Chapter 53: Chapter 018 The Underworld Rabbit
The Rabbit Blood Ritual
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
The archers of the Silver Armored Army, all expert marksmen, unleashed a flurry of arrows. The arrows gleamed as they struck down white rabbits left and right.
Dead rabbits quickly piled up.
Huo Guang directed the soldiers to swiftly collect the rabbit blood using containers.
Soon, a bucket of rabbit blood was placed in front of Yan Chuan.
"Your Highness, what's the purpose of this rabbit blood?" Huo Guang asked, puzzled.
Yan Chuan scooped a bowl of the blood and poured it over himself.
"Splash!"
Yan Chuan's chest was immediately drenched in the blood, turning it a vivid red.
"Your Highness?" Liu Jin exclaimed in shock.
"We have two hours before dusk. In that time, every soldier must cover their armor with rabbit blood. Move quickly!" Yan Chuan ordered in a stern voice.
Huo Guang, though confused, immediately complied: "Understood!"
"Everyone, cover yourselves in rabbit blood!" Huo Guang commanded.
"Eh?"
The soldiers looked at each other in confusion. But seeing Yan Chuan covered in blood himself, they quickly followed orders.
A massive rabbit slaughter operation began.
Despite the abundance of rabbits, the sheer scale of the massacre by the three thousand Silver Armored soldiers meant the rabbits were quickly decimated. As they slaughtered the rabbits, the soldiers made their way toward the distant yellow pillar.
Countless rabbits fell along the way.
Meanwhile, at the pillar's edge, Zhao Kunwu's forces encircled the pillar, but it showed no signs of change, leaving Zhao Kunwu bewildered.
When Mo Yuxi and her group arrived, the Green Bandits attempted to obstruct them. However, Qinglong quickly dispatched one of the overzealous soldiers a thousand meters away, and the remaining Green Bandits dared not challenge them further.
Zhao Kunwu quickly restrained his soldiers, advising them that these must be members of the Immortal Sect and it was best to keep a safe distance if they wanted to avoid trouble.
"Ding Wugu, where's the entrance?" Mo Yuxi asked.
"It hasn't opened yet, but I sense it's close. It should be soon!" Ding Wugu replied eagerly.
Mo Yuxi frowned and surveyed the area.
"Yan Chuan mentioned that when the Huangquan opens, there will be dangers. Mr. Wenruo, what kind of dangers might we expect?" Mo Yuxi asked Mr. Wenruo.
Mr. Wenruo smiled and said, "Saintess, you're asking the wrong person. You should consult someone who knows. I can only guess."
As Mr. Wenruo spoke, everyone turned their attention toward the distant Yan Chuan, including Ding Wugu's envious gaze.
However, when they saw the three thousand Silver Armored soldiers up close, their faces stiffened in surprise.
"What are they doing?" Yang Zhijiu asked, bewildered.
"Are they out of their minds? Covering themselves in rabbit blood?" Ding Wugu said, equally confused.
In the distance, the once Silver Armored soldiers had transformed into Blood Armored soldiers, their entire bodies now a deep crimson.
The front lines of the Silver Armored soldiers continued to shoot arrows, quickly killing rabbits and then covering themselves with their blood.
"What is this? Mr. Wenruo, have you seen anything like this in the texts?" Mo Yuxi asked, still baffled.
Mr. Wenruo shook his head, "We did catch a rabbit earlier, but it seemed normal. I can't quite understand Yan Chuan's reasoning."
"Yan Chuan must have some purpose for this, though he's not sharing it," Mo Yuxi said, her tone grave.
"Ha! The One Word and Shoulder King? These people must be out of their minds!" Zhao Kunwu laughed derisively.
"Haha!"
Zhao Kunwu and his subordinates laughed mockingly.
As Yan Chuan's army approached, covered in rabbit blood, they drew nearer to the pillar.
Yan Chuan paid no attention to the mockery and focused on the towering pillar.
"Buzz!"
A flash of yellow light suddenly burst from the pillar.
"The Huangquan is about to open!" Yan Chuan inhaled deeply and said.
"What?" Huo Guang asked, confused.
"Form up, gather together!" Yan Chuan ordered.
"Understood!"
"Form the battle formation!" Huo Guang shouted.
"Boom!"
The Silver Armored soldiers quickly regrouped.
The sudden assembly of Yan Chuan's forces drew the attention of everyone present, their eyes fixed on the central yellow pillar.
A flash of yellow light emanated from the pillar.
Suddenly, a yellow halo appeared around the clouds encircling the pillar.
The halo flickered, and several white clouds turned yellow.
"Eight Fiends Huangquan, as Yan Chuan said, the Huangquan is about to open!" Mr. Wenruo said, his expression tense.
"It's not just in the sky; look at the ground!" Qinglong said.
Where the yellow clouds covered the land, yellow liquid began to seep from the ground.
As the yellow liquid spread, it dyed the grass yellow.
The sky was filled with increasing yellow clouds, and the yellow liquid continued to expand across the land.
From the pillar, the expansion grew larger and larger.
"What's happening?" Zhao Kunwu's face changed color.
Nearby, a small white rabbit was happily munching on a carrot.
As the yellow liquid reached the rabbit, it began to tremble and its size grew visibly.
The rabbit's size increased rapidly, eventually reaching ten meters high and twenty meters long!
"A ten-meter tall rabbit?!"
Moreover, the rabbit seemed to undergo an evolution, its front legs resembling arms and its rear end resting on the ground, facing away from everyone.
"What is that? Why has the rabbit grown so large?" a junior officer exclaimed.
"The rabbit is huge now? What kind of monster is that?"
"A demonic beast? That can't be, it was just an ordinary rabbit!"
"A trick?"
"Sir, what should we do?"
The soldiers watched in fear as the rabbit, now ten meters tall, radiated a dark, menacing aura.
"You, go check it out!" Zhao Kunwu ordered a junior officer.
"Sir, I... I'm afraid..." the officer said, trembling.
"Get going now! Or I'll have you executed!" Zhao Kunwu snapped.
"Y-Yes, sir!" The officer, terrified, moved forward.
"Creeeak, creeeak!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
The archers of the Silver Armor Army were all expert marksmen, their arrows flashing as they struck down one white rabbit after another.
The dead rabbits quickly accumulated.
Huo Guang directed his troops to swiftly collect the rabbit blood using various vessels.
Soon, a bucket of rabbit blood was placed in front of Yan Chuan.
"Your Highness, what is the purpose of this rabbit blood?" Huo Guang asked, puzzled.
Yan Chuan scooped a bowl of the blood and poured it over himself.
"Splash!"
His chest was instantly drenched in bright red blood.
"Your Highness?" Liu Jin exclaimed in shock.
"There are two hours until dusk. Within these two hours, have all soldiers cover their armor with rabbit blood. Hurry!" Yan Chuan commanded in a deep voice.
Huo Guang's eyes were filled with confusion, but he obeyed without question. "Understood!"
"All troops, cover yourselves in rabbit blood!" Huo Guang ordered.
"Uh?"
The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment. But when they saw that Yan Chuan was also covered in rabbit blood, they followed orders.
Thus began a massive operation to slaughter rabbits.
Despite the sheer number of rabbits, they could not withstand the relentless assault of the 3,000 Silver Armor soldiers. The army killed rabbits while advancing toward the distant yellow pillar.
Along the way, countless rabbits were exterminated.
At the distant pillar's perimeter, Zhao Kunwu led his troops around the pillar. Yet, the pillar showed no signs of abnormality, leaving Zhao Kunwu perplexed.
When Mo Yuxi and his men arrived, the Green Scarf Army attempted to intervene, but the Azure Dragon swiftly threw a defiant junior officer a thousand meters away, silencing the Green Scarf troops.
Zhao Kunwu quickly restrained his men, realizing these were likely cultivators from the Immortal Sect and it was best to keep a safe distance.
"Ding Wugu, where is the entrance?" Mo Yuxi asked.
"The entrance hasn't opened yet, but I sense it will be soon. It should be imminent!" Ding Wugu replied quickly.
Mo Yuxi frowned and looked around.
"Yan Chuan mentioned that the Underworld will soon open and that it would be dangerous. Mr. Wenruo, what do you foresee as the danger?" Mo Yuxi asked Mr. Wenruo.
Mr. Wenruo smiled and said, "You've asked the wrong person, Saintess. I'm only guessing; I don't have any certain knowledge."
As Mr. Wenruo spoke, everyone turned their gaze toward Yan Chuan, including Ding Wugu's envious eyes.
But as they observed the 3,000 Silver Armor soldiers from afar, their expressions froze.
"What are they doing?" Yang Zhijiu asked, baffled.
"Are they out of their minds? Covering themselves in rabbit blood?" Ding Wugu muttered, equally confused.
From a distance, the once Silver Armor soldiers had transformed into Blood Armor soldiers, completely coated in red.
The front line of Silver Armor soldiers continued to shoot arrows rapidly, then grabbed the rabbits to bleed them and cover themselves in the blood.
"What is this? Mr. Wenruo, have you seen anything like this in the texts?" Mo Yuxi asked, equally perplexed.
Mr. Wenruo shook his head. "We caught a rabbit earlier, but I didn't find anything unusual about it. I can't figure out Yan Chuan's intentions."
"Yan Chuan must have a purpose for this, he just won't say!" Mo Yuxi said with a grave expression.
"Ha ha ha, the King of Words? These people have lost their minds!" Zhao Kunwu laughed.
"Haha!"
Zhao Kunwu's derisive laughter was echoed by his subordinates.
As Yan Chuan's army drew closer and all the soldiers were covered in rabbit blood, they reached the pillar.
Ignoring the mockery from the others, Yan Chuan showed no concern and focused on the towering pillar.
"Buzz!"
A yellow light suddenly appeared on the pillar.
"The Underworld is about to open!" Yan Chuan said, taking a deep breath.
"What?" Huo Guang asked in confusion.
"Form up, gather together!" Yan Chuan commanded.
"Understood!"
"Form a square formation!" Huo Guang shouted.
"Boom!"
The Silver Armor Army quickly assembled.
The sudden formation of Yan Chuan's army drew the attention of everyone, all eyes turning to the central yellow pillar.
A flash of yellow light surged from the pillar.
Suddenly, a yellow haze surrounded the pillar, and a few white clouds in the sky turned yellow.
"The Eight Demons of the Underworld, as Yan Chuan said, the Underworld is opening!" Mr. Wenruo said, his expression serious.
"It's not just above; look at the ground!" Azure Dragon said.
Where the yellow clouds covered the area, yellow liquid began to seep from the ground.
The yellow liquid turned the green grass yellow as it spread.
In the sky, the yellow clouds multiplied, while on the ground, the yellow liquid's spread continued to expand.
From the pillar, it kept growing larger and larger.
"What's happening?" Zhao Kunwu's face changed.
Nearby, a small white rabbit was happily nibbling on a carrot.
Suddenly, the yellow liquid reached the small white rabbit.
The rabbit shivered and began growing at a visible rate.
It kept growing larger until it reached ten feet tall, then twenty feet tall!
A twenty-foot rabbit?
Not only that, but the rabbit seemed to undergo an evolution, its front legs morphing into something like arms, sitting on its hindquarters with its back to everyone.
"What is that thing? Why did the rabbit get so big?" a junior officer shouted.
"A giant rabbit? What kind of monster is that?"
"Is it a beast? It was just a normal rabbit before!"
"An illusion?"
"Sir, what should we do?"
...
The soldiers watched in terror as the once ordinary rabbit transformed into a towering monstrosity, their eyes filled with fear.
"You, go check it out!" Zhao Kunwu ordered a junior officer.
"Sir, I... I'm afraid..." the officer said, trembling.
"Get moving! If you don't, I'll deal with you myself," Zhao Kunwu barked.
"Yes! Yes!" The officer, frightened, approached the giant rabbit.
"Creak, creak!"
The giant rabbit made strange noises as it turned around to face the soldiers.
The junior officer approached hesitantly, his long knife trembling in his hand.
He dared not circle around to the front. Instead, he stepped closer and thrust his knife toward the giant rabbit.
The knife was about to penetrate the rabbit's body when—
"Whoosh!"
A flash of white light sent the officer flying. A massive furry hand grabbed him.
The giant white rabbit spun around at incredible speed and caught the officer in its grasp.
"Help! My lord, help!" The officer cried out in terror.
But the Green Scarf Army seemed paralyzed with fear, the entire 2,000-strong force retreating instinctively.
"What... what is this monster?" a Green Scarf soldier shouted.
The giant white rabbit turned around, and it was no longer just a giant white rabbit.
It had a face that was almost human-like, no, more like demonic. Its crimson eyes were the size of lanterns, its face surrounded by black mist. When it opened its mouth, it revealed serrated teeth like saw blades.
"Creak, creak!"
The sound of the rabbit's teeth grinding together was like two giant saws clashing.
It was utterly horrifying.
"Help!" the officer held by the giant rabbit continued to scream.
The rabbit seemed annoyed by the cries, its gaze fixed on the small officer in its hand.
The rabbit grinned, and the officer knew it was the most terrifying smile he had ever seen.
But before he could think further, the rabbit brought him to its mouth.
"No!" the officer screamed in horror.
"Crunch!"
Like biting into a carrot, the rabbit bit the officer in half, blood spraying everywhere.
"Crunch, crunch, crunch!"
The giant rabbit chewed on the officer's half, enjoying its meal.
Eating people?
The soldiers had killed countless enemies, but they had never seen someone devoured like a carrot. Even those used to a sea of corpses felt their legs go weak, their stomachs churning.
"Ah!"
"Crunch, crunch, crunch!"
The other half of the officer's body was soon devoured, the rabbit's face showing delight.
"Underworld Rabbit Demon? Is this the Underworld Rabbit Demon?" Yang Zhijiu said, his face pale.
"Is it starting?" Mr. Wenruo said, frowning slightly.
In the distance, having finished eating one person, the rabbit looked at the Green Scarf Army with a greedy gleam in its eyes.
"Boom!"
The rabbit leaped toward the Green Scarf Army.
"No, stay away, stay away!" some Green Scarf soldiers shouted in terror.
"Fire, fire!" Zhao Kunwu yelled in panic.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
...
A hail of arrows shot toward the rabbit.
But the rabbit was no ordinary rabbit anymore; it had been corrupted by the yellow liquid into the Underworld Rabbit Demon.
Hundreds of arrows shot out.
"Bang!"
All the arrows were deflected off the rabbit's fur.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The rabbit charged forward, swatting soldiers aside and grabbing a Green Scarf soldier.
"Don't eat me!"
"Help!"
Two Green Scarf soldiers screamed.
But the Rabbit Demon had no interest in 'carrots.'
"Crunch!"
"Crunch, crunch, crunch!"
The sounds of chewing and crunching