Chapter 1218: Section 1219 Darklands
This was an ancient and weathered voice that, along with its primitive tune, made everyone feel as if they were experiencing the breath of the ancients.
By the time they had come to their senses, they realized that there was an additional figure on the other side of the withered tree.
This was a ‘person’ in a gray robe, taller than the average human, and compared to Angel’s height, probably only reaching up to his ribs.
The newcomer, leaning on a bone cane and wearing a mask of primitive totemic style, was permeated with a simple yet ancient sense of weirdness.
When Angel saw him, that inner feeling of “calling” suddenly disappeared without a trace.
This caused Angel’s mind to stir.
“Was it you speaking? Who are you?” Angel looked towards the Totem Mask.
“I am one of an ancient tribe on the brink of extinction, but whom Your Excellency the Savior has pulled back from fading into oblivion. You may call me Wodell.” After speaking, the Totem Mask gave Angel a deep bow.
Wodell’s voice seemed to carry a warmth, and his gestures appeared to exude goodwill, giving Angel a heartfelt sense of closeness.
“I’ve been feeling as if someone was calling me… was that you? Are you referring to me when you speak of the Savior?” Angel asked calmly, not relaxing due to the sense of closeness, but instead becoming more vigilant.
“Yes, it was I who guided Your Excellency the Savior here,” Wodell lowered his head. “I cannot leave the Darklands, so I called upon Your Excellency through the collective consciousness of the continent.”
“Why do you call me the Savior?”
“Your Excellency breathed the True Spirit Force into the Continent of Yuantan, bringing it back from the brink of collapse, and in doing so, you not only saved this land but also saved me.”
Angel furrowed his brow. It was not surprising that this man called Wodell knew he had released the True Spirit Force into this continent, but Wodell’s claim that he had saved him was somewhat puzzling to Angel.
“I am aware of why Your Excellency is here, the passage to leave the Continent of Yuantan lies within the Darklands, you may follow me.” With these words, Wodell suddenly tore open a dark space rift, stepping through it first.
The Space Rift’s opening constantly changed shape, resembling the gaping maw of a void beast, instilling fear in the onlookers.
“Should we enter?” Greerwu asked timidly.
Angel looked at Popota, who shook his head: “I am unable to judge whether it’s good or bad, but the lucky spell from before tells me there should be no danger. However, a being capable of tearing the fabric of space might also be able to shield or even change the results of a lucky spell.”
Popota laid out both the positive and negative outcomes before Angel.
Nobody knew what lay ahead, and the information available could not clear the Mist of the ‘unknown’.
Therefore, whether to proceed or not depended on a momentary decision of the heart.
After contemplating for a moment, Angel said, “Let’s go in.”
As Popota had said, a being capable of casually tearing through space had no need for such complexity if it wanted to kill them. Moreover, this man called Wodell had accurately pointed out their intentions.
This suggested that Wodell might have been observing them all along.
And wasn’t the whole reason Angel had traveled so far, to leave this continent?
To gain convenience, one must not hesitate but face the unknown risks.
With that thought, Angel led the way into the Space Rift, followed closely by Popota, with Greerwu, after hesitating for a moment, clutching Aoluxiya’s soul tightly as he stepped in as well.
…
This was a pitch-black wasteland.
There seemed to be no difference from the outside world, the only exception being that it was a bit more dim, and it wasn’t raining.
The air was a bit moist, with an occasional breeze bringing a chilling cold that cut to the bone.
Wodell stood directly ahead; seeing Angel enter, he extended his withered hand and pointed into the distance: “Your Excellency the Savior, please follow me this way.”
As Wodell spoke, he began to lead the way.
At some point, Wodell’s hand had acquired a broken oil lamp, its dim yellow light barely illuminating two to three meters ahead, deepening the surrounding solitude.
“You don’t have to keep calling me the Savior; my name is Angel.”
Wodell paused for a moment, then continued forward: “The Abyss harbors many ancient beings, just knowing your name allows them to cling to that thread and pursue you endlessly. Therefore, it is best if Your Excellency does not disclose your true name.”
Wodell moved at an unhurried pace, and his tone was just right, making everyone feel quite comfortable.
Angel was about to inquire further on the subject to gather more information when suddenly a sorrowful sob echoed from the darkness.
Angel looked towards the source of the sound, only to see a phantom shadow slowly emerging from the dark, glowing with a greenish light.
It was a woman in a blood-red dress.
However, the woman’s face was covered in blue veins, her eyes were a ghastly pale, and her expression was fiercely twisted. The moment she saw them, her sobbing behind covered hands instantly transformed into piercing howls.
Horrible ripples, carrying gusts of cold wind, rushed towards them!
“Undead howling?!” Angel’s expression changed, and his eyes suddenly brightened. Because of his Nightmare Soul Body, he was actually immune to undead attacks, but Popota behind him was almost no different from mortals and could easily be affected.
The only thing Angel could think of was to use the “Domain Field” green pattern to shield from the incoming ripples.
However, as soon as his forehead began to sweat and the green pattern had not yet emerged in his eyes, Wodell standing beside him gently tapped the ground with his bone staff.
After a crisp sound, the ripples around them instantly vanished, and the undead woman in the blood-colored dress, crying out in misery, was blown by an inexplicable gust of wind deep into the barren Darklands.
Seeing the undead woman disappear, the aura emanating from Angel slowly dissipated, his bangs fell back down, covering his right eye.
Wodell looked at the fleeting green light, his eyes seemingly flickering with movement.
Once everything calmed down, Angel looked at Wodell with evident caution and vigilance in his eyes.
Wodell seemed unaware, and said lightly, “That undead has always wandered the Darklands. Kulangduo has tried several times to take her away, but I have always refused.”
“Because, in life, she was my wife.”
The sudden twist left Angel stunned. The reason he regarded Wodell with increased caution was because the appearance of the undead was too coincidental. Moreover, given Wodell’s ability to tear through the Space Rift, dealing with an undead should have been simple. Yet he allowed the undead to appear, which forced Angel to consider whether Wodell had done so deliberately.
But when Wodell revealed his relationship with the undead woman, those doubts seemed to have found an answer.
“My wife, before she was about to die, did not tell me, and secretly made a vow with an ancient being, wishing to stay by my side forever. But how could an ancient being easily fulfill her wish? In the end, she became undead, forever wandering these Darklands.”
Wodell simply explained the origin of the undead. There were probably more details involved, but Wodell did not bother to delve into them.
Angel did not know if Wodell was telling the truth, but he saw no reason for Wodell to lie.
At that moment, Greerwu suddenly said, “Was the undead woman named Naya?”
Angel turned to look at Greerwu, “You know?”
Greerwu: “Lord Aoluxiya had once gone to visit the Cruel Scholar, and I accompanied him; I stayed in that library for several years. Butler Tandin read many stories to me, among which one had a plot somewhat similar to this…”
Greerwu looked at Wodell, uncertainty in his gaze.
“The Cruel Scholar has records of this matter? That’s right… after all, the one who made the vow with Naya was the Demon God of Wicked Desire, who is said to be on good terms with the Cruel Scholar.” Wodell paused, “Yes, my wife was Naya.”
Although he’d guessed, when Wodell confirmed it, Greerwu’s pupils involuntarily constricted.
Greerwu could not recall the specific time of the story, but he was certain that it happened before the fall of the ancient gods.
Which meant—
“You’re an ancient being too?”
Wodell did not answer immediately but continued walking forward with his lone lamp, turning his head.
It was a long while before Wodell said, “I survived because I formed an inseparable bond with this continent. The continent lives, I live; the continent dies, I die. Actually, I am merely a withered consciousness that remains to this day, with no freedom or right to exist on my own. Strictly speaking, I am not an ancient being.”
People didn’t know how to respond to Wodell’s words.
Yet, from some of his phrases, they inferred certain details.
Earlier, Wodell had said that Angel saved him. At the time, Angel didn’t grasp what he meant, but now it seemed that Wodell was saying that his fate was intertwined with the continent’s fortunes, which offered an explanation.
After a quiet spell, Angel broke the silence.
“You just mentioned Kulangduo… what’s his deal? And what’s this gift about?” Angel touched the Heiyu feather in his hand, sensing nothing unusual about it.
“Kulangduo was also born in this continent,” Wodell began, revealing a shocking fact.
The Harbinger of Death who terrified demons and indigenous peoples alike was actually born here?!
“Kulangduo’s origins are deeply connected to the land. By saving the Continent of Yuantan, he might not say it, but he’s likely grateful. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left this crow feather for you.”
“This is, a crow feather?” Angel looked at the black feather in his hand.
“Yes, this crow feather contains the essence of death and is a symbol of Kulangduo… We have arrived.”
Angel was about to inquire about the function of the black feather, but at that moment, Wodell suddenly stopped and pointed ahead, saying, “This is our destination.”
“The Darklands.”