The Romance of the Immortal Cauldron

Chapter 2176: Misfortune, Mud

Matthew seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, completely immersed in the strange scene presented by the Life and Death Order.

The scene was like a dream. The mysterious light was like a lively elf, dancing and interweaving in the air. The buzzing sound was like the roar of an ancient beast, coming from all directions and wrapping him tightly.

The light and sound together formed an indestructible cage of illusion, making it difficult for Matthew to break free for a moment, as if he was isolated from everything in the outside world.

However, Matthew was no ordinary man, and his life was a difficult journey through thorns.

The countless hardships he had experienced in the past, like a whetstone, had sharpened his will to an extremely strong level and also made him develop the habit of staying highly alert at all times and in all places.

This kind of vigilance is like a cheetah lurking in the dark, always ready to pounce on unknown danger.

At this critical moment, Matthew seemed to be suddenly awakened from a bottomless, chaotic dream.

In an instant, an extremely sharp light flashed across his eyes, which were originally a little blurry and dazed, like lightning, instantly dispelling the confusion in his eyes.

Then, like an agile eagle, he raised his head swiftly, his eyes sharp as torches, and looked straight ahead.

The skinny old man appeared on the platform without any warning.

The old man had a hunched body, and every inch of his skin was like a dry riverbed. He exuded an extremely unsettling and terrifying aura that made people feel extremely uneasy. The aura was like materialized black mist, spreading outward in wisps. Wherever it went, the air seemed to become icy cold.

Seeing this scene, Matthew's heart couldn't help but tighten, and he thought to himself: "I didn't expect that this weird old man actually had a trick up his sleeve! It seems that I underestimated him before..."

At this moment, the situation on the entire platform was like a pot of hot oil about to boil, with the wind and clouds rising and changing unpredictably.

The brief calm before the storm was about to come was now completely broken, as if the calm lake was hit by a huge rock, causing thousands of waves.

The tense atmosphere around them, which was already as taut as a fully drawn bowstring, was now like thick dark clouds that materialized, pressing down layer by layer.

The dark clouds became thicker and thicker, as if they were going to swallow up the entire world. They were so heavy that people who were in them could hardly breathe.

Every breath of air seemed to be injected with lead and became extremely heavy, so much so that every time Matthew took a breath, he felt like he had to use up all his strength and his chest seemed to be crushed by the oppressive air.

The skinny old man stood there, staring coldly at Matthew. To be more precise, he was staring at the life and death order held tightly in Matthew's hand.

Those eyes were like two sharp ice cones, as if they could see through the Life and Death Order, and seemed to contain endless greed and desire, as if the Life and Death Order was the most precious treasure in the world, and as long as one could get it, he would be able to control the world.

Before the skinny old man could say anything or react, a shocking scene happened.

His body seemed to be controlled by a mysterious force, shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Under Matthew's astonished gaze, in just a few breaths, the skinny old man who had been standing there as majestic as a devil had turned into a pile of mud.

The pile of "mud" exuded a foul smell, like the smell of death, slowly spreading in the air.

The only thing that could still be barely recognized was his face, which was as old as dry tree bark, and the wrinkles on his face appeared increasingly deep.

This sudden change made Matthew, who was just about to fight the other party, stunned.

His eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth slightly open as if he wanted to say something, but he was stunned by this astonishing turn of events and was speechless for a moment.

Obviously, Matthew had never expected such a bizarre situation. His brain was working rapidly, trying to make sense of this chaotic situation, to find out the reason for the old man's strange change, and the danger he might face next.

Matthew clenched the life and death order in his hand, as if only it could give him a sense of security.

He approached the pile of "mud" cautiously, taking every step with extreme caution, as if there was a minefield full of spikes under his feet.

As he got closer, the foul smell became stronger, making him almost nauseous, but he endured the discomfort and kept his eyes fixed on the old face, trying to catch some clues and solve this strange situation.

At this moment, the silence on the platform seemed to be able to burst one's eardrums. Only Matthew's light footsteps and his slightly rapid breathing echoed in the air.

The pile of "mud" just lay there silently, as if it had merged into the surrounding environment.

Matthew's eyes widened in astonishment, his heart was as if a raging storm had risen. He couldn't understand why the skinny old man who had been standing in front of him alive had turned into a pool of lifeless mud in the blink of an eye!

"Don't come near me anymore..."

Just as Matthew was approaching the puddle of mud cautiously step by step with full of suspicion, an extremely weak voice suddenly came out from the mud.

Matthew was very familiar with this voice; it was made by that skinny old man.

But at this moment, his voice clearly revealed a deep sense of powerlessness, like a candle in the wind that could be extinguished at any time.

"I...I have figured out everything..."

The puddle of mud murmured softly as if it were mumbling to itself.

Matthew stopped walking when he heard the sound, and just stood there blankly, staring at the horrifying scene in front of him.

"Matthew... I have been plotted against all my life. Originally, I thought everything would be fine after that old guy ascended to heaven. I have been preparing for a long, long time just to wait for this moment."

The voice of a skinny old man slowly sounded from the mud.

It seemed like he was talking to Matthew, but also like he was talking to himself.

"I always thought I could finally succeed this time, but, as you can see... I was tricked again."

The skinny old man's voice continued to ring out.

Matthew just stood there and watched silently without saying a word.

Although he still didn't know what had happened, at least the skinny old man was definitely unable to have any influence on him now.