Chapter 21.

The bronze nail split open, releasing an extremely potent fragrance.

This scent could only be detected by the Pink Snake. Saliva dripped all over the ground as the snake hurriedly climbed onto the palm of the man, wrapping its arm-like body around the nail and forcefully pulling it out.

The man winced in pain but did not intervene. In truth, he could have easily removed the nail with a slight movement of his arm, yet he continued to feign weakness while lying on the ground.

Why had this little creature appeared in the Ghost Mother Temple? Was it merely a playful accident? What was its true origin? How would it impact this instance?

Numerous questions swirled in his mind as the man sought to uncover the secrets of the little creature.

Cradled in his palm was a soft, jelly-like, crystal-clear substance with a cool, smooth, and delicate texture, incredibly unique. The tightly furrowed brows of the man involuntarily relaxed slightly. However, he never forgot that in a world of darkness and despair, the more beautiful something appeared, the more deadly dangers it concealed.

A chill emanated from the depths of his pupils as the man bit his tongue, coaxing out a thread of blood that solidified into a thin, blade-like shard, held between his dry, cracked lips.

Sensing a chill down its spine, the Pink Snake couldn’t help but turn back to look.

Facing the cryptic and murky gaze of the large insect, the Pink Snake let out two soft cries, showing no signs of defense. It knew the insect was severely injured and incapable of movement.

Turning back, it resumed its efforts to pull out the nail, putting all its strength into the task, its round face flushing with the exertion. This little creature didn’t seem like a product of the terrifying world at all.

The man’s eyes flickered slightly, silently warning himself not to be deceived.

The sound of loosening slabs echoed as the Pink Snake, exerting too much force, rolled out with the suddenly removed nail clutched in its grasp.

The man closed his eyes, feeling an urge to sigh.

How foolish…

“Chirp!” The excited chirping reverberated through the chamber, resembling a cheerful little bird.

The man had to admit that his utterly dismal mood had been shaken. He remembered his brother’s clumsy steps when he first learned to walk; recalled the scenes of his brother tossing his school bag after classes, roaming the house calling out for his elder brother; the two of them fighting side by side, swearing never to betray each other; the nights spent embracing each other, weeping from missing their lonely and bereft father…

Tears overflowed from his eyes, the man’s irises crimson, his heart wracked with agony.

Collecting himself, he casually looked towards the little creature.

The Pink Snake, clutching the nail, clumsily got up, its awkward movements resembling those of his younger brother in childhood. The man’s gaze involuntarily softened for a moment, but it was fleeting.

To be ensnared by beautiful appearances leads to a fatal demise!

“Chirp!”

The Pink Snake raised the nail, examining it excitedly. It then turned its head towards the odd insect, lifting the nail high to flaunt its prize.

The man’s expression remained gentle, yet the blood-red blade between his lips remained poised for action.

The Pink Snake was on the brink of starvation. The battle had depleted its energy. It stretched its neck, opened its mouth, and with both hands, slowly guided the nail towards its throat.

There was an acrobatic act called sword swallowing that he had often seen on television during his childhood. Distant memories flooded his mind, aligning with the current scene. A faint smile tugged at the corners of the man’s lips uncontrollably.

The brief moment of relaxation swiftly tensed up again. The dark glint in the man’s eyes grew cold. This little creature fed on artifacts, indicating a high rank and boundless potential. Allowing it to depart, granting it space to grow, would undoubtedly turn this instance into a hellish ordeal.

Gazing at the partially reclined stone statue in the darkness, the man shook his head, inwardly musing: in terms of danger, it seemed that not even the Ghost Mother looming nearby could match up to the adorable creature before him.

As the nail dissolved in stomach acid, a surge of energy exploded within his body, searing warmth permeating every cell, bringing unparalleled comfort. The Pink Snake hummed softly, cradling its round belly.

The man toyed with the blade using his tongue. To kill or not to kill, the decision rested solely on his whims.

The potent digestive function swiftly quelled the sensation of fullness. The Pink Snake eyed the remaining nails, saliva uncontrollably dripping. It immediately crawled towards the right side of the peculiar insect.

“So, you’re not drooling over me after all,” the man mused.

Was this a creature that did not prey on humans? Could it be possible?

The man once again toyed with the blade using his tongue, the coldness in the depths of his eyes never dissipating.

Raising his numb left hand, he made a slight movement. After removing the nail, his palm and the back of his hand bore puncture wounds. Strangely, not a drop of blood flowed from the wounds, and the stone slab pierced by the nail remained unstained.

Within the wound, the blood vessels subtly wriggled, akin to parasites navigating through the muscles, reaching their intended destinations to nourish the organs. Every drop of blood in this body was alive. The man could manipulate them as easily as his own thoughts.

After flexing his fingers to ensure his hand remained agile, the man turned his attention to the little creature.

The Pink Snake slithered swiftly, its gaze ravenous, drooling profusely. Its intentions were clear without the need for speculation.

With its assistance in dealing with the Soul-Annihilating Nails, the man refrained from making any rash moves.

A chilling gust of Yin energy struck the face of the Pink Snake, tousling its already disheveled hair. The candle flame flickered wildly, casting multiple shadows, causing the vision to blur significantly, accompanied by a fierce onset of dizziness.

Realizing something was amiss, the man immediately shifted his gaze to the remaining four nails. This was a psychic attack!

The Pink Snake suddenly halted, emitting a cautious growl. The intense hunger completely overshadowed the impending assault, causing it to disregard the attack entirely.

Another chilling gust of wind swept through, its sharp sound piercing. In this terrifying atmosphere, the four nails simultaneously opened their crimson-gleaming eyes, twisting their metal necks, casting malevolent gazes towards the Pink Snake.

Blood and Qi were forcefully extracted from the man’s body and infused into the nails. The man gritted his teeth, suppressing a groan that nearly escaped his lips.

It felt as though countless steel nails were flowing through his veins, making existence itself a torment. Beads of cold sweat trickled from his forehead, seeping into his eyes as he stared intently at the nails. If not for the forbidden arts within him, he would have been drained dry by now!

These few nails possessed sentience. They had foreseen that the seemingly adorable creature before them would systematically destroy them.

Locked in by four resentful gazes, the Pink Snake’s throat bulged slightly as it swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Momentarily stunned in place, it then changed course, crawling towards the right leg of the peculiar insect.

The four sets of eyes gradually shifted and flickered with unpredictable red glints.

As waves of Yin energy blew from behind, the scales on the Pink Snake’s body exploded. It surveyed the four nails, its voice shrill yet fierce, “F*ck your grandpa!”

The childish voice reverberated against the stone walls, echoing repeatedly, dispersing the atmosphere of terror in an instant.

The man tried to stifle a laugh but couldn’t help it, so he raised his left hand with a bloodied hole, covering his mouth.

The four nails: “…”

The Pink Snake continued to roam, its eyes scanning back and forth among the four prey items. The four human heads all gazed at it, their malevolent gazes chilling to the bone.

It was a peculiar standoff, somewhat eerie yet slightly comical.

“How absurd,” the man murmured softly, the blade held lightly in his hand.

He had never encountered a situation like this before.

The Pink Snake stared at the nails, the nails stared back at the snake, and the man had to keep his eyes on both. The three sides faced off for a long while.

The candle flame continued to flicker, casting shifting shadows. In the depths of the cave, the partially reclined statue in the darkness moved ever so slightly, a dangerous signal unnoticed by all.

The Pink Snake slowly retracted its exploded scales and slid towards the right leg of the peculiar insect. One nail pierced through the shoe and into the foot, deeply embedding itself in the stone slab.

The bronze head on the nail stared fixedly at the Pink Snake, its crimson eyes gleaming rapidly. Blood continuously flowed and stained the nail a deep red.

The man grimaced fiercely, spasming in pain. His body was the battleground for these two creatures.

The Pink Snake crawled onto the shoe, extending its delicate tongue to lick the bronze head. It was replicating a successful experience from before.

The man held his breath, awaiting the outcome.

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed…

The tongue licked once, twice, thrice…

The events that had occurred previously did not repeat at this moment. Whether it was an illusion or not, the man seemed to discern a look of humiliation on the bronze head’s dampened face from being licked.

He couldn’t help the slight curve of his lips.

“So, you really did wander into the wrong set. This is a horror film, not a cartoon,” he murmured hoarsely, surprisingly in good spirits.

The snake licked for a long time without any response, so it took a few steps back, emitting a perplexed chirp: “Chirp?”

Why isn’t it biting my tongue anymore?

“These nails all possess sentience. They won’t fall for it again,” the man explained.

The snake, not understanding, moved forward again to lick the bronze head.

The bronze head’s eyes flickered with resentment, but it dared not make a move. The other three nails silently observed, viciously extracting the essence and blood from the body. They were getting impatient.

The man focused on every drop of blood, reversing the extraction process to draw blood from the nails. It was a silent struggle.

As time ticked by, midnight drew near. The massive stone statue, partially reclined in the darkness, eyelids quivered silently.

The man, alert, immediately looked towards the statue, his gaze sharp.

“It’s time for you to leave!” The blade in his mouth melted into blood, swallowed down his throat as he softly uttered.

Regardless of the origin or potential growth of this little creature, he had no intention of delving further. Catastrophe loomed, and he needed to focus on self-preservation. Despite considering harm towards the creature, he couldn’t bring himself to act. In that moment, he let it go.

Removing a Soul-Annihilating Nail and releasing a friend’s soul, he accepted this fate. Dragging others down, using them as shields, repaying kindness with enmity—these were never his way of doing things.

Facing the innocent gaze of the little creature, the man urged, “Go, now!”

The Pink Snake chirped in response, seeming to agree. However, its chubby body suddenly lunged forward, mouth opening wide, swallowing the entire nail embedded in its foot. Head down, tail up, strung on the nail, its bulging belly vaguely outlined the shape of a human head, the tail tip swaying agilely.

This was the rhythm of insisting on devouring the nail even in death.

The man: “…”

The other three nails, with crimson gleaming eyes, silently watched this scene. Their resentful gazes solidified into a tangible malevolence.

In the depths of darkness, the massive stone statue’s eyelids slowly parted, dislodging dust.

The man broke into a cold sweat, solemnly stating, “If you won’t leave, I’ll make you!” With a slight grip of his left hand, a few drops of blood forced out from the wound, coalescing into crimson beads and shot out.

The bead hit the Pink Snake’s flailing tail, causing its body to flip, expelling the nail.

“Why aren’t you leaving?” the man reprimanded.

The Pink Snake paid him no mind, gazing at the wet nail in satisfaction. Following its gaze, the man’s eyes flickered.

On the bronze nail, the rust had dissolved, revealing a shiny golden surface. The features of the human head had vanished, with the protruding ears and nose melted away, leaving only two black eyes emitting a faint red glow.

This little creature’s stomach acid can corrode even superior magical artifacts!

The man was profoundly shaken.