Dashing Student

The moment the two were swallowed by the whirlpool, the light around them suddenly twisted!

Chen Nan felt the world spinning, as if he had been thrown into a giant kaleidoscope!

Countless shattered images spun around them—rotting corpses, twisted Gu Insects, burning talisman paper, all flashing by in pieces!

"Hold on to me!" Chen Nan shouted in the howling wind, holding Hu Die tightly in his arms!

The girl's silver ornaments jingled, tracing bright silver trajectories through the void.

Suddenly!

The feeling of weightlessness disappeared!

The two fell heavily into a wet, cold darkness!

"Cough, cough!" Chen Nan propped himself up, feeling a sticky sensation in his palm!

Looking down, the ground was covered with some kind of fungus, squeezing out dark green juices as he moved!

The air was filled with a strange smell, a mix of rot and a sickly sweet fragrance, causing his temples to throb!

Even though he was a sixth-level Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, the odor made him feel like vomiting!

Hu Die shakily lit a fire striker!

Under the flickering light, they saw their surroundings clearly—a deep tunnel lined with translucent cocoons!

Each cocoon contained a curled-up humanoid shadow, some even slightly wriggling!

"Are these... human pupae?" Hu Die's voice trembled, eyes filled with undisguised fear!

She accidentally touched one cocoon, and the thin membrane suddenly popped open, rolling out a dried corpse!

The corpse's abdominal cavity was empty, as if the organs had been gouged out!

Chen Nan suddenly grabbed her shoulder: "Don't move!"

The corpse's mouth weirdly opened, spewing out a cloud of red mist!

From the mist came a faint rustling sound, it was countless blood-red Gu Insects!

"Hold your breath!"

Chen Nan tore off his outer robe, infused it with True Yuan, and swung it fiercely!

The robe unfurled in the air like a shield, temporarily blocking the red mist!

He pulled Hu Die away quickly, only to find the entrance they came from had already vanished!

A dull thumping sound came from deep within the tunnel, like something massive was beating!

As the sound grew closer, the floor began to tremble rhythmically!

The fungus carpet was marked with gooey footprints, but there was clearly nothing there!

"Invisible Gu!" Chen Nan's pupils contracted abruptly.

He bit his fingertip, quickly drawing a Blood Talisman on Hu Die's forehead: "This will temporarily mask your life force, don't make a sound!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a rancid wind blew towards them!

Hu Die covered her mouth tightly, watching in horror as a giant claw mark pressed into the fungi carpet right before her eyes!

An invisible creature was sniffing close to them, its breath carrying a rotting sweetness!

Suddenly, the sound of chains dragging on the ground echoed from afar!

The Invisible Gu seemed frightened, retreating quickly!

Only then did Chen Nan notice hundreds of rusted chains hanging at the end of the tunnel, each binding a bloated Corpse Puppet!

Beneath their water-swollen skin, the outlines of squirming Gu Insects could be faintly seen!

"Is this a... Gu Breeding Pool?" Hu Die realized in horror that the "fungi carpet" on the ground was not plants at all, but secretions from countless Gu Insects!

They pulsated slightly with some kind of rhythm, as if they were breathing!

The Crystal Core in Chen Nan's hand suddenly emitted a blinding green light, illuminating a Bronze Altar ahead!

On the altar were seven Human Skin Lanterns, each lampwick a finger bone!

More horrifying was the three-zhang-tall god statue behind the altar—human body with a scorpion tail, yet its face was entirely blank!

"We... we seem to have stepped into a terrifying forbidden tomb. If I'm not mistaken, this should be the legendary Gu God Tomb!" Hu Die said in terror, instinctively clutching Chen Nan's arm!

Just then!

The statue's face suddenly started to twist, gradually emerging with the Five Senses!

That face was unmistakably Hu Die's father's likeness!

"Dad?" Hu Die cried out in shock!

Her cry seemed to trigger some mechanism, shaking the entire tomb violently!

Countless Gu Insects swarmed from all directions, with the cocoons on the walls breaking open one after another...

Hu Die's scream echoed in the enclosed tomb chamber as the statue's face contorted grotesquely!

Her father's face melted like wax, the Five Senses flowing bizarrely, finally forming a strange, eerie expression!

"Watch out!" Chen Nan pulled Hu Die who was about to rush forward, whispering: "That's not your father!"

The ground suddenly trembled violently, and those chains emitted an ear-piercing screech!

The bloated Corpse Puppets all abruptly opened their eyes, with numerous black beetles crawling out from their hollow eye sockets!

The seven Human Skin Lanterns on the altar moved automatically, with the finger-bone wicks making a cracking sound, sending shivers down the spine!

"Slit!"

The god statue's chest cracked open, revealing a bloodshot giant eye slowly rotating, finally locking onto the two of them!

The Crystal Core in Chen Nan's hand suddenly turned scalding hot, the runes on its surface writhing like living things!

"Back off!"

Chen Nan shielded Hu Die behind him, biting his tongue tip and spraying essence blood onto the Crystal Core!

The Crystal Core blazed with light, projecting an ancient map's phantom into the air!

The map marked a winding route, eventually pointing beneath the altar!

Chen Nan squinted, noticing small characters carved on the altar base: "With blood as guide, with Gu as key!"

At this moment.

The Corpse Puppets had already broken free of their chains, dragging their rotten bodies towards them!

Even more frightening, the fungi carpet on the ground started to churn, countless hair-thin white Gu Insects crawling up, weaving into a giant web in the air!

"Brother Chen, what do we do now?" Hu Die's voice quivered, utterly baffled!

Chen Nan quickly scanned around, suddenly noticing a Bronze Gu Cauldron on each side of the altar!

The cauldrons were engraved with runes identical to those on the Crystal Core, faintly glowing with green light!

"I have an idea!" he whispered: "You go to the left cauldron, and drip blood in. Only three drops, remember!"

The two split up!

As soon as Hu Die dripped blood into the cauldron, it began to shake violently, the sealing runes flickering unsteadily!

Meanwhile, the incoming Corpse Puppets suddenly froze, as if bound by an invisible force!

Taking the chance, Chen Nan dashed to the altar, placing the Crystal Core into a slot on the base!

With a crisp "click," a crack opened in the center of the altar, revealing steps leading downwards!

A chilling aura surged up from deep within the steps, carrying an ancient and evil oppression!

"Let's go!" Chen Nan pulled Hu Die, rushing down the steps!

Behind them, the god statue roared angrily, and the entire tomb chamber began to collapse!

The moment they stepped onto the staircase, the altar slamming shut, cutting off the pursuit!

The staircase spiraled downwards, with glowing eggs embedded in the walls on both sides, providing dim lighting!

Hu Die suddenly gripped Chen Nan's arm, unable to help but ask: "Can you hear it? Is it breathing?"

Chen Nan focused, and indeed, in the silence, he captured faint breaths!

The sound was intermittent, yet carried some familiar rhythm!

"It's your father!" Chen Nan quickened his pace!

The staircase ended in a circular stone chamber, with a Crystal Coffin floating in the center!

The middle-aged man lying in the coffin was unmistakably Hu Die's father!

However, as they approached, the coffin suddenly exploded with dazzling red light!

The man's chest bulged bizarrely, as if something was writhing beneath his skin...