Chapter 151 — Purgatory
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 4 of 6
For some reason, everyone's expression was tense, and an awkward silence fell. At last Xiao Yichen coughed, but after making the sound he quietly discovered that his throat was dry to the point of pain. He steadied himself and said, "Everyone, it seems that Demonic Cult disciple was not lying. This must be the place where the beast demons and the Demonic Cult fought their great battle."
He looked around, hesitated a moment, then asked, "Shall we go in and take a look?"
No one spoke. Even Li Xun's face looked very grim now. After a moment, Fa Cheng, who stood beside Xiao Yichen, softly chanted a Buddha's name and said, "Since we have come this far, there is no use in speaking of turning back. Let us go in."
In truth, everyone present understood this well enough; it was only that, for some unknown reason, something eerie in that valley seemed to work quietly upon each person's spirit and fill them with dread. Fa Jing, the junior brother who had followed Fa Cheng all along, answered in a muffled voice and stepped to his senior brother's side.
"Let's go," said Lin Jinghong—not Xiao Yichen. He gripped the Slaying Dragon Sword tighter in his hand, his face grave, and was the first to stride into Viper Valley. Lu Xueling followed behind him, and Li Xun came after. Xiao Yichen and Fa Cheng exchanged a glance, each seeing the faint worry in the other's eyes, but after a moment the whole party went in.
The valley was vast, its forest stretching out of sight. As the party walked through Viper Valley, all around them was a dead stillness. Not a creature did they see; even the usual birdsong was absent. The land around this valley seemed to have become a lifeless realm of ghosts.
The rank stench of the beast demons and their monsters hung as heavy as ever, but as the party pressed deeper, every brow drew tighter and tighter. Now another breath came on the valley wind—a dreadful stench that made one want to retch at a single whiff—and it too grew stronger and stronger.
The mountain path twisted and turned, and the party advanced slowly, every sense fixed on the watch around them. Ahead lay a bend, a hollow in the hillside, and by the time they reached it the stench in the air had grown too foul to bear. Suddenly Yan Fei, walking in the middle of the group, rushed to the roadside. The others were badly startled, and Li Xun cried, "Shimei, what's wrong—" He broke off halfway, for he and the others all saw Yan Fei standing in the roadside weeds, vomiting with all her might.
No one laughed at her, for no one knew how much longer they themselves could hold out. The valley had not yet shown its true face, yet already it seemed more terrible than almost any place on earth. Yan Fei stopped, gasping, her face ashen, and walked back to the others. In a low voice she said, "I'm sorry, I—I really couldn't..."
Fa Cheng managed a smile. "Yan-shimei, it's all right."
Xiao Yichen said as well, "Indeed. No one can stand this stench. Think nothing of it. If you can't go on, perhaps wait for us outside the valley."
Yan Fei hesitated, then shook her head. "Let's go."
Li Xun came over and nodded to Yan Fei, comfort in his eyes. In a low voice he said, "Be careful, and don't push yourself too hard."
Yan Fei nodded in assent. Xiao Yichen turned and said, "Good. Let us go on. We don't know what monsters or dangers lie ahead, so everyone must be careful."
The others nodded one after another and set off again. Lin Jinghong still walked at the front, and as the bend in the hollow drew nearer and nearer, cold sweat began to seep into the palm that gripped the Slaying Dragon Sword. By now the stench in the air was so foul it was hard to breathe. Lin Jinghong's face had gone slightly pale; he set his jaw, sprang forward in a single stride, rounded the bend, and saw what lay within the valley.
In an instant his whole body went rigid.