Chapter 204: The Iron Coffin's Anomaly

Chapter 204: The Iron Coffin's Anomaly

The originally tense atmosphere dissolved into raucous laughter among the Martial Artists at Ning Xiaochuan's expression.

Among them, the Bald Eagle-Eyed Man chimed in, "Little Three, you should get out more. The world is full of wonders. Not just Heart-Eating Creatures—I’ve even seen beasts that specifically devour Heart Nurturers."

Another wave of laughter erupted.

"Cao Tuzi, watch your words. Don’t say things you shouldn’t," a middle-aged man in his forties said sternly.

Once he spoke, the caravan’s Martial Artists fell silent, not daring to laugh anymore.

This man was the caravan’s Guard Captain, surnamed Situ—his full name unknown.

Yet his cultivation was unfathomable, far beyond what a mere Guard Captain should possess, and he commanded immense authority within the caravan.

The entire caravan exuded an eerie aura, as if every member was no ordinary figure.

After dinner, most of the Martial Artists began their cultivation, while eight stood guard atop the Mystic Beast Wall.

Their techniques were sinister and ruthless, the Profound Qi they emitted carrying a chilling, oppressive sensation.

"What cultivation technique are you practicing?" Duanmu Linger approached, her curvaceous figure unmistakable as she studied Ning Xiaochuan with curiosity.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi."

"Heaven and Earth Profound Qi? No wonder you look so righteous, with Profound Qi fluctuations around you. Turns out you’re cultivating such a low-tier technique."

Duanmu Linger bent down to sit, her long hair cascading as she said, "You must have noticed—we’re all Demonic Martial Artists. Let me be blunt: the Demon Sect is in dire need of Heart Nurturers. As a Primary Heart Nurturer, you’re quite the talent. If you’re willing to join us, I can grant you a cultivation technique ten times superior to Heaven and Earth Profound Qi."

Ning Xiaochuan lowered his head, his brow tightly furrowed.

Duanmu Linger chuckled. "Don’t worry. If you have skill, you can rise to prominence even in the Demon Sect. Not everyone here is a fiend—many are honorable and righteous. Take my Big Miss, for example."

"Aren’t you the Big Miss?" Ning Xiaochuan asked in surprise.

"I’m just the Little Miss, not the Big Miss."

Duanmu Linger pursed her lips lightly. "Don’t concern yourself with the Big Miss’s identity. Just know she’s a figure beyond your imagination. If you pledge allegiance to the Demon Sect, no one would dare bully you."

At that moment, a shrill scream erupted from the iron carriage atop the Scarlet Tiger Beast.

The entire caravan was startled awake from their cultivation, gripping their Short Swords and spears as they warily eyed the nailed-shut iron carriage.

Duanmu Linger abruptly stood and rushed toward it.

"Ooooh—"

The carriage emitted another eerie sound, chilling to the bone—like a ghost’s wail or a Mystic Beast’s roar.

"How is this possible? He’s already dead—why is he still making noise?"

"Could he be coming back to life?"

"Nonsense! His heart’s been ripped out—how could he possibly revive? That’d be a damn miracle!"

Duanmu Linger, Guard Captain Situ, and the elderly man who had been guarding the iron carriage all wore solemn expressions, with Profound Qi emanating from their bodies, ready to act at any moment.

The iron carriage shook violently for half an hour, terrifying the red-scaled tiger beneath it into trembling fear before finally settling down without further disturbance. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

That night, everyone’s nerves were stretched taut, and no one had the peace of mind to cultivate.

As soon as the sun rose, the caravan set off immediately.

"This thing is far too sinister. We must transport it back to the Demon Ridge Domain as quickly as possible, or who knows what might happen?" Cao Tuzi said.

Ning Xiaochuan asked curiously, "What exactly is inside that iron carriage? Why are even Duanmu Linger and Guard Captain Situ so afraid of it?"

Cao Tuzi chuckled darkly, his voice eerie. "If he were still alive, he’d probably be even more terrifying."

"Could he be… a person?" Ning Xiaochuan ventured.

"A dead one," Cao Tuzi whispered.

"How did he die?" Ning Xiaochuan pressed.

Cao Tuzi’s lips twitched, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he said, "Guess for yourself."

This desert was called the "Moshate Desert." Even at the speed of a Third-grade Mystic Beast running day and night, it would take five days to cross. At the caravan’s current pace, it would take at least twenty days to traverse the entire desert.

In the local tongue, "Moshate" meant "boundless."

For anyone other than highly skilled martial artists, attempting to cross the Moshate Desert was practically a death sentence.

At the heart of Moshate stood "Tianlai Ancient City," the only waypoint on the path to Nine Death Cliff.

"Once we reach Tianlai Ancient City, the Big Miss will come to meet us, and then we’ll have nothing to fear."

When Cao Tuzi mentioned the words "Big Miss," his expression was filled with reverence and admiration. If she were to appear before him, he would undoubtedly drop to his knees without hesitation.

Just who was this Big Miss?

Could she be some kind of omnipotent deity?

With seven days left until Tianlai Ancient City, disaster struck the caravan.

Starting yesterday, some of the martial artists in the caravan began feeling unwell—their faces deathly pale, moving like zombies before collapsing into the sand.

By today, even those who had reached the Divine Body Realm were fainting outright.

Martial artists of the Divine Body Realm possessed incredibly robust physiques—how could they faint so easily?

In just one day, over twenty martial artists had collapsed, spreading panic through the caravan.

By nightfall, the situation worsened. Some martial artists began to go berserk, howling like ghosts, their teeth elongating into fangs, their eyes turning green, and their nails turning pitch black.

One of them raised his short sword and, like a madman, hacked several nearby martial artists into mincemeat.

Fortunately, the caravan had many skilled martial experts who swiftly subdued the frenzied warrior, binding him with iron chains.

Clang!

The chains rattled as the warrior let out ghostly shrieks, his body wreathed in eerie flames, as if he had transformed into a specter from hell.

The night was anything but peaceful for the caravan. One after another, Martial Artists went berserk, growing fangs and claws as if possessed by evil, sending chills down the spines of even the Demon Sect's warriors.

By the next day, over fifty Martial Artists had collapsed unconscious, while more than thirty others had to be restrained with iron chains. They had all turned into terrifying specters, their appearances horrifying.

The sudden turmoil left everyone in the caravan at a loss, their hearts filled with dread. The caravan's progress slowed even further.

Ning Xiaochuan sat in a carriage toward the rear, aware of the commotion the previous night but paying it little mind. After all, the caravan had experts who could handle such matters.

Cao Tuzi trudged over, his head hanging low, and slumped into the carriage. He pulled out a wineskin from his waist, took a swig of strong liquor, and let out a heavy sigh. "This time, I doubt we'll make it out of the Moshate Desert alive. We might all perish here."

Ning Xiaochuan asked, "What happened?"

Cao Tuzi replied, "Our caravan has likely been targeted by an Unclean Entity."

"An Unclean Entity?" Ning Xiaochuan frowned.

Cao Tuzi shook his head. "Explaining it to you won’t help. Even Lin Zhanglao and Situ, the Branch Leader, are powerless against this. Our only hope now is to pray we reach Tianlai Ancient City—maybe then we’ll have a sliver of a chance."

Ning Xiaochuan’s brow furrowed deeper. How had things escalated so badly?

Outside the carriage, chaotic shouts and cries erupted.

The unconscious and chained Martial Artists were being dragged to an open area in the desert, where they were placed under heavy guard. Someone was digging circular trenches in the ground and filling them with oil.

Ning Xiaochuan watched from a distance. "What are they doing?"

Cao Tuzi answered grimly, "They’ve been tainted by evil. They must be burned."

"All of them? But there are women and children among them!" Ning Xiaochuan protested.

"They must be burned. Otherwise, the entire caravan will be wiped out."

Cao Tuzi took another fierce gulp of wine. "You think we in the Demon Sect are heartless monsters? Those are our own people—our family. We’re not cold-blooded. If we had any other choice, who the hell would resort to this?"

"I’ll go take a look."

Ning Xiaochuan leaped down from the carriage and hurried toward the open desert clearing, calling out from afar, "Wait! Let me examine them first. I’m a Heart Nurturer—maybe I can save them!"

Lin Zhanglao, the elderly man who had been guarding the iron carriage with Transcendent Realm cultivation, flatly refused. "No. What they’ve been infected with is no trivial matter. A mere Primary Heart Nurturer like you can’t possibly cure them."

"Just let me try. There might still be a chance!"

Among the doomed group, Ning Xiaochuan spotted a little girl no older than two or three. His heart ached at the sight, and he couldn’t bear to do nothing.

Duanmu Linger warned, "Ding Xiaosan, they’ve been tainted by an Unclean Entity. If you touch them, you’ll be infected too—and then we’ll have to burn you alongside them."

Ning Xiaochuan replied firmly, "If I’m truly infected, then burn me as well."

After saying this, Ning Xiaochuan stepped into the protective circle and helped the little girl up, immediately sensing a chilling energy surge within her body.

Ning Xiaochuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he gently laid her back down.

"Little Three, what do you think? Did you figure out the problem?" Cao Tuzi asked.

Truthfully, none of the Martial Artists present held much hope for Ning Xiaochuan, as he was merely a Primary Heart Nurturer.

Even Transcendent Realm experts couldn’t find a solution—how could a Primary Heart Nurturer manage it?

Ning Xiaochuan said, "They’ve been afflicted by Yin Evil and Corpse Poison."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhanglao, Situ the Branch Leader, and Duanmu Linger were all slightly startled.

They hadn’t been able to identify the cause, yet Ning Xiaochuan had pinpointed it.