I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 159 - 133: Ancient Village Beneath the Lake
Lake shore.
Xia Chan was eating a pancake, and when she turned her head, she discovered that Sang Que had vanished into thin air, startling Xia Chan so much that her pancake fell to the ground.
The same went for Wan Biao, who had just shifted his gaze from the lake, turning around to find Sang Que gone. Just as he was about to ask Xia Chan, she suddenly picked up Xuan Yu, who was squatting nearby, and ran off quickly.
"Miss Xia Chan, where are you going?"
Xia Chan didn’t answer, and Wan Biao was left puzzled. Not long after, he heard the sound of a donkey cart galloping away and watched as the Black Donkey, without any urging, pulled Xia Chan and Xuan Yu out of the village in a cloud of dust.
Wan Biao blinked blankly, not knowing what had happened, only feeling that the midday sun was chilling him, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
*
Lake bottom.
After Qin Ze entered the water, the red aquatic plants on him became active, stretching out from his collar and sleeves, swaying.
For the past two days, Qin Ze had been brainwashing himself, completely assuming the role of that little brother Corpse Recovery Man. At this moment, upon entering the water, he felt as if he had an innate ability, able to breathe underwater through the aquatic plants, feeling like a fish in water.
Xu San followed behind Qin Ze, descending slowly, without Qin Ze’s agility.
Continuing to dive deeper, through the increasingly dim light, they saw the lake bottom jagged with strange rocks, the aquatic plants gently swaying, seemingly entwining something.
Qin Ze kicked closer, parting the aquatic plants to reveal a stone figure inside. Holding a Ten Victory Stone Dagger in his mouth, he surveyed the surroundings. The red aquatic plants on him seemed to sense something, drifting towards the lower left.
Beckoning to Xu San behind him, Qin Ze swam towards the lower left, swimming forward about fifty meters, where the lake bottom opened to a broken layer. Below it, a decaying and dilapidated cluster of buildings surrounded by stone walls came into view. It was not a mansion but a village.
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Outside the stone archway, hundreds of stone figures entangled in aquatic plants stood as if in prayer, facing forward. He could even faintly hear a low murmur in his ears, whispering prayers seeking entry into a joyful, eternal Immortal Realm without pain or fear from the Ghost God Fish Woman.
All of this made Qin Ze feel an unspeakable chill.
Qin Ze turned his head and gestured to Xu San, asking if he could hold on. Xu San nodded and took off the Day Traveling Envoy mask hanging from his waist, enhancing all his abilities.
Qin Ze swam deeper, quickly reaching the outside of the building cluster, scanning the wall. His gaze fixed on the words ’Fish Woman Village’ over the entrance.
Apart from stone statues, there were also plates, chests, and animal skeletons half-buried in the lakebed sand and rocks, evidence that the villagers once offered sacrifices by sinking them in the lake to honor the Fish Woman.
Xu San tugged his sleeve, and Qin Ze turned to see Xu San staring wide-eyed, pointing at a nearby stone statue. Qin Ze swam over to take a closer look, feeling his heart skip a beat.
The stone statue was in the likeness of Zhao Qi, kneeling on the ground, his face still bearing an expression of utmost terror.
Qin Ze’s mind went blank for a moment, unable to understand why Zhao Qi was here and when he had come.
Xu San swept his gaze around, suddenly recalling the disappearance of Yan Jiu and three other Day Traveling Envoys, thinking of searching for clues on them.
At that moment, a stone head next to Xu San suddenly cracked open, half falling off to reveal half a human face beneath.
The person was still alive, their eyes shifting fearfully, their hairless head riddled with tiny holes, densely packed all over.
Upon seeing this, both Qin Ze and Xu San felt a chill crawl up their spines, sending a shiver through their bodies.
Thin, thread-like insects began to unfurl from the holes in the man’s head, one after another, transforming into a cascade that surged toward them.
Ah!
Startled, Xu San spat out a string of bubbles, accidentally swallowing a gulp of water.
Qin Ze quickly pulled Xu San away from the stone statue, slicing at the surging thread-like insects with his dagger.
The black blade sliced through the insects, halving the man’s head in the statue, revealing that his brain had been hollowed out. Inside, the insects had woven together, encasing a fist-sized, crystal-like Divine Statue of the Fish Woman.
Even so, the person seemed alive, their eyes rolling, looking at Qin Ze and Xu San with a pleading gaze.
Snap! Crack!
Surrounding statues cracked open one after another, releasing a multitude of thread-like insects from the brains of those within. Qin Ze pulled Xu San with all his might, swimming upwards.
Yet their speed was no match for the insects that swiftly bound their feet, dragging them down.
Qin Ze and Xu San could even feel the insects drilling into their feet, piercing their flesh and blood, causing them a shivering sensation throughout.
They truly shouldn’t have pretended to be brave and ventured into the lake.
As they were enveloped by the insect nest and plunged into complete darkness, Qin Ze was filled with regret.
*
Hidden Realm.
Sang Que used Evil Mist Instant Teleportation to avoid the eerie skeletal corpses and the human-faced snakes within, successfully reaching the deepest part of the lake, where a vast architecture loomed shrouded in mist, occasionally visible.
Within view was a stone archway, with white walls, blue tiles, and eaves flying like wings. Two red lanterns hung from it, with the words ’Fish Woman Village’ inscribed on the plaque.
Outside the house, strange rocks stood, the ground covered with dead grass and bones. Many decapitated turtles were scattered about, with human face-like patterns on their shells, their heads continually opening and closing as if in speech.
The stone archway ahead appeared new, enshrouded in mist. Behind it, thatched houses and village clusters could be seen, as if inhabited, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding desolation, reminiscent of the Witch Temple she once saw in the Hidden Realm.
Sang Que started to grasp what kind of place the Hidden Realm was.
Back in Black Mountain Village, the well at Skinny’s house was actually cursed by the Ming Mansion. From it, echoes of songs continually emanated, luring Skinny’s mother to drown herself to reunite with Huilan.
In the real world, that well was invisible, yet in the Hidden Realm, it was visible, indicative of the realm manifesting curses in true form.
The Witch Temple once worshiped the Witch Lady, holding some Ghost God power. After being abolished, her Divine Power was no longer felt in the real world, but in the Hidden Realm, the Witch Temple remained under the Witch Lady’s Divine Power, holding its form.
Applying the modern concept of inner spaces, Sang Que guessed the Hidden Realm was a space between the Nine Netherworld Hell and the real world.
It was called the ’Hidden Realm’ because it was the realm of Divine Concealment, harboring those Ghost Gods and intangible curses, and the existence of Evil Ghosts untouched by the real world.
With these thoughts, Sang Que frowned. Qin Ze and Xu San going into the lake could likely solve nothing concerning Pinghu Village.
The Yin Child stood quietly beside Sang Que, wearing a pair of oversized, ill-fitting embroidered shoes, staring blankly ahead.
Glancing at her pocket watch, Sang Que noted ten minutes had passed and decided not to enter directly; instead, she would instantly teleport away from the lake bottom back to the village.
Same old method: return to modern times to get some petrol and set fire to the building cluster at the lake bottom. She had the means, so there was no need for direct confrontation.
