Chapter 224

Chapter 224: Fine Wine

The Human Skin Skeleton lifted the hourglass in his hand, and the sand began to fall even faster.

Yi Lan and Zi Guang went pale as they tightened their grip on the negative force raging inside them.

Li Shuang smiled. Calmly, she picked up the Rot-Heart Greens and raised them to her mouth. Without hesitating, she wrapped it in spiritual power, then swallowed.

The instant it went down, Li Shuang gave a command: “Heaven and Earth Furnace, redeem.”

The stench of the Rot-Heart Greens vanished from her body, and inside her furnace 400 Value Points appeared. It was not a lot, since she had eaten only a small piece. But even a mosquito is still meat.

She glanced with regret at the now empty plates in front of the other four. [If only they had all given theirs to me.]

A trace of longing flashed in her eyes. The little girl caught that look and stared at her like she was a creep. [What is with this newbie? Why does she look like she still wants more?]

Yi Lan, sweating while she fought the rot gnawing at her heart, stared at Li Shuang with dread and asked, voice shaking: “You… you are okay?”

Li Shuang nodded: “Should something be wrong? The only problem was the portion was too small, everything else was fine.”

Yi Lan’s lips trembled. For a long moment she could not speak. What do you mean, the portion was too small? This stuff can kill you. She stared hard, hoping to catch Li Shuang pretending.

But Li Shuang stayed relaxed and cool, which made her even more infuriating beside the others’ sorry states.

The Human Skin Skeleton watched Li Shuang in silence, doubt in his hollow eyes. He was sure this human had swallowed the Rot-Heart Greens. Even if she wrapped it with spiritual power, the greens should break through fast and rot her heart. In Gluttony Hell the effect was even stronger. Why did she have no reaction? Was she acting tough, or did she really have skill?

After staring for a while, the Human Skin Skeleton suddenly laughed: “Good, good. It is rare to meet a human who truly appreciates my craft. One bowl was not enough? Do not worry, more is coming.”

A clear cup appeared in his hand, filled with a clear liquid. He gave it a gentle shake, and layers of gray mist rose from within while the surface sizzled with heat.

“As guests, you deserve a drink. I will pour it for you myself, and you must finish every drop,” he said with a grin as he filled five cups.

When he reached Li Shuang, she looked at him with bright hope and asked: “Can you pour me a little more?”

His smile vanished for a heartbeat. Then he narrowed his eyes and said: “Next time for sure.”

Li Shuang sighed. [I wanted to snag a little extra, but these Skeletons are stingy.]

As if he knew what she was thinking, the Human Skin Skeleton’s face darkened. After he finished pouring, he stared straight at Li Shuang and said: “Guest, please drink. I poured this myself, so you will drink every last drop. If a single drop is left, I will be angry.”

A spiked bone hammer grew in his hand. He slammed it into the ground, and the hard floor split open into a deep pit.

Everyone’s faces changed. The land of the Soul Prison was extremely tough; even someone at the Integration Stage might not leave a mark. Yet the Human Skin Skeleton opened a hole with ease. No wonder he was the guardian.

Yi Lan leaned closer to Li Shuang to show goodwill and explained in a low voice: “The Soul Prison has Eighteen Hells, and each hell has a guardian. The guardian here in Gluttony Hell is this Human Skin Skeleton. No one knows a guardian’s true strength, because everyone who really saw one fight is already dead. We guess all eighteen are peak Tribulation Crossing Stage. In short, we cannot fight them head on.”

Li Shuang frowned and asked: “If they are at the Tribulation Crossing Stage, why not just kill us?”

Yi Lan smiled, worship in her eyes: “The City Lord caught these guardians and set them here. In each hell, the City Lord laid down rules. As long as we do not break those rules, the guardians cannot attack. If they do, the backlash from the rules will turn them to ash in an instant.”

Rules. Li Shuang heard that word again. She nodded, thoughtful. Inside and outside Myriad Arts City, everything was full of rules. This mysterious City Lord’s path must be tied to rules, and she had walked the Path of Rules very far. Most people who cultivate rules can affect only a handful of people, but the City Lord’s rules touch every living thing within her range. Such mastery was hard to imagine.

The Human Skin Skeleton boomed: “Do not speak of that cursed City Lord. Drink, hurry.”

The other Human Skin Skeletons around them shouted together: “Drink, drink, drink.”

Their sharp cries sent ripples through Li Shuang’s soul. Thanks to the Azure Lotus guarding her sea of awareness, the impact stayed small. She looked at the other four and saw their faces grow worse by the second, as if they were hit hard.

Li Shuang frowned slightly. [Is it really that bad?]

The other four stared at her like they had seen a ghost. Those screams hit the soul directly. How could a newbie have such a solid soul, calmer than any of them?

Li Shuang finally understood: [I might have underestimated the Rebirth Art, and the Lunar Star’s Spirit Refinement too.] Even though she had just entered the Soul Prison, with the Rebirth Art and the Azure Lotus, the firmness of her soul might already match the top of the Genius Ranking.

The others looked her over with curious eyes, but there was no time to linger. Skeletons on both sides kept howling. If they did not drink, their souls might give out.

They clenched their teeth and swallowed the wine.

Li Shuang lifted her cup, and the Heaven and Earth Furnace gave a prompt: “Tear-Murk Wine: brewed from the tears of a Human Skin Skeleton. Drinking it shakes the soul. 800 Value Points.”

Her eyes lit up. She had not expected the wine to be worth more than the main dish. She drained the Tear-Murk Wine without hesitation, then told the Heaven and Earth Furnace to redeem it at once.