The Mutation of Blood Rot Tomb

Although Zuo Qiu these words casually, An Jing sensed a madness beneath his calm tone that was no less intense than that of the Man in the Coffin.

This Historian's attitude toward history is as devout as that of the Rot Singer's pilgrimage to "Decay," a fanatical devotion that is frightening.

But what is he pursuing?

Now free from the pressure of survival, Zuo Qiu finally revealed his excitement at entering this place, becoming talkative and eager to share. Noticing the confusion on the Mature Sister Puppet's face, he laughed loudly:

"Don't you think history is interesting? Of course, the history of the Isle of Hope after the descent of the [Gods] is even more interesting!"

Here lie stories completely different from reality, countless extraordinary and bizarre tales. The closer you get to the underground, the more alluring this sense of the unknown becomes, because the history of the underworld is known to few. When you discover a story known only to yourself, the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction surpasses all the beauty in the world.

After a moment of An Jing, he nodded thoughtfully.

"Are you offering these fresh Memory to Him?"

"Fresh?

No, no, Puppeteer, you're wrong. These stories may be new to us, but for my Lord of Grace who has already witnessed all the history of the Isle of Hope, [Memory] is perhaps insignificant.

I am not a devout Believer in Memory; I am merely using Memory. His blessings grant me the ability to explore the unknown, and I can also conveniently transcribe old stories that I have memorized to Him—that's all.

I do these things mostly to please myself. Life is short, and we need a little excitement, don't we?

Just like you, even if you are a silent Believer, you have come here for a chance to see them.

Puppeteer, now that pilgrimage site of the Decay Believer lies beneath our feet, and the Blood Rot Tomb representing His will floats above us. Look up at that inverted cone-shaped tomb hanging in the sky, what are your thoughts at this moment?

Thoughts?

I may have no feelings about the Blood Rot Tomb, but I do have some feelings about you... this lying Historian.

Yes, Zuo Qiu lied.

The Master of Deception Card in An Jing's hand told her that the Historian's explanation of his Faith was all a lie.

Although she had lied in many ways, she had actually guessed where Zuo Qiu's lies lay!

He said he wasn't a devout Believer "Memory," but in fact, he was a devout Believer "Memory," and even just now, during this conversation at the edge of the Blood Lake, he was still practicing his devotion to "Memory."

But this offering is not simply a sacrificial Memory, but rather...

Let the Memory live on!

As Historian themselves have said, personal Memory may be solitary and hidden, but history is not, because it is always passed down orally from person to person.

At this very moment, my silence seems to have made me a recorder of the history of the Historian Zuo Qiu.

I witnessed him come here, witnessed him share his story, and witnessed his devotion to Memory.

This Historian wasn't sharing his observations at all; he was passing on the torch of Memory. He could have kept these secrets to himself, but he did, not to gain his own amazement or praise, but to have himself remembered the Memory.

So this is his path?

This Historian with a score of 2300 is no ordinary person.

An Jing frowned slightly and remained silent for a long time, pondering her future path. But as she thought about it, her eyes widened in astonishment and disbelief, and she said:

"The Blood Rot Tomb has sprouted!?"

"?" Zuo Qiu was taken aback, then laughed, "So it wasn't just me hallucinating from being too excited; it seems you did too..."

But he couldn't finish his sentence, because he noticed a splash of emerald green that had suddenly appeared in his blood-red, black-and-white vision, and it seemed...

It's not a hallucination!

He froze for a moment, then his expression became extremely exaggerated, and even his voice rose several octaves, becoming unusually sharp.

"How is this possible!?"

How could that be? Nothing is impossible.

Just as the two were trying to figure out how to get closer to the churning Blood Lake, an accident occurred.

Of course, it wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, everything before them was Cheng Shi by Cheng Shi. He stole the Faith of [Decay] and offered it to [Prosperity], causing [Prosperity] to descend upon the earth. Then, countless Vitality and the aura of [Prosperity] swept in with overwhelming force, heading straight for the pilgrimage site of the [Decay] Believer, leaving Blood Rot Tomb!

The two stood there stunned for a moment, and in that instant, they saw the giant python that had been scurrying and fleeing in the distance transform back into a tree, but no longer the rotten Rotten Wood, but a thriving giant tree.

The mist also swirled back, and the crimson soil of the ruins beneath their feet gradually lost its blood-red hue.

All the putrid blood on the vast ruins shrank back into the Blood Lake, then transformed into countless thick drops of blood, which poured down like a curtain of rain, returning to the Blood Rot Tomb.

Tiny sprouts emerged from the grooves of each character on the pyramid-shaped, upside-down tomb. As these drops of blood, flying back into the final tomb, submerged the sprouts, the newborn life withered instantly, turning into Decay debris that scattered and fell from the sky.

For a time, on the floating tomb, Decay and prosperity were locked in a constant struggle, while below the tomb, a rain of new life and premature death fell.

When the Blood Rot Tomb drained the entire Blood Lake in order to resist the invasion of [Prosperity], the strange underwater scenery that had never Mortal World before was finally revealed to Historian and Puppeteer.

With the fog clearing and visibility improved, Zuo Qiu and An Jing quickly saw what was buried at the bottom of the thick, blood-red lake.

But after just one glance, they stood there dumbfounded, their scalps tingling with fear.

People!

No, or rather, someone who is dying but not quite dead!

Countless decaying bodies sat withered at the bottom of the lake like blood-red pupae, stretching as far as the eye could see, densely packed and boundless.

"They... they are..."

Seeing this chilling scene, An Jing felt a jolt of electricity coursing through her body, and she finally realized who Zhen Xin had warned her to be wary of.

Along the way, they hadn't seen a single Decay Believer, nor did they know who was making their pilgrimage at this sanctuary. But at this moment, she understood. Perhaps even Zhen Xin didn't know that the Decay pilgrims had long since become one with this Blood Lake, becoming part of this Blood Rot Tomb.

So the Historian were wrong. These pilgrims who tried to gain favor from "Decay" did not turn to ashes, but sank to the bottom of the lake, becoming one of the countless blood-red chorus members!

The reason they are called the Chorus is because at the moment the Blood Lake dried up, countless wails, howls, and cries of sorrow resounded from the bottom of the lake. The voices of millions of pilgrims resonated together, turning into a lament of Decay.

The song was so moving and pitiful that Zuo Qiu and An Jing wished they could join in immediately and contribute their strength to help the lofty, Blood Rot Tomb resist the invasion of [Prosperity]!

But the idea crumbled after only a second.

Because An Jing reacted extremely quickly and silenced the surroundings, the two of them instantly snapped out of their dazed state.

When the sound faded away, Zuo Qiu suddenly snapped out of his daze, hands on his knees, panting heavily, and said, "Thank goodness you were here... Puppeteer, if it weren't for you, I might have broken my oath and joined them today..."

An Jing ignored Zuo Qiu and instead looked toward the place where Zhen had just entered the Blood Lake, where a "living person" whose body was not yet completely covered in blood was struggling to crawl out from the dried-up lake bottom.

This self-proclaimed most devout Rot Singer wished he had two more hands and feet to get him out of this place that was almost taking his life and soul. He roared and cursed as he struggled to get out, using both hands and feet, but he could not escape the pull of this "Decay" chorus.

But just then, amidst the ashes of prosperity scattered across the sky, a trace of green, not yet completely Decay, fell before his eyes.

The Rot Singer, having made up his mind, suddenly grabbed the last bit of green, and then all the blood drained from his body, his flesh healed, and he ran up from the bottom of the lake laughing maniacally.

The two watched all this silently, speechless for a long time.

"Ha, a Decay Believer who renounced his vows in a Decay pilgrimage site, behold, this is the exciting history I've been waiting for!"

As he spoke, Zuo Qiu took out the history book.

An Jing, she turned her head to look into the depths of the rainforest, her brows furrowed slightly, as if wondering how this terrifying Change had come about, and whether Xin Xin had finally received the person and response she was waiting for.