Chapter 557 — The Perilous Domain
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
A wild wind swept through the tower, and his primal spirit vanished without a trace. Not long after, Sang Hua returned with the Venerable God Sang Ye, who examined the map of mountains and rivers Shen Mu had drawn, mused a moment, and cried out in dismay, "He is near the demon race's old lair! The Liyang Mountains, beside Guimei City!"
Yu He frowned. "Guimei City? Was that god-city not destroyed long ago? I heard the place has become an ill-omened land..."
The Venerable God Sang Ye nodded. "When the demon race invaded, they appeared first at Guimei City and razed it utterly. In front of the Liyang Mountains lies the Guimei City battlefield, the cruelest and bloodiest field of every god-demon war in Taihuang Heaven's history. More than a thousand gods and demons fell there! The adepts of Taihuang Heaven and of the demon race who died or were maimed are beyond counting. If he walks on, he will step into that ill-omened land!"
Ling Yuxiu asked, puzzled, "Why do they call it an ill-omened land?"
The Venerable God Sang Ye said, "Too many gods and demons died in battle. Divine blood and demon blood gathered together and formed an exceedingly strange zone. Within it are the unyielding wills of gods and demons, and wronged souls bearing curses and demonic nature. So many adepts and gods and demons fell there that when night came down, the whole place was ablaze with light."
A flicker of dread crossed his face. "What lit the night were storm lanterns, hung one to a little boat. Those boats came from Youdu. Countless old underworld constables appeared on the battlefield carrying storm lanterns, turned it into a realm of ghosts, and bore away the souls of the slain. In those days I had not yet cultivated to the god realm; I was only a common soldier in that battle..."
After the great war all was desolation. The young Sang Ye was gravely wounded in the fighting, and when he woke, night had fallen.
He crawled out of the heap of the dead, and saw a sight he would never forget in all his life: boat after boat, hung with storm lanterns, sailing out of the gloom, and beneath those lanterns thousands upon thousands of old men, all identical, who came to Taihuang Heaven in utter silence and reaped souls on the battlefield.
Those old men made no sound, yet in the darkness of the battlefield countless ghosts wailed and howled, unwilling to sink into Youdu; and yet every one of them was seized and shackled by the old constables, and drifted away into the gloom aboard the boats.
He would never forget that sight.
"The shattered souls were not carried off by the constables. In time the place became an ill-omened land, where many strange things happen and many strange things lie hidden."
The Venerable God Sang Ye steadied himself and went on: "Later, both Taihuang Heaven and the demon race abandoned it. If Sect Master Shen keeps going, he will step into that ill-omened land."
Long Qilin suddenly cried, "Divine blood and demon blood mingled can birth things as terrible as the root demon of Withered Silence Ridge! Tell the Sect Master at once to shun that place!"
The Venerable God Sang Ye asked, "How strong is the root demon of Withered Silence Ridge?"
"About the equal of a powerhouse of the Life-and-Death realm."
The Venerable God Sang Ye smiled coldly. "Then it should be a small fry. Some things in that ill-omened land are far more ferocious than a Life-and-Death realm adept. Tell him quickly, and have him shun it!"
Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang hastily tried to reach Shen Mu again, but this time, even when the incense had burned out, Shen Mu never answered.
"He must have run into the enemy and had no time to reply! This is bad!"
Si Yunxiang said swiftly, "Those enemies must be exceedingly strong. They may even have forced him into the ill-omened land!"
The Black Tiger God rose to his feet. "I will go there and bring him out!" he said resolutely.