From six years ago... She clearly expressed that she would speak without reservation, starting from the beginning.
The four flower attendants in the room stared at her intently.
“Six years ago, there was a major earthquake in Furen County, and countless people died.”
“In that earthquake, a chasm opened in Furen County, and countless corpses were left unattended, thrown into that abyss. That abyss became a dead man’s abyss.”
“I don’t know exactly when, but that abyss has now become the Dark Swamp.”
Ning Su looked down at the four-petaled blood flower on his finger. It was indeed born in resentment and hostility.
Haobei Jing thought for a moment and added without hesitation, “According to the city records passed down in Furen County, it is said that the abyss was once an ancient battlefield where the most brutal war in history occurred. It is said to be the burial ground of a million souls.”
Ning Su was stunned, and at the same time, his heart jumped suddenly.
He seemed to see on the ancient battlefield, with rivers of blood flowing, a flower vine winding its way through the mountains of corpses, absorbing the blood river and forming a four-petaled blood flower.
“After this explanation spread, no one dared to go to the Dark Swamp at night, as they could hear the wailing from there.”
Haobei Jing continued, “Until that night.”
Haobei Jing remembered that night very clearly, deeply imprinted in her heart.
Furen County initially had a lord, unlike now, where it was controlled by several families.
That night, she and Yenan Wang were both by the lord’s side when someone hurriedly ran in, saying that monsters had appeared in the Dark Swamp.
They went together with a group of people. When the torches were lit, several grotesque figures, like devils, were swinging their claws.
Countless vines shot out from their blood vessels, stretching and growing under the pale moonlight, eerie and weird, flowing with a sticky, foul-smelling liquid.
Those people wailed in agony, crawling on the ground. In the Dark Swamp, they were pulled into the air by the vines, their blood vessels protruding and bursting, blood bubbling in the air.
Haobei Jing could never forget that scene.
Even now, whenever she recalled it, she could still hear the wailing of the Dark Swamp spirits, the screams of those people, and the sound of blood bubbles bursting.
Haobei Jing shivered.
“We didn’t dare to approach. Those people were drained of blood by the vines right in front of us, torn apart, and died on the spot. Only then did the vines inside their bodies collapse.”
“The city lord dealt with these bodies overnight, and strangely, there was a young person who survived intact.”
“After the investigation, we found out what happened.”
“Furen County suffered a severe blow due to a major earthquake, and many people lost their homes and families. Natural disasters claim lives, and whether they are strong young people or the elderly, no one can escape. Some elderly people who lost their children and grandchildren naturally became beggars.”
“With everyone in Furen County struggling to survive, there was nothing to give to these elderly people. In desperation, these old people, who had lost their families, supported each other and, in order to survive, stuffed anything edible into their mouths.”
“They discovered flowers growing from the rotting sludge in the Dark Swamp. When there was nothing else to eat, they used those flowers as food.”
“That’s when it happened.”
“The most miraculous thing in this incident was the young person. He was originally one of those old people, but after eating those terrifying flowers, he not only didn’t die but also became younger.”
Fang Qi sneered, “You old folks only saw the rejuvenation and got twisted ideas.”
Haobei Jing lowered her face awkwardly.
Ning Changfeng said, “Continue.”
Haobei Jing continued, “We did want to study it. Who wouldn’t? Wait until you take your last step into the coffin, and you’ll understand.”
Ning Changfeng said, “Cut the nonsense.”
Haobei Jing immediately said, “We kept that young old man in a secret room, brought various people, used various methods to study. The city lord, for greater power and wealth, secretly informed the aging emperor about this, and the emperor sent more people to study this phenomenon.”
“While studying the young old man, we also salvaged these miraculous flowers in Dark Swamp.”
“Unfortunately, that old man died one midnight.”
The scene was still deeply imprinted in Haobei Jing’s mind.
At midnight, they heard screams coming from that secret underground room. They rushed over in a hurry and witnessed a scene that shook them to their cores.
The small house was covered with continuously growing hair, black hair wrapped around red fragments, constantly pouring out from the chest of the young old man, covering every wall and every floor tile in the room, surging like black waves.
Frantically entwining the people around, penetrating bodies to suck blood.
The courtyard established specifically for research was filled with panicked screams and wailing.
In the end, they had no choice but to set it on fire.
That night, hundreds of people died—some entangled by hair, some drained of blood, some burned alive.
Some people believed that this was a punishment sent by the heavens, a warning not to continue the research. Immortality was not something insignificant humans should delve into; it went against the natural order and angered the gods.
Yet, there were those, especially those nearing the end of their lives, who refused to accept this fate. Only when time was running out did they truly feared death, and only then did a fervent desire for life emerged.
“The person who was used for research did indeed die, but we at least learned that they like blood, like to drill into human blood vessels.”
“There’s another piece of good news. The team salvaging flowers from the Dark Swamp found a mysterious black humanoid figure in the deepest part of Dark Swamp.”
According to the salvagers, initially, they didn’t know what it was because it was entangled with vines, obscuring the contents.
By the next day, they discovered that those who cleared the vines had all died, only to vaguely see that it was a black humanoid.
The reason it’s said to be vague was that those who glanced at it lost their sight.
Ning Su paused in his eating and looked up at her quietly.
Haobei Jing said, “Some say it’s the second warning from the gods, warning us not to continue the research.”
Fang Qi saw through them. “You are not content, and you won’t stop.”
Haobei Jing nodded. “We say it’s the manifestation of the Flower God. Sleeping in the Dark Swamp, He chose this place. Furen County will become a blessed land, blessed by the Flower God.”
“We started building the Flower God’s temple while continuing to find people for research.”
“The young old man was burned, so we created such a person. We found men and women of different ages, from newborn infants to the oldest in Furen County, fed them flowers from the Dark Swamp, and stuffed the flowers into various parts of their bodies.”
Just thinking about it, one knew it’s a cruel experiment, how many innocent people would die.
All for the satisfaction of their dark desires.
“After the Flower God’s temple was built, we also explored a vague method.”
“In the name of the Flower God, personally presided over by the lord, we selected the first batch of flower servants.”
Ning Changfeng said coldly, “Flower servants, sounds nice, but they are just your experimental subjects.”
His face was very frightening, his eyes turning into terrifying vertical pupils, causing an eerie fear from the depths of one’s heart.
Haobei Jing’s face broke out in a cold sweat, too scared to look at him.
Even though it’s so clear, Ning Su still didn’t believe that the flower servants were just their subjects for the elixir of immortality.
He said, “No, if they were just subjects, the Holy Maiden wouldn’t have such a high status. Did she really see the Flower God?”
The tea room suddenly became exceptionally quiet, and the four elderly people revealed expressions of deep concealment on their faces.
The red snake, facing Haobei Jing, spat out a long snake tongue and Ning Changfeng sternly demanded, “Speak!”
“She, she, she should have really seen the Flower God!”
***
The Holy Maiden, accompanied by Hua Feng, arrived at the highest level of the Flower God’s temple, on the ninth floor.
The pyramid-shaped Flower God’s temple had a very small ninth floor, with only one set of rooms, which served as the residence of the Holy Maiden. Even if the emperor of the country came, he could only stay on the eighth floor.
This was the most sacred place in Furen County, and those who lived inside held an unquestionable position in the hearts of the Flower God’s followers.
In this sacred yet dark room, Hua Feng sat on a black wooden chair, and the Holy Maiden bent down, taking his hand.
On the finger with protruding blood vessels, another finger, as white as jade, had grown.
Hua Feng looked at the Holy Maiden’s peculiar smile on her face, and a layer of cold sweat broke out all over him. “What do you intend to do?”
From six years ago... She clearly expressed that she would speak without reservation, starting from the beginning.
The four flower attendants in the room stared at her intently.
“Six years ago, there was a major earthquake in Furen County, and countless people died.”
“In that earthquake, a chasm opened in Furen County, and countless corpses were left unattended, thrown into that abyss. That abyss became a dead man’s abyss.”
“I don’t know exactly when, but that abyss has now become the Dark Swamp.”
Ning Su looked down at the four-petaled blood flower on his finger. It was indeed born in resentment and hostility.
Haobei Jing thought for a moment and added without hesitation, “According to the city records passed down in Furen County, it is said that the abyss was once an ancient battlefield where the most brutal war in history occurred. It is said to be the burial ground of a million souls.”
Ning Su was stunned, and at the same time, his heart jumped suddenly.
He seemed to see on the ancient battlefield, with rivers of blood flowing, a flower vine winding its way through the mountains of corpses, absorbing the blood river and forming a four-petaled blood flower.
“After this explanation spread, no one dared to go to the Dark Swamp at night, as they could hear the wailing from there.”
Haobei Jing continued, “Until that night.”
Haobei Jing remembered that night very clearly, deeply imprinted in her heart.
Furen County initially had a lord, unlike now, where it was controlled by several families.
That night, she and Yenan Wang were both by the lord’s side when someone hurriedly ran in, saying that monsters had appeared in the Dark Swamp.
They went together with a group of people. When the torches were lit, several grotesque figures, like devils, were swinging their claws.
Countless vines shot out from their blood vessels, stretching and growing under the pale moonlight, eerie and weird, flowing with a sticky, foul-smelling liquid.
Those people wailed in agony, crawling on the ground. In the Dark Swamp, they were pulled into the air by the vines, their blood vessels protruding and bursting, blood bubbling in the air.
Haobei Jing could never forget that scene.
Even now, whenever she recalled it, she could still hear the wailing of the Dark Swamp spirits, the screams of those people, and the sound of blood bubbles bursting.
Haobei Jing shivered.
“We didn’t dare to approach. Those people were drained of blood by the vines right in front of us, torn apart, and died on the spot. Only then did the vines inside their bodies collapse.”
“The city lord dealt with these bodies overnight, and strangely, there was a young person who survived intact.”
“After the investigation, we found out what happened.”
“Furen County suffered a severe blow due to a major earthquake, and many people lost their homes and families. Natural disasters claim lives, and whether they are strong young people or the elderly, no one can escape. Some elderly people who lost their children and grandchildren naturally became beggars.”
“With everyone in Furen County struggling to survive, there was nothing to give to these elderly people. In desperation, these old people, who had lost their families, supported each other and, in order to survive, stuffed anything edible into their mouths.”
“They discovered flowers growing from the rotting sludge in the Dark Swamp. When there was nothing else to eat, they used those flowers as food.”
“That’s when it happened.”
“The most miraculous thing in this incident was the young person. He was originally one of those old people, but after eating those terrifying flowers, he not only didn’t die but also became younger.”
Fang Qi sneered, “You old folks only saw the rejuvenation and got twisted ideas.”
Haobei Jing lowered her face awkwardly.
Ning Changfeng said, “Continue.”
Haobei Jing continued, “We did want to study it. Who wouldn’t? Wait until you take your last step into the coffin, and you’ll understand.”
Ning Changfeng said, “Cut the nonsense.”
Haobei Jing immediately said, “We kept that young old man in a secret room, brought various people, used various methods to study. The city lord, for greater power and wealth, secretly informed the aging emperor about this, and the emperor sent more people to study this phenomenon.”
“While studying the young old man, we also salvaged these miraculous flowers in Dark Swamp.”
“Unfortunately, that old man died one midnight.”
The scene was still deeply imprinted in Haobei Jing’s mind.
At midnight, they heard screams coming from that secret underground room. They rushed over in a hurry and witnessed a scene that shook them to their cores.
The small house was covered with continuously growing hair, black hair wrapped around red fragments, constantly pouring out from the chest of the young old man, covering every wall and every floor tile in the room, surging like black waves.
Frantically entwining the people around, penetrating bodies to suck blood.
The courtyard established specifically for research was filled with panicked screams and wailing.
In the end, they had no choice but to set it on fire.
That night, hundreds of people died—some entangled by hair, some drained of blood, some burned alive.
Some people believed that this was a punishment sent by the heavens, a warning not to continue the research. Immortality was not something insignificant humans should delve into; it went against the natural order and angered the gods.
Yet, there were those, especially those nearing the end of their lives, who refused to accept this fate. Only when time was running out did they truly feared death, and only then did a fervent desire for life emerged.
“The person who was used for research did indeed die, but we at least learned that they like blood, like to drill into human blood vessels.”
“There’s another piece of good news. The team salvaging flowers from the Dark Swamp found a mysterious black humanoid figure in the deepest part of Dark Swamp.”
According to the salvagers, initially, they didn’t know what it was because it was entangled with vines, obscuring the contents.
By the next day, they discovered that those who cleared the vines had all died, only to vaguely see that it was a black humanoid.
The reason it’s said to be vague was that those who glanced at it lost their sight.
Ning Su paused in his eating and looked up at her quietly.
Haobei Jing said, “Some say it’s the second warning from the gods, warning us not to continue the research.”
Fang Qi saw through them. “You are not content, and you won’t stop.”
Haobei Jing nodded. “We say it’s the manifestation of the Flower God. Sleeping in the Dark Swamp, He chose this place. Furen County will become a blessed land, blessed by the Flower God.”
“We started building the Flower God’s temple while continuing to find people for research.”
“The young old man was burned, so we created such a person. We found men and women of different ages, from newborn infants to the oldest in Furen County, fed them flowers from the Dark Swamp, and stuffed the flowers into various parts of their bodies.”
Just thinking about it, one knew it’s a cruel experiment, how many innocent people would die.
All for the satisfaction of their dark desires.
“After the Flower God’s temple was built, we also explored a vague method.”
“In the name of the Flower God, personally presided over by the lord, we selected the first batch of flower servants.”
Ning Changfeng said coldly, “Flower servants, sounds nice, but they are just your experimental subjects.”
His face was very frightening, his eyes turning into terrifying vertical pupils, causing an eerie fear from the depths of one’s heart.
Haobei Jing’s face broke out in a cold sweat, too scared to look at him.
Even though it’s so clear, Ning Su still didn’t believe that the flower servants were just their subjects for the elixir of immortality.
He said, “No, if they were just subjects, the Holy Maiden wouldn’t have such a high status. Did she really see the Flower God?”
The tea room suddenly became exceptionally quiet, and the four elderly people revealed expressions of deep concealment on their faces.
The red snake, facing Haobei Jing, spat out a long snake tongue and Ning Changfeng sternly demanded, “Speak!”
“She, she, she should have really seen the Flower God!”
***
The Holy Maiden, accompanied by Hua Feng, arrived at the highest level of the Flower God’s temple, on the ninth floor.
The pyramid-shaped Flower God’s temple had a very small ninth floor, with only one set of rooms, which served as the residence of the Holy Maiden. Even if the emperor of the country came, he could only stay on the eighth floor.
This was the most sacred place in Furen County, and those who lived inside held an unquestionable position in the hearts of the Flower God’s followers.
In this sacred yet dark room, Hua Feng sat on a black wooden chair, and the Holy Maiden bent down, taking his hand.
On the finger with protruding blood vessels, another finger, as white as jade, had grown.
Hua Feng looked at the Holy Maiden’s peculiar smile on her face, and a layer of cold sweat broke out all over him. “What do you intend to do?”
