Beyond the door lay a long corridor, empty on both sides and utterly dark.
Lin Shijin heard the steady drip of water. His fingertips suddenly felt cold. Looking up, he saw droplets falling from the stone walls.
The air was damp. A faint trace of blood lingered in the air. He lit an ever-burning candle, its glow faint and wavering, and brought it closer to inspect his fingers. It was only water.
He let out a quiet breath of relief. If it had been blood, he might well have collapsed on the spot.
The place resembled an ancient tunnel. There were no murals along the walls, and the green bricks underfoot were slightly loose.
Water continued to drip steadily. Holding Sheng Rufei’s hand, Lin Shijin stepped forward, not noticing that behind him, a droplet of deep red blood fell silently to the ground.
“Shixiong, what do you think the pattern on the door means?”
Sheng Rufei held his hand. For a moment, Lin Shijin thought his complexion looked even paler, almost translucent, as though a faint silver sheen flickered beneath the surface.
He looked again. Sheng Rufei was watching him with a deep, unreadable gaze, his expression otherwise as usual, as though it had all been his imagination.
“It should represent the rise and fall of the serpent demons. This is the end point.”
Sheng Rufei withdrew his gaze and looked ahead. Darkness stretched before them, accompanied by faint rustling sounds. The further they went, the heavier the stench of blood became.
“This Blood Tower is merely a reconstruction through illusion arrays. None of it is real,” Sheng Rufei said. “From the moment we entered, we have been within its illusion.”
Lin Shijin understood. “But people still die.”
“That is true.” Sheng Rufei extinguished the candle in his hand, plunging the corridor into darkness. A hand pressed lightly against his lips, signalling him to keep silent.
Lin Shijin understood at once. The next moment, he heard the sound of something enormous dragging across the ground, not far ahead.
Darkness swallowed everything. Sheng Rufei’s warm palm brushed over his eyes, and suddenly he could see again. Instinctively, he looked forward.
Ahead of them, there were rows of gently swaying… human feet.
For a moment, he did not react. Then his heart lurched violently.
Corpses hung densely from the beams above, the stench thick and choking. They wore different garments, and coiled among them was something vast… a serpentine body as thick as a great tree.
Silver scales glimmered faintly. The body rose and fell with each breath.
Cold sweat broke out across Lin Shijin’s forehead. He nearly fainted.
Could a snake truly be that enormous? It would not even need to open its mouth. Its breath alone could send both him and Sheng Rufei flying. Did they have to kill it to escape?
Sheng Rufei tightened his grip on his hand, sensing his unease. The warmth steadied him, keeping the chill at bay.
They moved forward slowly, the only sounds the dripping water and the faint scraping of scales across stone.
Lin Shijin held his breath, afraid to make even the slightest noise. Sheng Rufei seemed far calmer, which helped him steady himself.
The smell of blood grew overwhelming. Before them hung rows of corpses clad in the robes of cultivation sect disciples. They appeared recently dead, their faces mutilated, the ground beneath stained with dried, dark blood.
Some wore expressions of agony, some of terror, others had already decayed into bone.
Sheng Rufei’s fingers shifted slightly. His gaze moved past them to the centre.
It was a vast underground hall. Corpses hung along its edges, while at its centre stood an empty throne.
Something faintly gleamed upon it.
The giant serpent’s head rested near the throne, its immense body coiled along the beams, its tail trailing across the ground.
Its head was silver, its body pale, marked with patterns Lin Shijin could not decipher.
“This is an Illusion Serpent,” Sheng Rufei said quietly. “Recorded in ancient texts. A ninth-tier demonic beast. They are violent by nature, born without tears. Their strength lies in their absolute loyalty. They are often used to guard tombs.”
“Tomb guardians?” Lin Shijin said. “Then the throne in the centre… is that what we’re here for?”
Sheng Rufei nodded. “It should be one of the sacred objects. But taking it will not necessarily allow us to leave.”
“Then how do we get out?”
Lin Shijin recalled the carving on the door. It had shown a serpent demon pierced through the heart.
“Do we have to pierce the Illusion Serpent’s heart?” he murmured.
This was a ninth-tier beast. That hardly seemed possible.
Looking more closely at the hanging corpses, he noticed that many of them, aside from their mutilated faces, had holes torn through their chests. Their hearts had been removed.
Sheng Rufei looked up at the beams. Murals covered the ceiling, though much of them was obscured by the serpent’s body. What could be seen appeared to depict the complete story of the serpent demon’s downfall.
One fragment showed the serpent demon disguised as a human, infiltrating the city lord’s residence without arousing
suspicion.
The figures were faceless, only their outlines visible. Lin Shijin followed them and saw several silhouettes that seemed oddly familiar.
One was the serpent demon. Three others were men. Two were featureless. The third was obscured by the serpent’s body, only a long, pitch-black sword visible.
A strange feeling stirred within him. The sight of a red earring unsettled him for reasons he could not explain. He quickly looked away.
“Let’s move further in,” Sheng Rufei said, as though he had noticed something. He pulled Lin Shijin away. Both of them cast protective spells over themselves to avoid the dripping blood.
Behind them came a scraping sound.
Lin Shijin turned. A grotesque mass of flesh was dragging itself forward. It resembled what remained of the disciples devoured earlier.
It moved with alarming speed, its body made up of uneven lumps of flesh, covered with dark, scale-like growths resembling countless eyes.
It was heading straight for them.
“Shixiong, what is that?”
A chill ran down Lin Shijin’s spine. He seized Sheng Rufei’s hand and ran, circling into the main hall.
“Corpse constructs controlled by infernal serpents,” Sheng Rufei replied. “They devour the living. Once they lock onto a target, they are difficult to shake off and harder to destroy.”
Lin Shijin could only lament their luck.
The underground hall formed a vast ring. They had to avoid the Illusion Serpent while evading the corpse constructs.
As they passed beneath the serpent, it suddenly opened its eyes.
Even with concealment spells, the crushing pressure descended instantly. Its vertical pupils locked onto them with terrifying precision.
Lin Shijin nearly cried out. His thoughts were in chaos. Anyone would struggle to remain calm under such a gaze.
He could not help but admire Sheng Rufei. He remained composed, saying only, “Do not be afraid.”
Lin Shijin, however, was still very much afraid.
Behind them, the corpse construct drew ever closer. His heart hammered violently.
At the moment the serpent shifted slightly, Sheng Rufei struck the floor with his sword, splitting open a loose tile. It was hollow beneath.
Before Lin Shijin could react, Sheng Rufei pushed him down. He cried out, “Shixiong—” but as he fell, his hand was caught, and Sheng Rufei followed, sealing the tile above them.
A barrier was placed over it. Heavy impacts sounded above, accompanied by the thickening stench of blood. Through the cracks, distorted eyes could be seen.
They had landed in a confined, cellar-like space, narrow and enclosed, almost like a coffin.
Lin Shijin’s heart pounded. At any moment, it felt as though the creatures outside might break through and swallow them whole.
There was barely enough room for the two of them. Clutching Sheng Rufei’s sleeve, he whispered, “Shixiong… will this hold? Will they come in?”
“The Illusion Serpent will not enter. This is where serpent demons lay their eggs. It is forbidden to them.”
Lin Shijin nodded, though still uneasy. He kept watching the barrier above. The creature outside continued to batter against it, yet it held firm.
As he was about to speak, he caught sight of something again. A faint silver shimmer flickered along Sheng Rufei’s face, vanishing when he looked directly.
“Shixiong…”
Sheng Rufei was watching him intently. Lin Shijin found himself staring back.
“I thought I saw something on your face just now…”
He struggled to describe it. It felt familiar, as though he had seen it before.
“What did you see?”
There was barely space to move. As Lin Shijin shifted, their breaths mingled in the darkness.
“Something silver… like…”
Then it came to him.
Like the serpent’s scales outside.
Before he could react, Sheng Rufei gave a quiet acknowledgement. Something cold brushed against his neck, sharp and unsettling, sending a shiver through him.
Sheng Rufei’s voice was low, his body leaning close, his breath uneven.
“The corpses outside were hung separately. Those killed by the serpent were grouped together. Those whose hearts were pierced were placed together.”
Lin Shijin did not understand. His thoughts scattered. He did not dare consider what had just touched him. It had felt too much like a forked tongue.
“If I am correct, when more than one person enters, one will be assimilated by the serpent. The others must pierce that person’s heart to break the illusion and escape. That matches the carving on the door.”
“But none succeeded. Instead of killing the transformed, their own hearts were taken.”
His voice remained calm, but something about it sent a chill through Lin Shijin.
He was not afraid Sheng Rufei would harm him. But the idea of raising a blade against Sheng Rufei was unthinkable. A foreboding sense crept into his chest.
In the darkness, their eyes met.
Sheng Rufei’s pupils had narrowed, almost vertical, his gaze deep and consuming. Silver hair, dark eyes, and now faint scales emerging along his neck.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Shijin caught sight of something like a tail.
It was as though a silver serpent had taken human form, beautiful and deadly. To look too long was to risk being drawn in.
His mind was in disarray. His throat tightened.
“So… what do we do now?”
A cool hand brushed his cheek. Sheng Rufei’s lashes cast a shadow. When he spoke, Lin Shijin glimpsed something like a tongue within his mouth.
The faint scent of plum blossoms lingered, stronger than before.
“Are you afraid?” Sheng Rufei asked softly.
Inwardly, Lin Shijin nodded frantically. Outwardly, he shook his head, gripping his sleeve.
“No matter what you become, Shixiong… I won’t be afraid.”
A cool sensation traced along his cheek. Something brushed his neck again. His scalp tingled, and he nearly lost consciousness.
“I won’t harm you,” Sheng Rufei said. Lin Shijin knew that.
And yet, the look in his eyes told a different story. Something fierce and possessive stirred beneath the surface, as though it might consume him entirely.
A warm breath brushed his ear. Sheng Rufei’s voice dropped lower, rougher, restrained.
“I want… you to lay eggs for me.”
