Chapter 185: To the Western Continent

"Vi said he could hear the wall whispering"

"W… what?"

Hearing this, Yinji could not help but be slightly taken aback as she slightly put up her guard and looked at the mountain. But after a while, she realized how stupid that was.

But seeing Viel's serious expression, she could not help but also curiously place her hand on the wall. But no matter how much she concentrated, the only thing she could feel was the warm rocks that had been bathing for hours in the sunlight.

"It's… just a bunch of dirt", Yinji sighed in disappointment, "What do you hear, boy?", she then said as she looked at Viel.

"...Whispers", Viel said softly, "And the sound of something flowing… water, maybe"

"Water flowing?", Yinji once again placed her hand on the wall. But once again, she could not hear or even feel any fluctuation coming from the colossal wall.

Sofia also tried to detect it with her mana, but she too failed to detect anything. She wanted more and more to get a sample from the wall. But if it is true that this mountain was alive, then she definitely did not want to get on its bad side.

"...Can you talk to it?", Sofia said as she placed her hand on Viel's shoulder.

"I'll try", Viel nodded his head as he started talking to the wall. But sadly, there wasn't any sort of response, "...It just continues on whispering words I don't understand", Viel shook his head in disappointment.

Hearing this, Yinji could not help but sigh, "Even if the legends were true, the Juren Serpent has been here for millions of years. It is definitely without life anymore", Yinji also placed her hand on Viel's shoulder, "Let's go, boy"

Feeling Yinji's warm hand touching him, Viel could not help but stiffen up as he awkwardly walked away. "L...let's go!", he shouted as he quickly ran away.

"Wait for us, Vi!", Sofia quickly chased Viel as she held her spectacles.

Yinji was about to follow the two of them, but she heard the sound of a stone dropping on the ground behind her.

"!!!", Yinji quickly backed away and put up her guard. She quickly scanned the area with her qi, but once again, she could detect nothing. She could only blink her eyes a couple of times before putting down her guard.

"...Must have been the wind", she said as she followed the two back to the Port.

"..."

However, after a few seconds after she was gone, the area they were in started to quake. And slowly, a gigantic crevice opened ever so slightly on the wall. Something moved inside the crevice, but after just a few seconds, it closed.

"..."

***

"Ah! Viel, where did you guys run off to!?"

Diao Mei could not help but place her hands on her sides as she saw Viel entering their room. Since their tickets were provided with the Princess, they were able to get the largest room on the ship, just for them.

The ship's size was enormous. It was able to fit 50,000 passengers with rooms to spare even for additional cargo. Add to the fact that it had its own shops and restaurants, one might even say that it was a city of its own.

"Nothing…", Viel shook his head in disappointment as he sat on the sofa without energy, "I thought the Juren Serpent was talking to me"

"...Eh? Really!?", Diao Mei could not help but widen her eyes.

Lu Xun, however, scoffed as soon as he heard this, "Just a child", he whispered, "Still believing in legends, oh my, oh my"

Diao Mei wanted to ask more questions about what happened, but the room suddenly lightly trembled.

The ship was starting its cruise.

Diao Mei and her mother quickly looked towards the window. It will take a week before they could get to the Western Continent, hopefully, General Diao would still be alright by then. "Grandfather… please wait for us", Diao Mei whispered as she looked towards the horizon. Diao Chan also grabbed her hand tight, her own hand, trembling due to the thoughts lingering in her mind.

The rest of the group could not help but stare at the two in silence. They were once again reminded of why they were here. They weren't going on an adventure, but a rescue. And hopefully, they weren't too late.

"What… is the Western Continent like?", Sofia was the first one to break the silence as she could no longer contain her curiosity and approached Yinji.

"Hm?", Yinji was slightly surprised by the sudden question, but after a few seconds, she furrowed her eyebrows, "It was… a dark place"

"The Evil Mona… the Demon God's culling was just starting when I arrived there", she continued her story, "But even then, you will not find any joy wherever you look"

Hearing the Demon God being mentioned, Viel could not help but be curious, "Did you… meet him?", he asked.

"Only from afar", Yinji shook her head, a hint of sorrow could be seen coming from her eyes, "I wanted to test my strength against him, you see… but when I saw him, the only thing my body told me to do was run"

"!!!"

Diao Mei and Diao Chan, who were quietly looking at the horizon could not help but turn their heads as soon as they heard Matriarch Yinji's words. Lu Xun, who was listening on the side, could only gulp nervously.

Someone like Matriarch Yinji, who could stand toe to toe with the Emperor, and who could very well be the strongest cultivator in Choryu… wanted to run away?

Then… how strong was the Demon God, really? And how strong was the one who defeated him?

The Hero of Freiden, how strong was she to be able to defeat an existence like the Demon God?

A question that even Matriarch Yinji also wanted answers to. The Hero of Freiden did not exist yet when she first arrived at the Western Continent. So she always wondered, how could someone much younger than her be able to defeat the likes of the Demon God? She wanted to meet the Hero and maybe even exchange some pointers with her when they get the chance.

Hearing the conversation about the Demon God, Sofia could not help but sigh. 'A god…', she thought as she turned her eyes towards Viel, 'They didn't have to look far'.

Viel was able to stand toe to toe with Earth Goddess Mirella. Sofia has been denying and deliberating it ever since. But since Viel's battle with the mysterious red-haired man, Sofia already knew in herself-- Viel is a god.

Maybe not yet a fully developed one, but a god nonetheless. But Viel… Viel was slowly disappearing. It is faint, but he is indeed losing himself. Whatever secret it is that is inside him, the voices, his powers, it is eating slowly eating him piece by piece.

Sofia let out a sigh as she lightly touched Viel's hair, "I… will find out more about you", she whispered. Viel was slightly taken aback by Sofia's sudden actions, but he only smiled at her and lightly tapped her spectacles in response.

Diao Mei slightly looked away and let out a tiny breath as she saw how close the two were. A lot of things have changed in the past 7 years and she was no longer the child she once was. What… did she really feel about Viel when they were younger? She was already 16, and Viel was still much younger than her at 12.

Could she really be harboring romantic feelings… to a child? Or was it just a lingering admiration when she too was just a child?

Diao Mei shook her head to push away the unnecessary thoughts that were surfacing in her mind. She already had a fiance chosen for her, and also, this was not the time to be thinking about herself. The Western Continents will be a whole new world for her.

She has been in numerous dungeons, but even then, the Western Continent still seemed like such a strange place.

She once again looked towards the endless horizon.

'The western continent…

...What… exactly awaits us there?'

***

In a dark and damp cellar, a deafening cracking noise echoed, causing even the fires of the candles that were dimly lit to sway. And with the swaying of the fire, the sound of flesh tearing followed.

In the darkness, was a woman. Her hands and feet bound by chains, her body, suspended in the air. Her long silver hair swaying with every strike of the whip that tears her flesh off. But even as her blood continued to flood the murky floors, her eyes remained stagnant and clear.

And her whispers… her whispers were unfettered.

"Die…

...You will all die"

***

Volume 4 - Dungeons END

...

Volume 5 - Western Continent START

I know most of my day 1 readers are no longer here. Honestly, based on my Author's dashboard, almost no one is reading my book anymore. But still, as this is my first ever actual book that I spent my time and effort on, I will finish it, even if I only had 1 reader left.

If you are still here, then thank you. Thank you very much for supporting this book as much as you did. Honestly, I feel a little emotional that I could even reach this far. 180 chapters, man. What a journey and what a ride, and I am very lucky to have you on board.

I didn't think I could do it, man. But I did because I still had all of you, so thank you.

Seriously, thank you.