Chapter 549: Skinning Palace

The cultivators were shocked, their faces leeching of blood quickly. They hastily retreated while several vivid red figures remained in place. They were the skinned cultivators, their flesh exposed to the air, emitting a faint hint of blood. They were motionless like wax statues. It seemed as if their souls had been taken along with their skins, absorbed into the walls!

The elders of these cultivators were horrified and quickly looked toward the four Nascent Soul Realm experts.

"Elders, what is happening? Can they be saved?" one of them asked urgently.

The four Nascent Soul Realm experts exchanged grim looks, shaking their heads. Even they didn't know what kind of technique that was.

"The members of this sect have truly mysterious methods..." one of them murmured.

Chai Shun looked frightened, and he stuck closely to Fang Chen. He suddenly didn't feel like venturing any deeper. Since they encountered this horror not too far away from the entrance, there had to be more perilous danger lurking inside!

This was beyond what Qi Refining Realm cultivators like them could handle. Even the Nascent Soul Realm experts seemed uncertain. It was likely that not even they were qualified to participate in this matter!

Fang Chen frowned slightly, slowly activating his Primordial Immortal Eye. Everything around him transformed into lines: the spiritual energy in the air, the palace, the skinless bodies, and the carved Daoist youths on the wall... all of them turned into lines.

The lines of the young cultivators who seemed to be pleading for help showed slight fluctuations, indicating they were alive, while the lines of the lifeless bodies remained motionless.

They were dead, and their souls were imprisoned within this wall.

Fang Chen looked into the palace and faintly saw a ball-like mass of lines gently floating inside. This mass of lines gave him a strong sense of danger, likely the source of the green light!

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

At that moment, the old woman spoke. "Since you have come here, do not fear these dangers. How can you obtain immortal fate if you hesitate? Several of you, go inside and take a look."

Go inside and take a look?

The Qi Refining Realm cultivators immediately showed fear, exchanging looks with each other, none daring to move. They did not want to be skinned alive and have their souls imprisoned in the walls. That was akin to being sacrificed!

"Elders, I have a speculation. Look at the twenty youths carved on the stone walls. It may require twenty pieces of human skin to pass this trial," Chi Chong slowly said, bowing to the four Nascent Soul Realm experts.

Everyone quickly looked over and, indeed, twenty carved figures were holding dusting cloths on the sides of the main hall's stone walls. If Chi Chong's speculation was correct, they needed at least fifteen more skinned Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

The four Nascent Soul experts looked at each other briefly before eyes swept over the Qi Refining cultivators present, causing chills to race down their spines.

Finally, a Qi Refining Realm cultivator couldn't bear it and said to their elder, a Golden Core Realm expert, "Elder, I—I don't want this immortal fate anymore. I want to leave...."

The old woman interjected, "Since you've entered, you shouldn't leave. If you leave and spread the word about this, it will cause trouble for us."

The Qi Refining Realm cultivator stiffened slightly, looking to their elder for help.

The Golden Core Realm cultivator's face showed a wry smile as he bowed to the old woman. "Elder, he won't say a word. Since he no longer wants to seek the immortal fate, let him leave."

The old woman glanced at him but said nothing, the indifference in her eyes speaking volumes. The Golden Core Realm cultivator's expression changed slightly. In the end, he looked at his junior and shook his head gently.

The Qi Refining Realm cultivator stood bewildered, rooted to the spot, his face pale.

the old woman's eyes were sharp, scanning the Qi Refining Realm cultivators before her. "There are sacrifices in everything. This sacrifice may not be in vain. Once we obtain the immortal fate here, we will find a way to rescue you. It's just being skinned, your physical bodies will be intact here. As long as we can return your souls, these external injuries will heal in ten days or half a month."

She declared, "The fifteen with the lowest cultivation, step forward."

Hearing those words, some looked alarmed while others breathed a sigh of relief. Surely, those at the twelfth stage of the Qi Refining Realm wouldn't be a part of them.

Chai Shun felt his scalp tingle. He was at the sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, the person with the lowest cultivation here! He instinctively looked toward the patriarch of the Chi family, but the patriarch only sighed softly, saying nothing. Chai Shun knew the patriarch wouldn't speak up for him.

He then looked at Fang Chen, who remained unmoved, seemingly engrossed in observing something. Chi Chong despaired, thinking Fang Chen was subtly declining to intervene.

Chai Shun's face displayed a bitter smile. "If I had known earlier, I would have let Chai Long have this opportunity"

Meanwhile, Fang Chen discreetly watched a figure. He was a Qi Refining Realm cultivator at the ninth stage, evidently among those with the lowest cultivation. At that moment, the cultivator was covertly taking something out and attempting to ingest it.

“Brother, it's the Heavenly Evil Fruit,” said Mirror of the Universe.

Without hesitation, Fang Chen swiftly moved to the person's side, snatched the Heavenly Evil Fruit from their hand, and tossed it into his storage ring.

The sudden action bewildered the fruit's owner. He stared at Fang Chen in disbelief, unsure of what just happened.

Fang Chen's move also raised suspicions among the others. A Foundation Building Realm cultivator glared at him and interrogated, "What are you doing? Why did you snatch our disciple's item?"

Finally, the Qi Refining Realm cultivator who had been about to eat the fruit pointed at Fang Chen with shock and demanded, "Give me back the spiritual fruit!"

"What spiritual fruit?" Fang Chen countered.

The Qi Refining Realm cultivator flushed red with anger. If it weren't for the fact that the other party was at Foundation Building Realm, he would have already acted. That was his chance for an immortal fate!

The Qi Refining Realm cultivator's Foundation Building Realm senior exclaimed angrily, "You dare snatch our disciple's spiritual fruit right in front of everyone here? Do you hold us in contempt?"

"Yeah, why would I snatch a disciple's spiritual fruit? What kind of fruit would be worth my trouble?" Fang Chen retorted. "Ask your disciple what fruit I supposedly snatched from him."

The Foundation Building Realm cultivator hesitated briefly before turning to his disciple and sternly asking, "Tell me, what fruit was this? With all of us here and the four seniors present, we won't let such a rogue go unpunished!"

The ancestors of the Chai and Chi Families looked uneasy, and even Chi Chong appeared puzzled for a moment, his eyes wide with surprise. Meanwhile, the four Nascent Soul Realm elders furrowed their brows and scrutinized Fang Chen suspiciously.

The Qi Refining Realm cultivator's expression twisted with indecision. “Um...”

The silence prevailed for a while, the Qi Refining Realm cultivator unable to name the fruit. Gradually, everyone started to feel that something was amiss.

Fang Chen addressed the four Nascent Soul Realm elders, "Elders, today we are not in an ordinary place, but inside an Immortal Tomb. If someone does anything weird, it could implicate all of us."

The four elders nodded softly. "Indeed. Given the circumstances, you all should only observe and listen. Don’t do anything you are not supposed to."

Then, the old woman turned to the Qi Refining Realm cultivator and sternly asked, "What were you about to swallow just now?"

The Qi Refining Realm cultivator didn't dare to say it was a fruit that would allow him to ascend. To save his life, he lowered his head slowly and replied, "Just a common spiritual fruit. I was scared and wanted to calm my nerves by eating one."

"If it's just a common spiritual fruit, would ten low-grade spirit stones suffice?" asked Fang Chen.

He casually tossed ten spirit stones to the Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

The cultivator nodded slowly. "It's... enough."

Everyone felt that something wasn't quite right. However, as the circumstances didn't allow it, they didn't delve deeper into the matter. What they needed to do right now was select fifteen volunteers willing to sacrifice themselves.

Seeing that no one was paying further attention to the incident, Fang Chen sneered inwardly. Regardless of whether Spirit Blood Sect cultivators were still lurking nearby today, he had obtained the Heavenly Evil Fruit. There was no longer any possibility of them using it to stir up trouble.