Chapter 340 - 171: Golden Bells, Silver Threads (3)

A vast subterranean hall appeared before them.

The hall was lined with racks of torture instruments. In the center were chopping blocks, stone grinders, steamers, vats of oil, iron tongs, steel awls, and more...

A scream of agony rang out from a rack on one side.

A man was bound to it.

His upper body was bare, and veins bulged on his forehead. Over thirty silver needles studded his entire head.

The needles left him with a vacant stare, drool spilling from his mouth.

He alternated between guttural roars and wretched screams, like a wounded beast.

"Junior Brother!!!"

Ning Jiuyuan’s eyes instantly turned red the moment she saw him.

The one enduring this brutal torture was none other than Feng Wu.

It was impossible to imagine that the same spirited young Feng Wu from before dinner could be reduced to this state in such a short time.

Ning Jiuyuan took a step forward, reaching out to pull the silver needles from his head.

But just as her fingers were about to touch them, she stopped.

This time, she didn’t need anyone to stop her. She knew that simply yanking them out was wrong.

’The needles look vicious, but who knows what technique was used to drive them into his skull?’

’If I pull them out without knowing what I’m doing and end up killing Feng Wu, what will I do?’

Helpless, Ning Jiuyuan could only weep.

This was a complete and utter disaster for them.

They had been with Dao Wuming and the others, preparing to return to Qifeng Manor in Evergreen Mansion.

Who could have known that a stop at an abandoned posthouse would lead to such a dreadful situation?

"Miss Ning, do not panic. We don’t see any sign of the old man here, which means there must be more to this place."

Dao Wuming said in a low voice,

"If we find him, we may find a way to save Young Master Feng."

Ning Jiuyuan immediately nodded upon hearing this.

"You’re right, Senior. We have to find him... we must find him!"

Just as she said this, a CLICK was heard.

A section of the wall on one side suddenly rose, revealing a doorway.

Everyone looked toward the doorway and saw Man Shengming standing silently to the side, as taciturn as ever.

"Let’s go!"

...

...

"The Eighteen Celestial Demon Records, the greatest tragedy of all time!?"

Jiang Ran and Ruan Yuqing were now standing on the central platform.

But as he stood there, looking at the surrounding formation of statues, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but frown slightly.

"What exactly does that sentence mean?"

"Could it be that these eighteen gruesome reliefs record the eighteen martial arts of the Eighteen Celestial Demon Records?"

Ruan Yuqing guessed hesitantly.

Jiang Ran shook his head emphatically.

"That’s impossible."

He had learned about the Eighteen Celestial Demon Records from Tang Huayi.

He knew it contained the Demon Sect’s eighteen supreme Demon Skills.

The ones he knew of so far—Li Feiyun’s Blood Cauldron Scripture, the Demon Sect Leader’s Great Freedom Celestial Demon Ten Thousand Thoughts Skill, and even Tang Huayi’s Heavenly Mechanism Star Shifting Great Transformation Skill—all originated from the Eighteen Celestial Demon Records.

Although the number matches these eighteen statues, there’s no way mere reliefs could contain such profound martial arts.

Ruan Yuqing also felt her guess was a bit of a stretch.

But for the moment, she couldn’t grasp the key to the puzzle.

She sighed.

"A century ago, the world’s number one master, Chu Nanfeng, shattered the Demon Sect."

"The Eighteen Celestial Demon Records were scattered across the martial world... and have caused one bloodbath after another over the past hundred years."

"I never would have thought that beneath a small stop like Qiuci Posthouse, there would be a place connected to the Eighteen Celestial Demon Records."

"If ’the greatest tragedy of all time’ isn’t referring to the Eighteen Celestial Demon Records as a whole..."

"Then could these eighteen reliefs represent a single martial art from within the Eighteen Celestial Demon Records?"

Jiang Ran’s expression suddenly turned strange.

"I was thinking the same thing... but..."

They exchanged a look. Recalling the scenes carved on the reliefs, they both found the idea hard to accept.

If their guess was true, what kind of price would one have to pay to master this martial art?

’Heart-Eating,’ ’Bone-Shattering,’ ’Boiling,’ ’Roasting,’ ’Long Needle Through the Brain’—the horrific scenes were endless.

Any one of these tortures could kill a person on the spot.

Who could possibly succeed in mastering such a martial art?

"It’s absolutely impossible."

After wrestling with the thought, Jiang Ran finally shook his head. "Besides, it defies all common sense."

Ruan Yuqing wanted to say, ’How can you judge the people of the Demon Sect by common sense?’

But putting herself in their shoes, she too felt the possibility was minuscule.

They tossed around guesses, but the idea seemed too absurd. Giving up on it, they turned to look at the sarcophagus.

They saw that directly above the sarcophagus was a stalactite.

Faint traces of blood trickled down from it.

It dripped onto the sarcophagus, looking like a blooming flower bud.

Jiang Ran and Ruan Yuqing exchanged a glance and slowly approached the sarcophagus.

Looking closely, they discovered a hole in the sarcophagus lid.

"The blood isn’t meant to fall on the sarcophagus, but to flow through it to the inside..."

As Jiang Ran spoke, he said to Ruan Yuqing,

"Miss Ruan, hold your breath for a moment."

Ruan Yuqing nodded at once. With a single palm, Jiang Ran sent the sarcophagus lid flying.

It spun in mid-air, revealing the scene within to Jiang Ran and Ruan Yuqing.

But the sight made both of them gasp in shock.

There were two bodies inside the sarcophagus.

One was embedded in the lid, its limbs and head nailed down with iron spikes. It held a shimmering Treasure Pearl in its mouth.

A single, crystalline drop of liquid had been coalescing on the Treasure Pearl. Poised to fall, it flowed back into the corpse’s mouth as Jiang Ran flipped the lid over.

Besides that one, there was another body inside the sarcophagus itself.

Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, they could both tell that this body was small—that of a child who looked to be only seven or eight years old.

He wasn’t sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

As Jiang Ran stared at the corpse nailed to the sarcophagus lid, he saw it... it seemed to take a breath.