Chapter 251 The Shocking Change at the Ruins

That night, the area around Cuiwei Peak became exceptionally lively.

Members of the Green Bamboo Gang, Iron Bone Society, and Five Poisons Sect set up camp on several mountain peaks, with campfires flickering around them.

The two corpse-driving teams in western Hunan occupied two separate valleys, which were eerily quiet and even the chirping of insects dared not approach.

Master Baidu and his group settled down at the foot of a cliff on the southern slope of Cuiwei Peak, and it was unclear what they were doing.

Chen Mo did not contact anyone, staying alone in the town's inn, releasing a scout kite to observe everything from high above.

Strangely, no one from the Zhenyi Division came.

.....

On the morning of the sixth day,

As usual, Chen Mo was drinking tea at the teahouse when he suddenly sensed a completely different aura approaching from outside the town.

That aura was fierce and domineering, like the blazing sun in the sky, completely different from the sinister aura of those unorthodox people before.

He put down his teacup, walked to the door, and saw a procession coming from the north avenue.

About twenty people dressed in black uniforms, with knives at their waists, marched in unison.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties, tall and thin, with a long, jet-black knife hanging at his waist.

This person's aura was like a moving oven; his vitality was so strong that it could be felt from half a street away.

"The Bureau of Suppression of Strange Things..."

The officials have finally arrived.

Moreover, they weren't just ordinary nobodys; the leader's martial arts cultivation was at least at the Qi and Blood Furnace Realm.

Even high-ranking officials at the patrol level have come?

..

Over the next two days, the atmosphere around Cuiwei Peak became increasingly tense.

The ruins have remained unopened for some unknown reason.

Members of the Green Bamboo Gang, Iron Bone Society, and Five Poisons Sect began clearing roads, cutting down trees, and building makeshift camps on the outskirts of the mountains.

The two corpse-driving teams in western Hunan ignored each other and each occupied a separate area.

Master Baidu and his group were the quietest, making almost no noise.

But Chen Mo saw from the kite that they would light a bonfire at the foot of the cliff every night and perform some kind of ritual around the fire.

The people from the Zhenyi Division did not act rashly. They simply set up camp in the town and sent people out to scout every day, seemingly waiting for something.

Chen Mo sat by the window on the second floor of the inn, looking at the people on Cuiwei Peak in the distance, calculating the situation in his mind.

With all forces gathered, and a great terror lurking deep within Cuiwei Peak, this turbulent situation is far more complex than Master Baidu had initially described.

Those ten contribution points are nothing; the revenge for Master Baidu can wait until he comes out alive...

Chen Mo's eyes flickered, and his fingers tapped lightly on the windowsill.

......

In the dead of night, a muffled, loud bang suddenly came from the direction of Cuiwei Peak.

Chen Mo rolled out of bed, opened the window, and saw a strange red light shining in the sky, dyeing the entire mountain range dark red.

At the same time, a chilling and terrifying aura emanated from that direction.

The dogs in the town began to bark wildly, and the mules and horses tied up in the sheds neighed, trying to break free of their reins.

Chen Mo's spiritual sense issued another warning, even more intense than before.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the pounding in his heart, closed the window, and retreated to a corner of the room.

.....

At the foot of Cuiwei Peak.

The ground began to shake.

Gravel rolled down the hillside, trees swayed, and birds took flight in fright.

A continuous, low rumbling sound came from deep within Cuiwei Peak, as if a giant object was turning over underground.

The layer of white-gray mist that sealed the secret realm surged violently, bursting open with countless cracks from within.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "The secret realm has opened!"

The Green Bamboo Gang was the first to rush in.

Liu Sandao took the lead, his short knife gleaming with a ghostly green poisonous light under the red glow, followed by more than twenty men in black who filed in.

The Iron Bone Society and the Five Poisons Sect followed closely behind.

When Master Baidu rushed out from under the cliff, he happened to run into this wave of people.

Behind him, a dozen men and women, each with a ferocious expression, followed closely by him, each employing their own methods.

"Hurry! Hurry! Don't let anyone get ahead of us!"

Master Baidu was so anxious he was jumping up and down, his voice filled with undisguised greed, "Whoever goes in first gets the treasure inside!"

These words caused the crowd to go even more wildly.

The Green Bamboo Gang charged ahead, and as soon as Liu Sandao's short sword disappeared into the mist, the people behind him could no longer contain themselves.

The Five Poisons Sect was the first to make a move.

An old man with a face full of sores suddenly flung out a handful of emerald green poison needles from his sleeve, aiming straight for the back of the Green Bamboo Gang.

"what!"

Screams rang out, and three Green Bamboo Gang disciples collapsed to the ground, their bodies instantly covered in bluish-purple markings, foaming at the mouth.

"The Five Poisons Sect! How dare you!"

Liu Sandao suddenly turned around, his eyes revealing murderous intent.

"hey-hey."

The old man with the poisonous sores chuckled strangely, "Chief Liu, the resources in this secret realm are limited. Your Green Bamboo Gang has a large and powerful force. If you go in, will there be any left for us? Why don't we clear out the area first..."

Before he could finish speaking, his head had already flown off.

Liu Sandao's knife was too fast; the old man's smile was still on his face when his head rolled to the ground.

"Kill!" At Liu Sandao's command, the Green Bamboo Gang members immediately turned their blades and rushed towards the Five Poisons Sect.

The remaining members of the Five Poisons Sect were not to be outdone, and they all took out their poison sacs and powders. In an instant, green smoke spread out, making it difficult for people to open their eyes.

The Ironbone Society members, who had already reached the edge of the fog, immediately stopped upon seeing this.

The leader of the Iron Bone Society, Xiong Batian, was a bald, burly man with a face full of scars, whose martial arts skills made him invulnerable to swords and spears.

He watched the battle between the Green Bamboo Gang and the Five Poisons Sect with a cold eye, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Let them fight, and when they're done, we'll go in and collect the spoils."

He had barely finished speaking when a sharp whooshing sound came from behind him.

Xiong Batian suddenly turned around and smashed out with an iron fist, shattering a flying bone arrow into pieces.

"The corpse-transporting people of western Hunan!"

In the shadows of the distant valley, two groups of corpse-driving teams had somehow merged together.

The coffin lids beside them were all flung open, and one after another, zombies covered in bandages jumped out, their eyes glowing with eerie green flames.

"There are too many living people, and not enough yin energy."

An old corpse-driving man said in a sinister tone, "Some people have to die to replenish our treasures."

He shook the copper bell in his hand, and more than a dozen zombies rushed towards the Ironbone Society.

Xiong Batian roared in fury, "I haven't even started any trouble for you yet, and you've already come knocking on my door!"

......

In an instant, several groups of people were locked in a fierce battle, with poisonous mist and flashing blades intertwined, accompanied by screams of agony.

There seems to be an old grudge between the two corpse-driving teams in western Hunan. One team drives zombies to attack the Iron Bone Society, while the other team is wary of each other, fearing that the other might stab them in the back.

The situation was completely out of control.

The open space at the foot of Cuiwei Peak had become a battlefield of carnage, with blood staining the rubble, poisonous mist filling the air, and zombies howling.

Amidst the chaos, Master Baidu's eyes lit up.

"Now! Let's go!"

With a wave of his hand, he led a dozen or so men along the edge of the battlefield, stealthily making their way towards the churning white-gray mist.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the vendetta in front of them, and no one noticed them.

Master Baidu moved swiftly, taking two steps at a time, and plunged headfirst into the mist.

The others followed closely behind, their figures disappearing one after another into the churning, grayish-white fog.

It wasn't until the last person's clothes disappeared into the mist that anyone finally realized what was happening.

"Master Baidu has gone in!"

The sounds of fighting abruptly ceased.

Liu Sandao abruptly sheathed his sword, turned around, and saw that Bai Du Shangren was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it! We've been tricked!"

Without a word, he abandoned the Five Poisons Sect and led the remaining members of the Green Bamboo Gang towards the mist like a madman.

The Five Poisons Sect members stopped fighting and gave chase.

Xiong Batian of the Iron Bone Society flung off the zombie clinging to his body and strode forward.

The two old men who drove corpses in western Hunan exchanged a glance, then simultaneously shook their copper bells, urging the zombies to clear a path, and led their group into the mist.

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned red.

What grudges, what rules of the martial world, are all insignificant in the face of the secret treasure.

Nobody wants to fall behind.

The fog churned violently, and the water surface was stirred up by countless intruders. People kept rushing in and disappearing into the gray-white fog.

In the distance, the camp of the Town Strange Division.

A member of the Zhenyi Division quickly walked up to the thin, middle-aged man. "Inspector Shen, a fight has broken out over there. Master Baidu has led his men into the secret realm, and the other factions have followed suit."

Shen Jinghong was sitting on a blue stone, wiping the long, jet-black sword, when he heard this, he slightly raised his eyes.

"How many went in?"

"There are at least one or two hundred people."

Shen Jinghong remained silent for a moment before slowly sheathing his long sword.

"Pass down the order: everyone is to declare martial law on the spot."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the campsite towards the swirling, grayish-white mist in the direction of Cuiwei Peak.

"Block the area within a five-mile radius of Cuiwei Peak; entry is permitted, but exit is not."

The young team member beside him hesitated slightly: "Sir, aren't we going in? What if the things inside are...?"

"Taken by those small fry?"

Shen Jinghong raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile, "If that thing could be taken away so easily, it wouldn't be worth the trip I made."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

"Send them in to scout ahead. Someone has to fill in the traps, restrictions, and evil spirits inside."

"We'll go in and clean up the mess once the fighting inside is mostly over."

The young team member suddenly understood, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subordinate understands!"

The more than twenty officers from the Zhenyi Division immediately dispersed and set up checkpoints on several key roads surrounding Cuiwei Peak.

Talismans and battle flags quickly formed lines of defense.

……

In a secluded mountain valley on the outskirts of Cuiwei Peak.

Chen Mo stood on the tree, looking at the formation set up by the Zhenyi Division, and frowned slightly.

"Not going in?"

Then he realized what was happening.

These people were originally plotting to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Let those unorthodox individuals go ahead to explore, risking their lives to fill the pits in the secret realm.

Once most of the people inside are dead, they will strike with lightning speed, taking both the people and the treasure.

It saves effort and gives us a legitimate reason to act.

"He's certainly got a good plan," Chen Mo murmured.

He looked up at the red light shooting straight into the sky in the distance, then at the entrance to the secret realm shrouded in swirling mist, and quickly began to make plans in his mind.

There were at least one or two hundred people inside, including members of the Green Bamboo Gang, the Iron Bone Society, the Five Poisons Sect, the Xiangxi Corpse Driver, and the Hundred Poisons Master...

A motley crew of all sorts of people; once you enter, it's a chaotic free-for-all.

Even with his considerable cultivation, he couldn't withstand being surrounded by so many people.

Moreover, the great terror that constantly alerted his spiritual sense was still waiting deep within the secret realm.

I might as well wait outside like Zhen Yisi.

He would wait for Zhen Yisi to make the first move before seizing the opportunity to act.

Chen Mo's eyes flickered, and he finally made a decision.

"Then let's wait and see."

Is it worth risking my life for ten contribution points? There's no need to rush to settle scores with Master Baidu.

He was waiting for the most opportune moment.

……

The night wind howled, and red light filled the sky.

The Zhenyi Division's blockade was impregnable, with more than twenty elite soldiers in black, armed with swords, standing ready for battle.

Chen Mo hid in the treetops, his aura so concealed that he almost blended into the rocks.

Inside the secret realm.

Master Baidu plunged into the mist, and the world before him instantly changed.

There were no stars in the sky, only a huge red moon hanging low overhead, so close it seemed you could reach out and touch it.

The surface of the red moon is covered with countless eyes.

Large and small, densely packed.

Some eyes were tightly closed, some were half-open, and others were slowly turning their eyeballs, peering downwards.

The shadows of people on the ground were reflected in each eye.

"Master, I feel so bad." A young man behind him said, his voice trembling.

Master Baidu swept his dark gaze over the group behind him and said sternly, "Didn't I tell you all to keep your heads down after you come in? Don't look at the moon!"

But it was too late.

The youngest disciple in the group couldn't take his eyes off Hongyue the moment he looked up.

His pupils dilated rapidly, and fine blood vessels appeared on the whites of his eyes, spreading across his entire face at a visible speed.

Tiny buds began to swell on each blood vessel, and at the tip of each bud opened tiny eyes the size of rice grains, each reflecting the red moon.

Master Baidu glanced at it once and then turned his face away.

"Kill him!"

Behind him, Lu Laosan drew his knife and slashed at the deformed man's neck.

The knife cut in, but what came out wasn't blood, but a dark brown viscous liquid.

Upon contact with the air, the mucus transformed into a thick fog that spread outwards.

"Don't touch that fog!"

Master Baidu hurriedly took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom and sprinkled the medicinal powder inside into the mist.

The powder fell onto the black mist, making a hissing sound.

The mist receded quickly, as if burned, and retreated back into the still-wriggling corpse.

From the severed neck, jointed tentacles began to grow outwards, each with a small eye at the end, darting around in all directions.

"Go! Go quickly!" Without further hesitation, Master Baidu turned and ran.

The others then came to their senses and hurriedly followed.

A series of chilling sounds came from behind me: bones shattering, muscles tearing, internal organs churning...

The Venerable Hundred Poisons, running at the very front, cursed under his breath as he ran.

No, none of them are correct.

It's completely different from when he came ten years ago.

The ruins were only opened once, for a very short time, and he explored less than three levels of the area. That's when he obtained the Ancient Poison Scripture.

The pollution from the Red Moon wasn't nearly as severe before, making it impossible for it to cause mutations in people instantly.

The entire secret realm has now been eroded beyond recognition. The familiar paths have changed, replaced by an endless gray-white wasteland and a strange palace in the distance that appears to be made of living flesh.

Master Baidu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The people behind him also stopped abruptly, their faces filled with fear.

"Old Poisoner, what's that?"