The Quest for Immortality

The passage was filled with white bones, vast and boundless, leading in all directions like a maze, making it impossible to discern the way.

Without anyone to guide them, the group could only rely on luck, moving forward without a clear destination.

The further they went, the deeper they found themselves trapped in the intricate paths of the maze instead of finding their way out.

All around, the white bones grew thicker, more grotesque, and the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

Bloodstains, not yet dried, began to appear between the bones.

Master Xiao stopped in his tracks, frowning.

It was then that he realized he had underestimated this maze.

The scope of this maze was larger than he expected, and its terrain was far more complex than he had imagined.

And these walls of bone...

Master Xiao drew his sword and slashed at one of the bone walls.

The Sword Qi struck the bone wall, causing it to crack with a fine sword mark appearing on its surface.

However, Master Xiao’s frown deepened.

The bone wall, although it could be broken, required an extraordinary effort to do so.

Moreover, the maze was full of bone walls, standing in rows upon rows, countless in number. To force a way through with martial strength, they might die from exhaustion before ever making it out.

And wandering aimlessly like a headless chicken was not a solution either.

Master Xiao was not a foolishly stubborn person; seeing that it was infeasible, he turned his head and asked Gu Changhuai and the others:

”Do either of you have a means to guide us?”

Gu Changhuai hesitated for a moment, said nothing, and took out a Si Nan, while Xia Canonical Official took out a suspended magnetic silver needle.

Both were Spiritual Artifacts for navigation.

Yet upon activation, the Si Nan went erratic, the magnetic needle wavered unsteadily, indicating that in the maze, all navigation artifacts were ineffective.

Gu Changhuai frowned and said, ”With the guiding artifacts useless, we’ll have to rely on our memory and take it step by step.”

Master Xiao said no more.

Afterwards, the group continued forward.

But the further they pressed on, the stronger the scent of blood became, the thicker the blood stench, and waves of Evil Qi permeated the maze.

Everyone wore a cold, stern expression.

Just then, Master Xiao stopped once more, his entire body brimming with an evil aura as though drawn by something, and solemnly said:

”Everyone, be careful.”

No sooner had he finished speaking, when the white bones around them began to tremble.

From nowhere, ”blood zombies,” their bodies blood-red, flesh rotting away, faces completely unrecognizable, crawled out.

”What... are these?”

Everyone’s expressions changed.

Master Xiao frowned, drew his longsword, readying his Sword Qi.

Gu Changhuai also took out his feather fan, while Xia Canonical Official wielded her Ice Sword, and the others drew their Spiritual Artifacts as well.

Then the blood zombies howled, blood Qi pervaded, and a fierce battle was imminent.

The blood zombies, moving like the Walking Dead, twisted their limbs, rushing through the forest of bones to attack the group.

Sword Qi interwove, Wind Blades swept, Spirit Needles and Spiritual Artifacts flew through the air.

Before the blood zombies could even get close, their arms and legs were severed, causing them to fall to the ground, but before long, they would adhere together through the eerie blood on the ground and continue their attack. S̈

And the blood on their bodies, reeking and foul, could corrode Blood Qi.

The group could only battle as they retreated.

Some of the blood zombies still wore remnants of monk’s robes.

The sight chilled the Water Yama, who said, ”They are temple guards...”

All the temple guards, except those killed at Yaksha Hall or consumed by ”Mr. Witch,” were discarded beneath the blood pool, in this White Bone Maze, and turned into these monstrous ”blood zombies.”

As more blood zombies appeared, their combat strength was unreliable; a single sword could sever arms and heads, but they were not killed, and they bore tainted blood.

This would not end well...

Master Xiao said gravely, ”Let’s retreat.”

Given the situation, no one hesitated any longer; while wielding their Spiritual Artifacts and casting spells to fend off the attacking blood zombies, they all began to withdraw.

And it seemed that the blood zombies had a limited range in their pursuit.

Once they had retreated far enough, most of the zombies ceased their chase, except for a few scattered ones whose blood Qi fury could not be quelled, continuing to pursue the group.

The group fought as they retreated until they reached a secluded spot, where no blood zombies followed them any longer, feeling slightly relieved, but inevitably worn out from the prolonged battle.

Along the way, hunting the monster turned Mr. Witch, followed by repeated internal conflicts without time to rest, and then encountering these blood zombies like a tidal wave.

Even with the foundation of a Golden Core, they couldn’t withstand such exhaustion.

Especially Xia Canonical Official.

She practiced the Ice System cultivation technique and Taoist skill, focusing on swift kill techniques with her movement technique, meaning prolonged battles in direct confrontation were disadvantageous.

Additionally, having suffered under Master Xiao’s Blood Prison Pupil Skill, the evil aura had entered her mind, her Divine Soul was disturbed, and after this arduous fight, her face turned pale, her breath unstable.

Xiao Tianquan, always by her side, saw this and asked:

”Xia Canonical Official, are you alright?”

Xia Canonical Official was just about to reply when suddenly her Sea of Consciousness throbbed with a stabbing pain, as if grieving souls wailed and a Fierce Ghost was claiming her life.

Up until now she had gritted her teeth and endured, but now she could no longer hold on; pale-faced, swaying on her feet, she could not stand firm.

Xiao Tianquan reached out intending to support her.

Yet, halfway there, a figure flashed before him, and Gu Changhuai, quicker than he, had already supported Xia Canonical Official’s arm.

Xiao Tianquan paused.

Gu Changhuai too wore a momentary bewilderment on his face.

He had supported Xia Canonical Official almost instinctively, even he himself didn’t quite understand why he did it.

Perhaps it was out of camaraderie as fellow Supervisors.

Or maybe it was seeing Xiao Tianquan approaching Xia Canonical Official, and some inexplicable pang of jealousy surged in his heart.

But since he had already supported her, he didn’t let go.

Xia Canonical Official’s Sea of Consciousness stung, making her unstable on her feet, then she felt a man suddenly supporting her, instinctively pushing away a few times.

Yet this aura felt strangely familiar.