Two boats broke through the clouds and descended together. As the black clouds dispersed and the ground drew closer, they could clearly make out the details of Bat Island—the island was not large, its buildings hidden among the trees, while a demon tower stood in the center, its eaves jutting sharply upward and its golden roof dazzling in the light.
It should be known that on the Cultivation Continent, towers were generally built to suppress demons and monsters. Copper soul-suppressing bells were often hung along the tiled eaves, while talismanic seals and magical inscriptions were drawn across the bricks. Yet the tower at the center of Bat Island was nothing like that.
It had seven levels. At every place where a copper bell should have hung, a human skull was suspended instead. Those heads had already completely rotted away, swaying eerily in the foul wind sweeping across the island…
Jiang Yexue and Murong Chuyi each activated their spiritual energy. The pleasure boat and the nuclear boat landed, coming directly to rest before the tower in the center of Bat Island.
After the four of them disembarked, the boats shrank to the size of ordinary objects and were put away into their Qiankun Pouches. Looking up, they saw that the surroundings of the pagoda were deserted and gloomy. Looking more carefully, they discovered that beneath the eaves, densely packed hundreds upon hundreds of bats were curled up. Since it was daytime, all these bats were sound asleep.
Jiang Yexue murmured, “Human Sacrifice Tower…”
Gu Mang asked, “What is a Human Sacrifice Tower? I’ve only heard of Demon-Suppressing Towers.”
Jiang Yexue said, “The principle is more or less the same. Humans build towers to suppress demons, while demons build towers to imprison humans. This is, after all, Bat Demon Island. The island lord naturally isn’t a cultivator, but a bat spirit. This tower was built to imprison living humans, keeping them there for use whenever necessary.”
“What kind of necessity?”
Jiang Yexue’s expression darkened somewhat, and he said softly, “It’s hard to say. Some demons eat people, so they store them as food. Some demons drink blood, and then…”
Before he could finish, Murong Chuyi had already stepped forward without another word. He struck the main gate of the Human Sacrifice Tower with a talisman. With a muffled boom, the ancient tower’s spell-covered doors were violently blasted open.
Murong Chuyi swept his horsetail whisk through the air, dispersing the miasma pouring from inside the tower. Turning his face slightly, his dark-brown eyes swept coldly toward Jiang Yexue.
“Jiang Yexue, did you come here to save someone, or to tell stories?”
With that, he entered the tower without looking back. That pure white figure was swallowed by the darkness in an instant.
Jiang Yexue and the others quickly followed. The first-floor hall of the Human Sacrifice Tower was dark and desolate. Eight thick stone pillars, sinister and bizarre in appearance, rose all the way to the top of the tower. Complicated patterns were carved into those pillars, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that they were all piled together from countless white bones. And hanging upside down from those eight tower pillars were tens of thousands of bats.
These bats were different from the ones they had seen outside. Each one was as tall as an adult human, but their wing membranes were not black or gray. Instead, they were a translucent white. Through those curled-up white membranes, one could see that many of their bodies had already taken on human forms, though some had transformed more than others.
Those that had transformed more had become almost indistinguishable from ordinary humans apart from their two bat wings. Those that had transformed less had merely evolved a pair of human legs, while the rest of their bodies remained furry and bat-like.
Looking around, these bat spirits, resembling silkworm pupae undergoing metamorphosis, hung densely throughout the entire tower. There were several thousand at the very least, if not more than ten thousand.
Worried about waking them, Gu Mang asked in a very soft voice, “Are they sleeping?”
Mo Xi shook his head. “They’re in closed-door cultivation. Ancient texts have recorded spirits of this kind. They are Fire Bats.”
“They’re actually immortals?” Gu Mang examined the strange creatures covered in fur, with ridges of bone protruding from their bodies. His first thought was that they must be very difficult to fight! Then he thought that these little brothers looked far too different from the immortals he had imagined.
While muttering this to himself, he glanced at Murong Chuyi standing in front.
If you asked him, immortals should at least look like Murong Chuyi—free of worldly dust, graceful and elegant in appearance, with even his robes and hair ribbons seeming to flutter despite the absence of wind.
These half-rat, half-human things simply had nothing to do with that image.
Fortunately, Mo Xi had more to say, and managed to salvage Gu Mang’s impression of immortals in time.
Mo Xi said, “Fire Bats are not half-immortals. I said earlier that they are descendants of the Feather People. The Feather People are half-immortal and half-demon. Among them, some possessed particularly strong demonic natures. They became depraved and licentious, mating with beasts and giving birth to monsters mixed with beast blood. Those are the Fire Bats.”
Gu Mang counted on his fingers with great seriousness. “Then that means… half-immortal, half-demon, half-beast?”
“The immortal blood they inherited is negligible,” Mo Xi said. “It would not be wrong to call them half-beast, half-demon.”
Gu Mang therefore returned to his original question. “So are they easy to fight?”
“They have powerful spiritual energy, but dull minds. So they aren’t too difficult. However, this is a gathering place for Fire Bat demons. If possible, it would be best not to fight. Don’t disturb them.”
After saying this, he turned to Jiang Yexue.
“Qingxu, can you detect whether there are any traces of Yue Chenqing here?”
Jiang Yexue said, “I’ll try.”
As he spoke, he took a sheet of talisman paper from his Qiankun Pouch and gently blew upon it. The talisman immediately transformed into a spirit sparrow, fluttering gracefully into the air.
“Go and search for Chenqing’s aura.”
The spirit sparrow obeyed and floated gently toward the top of the tower. But just as it reached the height of the third floor, it suddenly let out a shriek. Immediately afterward, its wings were engulfed by an invisible flame, and in an instant it turned into a wisp of green smoke!
Eight large scarlet characters appeared in midair:
“When outsiders seek entry, offer blood as sacrifice.”
Jiang Yexue frowned. “It seems that if we want to go higher in the tower, whether it is us or spirit butterflies and spirit beasts, we must first offer blood.” After saying this, he turned toward the pool of blood at the center of the demon tower and fell into thought. “Are we supposed to drip our blood into it?”
Mo Xi said, “Let’s try.”
The four of them walked to the blood pool. Mo Xi removed the concealed dagger secured beneath his sleeve and made a cut across his palm before handing the dagger to Jiang Yexue. After each of them dripped several drops of blood into the pool, the blood filling the entire pool suddenly began to boil and surge—
Suddenly, the blood splashed violently in every direction. From within came a terrifying roar, followed immediately by the emergence of a strange beast glowing red from head to toe!
Gu Mang exclaimed, “What is that?!”
Amid the splashing blood mist, they saw that although the strange beast possessed a human body, its facial features looked exactly like those of a wild boar. Its tusks curved upward, its fur was crimson like fire, and its pupils were as red as the rising sun. It wielded a mountain-cleaving ax, shook the blood from its body, sneezed violently, and immediately began cursing.
“Damn you thieves, what the hell is going on these past few days? People keep barging into the tower again and again. Are you all so damn tired of living that you want to come here and become snacks for His Excellency the Bat King?”
Jiang Yexue’s eyes widened.
“Shangao…”
This beast was a notorious monster known throughout the Nine Provinces Continent. But Gu Mang had lost his memories and naturally knew nothing about it. Seeing the other three wearing expressions of understanding, he became somewhat anxious. Yet he was too embarrassed to ask anyone else, so he quietly asked Mo Xi, “What is a Shangao?”
Mo Xi replied, “It is an evil beast that has existed since ancient times. It looks like a pig, crimson as fire. It has no particular hobby ordinarily, except that it loves cursing people.”
Gu Mang thought to himself: Then this pig’s hobby is rather similar to yours. I wonder which of you would win if the two of you got together and had a quarrel.
The Shangao snorted and panted as its little pig eyes swept over the four of them one after another. Sure enough, the moment it opened its mouth, it began cursing.
“Cripple, dead poker face, blue-eyed freak, and little missy. You four bastards trespassed into the Bat Tower, disturbed my sweet dreams, and are truly annoying as hell!”
Hearing the way it addressed them, Gu Mang immediately matched each insult to a person. He silently counted on his fingers.
The cripple is Jiang Yexue. The blue eyes are me. The princess and Little Dragon Girl both look pretty expressionless, but the princess is tall and imposing, so the little missy must be Murong Chuyi, who is half a head shorter than Mo Xi. Then Mo Xi must be the dead poker face.
“Why have you come here?! Hurry up and tell me!”
After all, the other party was an ancient spirit beast. Jiang Yexue bowed and said, “My younger brother came to Dream Butterfly Island several days ago and has been missing ever since. The only clue we have is connected to this Bat Island, which is why we trespassed upon your honored territory.”
“Your younger brother?” Shangao narrowed its eyes. “Hahaha! You’re a big cripple. Could your younger brother be a little cripple?”
Jiang Yexue truly had an excellent temper. Not the slightest trace of anger appeared on his face as he said, “My younger brother is healthy and unharmed.”
“Oh, that uncrippled kid… I did see one these past few days. Was he wearing white clothes with gold trim, talking nonstop, and obviously carrying the brain of a pig in his skull—a useless piece of trash?”
The expressions of Murong Chuyi and Jiang Yexue changed slightly. Although Shangao’s words were unpleasant, his description really did sound like Yue Chenqing.
Jiang Yexue immediately bowed again.
“May I ask, sir, where that young man is now?”
Jiang Yexue was truly remarkable. He could actually address a pig-brained creature as “sir” without even blushing or changing expression. But Shangao was not buying it. It snorted and grunted.
“Calling me sweet names won’t help, cripple. You still haven’t answered what I asked you earlier. I’ll ask you one more time. Is your younger brother a chattering, obviously pig-brained, useless piece of trash?”
“…”
Jiang Yexue was unwilling to join in insulting his own younger brother. While he hesitated, Murong Chuyi suddenly said coldly from the side:
“That’s right. Stupid and talkative, dressed in white with gold trim. That’s him. Do you know where he is?”
“Hey, you damn brat, you admit it readily enough.”
Shangao’s little red-bean eyes turned toward Murong Chuyi.
“But for a grown man, you’ve got a slender waist and pretty face like an immortal maiden. You don’t have enough masculinity. You’re ugly as hell.”
“I’m asking where that young man is now.”
Murong Chuyi had very little patience and was already becoming irritated. Each word he spoke was sharp and forceful as he pressed the question.
Perhaps because Murong Chuyi’s eyes blazed like lightning and his presence was simply too imposing, Shangao actually froze in a daze for a moment before saying, “If I answered you just because you asked, wouldn’t I lose all face?”
Murong Chuyi narrowed his eyes slightly.
“What do you intend to do?”
“Then naturally, everything must be done according to the rules of your Grandpa Shangao!”
Murong Chuyi’s black brows rose sharply.
“What rules?”
Shangao snorted twice.
“Hmph, hmph! There’s quite a story behind this! First, let me ask you: do you know what this tower was originally used for?”
“The Human Sacrifice Tower. It was used to imprison living people,” Jiang Yexue answered.
“Exactly, cripple. But Dream Butterfly Island is rich in spiritual energy, and the demons on the island have gradually cultivated the ability to survive without food. The Bat King wholeheartedly seeks the Dao and ascension, and for the past hundred years has rarely committed acts of killing. Naturally, there is even less need to abduct humans for food. As for this tower, it gradually fell into disuse and has now become a place where the bat spirits cultivate in seclusion.”
Jiang Yexue said gently, “If that is the case, then my younger brother has no use for staying on the island. Could you ask your lord to show mercy and allow my brother to leave with us?”
“Heh, cripple, you’re dreaming too big. Although the Bat King doesn’t actively capture cultivators, your pig-brained little brother came knocking on his own and even violated His Majesty’s greatest taboo. Release him? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Where could it possibly be that easy?”
Jiang Yexue asked, “What taboo did he violate?”
Shangao gave a sly chuckle.
“There’s that same question again. Just because you ask, does that mean I have to answer? Everything must follow the rules of your Grandpa Shangao.”
Murong Chuyi had already been pushed to the edge of his patience. He suddenly swept out his horsetail whisk. Although he showed no intention of attacking yet, sparks were already flying from his eyes. His brows lowered as he angrily demanded:
“We already asked what your rules are. Why don’t you hurry up and tell us?!”
Shangao bared his upward-curving tusks.
“Little missy, you’ve got delicate skin and tender flesh, but your temper is rougher than that of this grown man. Fiery, aren’t you? Fine. Your Grandpa will tell you.”
He paused.
“Your Grandpa here guards this tower for the Bat King. I rarely hurt people. If cultivators like you come visiting and have questions, I can show mercy and answer three questions for you. However, for every answer you obtain, you must pay a corresponding price. So think carefully. You may ask only three questions. But the price can range from as little as a single strand of hair to as much as your three souls and seven spirits… How about it? Do you really intend to do this?”
Murong Chuyi did not even blink.
“First question: Where is Yue Chenqing now?”
“Oh, how straightforward. Asking already?”
Shangao counted on his fingers before saying, “Your first question isn’t worth much. Your Grandpa doesn’t cheat people. How about this? Let’s make an exchange. I’ll tell you his whereabouts.”
“What do you want in exchange?”
Shangao licked his thick, greasy lips.
“Your Grandpa here loves the suffering of humans. The more painful someone’s past, the more delicious it is when I chew on it.”
As he spoke, he swept an ill-intentioned gaze over all four of them.
“If you are willing to stand obediently and let me extract some painful secrets from your minds so I can nourish myself, then I’ll answer your first question.”
Since this matter involved the other three, Murong Chuyi did not immediately agree. Instead, he turned to look at them.
Mo Xi thought to himself: Since Shangao can answer only three questions in total, they absolutely should not give it everything it wants for the first question. Otherwise, what would they use to exchange for the second and third questions?
But before he could speak, Gu Mang suddenly said:
“Brother Pig, I don’t think we should calculate it that way.”
Shangao’s eyes widened.
“Why shouldn’t we calculate it that way?”
Gu Mang said, “Look, we only asked you one question, yet you want to collect one painful memory from every person. That’s way too dishonest.”
Shangao refused to accept this.
“How am I being dishonest?!”
Gu Mang said, “You just said it yourself. You’re making an exchange with us. One thing for another. So every time we ask one question, you should only be allowed to extract one person’s memory. Right?”
“…”
“So every time you answer a question, you can only choose one person from whom to extract memories, not four. You’re a dignified ancient god. Surely you wouldn’t try to take advantage of loopholes and go back on your word.”
“You—!”
Shangao was so choked by his words that it could not respond. Its pig face turned red, then purple.
Its pride wounded, it originally wanted to order these people to leave and send them back. But it could vaguely sense that all four people present were victims of suffering. The pain of these people would naturally be rich and mellow, exquisite to taste.
How could it possibly let go of such plump ducks that had already reached its mouth?
Shangao could only speak gruffly.
“Fine, fine, fine! One question for one stretch of suffering! But you don’t get to volunteer yourselves. Your Grandpa will choose!”
Gu Mang imitated its tone, grinning.
“Fine, fine, fine. You choose, then. Come on, do you want the cripple, the poker face, the little missy, or the blue eyes?”
Shangao carefully examined all four of them again. Its pig snout sniffed and inhaled, savoring the bitterness hidden deep within their souls.
The more it smelled, the greedier it became.
Gu Mang had been born into a slave household and was missing two of his souls. Mo Xi’s father had died young, his mother had betrayed him, and he had even been stabbed through the chest by his lover. Murong Chuyi had been abandoned by both parents and had grown up an orphan. As for Jiang Yexue, there was even less need to mention it—he practically had the fate of a lone star of calamity.
Shangao could not help swallowing. It practically wanted to break its word and swallow all of their memories whole!
However, humans valued face, and Shangao valued face too. Although these people smelled extraordinarily delicious, they were not quite enough to make it lose all self-control.
Thus, it cleared its throat and made a decision.
“You. You, cripple, come here.”
Jiang Yexue smiled faintly.
“What? Does sir think I have lived the most miserable life?”
“Missing an arm and a leg. You’re the one. Are you unwilling?”
“If it can save Chenqing and free him from his predicament, why would I be unwilling?” Jiang Yexue said. “However, what you wish to consume is a secret, so naturally I do not want anyone else to know. You may extract the painful memories, but you must never reveal them. Can you agree to that?”
Shangao said, “Once memories enter my mouth, they become my food. Why would I spit them back out? Rest assured, rest assured. Your Grandpa absolutely won’t tell anyone.”
Jiang Yexue was gentle, but he was by no means foolish.
“Words alone are insufficient. Could you swear an oath as a demon?”
Shangao was a pig by nature and was extremely greedy. It was eager to taste someone else’s suffering, and it had no intention of spreading the memories it extracted in the first place. Thus, it immediately raised two fingers and made a demon’s oath.
“Is that enough now? You cripple sure are troublesome!”
Jiang Yexue smiled warmly.
“Then I leave myself in your hands.”
Gu Mang and Mo Xi did not object either. Shangao therefore threw back its head and opened its mouth, standing in the center of the blood pool as it let out a roaring howl.
With its howl, a violent wind suddenly arose around them. Several streams of black smoke surged from the four people’s chests and all poured into Shangao’s mouth.
When the wind died down and the turmoil subsided, Shangao opened its eyes and licked its lips, still unsatisfied.
“Mmm. Not bad. Delicious. But you cripple, who would’ve thought that your painful memories would actually be connected to—”
Jiang Yexue interrupted him with a smile.
“Sir, have you forgotten what you promised just now?”
Shangao immediately shut its mouth.
Yet for some reason, after finishing Jiang Yexue’s suffering, its gaze kept drifting toward Murong Chuyi. An ominous gleam flickered in its glittering little eyes.
Murong Chuyi swept his sleeve.
“You’ve already obtained what you wanted. Tell us. Where is Yue Chenqing?”