Red Luo Stone

Zhao Ke looked around again, only to find that the place before him was not a temple at all, but some unknown ruins.

"Snap snap snap..."

Looking down, the ground was covered with dense small snakes, like rattlesnakes, slapping their tails against each other. The hallucinatory sound was produced by their slapping.

"Ahhh... so comfortable!"

The fatty, who had been sitting next to Zhao Ke, was sitting on a rock, his eyes rolling back. He was tightly coiled by a large snake, groaning weakly.

At this moment, the large snake opened its mouth and inhaled, a wisp of Vitality emerging from the fat man's mouth and nose, and being continuously sucked into the snake's mouth. Immediately, the fat man's skin began to shrivel, and he instantly looked several years older.

However, he was not dead, merely unconscious. After all, this was a long-term business, and they couldn't kill everyone.

What surprised Zhao Ke, however, was that after these large snakes absorbed people's Vitality, they didn't swallow it themselves. Instead, they gathered the Vitality into a ball in their mouths and sprayed it onto a stone about the size of a fist behind them.

Absorbing the Vitality fed back by the large snakes, the treasure bead became increasingly rosy, shimmering with an eerie rainbow light.

Seeing this, the large snake's face showed a satisfied expression. It turned around and began to devour the corpses from which the Vitality had been drained.

"Don't be afraid, I'll make sure you die comfortably."

At this moment, Zhao Ke's earlobe felt hot. He saw a woman's face gradually appear on the snake face before him, intimately pressing against Zhao Ke's cheek. The snake woman's mouth opened, wider and wider.

"No, don't!"

Seeing Zhao Ke's ashen expression, she couldn't help but feel triumphant and filled with glee. In her eyes, Zhao Ke was already her prey.

Her thick snake body tightly coiled around Zhao Ke's waist. Even if he woke up from the hallucination, he wouldn't be able to break free.

However, just as she opened her mouth to its widest, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a cunning glint in Zhao Ke's eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and before she could react.

"Pfft!"

A heart-wrenching, excruciating pain struck her like lightning. A dagger was fiercely plunged into her mouth.

The dagger was buried up to the hilt. Zhao Ke gave a forceful swing, instantly slicing open a deep, bone-revealing gash in the snake's mouth.

"Ah!"

In agony, the snake woman couldn't care about Zhao Ke. She swept her tail, flinging Zhao Ke away from her.

Zhao Ke rolled on the ground and looked up, only to see all the surrounding large snakes turning their attention to him upon hearing the commotion.

"Hiss hiss..."

A human face gradually appeared on the face of a white snake. Zhao Ke recognized it as the old cultivator. It slithered towards Zhao Ke, its usually benevolent face now contorted with ferocity.

"Benefactor, why do you wish to leave before you've had your fill of fun?"

Zhao Ke's eyes swept over the gem behind the white snake. He narrowed his eyes. Instead of retreating, he gritted his teeth and lunged forward at the white snake.

Seeing Zhao Ke charging towards her, the white snake grinned, opening its mouth to bite at his head. The attack was swift and vicious, showing no intention of letting Zhao Ke live, aiming to kill him first.

A white blur flashed, its speed astonishing. The old nun's bite nearly swallowed half of Zhao Ke's body. However, as her jaws clamped down, the large snake's eyes suddenly widened.

A Great Iron Pot was stuck firmly in its mouth, causing her eyes to go wide with pain.

This Great Iron Pot was something Zhao Ke had scavenged from Xiong Er's home and stored in his Post Album for emergencies. He hadn't expected it to be useful here.

Forged from pure cast iron, the pot weighed over fifty pounds. If it weren't for the Bear Coat Stamp that doubled his strength, he might not have been able to lift it.

Zhao Ke sneered. Taking advantage of the old cultivator's momentary daze, he flipped over her back and snatched the bright red gem into his hand.

As soon as the gem was in his grasp, a coolness surged from it, chilling his hand like a block of ice. Zhao Ke couldn't help but shiver. He willed, "Transform!"

Instantly, his palm felt lighter. Zhao Ke sensed a change in his Post Album and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy: "A pot for a gem, this is a profitable trade, no loss at all."

However, just as he was reveling in his good fortune, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound from behind him. He instinctively ducked, a powerful gust of wind whizzing past his hair.

With a "bang!", a nearby rock was smashed to pieces. Looking again, Zhao Ke saw that it was the iron pot. He twitched the corner of his mouth. If he hadn't dodged quickly, his head would likely have been smashed open.

"Tear him apart!"

The old cultivator turned back, her eyes turning red upon seeing her Red Luo Pearl missing. She shouted at the other snake women, ordering them to attack Zhao Ke.

In fact, they didn't need her command. The snake women were already pouncing at Zhao Ke from all directions. That Red Luo Pearl was as precious as their lifeblood. They were all red-eyed, wishing they could tear Zhao Ke to shreds.

However, before they could reach him, Zhao Ke's lips curved slightly. He waved his hand at these demons and monsters, silently chanting, "Return!"

"Bang!"

Several snake women lunged forward, only to grasp at empty air. Zhao Ke's figure gradually became ethereal, and then, bit by bit, he vanished into thin air.

"No!"

Seeing this, the white snake, which the old cultivator had transformed into, widened its eyes. After its chest heaved, it spat out a mouthful of blood, and its massive body crashed heavily to the ground.

Zhao Ke's vision went black. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing outside the shop.

He glanced at the electronic clock hanging inside the door. The time was still the same day he had entered the horror space. It seemed as though only a few minutes had passed while he stood there.

He looked at the package in his hand, patted his numb face, and even wondered if he had just had a dream.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Ke walked back into the shop, closed the door, and placed the package on the table. After pondering for a while, Zhao Ke didn't open the package. Instead, with a thought, he summoned his Post Album.

He wanted to confirm that his recent experience wasn't a hallucination, and also to ascertain what exactly he had obtained from Xiangshan Nunnery.

A thick Post Album floated before him according to Zhao Ke's will.

The corners were worn smooth, revealing a bright copper color that gave off an indescribable feeling under the light.

Seeing the Post Album floating before him, Zhao Ke's eyes lit up. Even though his expression remained unchanged, his heart couldn't help but feel excited.

He opened the Post Album and saw that many stamps were already affixed. However, two stamps stood out exceptionally among the rest.

One was a Bear Coat emitting a black glow. On a dark green background, a bloody bear hide hung in the center, with blood dripping from it. Upon closer inspection, it even gave one the illusion that the bear hide was slightly wriggling, as if it were still alive.

It was thanks to this stamp that the Post Album's permissions were unlocked in advance, doubling his strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't know if he could have survived Zhuangyuan Tower and returned alive.

But one thing was certain: he definitely wouldn't have gained such a significant reward.

Zhao Ke turned his gaze to the other stamp, his eyes filled with anticipation. An item that could make those snake demons so agitated surely wouldn't be ordinary.

It was a very strange stamp. Inside the stamp, a white snake was coiled, holding a stone in its mouth – a blood-red gem that exuded a sinister, enchanting red light. After Zhao Ke looked at it for a few moments, his chest felt stifled and nauseous, and he immediately felt a sense of alarm. He quickly averted his gaze and stopped looking.

After a while, the stifling feeling in his chest subsided. When he looked at the description below, Zhao Ke's brow furrowed.

Material Stamp (Precious): Red Luo Stone

Special Use 1: Absorption Utilize the Vitality within the Red Luo Stone to enhance one's own strength. (Note: Absorbers must possess a certain degree of special power; ordinary people cannot absorb it. Prolonged contact can be fatal.)

Special Use 2: Crafting Can be used to create items with illusionary abilities using Red Luo Stone. The effectiveness depends on the crafter's skill. (Note: Powder from the Red Luo Stone can induce intense hallucinations.)

Seeing the description below, Zhao Ke felt an indescribable disappointment. Although the stamp was labeled "Precious," it seemed to be of no use to him at the moment.

However, Zhao Ke reconsidered. After all, it was something that made the old cultivator so tense and angry, so its effect couldn't be as useless as he thought. He might not need it now, but perhaps he would in the future.

With that thought, he put away the Post Album and turned his gaze to the package on the table.