the pillars were built upon skeletons.

A thought struck Zu An. He suddenly remembered seeing similar patterns beneath the massive stone gate just now. He quickly ran over to check and, sure enough, the entire gate was built upon many 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, her body trembling slightly as she came to Zu An's side.

Although she usually presented a cheerful and graceful demeanor, she was fundamentally a decisive person. Yet, seeing the mass grave earlier and now finding structures built upon skeletons, she couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine.

Zu An said in a low voice, "Perhaps this was their culture and custom. I know of an ancient country that used human sacrifices, believing it was the most supreme way to show respect to the heavens."

Having watched the documentary "Yinxu" in his previous life, he knew that the Shang dynasty frequently used human sacrifices. This secret realm was also called "Yinxu," and while he wasn't sure if they were the same place, there was certainly a connection.

"But how innocent were these people?" Pei Mianman said, looking at the distorted skeletons beneath the pillars and stone gate, and feeling a surge of compassion. "Who would want to be used as sacrificial livestock by their rulers to worship the heavens?"

Zu An explained, "These were likely captives from defeated armies. In that era, becoming a captive inevitably sealed a tragic fate."

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

Zu An murmured his assent. This place truly was unsettling in every way.

They began searching nearby. Suddenly, Pei Mianman stopped, grabbing him. "Careful!"

Zu An paused, then noticed a seemingly bottomless cliff not far ahead. Its dark maw resembled a sleeping giant beast, and even a glance made his heart pound.

Pei Mianman picked up a nearby stone and dropped it, but they never heard an echo. They both paled in shock. Either the cliff was so incredibly deep that the sound couldn't return, or there were spatial rifts or similar phenomena below.

In either case, falling down was clearly not a wise choice.

They quickly turned and investigated in another direction. After a while, they frustratingly discovered that it was also a cliff on that side, with an endless abyss below.

They finally understood that the path they had been on was likely a suspended bridge, and only the dense pale mist had prevented them from seeing their surroundings clearly.

Thinking of this, they both felt incredibly lucky. Having been terrified and chased by the gluttonous beasts just now, they hadn't stepped into empty space. If they fell this time, they likely wouldn't be as lucky as they were in the giant pit.

Pei Mianman was somewhat puzzled. "If it's bottomless below, then what's beneath the place we just came from, and the location of that large stone gate ahead? 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 descended from an extraterrestrial meteorite. We might still be inside that strange stone tablet, and the spatial laws here could very well be different from the outside world."

"I can't believe we finally shook off that Mosquito Daoist, only to be trapped here again," he complained. "Now all I want to do is figure out how to get out."

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

After getting out, she'd have to worry about how to tell Chu Yan, not to mention all the family troubles. If she could spend some private time with Zu An here, it wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

Just then, a series of "ying-ying-ying" sounds came from afar again. Her expression changed, and she remembered the gluttonous beasts and the skeletons, immediately abandoning the idea of staying there any longer.

"Let's go back to the gate first!" Zu An quickly pulled Pei Mianman back. If they went any further, they would run head-on into the chasing gluttonous beasts. If they could find a way inside the stone gate, they might be able to escape. Even if they couldn't enter, they could hold a defensive position there, preventing themselves from being surrounded and attacked from both sides.

Pei Mianman clearly understood the pros and cons and didn't hesitate. They quickly returned to the stone gate, trying to figure out how to open it.

What they didn't notice was a faint red glow subtly flashing in the hollow eye sockets of the skeletal warrior kneeling on the stone steps nearby.