劍問蒼天 - 第244章 星盤 - 翰墨軒

It had been ten full days since Ming Li returned to Mount Huqi, yet his greatest and sole purpose still showed no progress. During these ten days, the Qiankun Reincarnation Plate and the Hehuan Bell in Bi Li's hands had never once reacted again; every time he tried with hope, he received only a cold answer. And that strange mysterious power from beneath the earth seemed to have vanished since that day, never stirring again.

Correspondingly, within the main hall of the Nether King Sect, the atmosphere that had once been thick with gloom and dread suddenly began to change. In these ten days, no one had gone mad or harmed another, and the terrifying rate at which the stone wall fissures had been spreading had also abruptly halted.

Everything seemed to have returned to the peaceful days of old. Everyone gradually recovered from the brink of collapse; smiles slowly reappeared on people's faces. Though those smiles still carried a trace of trepidation and caution, the atmosphere was utterly different from before. Within the caverns and along the passages, more and more Nether King Sect disciples could be seen coming and going, and the way they had once treated each other like strangers had completely changed—gradually they chatted and laughed together.

And whether by coincidence or not, these changes had come about precisely after Ming Li's return to Mount Huqi. Thus, among the Nether King Sect disciples, a certain saying quietly began to circulate: it was rumored that after the Vice Sect Master returned, though outwardly he paid no heed to the disciples below, in truth he had swiftly sought out the source of the strange disturbances of recent days and destroyed it, thereby restoring peace to the main hall of the Nether King Sect.

This rumor was clearly somewhat absurd and inaccurate, but perhaps because the preceding days had been too bitter and fearful, the many Nether King Sect disciples actually believed it wholeheartedly, and the saying spread rapidly. As for how Ming Li had found the source of the disturbances and how he had destroyed it, most people were vague; even what the bizarre source had actually been, no one seemed able to say clearly. Yet everyone seemed to have completely ignored these questions, merely gossiping about it in private.

Naturally, it was impossible for Ming Li to know of these baffling rumors, and even if he had, he likely would not have cared in the slightest. What he cared about was only Bi Li in the Cold Ice Stone Chamber, and this person most important to him still showed no improvement. For him, the bit of barely sustained confidence from the first day had finally, today, reached its end and been worn away to nothing.

"Crack!"

Another soft sound—the Hehuan Bell once again dropped onto the Qiankun Reincarnation Plate, rolled slightly, and then came quietly to rest. Ming Li stared blankly at the jade plate in his hand and the little bell within it; in his already dim eyes, the last glimmer of light faded away.

He stood there silently for a long while before picking up the Hehuan Bell from the jade plate, walking to the Cold Ice Stone Platform, and placing it back into Bi Li's hands. He carefully folded Bi Li's hands over her chest, his movements gentle, as if afraid he might hurt her. Then, gazing at Bi Li's face, he said in a low voice, "Bi Li, I'm sorry—I failed to save you again... This Qiankun Reincarnation Plate is a secret treasure of the Brahma Sound Temple. I've borrowed it for over ten days now; I truly cannot shamelessly keep it any longer." At this point, the muscles in his face trembled, and he closed his eyes, seeming deeply agitated. Only after a long while did he slowly calm down and say softly, "Don't worry. As long as I live, no matter what—even if I must search to the ends of the earth—I will save you! Just endure a little longer, all right?"