signingbooks #397 - Life-saving information
#397 - Life-saving information
As the heavy gates of the City of Wrongful Deaths slowly creaked open, emitting a dull "rumbling" sound, it was as if a sigh had escaped from the depths of hell.
A fervent desire instantly ignited in everyone's eyes, and they couldn't wait to rush into the city, their footsteps chaotic and hurried, like a pack of hungry wolves about to attend a grand feast.
However, the moment they stepped into the City of Wrongful Deaths, they were pulled back by an invisible force, causing them to halt in their tracks.
"Damn it! This ghostly place has changed again!"
Someone couldn't help but curse, their voice filled with astonishment and helplessness.
The scene that unfolded beyond the gates was devoid of the previously dense rows of houses.
All that met their eyes was a sea of raging fire.
Looking out, the entire world seemed to be engulfed by the surging flames. The red heat waves rolled and distorted the air, making people feel as if they were trapped in a giant steamer.
But when they focused their gaze, they could see that hidden within the sea of fire were many areas and passages that could be traversed.
These passages were winding and twisting, surrounded by raging flames, like a glimmer of hope carved out of the fiery hell.
This City of Wrongful Deaths was like a malicious and mysterious Rubik's Cube, constantly changing.
Today it was a sea of fire, perhaps tomorrow it would become an icy and snowy plain, or maybe a precarious suspension bridge in the vast sky.
In short, it always presented various extreme environments, as if an invisible hand was deliberately forcing them to endure this harsh test, constantly stimulating the fear in their hearts, while also awakening the fighting spirit hidden deep within.
"Brothers, be careful."
A seemingly experienced martial artist stepped forward and shouted loudly:
"Fifth-rank experts lead the way, and eighth and ninth-rank newbies follow at the rear."
"Especially be careful of that fierce ghost wearing a metal skull mask; he'll probably show up soon."
His voice was firm and powerful, echoing in the sea of fire, bringing a touch of reassurance to everyone.
During this period, a special order had gradually formed among the people in this bizarre City of Wrongful Deaths.
Everyone who came here was seeking the legendary treasure.
Initially, only a few highly skilled martial artists had the opportunity to obtain a small portion of the treasure from this dangerous place.
This gradually caused the martial artists with lower cultivation levels to feel unbalanced.
Since their martial skills were weak and they were unlikely to obtain any benefits, why bother risking their lives?
So, they began to become passive and slack off, no longer actively participating in battles, and sometimes even taking advantage of the situation to stab the experts in the back when they were caught in a fight.
After all, in this place, no one knew anyone, and no one could truly die.
The awe that the weak held for the strong in the real world had long since disappeared without a trace.
And this chaotic situation greatly reduced the opportunities for the experts to obtain treasures.
After several internal struggles and killings, everyone gradually calmed down.
So, they jointly discussed and formulated new rules that everyone, whether they were early arrivals or new members, had to follow.
The rules stipulated that high-level martial artists would face the greatest danger in the front, while low-level martial artists were not allowed to cause trouble and must assist in combat and fighting.
In this way, the chances for low-level martial artists to eventually obtain treasures greatly increased, and everyone gradually became willing to accept this rule.
"Brothers!"
"Follow us! For the treasure, let's charge together!"
A martial artist raised his arm and shouted.
With the arrangements settled, everyone, filled with longing for the treasure, mustered their courage and stepped into the depths of the sea of fire.
If they were in the real world, such a sea of fire would have been enough to make them flinch and dare not approach it at all.
But in this City of Wrongful Deaths, everyone knew that they would not truly die, so they became exceptionally bold.
However, not dying did not mean not being injured.
Many people were accidentally licked by the flames, and several large blisters instantly appeared on their skin, accompanied by intense pain.
Walking in this place that resembled a fiery hell, everyone felt as if they were in a giant furnace, feeling unbearably hot. Before long, they were drenched in sweat, which evaporated quickly as soon as it emerged.
Even the places where they could stand were as hot as branding irons.
The ground was dark brown, like solidified lava, or rather, only the surface was solidified.
Some people accidentally crushed the solidified crust on the surface, and their feet immediately sank into the bright red lava below.
With a scream, the person's shoes instantly burst into flames. When he desperately pulled his foot out, his entire foot had been scorched beyond recognition, and his five toes were burned and stuck together, unable to be separated.
Only a few female martial artists, out of shyness or other reasons, were unwilling to take off their clothes, and they therefore endured even greater suffering.
This made everyone speed up their pace, eager to leave this hellish area as soon as possible.
But they walked for a long time, yet they felt as if this sea of fire had no end, and they could not get out no matter what.
The high temperature continued to rage, and everyone turned into "red people."
Their skin became red and cracked under the continuous high-temperature baking, like cooked prawns, and some places even began to ooze blood.
Many people had already begun to feel dizzy, nauseous, and wanted to vomit, showing severe symptoms of heatstroke.
Fortunately, they were all martial artists, and their physical fitness was far superior to ordinary people. If ordinary people were placed in this environment, they would probably lose their lives long ago.
But this boundless sea of fire still made everyone feel more and more tormented, as if they were trapped in a never-ending nightmare.
"Did we go in the wrong direction?"
"Let's try changing direction, otherwise, we're afraid we'll all die before we even see the ghosts here."
Someone couldn't help but speak, their voice with a hint of helplessness.
But the sea of fire was vast, and as far as the eye could see, there was no end in sight.
And the gates of the City of Wrongful Deaths had long since disappeared from view because of the distance. Now, all around them were scorching flames.
Excessive torment had made many people even forget the direction.
Blundering blindly in this directionless area was undoubtedly tantamount to courting death.
Perhaps, only death could truly bring liberation.
Fortunately, this was a hell from which one could escape; otherwise, they really wouldn't know what to do.
Suddenly!
"Clang, clang, clang!"
A series of iron chains suddenly rang out, breaking the suffocating silence.
This sound made everyone's hearts tighten, as if gripped by an invisible hand.
They were all too familiar with this sound, knowing that the fierce ghost wearing the skull mask had come!
This proved that they had not gone in the wrong direction!
Sure enough.
Not far away, a tall figure slowly emerged from the sea of fire.
He wore a pointed helmet, its sharp horns seeming to pierce the scorching sky; his face was covered by a metallic skull mask, exuding an icy chill that sent shivers down one's spine; he was draped in shoulder armor and a gray-black robe, which fluttered wildly in the sea of fire.
In one hand, he held a heavy sword, its blade broad and radiating a chilling light; the other was a mechanical arm, with a beast-head iron box at the wrist, from which iron chains connected to a blood-red, iron-crafted flying guillotine, like a grim reaper from hell.
It was none other than the battle puppet, Huang Xingzi.
Seeing this figure, the crowd's emotions were instantly ignited.
Some low-level martial artists immediately shouted:
"Brothers, we really can't take it anymore! Even if we're not killed by this skull-masked ghost, we'll be roasted to death!"
"We really can't endure this suffering any longer! This time, let us be the first to charge up and fight it to the death, using our lives to fill the gap. Better to die sooner and be reborn sooner!"
"If any of you manage to seize the treasure in the end, just remember to bring some silver for us next time!"
With that, these low-level martial artists, unable to withstand the scorching environment, charged towards the battle puppet Huang Xingzi with a do-or-die resolve.
The blades on the edge of the blood-red flying guillotine in the battle puppet Huang Xingzi's hand began to spin wildly like a chainsaw, emitting a sharp whistling sound.
As the flying guillotine shot out, it began to rapidly reap lives.
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One by one, people were killed, their bodies instantly turning into wisps of green smoke, dissipating into this illusory world.
The experts also began to seize this opportunity to attack the battle puppet Huang Xingzi.
For a time, shouts of battle and the clash of weapons intertwined, and the battle was extremely fierce.
The sword and flying guillotine in the battle puppet Huang Xingzi's hands were like two ruthless death gods, frantically reaping lives.
However, the crowd was already very familiar with the battle puppet Huang Xingzi's attack patterns, especially the experienced veterans, who already knew how to win this battle.
Therefore, under effective command, the balance of battle gradually tilted towards the crowd.
Soon, the battle puppet Huang Xingzi, with a roar of unwillingness, slowly knelt on one knee on the ground, the light on his body gradually dimming.
Then, his entire being turned into a wisp of green smoke, completely dissipating before the crowd's eyes.
"We won! We won again!"
"Let me count how many people are left this time… Thirty people!"
"My god, this is the most people we've ever had survive, right?!"
"Then the next level will be even easier for us, right?!"
… …
The survivors looked at each other, their eyes filled with deep surprise.
They also didn't expect that after experiencing the great battle with the battle puppet Huang Xingzi this time, so many people would actually survive.
This gave the crowd more confidence to defeat the next mysterious expert!
At this moment.
As the battle puppet Huang Xingzi disappeared, the raging flames in the sky seemed to be separated by an invisible hand, automatically receding to both sides, revealing a straight and wide road.
"Hurry!"
"Follow this road, and we should be able to reach the Tooth Man!"
The crowd said, and immediately ran towards the distance along the road, their footsteps hurried and cheerful.
Soon, the sea of fire came to an end, and a large area of buildings appeared ahead.
This area of buildings was already the well-known area of the City of Wrongful Deaths.
They quickly ran along the streets of the buildings, and the heat from the sea of fire was rapidly receding.
As they moved away from the sea of fire, a cold feeling began to permeate the crowd and gradually seep into their bodies.
The City of Wrongful Deaths itself was strangely cold, as if it were a huge ice cellar.
People walking here exhaled white air from their mouths and noses, as if they were in a world of ice and snow.
The crowd had just experienced the fiery hell, and now they were in a cold environment. The huge temperature difference caused many people to sneeze immediately.
Fortunately, they were martial artists with strong bodies, otherwise they would have fallen ill from such a shock.
Before long, the crowd reached their destination.
On the side of the road, there was a wooden puppet.
The moment they saw the wooden puppet, the crowd's eyes lit up, as if they had seen a long-lost relative, and they couldn't help but rush over.
This wooden puppet was called the "Tooth Man" by the crowd.
Through it, the crowd could exchange items in the City of Wrongful Deaths.
Many martial artists had already discovered that they could bring items that existed in reality into the City of Wrongful Deaths.
As long as the volume was not too large and they were items carried with them, they could all be brought into the City of Wrongful Deaths.
In the beginning, this also triggered some robberies, with some experts relying on their high martial arts skills to rob some weaker people.
But soon, the crowd discovered that even if those experts robbed other people's wealth, they could not take it out of this strange space.
When the crowd left this strange space, all the items would be returned to their original owners.
At this time, this wooden puppet appeared.
It could help the crowd conduct transactions in the form of an intermediary.
Only transactions conducted through its hands could allow the crowd to take other people's items out of this strange space and into their own hands in reality.
Moreover, this wooden puppet was extremely powerful. It could ensure that transactions were completed under absolutely safe conditions, and it only charged a 10% transaction fee for each transaction.
If someone had privacy needs for the transaction, then they only needed to pay a certain fee, and it could even create an environment that absolutely guaranteed privacy, allowing the two parties to complete the transaction smoothly.
So now, in addition to fighting in this strange space to obtain treasures, many of them are also willing to do some business here.
After arriving next to the wooden puppet to gather and rest, the crowd began to introduce the items they wanted to sell this time:
"I have a top-quality thousand-year-old ginseng here, which can be used to refine various elixirs needed by martial artists. Is anyone interested? PM me for the price!"
"Come and take a look at this broadsword made of meteorite iron. I already have one myself, so I plan to sell this extra one. If you want it, come over and let's negotiate the price in our sleeves."
"I want to auction off a Xuan-level secret manual. Is anyone interested in participating? Let me see if there are many people. If there are many, I will start the auction. If you don't have enough silver this time, you can bid next time."
… …
The scene was immediately noisy.
Trading in this strange space is much safer than trading in reality.
So after the crowd has good things, they are also willing to do business here.
At this time.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted loudly:
"Is the Black Jia Stronghold's Chief Dong still here?"
"Is 'Iron Fist' Lei Daxia still here?"
"I have some important information about you that I want to sell to you. This information may save your lives!"