Chapter 329: Three Spiritual Souls, Seven Physical Souls
The Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain was similar to the Eight Sect Coalition in that it was located in the south of Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, next to the Supreme Arbiter Salvation Mountains. Those mountains were massive, and were rife with pestilential energy. There were all sorts of evil, villainous groups there, and of course, there was no end to the grues. In some respects, it was almost the same as a forbidden region.
The mountain range split the southern part of Emperor-Receiving Prefecture into two halves. One half was almost a paradise, or at least, was a place where laughter could be heard. The other half was like a hell, where weeping was a luxury, and numbness was the most common thing.
That other half was controlled by the Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain, and was the most vicious place in the mortal world other than the forbidden grounds. It was nearly half as large as all of the continent of South Phoenix, and was filled with 137 nations of both humans and nonhumans.
Whether it was day or night, those 137 nations were almost completely silent. It wasn’t that they were unoccupied, but rather, the people there lived in neverending torment, as they were basically animals waiting to be slaughtered and eaten. And food didn’t have the right to talk. That was why the inhabitants of those 137 nations never spoke, and the only sounds they made were agonized shrieks.
The sky was quiet as well. At the moment, it was nighttime, and the thick clouds blocked the moonlight.
Skeletons were piled everywhere, and their marrow was fuel for the underworld fire that provided the only light. The skeletons had no flesh on them; they were pure bone. Some had obviously been in place for a long time, while others had only recently been tossed into piles.
Such piles were everywhere, and they were large enough that they were almost like mountains. They could be found roughly every 250 kilometers. It was only possible to imagine how many countless mortals had died through the years to make those mountains of bones. Because of all that death, the aura of death in this place was particularly intense. The ground was stained by the blood, and was a dark violet color that was absolutely horrendous in appearance. A noxious odor filled the air that would cause most ordinary people to vomit until they had nothing left to spit out but bile.
The trees were red from having absorbed the blood in the soil. They were incomparably gruish in appearance, and most of them had naked, desiccated corpses impaled on them. The corpses swayed in the wind, like meat hanging from the roof of a butcher shop. Looking closely, it was obvious that the corpses had been painted with a substance that stimulated their auras. Those auras then attracted vicious birds and grues that could then be hunted and killed.
In addition to the trees, there were also blood lakes. Such lakes bubbled and boiled, and any passing disciples from the Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain would drink from them and look very satisfied.
As the dharmaship sailed through the air, Xu Qing quietly took in the sights. The Captain seemed equally speechless, and even Yanyan, who herself had quite a bit of perverse energy, was taken completely aback.
On a previous occasion, Xu Qing and the Captain had run into a group called the Minor Three Spirits, but compared to this, it seemed like they didn’t even deserve to use the word ‘minor’ to describe themselves. There was nothing that could compare to this. [1]
“People talk about the 137 nations here,” the Captain said, “but the truth is that there aren’t even a hundred nowadays. And that’s why the Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain has been going outside of their borders more often to capture small nations. The number 137 has special meaning to the Three Spirits, which is why they generally try to replace every lost nation with a new one.”
“Given how advanced the Three Spirits’ cultivation is,” Yanyan said, “why do they need to consume the flesh and blood of mortal species? It seems like it wouldn’t be of any use to them.”
“The Three Spirits are the manifestation of the three spiritual souls of the South Tor Ghost Emperor,” Xu Qing said. He went on to convey to the Captain and Yanyan all the things his Master had explained to him. At the same time, he noted inwardly that the Ghost Emperor mountain in his sea of consciousness seemed different compared to before. It was as if it had come more alive upon entering this place. That was intriguing to Xu Qing, and he already had some theories about why it was happening.
The Captain listened to his explanation and then nodded. “It makes sense. 137 nations. 1 body. 3 spiritual souls. 7 physical souls. Everything conforms to some rule that they abide by.”
As Xu Qing sensed the changes to the Ghost Emperor mountain within him, he looked down at a blood lake and noted the Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain disciples drinking from it. “According to what Master said, after the Ghost Emperor perished, he brought nourishment to Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. Doesn’t that mean that all the locals have some of his blood in them? If so, then it sort of makes sense why the Three Spirits would devour people.... It’s basically a way for them to get stronger.”
“Exactly,” the Captain said, his eyes glittering. “It seems highly likely that’s the case. That said, we don’t know for sure, and I don’t think we should push too hard to find out more details.”
The dharmaship passed over the blood lake silently. Though it was a massive ship, the disciples below didn’t notice it. Upon entering Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain territory, the Captain had produced an object that could completely cloak the dharmaship.
Xu Qing looked once more at the disciples below, then abandoned any ideas of capturing some to study. The most important thing was to stay out of sight, and therefore, it didn’t make sense to get distracted and do something that might reveal their presence.
Half a month flew by.
During that time, the dharmaship got closer and closer to the headquarters of Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain territory. They saw more and more brutality, and also noticed quite a few nations that had been completely emptied out. Such places were cities of death, filled with darkness and wandering grues. They were miserable places. However, Xu Qing could tell that the Ghost Emperor mountain in his sea of consciousness was growing more true and real. In fact, it was also starting to emit glowing light, which made Xu Qing more cautious in dealing with it.
After another three days passed, Xu Qing and the Captain both agreed that they shouldn’t go any further in the dharmaship. It was just too big, and even with the Captain’s cloaking device, they weren’t confident it could go further without being noticed.
Yanyan had been behaving perfectly during the journey. What she had seen on the ground below left her quiet and reserved. Her perverse energy was stronger, but she wasn’t a purely evil person. Occasionally, Xu Qing spotted traces of empathy and indignation in her eyes.
Xu Qing put his dharmaship away and the three of them dropped to the ground. At that point, the Captain produced a handful of magical devices.
“I’ve been preparing for a long time to retrieve my precious garments,” he said. “And thus, I gathered all these things, which we can use to conceal ourselves and our auras. If one isn’t sufficient, use five. If five don’t work, use ten!” With that, he distributed them between himself, Xu Qing, and Yanyan.
After activating them, the three of them sped on their way deeper into the territory of the Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain.
They didn’t stop along the way. Another half a month went by. That was when they caught sight of a massive mountain off in the distance, as dark as night, with three towering peaks that pierced the clouds. The three peaks seemed boundless, so imposing that they could shake the dome of heaven. Any who looked at them would be shaken deeply, both because of the grandeur of the mountain, and also because of the powerful cultivators who resided there. It was as if those mountain peaks contained spirits that made people instinctively drop and pay obeisance.
Xu Qing, the Captain, and Yanyan all stopped in place as soon as they saw the mountain.
This huge dark mountain with its three peaks was none other than the Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain! Above the cloudy peak of each mountain was a massive illusory image that resembled a funnel absorbing dark mist from the dome of heaven. Within that mist it was possible to see three outstandingly large thrones.
On the third mountain was a throne of crystal. It was extremely extravagant and dazzling, and atop it sat a stunningly beautiful woman. She was gargantuan, but at the same time, beautifully proportioned. She was enchanting, and her eyes were so flirtatious that any man who looked at her would feel his insides stirring with desire. In fact, someone who looked at her long enough would become completely entranced with her. This woman was the same one Xu Qing and the Captain had previously seen.
She was the human soul of the Ghost Emperor. August Spirit Nethersprite.
As she sat there, she held a mirror that she used to admire her own beauty. Occasionally, she would wave her hand, and countless screaming mortals would fly up and swirl in the air around her. She seemed to think of them as tasty snacks. One by one, she would grab them in her fingers and put them into her mouth. She would chew, then swallow. As she did, her skin grew fairer and better-looking.
The second throne was even more terrifying. It was constructed from pitch-black beast bones, and looked like a massive skull. It was surrounded by countless deceased souls, all of whom howled in agony. Sitting on that throne was a massive cultivator. He was huge, but also incredibly skinny, almost to the point of looking skeletal. He had no hair. The only thing about him that wasn’t incredibly bony was his back, which was hunched and looked almost like a small mountain.
That ‘mountain’ was actually some sort of cancerous growth, covered with horrid, greenish-red veins. It almost looked like that growth had absorbed all of the other flesh and blood on his body. It pulsed rhythmically, and emanated a sound like pounding war drums. That growth seemed to weigh down heavily on him, causing him to gasp for breath. Every so often, he would open his mouth, and a vortex would appear nearby, out of which hundreds of living beings would fly. Into his mouth they went, and he chewed them up.
Because of eating too many in one bite, blood flowed down his chin. Yet that only made him seem more vicious. This skeletal cultivator on the second mountain was the second-ranking member of the Three Spirits.
He was the earthly soul, August Spirit Sunslaughter!
Those two images were shocking to Xu Qing, the Captain, and Yanyan. But they almost couldn’t compare to the first mountain!
The throne on the first mountain was hard to see clearly. But it was shockingly terrifying nonetheless. In fact, the second and third mountain couldn’t even compare to it. Only this mountain could be called consummately brutal! That was because the spirit on this mountain was the manifestation of the strongest of all souls, the heavenly soul!
August Spirit Sporelight!
1. Xu Qing and the Captain ran into the Minor Three Spirits in 👈