Li Fei frowned as she watched the retreating figure, enveloped in a faint black mist—another person about to become fodder for the Gluttonous Beast. The disciples sprawled along the streets, either asleep or murmuring to themselves, were similarly shrouded in thick black mist, no better off than the cultivators in the treasury. Each was gaunt and sallow, yet their expressions were oddly content.
Who could have imagined that the belly of the Gluttonous Beast would hold such a scene?
Li Fei took a few slow steps forward when suddenly, an intoxicating aroma of food and fine wine wafted through the air. Having eaten nothing all morning, the scent instantly stirred her hunger, and she found herself hurrying toward its source. The fragrance twisted and turned through countless alleys and streets until she reached an open doorway where shadowy figures crowded inside—the tantalizing aroma clearly emanating from within.
In the spacious open courtyard, countless tables were laden with unheard-of delicacies and fine wines. Around them, hordes of people were feasting and drinking. Among them were several familiar faces—not just female disciples from the Fire Lotus Temple but also members of the Embrace Sky Sect. Li Fei even spotted a No Moon Court elder in the crowd, guzzling an entire jug of wine, his robes and hair soaked, yet he seemed oblivious.
She stared in shock at every person there—each lost in drunken revelry, simultaneously satisfied yet hollow, as if consumed by insatiable craving. The black mist coiled thickly around them, growing darker by the moment.
Suddenly, a disciple convulsed and collapsed at her feet. His mouth and hands were stuffed with meat, yet his body was emaciated, little more than skin and bones. His skeletal face twisted with unfulfilled hunger as his trembling fingers clutched her ankle. His voice quivered: "I... I ate seventy chickens... Why... why am I still so hungry?"
Seventy chickens?! Li Fei watched in horror as he convulsed violently a few more times, then went still—dead on the spot. The dense black mist around him slowly dissipated, and his body began to levitate, as if lifted by invisible hands, rising higher and higher until he vanished from sight.
Yet none of the countless people around so much as glanced at him. A man had died right before their eyes, yet not a single soul stirred from their stupor.
Li Fei rushed toward the No Moon Court elder and grabbed his sleeve urgently. "Elder! Stop drinking! None of this is real!"
The elder acted as if he hadn’t heard. Annoyed by her tugging, he shoved her away and snatched another jug of wine, tearing it open and gulping it down. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with desperate craving as he muttered, "Good wine! Good wine! Why does it never get me drunk enough? I need more!"
Covering her nose and mouth, Li Fei stumbled back, too terrified to even consider tasting anything here. She summoned a cloud and flew away in haste—yet no matter how far she flew, she couldn’t escape the enormous city. Just as she reached what seemed like the edge, her vision blurred, and suddenly she was back at the city’s center. Panic drenched her in sweat—this place was like the most horrifying nightmare, chilling to the bone.
Frantic and directionless, she dashed about until she spotted a colossal tree ahead, its lush canopy spreading wide. Beneath it lay a small, clear pond surrounded by jagged rocks and a gathering of disciples. To her relief, none of them were shrouded in black mist.Li Fei hastily descended from her cloud, only to collide abruptly with a layer of Immortal Technique defense. By the pond, dozens of disciples immediately rose in alert, forming hand seals, their eyes filled with hostility as they stared at her. Seeing that she wasn’t shrouded in black mist, their expressions eased slightly, but they didn’t lower the Barrier. Someone inside called out, "Who are you?"
Li Fei quickly surveyed the group. These disciples wore uniforms from different sects, their cultivation levels and ages varied—some appeared fifteen or sixteen, while others looked around forty. The weakest had barely broken through the first Bottleneck, while the strongest seemed to have surpassed the fourth.
Startled, she cupped her hands in greeting and spoke gently, "I am Jiang Li Fei, a disciple under Chongyi Zhenren of the No Moon Court. Greetings, senior brothers and sisters. Recently, I accompanied my Master and several elders to hunt Demons and refine Mystical Treasures, but we unexpectedly encountered the Ferocious Beast, the Gluttonous Beast. After being devoured, I became separated from my Master and the elders. In my panic, I fled here and hope you will allow me to rest nearby."
Before she could finish, the disciples erupted into chaos. Some exclaimed in shock, "The Gluttonous Beast?! So we were swallowed by it?! No wonder this place is so bizarre! Then there’s no hope of escaping!"
Others wailed, "We were counting on the elders to rescue us! Now even that hope is gone!"
Each of them looked haggard, clearly trapped here for many days, clinging to the hope of rescue. Now that their last hope was shattered, the atmosphere plunged into despair. The disciples maintaining the defensive Immortal Technique lost heart and simply withdrew it.
"So hungry…" someone muttered weakly, lying on the ground. "Seven days without food. I’d rather eat those things on the streets—at least I’d die full."
Many voices echoed agreement. Li Fei gasped, "We can definitely get out! With so many of us here, how can we know unless we try?"
Someone nearby sneered, "How naive, junior sister. Do you think we haven’t tried? Do you know how long we’ve been trapped here? Ah, if we’d known there was no way out, we might as well have indulged before death!"
Suddenly, a rich aroma of wine filled the air, followed by the scent of roasted meat. The mingled fragrances were like rain after a long drought to the starving disciples. Everyone jumped up, searching frantically for the source. Soon, someone cried out joyfully, "The pond water—it’s all fine wine! How did we not notice before?"
Not notice? Impossible! Li Fei watched in horror as many scooped up the water and gulped it down, their faces blissful. They had been trapped here for days—surely they had drunk from the pond to quench their thirst. How could the water suddenly turn to wine? Such an obvious flaw, yet no one questioned it. Instead, they all acted as if liberated.
"The roasted meat is here!"Others began shouting with wild joy as they noticed the giant tree by the pond was now inexplicably hung with freshly roasted meat—each piece golden, glistening, and steaming hot. The disciples snatched the meat and devoured it ravenously, taking bites before gulping down large mouthfuls of wine scooped from the pond. Soon, the pond’s edge was crowded with people feasting and drinking, some even exclaiming in awe, “They say the ancient emperors indulged in pools of wine and forests of meat—who knew we’d get to experience it too!”
Someone eagerly called out to Li Fei, “Come join us, junior sister! It’s delicious!”
But Li Fei was filled with horror. She quickly summoned her little white cloud and soared into the air.
She had watched these people descend from sobriety into madness right before her eyes—it was utterly incomprehensible.
As she flew frantically away, her terror only grew when she realized she couldn’t escape the pond’s vicinity. No matter how far she flew, she was always flung back to the same spot, just as she had been unable to leave the city earlier.
Suddenly, flames surged across the sky, engulfing the entire pond in a sea of fire. Screams of panic and agony filled the air. The illusion before her seemed to split apart under the violent blaze, revealing thick, billowing black smoke that shrouded everything. At the edge of the smoke, a young man in white robes hovered midair on his sword, surrounded by flickering flames.
Ji Tongzhou? Not Lei Xiuyuan? For a moment, Li Fei was overwhelmed with crushing disappointment.
Then, in an instant, the young man’s attire seemed to shift—his robes now a pristine white with three black embroidered borders at the cuffs and collar. Dazzling golden light framed his striking features as his dark hair danced in the wind. He gazed at her with a smile.
Lei Xiuyuan!
Li Fei’s eyes burned, tears streaming down her face. With a choked sob, she threw herself into his arms, clutching him tightly as she cried out in desperate joy, “Xiu Yuan! Xiu Yuan!”
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