Chapter 830: Misfortune and Amnesia
The term ‘gate of life and death’ had multiple layers of meaning.
Those who left the door within three breaths of time made a choice for life. Those who stayed behind were choosing death. That was the first layer of meaning.
The second layer of meaning related to the fact that the completed D-132 had very unique powers. They were the godly authority of misfortune and a will domain of amnesia. The former, the godly authority, would ensure that those who remained behind after the doors closed would be thrust into infinite misfortune, which would ultimately end in death. The latter, the domain of amnesia, would make it so that they forgot their own death. Thus, even though their bodies died, the overwhelming misfortune would transform them into bizarre entities similar to the head, the stone lion, and the others.
To some extent, they would be something like an accidental combination of gods and immortals. After all, godly authority was something from the gods, while will domains were the result of cultivators studying ways to defy the power of the gods. That was what happened when D-132 was completed. In addition, D-132 had supreme sealing powers. Unless someone had some ability that specifically targeted misfortune and amnesia, or had battle prowess dramatic enough to blast free, they would never be able to leave.
At the same time, it all conformed to Xu Qing’s very reasonable plan. First, he would leave the door open and give the cultivators a chance to leave.
As D-132 dropped down, the Firemoon noble in the golden palace looked on with glittering, narrowed eyes. It was only natural that he could see how extraordinary the cell block was. He could also sense a human will of slaughter inside. Therefore, he had a choice to make. Should he stop what was happening?
Why should I stop it? The point of the Great Hunt is to find people with potential from any species. We live in a world where the weak are the prey of the strong, where fate comes and goes. A human as strong as this is going to light a fire under all the other species, and bring out the best in the younger generation.
Besides, I wonder if this human kid is under the tutelage of someone powerful. He does things in a very orderly way. He even opened the door and gave everyone a chance to flee.
After some more thought, the Firemoon noble grinned and looked at Xu Qing with even more approval than before. He had the feeling that this little forbidden region of his was soon going to be soaked with blood.
Very interesting. I like it!
Outside D-132, the Firemoon noble chose not to interfere. Inside D-132, Firemoon cultivators as well as cultivators from other species were also faced with a choice.
Leave, or stay?
Before Xu Qing killed the cultivators on the ninth mountain via isolation and poison, most people would have chosen to stay. They wouldn’t have given any stock to Xu Qing’s words. But they had witnessed him slaughter all the cultivators on the ninth mountain. And then he used his gruish magic in which ‘extinguishing the lamp extinguished the enemy.’ After putting an end to Sir Heavenhark, everyone knew that he would follow through on whatever he said.
What was more, the strange behavior of the head and the others in D-132, as well as the god’s finger, created a gruish sense of unease within them. In the end, about thirty percent of the cultivators gritted their teeth and chose to abandon the fight. They fled as fast as they could through the exit of D-132.
After all, not everyone was willing to take insane risks at a time like this. Nothing blocked their path, and in short order, they flew out of the cell block.
However, the remaining seventy percent just stood there with cold looks in their eyes. Fundamentally speaking, all of them were confident, both in themselves and in the numbers they had on their side. They were willing to fight.
As a species, Firemoon Darkheavens were raised to fight and kill. As long as there was a potential benefit, they would put their lives on the line.
Xu Qing had enough forbidden mountains orbiting overhead to be more valuable than the entire surrounding forbidden region, and that was definitely enough potential benefit. There were some of the seventy percent who were actually hesitant, especially when they saw the others able to leave freely. Sadly, they ran out of time.
Three breaths of time went by quickly. The entrance of D-132 closed with a loud boom, whereupon the head, the stone lion, and all the others started cheering at the new arrivals.
Then a very gruish aura erupted in D-132.
The god’s finger suddenly shook back and forth, causing the entire cell block to shake. At the same time, the color of blood spread out from it in every direction. Wherever it went, D-132 changed, transforming into a blood-colored hell. A will of amnesia filled every inch of the cell block, seeping out into the surrounding lands. It invaded all twenty-seven of the forbidden mountains. In an instant, the god’s finger absorbed the local mutagen and made it part of D-132.
In terms of battle prowess, īt was far from being on the level of other gods. And īt had lived a very depressing life. But īt was still a god, and was actually much more accustomed to acting like a god than Xu Qing was.
In the shortest of moments, D-132 and everything in it became one unified whole. Misfortune exploded.
There were several hundred people who had remained. Of them, some instantly started exhibiting very freakish behavior.
For instance, there were some people who had long struggled with old injuries that they kept under control with their cultivation base. But now their cultivation bases were operating strangely, causing the injuries to flare up. Although the probability of that happening was small, it cropped up here instantly. The injury flare-ups caused blood to spray out of the mouths of such cultivators, leaving them both surprised and confused.
There were also people who had just taken out magical devices to use. Unfortunately, though such magical devices only had a 1/10,000 chance of malfunctioning, there were plenty that exploded instantly.
Some people had produced antidote pills to consume. But in a very gruish development, those antidote pills didn’t do anything to help against the poison, and in fact, they did the opposite and poisoned those who consumed them. Some people flew up into the air only to be caught up in the explosion of magical devices. Though they evaded some of the blasts, there were dozens if not hundreds of detonations, the terrifying power of which hit many.
Yet other people howled as they unleashed divine abilities. Gruish misfires occurred, which were normally a rarity, but not here. Beyond all of that, there were some people who managed to unleash extreme techniques or items that they could normally control easily. But here, they unexpectedly backfired.
Within D-132, all of the Firemoon and nonhuman cultivators descended into chaos. So many unexpected things happened to all of them that, when combined, it became one thing: misfortune. There were some who quickly realized that something was amiss. And there were others who were particularly experienced and knowledgeable that recognized what was going on.
“Misfortune.... This is godly authority!”
Those words caused the faces of many cultivators to fall. In contrast, Xu Qing sat on the ninth mountain looking calmer than ever, while the Captain sat by smiling broadly. Master Gravesparrow looked downright lifeless.
Meanwhile, the cultivators being affected quickly came up with a strategy.
“Kill the gruish human! That’ll fix things!”
Gazes full of killing intent locked onto Xu Qing as numerous cultivators flew in his direction. Unexpected things kept happening along the way. Some even got caught up in magical techniques, resulting in deaths here and there.
But as a group, they were closing in on Xu Qing. Unfortunately... little did they know that misfortune was only one aspect of D-132’s powers. The will domain of amnesia... had already started working.
And the closer they got to Xu Qing, the stronger it became.
The first to get within about 600 meters of Xu Qing was a Firemoon cultivator. Though he had dealt with numerous instances of misfortune, he was about ready to make his final charge. But then his expression became one of confusion, and he stopped in place to hover in the air. He had forgotten what he was doing.
More cultivators showed up, but thanks to the will domain of amnesia, they forgot about their goal. They forgot to look for Xu Qing, and some of them couldn’t remember what they were doing in this place to begin with. They even forgot about the Great Hunt....
Confusion became the main theme. Some of them exchanged glances and would seem to be on the verge of recalling something important. But then the amnesia would grow stronger, and they would forget even more. Vicious misfortune once again swept over them. More deaths occurred, and corpses dropped out of the sky like dead flies.
However, some of these cultivators were able to rely on innate abilities, special treasures, or unique bloodlines to strengthen them against the misfortune and amnesia. Those ones managed to stay lucid.
“We’re dealing with both misfortune and amnesia! Everybody split up! Don’t get too close, and don’t use any techniques you don’t have to. Just keep one thing in mind and repeat it over and over. Kill the human! Shout it at the tops of your lungs. Use the sound to keep yourself awake and drive away the amnesia!”
“Kill the human!”
“Kill the human!!”
“Kill the human!!!”
Thus shouted the Firemoon and nonhuman cultivators in the midst of the crisis, the death, and the gruishness. Some people who had already succumbed to forgetfulness heard the deafening shouting and started to act on instinct. Once again, they charged toward Xu Qing.
Suddenly, the god’s finger thrashed, causing thunderous rumbling to echo out. The stone lion danced excitedly. The head cackled more piercingly. The millstone spun so rapidly it was like a vortex. The scarecrow frantically weaved straw people.
And Sir Inkwell looked insane as he put the finishing touches on a painting depicting everyone present. Then he spun to Xu Qing, bowed, and said, “Oh great and exalted jailer, the prisoners are going crazy! Please get them under control!”
The stone lion, the head, the scarecrow and the millstone all used their varying methods to execute a bow, and then cried the same thing.
“Oh great and exalted jailer, the prisoners are going crazy! Please get them under control!”
“Please get them under control!”
Colors flashed and winds screamed. Xu Qing got to his feet and raised his right hand. The black spear in front of him spun up into his hand, pulsing with black flames. Eyes cold, Xu Qing lifted his right foot... and took a step forward! He flew off the mountain!
Behind him, the Captain stretched lazily and looked at Master Gravesparrow. “If you don’t make a move now, Little Gravesparrow, there won’t be any more forbidden mountains for you to take.”
Licking his lips, the Captain burst into motion.
The slaughter was just beginning.