Chapter 271 - 272 Escape Quickly!
Water pouches were distributed among the people of Stone Village, and though they now had drinking water, they were still shrouded by the specter of death.
Moreover, the water would soon be gone , and without the creek or the old well, they were still facing imminent death.
“Can we relocate the people of the village? The water sources here are all polluted, and we can’t continue to survive,” said Hu Bailing.
“That’s impossible. The moment we leave the village, swarms of Mourning Dragons will appear, and then we will be on the path to certain death,” Huang Lu shook his head.
“But we can’t just hide in this Stone Village waiting to die. Besides, look at your village walls—they can’t hold off the Mourning Dragons,” Song Luo said.
As several people were debating their options, Zhu Minglang heard some strange noises.
He left the group and walked towards the back of a barn.
Behind the barn was an old well, and Zhu Minglang heard the noises coming from there.
The water source from the old well was supposed to be contaminated. It had been sealed with wooden planks to prevent those driven mad by dehydration from drinking it.
“Save… save me…”
“Save me…”
The feeble cries for help, eerily emanating from the well, were unsettling in the extreme.
Zhu Minglang felt utterly horrified. Why would there be cries for help coming from a well, and most importantly, it seemed like he was the only one who could hear them—others appeared to be oblivious to the noise.
“Run… run away!”
Almost overlapping with the strange cries for help, another voice suddenly drifted out. Zhu Minglang listened carefully and realized that the cries were mixed with another kind of hoarse shouting, warning of something!
Was it a plea for help or a warning?
Zhu Minglang couldn’t distinguish the peculiar noises, and his heart was as if possessed by a desire to identify the source of the sounds.
“Run!!”
Suddenly, this shout was exceptionally clear, coming from the depths of the well as if mustering all strength to warn the living of the severe danger present—like a pained soul conveying extreme peril!!!
Zhu Minglang’s body shivered with cold, but he overcame his fear and lifted the wooden cover at the well’s mouth. Immediately, he was greeted by the sight of one corpse after another crammed in. The well was not filled with contaminated water but with the brutally murdered people of Stone Village!
Why were the bodies thrown into the well water???
Even if the water source was contaminated, this method of disposing of bodies was not appropriate…
“Save… save me…”
Just then, that low cry for help came from the barn.
Zhu Minglang turned his head and looked into the pitch-black depths of the barn, only to see pair after pair of malicious eyes eerily lighting up, staring at him with a chilling glow!
A Mourning Dragon, silent as a shadow, stepped out from the barn.
Its chest and belly were undulating, and the faintly opened mouth was not emitting the typical low growls of Dragon Beasts but the rhythmic, deep cries for help!
“Save… save me!”
“Save… save me!”
These sounds were coming from the undulating chest cavity of the Mourning Dragon.
It mimicked the cry of a human!
Zhu Minglang stared blankly at the Mourning Dragon hidden in the barn.
At that moment, Zhu Minglang finally understood why Li Xinghua had forbidden him from going into the night fog filled with cries for help…
These Mourning Dragons, they were using the cries for help of humans to lure their companions into their traps!!
“Yu Suo, protect Star Painting and Niannian!”
“This Stone Village is a trap!!!”
Zhu Minglang and the others suddenly realized something, and they rushed to shout to the people at the clearing in front of the door.
Meanwhile, a group of Mourning Dragons burst out from the barn, with long and crooked jaws, their upper teeth like hooks, once they bit into the flesh of living beings, it was simply impossible to break free!
Zhu Minglang didn’t dare to hesitate and summoned the Ice Morning White Dragon.
The barn was not large, but the pitch-black barn seemed like a demon’s lair leading to an underground dungeon, with one after another pouncing towards Zhu Minglang at astonishing speeds!
These Mourning Dragons were enveloped in a layer of demonic shadows, like the bat Demonic Beasts from the dark demonic caves, which bestowed upon them a terrifying power to drain souls. Even those with low cultivation bases could unleash fearsome destructive power.
It was not just the barn. Mourning Dragons appeared in the gloomy houses near Zhu Minglang, surrounding him and the Ice Morning White Dragon, making it difficult for Zhu Minglang to escape.
Elsewhere, on the clearing, Nan Yuso heard Zhu Minglang’s shouts coming from a distance away.
She was about to head in Zhu Minglang’s direction when she suddenly felt something, stopped in her tracks, and swiftly retreated.
From high atop a stone outcrop, sharp iron spears flew down, nailing into the ground at the spot where Nan Yuso had just been, splitting the earth!
“Whiz, whiz, whiz!!!!!”
Near the clearing, there were dozens of stone outcrops that had been empty, but suddenly figures appeared on them, all armed with bows and arrows and iron spears, launching a surprise attack on Nan Yuso!
The Chi Dragon was thankfully right beside Nan Yuso; it quickly coiled into a tight dragon ring, using its body to protect Nan Yuso as arrows and spears with tremendous penetrating power pierced its soft skin, and blood oozed from the wounds.
“Have you all gone mad??” shouted Hu Bailing.
Around the stone wall, on the cliffs with cold gleaming eyes were focused on Hu Bailing, Song Luo, Fang Niannian, and others. In the mist-shrouded night, terrifying silhouettes could be seen crawling atop the cliffs, poised like hunters waiting for their prey!
The middle-aged man named Huang Lu, at this moment, revealed a sinister smile. He and the other gatekeepers of the village swiftly retreated from the area, blending into the bloody houses behind them.
From the dark houses, one Mourning Dragon after another crawled out, their cheeks still smeared with the fresh blood of their latest meal, their claws drenched in blood, their whole bodies exuding a malevolent and evil aura, as if no amount of slaughter could ever satisfy them!
“The people of Stone Village who are still alive have been possessed by the Mourning Dragons!” came Zhu Minglang’s voice from the barn.
However, his voice was soon drowned out by a succession of growls, and from the windows of the village houses illuminated by light, one silhouette after another was cast, not of humans, but of Mourning Dragons with long jaws and terrifying talons!
These Mourning Dragons could traverse cliffs and crags like tigers and leopards, or climb upside down on beams like lizards and spiders. Some were even bizarrely flexible and boneless, hiding under the barn, emerging in swarms!!
The ones bewitched were not the water-carrying team but the people of Stone Village!
This second village of Pear Blossom Gully…
had become a lair of the Mourning Dragons!!