Chapter 256 — The Spirit Tablet
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 5 of 10
Only then did Daoist Cangyan breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that during his absence great upheavals had indeed occurred in the Fox Mountain, but with the Nether King's abilities, nothing could truly stump him. Seeing these Nether King Sect disciples present, he judged that the sect's vitality had not been gravely wounded.
At that moment, the group over there—who looked somewhat like a patrol detail of Nether King Sect disciples—also noticed the two standing here, and all turned and walked toward them. Daoist Cangyan went to meet them and called out in a clear voice, "I am Cangsong. What has happened here?"
Jin Pingyue said nothing. She cast a deep look at the distant red blood-shadow that draped over the abyss like a dome of light, then silently followed behind Daoist Cangyan, her brows tightly knit, watching the approaching Nether King Sect disciples.
The two sides drew near. Those several dozen men were indeed disciples of the Nether King Sect. Their leader nodded to Cangsong and bowed slightly—yet for some reason his movements seemed somewhat stiff—and said, "Greetings... uh... Daoist..."
Daoist Cangyan frowned. The Nether King Sect disciple's manner of speech was rather odd, halting and jerky, and matched with his somewhat rigid movements, he seemed like a wooden puppet. Who knew where this man had been transferred from, to be so utterly unpresentable.
But just now Daoist Cangyan could not be bothered with such trifles. He said directly, "Where is the Nether King? We have matters to report to him."
The Nether King Sect disciple still wore that wooden expression, slowly turned and pointed deep into the red glow, and said, "The Sect Master... uh... is inside... uh... has been waiting for you a long time... uh."
Daoist Cangyan was thoroughly impatient. Listening to this man speak a single sentence truly cost one enormous effort. He waved his hand and said, "Enough. Lead the way."
The Nether King Sect disciple nodded, turned, and walked off, saying slowly, "Yes... uh!"
The party set off again toward the abyss. Daoist Cangyan had originally wanted to ask what this sudden tremendous upheaval was all about, but the few exchanges just now had completely exhausted his patience. Questioning such a wooden Nether King Sect disciple was sheer torment—better to ask the Nether King directly later.
Jin Pingyue followed behind them, walking slowly, her gaze quietly fixed on the Nether King Sect disciples around her. At first glance they seemed no different from ordinary people apart from slightly stiff movements, with nothing strange about them at all—yet the inexplicable vigilance in Jin Pingyue's eyes only grew heavier.
As they gradually drew nearer the abyss and closer to the red blood-radiance, Jin Pingyue suddenly noticed that a faint red was slowly emerging in the eyes of the Nether King Sect disciples walking beside her, like dark crimson blood. And the movements of all of them as they walked were no longer stiff—they were slowly becoming light and brisk.
It was as though that blood-red glow had given them some kind of power.
Closer and closer to that uncanny red dome of light—barely two zhang away now—when a sudden unease swept through Daoist Cangyan's heart. Yet he could not put into words what this abrupt feeling was about. Just then, a soft cry came from behind him. They all turned, and saw Jin Pingyue, who had been perfectly fine a moment ago, suddenly sitting on the ground, clutching her chest, gasping and coughing loudly, her face ashen—a picture of great distress.
Daoist Cangyan was startled. "What is it?"
Jin Pingyue gasped a few breaths, shook her head with a bitter smile, and said, "It is an old ailment of mine. Sometimes it comes on like this—a sudden stabbing pain in my chest that lasts nearly half an hour before it passes, and then I am as right as rain. It has not troubled me for years; I never thought it would flare up again today."