Cloud descended rapidly, the sensation different from when he was in the ice-cold pond. Now, there was a hint of warmth, and his body no longer felt stiff. However, he soon encountered something slippery and fell into a pit filled with sticky mucus and a foul smell. This must be the creature's stomach.
He couldn't believe he was having such an experience. The acidic and sticky mucus had a strong corrosive effect, slowly decomposing him.
A faint dark light surrounded him, similar to what Lilly referred to as "The Order," which was stripping away the golden light within his body, refining it! The only positive aspect was that as the golden light within him was being refined, it illuminated the surroundings, allowing him to finally see what lay ahead.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe first thing that caught his attention was a dead face in front of him. He was startled, as it seemed to be the face of a ghost cultivator who had been swallowed by the creature. Shouldn't it have been dissolved? Subconsciously, he reached out to touch it and felt a piece of bone, which surprised him. Ghosts didn't possess physical bodies, yet this woman had not only left behind her face after death but also a piece of bone. Something doesn't feel right. Could this woman be an actual person rather than a ghost? But how could a person exist in the underworld and be swallowed by this creature? Even a ghost with perfect merit like me couldn't resist the creature, let alone an ordinary person...
He held up the bone and examined it closely. It turned out to be a piece of sternum...
It was quite horrifying. Cloud immediately wanted to throw it away, but then he noticed a ring hanging from the sternum. Having seen a storage ring in the underworld, he subconsciously assumed that all rings were storage rings, so he reached out and took it. One must adapt to their circumstances. When faced with a predicament, they must find something to help them break free, especially weapons or similar items. He clenched the ring in his hand and shook it vigorously, but unfortunately, no equipment fell out.
"It's... useless..." Awoman's voice suddenly sounded, startling Cloud and causing him to throw the ring at her face.
The woman was left speechless by his action.
The speaker was none other than the dead face. At this moment, she struggled to open her eyes and looked at Cloud faintly. "If you get swallowed by it, you can only wait for your demise." She glanced at Cloud and then closed her eyes again.
Cloud asked, "Who are you? How did you end up with a bone?" The woman's voice was faint. "I cultivated it..." She didn't say anything else, as if she found it pointless. However, it could also be that she knew she was about to dissipate completely and was unwilling to let her past life disappear. She continued on her own, "Ghosts have no physical form, and all ghost cultivators believe that the only way is to cultivate their souls to the highest level... However, ghosts can also cultivate an actual physical form..." Cloud looked around and noticed a black floating object. He stood on it, trembling, and interrupted, "Ghost cultivators can cultivate a physical form? Isn't that just a corpse?" The woman was speechless and replied, "It's not a corpse. It's a spiritual body." Cloud was puzzled. He had never heard of a spiritual body. At this moment, he was standing on the black floating object, desperately trying to activate the golden light—The Order—within his body to prevent it from being refined and swallowed by the creature. With nothing else to do, he decided to engage in conversation with the woman. "I've only heard of human bodies and corpses. I've never heard of a spiritual body," he said.
The woman opened her eyes and said, "Of course you wouldn't know. You're a newly awakened ghost cultivator..." She frowned after speaking, but soon sighed. "You died with perfect merit, right? Are you a martyr or a great man who made significant contributions to the world?" Cloud nodded. "I'm just an ordinary warrior." There was a hint of admiration in the woman's eyes. She said, "With perfect merit, if you can successfully cultivate, your future achievements will be limitless. It's a pity... that you're going to die here.” Ghost cultivators with perfect merit were truly rare. Usually, ghosts with perfect merit would be sent by the Ruler of Hell to reincarnate and enjoy a comfortable life in their next life. It was extremely rare for them to become ghost cultivators.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmEven if they did become ghost cultivators, such a ghost cultivator with golden light and perfect merit was like a delicious tonic wherever they went. Both ghosts and beasts would want to devour them upon seeing them, and if they couldn't, they would go to great lengths to do so. Therefore, it was normal for Cloud to be eaten by the ghost beast in this deep abyss.
However, Cloud's eyes never showed a hint of giving up. He said, "No one knows whether I'm going to die or survive until the end. You must be very powerful. Why are you willing to give up like this?" The woman struggled for a moment and smiled bitterly. "When | was first swallowed, | thought the same as you, but the ghost beast that swallowed us is not an ordinary one. It's a Ninth-level Godzilla." Cloud was stunned before excitement washed over him. "Do you also watch Ultraman?" The woman was baffled. If she hadn't been left with nothing more than a dead face, her mouth would have twitched. This guy seems mature and steady... Well, he still has the vigor of youth, but he definitely enjoys watching Ultraman. How childish! She didn't want to talk to him anymore, but unfortunately, there was no one else.
Perhaps when people were waiting to die in despair, they would have the desire to confide in someone who understood their situation.
The woman's heart was filled with complex melancholy and many unfulfilled ambitions. She had struggled here for three whole years without being able to escape. Even the spiritual body she had cultivated here was completely refined. Now, she knew that she was about to disappear, leaving no trace behind.
So, she continued on her own, "I mean, this ghost beast is as powerful and terrifying as Godzilla in the Human Realm. We are just ordinary humans who are powerless against it. It's been three years since | was swallowed—" Cloud was surprised. "Three years? That's impressive." He believed that if he were in the same situation, he wouldn't be able to endure it for more than three days.
The woman chuckled, saying, "What's the point of being impressive? It's all futile. | have tried everything possible, yet | remain trapped here."