Ch. 104 – Evil God

The sound of the earthquake arose at almost the same time Feng Ye spoke. The ground shook violently, and sheets of sand and gravel rained down from the ceiling of the tunnel. Dust and grit settled on the hair of Feng Ye and his companions, but none of them paid it any mind.

Due to the sudden jolting, everyone instinctively grabbed onto whatever was nearest to them in an attempt to keep their balance. Fang Yang and Cao Zirui were already holding hands, and now they clutched each other even more tightly.

Hao Chen steadied himself against the wall beside him, brow furrowed. This sudden earthquake seemed unnatural. He could hear the sound of stones shifting, not falling rocks, but rather a series of rhythmic sounds that were drawing steadily closer…..

He whipped his head toward Feng Ye as a loud crash sounded in his direction.

Feng Ye also looked toward Hao Chen. Having just half-crouched to observe the layout of the array, he realized that the thunderous sound had come from right beneath his feet. Without a moment’s hesitation, he went to throw himself forward in a desperate attempt to escape his current position.

Hao Chen stretched out his hand, attempting to catch him,.

But just as power coiled in the muscles of Feng Ye’s legs, before he even had time to move, the accelerating rumble reached the surface and the ground gave way beneath his feet.

With no leverage to be had, he plummeted straight down.

Hao Chen’s pupils constricted. Ignoring the shaking ground, he let go of the wall he had been steadying himself against and went directly toward the spot where Feng Ye had fallen, which had already become a square pit, pitch-black and bottomless.

Hao Chen intended to throw caution into the wind and jump straight down, but the pit suddenly closed up, sealed away by stone.

Simultaneously, the stone beneath his feet began to rise.

It rose up vertically like an elevating platform, and Hao Chen glanced upward to find that a gap had appeared in the ceiling overhead. The stone block ascended at a rapid speed, and he didn’t have the slightest chance to react before he was transported to an entirely different location.

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui watched helplessly as Feng Ye and Hao Chen vanished before their eyes. The two were powerless, and could only hold on tight to each other amidst the violent tremors.

At last, the shaking subsided in the wake of Feng Ye and Hao Chen’s disappearance. The two of them were still in the original passageway, which had somehow avoided collapse after enduring such violent shaking. Nothing had fallen but a scattering of dirt.

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui brushed the dust from their clothes, then covered their noses and coughed a few times before they finally had the presence of mind to analyze their predicament.

This earthquake was rather peculiar, and didn’t seem to have been a natural occurrence. Both of them were able to sense this to some extent, and as he recalled Wang Wu’s words from earlier, Fang Yang couldn’t help but speculate: “Could this be the work of the ghosts haunting the ruins?”

But he hadn’t heard of any ghosts or monsters powerful enough to cause an earthquake…..

Cao Zirui thought for a moment, but was unable to come up with an alternate explanation. “What do we do now?” he asked.

He glanced over his shoulder as he spoke. This section of the tunnel remained intact, but the path they had taken to get here…..was completely blocked off.

Fang Yang followed his gaze. This time, there was truly no turning back, though he hadn’t had any intention of doing so anyway. He proposed: “Let’s keep moving forward to figure out where this passageway leads, and search for Shixiong and Hao-dage along the way.”

To be honest, Fang Yang was actually deeply apprehensive about being separated from Feng Ye and Hao Chen, more out of concern for them than for himself.

After all, these two were at the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining respectively, their low cultivation bases more rigid than iron. He had already advanced to Foundation Establishment, yet Feng Ye’s cultivation showed no sign of improvement.

As for Cao Zirui, although his internal injuries had yet to heal, after taking it easy for the past few days, his movement was no longer hindered. At the very least, his combat ability was still superior to that of Feng Ye and Hao Chen combined.

The four of them were now separated, and the manner in which they were scattered was far from ideal. The two strongest remained together, while the two weakest had been sent in opposite directions.

Fang Yang let out a melancholy sigh, sending up a silent prayer that his Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage would come to no harm.

Cao Zirui nodded in agreement to Fang Yang’s proposal.

And so, the two set off together, pressing onward into the even darker depths of the tunnel.

The passageway was completely silent as they made their way forward with Hao Chen’s luminous pearl in hand, the rhythmic tread of their boots the only sound to be heard.

Although they proceeded cautiously for some time, they encountered nothing out of the ordinary.

It was so quiet that it felt as if they were the only living things around.

Silence could be pleasant, but this excessive silence felt somewhat stifling. Coupled with the gloomy darkness of the surroundings, Fang Yang felt an uncontrollable urge to chat with Cao Zirui to lighten the atmosphere.

“Cao…..” Fang Yang had barely spoken a single syllable when Cao Zirui swiftly clamped a hand over his mouth.

He made a shushing gesture, and Fang Yang blinked his wide eyes. At first, he didn’t understand why Cao Zirui wouldn’t let him speak, but then he noticed it too.

He heard a sound in the darkness ahead…..the sound of chewing.

The two exchanged a glance and tacitly lightened their steps, tiptoeing as they crept closer to the source of the sound.

Fang Yang raised the pearl in his hand, trying to illuminate the darkness ahead.

Finally, as they drew near, they caught a faint glimpse of the person making the sound.

No, not a person.

That was just a human skeleton…..

The skeleton was crouched at the side of the passageway, holding a leg in its hand and gnawing on it with apparent relish.

It was a human leg.

The skeleton tore at the flesh and viscera, biting off a chunk and chewing it a handful of times before swallowing it down.

But it didn’t have a stomach at all…..

It was nothing but a skeletal frame, lacking an esophagus and internal organs. The chunks of flesh it swallowed fell straight to the ground, and the bloody meat smeared against its ribs, staining the white bones red.

Fang Yang and Cao Zirui felt their gorge rise at the sight.

Suppressing the urge to retch, the two exchanged an uncertain glance.

It would be impossible to identify the leg’s owner by the sight of it alone, but the two of them were able to do so, because the scraps of fabric still clinging to the leg bore a striking resemblance to Wang Wu’s clothing.

In this desolate wilderness, aside from their group of four, the only other people around were those two bandits. Therefore, there were nine chances out of ten that the human leg belonged to Wang Wu.

Despite feeling that Wang Wu was such a terrible person that being drawn and quartered by five horses wouldn’t be an excessive punishment, Fang Yang and Cao Zirui couldn’t just ignore a skeleton chewing on a human leg.

Since this thing ate people, it was undoubtedly malevolent, and as cultivators, it was only natural that they should eliminate it at once.

They exchanged a nod, then quietly drew their swords, intending to sneak up on the skeleton and put an end to it.

The passageway was shrouded in darkness, with their pearl as the only source of illumination. By all rights, the two of them should have been highly conspicuous, yet the skeleton completely failed to notice them. It simply clutched the human leg and chewed away with great enthusiasm.

The two of them crept to within three meters of the skeleton and moved to encircle it. But just as they signaled each other to attack, the skeleton stopped chewing.

Its skull suddenly turned, first toward Fang Yang, and then toward Cao Zirui. Its empty eye sockets were incapable of displaying emotion, but inexplicably, both of them sensed its delight.

And the reason for that delight?

It had just encountered fresher meat.

The skeleton tossed aside the human leg in its hands and lurched unsteadily to its feet, then lunged toward Fang Yang and Cao Zirui.

Meanwhile, Hao Chen had been transported by the suddenly shifting stone to an entirely new passageway, one far more spacious than the previous one.

But despite its spaciousness, it was just as dark.

He had been sharing a luminous pearl with Feng Ye, and it had been transported along with him to somewhere unknown.

Hao Chen felt around in his pocket and took out a new one.

He was no longer that fish who had ventured out into the world without a penny to his name. While in North Sea City, he had fully replenished his equipment.

Not only had he replaced his broken folding fan, but he had also brought along a pouch filled with valuable treasures, just in case of an emergency.

Because he wanted to demonstrate his charm to Feng Ye, and financial clout was, after all, a major factor in a man’s attractiveness.

But it was a pity. Who would have thought that after leaving North Sea City and spending barely two days at Lingxiao Sword Sect, he would end up in a backwater place like Longqiu where he had nowhere to flaunt his considerable wealth?

Still, his preparations weren’t entirely in vain, and the luminous pearls came in handy at just the right moment.

He also had far more than two of them.

As for why he hadn’t handed one out to everyone just now, did it even require explaining? Clearly, it was so that he could get a little closer to Feng Ye and eat his tofu.

If not for the sudden activation of the array, he might well still be holding hands with Feng Ye right now.

Hao Chen surmised that the tremors had been caused by the array’s activation. He knew nothing about arrays himself, but he had heard Feng Ye shout out what it was.

The Eight Ghost Illusion Array.

It certainly didn’t sound like an array that would be easy to deal with, but for his part, he wasn’t afraid.

Nor was he particularly worried about Feng Ye. What could possibly harm Yinglong? The ones truly worth worrying about were those two foolish boys, Fang Yang and Cao Zirui.

Hao Chen proceeded unhurriedly, fanning himself.

He was determined to see exactly what sort of thing was lurking here, playing ghostly tricks and stirring up such a massive commotion that ruined his private world for two.

After walking for some time, something worth noting finally appeared before his eyes.

It was a sedan chair, a highly-nuanced method of conveyance. Within human society, only those of high status were entitled to ride in a sedan chair, while those of lower standing were relegated to the task of carrying it.

And among those eligible to ride in a sedan chair, there were further distinctions regarding rank and status.

The level of status was typically conveyed through the structure of the sedan chair. Two-bearer sedan chairs were relatively common, whereas those carried by four bearers required the occupant to hold an official government rank.

An eight-bearer sedan chair, on the other hand, was even more significant and was only used for matters of extreme importance, such weddings.

And higher still, a twelve-bearer sedan chair was reserved exclusively for the emperor.

But when Hao Chen counted the carrying poles on the sedan chair before him, he determined that it would require sixteen bearers to lift it.

Who held a higher rank than an emperor of the mortal realm?

Hao Chen’s eyes flickered as a guess occurred to him.

And just as this thought arose, the sedan chair that had been sitting flat on the ground suddenly rose into the air.

Only then did Hao Chen realize that there was something beneath it. This place was so dark, and the illumination of the pearl so limited, that he had failed to notice it right away.

And the entities bearing the sedan chair were not living creatures, but sixteen human skeletons. With no need to breathe, they made absolutely no sound.

The sixteen skeletons lifted the sedan chair and proceeded directly to Hao Chen, where they each sank to one knee. The leading skeleton parted its jaws, and despite the fact that its vocal cords had long vanished along with its flesh and blood, it actually managed to speak: “We respectfully invite the great god.”

Hao Chen raised an eyebrow and gave his fan a dismissive wave. If this sedan chair had been carried by Feng Ye, he would have stepped into it with absolute delight. But toward these sixteen skeletons who were controlled by someone unknown, he felt nothing but revulsion.

He took a step, intending to skirt around the sedan chair and continue on his way.

But the skeletons also rose to their feet and trailed behind him step by step, as if stubbornly intent on seating him.

Growing somewhat impatient with them, Hao Chen prepared to give his fan a flick and finish off these nuisances once and for all.

But a voice suddenly rang out right beside his ear, deep and magnetic.

This sound that seemed to come from nowhere had already taken Hao Chen by surprise, but even more astonishing was the content of the other party’s words.

The man directly called out his honorific title: “Lord of the North Sea.”

Hao Chen frowned, quickly scanning the darkness around him to determine the other’s location.

The man seemed to know that Hao Chen was looking for him, and deliberately let out a low chuckle right next to Hao Chen’s ear.

Hao Chen whipped his head around, but all he could see was a heavy, pitch-black darkness. “Who are you?” he asked.

“Who am I?” The voice sounded from another direction. “That isn’t important. What’s important is that today’s events have nothing to do with you.”

Hao Chen narrowed his eyes. Although the other party refused to identify himself, he could more or less guess his identity. This could only be the imposter who looked exactly like Yinglong.

“You sent someone to steal a drop of abyssal water from my North Sea, yet you claim I’m not involved?” Hao Chen retorted.

“You are the renowned Kunpeng, a figure as majestic and towering as a mountain. How can you be so narrow-minded? I merely borrowed a single drop of water, yet that was enough to provoke you into descending all the way to the mortal realm to hunt me down,” the man said with a hint of a sigh.

Hao Chen’s involvement had been a complete surprise, both to him and to Feng Ye.

Hao Chen fanned himself: “For the one I like, I would naturally be delighted to offer up every treasure in my North Sea. But for you…..”

Mimicking the man, Hao Chen let out a playfully mocking chuckle: “Even a single drop of water is too much.”

The man took no offense to Hao Chen’s dismissiveness, and instead repeated in a murmur: “The one you like?”

“You like him?” The man guessed astutely.

Although he didn’t mention the person by name, Hao Chen knew they were thinking about the same man.

He didn’t deny it.

The man suddenly burst into laughter. This time, his mirth carried a hint of unexpected surprise, along with anticipation of watching a good show. As if doing Hao Chen a favor, he warned: “But he doesn’t like you. He’s not capable of liking anyone.”

He spoke with such firm conviction that although Hao Chen didn’t know where the man’s confidence came from, he immediately retorted: “How do you know that?”

“Because I understand him,” the man said matter-of-factly. “I know him better than anyone else in the world.”

What exactly was this person’s relationship with Feng Ye?

Hao Chen’s mind raced. The fact that this person had assumed Yinglong’s appearance was no mere coincidence. He must have come here specifically for Feng Ye. Yet as for the specific connection between the two of them…..Hao Chen was still unable to figure it out.

Just as he was about to ask a few probing questions, the man lost interest in the conversation and offered Hao Chen a choice: “The Grand Array has been activated, but I can still open a separate exit for you. You may leave of your own accord, and I will never lay foot in the Northern Territories again. From this point onward, we shall keep to our own paths.”

As he spoke, another faint tremor shook the ground. Hao Chen looked behind him and saw that where there had previously been nothing, a path had appeared.

And at the end of that path shone a faint glimmer of light.

An exit.

As long as he obediently took his leave, he could extricate himself from this twisted, convoluted affair, return to his home in the North Sea, and resume a life of quietly eating, drinking, amusing himself, and sleeping.

He would no longer have to trek through sweltering, insect-infested mountains, nor constantly be ordered around to do menial chores. It sounded quite enticing.

But Hao Chen merely smiled and refused without a moment’s hesitation: “No.”

This was a choice he had made long ago.

He couldn’t let go of Feng Ye, this dragon who was tough on the outside yet tender within, and whose inverse scale he had inadvertently touched. A dragon who, despite having every right to fly into a furious rage, only retaliated by thoroughly rumpling his feathers.

In response, the man let out a low chuckle. He didn’t seem surprised by Hao Chen’s answer. Those who were in love were always blind and reckless.

He had encountered many humans of his sort, but for the first time, he realized that those lofty, exalted gods were actually no different from mortals.

“Then just wait and see.”

His tone carried a hint of regret. Although he didn’t fear the Kunpeng, he also had no desire to let anyone ruin his carefully laid plans.

At the same time, he felt a vague, indefinable sense of anticipation, a longing for the day when this great, pampered god would hit a wall and suffer a truly crushing setback.

The moment the man spoke these words, the exit that had appeared behind Hao Chen closed again.

The sixteen skeletons chasing after him to carry him in their sedan chair also straightened up all at once. The leading skeleton spoke up once again, but unlike the deference from before, its voice was now a piercing shriek.

He howled at Hao Chen: “Evil god! You’re an evil god!”

The other skeletons behind him shouted four words in unison:

“Kill the evil god!”

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 103 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 105