Urban Martial Saint

The situation with the fork in the path is similar to the stone corridor; it’s just another stone corridor. It leads forward into pitch-black darkness, as if nameless demons are lurking, ready to devour anyone daring enough to venture in recklessly.

Ye Qing took out the flashlight and illuminated everything around him. Previously, inside the cave, he didn’t dare to turn on the flashlight because the cave was fraught with danger, not only with those long-haired monsters but also with other intruders. If they saw the light, they would surely find him. However, in this forked path, Ye Qing didn’t need to worry about those concerns.

Previously, people from the South Ridge Sect and the Wanyan Family had tried entering this forked path. Aside from the mechanisms and the strange situation that caused people to age gradually, there were no living creatures here. So Ye Qing felt free to boldly turn on the flashlight to observe his surroundings.

In this darkness, having light made it easier to move forward. The forked path was actually quite simple, with only one road leading forward without bends or other forks, so Ye Qing didn’t have to worry about going in the wrong direction. The only concern was the bizarre situation that could make people gradually age.

Having heard Du Canglang talk about the Instantaneous Blossom, Ye Qing began to pay more attention to his surroundings, especially the plants. However, as he walked around a hundred meters along the dark stone corridor, he saw no signs of any plants, nor did he show any signs of aging. What was going on?

As Ye Qing pondered his doubts, the flashlight’s beam inadvertently landed on a person lying on the ground in the distance. Ye Qing’s heart skipped a beat. What good could come from a silhouette appearing in the cave at this time?

Ye Qing immediately stood still, watching the figure from afar, pondering what this person could be up to. But even after waiting for a long while, the person remained motionless, as if dead, which bewildered Ye Qing.

Recalling a deceased person he encountered in a previous tunnel, where the situation was identical, Ye Qing observed closely for a long time before realizing it was just a corpse. And now, with this person lying still as well, could this also be a corpse?

Filled with doubt, Ye Qing took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and walked straight toward the silhouette. He wasn’t particularly afraid, as the Buddha’s Relic and Devouring Demon Flower he’d brought gave him protection. Even a master like Du Canglang would find it nearly impossible to kill him. Whatever danger this figure posed, it was unlikely to threaten Ye Qing.

Ye Qing and the figure were about twenty meters apart. As Ye Qing slowly approached, he finally saw the figure clearly. What kind of person was this? His face had aged so terribly it was frightening—his hands, face, and body were covered in layers of wrinkles, resembling a centenarian. His hair, beard, and even eyebrows were white. Hunched over, he appeared shriveled, lying motionless with one hand outstretched, but his eyes had lost all brilliance, unmistakenly dead.

Undoubtedly, this person was dead, and judging by his appearance, he died of old age!

Ye Qing’s heart jumped. He’d been in this stone corridor for a long time without seeing any flowers, nor did he feel himself aging. He was still questioning whether everyone had mistaken it. But now, seeing this person dead of old age, he had to believe that there was indeed an eerie force in the stone corridor that could make people age. But what was this force? Could it be, as Du Canglang said, the kind of Instantaneous Blossom? Yet, along the way, Ye Qing hadn’t seen even a hint of vegetation, let alone any Instantaneous Blossom.

Upon seeing this corpse, Ye Qing’s doubts only deepened. Since there was a force in the stone corridor that could make people age but wasn’t the Instantaneous Blossom, then it must be something else, which requires caution. After all, Ye Qing carried the Buddha’s Relic, so even if he encountered the Instantaneous Blossom, he could at least protect himself. However, if the aging force here wasn’t from the Instantaneous Blossom, the situation would be severe.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Qing stood up and continued walking along the stone corridor. Although he felt anxious, he had no other choice. Wen’er was in Du Canglang’s hands; Ye Qing couldn’t give up halfway. Otherwise, Wen’er would be in danger. Ye Qing could disregard his own life and death, but he couldn’t risk Wen’er’s life. After all, her father had once saved him, and Ye Qing was obligated, sentimentally and rationally, to take good care of her.

It’s unknown how long the stone corridor was. As Ye Qing continued along, he encountered more corpses, all aged to death similar to the one he’d seen before. Yet, despite reaching this point, Ye Qing still showed no signs of aging, nor did he see any trace of plants, which puzzled him even more. Was it really not the Instantaneous Blossom?

Due to his doubts, Ye Qing carefully examined each corpse he came across, trying to identify any common elements among them to uncover the stone corridor’s mysterious influence. Fortune favors the diligent: as Ye Qing examined one corpse, he was startled to find a break on the finger from which blood trickled.

All the other corpses Ye Qing saw had died of old age, bearing no signs of external injury. But this person’s finger had been broken, and, curiously, the wound was uneven, as if something had bitten it. Strangely, there was also a trace of blood at this person’s mouth, as if he had bitten his own finger. But how could that be? Why would he inflict such harm on himself?

Looking at the corpse, Ye Qing could no longer discern his expression due to aging. However, his eyes were fixed to the left, as if paying attention or looking at something specific. Following his gaze, Ye Qing only saw the stone wall at the edge of the corridor—nothing unusual. What was this person looking at?

After contemplating for a while, Ye Qing still couldn’t unravel the mystery. However, as was his custom, he flipped the corpse over, wanting to see if there was anything special underneath. Upon doing so, Ye Qing was shocked to find several messy blood words on the ground beneath the body!

The bloody words were scrawled and weakly written, likely using the last of the person’s strength. Each stroke of these words was about finger-width, apparently crafted using the broken finger. At this, Ye Qing finally understood why the finger was injured and the mouth bloodstained. It seemed the person had bitten their finger to leave these blood words, perhaps to convey a message.

Ye Qing quickly directed the flashlight toward the blood words; there were six in total. However, due to their hurried writing and being pressed by the body, most had been smudged, rendering them unreadable. After careful observation, Ye Qing could only make out one character—the word ”insect”!

”Insect?” Ye Qing’s bewilderment grew as he stared at the corpse, unsure why the person left such a word. What were they trying to communicate? Insect? What insect? Could there be insects in the stone corridor? Or perhaps an insect killed him? Yet, what kind of insect possesses the power of the Instantaneous Blossom, capable of rapidly aging a person?

Ye Qing examined the surroundings closely, especially where the corpse’s eyes had been fixed. Yet, he found nothing unusual, let alone any insects. The place lacked any signs of insects or the Instantaneous Blossom, leaving the intended message of the blood words unknown.

”Insect? Instantaneous Blossom?” Ye Qing was confused by these two things. Du Canglang mentioned the Instantaneous Blossom, while the dying message of this corpse included the word ”insect,” suggesting a correlation. But was it the Instantaneous Blossom, or something about this insect? What exactly in the stone corridor aged people to death?

If it were possible to revive the corpse, Ye Qing could inquire for more details. But that was an impossibility. Frowning deeply, Ye Qing pondered briefly before reluctantly continuing forward. Having reached this point and showing no signs of aging, Ye Qing was determined to uncover the stone corridor’s secrets.

As he proceeded, Ye Qing encountered many more corpses. Only a few appeared recently deceased, likely members of the South Ridge Sect or the Wanyan Family. The rest were but skeletal remains, those who had entered long ago and perished within the stone corridor, never reaching the end. The condition of these relics indicated that many had once reached this point, but none successfully navigated the seven forks, ultimately dying in the stone corridor.

This circumstance bore a resemblance to the Demon Hideout Cave. Who knows how many skeletons are buried within each passageway of that place?