Chapter 32: Fingertip Beauty Ages

Chapter 32: Youth Fades in a Flash

The thunderous roar of a tiger shook the heavens, sending leaves scattering. The immense sound reverberated through the mountains, resembling both rolling thunder and a surging flood, causing everyone's faces to blanch. It was coming from the very spot where they had just rested.

Pang Bo and Zhang Ziling exchanged glances. They knew Liu Yunzhi and Li Changqing were doomed, trapped in the tiger's den by an adult tiger returning from its hunt. There was no way they could survive, especially considering how ferociously protective a tigress nursing her cubs would be.

Everyone else's faces turned pale. They had barely escaped the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land, only to immediately encounter a large beast. Who knew what further dangers lay ahead? Reflecting now, though the Forbidden Land was terrifyingly silent at night, at least it didn't present as many dangers during the day as their current location.

"To have evaded the Alligator Ancestor, overcome countless perils, traversed a desolate universe, and finally arrived in a world full of life, only to lose their lives here—it's truly regrettable and tragic," Zhou Yi remarked, gazing at the forest about a mile or so away.

The tiger's roar must have been caused by Liu Yunzhi and Li Changqing. The thought sent shivers down everyone's spines, as a gruesome image involuntarily flashed before their eyes: the fierce tiger tearing three bodies apart, its sharp claws and gleaming white fangs dripping with blood as it devoured their flesh. Just imagining such a horrific scene sent chills down their backs.

"Quick, let's go!" They absolutely could not linger here; the fierce tiger was lurking, and this was its territory. Only after rushing another two to two and a half miles did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Why is this forest so quiet? We haven't accidentally returned to the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land, have we?" Towering ancient trees blotted out the sun, and the primeval forest was eerily silent. There were no birds singing, no beasts roaring, and no bees or butterflies fluttering. All animals seemed to have vanished.

Their direction was correct, yet everyone felt a subtle unease and became doubly cautious. After walking for about two kilometers, the towering ancient trees gradually thinned, revealing a relatively open area. The ground was remarkably flat and hard, feeling as solid as marble underfoot. Not a blade of grass grew here; only massive rocks dotted the landscape.

"Why is it so dark ahead? What is that?" "It appears to be... a massive black lake." Giant boulders had previously obstructed their view, but now, after navigating through a pile of scattered rocks, they could clearly see the scene ahead. Everyone was startled. A colossal lake stretched before them, silent as a block of iron, without a single ripple. What was most astonishing, however, was its color: pitch-black, like ink, an unsettling shade of darkness.

"Now I finally understand that 'evil water' truly exists in this world. This black lake makes me uneasy no matter how I look at it; I've never seen water so intensely black." The black lake was deathly still, devoid of any signs of life. Moreover, the entire surrounding open mountain area had become a barren wasteland, where not even a single blade of grass could grow. It appeared to be a forbidden zone of life.

"It sounds like... there's something making a noise," a female student said, her voice trembling and her face pale. At that moment, others also began to hear a faint, strange sound. It was very low, like a painful groan.

"Crack!" Suddenly, a fracturing sound echoed, as if something hard had shattered.

"There... it's over there!" Liu Yiyi exclaimed, her face pale as she pointed towards the shore of the black lake, where a massive boulder, over ten meters long, lay. Something seemed to be lurking behind the boulder, with only a portion of its body visible. Its thick hide was cold and hard, like black metal, possessing the texture and luster of dark gold.

"What is that thing?!" Everyone was stunned. "Don't bother with it, let's get out of here!" A creature dwelling in a place like this—a massive black lake and barren, hard mountain ground—could certainly not be a benevolent beast.

"Crack!" The fracturing sound echoed once more. The low roar seemed to intensify in pain. The creature appeared to be struggling, then unexpectedly rolled its body, slamming repeatedly into the massive boulder. The boulder, seven to eight meters high and over ten meters long, was abruptly toppled, tumbling into the ink-black lake and sending black waves splashing.

Only then did everyone finally get a clear look at the monstrous beast. It was no more than three meters long and less than 1.5 meters tall, not as enormous as they had imagined. Yet, this very fact made it even more astonishing: a three-meter-long body could actually topple a boulder over ten meters long and seven to eight meters high into the lake. Such colossal strength was truly incredible.

"What is this thing?!" No one had ever seen a creature like it. It had no fur or scales, appearing to be cast from molten black iron. Its entire body was pitch-black, gleaming with a metallic texture and luster. Although less than three meters long, it resembled a massive black iron block, looking incredibly sturdy and radiating an unparalleled sense of power. At first glance, it resembled a robust ox, but on closer inspection, it was vastly different: nine sharp, jet-black horns, wickedly keen and emanating a dark gleam, grew from its head. Furthermore, it possessed five eyes, from which bloody light shot forth when they opened and closed. Its wide mouth revealed over half a foot of sharp teeth, arrayed like daggers, glinting coldly, terrifying and ferocious, exuding a brutal, ominous aura. This was a terrifying, savage beast, utterly unlike anything they had ever seen or heard of. One glance was enough to reveal its extreme ferocity; merely observing it from afar sent shivers through them.

"It looks like it's shedding its skin..." someone whispered in surprise. On the black beast's back, a large gash was slowly splitting open, revealing a portion of its newly emerged body beneath, which was even darker and more lustrous, as if forged from black gold.

"Quick, let's go! While it's shedding its outer layer, we must get far away from here!" It was undergoing a transformation much like a cicada shedding its shell. Such a growth method in a ferocious beast was truly bizarre and seemed demonic. It was fortunate that it was in the midst of this metamorphosis; otherwise, no one dared to imagine the terrible consequences. If the thunderously roaring tiger from earlier were to appear now, it would likely be as docile as a kitten before this monstrous beast. A creature capable of easily knocking a boulder seven to eight meters high and over ten meters long into a lake was unimaginably terrifying.

The group bypassed the black lake, having escaped without further incident. The low, pained roars behind them gradually faded until they disappeared completely.

Climbing over another low hill, they gazed at the distant peak. The buildings there became increasingly clear, revealing a vast complex of continuous palaces and halls, as if a heavenly palace had descended to earth.

"Why do I feel so hot...?" a female student hesitantly asked another beside her. "I feel it too." At that moment, everyone noticed something abnormal about themselves and each other. Their skin was terrifyingly red, as if about to bleed, and each person felt intensely hot, as though a fierce fire was burning within their bodies.

This was clearly not due to the weather; it was a physical anomaly. Everyone increasingly felt a searing pain in their skin and flesh, as if they were being roasted alive in an oven.

"I... I can't take it... it's unbearable!" a female student cried out, painfully crouching on the ground. "It hurts so much, my flesh feels like it's drying up..." Unable to control herself, tears streamed down her face, and she fell to the ground, writhing relentlessly.

Then, a second and third student collapsed, unable to bear the pain. Their entire bodies turned blood-red, with trickles of blood seeping from their skin, and they writhed on the ground in agony.

"What's going on? What's happening?!"

Everyone realized the gravity of the situation. At this moment, no one could remain standing; almost all of them collapsed to the ground, emitting painful roars. Their flesh felt as if it was being peeled off, and their entire bodies were in excruciating, knife-like pain.

"Ah..." Finally, someone could no longer endure it and began to scream, rolling about and leaving streaks of blood on the ground.

"I don't want to die..." someone cried out in terror.

This was a sudden calamity. No one knew why it was happening, and they had no understanding of their own condition. They only felt as if they were being slowly tortured to death, their bodies gradually dismembered.

"Let me die... this is unbearable..." They struggled, cried, rolled, and screamed. Many were close to despair, roaring loudly as the intense pain caused their minds to gradually blur. Eventually, everyone's bodies became enveloped in a layer of bloody mist, as if blood-red flames were burning. With their fierce struggles and painful roars, the mountain area was no longer peaceful, startling nearby birds and beasts into fleeing.

This was inhuman torture, as if they were in purgatory, enduring the most tragic torment imaginable. Finally, the excruciating pain caused everyone to lose consciousness; not a single person remained lucid.

After an unknown period, the mountain area gradually grew quiet, and the painful groans ceased.

Two hours later, Ye Fan, lying face up among the weeds, was the first to awaken. The sky above was a clear blue, and birds chirped and insects buzzed around him. He quickly sat up. He no longer felt any pain; in fact, he felt invigorated and entirely at ease, as if possessed of boundless energy. He felt strong enough to literally tear a saber-toothed tiger apart.

However, he quickly noticed something unusual: his clothes had become too large, hanging loosely and completely ill-fitting. He extended his hands from the wide sleeves. The moment he saw them, he, who was usually composed, let out a startled cry. Were these still his hands? They were several sizes smaller, very smooth and delicate, and certainly not like an adult's hands.

Ye Fan quickly stood up, feeling that everything was incredibly surreal. His clothes hung loosely, like an opera costume. But it wasn't that the clothes had grown; rather, his body had shrunk. At this moment, his body resembled that of an eleven or twelve-year-old boy.

Just then, Pang Bo, not far away, woke up. Rubbing his groggy eyes, he saw Ye Fan standing nearby and exclaimed in surprise, "Who are you, little kid? Where did you come from? Good heavens, why are you wearing Ye Fan's clothes?!" As he spoke, he seemed to realize something was amiss. He scrambled to sit up, then quickly stood, immediately crying out as if he had seen a ghost.

"Why have my clothes become so big? No, why has my body shrunk?" he stammered, looking at Ye Fan in astonishment. "You... you're Ye Fan?" As he spoke, he covered his mouth, realizing his voice had become increasingly high-pitched and childlike.

Staring at Pang Bo nearby, Ye Fan was also dumbfounded. What stood before him was clearly a raw and youthful boy, appearing to be eleven or twelve years old, though one could vaguely discern the shadow of the adult Pang Bo.

"What happened to us?" Pang Bo cried, rushing to Ye Fan's side, yelling and shouting in his overwhelmed state.

"I think... we might have reverted to youth," Ye Fan said, equally bewildered by the shock. It was the only conclusion he could draw, as both of them now looked like children, a stark difference from their former selves.

"Good heavens, how could such a preposterous thing happen to us?!" Pang Bo yelled loudly. He truly found it hard to comprehend, utterly baffled as to why such an incredible event had occurred.

"Quick, let's go see how the others are." Ye Fan called him, and they started walking up the hill. They had rolled down the hillside for dozens of meters earlier; fortunately, the slope was gentle and covered with many trees, or they would surely have been in danger. It was easy to imagine how fiercely they had struggled just a short while ago; even now, recalling that pain sent shivers down their spines.

Reaching the hilltop, Ye Fan and Pang Bo were immediately stunned. Pang Bo shouted, "Who are these decrepit old men and women?"

What they saw almost turned them to stone, sending tremors of alarm through them. A dozen or so bodies lay scattered haphazardly on the ground. All around, there were heads covered in white hair, with deeply wrinkled, incredibly aged skin. Yet, these individuals were all wearing the clothes of their familiar companions. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were seventy or eighty years old; they were truly aged beyond recognition.

"They... they can't be Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, Lin Jia, Li Xiaoman, can they?!" Youth had faded in a flash. Both felt their mouths dry, standing on the hilltop like statues carved from mud or wood.