Chapter 516: Forbidden by the Immortal
The people standing in front of the crowd of roughly a hundred swordsages were all Spirit Trove experts. They were middle-ranking cultivators in the Swordsage Palace, and had been officers in the various battalions during the war. Because of surviving countless battles, they were all extraordinary cultivators. During the war, even if they were taken out of their unit and assigned somewhere else, they would quickly gain approval because of their ferocity and bravery.
However, that led to a unique state of affairs. There were many people who approved of them, but few people they approved of. Being a comrade wasn’t enough for them. They would only respect people who had accomplished great things and had respectable statuses. Xu Qing had accomplished great things. And Kong Xianglong had a respectable status. That was why those two had the tacit approval to stand among the Spirit Trove cultivators.
When they arrived, the other cultivators exchanged glances, then quietly looked at the huge pit in front of them. The depths were pitch black, and it was impossible to see the bottom. The mutagen was clearly very strong. However, when that mutagen got close to Xu Qing, he actually felt comfortable, as if he could absorb it.
That made his pupils constrict slightly, and he could only assume it had to do with his body being remolded by the god’s finger. However, now wasn’t the time to study the situation. He didn’t want to reveal his secrets publicly.
Therefore, he held back from absorbing it. However, he did release a bit of the power of his D-132 heavenly palace, creating something of a barrier around himself.
The sound of howling and weeping was more intense, and it battered at their minds and hearts like attacks. More swordsages were gathering. Qing Qiu and Ning Yan were among them. The Captain was, too. The other swordsages didn’t part to make way for them. Qing Qiu and Ning Yan simply lined up in the back.
The Captain didn’t care about formalities, so he shouldered his way through the crowd, calling out greetings to people he knew along the way. The surrounding swordsages were all a grave and expressionless lot, but even they had a hard time maintaining their composure with the Captain around, and quite a few wry smiles could be seen. All of them were very familiar with this Chen Erniu. Chen Erniu’s name had spread far and wide on the front lines. After all, he was the type of person who liked to make friends. Therefore, just about every survivor of the war had at least met him. That was especially true considering that the Captain had, for at least a time, been assigned to go back to the battlefield during lulls in the fighting, to retrieve corpses. Quite a few heavily wounded and unconscious swordsages had actually been saved by him.
“Coming through, Brother! I’ve got to get past you!
“Well, if it isn’t Ol’ Cao! Don’t think you can block my path just because you have a higher cultivation base. Remember, I’m the one who dragged you out of that pile of corpses. I even stuffed your intestines back into your gut!
“Hey, Little Apricot! Your arm is certainly taking its time growing back. Once we’re back from this mission I’ll give you some medicine that will help. Trust me, I have experience with that sort of thing.”
The Captain didn’t have much trouble carving a path through the crowd until he was eventually standing next to Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong. He even called out greetings to some of the Spirit Trove cultivators he knew. The Spirit Trove cultivators had odd expressions on their faces when they glanced at the Captain. A few of them had also been saved by Chen Erniu, and some had eaten meat that he gifted to them.
Kong Xianglong’s eyelids twitched. Though his attitude toward the Captain had changed now that they were fellow war veterans, he still hadn’t completely shaken his original negative impression.
The Captain didn’t notice Kong Xianglong’s reaction. After calling out greetings, he threw his arm over Kong Xianglong’s shoulder. Kong Xianglong tried to brush the Captain’s arm off, but it didn’t work. The Captain chuckled darkly.
“Now now, Ol’ Kong. Your facial expression seems to indicate you’re annoyed with me. Don’t forget that I carried Sir Mountain-River to safety on my own back!”
Kong Xianglong didn’t say anything in response.
Seeing that, the Captain felt very pleased. Turning to Xu Qing, he gave him a manly hug, then winked and lowered his voice. “Have you seen the old man? He hasn’t shown up at all for the past few days. I guarantee you he didn’t leave, though. Maybe since we scammed him, he’s planning to return the favor?”
The Captain looked around at the cultivators present, hoping to spot Master Seventh.
Xu Qing was secretly surprised. Along the way, he’d been looking around as well, but hadn’t spotted any signs of his Master’s presence.
Around the time that the Captain arrived, a faint ripple of conversation swept through the group of about a hundred cultivators, as Seventh Prince appeared overhead along with notable leaders from the county capital.
Seventh Prince wore a yellow robe and had long, flowing hair. He was unusually handsome, with slender eyes and a noble aura that surrounded him. Flanking him were the lieutenant governor, the three commanders-in-chief of the three palaces, the deputy palace lords, and other generals and officers.
One person among the group wore blood-red armor and had a vicious helmet that made his facial features impossible to discern. The only thing visible through the mask were cold eyes. As he stood there, he pulsed with a bloody, baleful aura.
With the arrival of this group, the swordsages all stood at attention. The mutagen coming from the old Corrections Division was stifled, and the howling from inside ceased temporarily.
All eyes were on Seventh Prince as he landed on the ground.
There weren’t just swordsages gathered by the huge pit. There were also officers and soldiers from the imperial capital. All of them were in the first wave to enter the forbidden ground.
After looking over the group, Seventh Prince said, “Forbidden by the Immortal is deeply connected to the war currently being waged.
“You, the first wave to enter the place, are the most outstanding talents in our species. Your task is to clear out any vile fiends you find so that the second wave can enter safely. You have four days. After the second wave enters, you’ll be free to leave. That is your mission.
“Generalissimo Bloodhorror.”
In response to Seventh Prince’s words, the figure in the blood-red armor stepped forward and knelt.
“Here, sir!”
Seventh Prince took the sword from his side and handed it to the kneeling figure. “I hope you win a quick victory.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Bloodhorror said, reaching up with both hands to formally accept the sword. Then he stood, turned, and spoke in a voice as cold as winter. “Let Forbidden by the Immortal be opened!”
An intense rumbling sound echoed out from the depths of the old Corrections Division. The sound drifted far and wide, and shockwaves spread out in all directions. The ground quaked, and it was even possible to see distant mountains shifting. Some collapsed as though subterranean dragons were on the move. Crevices opened up in the ground, and green smoke billowed out. The sun and moon were obscured, and all heaven and earth was cast into darkness.
The reason was that opening the depths of the old Corrections Division was like opening the doors of hell itself. The mutagen levels skyrocketed instantly. Although spell formations had been prepared to mitigate the effects, and immediately kicked into effect to cleanse the surroundings, it wasn’t possible to instantly drive away the mutagen that had been building up for years and years.
That said, Seventh Prince had clearly prepared well in advance for this event. Troops poured into the area, and all of them carried fist-sized cages. When they opened the cages, figures flew out from inside that rapidly grew larger until they were the size of people.
These were Holytide prisoners of war, and all of them had been specially implanted with unique devices designed for this specific situation. Looks of terror appeared on their faces as they became like black holes, sucking in all of the surrounding mutagen.
A moment later, the Holytide cultivators’ screams filled the area.
Thanks to the devices implanted in them, they didn’t explode from the mutagen. Instead, they mutated, turning into mindless mutant beasts that the surrounding imperial cultivators then chained up and dragged away to be put into new cages. When the first round of prisoners was exhausted, more were brought. The scene playing out was shocking to all the onlookers.
From beginning to end, Seventh Prince simply stood there, his face completely expressionless. Eventually, more than two million prisoners of war had been turned into mutant beasts. Only then did the mutagen levels finally drop to about eighty or ninety percent.
Voice cool, Seventh Prince said, “Take the two million mutant beast soldiers and send them to the front lines. Give them to the Holytides as a little gift. In the coming days, bring the rest of the prisoners of war here and have them continue absorbing the mutagen. Do not let the mutagen here affect Sea-Sealing County in any way!” With that, Seventh Prince turned to look at the assembled cultivators. “Suitable, no?”
The lieutenant governor nodded. The three deputy palace lords bowed their heads. Everyone else offered tacit agreement by maintaining respectful silence.
“In that case, the first wave shall now enter.” As he turned and left, everyone present offered respectful salutes.
The lieutenant governor and the three commanders-in-chief floated up into the air, but didn’t leave with the imperial prince. Instead, they stayed behind to oversee the proceedings and ensure nothing dangerous happened.
Meanwhile, the person responsible for leading the event, Generalissimo Bloodhorror, made the final arrangements to enter the forbidden ground.
The four honor guards of the Swordsage Palace would also be going along. They included Daoist Sima and Honor Guard Sun, plus two imperial swordsages who had come with Seventh Prince, both of whom were in the second stage of Void Returning. Honor guards from the Justice Palace and Administration Palace were also coming.
After they flew into the pit, the rest of the cultivators entered, including the officers and soldiers from the imperial capital.
Xu Qing moved with the Swordsage Palace group.
It didn’t take long for hundreds of thousands of cultivators to follow Generalissimo Bloodhorror into the pit. After, spell formations flared to life to completely seal the area, including many that had been set up by the imperial forces. Down in the pit, cultivators flew along at top speed. The vanguard was responsible for checking the area ahead thoroughly. Those in the rear followed in a very orderly fashion.
The lower they got, the colder it became. The mutagen levels rose as well.
When they reached the bottom, Xu Qing caught sight of a massive stone spell formation that looked extremely ancient. It was made of numerous stone obelisks covered with complicated magical symbols. The middle of the formation had collapsed, and was now nothing but a gaping hole surrounded by rubble. Inside of that hole was what appeared to be another world.
That was Forbidden by the Immortal, which of course was once an operations palace of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. Long ago, it hadn’t been located under the ground. But in later years, after the humans sealed it, it was buried in the bottom of a huge pit.
As Xu Qing examined the area, the Captain stood next to him doing the same. Further back, Qing Qiu and Ning Yan were among the forces that were still arriving and getting into formation.
When the Captain noticed Ning Yan, his face lit up. Hurrying over, he threw his arm around Ning Yan’s neck and dragged him over to where Xu Qing was. Trying to look very sincere, the Captain said, “Do you know how much I missed you, Little Ningning? Did you miss me too?”
Ning Yan smiled enigmatically. “No, I didn’t.”
***
Back in the capital city, in a certain mansion, Ning Yan slowly opened his eyes. He looked around blankly for a moment. Then his eyes snapped open even wider, and he raced out of the mansion.
Moving at top speed, he soon reached the edge of the capital city. Looking down, he saw the spell formations around the old Corrections Division, and noted the lack of any people in the area. He immediately started howling inwardly.
I’m finished! How could I have overslept? This is impossible! I want to go into Forbidden by the Immortal too! W-w-what... what do I do now?
Scowling on the verge of tears, he looked around and then hurried back toward the mansion, worried that he might be spotted and branded as a deserter. However, along the way, he came to a very terrifying realization.
And that was... he had apparently lost his identity, his name, and even any sense of existence. It was a very strange feeling. Simply put, everyone he knew seemed to have forgotten his name and who he was. They treated him like a complete stranger. It was as if his identity and name had been taken away from him!
A god magic!
The realization caused Ning Yan to shiver. Then he vaguely remembered someone telling him to go find a place to hole up for a few days, after which everything would go back to normal.