Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 438 Unexpected Turn of Events. (First Update!)

Just then, a female examiner dressed in a paddy field robe, with her black hair tied in a lotus bun and adorned with a mutton-fat jade hairpin, suddenly said, "That ghost bride has started heading deeper into Blood Tong Pass."

Upon hearing this, the other examiners immediately looked in the direction of the ghost bride.

The ghost bride's original route was towards Zheng Que, but for some reason, she suddenly changed course and began to head deeper into Xue Tong Pass.

Unlike their previous journey of plundering along the way, the Ghost Bride's party moved at a significantly faster pace this time, paying no attention to the resource points along the way. In no time, they entered the depths of Blood Pass and disappeared into the exceptionally dense, blood-like mist.

Upon seeing this, an examiner standing next to the female examiner, dressed in a dark blue robe and wearing a headscarf, immediately said, "This is a good thing."

"If this ghost bride keeps wandering around the outskirts of Blood Pass, the candidates this year won't even be able to establish a base."

Another examiner, with a goatee and wearing a brown Taoist robe, nodded slightly and echoed, "Indeed."

"As long as this ghost bride doesn't cause trouble, that's better than anything else."

"Now, only the [Painted Skin] remains..."

As they spoke, many examiners turned their gazes away again and looked at the other candidates inside Xue Tong Pass.

After the ghost bride left, the situation of the examinees in Blood Pass gradually stabilized.

Most of the examinees had already left the edge of Blood Pass and entered a more in-depth area. After confirming that the threat of the Ghost Bride and the Painted Skin would not come for the time being, they began to re-survey their positions and try to set up strongholds.

In the meantime, a new round of alliances and intrigues will inevitably begin... However, these are all part of the immortal test.

The examiners then looked at the "Painted Skin" of the "Iron Tree Prison," only to find that the "Painted Skin" seemed completely unconcerned about the "Rouge Demon" enslaved by the examinees. After wandering around the edge of Blood Pass for a while, it stopped selecting the victimized examinees and, like the ghost bride, headed deeper into Blood Pass.

Everything seems to be back on track.

In the blink of an eye, most of the day had passed, and the sky gradually darkened. The departure of the two [Iron Tree Prison] ghosts allowed the examination hall to return to normal, which made the atmosphere on the snow mountain noticeably more relaxed.

The examiners began to eat, drink, and make merry, and some even cut paper into costumes. Amid the commotion, they would only occasionally glance at the candidates from their own region to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

Just as the wine was being poured and the paper figures were dancing, the chief examiner, Ning Jiushan, suddenly noticed something, turned his head sharply, and looked into the depths of Xue Tong Pass.

The next moment, a faint growl came from the center of Blood Pass.

The low growl wasn't loud, but it instantly spread throughout the entire area.

For a moment, the entire Blood Pass was deathly silent. All the cultivators, ghosts, snakes and insects stood frozen in place, as if they had been immobilized by some powerful force.

The blood mist seemed to have been greatly stimulated, and it suddenly surged!

The snow-capped mountain where the examiners were located was covered in snow, but in the blink of an eye, it turned into a dazzling crimson. At the same time, a blood-red fog surged up like a raging storm, instantly engulfing the entire summit.

The crimson light surged, turning the clouds in the sky into a vast expanse of blood. The area shrouded in blood mist expanded dramatically, enveloping the surrounding snow-capped mountains and making them part of the Blood Pass.

The examiners' expressions changed instantly, but before they could figure out what was happening, a bone-chilling cold quickly crept up their spines. Accompanied by a heart-pounding fear, everyone's hair stood on end. It seemed as if an extremely terrifying gaze was fixed on them! Ning Jiushan suddenly stood up, his aura surging. His white hair and robes fluttered without wind, and as he rapidly formed a hand seal, a pale golden shield spread outwards from him, enveloping all the examiners.

As soon as the protective shield took shape, a gigantic ghostly hand emerged from the blood-red clouds high in the sky, spreading out to grab the numerous examiners.

boom! ! !
The golden shield shattered after only a single breath, and the spot where the examiners had just been was instantly blasted into a sandstorm, leaving it unrecognizable.

With a flash of light, Ning Jiushan, along with numerous examiners and the three stone tablets, appeared on the distant barren hillside.

As soon as she stood still, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of the examiner's mouth. Her chest heaved, and her energy waned. However, she paid no heed to her injuries and immediately shouted, "Retreat!"

"The thing inside has woken up!"

With that, she immediately used her escape technique, taking the numerous examiners and the three stone tablets bearing the Heaven, Earth, and Man lists with her, and fled into the distance.

Whoosh...

A moment later, the entire team of examiners for the Immortal Examination, along with the three stone tablets, appeared on a cliff.

The cliff rises high into the clouds, barren of all vegetation and covered with pebbles of all sizes. The fierce winds blow the fist-sized rocks around, sending them tumbling about, some falling to the bottom and disappearing without a trace.

Standing on the edge of the cliff and looking down, the scarlet blood mist churned and boiled at the bottom of the cliff. Even from a distance, the malevolent aura within could still be felt from afar, like fine needles constantly pricking the skin.

Looking further into the distance at the snow-capped mountain, the white peaks had long since disappeared above the vast expanse of blood mist, replaced by a boundless, crimson sea that completely obscured the surrounding mountains.

The cliff where they are now is originally some distance from the Blood Pass, but it has now become the new boundary.

At this moment, the blood mist at Xue Tong Pass was becoming increasingly viscous, and in addition to the yin energy and evil energy, something else seemed to have appeared in the mist.

Even with the keen eyesight of many examiners, their field of vision was greatly affected, making it impossible to see very far.

Witnessing this astonishing turn of events, all the examiners were shaken. The female examiner, dressed in a paddy-colored robe and with her hair in a lotus-shaped bun, immediately exclaimed, "What happened?"

"Won't that thing wake up again in at least six months?"

Ning Jiushan's face was gloomy. He put his hand to his chest, coughed twice to calm himself down, and then ignored the examiner Mizuta's question. Instead, he turned to the examiner holding the compass and asked in a deep voice, "How many of the candidates inside are still alive?"

The examiner hurriedly made a hand seal, stared intently at the compass, and then replied, "Reporting to you, sir, there is still half left."

Ning Jiushan nodded and said calmly, "If that thing wakes up early, the entire Xue Tong Pass will be in chaos."

"However, that thing won't target cultivators with low cultivation levels."

"Although we can't see what's inside right now, we can still get a general idea of ​​the situation through this [Fate-Seeking Instrument] and the three lists."

"The Celestial Trial continues!"

(End of this chapter)