In the deep pit of the Prison Department, the figures of cultivators continued to descend around the stone cone array formation where the Immortal Forbidden was located.
Xu Qing, who was among the first to arrive, didn't approach the cavity where the array formation had shattered. Instead, he leaned closer and sized it up warily.
The world inside the cavity was the Immortal Forbidden. That place was dark and filled with fog.
The density of anomalous substances was extremely high there.
Everything was hazy and distorted, with only vague glimpses of numerous palaces and buildings deep inside. There were also echoes of eerie screams resonating from within, as if that place was the true gateway to the netherworld.
While Xu Qing was observing the environment, the captain beside him looked at Ning Yan, who was being hugged by him, in surprise.
The other party's answer made him feel that this kid must be asking for a beating.
Hence, he had a spurious smile on his face as he patted Ning Yan's head and licked his lips.
"Little Ningning, you're not obedient."
Ning Yan also had a spurious smile on his face as he looked at the captain. He seemed to want to lift his right hand, as though he was preparing to hit someone or struggle .
However, after looking around, he still restrained himself and turned his head, ignoring the captain.
Seeing Ning Yan like this, the captain was satisfied.
He naturally didn't believe that Ning Yan had the courage to fight against him, so he must have wanted to free himself from his grasp. However, it was evident that in the end, the other party remembered his kindness and was moved enough to give up resistance.
"That's more like it, Little Ningning. I really miss you very much."
The captain chuckled and pulled Ning Yan in front of Xu Qing, winking at him. Outsiders couldn't understand that expression, but Xu Qing knew what the other party was expressing with a glance.
This was telling Xu Qing that he had to use the weapon well this time around.
Xu Qing was expressionless. He glanced at Ning Yan and was about to speak when a large number of cultivators descended. A group of black-robed cultivators who emitted very obscure fluctuations whistled over from above.
The aura emanating from these people was mostly cold and different from that of regular cultivators. It seemed as though they practiced a highly unique set of techniques that appeared individualistic, yet intertwined with one another.
While these people gave off a peculiar sensation, there was also an instinctive urge to distance oneself from them.
This could be seen from the fact that the surrounding soldiers instinctively took a few steps back when they saw them.
What Xu Qing paid attention to was that among this group of cultivators whose heads were covered and whose entire bodies were enveloped in black robes, there was a cultivator with an aura that was different from others.
This person was surrounded and appeared to be protected, but there was also an underlying sense of being restricted.
His footsteps staggered. When he landed here, the anomalous substances wind that blew out of the hole in the array formation lifted a corner of his robe and revealed half of his face.
It was Zhang Siyun.
Compared to half a month ago, there were noticeable differences.
Half a month ago, Zhang Siyun's face was haggard and pale, and he appeared completely listless. But now, his face was covered with numerous red blood vessels, resembling a spider's web. It looked eerie, and his expression seemed to be filled with pain.
Seeing this scene, Xu Qing immediately retracted his gaze. He recalled the words of the god's finger back then.
"Red Moon is about to awaken."
Xu Qing calmly took a few steps back.
The captain beside him also saw all of this. The smile on his face had already disappeared and he also retreated a little. Ning Yan, who was being held by the captain, also took the opportunity to retreat.
It was unknown if Ning Yan was doing it on purpose but when he retreated, he chose to stand in front of Xu Qing and the captain, blocking the vision of some of the black-robed men.
After the group of black-robed men arrived, they swept their gazes across the surroundings and stood silently in a corner.
The original cultivators there also instinctively distanced themselves.
After a long time, the figure of General Blood Nightmare, who was in charge of this exploration, descended from above and floated above the hole in the array formation. A baleful aura erupted from his body and spread in all directions. He lowered his head and looked at the hole as he calmly spoke.
"Nihility first, followed by the Spirit Repository."
As soon as he finished speaking, the deacons of the three palaces and the generals of the Imperial City immediately walked out and headed straight for the hole.
The fog in the cave churned and a faint mournful roar rang out. A while later, when it became quiet, white light flickered in the fog in the depths of the cave.
"Army, enter!"
General Blood Nightmare let out a low shout and took a step forward, stepping into the hole. The others also followed one after another.
Xu Qing and the captain were among them. Qing Qiu and Kong Xianglong were also among them.
As everyone leaped down, a hazy world was instantly reflected in Xu Qing's eyes.
This world seemed endless, with the land appearing blurry and faintly revealing buildings hidden within the mist. However, being high above, the view was limited, and only a vague sense of ancientness could be perceived.
It was hard to see the details.
The surroundings were distorted. Not only was the world filled with anomalous substances, but countless shrieks also rang out from the foggy world below.
As for the sky, it was man-made.
It appeared like a massive mirror, but not a smooth one. Instead, it had an arc-shaped curve, especially in the area they had entered, where the curvature was even more pronounced.
The surrounding sky caved in here, forming a passageway that was like a huge bottle mouth.
Looking at all of this, Xu Qing's heart trembled. At the same time, he felt the comfort from his body becoming increasingly intense, as though it was yearning to absorb it.
He didn't dare to act rashly at this moment. When he restrained himself again, the captain's words rang out from the side.
"Junior Brother, do you think this place is a bottle?"
The captain held onto Ning Yan and stood beside Xu Qing, looking at everything in the surroundings. At the same time, Xu Qing seemed to have sensed something and quickly turned his head. He saw the group of black-robed men surrounding Zhang Siyun and their departing figures.
After these people entered the Immortal Forbidden, they seemed to have a fixed target, and directly disappeared into the deep fog.
Xu Qing and the captain became anxious.
The two of them looked at each other and transmitted their voices.
'That's not right. Junior Brother, where's Master?'
'Could it be that Master used a special method to arrive? Or maybe he changed his appearance, so it's normal for us to not be able to sense him.' Xu Qing thought about it and replied via voice transmission.
The captain nodded.
'That makes sense. The old man has always been sly, so he should have used a method we don't know about to enter. Besides, I know him too well. He probably started drooling when he heard about the gods. He would never turn a blind eye to it; he'll definitely seek our help to make sure everything is in order.'
'So, the two of us should hurry down now and have some snacks first.' The captain's eyes lit up as he looked down.
After some thought, Xu Qing nodded.
The two communicated through voice transmission. While Ning Yan was being held tightly by the captain, who seemed afraid that he might escape, Ning Yan looked at the captain indifferently when the fog flowed in front of them, partially obscuring their vision.
The captain and Xu Qing, who didn't notice this, finished communicating and reached a consensus. They then headed straight down with the army.
The captain continued to hold Ning Yan. The two of them walked in front while Xu Qing followed behind.
Very soon, they descended on the foggy land with the cultivators from all directions. As soon as they landed, rumbling sounds rang out and the sounds of fighting echoed in the fog.
One could faintly see some huge mutated beasts appearing from the fog. They were fighting against the Nihility and Spirit Repository cultivators who had arrived earlier.
As they descended, the buildings on the ground became much clearer than before.
This was a cluster of palaces with an extremely large range that covered the entire land.
Countless palaces and temples formed a city.
It was filled with vicissitudes and ancientness, but it also contained extreme bizarreness.
This was because these buildings were all wrapped in purple-black flesh and were squirming.
Not only were the buildings the same, but the ground was also covered in flesh.
"Everyone, clear the surroundings and open up a safe area!"
A cold voice rang out from the fog.
This was the decree of General Blood Nightmare. The hundreds of thousands of cultivators who descended immediately got busy.
According to different divisions of labor, some controlled the war puppets to rush into the fog and fight.
Some quickly constructed array formations here, causing the power of the array formation to envelop the surroundings.
Some even began to purify the surroundings, driving away the anomalous substances and flesh in this area.
Many of them moved in small teams.
Most of the people who did this were the Sword Holders and the soldiers of the Imperial City.
Xu Qing and the captain were among them. As for Qing Qiu, Kong Xianglong, and the others, there were too many people around them and they couldn't find them.
Just like that, a small safe area was soon opened up and it continued to expand in all directions.
If someone encountered an obstruction in any direction and couldn't resolve it themselves, experts would arrive very quickly after they got the report and clear the obstruction.
Everything was arranged in an orderly manner by General Blood Nightmare.
During this time, Xu Qing and the captain also saw the mutated beasts in the fog. They were ferocious beasts that were also purple-black in color. They didn't have any intelligence and their bodies were filled with anomalous substances. They had high combat strength.
Moreover, the larger their bodies were, the more astonishing their combat strength was.
Half a day after they arrived here, when everyone had opened up a certain range of the safe zone, they began to rest and reorganize.
After all, the anomalous substances here were too dense. Every once in a while, they would have to do their best to remove them from their bodies to prevent themselves from mutating.
During this period, after Xu Qing communicated with the captain, the two of them accepted a scouting mission and chose to leave. Of course, Ning Yan was also among them.
'It's useless to stay here. We aren't afraid of anomalous substances. We have to hurry up and find some snacks to try. We can't come here for nothing. Also, we have to use Ning Yan well.'
The captain held Ning Yan and spoke to Xu Qing through voice transmission as he ran forward.
Xu Qing glanced at Ning Yan and felt some sympathy. In the past half a day, the other party hadn't disappeared from the captain's arms. Clearly, the captain was worried that his weapon would run away.
As for Ning Yan, he seemed to have resigned himself to his fate. Occasionally, he would have some struggling emotions but in the end, he still tacitly agreed.
Xu Qing couldn't help but speak.
"Eldest Senior Brother, doesn't your arm feel sore? How about letting go of Ning Yan?"
"What if it is sore? I want to protect our little Ningning!" The captain said righteously as he looked at Ning Yan.
"Little Ningning, don't worry. If you follow me this time, you'll definitely have meat to eat!"
With that, the captain couldn't help but stroke Ning Yan's head again.
He didn't know why, but ever since the first time he touched Ning Yan's head, he had instinctively fallen in love with this action. It was as though touching Ning Yan's head gave him a strange pleasure.
Ning Yan's breathing hastened slightly. After staring deeply at the captain, he suddenly spoke.
"You guys want to get something good? I investigated some information before I came in and know of a place. There should be some good things there. I'll bring you guys there."
When the captain heard this, he looked at Ning Yan and blinked, his face filled with surprise. However, he secretly transmitted his voice to Xu Qing.
'Junior Brother, isn't this Ning Yan a little abnormal?'
Xu Qing's expression was calm but doubts rose in his mind.
In reality, from Ning Yan's reaction just now, he also sensed that there was something wrong with the other party. After all, he was the one who brought Ning Yan back from the Morning Glow Province and arranged for him to be in the Secretariat Department.
Hence, he had some judgment about the tone of Ning Yan's voice. At that moment, there was something wrong with the other party's words. It didn't seem to be a tone that belonged to Ning Yan.
Hence, just as he was about to transmit his voice to inform the captain of his doubts, a familiar cold snort suddenly echoed in his mind.
This cold snort contained a warning. When Xu Qing heard this, he shivered and his expression instantly turned solemn. He immediately transmitted his voice to the captain.
'Eldest Senior Brother, I brought this Ning Yan back from the Morning Glow Province previously. I understand that something happened to him in the province, so his personality has changed a little. Everything… is normal!'
After Xu Qing finished speaking, a familiar humming sound echoed in his mind, filled with satisfaction.
