Chapter 2888: Fellow Daoists, Might I Ask What Year it Is? |
But to Su Yi, River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s outward display of respect actually meant that he was in even greater danger, as it meant that the River Ancestor was serious about gauging his abilities. If things came to blows, he’d only strike with even greater ruthlessness!
Su Yi’s thoughts raced. Something occurred to him, and he said, “Seems to me we’d best ask Fellow Daoist Peacock for her input.”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao paused, then nodded. “Sometimes, a single word is enough to awaken someone lost in a dream. You’re absolutely right, Fellow Daoist.”
The others nodded inwardly. After all, when it came to sheer understanding of the Cave of Obsession, who among them could compete with River Empress Peacock?
River Empress Peacock jolted out of her obvious daze. Then, without even pausing to think, she pointed into the distance. “That way!”
Everyone looked over and saw nothing but another boundless stretch of heaven and earth. It wasn’t at all obvious why she’d want to go there.
River Empress Peacock added, “The road ahead will be dangerous. We might die at any moment.”
The others’ hearts shook, their expression shifting.
“Fellow Daoist, might I ask where exactly the Key to Endless Tribulations is?” River Ancestor Shen Xiao asked warmly.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao pondered briefly, then scanned the crowd. “Everyone, we must stick together. No one is to cause any trouble or try any funny business. If you do, don’t blame me for my poor manners.”
No one responded.
That is, no one except for Lu Shi. “We’ve made it into the Cave of Obsession, but how do we get back out?”
All eyes were instantly on Su Yi, who shrugged. “I only know how to get in. I have no idea how we’re supposed to leave.”
“Seriously?” Lu Shi laughed coldly. “Why do I get the sense that you’re deliberately hiding something?”
The others looked suspicious, too.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao said gravely, “I trust that Fellow Daoist Su wouldn’t lie about something so important. After all, we’re all in the same boat!”
In other words, even if Su Yi was hiding something, it’d be fine so long as they kept a close eye on him.
Su Yi just laughed and said nothing. Soon, the whole group set off and proceeded into the distance.
The landscape was boundlessly vast and ancient. Everything had a primeval quality to it.
Strangely, they didn’t encounter a single living thing along the way, not even a stalk of grass. Everything was bald and lifeless.
The only thing that changed was the black clouds overhead. As they advanced, the clouds grew denser and denser, like a mountain hovering overhead, filling every last inch of sky.
This was the sin power that River Empress Peacock had told them about. It was born of River Ancestor Lu Shu’s heart devil. The fog blanketing the Abhorrent Evil Origin Zone was the same type of power, just far, far sparser.
The group’s hearts went taut, their expressions increasingly solemn.
The denser the sin power, the more powerful the heart devils!
Only the little girl, Innocence, seemed excited. When she stared up at the black clouds, she couldn’t help but drool. To her, those dense, dark clouds were a rare delicacy!
Unfortunately, Su Yi had told her not to act without permission. Otherwise, she’d have shot into the clouds a long time ago.
They continued for an hour before the distant skies dimmed; the clouds were now so dense as to blot out the light of the sun completely. Everything was shrouded in blackness.
It was oppressively dark and overcast.
Suddenly, a voice full of the vicissitudes of countless years emanated from the clouds. It sighed, “So much time has passed. Fellow Daoists, might I ask what year it is?”
His voice rumbled like thunder, booming throughout the overcast landscape. It shook the air and churned the dark clouds.
Everyone gasped, their scalps tingling with fright.
All of them could see countless figures shuttling through the churning dark clouds, like fish swimming in the ocean.
All of them were heart devils manifested of sin power!
There were just too many of them.
The dome of heaven was covered in dark clouds. The heart devils shuttled through them like schools of fish. There were too many of them to count.
Innocence couldn’t help but fall into a daze and murmur, “What if I can’t eat them all…?”
“???” The others didn’t know what to make of that. She’s seriously still thinking about food at a time like this?
River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s eyes flashed with starlight as he gazed into the distant dome of heaven. He said calmly, “Come on out, and we’ll happily tell you what year it is. Hiding like this will only make me look down on you!”
His voice swept forth like a windstorm, shattering the clouds and parting the mists.
Agonized cries rang out, as the soundwaves had shattered many of the countless heart devils hidden in the clouds!
The strength of a River Ancestor was thus readily apparent.
“Ah, a River Ancestor. No wonder you dared to come here,” said the aged voice within the clouds. “It’s a pity, but those who come here can never leave. You have no idea how terrifying this place really is!”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao wasn’t moved in the slightest. “It isn’t up to you to decide whether we live or die. Keep hiding, and don’t blame me for going up there to force you out into the open!”
That ancient voice laughed. “If you make it to Heart-Devouring Ridge alive, I’ll naturally meet with you!”
Then, all fell silent. The dense clouds covering the sky shook, then exploded into countless pieces.
The enormous army of heart devils appeared beneath the firmament, blanketing heaven and earth in a massive army.
Everywhere they looked, they saw nothing but heart devils!
Everyone looked stricken.
Su Yi keenly sensed that River Empress Peacock had fallen into yet another daze. She stared blankly. There was no fear in her eyes, nor was there dread. It was indescribably strange.
Practically simultaneously, Wei E quivered, his face suddenly hideously contorted with terror. He opened his mouth to scream.
But before he got the chance, Su Yi knocked him unconscious and tossed him into the world in his sleeves.
The sound of roaring filled the air. “Die! Die! Die!”
The seemingly endless swarm of heart devils swept forth like water bursting through a dam. They shot down from the heavens toward Su Yi and his companions.
“Charge straight ahead. Create a path!” River Ancestor Shen Xiao promptly made a decision. He was the first to charge into battle.
Boom!
His enormous wings of woven starlight unfurled, stirring up starlit power of the Laws. It swept forth, collapsing the entire area and destroying at least one hundred heart devils.
But there were just so many of them. Worse, they were condensed out of pure sin power, so before long, the slain heart devils came back to life.
They seemed unkillable.
Even with River Ancestor Shen Xiao at the vanguard, a tide of heart devils attacked like mad.
Wang Zhiwu, Lu Shi, River Empress Lu Ping, River Emperor Winged Dragon, River Emperor Hong Ye, and the others attacked. None of them dared to be the least bit negligent.
The air was bright with treasure light and a rain of divine abilities. They tore through the air, illuminating the mountains and rivers.
The entire stretch of heaven and earth shook.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao was naturally the strongest of the group. He fought at the vanguard, his movements calm and relaxed, yet even a casual gesture eradicated every heart devil within thirty thousand feet.
From time to time, he’d stretch out his hand and pull a few dozen heart devils toward him. These, he stuffed into the black gourd he carried.
The others weren’t having it so easy. The onslaught of countless heart devils was clearly a bit much for the River Emperors.
The same was true of Wang Zhiwu and Lu Shi. It wasn’t that they were weak, but that the heart devils were too strange, and they specialized in invading the heart.
Worse, ordinary treasures and divine abilities couldn’t even scratch them. They had to fight with the power of their hearts!
But it was Innocence who drew the most attention. She was just too excited. To her, it was as if countless delicacies were flinging themselves into her open mouth, crying out for her to eat them. She didn’t refuse any of them, either. All who drew near wound up in her stomach.
She didn’t even pause to chew or savor their flavor; there were just too many of them. All she could do was swallow them whole.
Fortunately, Su Yi immediately ordered her not to leave the group. If he’d waited any longer, she’d have charged ahead on her own by now.
Thanks to Innocence, the area within a thousand feet of Su Yi was a dead zone. Any heart devil that entered was immediately devoured.
Wang Zhiwu was beside himself with envy, and he quickly moved closer to Su Yi to bask in his light. He wasn't the only one, either; the others soon followed suit. Even Lu Shi and River Emperor Winged Dragon instinctively closed the distance between themselves and Su Yi.
Their shamelessness made Wang Zhiwu jump and curse. They were, after all, irreconcilable enemies. How could Lu Shi possibly be so thick-faced?
But Lu Shi just pretended not to hear. River Emperor Winged Dragon didn’t say anything.
Su Yi didn’t object either. They had to clear a path to life before they did anything else; this wasn’t the time to argue with Lu Shi over something trivial.
It was River Empress Peacock whom Su Yi was really worried about. She was silent, her lips pursed, and it seemed she had a lot on her mind. She didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking, either. She just followed the rest of the group.
“Fellow Daoist, what’s going on?” Su Yi transmitted.
She responded with a question of her own. “When I left the Five-Colored Hidden Realm, I told you and the Star Toad to stay there. You didn’t need to worry about me. Why didn’t you listen?”
“When I heard about your enmity with River Emperor Winged Dragon, there was no way I could remain a bystander,” said Su Yi.
River Empress Peacock sighed. “You had good intentions, but you were too reckless. You knew nothing of the full story…”
She suddenly furrowed her brow, her beautiful face pale and her gaze increasingly dazed. She looked a bit bewildered.
Su Yi’s heart sank. He was increasingly certain that something had happened to her.
Before Su Yi could ask any further questions, she suddenly grew frantic. “I repeatedly urged you not to come, but you refused to listen. This time, please, no matter what, heed my warning…”
Su Yi’s pupils constricted as he noticed fine cracks spreading across River Empress Peacock’s beautiful face. There was even blood dripping from the corners of her mouth!
It looked as if she were enduring heart-rending agony. She said in a quavering voice, every word a struggle, “Find a way to… leave… as soon as possible!”
