Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 707, etc...

Shao Hongzhang's voice was hoarse and trembling, as if it had been repeatedly rubbed by rough sandpaper, filled with fear and a chilling cold: "I underestimated him!!" His voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying the intense pain of self-doubt.

Shao Hongzhang's eyes were bloodshot, staring so hard they seemed to tear at the corners of his eyes, his gaze fixed on the terrifying, throbbing, fleshy mountain before him.

The thing was like a rotten heart forcibly shoved deep into the earth. Each dull "thump" sound seemed to strike into one's bone marrow. Thick, dark red blood vessels twisted and coiled on the swollen flesh, oozing foul pus.

"That wretched wretch Huang Chao..."

After watching for a while, Shao Hongzhang understood the origin of this thing. His body shook violently, and his left arm, covered with hideous bone spurs, convulsed uncontrollably, the tip of which trembled and hummed, emitting a tooth-grinding, fine scraping sound.

"He actually... he actually managed to see through the literary pillar lurking beneath the examination hall!" He gasped for breath, his voice filled with disbelief and despair. "He actually used a method of human sacrifice! He forged this filthy and evil thing alive and used it to suppress the literary pillar! This is an attempt to sever the very foundation of my literary lineage!"

Gazing at the horrifying sight before him, a sight so defiled that it corrupted his very mind, Shao Hongzhang was shaken to his core, utterly bewildered, as if his entire being was being pulled and drawn into the throbbing of that mountain of flesh.

"Snapped!"

It wasn't until Xiao Ran's steady hand landed on his shoulder with undeniable strength and gave him a gentle pat that he snapped back to his senses, as if a drowning man had grabbed onto a piece of driftwood.

"Well, is there any other way?" Xiao Ran's voice was not loud, but it pierced through the throbbing sound of the mountain of flesh like the clash of metal. His sharp gaze swept over the writhing core of the evil creature, and he asked in a deep voice.

Shao Hongzhang forcibly suppressed his surging emotions, concentrated for a moment, and finally a trace of the pride belonging to the Director of the Imperial Observatory rekindled in his eyes: "Yes! Although this thing is filthy and evil, do you think you can completely suppress the Wenzhu with just this? Huang Chao has underestimated the talent of the top scholars of all dynasties, and even more so, he has underestimated my geomancy skills!"

After saying that, he looked around and his fingers moved swiftly like butterflies flitting among flowers, calculating and deducing. Then he suddenly turned around and rushed into the withered forest with a fierce aura.

"His!"

With a sweep of his mutated left arm, a dark, black light flashed, and a withered tree trunk as thick as a bowl snapped in two. He then took vines and wrapped them around the tree like living snakes. Before long, several strangely shaped wooden stakes had taken shape at his feet.

Without hesitation, he cut his right index finger, and blood gushed out instantly, emitting a faint golden-red glow.

Using his fingers as a brush and blood as ink, he swiftly carved excerpts from the masterpieces of past literary giants, such as "Xiangling Playing the Zither in the Provincial Examination," "Looking at the Remaining Snow on Zhongnan Mountain," and "The Song of Rainbow Feathers in the Provincial Examination," onto seven rough wooden stakes.

With each stroke of the brush, blood seeps into the wood grain, and a faint glimmer of light rises from the depths of the wood, as if the dormant words are awakened, and ancient talent begins to gather and rise thread by thread.

After the seven magnificent chapters were carved, the seven originally strange wooden stakes were now shining brightly, with a clear and refreshing spiritual energy flowing over them, completely out of place with the surrounding dirty environment, like seven bright pearls lifted out of the mud.

"Three strikes in the Qian trigram, six strikes in the Kun trigram! The Heavenly Gang leads the way, righteous energy suppresses evil!" With a ferocious expression, Shao Hongzhang roared, his arm muscles bulging, and he hurled the seven wooden stakes out with tremendous force!

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

The wooden stakes transformed into seven streams of light, seemingly possessing their own spirit, tracing mysterious paths in the air in the shape of the Big Dipper, and precisely nailing into the center of the seven enormous, almost transparent, swollen abscesses on the fleshy tumor mountain!
"Pfft!!"

The abscess, like a punctured water sac, contracted and collapsed violently, gushing out a mixture of foul-smelling, viscous black blood and yellowish-green pus like a fountain, splashing onto the ground with a hissing sound and rising plumes of foul-smelling smoke. Seven wooden stakes stood firmly in formation, their tips radiating a bright, clear light, interlocking with each other, instantly forming an invisible Big Dipper Heavenly Array!
Sizzle... hiss!

At the top of the wooden stake, a bluish-gray flame suddenly ignited! The flame initially flickered weakly, like a candle in the wind, but deep within the flame, faint wisps of brilliant silver light, like strands of hair, shone through, as if guiding some dormant power.

Shao Hongzhang stared intently at the fire, and a look of elation finally appeared on his withered face: "It's done! As expected! Fire generates earth energy, which will surely be ignited by the literary energy suppressed beneath it! As the literary energy gathers more and more, once this literary fire completely turns silver, it will be a raging inferno that can burn away all evil spirits in the world!" He excitedly gestured to Xiao Ran, and then they just needed to patiently wait for the literary fire to grow stronger.

"I see." A hint of understanding flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes, but then he thought of something and asked curiously, "Since it is the talent left behind by the sages of this dynasty in the examination hall... does that mean that any excellent article, as long as it fits this situation, can trigger the power of the literary tradition?"

“Indeed!” Shao Hongzhang nodded heavily, his tone filled with undisguised arrogance and fervor.

"If one can produce a masterpiece that will shake the world, it will not only inspire one's talent, but also allow one to harness the vast cultural heritage of this dynasty's three-hundred-year history! With literature as the guide and talent as the sword, one's righteous spirit will be able to vanquish evil and cleanse the world!"

At this point, the fervor on his face was instantly replaced by an overwhelming sense of regret and sorrow, and his voice choked with emotion:

"Three hundred years of heritage... So many brilliant and outstanding individuals poured their hearts and souls into this place, leaving behind immortal talents... What a pity! What a pity! If the sage had worked diligently to govern the country and had been willing to lower himself to invite true Confucian scholars to the court to govern the country, how could the country have... how could the country have fallen?"

The accumulated cultural heritage and fortune of these three hundred years alone are enough to form a Great Wall protecting the nation, sweeping away all invading enemies, demons and monsters!

The more he thought about it, the more turbulent his heart became, a mixture of bitterness and resentment. In a daze, he felt as if he were in a dream, and when he opened his eyes and woke up, the majestic empire was still at its zenith, as prosperous as ever.

It is precisely because this lingering illusion is so real that the pain of reality feels like a steel knife scraping away the bone.

He couldn't understand why the emperor, who had countless choices at his disposal, with a beautiful land, hundreds of millions of people, and a prosperous and powerful nation, would choose to embark on that self-destructive path!

Shao Hongzhang silently turned around and caught a glimpse of Xiao Ran staring at the burning wooden stake, looking thoughtful, as if she was pondering something.

He couldn't help but suppress his sorrow, and chuckled, half-teasing and half-bitter, "What? Are you envious and want to try writing a timeless masterpiece yourself?"

It was meant as a joke, meant to ease the unease in his heart. But to his surprise, Xiao Ran nodded with unusual seriousness, her expression so firm and focused that it startled Shao Hongzhang.

But he immediately chuckled and shook his head, taking it as youthful impetuosity: "Alright, alright, I'm not trying to discourage you or spoil your fun. To draw upon and master the cultural heritage accumulated over three hundred years, it's not something that can be achieved with just a few doggerel poems or ordinary writing."

Those who could come to Chang'an to participate in this "special imperial examination" were mostly superhuman monsters, but back then, weren't they all top students from their respective provinces? At the very least, they held the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) and had passed the rigorous selection process of the provincial and prefectural examinations, which were like the gates of hell.

These two levels alone have eliminated countless mediocre individuals.

Those who ultimately leave their writings here and are recognized by the literary tradition are all exceptionally talented individuals and pillars of the nation!
An article can astound the world, a single stroke can shake the gods and spirits! That is a power that truly resonates with heaven and earth!

Even as the Director of the Imperial Observatory, who had been immersed in this field for decades, he dared not presume to claim that he could produce a groundbreaking article that would resonate with the literary world, let alone Xiao Ran, whose origins were unknown and whose methods were unpredictable.

“Yes, you’re right,” Xiao Ran said with a mysterious smile, but her eyes were surprisingly bright. “However, it’s never a bad thing to give it a try.”

Writing an article? He's not good at improvising. But if you're talking about "copying" one... hehe, that's too easy.

In that instant, several magnificent works of literature, powerful enough to shake the ages and overwhelm all time, flashed through Xiao Ran's mind like lightning.

If you randomly picked one of these articles and threw it into the world, who knows what kind of earth-shattering waves it would cause?
Seeing Shao Hongzhang's mocking look that said, "You little brat, you don't know your place," Xiao Ran simply kept quiet, waiting for the right moment to show this old fogey what nine years of compulsory education plus three years of university youth really meant!
"Roar-!!!"

Suddenly, from the depths of the dark forest behind them came a deep, powerful roar that was so terrifying it made one's heart tremble!
It was as if the roar of countless wild beasts had their throats torn apart and forcibly stitched together was a frenzied, primal, and overwhelming force that crashed down on the two of them like a tangible tsunami!

Xiao Ran's brows furrowed instantly, and she turned around abruptly, her gaze shooting towards the source of the roar.

This godforsaken place's so-called "replenishment of one's roots" is essentially nothing but naked devouring and plundering! It devours the flesh and souls of others to strengthen itself, and the speed at which its strength increases far exceeds common sense.

Xiao Ran didn't know the exact number of "examinees" who flooded into Enke this time, but the endless, shadowy crowds that had appeared when she entered... she wondered how many of them had now become nourishment for this place, nurturing even more terrifying monsters.

Even if... they weren't really human to begin with.

"Are you sure these things... won't suddenly go crazy and rush over?" As these people continued to "upgrade" while "feeding," a sense of unease crept into Xiao Ran's heart like a shadow, and she always felt that this was a disaster.

"Don't worry! You can relax!"

Shao Hongzhang patted his sunken chest, his tone resolute, "The 'line' we're on right now is in a different dimension from theirs; it's worlds apart! They can at most vaguely sense us, but pose absolutely no threat!" Although he sounded so certain, Xiao Ran wasn't entirely convinced. There's always a chance of something going wrong. The martial world is treacherous; what is absolutely safe?
The image of the embroiderer's death resurfaced in Xiao Ran's mind.

He never wanted to repeat that painful lesson, so he planned ahead for every little thing—a lesson that the embroiderer had taught him with her life, a lesson etched into his very bones.

Ignoring the strange look from Shao Hongzhang, Xiao Ran turned around without hesitation, reached out her hand into the air, and a series of ancient, heavy Taishan stones covered with natural thunder patterns appeared out of thin air.

He then moved with lightning speed, quickly setting up a simple yet subtly malevolent apocalyptic formation around the two men.

Unable to use cursed items and professional skills, their strength has been greatly reduced, but fortunately, the curse is not subject to this restriction.

With the Taishan stone as the core of the talisman, and supplemented by the ash of yin paper money sprinkled in a special way, a small yin energy formation with a cold and isolating aura was quietly formed in an instant, protecting the two people and the burning wooden stake within it.

"Don't worry too much, just in case." After making the arrangements, Xiao Ran stared at the dark woods and gave a brief explanation.

Seeing this, Shao Hongzhang twitched his beard and shook his head: "Tsk tsk, kid, you're being too cautious. It seems you still don't trust the methods of me, the Director of the Imperial Observatory."

"Man proposes, God disposes; it's always good to be prepared." Xiao Ran's voice was calm and composed.

"Alright!" Shao Hongzhang grinned, refusing to waste any more words. His gaze refocused on the seven wooden stakes, and he was delighted to find that most of the flames on them had turned a pure silver-white. A faint Daoist aura flowed within the flickering flames, clearly indicating that the suppressed dragon energy of the underground veins was being continuously drawn out, nourishing the primordial fire. Once the silver flames completely spread, they would instantly obliterate this disgusting tumor!

A sinister grin, a mixture of relief and cruel pleasure, spread across his face as he coldly addressed the mountain of flesh: "It's almost over, almost over! Huang Chao, I admire your ability to seize the very essence of creation, but compared to me, the Director of the Imperial Observatory... heh heh, you're still too green..."

“Ah ...

“Roar, roar, roar—!!!”

Before the words were even finished, the roars from the forest suddenly rose in intensity! Like thousands of dying beasts howling and screaming simultaneously in a vat of boiling oil! Fierce, shrill, hysterical! The madness and boundless pain contained within were like billions of poisonous needles, piercing deep into people's eardrums and minds!
Immediately afterward, a dull, dense tremor came from the ground beneath their feet! Thump thump thump! Thump thump thump! From afar, it was as if tens of thousands of heavily armored giants were marching with destructive strides, rushing in from all directions to encircle them! Withered branches and leaves were shaken and danced wildly, and the air in the entire area seemed to freeze!

Xiao Ran's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints! His entire body tensed instantly, like a bowstring taut! His mental energy had already spread out like an invisible net.

At this moment, he could clearly "see" that the Yin paper money scattered on the ground as the array's guide outside the Yin Sha formation he had set up was moving on its own without any wind, trembling eerily! It was as if countless invisible hands were stirring it wildly!

"Shao Hongzhang!" Xiao Ran shouted sharply, her voice like ice shattering, carrying an unprecedented gravity, "Are you sure what you said before was true? I have a feeling that these things are aimed at us! There are a lot of them! And..."

“Very strong!!”

In his mental perception, those were not wild beasts! They were countless grotesque monsters, twisted and deformed, devoured and assimilated until only vague human shapes remained!

They are like killing machines forcibly pieced together from rotting flesh and blood, clad in heavy armor forged from coagulated blood plasma and decaying organs.

The joints protruded with hideous, stark white bone spurs, and the empty eye sockets burned with an extreme, pure hunger and bloodlust—a mad thirst for one's innate potential!
"I...I...I!!" The sudden turn of events struck Shao Hongzhang's face like a heavy hammer! His sinister smile froze instantly, turning into an unbelievable deathly paleness.

He was at a loss, his mind a complete mess, desperately trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. The "Near-Afar-Across-the-Distance" technique was a solution he had painstakingly devised; how could it have failed?!
However, only for a moment, the instincts honed by years of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom forced him to suppress his fear once more. His face contorted in agony, he roared at Xiao Ran as if trying to dispel his terror with his voice:

“I guarantee it! Absolutely no problem! We are still not on the same spatial level! They may... perhaps be strongly attracted by the smoldering fire phenomenon and can vaguely sense us, but they are absolutely no threat! There is absolutely no way they could touch us!” His voice trembled without him even realizing it.

You better pray your words come true!

Xiao Ran didn't turn her head, her cold gaze like two poisoned daggers, locking onto the dense forest churning with thick darkness and countless scarlet eyes.

Too much……

The number far exceeded his previous estimates! Within the range of his mental perception, a dark mass completely obscured the gaps in the forest, surging in like a tidal wave of flesh and blood!

The sheer oppressive feeling and the frenzied bloodlust that gathered together made Shao Hongzhang, who was hiding behind Xiao Ran, turn pale. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible, cold hand, and he almost suffocated!

"Why are there so many?"

As the number of figures rushing towards them increased, Xiao Ran began to feel the situation was getting tricky.

If he could use cursed items, he would still have the confidence to fight his way out.

With their methods now severely limited, facing such a surging tide of "people" whose every breath was comparable to that of enhanced elites, a chilling panic crept into their hearts, only to be forcibly suppressed by an iron will.

Fortunately! Fortunately, they had set up the Yin Sha Formation and the Taishan Stone Suppressing Object in advance! This might be their only barrier at this moment, and it might buy them a moment to have the crucial time for the slow fire to erupt!
In a flash, Xiao Ran's mind raced through all available options, considering how to escape unscathed should anything go wrong.

"Don't worry! They can't do anything to us! Absolutely not!! You have to believe me."

As dark shadows surged forth from the surrounding woods like poisonous mushrooms after a rain, densely crowding his vision, Shao Hongzhang continued to stubbornly insist on his story, his voice hoarse with defiance.
The hoarse roar was both a attempt to soothe Xiao Ran and a desperate attempt to convince himself of his crumbling beliefs.

Shala la la...

The bushes shook violently, and dead branches were snapped and crushed! One after another, distorted "figures" emerged from the edge of the dark forest!
They came in all shapes and sizes, each more grotesque and terrifying than the last, like a tangible manifestation of fear crawling out of the deepest nightmares. Some were bloated like mountains of flesh, covered with gaping maws; others were bony and spiky, their joints twisted in the opposite direction; still others dragged long, filthy tentacles covered in suckers…

Clearly, this appearance is the result of the alienation and mutation that occurred after devouring a large number of its own kind. It has long since lost its human form and can only barely maintain a distorted and blasphemous human outline.

Shao Hongzhang's heart sank suddenly, as if he had fallen into an ice cave—he could feel with absolute clarity that countless greedy, bloodthirsty eyes filled with destructive desires were like tangible thorns, all focused on him!
That intense and targeted malice almost froze his soul!

"Impossible... What could have gone wrong?" He lowered his head, his lips moving silently and violently, his mind frantically calculating all the possibilities.

At this moment, these monsters, which looked like they had crawled out of a pool of blood from hell, stopped in unison about ten feet away from the edge of the Yin Sha Formation, just like a well-trained army!

They did not immediately launch a reckless charge as expected, but silently and with a suffocating sense of oppression, slowly surrounded each other, eventually forming an impenetrable wall of flesh and blood!
Countless pairs of empty or malevolent eyes stared intently, unblinkingly, at the two figures in the formation and the seven wooden stakes burning with silver flames. Only the low, suppressed hissing breaths, like a millstone crushing bones, formed a background sound wave that sent chills down one's spine.

A deathly silence! A silence more despairing than the clamor of battle descended. It was like the moment before a storm, when the sky was pressed down to its lowest point by leaden clouds.

"What are they doing?!" Shao Hongzhang's voice was dry, like sandpaper scraping, filled with uncontrollable fear amidst his suspicion. The eerie calm before him was more terrifying than the frenzied attack!

Xiao Ran's brows furrowed into a deep frown, his eyes flashing with a cold light like ice blades. His mental power keenly detected a faint yet strangely familiar chilling fluctuation in the air, like the licking tongue of a venomous snake.

He slowly uttered two words, each word carrying immense weight:
"Waiting."

"Wait??" Shao Hongzhang turned his head in astonishment, his face filled with confusion and even deeper unease. "Wait for what?!"

Xiao Ran didn't know what they were waiting for, but he could sense their emotions, which seemed to be suppressed by another force.

It seems there's someone in charge behind all of this.

"Who is it?"

Just as Xiao Ran was wondering what was going on, the flames on the wooden stake behind her grew larger and larger, while the fleshy ball below began to writhe restlessly...

(End of this chapter)