Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 366 Fangju City

It would take nearly three days to walk from their lodgings to Dapan Mountain, during which Xue Baoping and Li Guichen would follow these rogue cultivators.

When they first started encountering people, Li Guichen's white horse disappeared. He comforted Xue Baoping, saying not to worry, he had simply told the horse and the crocodile demon to hide. But Xue Baoping gradually realized that wasn't the case—a man, similar in build to Li Guichen, wearing a brown cloth shirt and a veil, was constantly following them.

The reason this person was discovered was because they were following Xu You. Xu You had many independent martial arts practitioners with her, and she always needed to constantly observe her surroundings to be on guard. Thus, she noticed that the person always followed Li Guichen about five or six steps behind, like a shadow. When Li Guichen needed to cross a small hill, but someone was blocking his way, he would take a detour. When this person also reached the hill, even though no one was blocking his way, he still followed Li Guichen along the same route.

This person must have been transformed from that white horse. Li Guichen previously said that he might not be able to defeat Xue Baoping before she lost all her cultivation, and also said that he only had some special abilities; he was probably referring to this. This "person" must have been transformed from his white horse.

However, this was no longer her biggest concern, because the closer she got to Dapan Mountain, the more she could see, and she could even actually see the disciples of the Divine Blade Sect.

The first one she spotted was on the path she and Li Wuxiang had once walked at the foot of Dapan Mountain. On Yehuang Island, the disciples of the Divine Blade Sect she had encountered all behaved like ants, but on this very path, she saw the first one who was different.

Her attire was similar to the illusions she had seen on Yehuang Island, but she no longer rushed along the road. Instead, she stood by the roadside with six arms holding six swords, and when she saw someone coming, she said in a deep voice, "This is not Fangju City, it is Dapan Mountain. Go to Fangju City and keep following the road. Don't go up the mountain!"

Like Xue Baoping, everyone else was stunned, having never heard such a person speak before. Xu You, now considered well-informed, immediately explained in a low voice, "These are people who have achieved success in their cultivation. They no longer need to endure hardship or practice silent meditation. These are the Golden Brothers."

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly bowed to the man from a distance. Some nodded and bowed, some clasped their hands in a fist salute, and some put their palms together in a gesture of respect. But the man ignored them and simply repeated his words.

Seeing Xue Baoping's expression, Li Guichen asked in a low voice, "You saw it?"

"Yes... I saw it." Xue Baoping stared at the person for a few moments, then asked, "Are there any of the others we saw on Yehuang Island around here?"

"Yes. They're everywhere on the streets, it's very lively."

"Then perhaps this person is real. Perhaps this person is a former disciple of the Divine Blade Sect who was transformed by Xu Zhen using supernatural powers, or perhaps it is an illusion."

Li Guichen's lips moved, but he didn't speak. Xue Baoping guessed that he was like her former self, understanding one thing in his heart while thinking about another. But what made him better than her former self was that he could "pretend to be confused while knowing the truth," trying hard to convince himself that what he saw was fake.

She had experienced it before, and knew that this awkwardness was no less than when she used to tell herself that everyone around her didn't exist, and then believed it to be true.

Li Guichen was silent for a moment, then slightly raised his face towards Dapan Mountain: "What else can you see?"

She could also see that Dapan Mountain was completely different from before. If she hadn't remembered this road and the surrounding mountain scenery and riverbanks, Xue Baoping would have thought that these people had gone the wrong way.

The Dapan Mountain has almost been transformed into a fortress. The lush forests that once covered the mountain are gone, replaced by rows of stone fortresses. These stone fortresses are utterly devoid of aesthetic appeal; they are simply massive blocks of stone, with no doors or windows, only small holes perhaps for light and ventilation.

The stones must have been taken from basalt on Dapan Mountain, which is why the stone fortresses are all square and dark. The fortresses vary in size, but they are all very tall, like stone trees growing on the mountain, making the entire Dapan Mountain look gloomy and solemn.

Looking further afield, towards the road leading to the Divine Blade Sect, both sides of the road were lined with such fortresses. Like stone giants looking down on the pedestrians, they pressed down on them, making it hard to breathe.

Xue Baoping recounted what she could see, and Li Guichen said, "You don't think these are illusions anymore, do you?"

"Maybe not. Since I can see them, I think these things were truly influenced by Xu Zhen's supernatural powers... But how were they built?"

But she didn't have time to think about these things. Because after seeing these things and hearing the words of that Divine Blade Sect disciple, Xu You and his group all started acting a little strange.

They seemed unsteady on their feet, stumbling and unable to straighten their backs. Seeing this, Xue Baoping thought to herself, "These wandering martial artists can't even stand up straight in front of the so-called Divine Blade Sect members. They really have no backbone."

But after taking a few more steps, not only could he not straighten his back, he couldn't even lift his arms—

First, Xu You, who was walking at the front, lowered his waist lower and lower until he was walking on his hands and feet, supporting himself on the ground. Not only him, but the group of people behind him also adopted this posture. As this group of people lowered themselves, Xue Baoping and Li Guichen became more conspicuous. Xue Baoping was slightly taken aback, and Li Guichen looked around and immediately pulled her down as well.

Xue Baoping noticed that the Shen Dao Sect disciple who had spoken earlier turned to look at the two of them. Looking at Li Guichen's expression, she realized that there were definitely more than just that person watching them on the road. It was possible that others, whom she couldn't see, had stopped and were looking at them... What was going on?!

Then she noticed that Xu You's appearance had changed.

He felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, so he kept craning his neck forward, and the others behind him did the same.

Li Guichen said in a low voice, "Learn from them!"

Xue Baoping had no choice but to do as she was told.

But she couldn't replicate what he did next—as Xu You crawled forward step by step, his facial bones suddenly bulged, tearing the muscles in his face. His clothes were ripped, and his legs and arms snapped and stretched instantly. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed from a crawling human into a wolf with bluish-gray fur. And the people behind him also changed; some became pigs, some cows, some badgers, and others snakes and rats.

Xue Baoping suddenly turned to look at Li Guichen, and heard him whisper, "Don't panic."

Then he raised his hand and placed it on himself: "What do you want to transform into?"

What changed?! These people changed because of Xu Zhen's supernatural powers?! What about me? I...I...

"cat!"

No…too small, tiger…no, too big…“Lynx!”

Li Guichen gave her a shove on the shoulder, and Xue Baoping immediately felt a surge of nausea in her chest, as if she had been transported back to the time a few days ago when she was reborn into a physical body inside the vase. Her joints cracked, her muscles trembled, and her arms went limp, almost causing her to fall. But a newfound strength held her up. She felt her vision blur, and when she looked ahead, what she saw on the muddy ground was no longer her hands, but two paws, white in the front and yellow in the back… Li Guichen had truly turned her into a lynx!
When she looked at Li Guichen again, she could no longer see him, but instead saw a male deer with two antlers on its head. Looking further back—yes, the person who had been following him was his white horse, which had revealed its true form.

In just over ten days, has Xu Zhen's supernatural power become so strong? He can even transform people as soon as we approach Fangju City!?

These people who had transformed into animals were probably even more panicked than Xue Baoping. At first, they followed Xu You for a few steps, but then they panicked. Those who had turned into snakes, rats, and the like seemed to truly believe they were snakes and rats, completely losing their human minds, and immediately scurried into the roadside bushes. A rat and a snake darted in the same direction, and the roadside bushes rustled first, then suddenly shook, and a rat's squeaking was heard—it seemed a snake had swallowed a rat.

There were more than thirty of them in the group, but more than twenty of them took a few steps and became panicked, transforming into animals and fleeing. After walking a dozen steps, only six remained—leading them was the wolf that Xu You had transformed into, followed by a badger and a pig, then Xue Baoping's lynx, Li Guichen's stag, and the white horse.

Xu You turned and looked back, his eyes darting around. Xue Baoping could tell from his eyes that he was still conscious and clear-headed. He nodded slightly to the five people behind him, seemingly satisfied, and continued to move forward.

...This is a trap, a snare!
Xue Baoping suddenly understood. She didn't know how Xu Zhen's supernatural powers had become so strong, but were they just deceiving people into becoming beasts? Why cultivators? Was it because they had more vital energy and were more prone to transformation? Or was it Xu Zhen's method of selecting disciples? Were they only choosing those with steadfast hearts?

The stag beside her glanced at her and shook its head—as if trying to shoo away tiny flying insects. Then it nodded—as if it felt itchy. But Xue Baoping understood what it meant. She told herself not to panic and to adapt to the situation.

In this situation, she wouldn't feel at ease if someone told her not to panic. But knowing that Li Guichen must be Li Wuxiang, she truly calmed down.

The six continued along the path, encountering more and more talking disciples of the Divine Blade Sect. Xue Baoping guessed that the disciples of the Shangchi Sect, Qingpu Sect, and Divine Blade Sect had all been affected by supernatural powers. Last night, she had been discussing with Li Guichen whether the City Lord Fangju was indeed Li Wuxiang, but seeing the current situation, she felt it was unlikely—Xu Zhen was so powerful that Li Wuxiang could not possibly be under such influence.

After passing through a series of black stone fortresses, the greenery on the surrounding mountains gradually thinned out, but the cries of wild beasts increased, as if returning to a bygone era. Then, after rounding another hillside, a colossal black mountain suddenly loomed ahead.

That wasn't a mountain, but an enormous black stone fortress standing between two peaks. Above the fortress, a thick cloud gathered, and eagles or some other kind of bird circled overhead in a dark, menacing manner.

The vast open space in front of the fortress and the surrounding hillsides were completely bare, as if all the vegetation had been cut down. On this large expanse of yellowish-brown land, various birds and beasts sat or lay down, peacefully facing the stone fortress. More of the talking disciples of the Divine Blade Sect had appeared, and they were gathering the birds and beasts together, seemingly to form small groups.

Xu You stopped here and squatted down, as if waiting for something. Xue Baoping and Li Guichen had no choice but to wait with him.

The surroundings were quite noisy. The wild animals, some sitting and some lying down, though seated properly, were all making noises. Some seemed unable to bear their wild nature, terrified of their situation, and as if gradually losing their minds, they howled anxiously. Others seemed to be chatting amongst themselves in animalistic language. Although their voices weren't loud, the various sounds combined to create a buzzing sound, as if one had entered a mule and horse market in a large city.

After listening for a while, Xue Baoping vaguely sensed something different from the many voices.

It sounded like a human voice, like someone laughing, and the laughter was coming from the clouds above the stone fortress. It was sometimes loud, sometimes soft, sometimes near, sometimes far, as if the person laughing was flying around above the clouds, laughing as they flew.

Is that Li Wuxiang? Has he completely gone mad? Xue Baoping tried hard to make out the voice, but it was too far away for her to be sure.

Then the laughter suddenly grew louder, as if the person above the clouds was swooping down. Sure enough, a small vortex appeared in the thick clouds, then suddenly broke open, letting in a ray of sunlight. A person landed in this sunlight, standing atop the stone fortress. The eagles circling nearby were startled and scattered with a roar. The person on the fortress was still laughing, full of vigor, sounding extremely smug—

"Hahahaha! Excellent! Fangju City is beginning to show its grandeur. I haven't seen such a scene of ten thousand demons paying homage in many years—hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"

His laughter was extremely manic, not like the voice of one person, but like the combined voice of two people. Xue Baoping was even less sure if it was Li Wuxiang. She turned to look at Li Guichen, only to see that he also shook his head slightly.

As soon as the man landed, all the beasts around the stone fortress fell silent. Then Xue Baoping heard a second voice: "Your Majesty, in a few days even more will come. Once they multiply and thrive, it won't just be ten thousand demons paying homage, but billions worshipping them. At that time, Your Majesty will be the true ruler of the Eastern Continent, reigning supreme over the world!"

Another figure walked up from behind this person and stood a step away from him.

Listen carefully!
That's Li Wuxiang's voice!
With Li Wuxiang's voice as a comparison, Xue Baoping suddenly realized that the one laughing wildly was Xu Zhen—his own voice mixed with another person's voice...

Isn't "Your Majesty" supposed to be the Ninth Prince? Why does Li Wuxiang call him "Your Majesty"?
Li Wuxiang has driven Xu Zhen crazy!?
(End of this chapter)