Chapter 551: Disciple Xu Qing of the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect (part 1)
On the border between the Holytide Region and the Moonrite Region were a host of scattered mortal nations. There were also bazaar towns that surrounded the various ferries that facilitated travel across the river. Out-of-region visitors to Moonrite Region could enter; as long as they didn’t stay for too long, they wouldn’t be affected by the curse. Therefore, there was quite a bit of trade that went on between the two regions.
The hard border was formed by the massive Yin Sacrifice River, which surrounded the Moonrite Region. The river water was red, like blood, and it also smelled like blood. When the wind blew, it would spread that odor of blood throughout the area. People who weren’t used to that smell would often feel nervous and go on guard when they detected it. But even passing travelers would get used to it quickly.
That was exactly the case with the caravan Xu Qing was part of. The merchants and bodyguards were obviously familiar with the route, and didn’t react at all to the smell.
When Xu Qing detected it, he realized that the gory smell contained traces of Crimson Mother’s aura. However, it was very faint. Without his violet moon, Xu Qing would never have noticed it.
“There’s a curse at work here,” Ling’er said in her melodious voice.
The Captain stretched, then pushed aside the carriage curtain to look outside. “That smell is from the Yin Sacrifice River. It’s not a naturally occurring river. Crimson Mother feeds it with the cursed blood of the living beings from Moonrite Region. The river isn’t dangerous to outsiders, as long as you offer the proper sacrifices. But to people from within the Moonrite Region, it’s like a cage. I’d say we should reach the shore by evening. After that, it will take a few days to cross the river, and then we’ll be in the Moonrite Region.” The Captain’s eyes glittered with anticipation.
After leaving Sea-Sealing County, they had snuck through the Deep Blue Region as well as most of the Holytide Region. Then, at the suggestion of Xu Qing, they joined this caravan to travel the rest of the way. It would be easier to remain hidden by staying among mortals. After a month, they reached their current position.
As evening fell, the sky turned bright red, matching the color of the river. However, it didn’t come across as looking beautiful. Instead, it seemed sinister and gruish.
Eventually, Xu Qing and the others left the caravan and approached the bank of the Yin Sacrifice River.
The raging waters flowed south, and the smell of blood was extremely strong. It was possible to see bodies floating in the river, which were the remains of residents of Moonrite Region who had tried to escape the region. The water was so corrosive to them that their facial features had already melted away. However, it was possible to determine that the corpses included both adults and children.
“All living beings in Moonrite Region are food,” the Captain said quietly, “from the moment they’re born.”
Ling’er took it in and sighed. Then she snuggled a bit closer to Xu Qing, as if his warmth would keep her safe.
Xu Qing silently looked up at the broken face of the god in the dome of heaven. Whether it was the Moonrite Region or the Revered Ancient mainland as a whole, when had things not been like this?
Ning Yan had been scowling before, but now his expression was even more bitter. He had never wanted to come on this journey. Life had been good back in the county capital, but then he had been forced to travel to this hellish place. He knew all about the Moonrite Region. And because of what he knew about it, the place terrified him, and he wished he didn’t even have to get near it.
It’s all the fault of that damned Chen Erniu! This is completely outrageous! Though Ning Yan was cursing in his heart, he didn’t let it show on his face. He was too scared of being bitten.
In contrast to Ning Yan, there was Wu Jianwu, who had been more than willing to join. And not even the gruish river could affect the haughtiness in his heart. As he stood on the river bank, he took a deep breath and then loudly said, “The lonely clouds and sunset birth memories; the river has raged for seven hundred centuries.”
“Great poem!” the Captain said, his eyes shining with praise.
Wu Jianwu cleared his throat, stuck his chin up, and was about to continue with some more poetry. But then he noticed Xu Qing frowning, and decided not to.
Xu Qing was starting to get annoyed. After all, Wu Jianwu had spouted roughly a hundred poems on the road. Waving his hand, he produced his spirit cruiser and put it on the water. The spirit cruiser was the work of the Sixth Peak elders, as directed by Zhang San. It looked completely different from Xu Qing’s old dharmaship. In fact, it almost couldn’t be described as a ship. It was all according to Zhang San’s ingenious planning.
In appearance, it resembled a hunch-backed old woman, about 1,500 meters tall, clad in a black robe. Atop her hunched back was the superstructure. Her robe, which spread out over the water and caused ripples to flow out everywhere, were the sails. Most gruish of all was what the old woman had in her hands. In her right hand she held a lantern that emanated a mysterious green light. And from within the fire that cast that light rang out bloodcurdling screams. That was the power source. Floating above her left hand was a red eyeball that constantly shifted around to take in the surroundings. That was an imitation of the Seven Blood Eyes taboo treasure.
Xu Qing had been surprised when he first took a look at the spirit cruiser. As it appeared on the river, Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu were both completely stunned.
Wu Jianwu gasped and spoke like a normal person. “Is that a Seventh Peak spirit cruiser?”
The Captain chuckled. “It seems Zhang San misses Joine!”
It was true; the spirit cruiser really did look like the god of the Merfolk Isles, Joine. [1]
Xu Qing nodded. Without another word, he flew up to the superstructure on the old woman’s back. There, he looked off into the distance.
The others flew up after him. Moments later, the lantern in the old woman’s hand glittered with bright light, and the black robe ‘sails’ fluttered as she started moving at top speed.
The Yin Sacrifice River was no small river. Even at the speeds Xu Qing’s spirit cruiser was capable of, it would take about five days to cross it. They encountered some dangers. But when the gaze of the imitation taboo treasure from Seven Blood Eyes landed on them, most of them simply fled.
There were a few unexpected developments. At one point, a host of blood-colored hairs erupted from the water, rapidly encircling the spirit cruiser and then heading toward Xu Qing.
Neither Xu Qing nor the Captain needed to do anything.
Wu Jianwu had been itching to show off, especially since he’d had no opportunities to do so up to this point. He flicked his sleeve, and dozens of vicious animals appeared around him. Some of them flew into the air, and others dove into the water. One of the animals was a parrot which let out a loud squawk as it landed on Wu Jianwu’s head and spread its wings wide.
The parrot looked around arrogantly, then spoke in a human voice. “Wherever my daddy makes an appearance, spirits and immortals tremble and fear us!”
Then Wu Jianwu haughtily said, “The House of Wu has eight hundred progeny; who in the world dares brag to them wantonly?”
Xu Qing looked on with an odd expression. Ling’er’s eyes were wide. Ning Yan gasped. The Captain’s eyes shone.
As the words left Wu Jianwu’s mouth, a bear flew out of his sleeve, rapidly growing bigger until it was 30 meters from head to tail. Standing in front of Wu Jianwu, it let loose a thunderous roar. Stretching its arms out, it grabbed the incoming hairs and shredded them.
The fierce animals were all extraordinary. They all had unique appearances, yet were clearly related. They worked together perfectly as a team, and seemed capable of ignoring whatever vile enemies they faced, as if their bloodline and personhood existed on a much higher level. Thanks to their efforts, the attacking hairs soon retreated back into the water.
Wu Jianwu looked very proud of himself, and the parrot threw its head back arrogantly. The parrot’s behavior was odd; it had clearly received a lot of instruction on how to act. The animals all opened their mouths as if to recite whatever lines came next in their script. However, the danger had not yet been completely dealt with.
The water suddenly seethed, and the smell of blood grew stronger, as countless blood-colored hairs shot up from the water and into the sky. In the blink of an eye, they formed into the shape of a gigantic figure, hundreds of meters tall. It was just an outline, without any flesh or blood, and vaguely resembled a skeleton. It pulsed with a terrifying mightiness.
It looked down at Xu Qing and the others.
“Offering!” it growled. At the same time, the river continued to seethe as another figure rose up. Then a third and a fourth....
In the end, thirty-seven such figures appeared, one after another, surrounding Xu Qing and the others.
As each one appeared, it said the same thing. “Offering!”
“These are the river spirits of the Yin Sacrifice River,” the Captain explained. “They require you to give them an offering to cross the river.” He had obviously come prepared, as he waved a hand, sending a bag of holding splashing into the water.
Xu Qing had no idea what was inside. But once the bag of holding entered the water, most of the figures faded away.
However, a few remained behind, and suddenly, they all looked at Ning Yan.
“Offering!”
Ning Yan’s face fell.
The Captain frowned. He knew that Ning Yan had an extraordinary background, but had never guessed that it would result in the river spirits asking for a second round of offerings.
“I wonder if river spirits taste good....” After looking around, he came to the conclusion that there were probably a lot more river spirits in the area than he could see. He sighed. Thankfully, he had gone all out in his preparations. Taking out another bag of holding, he prepared to toss it out. Before he could, Xu Qing spoke.
“Can I give it a shot, Eldest Brother?”
The Captain thought about it briefly and then nodded. “Sure. The offerings I prepared can be put to use later in the Moonrite Region.”
Xu Qing took a few steps forward and looked at the blood-colored figures.
“Step aside,” he said calmly. As the words left his mouth, violet light shone in his eyes. At the same time, his violet moon nascent soul opened its eyes. Instantly, pressure appeared, and fluctuations rolled out, turning into a manifestation of personhood and godly authority.
The Yin Sacrifice River went still. The wind ceased blowing, and everything stopped. The river spirits trembled, then quickly bowed their heads and dropped to kneel.
“Our respects, godherald.”
They all said the same thing. At the same time, more river spirits appeared. Their total number went from dozens to hundreds, and then thousands. There seemed no end to them. All of them were kneeling very respectfully.
Although Ning Yan had been prepared to see something like this, it still caused his heart to skip a beat. Ling’er’s eyes went even wider, and she looked confused.
The Captain’s eyebrows danced up and down. With little Ah Qing along, this trip to the Moonrite Region has a much greater chance of turning out how I’ve planned!
Meanwhile, Wu Jianwu inhaled sharply, and the parrot on his head shivered and forgot to remain in its arrogant pose.
After a long moment of silence, Xu Qing once again spoke in a calm voice. “Escort me.”
“Your godly edict will be honored!”
1. If you want to go back and check out the original description of Joine, it’s inchapter 121 . ?