The Quest for Immortality - Chapter 284 (Patreon)

Chapter 284: Dan Room

Feeding pigs?

Mo Hua was slightly startled, slowly furrowing his brows.

He had wandered around Heishan Stronghold for quite some time and didn't recall ever seeing pigs...

Moreover, why would this group of demonic cultivators raise pigs? They certainly weren't raising pigs for meat...

What kind of pig was this, exactly?

Was it a demonic beast?

For some reason, Mo Hua suddenly became particularly interested.

He always felt that the term "feeding pigs" seemed particularly odd in Heishan Stronghold.

"Should I take a look?"

Mo Hua glanced up at the sky; night had just fallen, and it was somewhat dark.

It was still early. He could take a look and then sneak back under the cover of night.

He couldn't stay in Heishan Stronghold any longer.

Mo Hua made up his mind and then concealed his form, quietly following the scar-faced man.

The scar-faced man put Kong Sheng into a sack, carrying it in one hand. Blood dripped all the way to the gate at the back of the stronghold.

The scar-faced man pushed the door open and went inside.

Mo Hua's eyes narrowed, his brows furrowing.

So it was in the back of the stronghold; no wonder he hadn't seen it before.

"Should I go in?"

The Third Master and Fourth Master, both Foundation Building demonic cultivators, lived in the back of the stronghold. Mo Hua's concealment could temporarily hide him from their spiritual sense, but if he was careless, he could easily expose himself.

At that moment, he heard the scar-faced man speaking with another old demonic cultivator:

"Is the Third Master here? I brought something."

Kong Sheng's body was merely "something," not even considered a person.

Perhaps, to these demonic cultivators, all the cultivators who died in Heishan Stronghold were just "things," not people.

The old demonic cultivator rasped, "The Third Master just went out, and the Fourth Master isn't here either, but I have the key. I'll open the door for you."

Mo Hua was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes brightened.

With the two masters absent, he could enter the back of the stronghold.

He had always wanted to know what was in the back of Heishan Stronghold, and now he had a chance to see.

The old demonic cultivator led the scar-faced man deeper inside, finally stopping before a large, sinister bronze door adorned with beastly faces and fangs.

The old demonic cultivator took a white skull from his bosom and placed it into the beast's mouth on the bronze door.

Blood-red array patterns lit up on the door, flowing inward and converging at the beast's mouth.

It was as if blood was flowing into the mouth of a demonic beast.

The beast, satiated with blood, opened its mouth, and the door swung open with a roar.

Mo Hua watched, his eyelids twitching.

This array!

It was not a normal Five Elements Array or any other orthodox Daoist array.

It was a true demonic array!

The red light was not demonic blood but human blood;

The skull was not a demonic bone but a human bone.

Studying demonic arrays and practicing demonic arts were both strictly prohibited by the Dao Court, and once discovered, the practitioners would be executed without question.

With a demonic array guarding the door, what lay behind it?

Could there be the true secrets of Heishan Stronghold?

Mo Hua had long been suspicious. Were these demonic cultivators really just looking for a place to settle?

Did the First Master build Heishan Stronghold and gather so many demonic cultivators for another purpose?

Could that purpose be hidden behind the door?

Mo Hua suddenly felt a bit nervous.

The old demonic cultivator pushed the door open and said to the scar-faced man, "Go in."

The scar-faced man, seemingly familiar with the place, nodded and carried the sack through the bronze door.

The old demonic cultivator did not enter but stood guard outside.

With only the ninth level of Qi Refining, he couldn't see through Mo Hua's concealment technique.

As long as the Foundation Building cultivators weren't around, these Qi Refining stage demonic cultivators were essentially "blind" in front of Mo Hua.

Mo Hua quietly released his spiritual sense, probing into the door.

Inside, there was only the aura of the scar-faced man, and no other trap arrays.

Mo Hua felt a bit relieved and, while the old demonic cultivator was not paying attention, quietly slipped through the door without making a sound.

As soon as he entered, the smell of blood hit him in the face.

A faint blood mist floated in the air, emitting a heavy stench of decay and an unbearable foul odor.

Mo Hua was not surprised by this smell behind the door.

Heishan Stronghold reeked of this smell everywhere, only stronger here.

What surprised Mo Hua was the layout and arrangement here.

A large alchemical furnace stood in the hall.

The furnace was white, seemingly made of bones.

It burned with ghostly green flames below, flickering eerily, the flames licking the furnace, which sizzled with unknown substances inside.

Various medicinal herbs were placed around, in strange shapes and vibrant colors.

Some herbs even seemed alive, with writhing stems and leaves that opened and closed, occasionally emitting shrill cries.

The entire room resembled a dan room.

A bloody and eerie dan room, refining unknown pills.

Just looking at it made Mo Hua feel uncomfortable.

"What kind of pills are these demonic cultivators refining?"

Mo Hua frowned in thought.

Suddenly, he heard the scar-faced man's voice, "This pig is truly disgusting!"

Following the sound, Mo Hua found the scar-faced man on the other side of the furnace, and in front of him was a huge demonic pig.

The pig was as tall as four people, with blood-red eyes and drooling saliva like blood. Its body was covered in mottled bloodstains.

It looked both ferocious and grotesque, and strange.

The scar-faced man was feeding Kong Sheng's body to it.

The pig seemed foolish, knowing only to eat.

Mo Hua was momentarily confused.

Why raise a pig in a dan room?

What was the pig for?

Before he could figure it out, Mo Hua's heart suddenly jumped.

His spiritual sense detected someone approaching.

The person's aura was hidden, profound, and unfathomable— it was the Third Master!

Mo Hua immediately used the Passing Water Step, leaping onto the beam, lying flat and holding his breath, not daring to make a sound.

In a moment, the Third Master entered.

The scar-faced man, seeing the Third Master, showed respect and greeted, "Third Master."

The Third Master saw him feeding the pig and nodded, "You may leave."

"Yes."

The scar-faced man respectfully complied, bowed, and left.

Only the Third Master and Mo Hua, hiding on the beam, remained in the dan room.

Mo Hua stayed motionless on the beam, wondering:

"The Third Master went out. Why is he back?"

Maybe he had just gone out for a while and then returned after finishing his business?

If the Third Master stayed here, could he escape?

Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.

After a while, the room fell silent. Mo Hua quietly stretched out his head, taking a peek below.

His gaze swept over the furnace and the demonic pig, finally landing on the Third Master.

Startled, Mo Hua quickly retracted his gaze, hiding his head, not daring to move.

After a while, the Third Master seemed to have no reaction.

"Did he not sense my gaze?"

Mo Hua wondered.

He peeked again, quickly retracting.

The Third Master remained unresponsive.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and understood.

Among the two masters of Heishan Stronghold, the Fourth Master had weak spiritual sense but keen senses, instinctively detecting any gaze.

The Third Master was the opposite, strong in spiritual sense but lacking such beast-like sharp senses.

So, as long as Mo Hua's gaze lacked malice or killing intent, the Third Master wouldn't notice.

Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

It was good that he couldn't sense it.

Otherwise, his situation would be more dangerous.

Then he became curious. What was the Third Master doing alone in the dan room so late at night?

Mo Hua peeked again, watching closely.

The Third Master sat on a mat, meditating calmly.

It was the same thing he usually did.

The Third Master looked serene.

He had no idea that in this supposedly impenetrable Heishan Stronghold, in this mysterious bloody dan room, a small cultivator had sneaked in.

And this small cultivator was now peeking at him from the beam.

After a while, the Third Master felt his mind was calm, his spiritual sense clear. He took out a drawing from his storage bag, spreading it out in front of him.

The Third Master formed a hand seal, sitting cross-legged, eyes fixed on the drawing, meditating.

Mo Hua, obscured by the beam, could only see the Third Master's actions but not the drawing's contents.

Even so, Mo Hua was shocked.

Did the Third Master really have a visualization drawing?

Was he now comprehending the visualization drawing?!

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