Chapter 35 — The Ancient Grotto
劍問蒼天 · Page 6 of 6
No one dared breathe. After a moment they all realized that, conspicuous as their light was in the surrounding blackness, the bats seemed indeed not to stir, and would not attack. Seeing this, they breathed a little easier, and [Facheng] said in a low voice, "At least this humble monk's judgment was not wrong. Let us press on, everyone."
They turned and went deeper into that dreadful ancient grotto, toward the deeper darkness beyond. With every step, the bat droppings underfoot grew thicker, and under the white light of the Frost sword the bats on the roof seemed endless, growing more and more numerous — sharp fangs and jagged teeth, murmuring low cries, whistling all around them. Had these eight not all possessed the orthodox immortal arts and firmness of will, any ordinary person would have gone mad.
How long they walked thus, [Zhang Qingyue] could not tell. He was in the middle of the party, and [Facheng] kept always ahead of him. Seeing that even the young monk's moon-white robe was now stained with a few spots of filth, [Zhang Qingyue] suddenly thought of [Puzhao].
That person, deep in his memories — had he come from the same place as this monk before him?
Ahead, [Qi Hao] suddenly gave a faint cry: "Ah!"
Before [Zhang Qingyue] could make sense of it, he felt something strange beneath his feet — as though he had stepped onto hard ground.