Xuanxia

Chapter 518 Nutrition
This time when he fell, thanks to the glow of the magic cast by Hua Xiaolan, Hua Wuying was finally able to see clearly where to land, so he didn't get dizzy from the fall again.

But because of this, they saw a scene that frightened them extremely during the fall.

Going further down, all those huge flowers and plants were gone.

The rest...are all the "roots" of the big wooden hand.

Extending downward from its "forearm" is a dense and endless root system, which cling to the edge of the stone wall of the deep pit like a web.

But this huge root system certainly did not scare the two of them.

What makes them feel cold all over... is these roots connecting them, one by one...

Dead body.

human corpse.

It's unknown how long these corpses have been dead. Their flesh and skin are still there, but they have long since turned into mummies. They are entangled by the roots and stuck to the stone wall. Each corpse is full of roots of large wooden hands.

Those roots broke out from the facial features and skin of the corpse. Just one look at it was enough to make one's scalp tingle and give one nightmares for months!
Hua Wuying stepped on the protrusions of the stone wall, grabbed the floating roots with his hands, used the force to cushion the impact, and moved downwards little by little.

"What...are these?" Hua Xiaolan asked in a trembling voice.

"Mr. Yuan once said..."

Hua Wuying said coldly: "There are only so many people in Lingjing Sect, so we must keep more people. In this way, some people will die every year, and then the disciples of Lingjing Sect will come to collect the bodies - and those dead people will be fed to the demons."

No further words were needed, both of them understood.

The so-called man-eating monster is this big wooden hand.

So...what is it?
"Is this a method to protect the thousand-year-old Nine-section Bell Grass?" Hua Xiaolan whispered, "But with the background of the Spirit Mirror Sect, there are many ways to protect the Nine-section Bell Grass. Why do we have to resort to such a bloody and cruel method?"

"... Let's go a little deeper."

Hua Wuying sighed: "Perhaps, then we can know."

They continued to go deeper and deeper, and the big wooden hand above did not chase them anymore, as if it was just guarding that checkpoint. As long as they passed that checkpoint, there would be no more obstacles below.

But... although there was nothing stopping the two of them from going down, the mental shock they suffered was definitely not small.

The further down you go, the denser the roots become, and naturally the more corpses appear.

At the top were still the mummies that had been sucked dry, but as they went deeper, the corpses gradually turned into skeletons without even any skin or flesh.

Going further down, even the complete skeleton is no longer there. The bones have long been disintegrated and are hanging on the roots in pieces.

At this time, the two had gone nearly a hundred feet into the deep pit, and an extremely pungent, sour and spicy smell, like rotten eggs, began to appear on the stone wall.

But at the same time, the extremely dense spiritual energy condensed into white mist, filling the deep pit... However, after seeing those corpses, neither of them was in the mood to open their acupoints and absorb the spiritual energy.

Finally, when the Lingxu white fog was so thick that it almost blocked all vision, and when the roots were so dense that they were almost like a spider web, they finally reached the deepest part of the pit.

The moment he landed, Hua Wuying also used his true energy, waved his hand to create wind, and slightly dispersed the white mist.

Then, a small grass suddenly appeared in front of the two of them.

Hua Xiaolan stared blankly at the small black grass in the center of the bottom of the deep pit and murmured, "Is this... the thousand-year-old nine-section bell grass?"

Hua Wuying frowned and looked around the grass.

The appearance of the grass is not special. It has a single stem and no leaves. There is a cylindrical reed head on the top, and the sections are like pearls strung together, hanging slightly.

But in the soil around it, there are plump and thick rhizomes. These roots radiate and spread in all directions, and then break out of the soil and completely connect with the dense roots around them...

"This nine-section bell grass and the big wooden hand above are from the same plant."

Hua Wuying said softly: "There are such strange and bizarre plants in this world..."

Hua Xiaolan did not speak. She looked at the thousand-year-old nine-section bell grass with a very struggling expression. As soon as Hua Wuying saw her expression, he understood what she was thinking.

"Xiaolan."

He called out softly: "No..."

"Why not?"

Hua Xiaolan tucked her hair behind her ears and said calmly, "The Lingjing Sect feeds the thousand-year-old Nine-section Bell Grass with human corpses... The foundation that supports the entire sect is actually the corpses of ordinary people! It's not an exaggeration to say that such a sect is an evil sect. What can I do if I pick this grass?"

“Without this bell grass, Lin Wangshu is still Lin Wangshu, and those disciples’ cultivation will not collapse and die. At most, the Black Mountain Islands will no longer have the Wind and Rain Formation, and will no longer be able to stop outsiders. Those trapped here will finally be able to get out, and the Yuan family father and son will be able to return to their hometown.”

"and……"

She turned to look at Hua Wuying, her tone still calm, even a little gentle: "With it, my Ten Thousand Poisons Mountain Phoenix Blood Pool will be able to restore its divine power, and we won't have to kill so many people to resist the evil spirits. If the evil spirits don't enter Southern Border, the world will be at peace."

Hua Xiaolan smiled and said, "Wuying, tell me, why can't I take it away?"

Hua Wuying was speechless for a moment.

In the past, he would have been able to refute with righteous words, but the corpses he saw along the way... they were like an invisible hand, strangling his throat and making him speechless.

After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice: "Perhaps, we should find out why Lingjing Sect did this..."

"No matter how complicated the reasons are, or how many difficulties there are, it cannot change the facts."

Hua Xiaolan said slowly: "They kept all the people who broke into this place, and would not let them leave. They kept them here for generations, and would not let them rest in peace. Instead, after they died, they threw them here to serve as nutrients for the thousand-year-old nine-section bell grass..."

As she spoke, she smiled softly: "Is there any other meaning for placing this Nine-section Bell Grass here, besides providing spiritual energy for the dozen people in the Spirit Mirror Sect to practice?"

"Without the Nine-section Bell Grass, can't they practice somewhere else?"

"Besides, it's not that we wanted to come here. From the beginning to the end, we were just helping Lingjingmen deal with Huo Yaer. But when she knocked us into this deep pit, Lin Wangshu didn't save us. After we fell into the pit, he didn't rescue us either. Now we are here. Isn't it God's will?"

Hua Wuying lowered his head and sighed softly.

He knew that Hua Xiaolan was actually giving him a lot of face.

If their relationship had not become much closer over the past few months, when they had just met, she would have poisoned him with a wave of her hand and then picked the magic herb.

Moreover, he was indeed powerless to refute it.

The Lingjing Sect is missing the thousand-year-old Nine-section Bell Grass, but it is still the Lingjing Sect... An ancient sect must have a foundation. With Lin Wangshu's cave realm and those disciples' powerful water-controlling skills, maintaining the sect will not be a problem at all.

The fact that there is no thousand-year-old nine-section bell grass in Wandu Mountain means that they will not have the most powerful logistical support when facing the monsters in southern Xinjiang, and many more people will surely die.

Hua Xiaolan has already spent nearly half a year looking for this bell grass... Every extra day she waits, one more of her tribesmen or fellow disciples may die.

Even so, she was still willing to persuade in a kind way.

Hua Wuying didn't know what reason he had to stop her.

"I understand."

He whispered, "But this nine-section bell grass is so strange, you need to be extra careful when picking it."

Hearing this, Hua Xiaolan smiled with laughter in her eyes.

She hummed softly and squatted down beside the nine-bell grass.

But at this moment, a sigh sounded in the ears of both of them at the same time.

"Brother Hua, Miss Xiaolan, you must not..."

That was Lin Wangshu's voice: "The severance of our Lingjing Sect's inheritance is a small matter, but if the volcano here erupts again, it would be a huge sin..."

(End of this chapter)