Chapter 556: A Lie Called Hope (part 1)
The Heavenfire Skycrossing was a unique weather pattern in the Moonrite Region. Opinions differed about why it occurred. Some people said it was akin to a tide flow caused by the pull of the red moon. The reason for that theory was that Heavenfire Skycrossing occurred more frequently when the red moon was nigh. Other people claimed that the red moon, which had been subdued by an Imperial Sovereign long ago, would soon make a comeback.
Whenever the Heavenfire Skycrossing appeared, all of the Moonrite Region would be lit up brightly. A sea of flames would roll across the dome of heaven, starting in the east. The further east you got, the brighter and hotter it became. At the same time, rains of fire would appear, sometimes heavier and sometimes lighter, depending on the specific location. It would last for a few months, and then the sea of flames would retreat to the Heavenfire Sea in the east. That was considered a full cycle.
During that time period, all locations in the east, other than locations like Lesser Shrine, would be set aflame by the fiery rains. Everything turned to ashes, from cities to vegetation. That was why the cities of the Twofold Alliance were mostly constructed from clay bricks. Only their jointly-owned Holy City was strong enough, and bolstered with enough special magics, to endure. But even then, it would sustain damage.
After every instance of Heavenfire Skycrossing, the effects of the fires would be purged and the mudbrick cities would quickly be rebuilt. Crop cycles were also planned around the event.
Thankfully, Heavenfire Skycrossing didn’t happen very often, only once every few decades. The destruction was mostly limited to the east, with other areas being mostly spared. What was more, thanks to the magical technique employed by cultivators, reconstruction wasn’t very difficult. Ordinary people just needed to get to Holy City to find refuge, which was usually very expensive. If they didn’t have some way to stay safe... then they would hide themselves under the ground.
Over the generations, their natural constitutions made them much more capable of avoiding the destructive nature of the fire. That was why the guards who had stopped Xu Qing sank down into the ground. In the days preceding Heavenfire Skycrossing, they needed to break down their bodies and become one with the soil. The Skyfaces had similar methods to deal with the situation.
Unfortunately, the evolutionary traits of those two species were assets Xu Qing didn’t possess. As the soil around him heated up to the point of crystallizing, the temperature soared, and Xu Qing started feeling more and more uncomfortable.
It’s already nearly as hot as the surface-level lava. And the event has just started....
Beads of sweat had popped out on Xu Qing’s forehead, and he felt clammy all over. His garments were getting soaked, and his discomfort was increasing. He started burrowing deeper.
At a certain depth, he started to get some relief. However, he was still receiving a sensation of warning from his bluegreen dragon. And it was getting stronger.
Instead of retracting his divine sense, he kept it outside to see what was happening. The sky was blindingly bright. It was as if lava were soaring through the canopy of heaven. Those two severed arms continued to perform incantation gestures that seemed to send the lava spreading out constantly.
Meanwhile, fire rained down, causing mountain peaks to melt, and dramatically transforming the landscape. Heaven above and earth below were full of roiling flames. The terrifying level of the heat reminded Xu Qing of what he had felt when going down three meters into the lava.
This isn’t going to work!
As the sensation of crisis grew stronger in Xu Qing, he looked outside thoughtfully. Staying in place clearly wasn’t an option. After all, he had limitations. There was inherent pressure in the Revered Ancient mainland, and the further down you went, the stronger that pressure got. At a certain point, he wouldn’t be able to go down any further.
What’s worse is that I don’t know how far down the heat will go.... If it goes down farther than I can go down, then I’ll end up dead.
He weighed the matter over, taking into consideration that this was only the first day, and the effects would most definitely grow increasingly terrifying.
Eventually, he took out the jade slip Duanmu Zang had given him, inside of which was a simple map. Duanmu Zang had told Xu Qing that if he didn’t have a suitable place to weather the Heavenfire Skycrossing, he should follow this map.
After mulling the matter over, Xu Qing decided to check out the location in the map. If it wasn’t suitable, then he would have to just burrow down as far as he could go in the ground, and gamble that it would be sufficient. Either that or try to flee the territory of the Twofold Alliance.
Having made his decision, he burst out of the ground. Although subterranean travel was possible, it would have been a lot slower. As soon as he was out in the open, he felt the terrifying heat weighing down on him. Almost immediately, his flesh suffered deep burns, and he felt pain filling him.
The surface temperature was now greater than the three-meter lava temperature. Even Xu Qing’s extraordinary fleshly body and healing powers weren’t enough to stave off the pain. Most importantly, the heavenfire reached all the way to his soul. Thankfully, he had his sundial life lamps to offer additional protection, but even with that, he wouldn’t be able to last very long in these conditions.
It was for the same reason that he hadn’t been able to stay in the Heavenfire Sea for very long during his cultivation sessions. The fleshly body was one aspect. The soul was the other aspect. That was especially true considering that his soul was actually a lot weaker when compared to his fleshly body.
I can’t stay out here long! When he inhaled, the scorching air made him feel like he was burning from the inside out.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled out the umbrella Duanmu Zang had given him and opened it. That cut him off slightly from the heat. Relaxing slightly, he sped up, becoming like a storm wind screaming through the fire at top speed.
In that manner, he traveled for two days. The temperature around him continued to rise, causing everything around him to ripple. His divine sense was being limited, and the umbrella was on the point of crumbling. Thankfully, he was getting very close to the spot indicated on the map.
There didn’t seem to be anything special about that area. It appeared to be an old abandoned mine, and now that it was surrounded by a sea of flames, it had melted so badly it was almost unrecognizable.
Xu Qing arrived on the scene and looked around, a frown on his face. It didn’t seem at all like a place of refuge. What was more, through some of the cracks in the ground he was able to see the interior of the mine, and the place seemed full of intense heat.
Too bad my divine sense is limited, otherwise I might be able to detect more.
He looked at the crumbling umbrella and then the mine.
That said, given what Duanmu Zang was like in the Heavenfire Sea, it actually makes sense that he would hide in a place like this. Somewhere that looks like a place of refuge obviously wouldn’t make a very good hiding spot.
After some thought, he bent his legs and then sprang into motion, heading right toward one of the crevices leading into the mine. He stayed quiet and kept his guard up as he prepared to go deeper into the mine to assess the situation.
About two hours later, he still hadn’t reached the bottom of the mine. At the same time, it was no less hot. At a certain point, Xu Qing stopped. Frowning, he looked ahead, where he had just spotted a figure laying on the ground, unmoving. It wasn’t possible to tell if it was a man or a woman. However, the figure was wearing thick armor. Discarded on the ground nearby was a heat-blocking umbrella.
This was the first person Xu Qing had seen since Heavenfire Skycrossing began. Narrowing his eyes, he sent his shadow out to scout the situation. When he got word back from the shadow in the form of emotional fluctuations, Xu Qing looked surprised. He hurried toward the figure. It took only a moment to reach it. He stopped a short distance away, which was still close enough to inspect it.
It was a young human cultivator with a three-flame Foundation Establishment cultivation base. He was obviously hovering on the verge of death. He was covered from head to toe in pitch-black armor that was made from a special heat-resistant material. His umbrella was especially noteworthy. It looked exactly like the umbrella Duanmu Zang had given to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing looked deeper into the mine. Then he picked up the armored figure and continued on.
Another hour passed. That was when Xu Qing finally reached the bottom of the mine. He saw nothing special there. The soil was crystallizing, and the temperature was extremely high.
After looking around, Xu Qing suddenly said, “Senior, I found this person along the way. Was he looking for you, sir?”
The answer was provided by a cold voice that echoed out from the surrounding walls. “I have no use for people who don’t follow my rules!”
The wall rippled, becoming a vortex, out of which stepped Duanmu Zang. He extended his arms to take the armored figure from Xu Qing.
Xu Qing handed the young man over, whereupon Duanmu Zang tossed him into the vortex. Then he looked at Xu Qing.
“What are you doing here, boy?”
Given their handful of interactions, Xu Qing had a general idea of how Duanmu Zang operated. Instead of wasting time talking about the jade slip, he skipped directly to the important part.
“A hundred spirit stones a day!” he offered.
Duanmu Zang snorted coldly. “A thousand a day!”
Xu Qing nodded. “Deal!”
Duanmu Zang eyed him briefly, then stepped back through the vortex.
Eyes narrowing, Xu Qing kept his taboo poison swirling around him just in case he was walking into an ambush. Then he stepped into the vortex. After he was inside, the vortex faded into nothing, and everything returned to normal. Xu Qing stepped out of the vortex into a cave temple filled with crumbling statues. Some were missing heads, others limbs. Other than the statues, the place was relatively barren.
There was no sign of the young man in the armor. Duanmu Zang, meanwhile, was seated cross-legged on a headless statue. He was looking at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing studied his surroundings, and when he looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed. There was a huge wall there covered with thousands of masks and a similar number of mirrors. The masks were obviously the remains of Skyfaces that had been specially refined after their death. The mirrors were similar. Xu Qing even spotted the mask left behind by the Skyface that had attacked him originally.
Sounding very proud of himself, Duanmu Zang said, “Those two species have worked hard over the generations to adapt to this place. I used their strength, coupled with some special magics, to create this safe haven from the Heavenfire Skycrossing. The event usually lasts for about a hundred days. At a thousand a day, that will be a total of 200,000 spirit stones. Hand them over.”
Xu Qing’s eyebrows shot up and he glared at Duanmu Zang. “A hundred days would be 100,000.”
Duanmu Zang glared right back at Xu Qing. “Per person. Considering you have that snake with you, it’ll be 200,000, right?”
“I don’t have that many spirit stones on me.” Xu Qing was telling the truth. He actually had a lot of spirit notes, but not many spirit stones. He took out a magical device and put it off to the side. “How about I use this for payment?”
Duanmu Zang waved his hand to collect the magical device. He studied it then nodded. “Alright.”
With that, his eyes glowed with cold light, and his tone became very somber and desolate. “Considering you’re human, I’ll help you out this one time. But listen well. Everything beyond this cave temple is off limits. If you go poking around... then don’t blame me for forgetting all about us being fellow humans!”
Xu Qing nodded in response.
Duanmu Zang gave him a deep look, then turned and disappeared into the depths of the cave temple.
Xu Qing’s expression didn’t change at all as he looked around again to make sure the area was safe. The statues looked very old, and none of them depicted humans. All of them had snakes and dragons wrapped around them, making them look very dangerous.
Although the statues were all in bad shape, it was possible to tell that, back when they were whole, they had been in worshipful poses. Coupled with the sinister atmosphere, it made the place seem like a tomb.
Was this place some sort of burial ground?