Chapter 24: The Crack in the Ruins |
[Feb. 19th, 2019] . . .
Based on Xíng Zhǐ’s words, of the two seals remaining, one was guarded by the stone statue below the training platform at camp. Once they returned, she ordered the troops to vacate the vicinity, leaving about a mile between them and camp. She turned to follow the troops out after giving her orders, but Xíng Zhǐ beckoned her over before she could run away.
“It will take some time to manage this seal. Stay and guard over me; ensure that I’m not disturbed.”
The troops already left the area. Which one of them would dare disturb him? The words were there, but Shěn Lí choked them back as she stood motionlessly watching Xíng Zhǐ.
He pressed his hand on top of the statue’s head. As with the previous seals, a gradual light spread out while the land underneath trembled. Shěn Lí focused solely on Xíng Zhǐ’s face, trying to size him up.
The once dry soil gradually darkened with moisture, and tiny green sprouts wiggled out of the dirt even between the nooks and crannies of the tents. The air cleared. Unlike with the previous seals, this time Shěn Lí’s heart didn’t feel light and free but was instead heavy and weighted down by the clean air.
The feeling was fleeting and she didn’t dwell on it. She sensed Xíng Zhǐ was almost finished, so she walked towards him while avoiding his eyes. “Once matters regarding the Ruins are complete, I will return to the palace to receive my punishment.” She turned and walked away after saying this.
Xíng Zhǐ’s eyes darkened following her receding back.
. . .[Some time later in front of the Ruins.]
Dense black miasma seeped out of it, spreading all around. Very quickly the three seals activated and stopped the spread, roughly keeping the miasma contained, however, the miasma still managed to affect the emotional state of those nearby in the short time it flowed unchecked. It was fortunate the seals activated so quickly, else the impact of the cracked seal would have been devastating.
Unlike the Cold Palace of Atonement, which was created naturally through the forces of nature, the Ruins was an immense artificial space created by tearing out a piece of the world and isolating it in its own space. Xíng Zhǐ had created it as a cage to hold monsters hundreds of times more powerful than the single scorpion-tailed fox she fought against.
Shěn Lí’s eyes took on a grim light. She glanced to her side as Xíng Zhǐ stepped over to her. The miasma scraped against his clothes and hair, yet his expression remained calm and unworried.
This man. . . he really was the same.
She came out of her daze when she noticed a furrow creeping up on his brow. “What is it?”
“This place is in worse condition than I thought.” Xíng Zhǐ took two steps forward after speaking. He raised his right hand and slowly curled his fingers closed in a fist as he said, “But it doesn’t matter,” while smiling. A rattling rumbling sound came from the ground as a bright beam of light shot out, fiercely slamming into Xíng Zhǐ’s fisted hand and wedging itself inside his grip.
Shěn Lí stood transfixed. It was a chain completely covered in rust. Xíng Zhǐ held one end while the other end lay anchored in the ground. He moved his wrist and recited something to cause the rust to fade away and the chain to become taut in his hand.
Shěn Lí heard an explosive rumble from deep underground. Chains rose on either side of the crack. They further blocked the miasma, thinning it out and preventing it from obscuring their vision. With a clear view she was able to see that the gash in the air was about two feet wide and slowly decreasing in width as the chains squeezed in on it.
An ear-piercing shriek shot out from the Ruins inside the crack. Shěn Lí summoned her spear to her hand, her mind on alert and her body tense.
Seeing this Xíng Zhǐ calmly said, “Do not worry. They can’t come out.”
He barely finished his sentence when another shrill scream rang out. Things crashed and the earth around the Ruins trembled unendingly. Shěn Lí could feel the powerful killing intent of those trapped inside. Caged for over a millennium, their hatred for Xíng Zhǐ was beyond the bounds of rationality; they wanted to kill him desperately.
Shěn Lí frowned and the hand gripping her spear whitened in a fierce grip. Xíng Zhǐ’s hand holding the chain shook. The monsters’s voices before were indistinct and fuzzy, as though they were coming from a great distance, but a new voice rang out powerfully distinct and clear.
Xíng Zhǐ mouthed something, making his entire body and the chains held in his hands radiate an intense light. The ground shook even more violently.
Shěn Lí’s heartbeat sped up in sync with the tremors in the ground.
“I will kill you god of gods! I will kill you!” screamed the one inside the Ruins. The sound was so clear it felt like the words were spoken directly in her ear.
The impact was strong, like a drawn bow on a string. It reverberated in her head after drilling into her ears. Try as she might to withstand it, she finally succumbed to the pain and closed her eyes. Shěn Lí pressed her hand against her forehead trying to alleviate the pressure.
Her eyes were a crimson red when she reopened them. A murderous urge to kill surged up from the bottom of her heart. She wanted to fight! She wanted bloodshed! The urge told her the confusion in her heart would clear if she became violent.
Xíng Zhǐ’s robe flipped as he dashed over to her. His expression remained unchanged as he finished the last verses of an incantation. He didn’t look behind as he did this. The chain slackened in his hand and an even more fierce blinding light burned into it as it dragged on the ground. The intensity of the lighted chains on either side of the gash spiked up at this. The monsters inside wailed and screeched before abruptly falling silent.
At the same time the crack shrank considerably. All that remained was an inch-long demarcation that was barely noticeable. So that’s the seal holding thousands of monster beasts at bay, thought Shěn Lí.
Suddenly a wave of qi slammed into Shěn Lí’s body. Unlike the seals’ cleansing wind, this was a rough and abrupt energy that knocked directly against her gut, against the urge to kill that had bloomed there.
Black blood, like boiling water, erupted from her mouth. The blood vaporized and disappeared upon contact with the ground.
A cool breeze blew into the quiet.
“This. . . ” Shěn Lí stared stupefied at the ground.
Xíng Zhǐ answered with, “Impurities made poisonous by the monsters,” as he pulled out a white cloth from his sleeve. He held the fabric out to her.
Shěn Lí stared in a daze at the pristine white cloth in his hand. Coming to her senses, she reached for it and pressed it to her lips, wiping the residual bloodstain away.
Xíng Zhǐ walked to the front of the Ruins while she did so. He stood in front of the chain and gently rubbed the crack it was guarding.
“You were soaked in the miasma inside the scorpion-tailed fox’s belly when it swallowed you. The Demon race is very susceptible to the effects of the miasma erosion. While I was mending the seals earlier, I was also purifying the miasma in your body.”
It suddenly dawned on Shěn Lí the reason he dragged her along. “That’s why you were so insistent that I lead the way.” Her eyes became thoughtful as she asked, “Was that the only reason?”
“Yes.”
The answer gave her pause.
Xíng Zhǐ returned her gaze with a neutral expression on his face. Speaking in a light tone he said, “The fire seal is located inside the Ruins. The impurities have been purged from Your Highness’s body so there is no further need for Your Highness to follow me. Please return to camp and reorganize the troops. I will stay here and finish the job. Once done, I will return to the Immortal realm. Rest assured I will not inconvenience Your Highness any further.”
The wind blew between them catching the fabric in her hand and pulling it out of her loosened grip.
Shěn Lí gave him a fisted salute and in a flat voice said, “Many thanks to Immortal High God Xíng Zhǐ for helping the Demon realm in this crisis.” Finished, she coolly tossed her hair back, turned and decisively walked away.
She didn’t turn back to look so she didn’t see that Xíng Zhǐ watched her till she was out of sight.
. . .That night the moon was bright and clear as Shěn Lí put her tent in order before preparing to turn in for the night. She saw a shadow pacing back and forth outside as she did so. She loudly called out, “Come in.”
Shàng Běi lifted the tent flap and stepped inside. He wanted to be tactful but what came out of his mouth was anything but. He gave a heavy sigh and said, “Your Highness! Why’d you let Immortal High God Xíng Zhǐ go?”
Shěn Lí gave him a look before saying, “If Immortal High God wants to leave, who am I to stop him?”
“Aiii!” Shàng Běi uttered regretfully. “I knew I should have talked to him myself when I had the chance.”
“Huh?!” Shěn Lí spoke in nearly a shriek. “It was only a few days and you’re already infatuated with Immortal High God?” The words, as soon as they came out of her mouth, surprised her.
Shàng Běi stared blankly at her for a moment before getting his wits back from the shock. “Your Highness sure have a way with words. How could this one dare such a thing? It was just that, with the air being so clear and free of miasma these past few days, it’s been really wonderful. This one just thought, wouldn’t it be nice if Your Highness bumped into Immortal High God and decided to take a stroll around together, even if it had nothing to do with clearing the miasma, it would still help Your Highness feel better.” He shook his head and sighed again. “I. . . was also. . . kind of hoping. . . that. . . the air would stay clear long enough so those of my House could see the moon.”
That silenced Shěn Lí.
After Shàng Běi left, Shěn Lí became restless, no longer sleepy. Feeling confined, she got up and walked around camp. Tomorrow, she would lead them back to the capital. She watched as the soldiers chatted over drinks. She knew they were reluctant to leave and part with the clear sky and clean breeze. How great would it be if all the air in the Demon realm was this pure?
As Shěn Lí walked, Xíng Zhǐ somehow niggled his way into her thoughts. She thought about him leaving the Demon realm and an inexplicable urge to go to the Ruins came over her. She raised her head to look at the full moon surprised at herself. Before she knew it, her feet had taken her to the edges. Of course Xíng Zhǐ wasn’t here.
The crack above the chains had become so small it was practically invisible. The air was cleaner too. It seemed like the chains had been emitting faint light throughout the night. She reached out to touch them when a strange feeling came over her. She let out a self-deprecating smile at her own nervousness. She pulled her hand back intending to return to camp. A breeze from the crack brushed against her hair as she did so, startling her. A strange smell wafted its way to her nose. Frowning she raised her head to look at the moon, then the tiny dark crack. Another gust of wind burst out at her.
The scent. . . was very familiar, reminding her of Immortal High God. Suddenly an eye appeared in the crack, shocking her. She wanted to retreat but her ankles felt like they were entangled by something. The eye looked happy.
Shěn Lí was no amateur in battle. After the initial surprise wore off, she quickly reacted and summoned her spear. It lay in her hand reflecting the moon. She immediately aimed it at the eye but instead of piercing through, it felt like she was plunging into quicksand. She couldn’t pull back her spear.
Shěn Lí gritted her teeth and tried to call forth her qi. Instead of escaping, she lost more ground as the force pulling her forward increased in strength. She let out a yelp before being completely pulled into the crack, which then promptly disappeared. The breeze blew by in the now deserted space.
https://www.patreon.com/justreads