Chapter 88: Breaking Through the Mystery of the Old Mansion: The Mysterious Stone Coffin and the Eerie Creature
Shi Feiyang and Gong Simeng watched as the birds flew away, their eyes filled with confusion. The moonlight spilled over their faces, reflecting the bewilderment in their hearts: What kind of complex relationship exists between this mysterious token, the power to control birds, and the missing Sect Leader?
As they looked in the direction where the birds disappeared, the doubts in Shi Feiyang and Gong Simeng's hearts grew even stronger.
They decided to first leave the Qingfeng Sword Sect and return to Jinan Prefecture to discuss strategies with Jin Liufu and Xiang Kun.
Their figures slowly faded into the moonlight, leaving the silent Qingfeng Sword Sect behind, whispering the untold secrets of Jianghu.
The ancient buildings stood silent in the night, waiting for the next upheaval. Shi Feiyang and Gong Simeng rushed back to the "Jinhui Inn" in Jinan Prefecture, the sound of horse hooves echoing urgently, mirroring their anxious heartbeats.
As soon as they stepped into the inn, they saw Jin Liufu and Xiang Kun pacing anxiously in the hall, their footsteps hurried and chaotic. From time to time, they glanced at the door, eyes full of worry, as if waiting for a judgment day.
As Shi Feiyang walked in, Jin Liufu quickly approached, his face marked by anxiety, the wrinkles on his forehead telling of his worries. He urgently asked, "Finally you're back, how is the situation?"
With a somber expression, Shi Feiyang recounted his experiences at the Qingfeng Sword Sect, detailing every event from mysterious powders, secret passages, and men in black, to the strange token and terrifying birds.
His voice was low and steady, each word carrying a heavy weight, as if unveiling an age-old secret.
After listening, Jin Liufu's eyes widened like copper bells, his face full of shock, exclaiming, "This is incredible! The mysterious powder and sword marks on the walls, could they be a distress signal left by the missing Sect Leader? And that token might be the key to solving the mystery."
There was a hint of excitement in his voice, as if he saw a glimmer of hope in solving the enigma.
Xiang Kun furrowed his brows, after a long contemplation, he said slowly, "I always felt that the forces behind this are not simple. To be able to control such massive birds, they must be in possession of some unknown secret technique. We should start our investigation with the origin of this token."
His voice was low and calm, like a sage groping in the dark, trying to find that ray of light.
Thus, everyone began to inquire about the token's information.
After days of both overt and covert investigation, they finally learned from an old Jianghu veteran that the pattern on the token is closely related to a mysterious organization from years ago. This organization was proficient in controlling exotic beasts, moving mysteriously, and had once wreaked havoc in Jianghu, but later suddenly disappeared as if they never existed in the first place.
Shi Feiyang and the others followed this lead and discovered that this mysterious organization seemed to have left traces in an abandoned ancient mansion on the outskirts of Jinan Prefecture. They immediately set off to the mansion, and as soon as they stepped through the door, a strong putrid smell hit them, like a mix of time and death, nauseating them.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, taller than a person, and the dilapidated houses swayed in the wind, creaking, ready to collapse at any moment, filled with a frightening eerie aura.
The weeds swayed in the wind, like countless waving hands trying to grasp every intruder.
Just as they were cautiously searching, they suddenly heard a strange sound.
The sound was deep and eerie, like someone chanting an ancient and evil spell, or like a fierce beast awakening from a long slumber with a growl.
The sound echoed through the empty ancient mansion, amplifying and distorting, making one's hair stand on end and their spine chill.
Shi Feiyang and the others followed the direction of the sound and found that it was coming from a basement.
They found the entrance to the basement and descended the narrow, moss-covered stairs. The basement was dim and damp, filled with a pungent smell of mold and rot, as if death's shadow had engulfed it for centuries.
Water droplets dripped from the walls, making a "tick, tock" sound in the silence, like the countdown to death.
In the center of the basement lay a giant stone coffin, engraved with the same patterns as the token.
In the dim light, those patterns appeared especially mysterious and eerie, telling untold secrets.
Gong Simeng exclaimed in wonder, "Why are there so many stone coffins? What does it mean?" As he was about to step forward, Shi Feiyang stopped him with a horizontal blade.
His gaze was firm and vigilant, saying, "Each stone coffin must be different, don't be fooled!"
As Shi Feiyang, wise and brave, anticipated, just as they planned to approach and take a closer look at the stone coffin, it suddenly shook violently, producing a dull sound, as if a dormant giant beast was roaring.
With a "bang," the coffin lid was blown open by a powerful force, and a surge of black smoke gushed out.
The smoke churned and twisted like a living being, as if a demon crawled up from the Hell Abyss.
From within the smoke, a humanoid creature emitting an eerie glow slowly rose. Its face was indistinguishable, shrouded in mist, its hands flailing like sharp claws, each swing bringing a bone-chilling gust. It emitted a terrifying roar, loud like a great bell, yet full of evil and madness, charging fiercely at Shi Feiyang and the others.
The humanoid creature with the eerie glow thrashed forward, fast as lightning, almost upon them in the blink of an eye. Shi Feiyang reacted quickly, shouting, "Be careful!" His voice was like a great bell, making the surrounding air tremble slightly.
Immediately, he wielded his knife as a sword, invoking the Bright Jade Technique, covering his body in a thick layer of frost, freezing the air.
He slashed at the creature, "Zheng, zheng! The blade struck the monster's body, releasing a sharp metallic sound, so piercing it numbed Shi Feiyang's arm, a slight bleeding appeared on his tiger's mouth.
Gong Simeng quickly drew a whip from his waist, the tip striking toward the creature's neck like the agile Spiritual Snake.
The creature sidestepped nimbly, moving with unimaginable agility, easily evading the attack, a backhand swipe of its claw brought a whistling gust as sharp as a blade. Gong Simeng narrowly escaped, the gust brushed her cheek, leaving a shallow red mark.
Xiang Kun, on the side, murmured incantations, forming signs rapidly with his hands.
Suddenly, several thick vines surged from the ground, like green pythons, swiftly entangling toward the creature.
The creature was tightly bound by the vines, but with a sudden surge of strength, its muscles tensed, breaking the vines one by one.
The broken vines splattered juice, releasing a pungent smell.