Chapter 213 — The Inner Demon
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 6 of 6
After a long while, the Nether King gave a faint, cold哼 — no, a faint, cold snort — and with a flick of his right hand bore the Coiled Dragon Cauldron up in his grasp, then strode out of the room. As he passed Mingli's side, the sharp light in his eyes seemed about to pierce through and dazzle.
And Mingli's gaze at that moment was not on the Nether King, but had fallen upon the body of the Coiled Dragon Cauldron.
The ancient cauldron, of archaic design, bore many fine places of wear and damage, yet on its deep-green, faintly purple body one could still clearly see countless twisted and mysterious inscriptions; and on the back of the cauldron, at the very center of those inscriptions, a single design imprinted itself upon Mingli's eyes: flames blazing fiercely, and within the firelight a great cauldron being roasted; around the great cauldron four strange beasts — some birds, some beasts — howled skyward; and above the cauldron black clouds rolled and tumbled, and there, unmistakably, was the hideous, fearsome face of a demon king, grinning maliciously as it watched the mortal world.
The design flashed past Mingli's eyes in an instant, yet somehow it had already sunk deep into his mind, impossible to shake. And in his memory, that demon king's face seemed somehow a little familiar — only for the moment he could not for the life of him recall whether he had ever seen this demon king's appearance.
The Nether King quickly walked out of the stone chamber and vanished beyond the door, and calm returned within. The monkey Xiaohui hopped over from the side, leaped onto Mingli's shoulder, and slowly sat down, but there was no joy in its face at all; from time to time it turned its head to look toward the doorway, giving low "chitter, chitter" cries.
Mingli was silent; he reached out and gently stroked Xiaohui's head, and after a moment of silence he gave a soft sigh, then turned and walked out of the stone chamber, wandering on at an easy pace.
The long corridor seemed to lead in every direction, just as on the road of life no one knows where to go — or rather, even if you think you know, where that road will truly lead, who can say?
Half an hour later, Mingli stopped in his tracks, struck dumb and unable to speak, and found that the place where he had halted was outside the Cold Ice Stone Chamber.
The thick stone wall stretched across before him, and yet he was suddenly a little afraid — he, who had not flinched even when facing the Nether King's demonic arts of the Coiled Dragon Cauldron, now could not help but feel fear.
That stone door stood there, so quietly, before him.
With a faintly trembling hand, he reached out.
The stone door, as it had countless times before, gave out a low rumbling sound and opened.
In the first narrow gap as it opened, dimly he saw a slender figure standing before the Cold Ice Stone Platform, and in the air there seemed still to be the crisp, familiar sound of a bell.
He seemed to be lost in a trance.