Chapter 263: Chapter 191: Deceitful Painting? Bullshit, Why Not Call It Human Parchment!

The blood vessels, bones, and fibers under the flesh were worn beyond recognition, just like the head, leaving only an abrupt skull, one eye socket hollow, and the other with half an eye, firmly welded to the bone.

The most disturbing part is that even in this state, the chickens inside were still alive.

Their will to live persisted, continuously flapping their skinless wing bones, banging against the floor with a thudding sound.

"This thing, it doesn’t have some contagious virus, does it?" Lin Yanke asked with a dark expression, stepping back two paces.

Seeing this inevitably reminded one of zombie movies, where a person turns into a zombie after a bite, continuously transformed by the virus.

The miserable state of these chickens in front of them was even more challenging to one’s psychological threshold than zombies, inevitably stirring feelings of fear and unease.

"Xiaoli, bring the special box over, and make sure to bring protective masks and gloves too." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Zhang Xingmin, all set, then instructed: "As soon as you’re done, leave here immediately and send this thing back to the base!"

"Yes!"

Afterward, two people, fully equipped with protective gear, carefully placed these semi-alive things into the box and left immediately.

After everything was done, Zhang Xingmin noticed Ning An’s silence and explained proactively: "Daoist Ning, this is to preserve the sample. After all, if we fall, at least the base won’t be completely at a loss and helpless."

"Haha, Captain Zhang, I assume the staff at the Supernatural Bureau isn’t very superstitious," Ning An returned to his senses, teasing with a smile: "They’re just starting the mission, and already talking about death as if everyone would perish, isn’t it a bit inauspicious?"

Before Zhang Xingmin could blush and defend himself, Ning An gave his assessment: "This space is akin to a parallel world, differing in dimension from the real world. The Grotto Heaven Blessed Land, recorded in ancient texts but untraceable today, likely functions on this principle."

"The fog in this space interferes with vision and divine sense, is highly corrosive, and unknown organisms can affect the mental state, it is indeed unusual."

As Ning An spoke, Zhang Xingmin continued transmitting information back to headquarters in real-time, as this knowledge would be invaluable if they all perished.

No matter how legendary Ning An’s reputation had grown within their ranks, he dared not be complacent.

Even a tiny ant hole can erode a thousand-mile dike. Now facing the unknown, the slightest mistake could cause a major disaster, potentially bringing catastrophe to nearby residents. He had to be extremely cautious!

Just as all the information was sent back and he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Ning An and Lin Yanke were already discussing: "I’ll go in and take a look. You cover me from outside. We can’t see clearly from here anyway."

"Alright, I made sure to bring enough talismans this time, hehe, let’s break through!"

"What? Absolutely not! How can you take such risks? This is reckless."

Zhang Xingmin panicked, urgently trying to dissuade them: "If anyone is going in, it should be us. Once we’re better prepared, then you can go in."

After all, these two were invited by the headquarters, and their identity and the importance of the Spiritual Land Divination were unquestionable.

If anything went wrong, even his own death wouldn’t suffice as an apology.

"Haha, in my case, there’s no concept of sending the weak to make sacrifices first, especially since it doesn’t seem so strong. I might be able to handle it."

"Daoist Ning!"

"Daoist Ning!"

Seeing the team members around him tearing up, Lin Yanke mumbled softly:

"I should have gone instead, he never lets me show off, stinky senior brother, lousy senior brother!"

...

The fog was vast and disorienting.

Before entering this airspace, Ning An had already attached a Golden Light Talisman on himself, yet even so, after just a few steps, his skin began to itch and ache, as if countless venomous ants were gnawing away.

Even with the Golden Light Talisman and his extraordinary physical fitness, he was severely affected, a testament to the intensity of the fog.

Immediately, he circulated the Qi within him, enveloping his entire body, like a semi-transparent membrane within the golden light, analogous to armor worn over soft armor, completely isolating the fog.

He activated his Divine Sense, gazing around, yet the visibility remained low, only about three meters.

The hazy fog obscured direction, silenced sounds, and masked all scents, completely suppressing his senses.

In this atmosphere, it felt as if he had returned to the womb, compelling an overwhelming urge to sleep.

Even with the Golden Light Spell, any ordinary person entering here would likely be left behind.

"A trivial trick."

Ning An smiled faintly, pulling a black token from his embrace, the same Thunder Strike Token used previously on set.

"Break!"

A Thunder Dragon streaked past, with a series of crackling sounds, instantly dispelling the fog before him, revealing the true appearance of the room.

Everything in the painting room was just as Xiaohu described.

The painting was suspended there, directly facing the entrance, making the figures seen outside the door appear as such.

The interior walls were soaked in black dog’s blood, extraordinarily pungent, with an indescribable oddity on the floor; the design was distinct, lower in the middle and higher on the sides.

Moreover, there was a door that did not exist.

There was no design for ventilation to keep the painting room dry.

After surveying the surroundings, Ning An looked up to search for the Pear Wood Box.

According to Xiaohu, that abnormal painting was inside.

"Hiss!"

Ning An stopped in his tracks, startled.

He led the way with the Thunder Strike Token, a Thunder Dragon streaked past, casting a ghastly white light over the painting room.

At the same time, this illuminated the room’s front with a sudden hanging portrait of a woman, perhaps a trick of the mind, looking as if her eyes held a gentle laugh beneath her hand.

Despite it being a lifeless object, a shiver ran through him, as though that lifelessness was staring straight at him.

This time, the dilapidated painting room was...

Spine-chilling!

Weird!

Chilling!

Every detail of the woman in the painting was uncannily lifelike.

As if it wasn’t a painting at all.

But rather a person standing there.

Fog began to envelop, the world once again became obscured and hard to distinguish.

Ning An, silent, flicked his hand, sending a gleam of cold light forth.

Three feet long, two inches wide, occasionally flaring with a bronze hue, he lifted his hand into the air, parting the fog.

"A trivial trick!"

In the blink of an eye, the bronze hue vanished, then reappeared seven or eight meters away.

Fast as lightning, man and sword moved like a specter, charging towards the painting at the side.

Ning An didn’t want to use the Thunder Strike Token, realizing that whenever he struck lightning towards the painting, some unknown force always deflected it, like rain striking an umbrella and failing to touch a passerby.

He controlled the Seven-Star Copper Coin Sword, rushing around, from one end of the room to the other.

"Tear! Tear!"

Several paintings were pierced through with the sword, and then Ning An finally stopped, observing the painting ahead, yet there was no movement.

In his estimation, this painted woman bore a strong resemblance to the Person in the Painting from Strange Tales, capturing a person’s three souls and seven spirits within the scroll, such that damaging the scroll would allow the entrapped to awaken.

But the paintings he just pierced were all modern-era sketches.

"Hmm?"

Just when Ning An was about to breathe a sigh of relief, it instantly caught in his throat.

Tearing the scroll, for this deceitful painting in front of him, would be akin to severing one’s foundation or path to immortality if it were a novel.

Ning An had been fully alert, the Five Ghosts hiding in shadows, and he had already swapped the Thunder Strike Token for Divine Invitation Incense. Even if he couldn’t handle the painting, he could at least save his life.

Yet to Ning An’s surprise, the painting made no response. Instead, those eerie eyes softened considerably, even vaguely friendly.

That feeling was akin to an elder benevolently watching a rebellious offspring.

Damn it!

Who’s trying to become kin with some unknown painting thing!