Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword-Chapter 36 - Blood-colored Stele

But why hadn’t the Black Sword reacted?

Zhou Heng furrowed his brow.

The situation in this valley seemed anything but simple.

How could there not be Heavenly and Earthly Treasures!

Then, he would keep moving forward; how could he be content without reaching the very end?

Setting out, he had taken only two steps when Han Yulian’s footsteps resonated, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.

“What’s that smell?” After about seven or eight more minutes, Zhou Heng and Han Yulian both detected a strange odor.

The two exchanged a glance and continued forward.

As they drew closer, the stench grew increasingly intense and became unspeakably foul.

“Corpse stench!” Han Yulian suddenly halted, her beautiful eyes flickering with an unusual light, more excitement than disgust or fear.

Why the excitement?

A thought flashed through Zhou Heng’s mind, and he began to understand.

This valley was like a demonic lair that devoured people without spitting out their bones; countless must have died within, and naturally, their corpses could not leave.

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Those who died inside always had possessions, some of them extremely valuable!

Finding these corpses was akin to finding a treasure trove!

No wonder she insisted on coming in.

Indeed, with Zhou Heng’s “Ultra-Ability,” she had no fear of being trapped inside.

Yet having just crawled back from the brink of death, she could think so far ahead.

It had to be said, this woman’s schemes ran deep!

Zhou Heng’s heart chilled, and he instinctively grew more vigilant.

Although she relied on him to find a way out for now, there were no guarantees about future events.

If they truly found the so-called treasure, and she became greedy, she could easily kill everyone and claim the loot for herself, simply explaining that she encountered a Demon Beast of the Blood Refinement Realm and managed to escape alone.

Hopefully, he was just worrying too much!

As he reassured himself, he continued to stride forward, driven by his curiosity about the secrets of this valley.

After walking a distance, the valley became very narrow, like a winding sheep’s intestine trail, curling and twisting.

After about half an hour, the path ahead abruptly opened up to reveal a large platform.

And this was the bottom of the valley.

Zhou Heng and Han Yulian arrived at the westernmost edge of the platform, facing a sheer cliff that required turning around to see the entire platform.

But when they turned around, they saw an exceedingly horrifying scene.

In the center of the platform was a blood-red stele, adorned with peculiar patterns that resembled both characters and drawings, approximately ten meters tall and two feet wide.

Around the stele lay concentric circles of corpses, neatly arranged in four layers.

The corpses closest to the stele were so decayed that only white bones remained, while the outermost circle of corpses was relatively “fresh,” with bones not yet visible.

Such a bizarre spectacle made Zhou Heng and Han Yulian’s hair stand on end.

Seeing dead people wasn’t unusual; which Martial Artist had not seen death?

But who, in their dying moments, would have the mood to arrange themselves in patterns?

Could it be there were still living persons in the valley, arranging the corpses in such a manner?

If there were indeed such people, what then was their purpose?

After just a moment’s pause, Zhou Heng immediately walked towards the stele; perhaps…

the answer was on the stele itself.

The platform was only about a hundred meters in radius.

Zhou Heng quickly arrived at the outermost circle of corpses.

This “formation” of corpses, totaling about four circles, contained roughly over three hundred bodies, had an immense impact, making one’s skin crawl.

Zhou Heng held his breath and stepped toward the center.

Hum!

At that moment, the blood-red stele suddenly quivered, releasing a wave of blood-red light that reached every corner of the platform.

A strong sense of despondency surged in Zhou Heng’s heart, compelling him to give up on life, but the Black Broken Sword within his Dantian vibrated timely.

He was jolted back to his senses, filled with shock!

The outer fog could befuddle the mind, and so could this wave of light!

Moreover, its power was even greater.

Before, he could wake up by sheer will, but this time, had it not been for the Black Broken Sword’s power, he truly didn’t know if he would’ve awakened!

Speaking of waking up, Zhou Heng quickly scanned around, only to see Han Yulian walking like a Walking Corpse with grey, lifeless eyes.

She positioned herself in an empty spot among the outermost circle of corpses and lay down rigidly, motionless!

Hiss!

Was this the secret behind the orderly arrangement of corpses?

It wasn’t due to some outsider moving the bodies post-mortem, but rather people misled by bewitchment, walking to their place by themselves!

So simple!

Zhou Heng approached Han Yulian’s side.

The woman’s eyes were wide open, but her pupils showed no focus, frighteningly dull.

Is this how those who wandered into the valley lay down until death?

A strong chill arose in Zhou Heng’s heart, Who could accept such a way of dying?

What kind of power could make people walk so unresistingly to their deaths?

“Senior Sister Han!

Senior Sister Han!” Zhou Heng called out loudly, but Han Yulian showed no response, as though she had already lost her soul.

Had it not been for the presence of the Blood Refinement Realm’s aura around her, she might as well have been dead.

So eerie, just a single fluctuation instantly killed a Martial Artist in the Blood Refinement Realm without any resistance!

“Don’t blame me later, this is all to save you!” Zhou Heng muttered to himself, then, with a smack, he slapped Han Yulian across the face.

No reaction.

Smack smack smack, Zhou Heng slapped her seven or eight times, but still no response; Han Yulian was like a living dead person, or rather, only a shell of existence remained.

Zhou Heng tried every trick he knew—hitting, slapping, pinching—nothing worked.

Clearly, conventional methods were of no use.

A thought struck Zhou Heng.

He had been awakened by the Black Broken Sword, which at least possessed the ability to resist that mysterious power.

Could invoking it possibly save Han Yulian?

The key was how to trigger the power of the Black Sword to heal Han Yulian.

It’s worth a try; after all, success lies in the human effort, while failure is in the hands of fate.

He concentrated on communicating with the Black Sword in his Dantian, time and again, until finally, the extraordinary treasure responded, releasing a wave of supreme fluctuation.

The wave traveled from Zhou Heng’s hand, which was holding Han Yulian’s, into her body.

“Uh—” Han Yulian let out a cry as if waking from a nightmare, suddenly sitting up straight, her complexion pale as paper, but her charming eyes finally regained their luster.

Zhou Heng let out a sigh of relief; it really worked!

“I…

I…” Han Yulian stared at Zhou Heng, then suddenly embraced him, her voice trembling, “I felt like I was locked in a cage, no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t get out, until a light broke through everything!”

The woman was thoroughly ripe; as she embraced him, Zhou Heng felt the soft mounds against his chest, indescribably comfortable.

“You’re fine now!” Zhou Heng quickly pushed her away.

This woman didn’t look like someone who was seven or eight years older than him, but more like a little girl who had been scared out of her wits.

He wasn’t the type to take advantage of others in their time of need; he stood up and set his gaze on the blood-red stele.

“Don’t go any further!” Han Yulian quickly grabbed Zhou Heng, her hand trembling non-stop.

She was genuinely frightened and didn’t dare to even think about the bodies on the ground; one has to be alive to make use of them after all!

“It’s fine!” Zhou Heng shook his head, looking steadfastly ahead.

Once he had made up his mind, he was unstoppable.

The Black Broken Sword was enough to suppress the evil of the blood-red stele!

He strode forward, and with a buzz, the blood-red stele once again sent out a wave, surging in all directions.

However, this time, not only was Zhou Heng unaffected, but Han Yulian as well; it was as if they both had developed immunity.

Buzz!

Buzz!

Buzz!

One after another, blood-colored waves continued to surge out, like towering waves, and Zhou Heng and Han Yulian were the firmest of dams, standing unyielding.

Zhou Heng continued forward, passing the first layer of bodies, then the second.

But just then, the blood-red stele sent out another fluctuation.

However, this time the fluctuation was not directed at Zhou Heng and Han Yulian, but instead at the bodies on the ground.

An even more eerie scene ensued; the bodies began to rise one by one!

Martial Artists, cultivating only to achieve the strongest, do not believe in ghosts and gods!

But even the skeletons that had turned into bones could stand up, completely overturning the beliefs of Zhou Heng and Han Yulian!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Green flames flickered in the eye sockets of each skeleton, and a layer of red hair grew on their bodies, reaching the pinnacle of eeriness.

“What…

what is this!” Han Yulian’s voice shook uncontrollably; the sight could make anyone’s hair stand on end.

Zhou Heng, too, felt a chill run down his spine.

The resurrection of bodies went beyond his imagination!

“Uh…

uh…” These corpses emitted a dry, low growl, the green fires in their eye sockets jumping more violently, growing all the more terrifying.

Han Yulian was terrified, her heart completely cold.

This had nothing to do with her cultivation level; it was simply beyond what she could bear!

The bodies slowly turned and began to encircle Zhou Heng.

Inner second layer, outer second layer, they completely surrounded him!

With a long cry, Zhou Heng unsheathed the sword at his waist, the Sword Intent of the Sky-soaring Nine Forms unfurled, and he swung his sword repeatedly.

Clink clink clink!

The sword struck the bones of the corpses, sparking a cascade of fire, and several bones were instantly severed, crumbling to dust— even the bones of Martial Artists in the Blood Refinement Realm were no match for the passage of time unless they had reached the Spirit Gathering Realm.

With a successful strike from his sword, Zhou Heng’s confidence surged, but the Sword Intent of the Sky-soaring Nine Forms seemed to be ineffective against these skeletons, with no indication that their movements were impeded in the slightest.

Indeed, they were already dead; how could they fear anything more?

He initiated the Cloud Flying Step, crossing the sky, touching down lightly on the skulls of each, and in an instant, he broke free from the encirclement of the dead, leaving Han Yulian’s heart racing at the sight.

These corpses moved slowly, but Zhou Heng did not dare to let them touch him, for he saw that they all retained long nails, black as pitch!

Clearly, they were poisonous!