CH 22

It wasn’t only Xiao Fuxuan. Others who were familiar with arrays could also tell that this was an enormous array.

And every enormous array must have an array center.

The array center contained the crucial array stone or the most important spiritual talisman.

The array stone would often be inscribed with the imprint of the person who had placed the array, allowing others to be able to tell immediately who set up the array.

The spiritual talisman would also clearly indicate the purpose of the array. If it was an array used for suppression, the talisman would state the name of the targeted individual, so as not to accidentally injure others.

So when cultivators came across this type of array, they all had the habit of first looking for the array center.

Yi Wusheng looked at the interlaced light on the ground and carefully assessed it. After a moment, he frowned and pointed, “The array center… is over there.”

The little disciples looked over. He was pointing to none other than the immortal-abolishing platform behind the bright blue flames.

“This…”

“This might be a little too straightforward, is that the place?”

“To be honest, I also found out that this was the array center. But I thought it was just a type of deceptive illusion.”

The little disciples found this hard to believe.

This was because generally speaking, people who set up an array wouldn’t want their array to be destroyed easily. Therefore, they would at least spend some effort to try and hide the array center, a place that one wouldn’t expect it to be.

However, this array was exactly the opposite — It was almost obvious that this immortal-abolishing platform was the heart of the array, and yet the person who set this array chose to put the array center there.

This was almost unbelievable.

But it was also previously that they found it unbelievable that they didn’t dare to believe it. Instead, they felt like they had missed something or had miscalculated.

For a second, no one dared to move rashly. Even if the array was changed by the slightest, even just a single gravel or a piece of leaf, it would cause an earth-shattering difference.

“Perhaps the person who set the array is trying to use reverse psychology against us?” one of the disciples mumbled.

Yi Wusheng shook his head slowly, “He wouldn’t take such a big risk with this big of an array.”

The little disciple: “Hmm, you’re indeed right. If someone would deliberately set it up like this, then he or she must be a heavy gambler.” “

Yi Wusheng replied, “So it probably wasn’t done intentionally, but rather there were no other options.”

But would they have no other options?

Was it because their spirit wasn’t sufficient enough to sustain the complex maneuvering of concealing the array center? Or was it that when they had set the array center, they were interrupted by something unexpected, forcing them to finish in a hurry?

Bang-

As everyone was puzzled, there was suddenly a loud noise in the round room.

Bang-

It sounded again.

They were all startled and looked over to the origin of the sound. It was from the immortal-abolishing platform.

Bang-

When it sounded for the third time, everyone saw it. The Yao Palace and the immortal-abolishing platform all shocked violently, The door plaque, which only had a corner remaining, to begin with, smashed down onto the stone steps before the palace, shattering into powder.

If the Yao Palace and the immortal-abolishing platform were like a delicate coffin, then that quake just now was as if the person sealed inside the coffin had suddenly woken up. It was pounding the lid, attempting to get out.

Bang-

The fourth sound rang out, making the cultivation disciples all jump up this time.

“Watch out!”

They drew their swords and prepared themselves, ready to strike.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rose from the ground, howling through the air.

A colossal force swept violently past the crowd’s bodies like hundreds of thousands of sharp blades, piercing directly towards the immortal-abolishing platform.

“It’s the array!”

“It’s activated!”

The enormous array in the room suddenly lit up, circulating loudly as the immortal-abolishing platform shook.

The array wouldn’t reason with anyone at that moment. It wouldn’t care whether people were still inside and would only unleash countless killing moves.

Like a giant mountain, oppression fell from above without a warning!

Roaring echoed endlessly throughout the cavern, and beneath the oppression, the trembling immortal-abolishing platform was crushed inch by inch into the ground, the bottom wedging itself deeper and deeper downwards amidst the flying rocks and debris.

But what was even more tragic were the people.

“AHHHH—” The sharp and ear-splitting screams came from Gao’e and the others.

Under the oppression, their severed limbs shattered.

The little disciples held their swords high with both of their hands and pushed against the oppression, but they were still pressed down until their waists were bent.

Their eldest martial brother suffered the most. Folded inwards, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yi Wusheng wanted to help him, but right now, he couldn’t even take care of himself.

When the oppression came down, his pitiful vestigial soul lurched incessantly. The black cloth over his nose and mouth was about to fail to keep his soul sealed as it showed a tear. By the time it gets completely ripped, his soul would be forced out and he would die here as well.

Just as the oppression was about to descend a second time, the crowd suddenly heard the ring of a sword.

In the next second, lightly pierced out from over their head. An enormous sword appeared as a hologram and acted like a barrier, blocking the second strike of oppression.

When the oppression fell onto the holographic sword, golden light splashed outwards, and the loud crashing sound echoed through the Valley of Great Sorrow.1

Under the giant sword, everyone closed their eyes and shrunk back subconsciously. When they opened their eyes back up, they were shocked to find that the spirit sword was still standing strong, not budging by the slightest.2

At the same time, several beams of the same spirit sword surrounded the crowd, firmly enclosing them in the middle.

The array continued to unleash killing moves, but inside the spirit sword, those moves couldn’t approach them at all.

That was Xiao Fuxuan’s sword energy.

The cultivation disciples helped each other up and coughed away the blood in their throats, wanting to say “thank you so much for the help.” But when they lifted their heads, they saw that vaguely visible “Mian” character on the spirit sword.

The disciples: “……”

“???”

They were dumbfounded for a moment, and then quickly twisted their heads to look at Xiao Fuxuan. They used so much force that another surge of blood almost came out of their mouths.

The youngest one said faintly. “Martial Brother, I know how to recite the acclaimed sword register.”

Martial Brother: “…… who doesn’t.”

The cultivation disciples of cultivation sects all studied two collections of archival illustrations: one was the immortal register, and the other was the acclaimed sword register. They knew them like the backs of their hands, and it wasn’t until today did they realize it wasn’t useful at all.

They couldn’t recognize any of the thirty-three immortals in the round room. In addition, the Celestial Immortal himself was by their side, and only now did they recognize him.

“The paintings in the immortal register don’t look like the real person at all,” said one of the disciples. He then murmured, “But… but wasn’t the Celestial Immortal die already?”

Did he just silently come back to life? Can one get revived after dying?

He was confused and full of questions, and his martial brother wasn’t much better. “I don’t know, but look at his neck, there is no “Mian” mark like illustrated on the immortal register.”

“What if he’s not the real immortal himself?”

“How am I supposed to know?” said the Martial Brother. He thought about it, then continued, “But, if he wasn’t the real immortal, he shouldn’t be able to use his “Mian” sword right? These celestial swords would only listen to their masters.”

They looked towards that sword on Xiao Fuxuan’s waist again, this time studying extremely carefully. It was the same as the one in the acclaimed sword register.

The Acclaimed Sword Register has every immortal from Immortal Capital’s sword registered, and almost all of them have a name, except for Xiao Fuxuan’s. No one knew what the name of his sword was, so they could only call it by the “Mian” character engraved on it.

However, the legend said that Xiao Fuxuan’s sword had a name, but he didn’t name it himself.

No one knows where this legend came from either, let alone if it’s even true.

***

Wu Xingxue looked at the golden spirit sword shielding in front of him. Looking at such an exceptional sword, he felt like it should have its name.

He was about to ask the owner of the sword, but just then, the immortal-abolishing platform shook violently from beyond the spirit sword, almost like the thing beneath the platform had gotten even more agitated.

The array started to spin even faster. The entire catacomb, no, the entire Valley of Great Sorrow was trembling, forcefully suppressing the thing underneath the immortal-abolishing platform.

The crowd only felt their heads ring. The thirty-three divine statues slowly turned to face the immortal-abolishing platform, almost like a soundless besieging.

Immediately afterward, when the agitation of the immortal-abolishing platform reached its peak, a vague voice suddenly sounded inside the catacomb. That voice was like a gust of wind rushing through the heavens, speaking a name, “My disciple Yun Hai.”

“Yun Hai, cease your antics.”

“Yun Hai, quiet.”

“Yun Hai…”

……

That voice sounded together with the oppression of the enormous array. Every time the voice spoke a sentence, the oppression would slightly decrease. The violent shaking of the immortal-abolishing platform suddenly ceased.

“Whose voice is this?” one of the cultivation disciples asked.

“Mingwu Hua Xin…” As someone from Hua Xin who had listened to immortal instructions, Yi Wusheng immediately recognized the voice.

Before, they were about to use the array center to tell who this place was suppressed.

But now that the voice has spoken, there was no need.

According to rumors, Yun Hai had been completely devoured by devils, so Hua Xin had then slayed all of them. Now, it seemed that this wasn’t completely correct.

It was more like Yun Hai had become a devil himself. Hua Xin couldn’t kill him but couldn’t let him free either, so he used a “never to see the light of day again” array to suppress him here, sealing him for hundreds of years.

***

During the period after “My Disciple Yun Hai” was spoken and the immortal-abolishing platform calmed down, no one dared to lower their guards.

“Did he get suppressed?” The disciples stared at the immortal-abolishing platform, not daring to blink.

“It’s hard to say,” said Yi Wusheng.

“Its agitation was completely sudden. Could this be because after we came in here, it had smelled the scent of living people and became hungry?”

”Don’t know, perhaps.”

Wu Xingxue listened to their discussion and wondered in his head. It was also at this time when he suddenly heard Xiao Fuxuan say, “Don’t move.”

“What?” Wu Xingxue was stunned.

“Lower your head.”

The nape was one of the most vulnerable places of the body. No one would carelessly deliberately show this spot to others. Wu Xingxue almost instinctively squinted his eyes, but he still tilted his head down.

When Xiao Fuxuan’s finger touched the back of his neck, the muscles on the side of his neck tensed.

It was a very strange feeling, but fortunately, Xiao Fuxuan just gave it a gentle wipe and withdrew his hand.

Wu Xingxue raised his head and rubbed his neck, feeling the warmth that was still there. He looked up, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Fuxuan frowned and said, “There is an extra mark.”

Wu Xingxue’s hands stopped for a second, “Mark? What kind of mark?”

Speaking of marks on the back of the neck, his first reaction was to think of Yi Wusheng, Hua Zhaoting, and the others who had been infected at the Valley of Great Sorrow. They all once had marks on the backs of their necks, and it was only that when the marks were discovered, they had already been mangled by scratching and clawing, difficult to clearly distinguish.

Sure enough, Yi Wusheng heard them and quickly came over, “A mark on the back of the neck? Is it the same as mine?”

“They both occurred in the Valley of Great Sorrow, and they both showed up on the same spot. It’s most likely the case.” Although Wu Xingxue couldn’t see it, he could guess this much.

Now finally, the mark on Yi Wusheng that was impossible to distinguish was about to reveal its original appearance.

Unexpectedly, Yi Wusheng exclaimed, “This is… a worship mark!”

“Worship mark?” Wu Xingxue asked, “Are you saying the mark behind my neck is the same as those found on the little boy and girl statues?”

“Yes,” Yi Wusheng was stunned for a long time. He stroked the scar on the back of his neck and murmured, “How come it’s a worship mark…”

While he spoke, Xiao Fuxuan had already taken the time to look at everyone else’s necks.

Wu Xingxue asked him, “Do they have it?”

“No,” Xiao Fuxuan replied, his face cold.

“Only me? This isn’t fair.” Wu Xingxue muttered softly. In his head, he was quickly trying to think of what he did that everyone else didn’t.

Now that he tried to recall, there was indeed one thing — lighting incense.

He was the only one who took three incense and lit them in front of those little boy and girl statues. Although his intention wasn’t to burn these as offerings, he did burn the incense after all.

If the reason why these worship marks appeared truly was because of offering incense, then the infections of those people at the Valley of Great Sorrow many decades ago could now be explained. Perhaps before entering the valley, to pray for a peaceful journey, they had visited the celestial temple at the valley entrance, offering incense to the immortal of the Valley of Great Sorrow who had disappeared long ago.

Thus… that person suppressed in the ground beneath the mountain valley generously took them in as adherents.

“Why is it a worship mark?” Someone asked in confusion, “Isn’t that used for immortals to collect offerings?”

“It’s the same principle.” Yi Wusheng spoke in a daze, “When immortals use it, all the incense and offerings received by the divine statues and immortal envoys engraved with worship marks go to the immortal’s real body. And if a devil uses it…”

If a devil uses it, then everything consumed by the people imprinted with marks will also go to the devil’s real body.

Yi Wusheng suddenly found this all both funny and lamentable. He and Hua Zhaoting had struggled to survive for more than twenty years; in the end, it was all just to serve as someone’s “little boy statue,” unknowingly providing for this individual beneath the Valley of Great Sorrow.

“Oh!” That little cultivation disciple quickly took out his brocade pouch and said to Wu Xingxue, “Thank goodness, thank goodness, we brought some Dreamless Pills with us. After this type of mark appears, you need to eat one right away, it can make it go away.”

Wu Xingxue took it over, looked at it with some strangeness between his fingers, then returned it to the disciple, “I don’t need it, please keep it. It’ll be a waste to use it on me.”

“What do you mean you don’t need it?” The disciple became distressed, “If you don’t eat it, you’ll be possessed by a devil, you’ll turn into a devil!”

“I’m afraid I can’t be possessed and nor will I transform.”

“How come?!” The disciple was stunned.

Wu Xingxue smiled at him, “Because I am already one~”

Translated by: UnderTheMoon

Edited by: Tempest