Chapter 1049: Chapter 714: Skin and Bones (Part 2)
Facing such a powerful wave of attacks, Xiang Beifei couldn’t fully ignore it, as an inadvertent mistake could easily push him outside, where another battle was taking place.
The golden-armored man and Ye Qiniang!
But just at this moment, a fierce aura swept over, enveloping Xiang Beifei, and he frowned only to discover it was Xifeng!
Swish!
Xifeng had already leaped over, grabbing Xiang Beifei and the Diviner, then rushed towards the pass of the peak.
He couldn’t be bothered with Xing Meng and Banji, as the team was in complete chaos. No longer hiding anything, he dragged Xiang Beifei and the Diviner forward.
The three of them passed through the peak, continued to fly along the narrow pass without stopping. This pass cut through halfway up the mountain like someone had used a knife to chop the mountain from above, but only cut halfway, leaving a narrow gap.
The path ahead became increasingly narrow, but Xifeng showed incredible agility, bringing the three of them through as if no one was there, stopping only at the cliff on the other side of the peak.
"You? You’re also at the Inquiry Dao Realm!"
The Diviner looked at Xifeng in shock.
Xifeng had just effortlessly rushed out amid the terrifying clash between Xing Meng and Banji; his cultivation surely was not as simple as the late stage of immortality!
"If you don’t want to die, keep moving forward."
Xifeng coldly stared at Xiang Beifei and the Diviner.
The Diviner smiled bitterly.
Out of the wolf’s den and into the tiger’s lair, it seemed he was the weakest in this team. Along the way, threats came from everywhere, and he felt he was incredibly unlucky.
He leaned closer to Xiang Beifei. No matter what, in his eyes, Xiang Beifei was relatively friendly and had helped him multiple times just now.
"Daoist Mu, do you believe in that prophecy from before?" The Diviner asked softly.
"Hard to say." Xiang Beifei responded.
Lan Keju’s affair couldn’t be a fake; everyone watched as Lan Keju was killed by the golden-armored man, just like in the prophecy.
If the prophecy was real, Xing Meng would surely fail to kill Banji. If it was false, then what was the point of their fight?
The crucial thing wasn’t whether the prophecy was real or false, but whether Xing Meng believed in its truth.
The Diviner shook his head and said, "Husband and wife are just like birds in the same forest!"
At this moment, Xiang Beifei suddenly stopped, gazing ahead.
"Keep moving." Xifeng said coldly.
But the Diviner also noticed something was wrong and exclaimed, "What is that?"
Ahead of the peak was a very wide road suspended in mid-air, entirely made of black iron. At this moment, many figures stood on both sides of the road’s void!
These people stood there unmoving with their backs to them, and their postures were extremely eerie.
Counting carefully, there were at least a thousand people!
"These people seem to have come here to explore just like us." The Diviner suddenly said.
"How do you know?" Xiang Beifei asked.
"I recall some clothing characteristics, like that woman dressed in a yellow silk sash, she’s from the Heavenly Silkworm Race, their attire is very recognizable, and the one dressed like scales on the left is from the Turtle-Snake Clan. I’ve seen their clothes before, and this style has been in vogue for the last 180 years or so..."
The Diviner pointed out the clothing features of seven or eight people in one breath.
Although the various races in the Edge Corner Airspace have become human, many masters still wear their race’s unique clothing. Anyone familiar with the races can recognize them.
Xiang Beifei contemplated while staring at these people. None of them could simulate the Dao Embryo System interface, meaning that every single one of them here was dead!
Over a thousand people died here?
The Rushou relics were left ten thousand years ago, appearing and disappearing throughout the ages, attracting countless explorers, but many never returned. Did they all end up here?
The Diviner considered this and his expression turned grim.
"Why are you still standing around? Keep moving forward." Xifeng said coldly.
Regardless of why these dead stood here, it made no big difference to him. Even if there was danger ahead, it was up to Xiang Beifei and the Diviner to explore it!
Xiang Beifei didn’t say anything, just moved forward, with the Diviner following at his side.
They headed towards a woman in red who was closest, her silhouette so graceful it would spark fantasies in many men; such a woman dying here was indeed a great loss.
Xiang Beifei cautiously approached the woman but was suddenly struck by an odd feeling; the woman in red emitted the warmth of a living person!
But that was impossible. Xiang Beifei was certain these were all dead, so why did the feeling become clearer the closer he got?
The red-dressed woman didn’t move, still standing there, when suddenly a gust seemed to blow through the black mist, and from Xiang Beifei and his companions’ perspective, her face appeared to move, as if—smiling!
"She’s smiling! Is she still alive?" The Diviner whispered.
"Don’t jump to conclusions yet."
Xiang Beifei had already heightened his alertness, aware that this place was no good, given the prior experience with the golden armored man.
Step by step, they circled the woman to face her, scrutinizing her.
The woman’s expression was calm, her eyes sharp, with no signs of death; in everyone’s Perception, she had the warmth of a living person, very ordinary.
But at this moment, the Diviner seemed to have realized something, turning extremely shocked.
"What’s wrong?" Xifeng asked coldly.
"Look at her throat." The Diviner said.
Xiang Beifei noticed as well, there seemed to be a tiny vertical slit at the woman’s throat, as if cut by some sharp object.
Another gust blew by, the slit on her throat widening a bit.
All three of them were suddenly stunned!
For within the slit on the woman’s neck, they saw black bones!
Skinless with no flesh, only black bones, and undoubtedly, those bones were made of the black iron found everywhere here!
The Diviner swallowed hard and said, "Are you thinking... the same as me?"
"Pretty much." Xiang Beifei said solemnly.
Xifeng looked at the woman and said coldly, "This person looks like she’s been skinned, and her skin draped over a black iron skeleton."
That was the same thought shared by the Diviner and Xiang Beifei!
This thought gave them the chills!
They immediately looked at the other standing figures.
Each one vivid, maintaining their living appearance, looking alive, but a closer look would reveal that each had a slit at their throats, exposing the black iron bones underneath.
"Could it be that everyone here was skinned to death like this?" The Diviner said in surprise.
These thousands of people died here in this manner?
"Keep moving forward, ignore them." Xifeng shouted.
The Diviner had no choice but to steel himself and move on while Xiang Beifei kept pace with him.
But something felt off to him, though he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. After walking several meters and passing several people, a realization struck him. Glancing back, he said, "There’s a problem."
"What is it?" Xifeng asked coldly.
"Look at the people behind us!"
Xiang Beifei gestured.
They turned to find that the red-dressed woman they first encountered had somehow followed them within half a meter!
Most crucially, they had only walked a few steps and could no longer see the original peak, shrouded in black mist. At this moment, more and more people filled every direction, up and down, left and right, all the skinned people encasing black iron skeletons.
This was far more than a thousand, now a dense swarm of at least ten thousand!