Chapter 2547: Eerie Prayer

Zu'an, as the lord of the Underworld, possessed an inherent familiarity with death, even though the Underworld had not yet been established.

The mountain below appeared brightly lit, yet its eerie silence in the darkness made it particularly unsettling.

The Wushan Goddess's expression was solemn. "Everyone, be careful," she warned. Immediately, she urged the clouds beneath her feet to accelerate, flying quickly towards it.

As they drew closer, a scorching heat washed over them, gradually dissipating the clouds beneath their feet. Zu'an frowned, a sense of foreboding settling over him, as such dry heat often heralded misfortune.

With a flick of her sleeve, the Wushan Goddess dispersed a mist, solidifying the clouds beneath their feet. She then explained, "Mount Shouyang is actually a massive volcano. The Wu tribe here, with their exquisite craftsmanship, transformed this volcano into a colossal furnace for forging peerless divine weapons." She then pointed to the surrounding peaks. "They also diverted the earth's fire from the main peak to the seventy-two surrounding peaks, creating countless smaller forging platforms."

By now, Zu'an and the Mermaid Queen could clearly see Mount Shouyang in the center. Its massive, circular opening at the summit spewed dark red light, bathing the entire area in a crimson hue. The seventy-two smaller peaks were arranged around it according to a specific pattern. Zu'an could even faintly perceive ancient, light blue runes deeply etched into the mountain sides. Evidently, all of this, along with the main peak of Mount Shouyang, formed a grand array, ensuring the safe and smooth operation of the entire system.

The air was thick with a strong, pungent odor—a mix of sulfur, metal, and various precious materials. Over countless ages, an untold number of divine weapons and powerful artifacts had been forged here.

As they drew even closer, the Wushan Goddess's power to replenish their cloud platform couldn't keep pace with the rate at which it dissipated, forcing them to stop outside one of the peaks. Zu'an gazed at the faint array formations shimmering in the sky and stated gravely, "The defensive array here is still fully operational. If we had continued flying inwards just now, we would likely have triggered its counterattack."

"That's strange," remarked the Mermaid Queen, looking around. "If the defensive array is functioning, how could something have happened here?" They had been within Mount Shouyang's vicinity for a while but had yet to see any local Wu tribe members.

"It is indeed peculiar," the Wushan Goddess mused. "If it were an external invasion, there would be some trace of a battle. For countless years, the Shouyang Wu tribe, renowned for their forging skills, accumulated vast wealth. Moreover, powerful individuals from all corners would come to them to forge weapons, undoubtedly providing many precious materials."

"Over the ages, Mount Shouyang amassed immense riches. Naturally, this attracted the covetous eyes of outsiders. However, the Shouyang Wu tribe possesses formidable combat strength and are skilled in artifact refinement and forging, creating defensive arrays that deterred malevolent individuals. After several notorious evil cultivators invaded and met gruesome ends here, no one dared to covet this place again." As she spoke, she continuously scanned their surroundings, clearly perplexed by the current situation.

"Let's go inside and see," Zu'an suggested. He was likely the only one among them who understood what was happening, given the overwhelmingly dense aura of death within.

The Wushan Goddess nodded. She had visited this place before, so she took the lead.

The seventy-two outer peaks were connected to each other and to the main peak by a series of suspension bridges. Beneath the bridges flowed what appeared to be red rivers, but upon closer inspection, it became clear they were streams of molten lava. Plumes of smoke, composed of sulfur and other materials, drifted through the air. The suspension bridges were primarily constructed from profound iron, topped with wooden planks that felt hot to the touch. It was baffling how they hadn't caught fire in such an environment.

Zu'an was pondering what kind of array the Shouyang Wu tribe used to ensure the safety of these suspension bridges when he suddenly noticed the Wushan Goddess, who was leading the way, halt abruptly.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied.

The Wushan Goddess continued forward, fanning herself casually and wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. Her collar was slightly more open than usual, revealing the porcelain-white skin beneath.

"Brother Zu," the Mermaid Queen whispered, tugging his sleeve, "why are you so slow to catch on? I'm a merfolk, and she, the Wushan Goddess, is an embodiment of clouds and mist. We are naturally averse to such environments."

Seeing a strand of her hair stuck to her flushed cheek, Zu'an had an epiphany. He subtly activated his Snow Phoenix ability, causing the surrounding air to cool down, with faint snowflakes even beginning to fall.

"How beautiful..." the Wushan Goddess murmured, instinctively reaching out to catch a snowflake. Realizing it was Zu'an's thoughtful gesture, she gave a slight nod. "Thank you, young master."

"It is thanks to your assistance, Goddess, that we've come this far," Zu'an replied with a smile. "My small gesture is nothing in comparison."

Feeling his gentle smile, the Wushan Goddess averted her gaze, hesitant to meet his eyes. "Young master," she began, "you seem to be proficient in several elemental abilities simultaneously, which is very rare in this world."

Zu'an paused. "Do most people only use one ability?"

Later cultivators often specialized in a single elemental ability. Could it be that even in this more powerful ancient era, the same principle applied?

"Not everyone, no," the Wushan Goddess replied. "However, the Wu and Yao tribes of this world possess powerful bloodline strengths, so they generally specialize in one ability, mastering it to its extreme. Yet you cultivate several distinct elemental abilities simultaneously, seemingly without adverse effects. Is this the learning talent of humans...?" As the Wushan Goddess spoke, they arrived at the central main peak.

Mount Shouyang had been completely transformed into a nine-story forging platform. As 'nine' represents the extreme limit in numerology, many world structures followed this pattern. Each floor was a vast space, housing numerous forging platforms, marketplaces, and residences, resembling a small city. As they ascended, the spaces gradually diminished in size, but the scale of the forging platforms and the exquisiteness of the residences markedly increased, clearly signifying higher status within their tribe.

They crossed a suspension bridge, arriving precisely at the fifth floor, but it was completely deserted. The vast city appeared like a ghost town. They continued their ascent, stopping only when they reached the topmost floor. Although this floor was significantly smaller than the eight below, it was still a massive plaza. In the center of the plaza stood a hundred-zhang-tall bronze statue of a figure holding a colossal hammer. Ordinarily, one would marvel at its extraordinary craftsmanship.

However, their attention was not on the statue. Instead, all three stared at the ground, their faces pale. Countless figures knelt densely across the ground. From their appearance and attire, they were clearly the Shouyang Wu tribe members the Wushan Goddess had spoken of. They knelt in the plaza, seemingly praying to the giant bronze statue, each with a faint smile on their faces. What should have been a serene scene turned eerie because they showed no signs of life.

The Mermaid Queen instinctively moved closer to Zu'an. "Brother Zu, their appearance now reminds me of the Chang clan members."