Sacrifice.
David’s body stiffened slightly.
The word felt like a needle piercing his eardrum.
The young monk was dragged to the front of the gap.
He tried desperately to get free, his fingernails scratched the surface of the stone, leaving several white marks, but he was finally restrained by the two monks.
The old man accompanying him walked up to him, looked him in the eye, and said in a voice that was calm to the point of being cruel: “Don’t be afraid. This will be over as soon as you enter.”
“I don’t want—”
The young monk did not finish his sentence.
The old man suddenly pushed, and his body staggered into the gap, as if swallowed by darkness, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
The crack remained silent, without sound. Traces of the young cultivator’s struggles and the echoes of his screams completely disappeared instantly the moment he disappeared.
The escorting monks stood in front of the pass for a moment, then turned and left.
No one spoke, no one turned their heads, and everyone’s faces showed an almost dead calm, as if this was just another day.
David stood on the suspension bridge, watching the departing figures of the cultivators, his purple eyes swirling with complex light amidst the dark red light.
Sacrifice.
crack.
People who disappeared.
After returning to the cave, he finds Ghost Seven.
Gui Qi sat cross-legged on a secluded platform, with ghost-like blue flames slowly flowing around him, enveloping him in a hazy halo.
David sat opposite him and immediately asked: “What is that crack?”
Gui Qi opened his eyes, almost imperceptible ripples flashing in his deep blue pupils.
He was silent for a moment, then said hoarsely, “You saw it.”
“I witnessed a sacrifice.”
David said, “A young cultivator was pushed in and never came out again.”
Gui Qi remained silent.
His gaze dropped, his fingers clenched lightly on his knees, then relaxed, repeating this several times.
“Oni Shichi,”
David’s voice was calm but contained undeniable power, “What exactly happened in that crack? Where did those who entered there go?”
Gui Qi raised his head, his dark blue eyes filled with various complex emotions.
His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just shook his head: “Mr. Chen, please don’t ask about this anymore.”
This is an internal affair of the Oni clan, I cannot tell you. In addition, the gap is dangerous, please do not approach it.
David looked into his eyes: “Can you tell me, after those people came in, were there any survivors?”
Gui Qi was silent for a long time.
His eyes blinked several times, avoiding David’s gaze, and finally he only said two words: “I don’t know.”
“You do not know?”
No one knows.
Gui Qi’s voice lowered, “Those who go in never come out. Never.”
David did not press the matter further.
He looked at Gui Qi’s deep blue eyes, which were filled with a complex mix of emotions: helplessness, pain, and a kind of burden that he couldn’t understand.
He didn’t press further, but just nodded: “Okay, I won’t ask any more.”
Gui Qi seemed to heave a sigh of relief, but also felt increasingly burdened.
He closed his eyes again, and ghostly blue flames began to swirl around him as he returned to his meditation position.
But David realized that his clasped fingers were shaking slightly.
David stood up, turned around, and left.
Of course, he wouldn’t give up that easily.
Gui Qi’s reaction had revealed a lot. Behind the cracks hid the secrets of the Ghost Clan, secrets that even Gui Qi couldn’t or didn’t dare reveal.
However, asking Gui Qi directly would not work; he needed to find another way.
The next day, David went straight to see the Underworld Elder.
The old man from the underworld was still sitting in his dark cave, his hunched figure looking like a frozen statue in the dark red light.
Seeing David come in, he didn’t show any surprise, as if he had expected David to come.
“Young friend Chen, have a seat and let us talk.”
The old man pointed at the stone bench in front of him, his voice hoarse and low.
David didn’t beat around the bush: “Senior, I want to know about the crack.”
The old man was silent for a moment, his thin figure motionless in the shadows.
He raised his deep blue eyes, looked at David for a long time, then slowly said: “Did you see it?”
“I saw it,” David said. “Someone is making a sacrifice.”
FAQ Novel
Q: What is the nature of the dark fissure?
A: The fissure is a dark, ink-black opening that emanates a faint airflow and an indescribable aura.
Q: What happens to the cultivators who enter the fissure?
A: Cultivators have been observed entering the fissure one after another, but none have ever been seen exiting.
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