112: Altar? Demon's Den

Li Muchen walked out of his room and ran into Chen Feng, who was hurrying over. Chen Feng's face was still somewhat pale, but his eyes held much more resolve than the day before.

"Muchen, last night you..." Chen Feng hesitated, clearly having sensed something.

"I went to investigate and found some clues," Li Muchen said briefly. "Get your things ready, we're leaving immediately."

"Where to?"

"Snow Nest."

Chen Feng's face instantly paled, clearly filled with fear at the name, but he gritted his teeth and gave a firm nod. "Alright!"

The two didn't check out of their room, simply leaving enough money on the table. Li Muchen then went to find the innkeeper and, under the pretext of "seeking out ancient sites in the mountains," inquired about the specific location and path to the "Snow Nest."

Upon hearing the words "Snow Nest," the innkeeper's expression changed and he repeatedly waved his hands. "That place is not to be visited! It's terribly sinister! The elders all say it's the 'Mountain God's ice cellar.' Living people who go in never come out! In recent years, strange events have been constant. People who went in to gather herbs or hunt often disappear inexplicably, their bodies never found! Sirs, listen to my advice, you truly must not go there!"

Li Muchen thanked the innkeeper for his concern but did not change his mind. Seeing his determination, the innkeeper sighed and roughly pointed the way—enter the mountains from an almost snow-buried animal trail behind the inn, head northwest over two mountain peaks, to a massive, perpetually sunless, shaded mountain basin.

"That basin is like a giant mortar. The snow inside doesn't melt even in summer, bottomless, hence the name 'Snow Nest.' If you insist on going, be extremely careful. If you see anything amiss, turn back immediately!" the innkeeper repeatedly urged.

Leaving the inn, the two stepped into the vast, snow-covered mountain range.

The mountain path was indeed difficult. The snow reached past their calves, the trees were sparse, the rocks jagged, and the cold wind cut like a knife. Although Chen Feng had cultivation, the strain and fear of the past few days had taken a heavy toll, and he struggled with the trek. Li Muchen occasionally transferred a wisp of gentle True Qi to him, helping him resist the cold and recover his strength.

The deeper they went, the more silent the mountain forest became. Traces of birds and beasts were nearly extinct. Even the sound of the wind seemed absorbed by the heavy snow, leaving only the crunch of their footsteps and their heavy breathing.

After crossing the second mountain peak and standing on the ridge to look down, the sight before them made Chen Feng suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

It was an unimaginably massive basin, as if cleaved out by a giant axe of a Heavenly God. Three sides were nearly vertical cliffs, towering thousands of feet high, covered in thick layers of ice and snow, reflecting a bleak, cold light under the pale winter sky. Only the side they were on had a slightly gentler slope, but it too was covered in jagged boulders and deep snow.

At the bottom of the basin was a heart-stopping expanse of pure white. The accumulated snow, who knew how many years old, was dozens of zhang thick. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, yet faintly showed an unnatural, slightly bluish tint. Standing on the ridge, they could feel waves of Yin-cold, bone-piercing air currents rising from the basin floor.

This was the Snow Nest.

Li Muchen focused his gaze, his pupils slightly contracting.

In his spiritual perception, this vast basin was far more than just treacherous terrain and deep snow. The entire basin was enveloped by a vast and obscure power of a Formation!

This Formation was not a simple killing or illusion array, but a complex composite Formation for "concealment," "Yin-gathering," and "spirit-locking"! It tightly locked in and continuously accumulated the special earth vein Yin Qi and the cold Qi of the snow at the basin floor, creating a perfect extreme Yin location.

Simultaneously, the Formation perfectly concealed all internal aura and energy fluctuations. From the outside, aside from feeling Yin-cold and lifeless, one could hardly detect any abnormality.

If not for Li Muchen's Divine Sense far surpassing his peers and the hints from the demonic turtle's memories, allowing him to investigate with intent, even he might have been fooled by this Formation.

"Indeed... a grand undertaking," Li Muchen murmured quietly. To set up a Formation of such scale and sophistication was not something an ordinary Cultivator could accomplish. The Five Immortals Alliance's investment in this place was evident.

He carefully sensed the Formation's weak points and the nodes of its Qi flow. Such a grand Formation must have a living gate and a core hub. Forcing entry would cause too much commotion and easily alert the enemy.

After observing for a moment, he pointed to a seemingly ordinary, slightly snow-covered slope on the eastern side of the basin. "We'll go down from there. Follow closely, don't take a single wrong step."

Chen Feng nodded nervously.

Li Muchen led the way. His steps seemed casual, but each one landed in the gaps of the Formation's Qi flow or on nodes of the earth vein's spiritual energy, cleverly avoiding all alert and trigger mechanisms. Chen Feng followed closely behind, stepping in his footprints, not daring to deviate in the slightest.

The descent was exceptionally arduous—the snow was soft and slippery, the cold wind biting. But even more unsettling was the ever-present Yin-cold sensation, as if countless cold eyes were watching from the shadows.

It took nearly an hour for them to finally reach the basin floor. Underfoot was snow frozen hard as iron, the cold Qi rushing from their soles to the crowns of their heads.

And here, the true scene hidden by the Formation gradually revealed itself before Li Muchen's eyes.

The floor of the Snow Nest was far more expansive than it appeared from the ridge. Near the central area, a large clearing had been cleared of snow! In the center of this clearing stood a square altar, about three zhang square and one zhang high, constructed entirely from some kind of black stone!

The altar's surface was densely carved with ancient, complex dark red runes, even more intricate than those in the underwater cavern and on the Grey-robed figures' robes! These runes seemed alive, faintly flowing under the bleak sky, emitting a heart-palpitating, sinister fluctuation.

Around the altar, arranged according to some arcane orientation, stood eight black stone pillars, also carved with runes. Atop each pillar rested an object: some were shriveled animal heads (fox, weasel, hedgehog, snake, rat), some were crystalline bones, some were tufts of special fur... all emitting intense Demonic Qi corresponding to the five immortals!

And directly in front of the altar, a neat pit had been dug in the ground. Inside was not snow, but a churning, viscous, dark red liquid, emitting a strong smell of blood mixed with faint Spiritual Qi—it was human blood blended with special medicinal herbs and talisman water! Scattered around the edge of the blood pool were the burnt remnants of "Tongyou Spirit-Guiding Incense."

What made Li Muchen's gaze turn even colder was that not far behind the altar, nestled against the cliff face, several crude stone chambers had been carved into the mountain! The chambers had doors and windows; the stone doors were currently closed, but Li Muchen's Divine Sense had already penetrated the stone walls, "seeing" the situation inside.

Of the three stone chambers, two were empty, storing some miscellaneous items. The largest middle chamber, however, was like a prison! Inside, five people were shackled with iron chains! Three men and two women, all young, wearing thin, tattered clothes, their faces haggard, eyes hollow and numb, bearing wounds and bruises of varying severity, their auras weak. Their wrists or ankles showed signs of being cut with sharp blades to draw blood!

And in a corner of the stone chamber, an old Taoist priest, also shackled with iron chains and wearing tattered Taoist robes, was curled up there, his life force faint. His robes bore the mark of Changchun Temple!

Chen Feng followed Li Muchen's gaze. When he saw the miserable state of the prisoners in the stone chamber, especially the old Taoist from Changchun Temple, his whole body trembled violently, his face instantly turning as pale as snow. A chill mixed with anger, fear, and sorrow shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

What kind of "Sacred Altar" was this!

It was clearly a Slaughterhouse for demons, a Sacrificial Ground for evil spirits!

Li Muchen slowly clenched the fist in his sleeve, his knuckles turning slightly white.

The night of the full moon... the Incarnation of the Five Immortals Ancestors arriving in person... the sacrifice of the Spirit Mediums... what a fine Five Immortals Alliance!

What a fine Centennial Grand Sacrifice!

Now that I've come today, this man-eating Demonic Lair shall not continue to exist in peace!