20: Will-o'-the-wisps engulf the body, and the bone bridge transforms into a demon.
Following the staircase, which seemed to be paved with the leg bones of the dead, the air temperature suddenly plummeted.
The air, which originally carried a slight earthy smell, was gradually replaced by a damp, chilling cold.
This cold was not the harshness of winter, but a bone-chilling cold that seemed to penetrate the marrow, as if countless icy little hands were stroking everyone's backs.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the staircase finally reached its end.
The view suddenly opened up, but it was also far more horrifying.
This was a massive underground cavern. A subterranean dark river, black as ink, flowed silently beneath their feet. The water was so still it resembled a black mirror, reflecting no shadows.
Embedded in the four walls of the cavern were countless unknown luminous crystals. They emitted a faint, eerie green light, illuminating this underground world like the legendary Senluo Ghost Palace, making everyone's Faces ghastly green, resembling evil spirits.
"No way through?"
The Zhao Family Head, who was walking in front, stopped, his brows tightly furrowed.
Above the dark river was a chasm about a hundred *zhang* wide. There was no bridge spanning the chasm. Instead, there were hundreds of crisscrossing "ropes" suspended mid-air like a spiderweb.
The group raised their torches for a closer look, and their scalps immediately tingled.
How could those be ropes! They were countless strands of hair!
There was black human hair, and gray fur from unknown beasts, woven together by some eerie method. They were as thick as a child's arm, greasy, and swayed slightly in the cold wind, as if they were still growing.
These "Hair Bridges" intertwined into a complex maze, connecting to the darkness on the opposite bank.
"Hair is the remnant of blood. The people of Nine Nether Heavens are truly perverse."
The Li Family Head covered his nose and mouth with a folding fan, a look of disgust on his Face. "Brother Zhao, since your Zhao family is leading the way, send someone to scout it out."
The Zhao Family Head snorted coldly and casually pointed to a Guard: "You go. Be careful."
That Guard swallowed hard and nervously stepped onto the first "Hair Bridge."
The bridge surface woven from hair was soft, and stepping on it even gave a slippery sensation, similar to stepping on decaying flesh.
One step, two steps, three steps.
The Guard walked over a dozen *zhang* and looked back, shouting, "Family Head, it's fine! This hair is very sturdy..."
Before he could finish speaking.
*Whoosh*—!
Without any warning.
A ball of ghastly green Ghost Fire suddenly erupted from the hair beneath the Guard's feet!
The flames instantly spread up his legs, with incredible speed.
"Ah!! Help! Fire! Fire!!"
The Guard let out a piercing scream, desperately swatting at the flames on his body.
But this fire could not be extinguished. Instead, it burned even fiercer upon contact with his skin, searing directly into his flesh!
In just three breaths.
Under the horrified gaze of the crowd, a living person was burned to ashes right there on the Hair Bridge! Not even bone fragments remained. Only that ball of green Ghost Fire slowly extinguished after consuming the flesh and blood, as if it had let out a satisfied burp.
The entire place fell silent.
The Guards who had been eager to try just moments ago now uniformly took a step back, their eyes filled with terror.
"It is the 'Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Corpse Fire Formation'."
The usually taciturn Wang Family Head suddenly spoke.
A Personal Attendant behind him stepped forward, holding a Compass in his hand, staring at the crisscrossing Hair Bridges, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"Family Head, the arrangement of these Hair Bridges secretly conforms to a Fengshui Formation. Taking a wrong step will trigger the Corpse Fire, leading to incineration and death. To pass, one must follow the steps of 'Dividing Gold and Locating the Point'."
"Oh?" The Wang Family Head glanced at him. "Are you confident?"
"This subordinate needs two people... to test the path," the Personal Attendant whispered.
The Wang Family Head didn't hesitate at all, casually pointing to two subordinates behind him: "You two, follow his command. If you make it across, you will be rewarded with a hundred gold."
Two more lives were treated as stepping stones to scout the path.
Under the command of that Personal Attendant—
"Qian Sanlian, take the left Hair Bridge."
"Kun Liuduan, jump onto the middle one."
...After another "Tester" was burned to death, the last person finally reached the opposite bank without further incident.
"The path is clear. Follow."
Su Tianhe ordered coldly.
Following the scouted route, everyone cautiously stepped on the repulsive hair, finally passing through this Gate of Hell... After crossing the Hair Bridge, they entered another deep corridor.
When the group stopped again, a second chasm appeared before them.
This time, there was none of that disgusting hair.
Spanning the abyss were three crystal-clear bridges.
These three bridges were entirely constructed from the bones of unknown creatures. The bone material was jade-white, emitting a soft fluorescence, appearing sacred yet eerie in the green underground world. Each bridge was only a foot wide, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
"Another bridge?"
The Zhao Family Head spat.
"Are the people of Nine Nether Heavens mentally ill?"
"Who goes?"
Everyone's gaze turned toward each other again.
The horrific sight at the Hair Bridge was still vivid, and no one wanted to be the second one to stick their neck out.
"My Li family will go." The Li Family Head, wanting to save Face after the previous incident, did not want to fall behind.
He waved his folding fan and selected three Experts: "The three of you, one bridge each. Hurry up."
The three Li family Guards exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and stepped onto the left, middle, and right Bone Bridges respectively.
One step. Nothing happened.
Two steps. Still nothing.
In fact, when the Guard walking on the middle Bone Bridge reached the halfway point, his previously tense Face suddenly showed an expression of extreme intoxication.
He took a deep breath, as if smelling some peerless delicacy: "Fragrant... so fragrant..."
"Third Brother, what are you raving about?" his companion next to him asked.
"It really is fragrant! Can't you smell it?"
The Guard greedily took deep breaths, and as he breathed, an astonishing scene occurred—his slightly pale complexion instantly became ruddy, his Vital Qi and Blood began to boil, and faint streams of light shimmered beneath his skin.
*Boom!*
A soft sound.
The Skin Refining Realm Bottleneck that had troubled him for years was actually broken through at this very moment!
"Skin Refining Perfection?! I... I broke through?!"
The Guard was ecstatic, trembling with excitement. "There's Treasure Qi on this bridge! Just taking a breath can increase Cultivation!!"
"What?!"
Hearing this, the other two Guards also tried taking a deep breath.
Sure enough!
A strange fragrance entered their bodies, and they felt the Internal Breath within them instantly surge. The pleasure of becoming stronger was irresistible!
"There's such a good thing?!"
The crowd on the bank watched, their eyes turning red with envy.
Crossing a bridge can lead to a Breakthrough? This wasn't a trap; it was clearly an Opportunity! Many people subconsciously pushed forward, wanting to go up and soak up some "Immortal Qi."
Only Lin Que, standing at the back of the group, had his brows tightly furrowed.
"Something's not right."
Lin Que thought to himself.
Where in this world is there such a thing as a free lunch?
How could a deadly place like the Nine Nether Ruins offer a bridge that enhances Cultivation?
That was bait! It was a fishing hook!
"Enough! Stop making a spectacle of yourselves!"
On the bank, the Li Family Head watched his subordinates greedily inhaling the air, feeling a loss of Face, and impatiently shouted: "Since there's no danger, come back quickly! Don't block the path for everyone!"
"Yes... Yes! Family Head!"
Although the three men on the bridge were reluctant to leave the fragrance, they dared not disobey the Family Head's order.
Feeling the surging power within their bodies, they turned around and walked back, their Faces beaming with joy.
"We struck it rich... we really struck it rich this time..."
The Guard in the middle walked while looking at his powerful hands, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
However.
The moment his toes left the Bone Bridge and stepped onto the solid ground of the bank.
*Crack.*
A crisp sound, like dry wood snapping, came from inside his body.
"Uh..."
The smile on the Guard's Face instantly froze.
He discovered with horror that his hands, which had been plump and powerful moments ago, were shriveling and wilting at a visible speed! His originally ruddy skin instantly turned gray and withered, like old tree bark drained of moisture.
"My... my hands..."
His voice became hoarse and dry, as if his throat were filled with grit.
It wasn't just him.
The other two Guards who had stepped off the Bone Bridge also underwent the same bizarre transformation!
Their bodies rapidly hunched over, their hair instantly fell out, and their originally vibrant eyeballs quickly became bloodshot, turning scarlet. The feeling was as if they had overdrafted decades of their future life on the bridge, and now had to pay it all back, principal and interest, at once!
"Roar..."
A low, inhuman roar squeezed out from the throat of the Guard who had just been shouting "We struck it rich."
He violently lifted his head.
That Face had completely lost its human form—cheekbones protruded, cracked lips vanished, revealing two rows of stark white teeth, and his eyes were left only with a bloodthirsty red glow.
Monster!
These three individuals had, in broad daylight, transformed into Monsters who knew nothing but slaughter!
"This... what kind of Evil Technique is this?!"
The Li Family Head was so terrified he stumbled back three steps, dropping his folding fan on the ground.
"Borrowed power must eventually be repaid."
Su Tianhe watched the scene, his eyes cold, as if he had expected it. "This Bone Bridge absorbs Yang Qi and supplements Death Qi. The more you absorb, the faster you die."
"Roar!!!"
The three newly formed Monsters had completely lost their minds.
They smelled the intense aura of living people around them, let out hungry roars, and spread their withered, ghostly claw-like hands, fiercely pouncing toward the nearest living person—their former companions!
A melee instantly erupted at the edge of this narrow underground abyss!