Brother Meng

Without much thought, the leader of the second group quickly opened the box and took a peek inside, only to realise that a bloody, dark, whirling power was gazing upon him. "No!" he shouted as he tried to run away, but it was too late; a thick, bloody tentacle grabbed onto his body, starting to pull him inside. Desperately, he tried to plant his legs onto the box and resist the dark force.

As the box absorbed the unfortunate cultivator, a realisation swept through the others. "We were fooled! That's not a treasure!" Panic set in, and everyone, except the allies of the unfortunate cultivators, ran away. "Brother, hang on! We will help you," they called out. However, as they came closer to aid, they too were sucked into the malevolent force.

As each cultivator disappeared into the depths of the box, it shut close, ceasing its ominous movements. The once lively chamber now stood silent.

Among the silence, one of the cultivators, filled with uncertainty, spoke to his elder brother in a hushed voice, "Brother Meng, what shall we do? There seems to be no escape from this chamber."

Cultivator Meng, sensing that his younger brothers and sisters were starting to feel hopeless, offered reassurance. "Do not worry; your elder brother will save you." His fellow disciples echoed in unison, "As expected of Brother Meng."

However, at that moment, another cultivator scoffed, "Hmph! Empty words of a weakling!"

"You dare?!" Meng's younger disciples rebuked in defence.

The provocateur sneered, "Talk is all he's good for. Trash like him can't do anything else."

Meng's younger disciples, enraged by the insult to their respected elder brother, countered vehemently, "Brother Meng is a true cultivator! His strength and wisdom surpass yours!"

The provocateur, undeterred, continued to belittle Meng, "Strength and wisdom? More like a facade to cover up his incompetence."

Meng, his expression calm, responded, "Actions will speak for themselves."

The provocateur scoffed, "Actions? What actions have we seen from you, Brother Meng? Other than empty promises and self-praise."

Meng's disciples, growing more agitated, shouted in unison, "You know nothing! Brother Meng has vanquished demons and conquered realms!"

The provocateur, unmoved, retorted, "I've seen no such feats. Perhaps you all are blinded by false loyalty."

The provocateur, unmoved, retorted, "I've seen no such feats. Perhaps you all are blinded by false loyalty."

Brother Meng, tired of all the clattering, decided to finally make a move. He dashed towards the box with his two-handed axe in hand.

"Courting death!" another cultivator made fun of Meng.

However, Meng paid no mind to the insult and shouted, "I will show you my true power!"

Laughter echoed throughout the chamber. However, it fell silent again after he actually managed to chop the box in half.

"Now kowtow five times, and I might forgive you!" boasted Meng while looking at the crowd.

The chamber, once filled with dispute, now shifted to disbelief. Meng's decisive action left the provocateur and others momentarily stunned. The shattered box lay at Meng's feet, its dark power dissipating.

Its power dissipating? That's what everyone, except Xia, who could feel the demonic power surging from the bloody liquid dripping from the box, thought. However, they were mistaken, gravely mistaken. Suddenly, the spilled liquid formed into a complete viscous mass and moved quickly behind Meng, stretching itself out to his height.

Meng's younger disciples shouted in unison, "Behind you!"

"What?!" responded Meng.

As he looked back, he was covered whole by the liquid, and no one could see his face clearly. Just the shape of his body trying to wrestle out of the liquid. However, it was too late. Brother Meng became nourishment for the dark red puddle.