Chapter 552: Unlucky Land

Black Tiger God was puzzled. “Primordial Spirit Meeting?” he asked, having never heard the term before. Si Yunxiang took out a large stack of blueprints and spread them out in the city tower. These blueprints depicted various runic marks.

“This cultivation method was jointly developed by the Cult Master and the divine arts practitioners of Eternal Peace,” Si Yunxiang explained. “The Emperor named it the ‘Three Primordial Spirits Meeting Art’.” She searched through the blueprints until she found Qin Mu’s primordial spirit mark. Taking out vermilion ink and a brush, she dissolved the ink and began drawing Qin Mu’s primordial spirit mark on a pillar in the city tower. “The Cult Master once imprinted everyone’s primordial spirit marks in the Grand Academy’s Grand Learning Hall, including his own. A Primordial Spirit Meeting uses these marks to attract one’s primordial spirit to a gathering, allowing everyone’s primordial spirits to convene and discuss matters.”

Ling Yuxiu took out an incense stick and lit it, placing it beneath the drawn primordial spirit mark. “This is a Soul-Guiding Incense,” she said. “The Cowherd refined it using his Soul-Drawing divine art, specifically to guide primordial spirits. We intend to use this incense and the primordial spirit mark to sense his primordial spirit, draw it here, and ask him about his whereabouts.”

The two women exchanged glances. Si Yunxiang’s vital qi flared, illuminating Qin Mu’s primordial spirit mark, while Ling Yuxiu enveloped the incense’s fragrance with her vital qi, channeling it into the mark.

Everyone in the tower waited silently, watching the burning Soul-Guiding Incense. The smoke curled faintly, and the scent was not strong, but rather very subtle.

The time it took for one incense stick to burn was not long. As the Soul-Guiding Incense slowly diminished, everyone felt a growing unease. The primordial spirit mark and the incense were meant to resonate with Qin Mu’s primordial spirit, allowing him to use the Three Primordial Spirits Meeting Art to appear here and meet them. However, if something had happened to Qin Mu, he wouldn’t be able to come.

When the incense had burned more than halfway down with no sign of activity, a sudden gust of wind swept into the city tower, making everyone anxious.

A wave of joy went through the group as Qin Mu’s primordial spirit flickered unsteadily into existence within the tower.

“Cult Master, where are you?” Long Qilin cried out, overjoyed. “We’ve run out of the spirit pills you prepared! Please come back quickly!”

Qin Mu looked surprised. “I prepared enough for three or four months. Why are they finished already?”

“Uh…” Long Qilin was speechless.

Hu Ling’er quickly interjected, “Young Master, we are trying to find you. Where are you right now?”

Qin Mu shook his head. “I don’t know either. I’m in the demon realm, and there’s no sun, moon, or stars in the sky, so I can’t tell directions or my location. I was abducted by Wusuo Luo and barely managed to escape. I’m currently being pursued by elite demon forces, so my primordial spirit cannot remain here for long.”

Everyone frowned deeply.

Sang Hua suddenly spoke up. “Big Brother Harvester, look at the mountain ranges around you and remember their features. Also, see if there are any cities nearby. My Grand Emperor’s Heaven has sixty-four divine cities, each with a unique name and distinct surrounding mountain terrain. Knowing either the mountain features or a city’s name can help us pinpoint your location.”

Qin Mu’s primordial spirit picked up the vermilion brush and swiftly drew the mountains surrounding his location on the ground. “I don’t see any divine cities,” he said.

Sang Hua, Yu He, and other divine arts practitioners from Grand Emperor’s Heaven leaned forward to examine the drawing, but they all shook their heads. They were young and had never been to the demon realm.

“I’ll go get my father!” Sang Hua said, hurrying away.

Suddenly, Qin Mu’s primordial spirit dimmed. “The enemy is here; I must return!”

A sudden strong gust of wind swept through the city tower, and his primordial spirit vanished without a trace. Shortly after, Sang Hua returned with Venerable God Sang Ye. Venerable God Sang Ye meticulously examined the topographical map Qin Mu had drawn. After a moment of recollection, he gasped, “He’s near the demon’s lair! The Liyang Mountain Range, next to Guimei City!”

Yu He frowned. “Guimei City? Wasn’t that divine city already destroyed? I heard it became an inauspicious place…”

Venerable God Sang Ye nodded. “When the demons invaded back then, they first appeared at Guimei City and completely destroyed it. The battlefield of Guimei City is just ahead of the Liyang Mountain Range. It was the most brutal and bloodiest battlefield in all the god-demon wars of Grand Emperor’s Heaven, with thousands of gods and demons perishing there! The number of divine arts practitioners from Grand Emperor’s Heaven and the demon race who died or were wounded was countless! If he goes any further, he will enter that inauspicious land!”

Ling Yuxiu asked, confused, “Why is it called an inauspicious land?”

Venerable God Sang Ye explained, “So many gods and demons died there that their divine blood and demonic blood merged, forming a very strange area. It’s filled with the unyielding wills of gods and demons, as well as the souls of the unjustly deceased, carrying curses and demonic corruption. The sheer number of divine arts practitioners and gods and demons who died there meant that when night fell, the place was lit up by countless lights.”

A hint of fear appeared in his eyes. “What lit up the night were countless horse lanterns. These lanterns hung on small boats, and those boats came from Youdu. Innumerable old Yin Messengers, carrying horse lanterns, appeared on the battlefield, transforming the area into a ghastly realm as they collected the spirits of the fallen. Back then, I hadn’t even reached the divine realm; I was just a small soldier in that battle…”

After the great battle, the land was desolate. The young Venerable God Sang Ye, severely wounded in the fight, woke up to find it was already late.

He crawled out of a pile of corpses and witnessed an unforgettable sight: small boats, each adorned with horse lanterns, sailed out of the gloom. Beneath the lanterns on each boat were thousands of identical old men. They silently arrived in Grand Emperor’s Heaven, harvesting souls on the battlefield.

The old men made no sound, yet the battlefield in the night was filled with countless wailing and howling spirits, unwilling to descend into Youdu. However, without exception, they were captured by the old Yin Messengers and drifted away into the darkness with the boats!

He would never forget that scene!

“Broken souls were not taken by the Yin Messengers, and over time, that place became an inauspicious land. Many strange things happen there, and many bizarre entities are hidden within it.”

Venerable God Sang Ye composed himself and continued, “Later, both Grand Emperor’s Heaven and the demon race abandoned that place. If Cult Master Qin continues forward, he will step into this inauspicious land.”

Long Qilin suddenly exclaimed, “The mixture of divine and demonic blood can give birth to terrifying creatures like the Root Demon of Desolate Ridge! Quickly, notify the Cult Master and tell him to avoid that area!”

Venerable God Sang Ye inquired, “How strong is the Root Demon of Desolate Ridge?”

“Roughly equivalent to a powerful practitioner at the Life and Death realm.”

Venerable God Sang Ye scoffed. “That sounds like a mere trifle. Some things in that inauspicious land are far more formidable than even divine arts practitioners of the Life and Death realm. You must notify him as soon as possible and tell him to avoid it!”

Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang quickly tried to contact Qin Mu again, but this time, even after the Soul-Guiding Incense burned down, Qin Mu never responded.

“He must have encountered enemies and didn’t have time to respond! This is bad!” Si Yunxiang quickly said. “Those enemies must be extremely powerful, perhaps even forcing him into the inauspicious land!”

Black Tiger God stood up resolutely. “I’ll go there and bring him back!”

Venerable God Sang Ye shook his head. “You can’t go. The journey is too long, and there are too many uncertainties. If you encounter a demon god on the way, you’ll die there too. It’s best for you to remain here, quietly waiting for his primordial spirit to respond, and hoping he can make it out of the inauspicious land. Only by escaping that place will he have a chance to survive.”

Black Tiger God frowned deeply and shook his head. “I’m the one who lost him; I must find him!”

Si Yunxiang and Ling Yuxiu exchanged glances and said in unison, “We’ll go with you!”

“Me too!” Hu Ling’er exclaimed, raising her tail, then looked at Long Qilin.

Long Qilin hesitated for a moment. Hu Ling’er’s eyes twinkled as she gently said, “Fat Dragon, if we don’t find Young Master, you’ll just starve.”

Long Qilin instantly perked up. “Count me in!”

Sang Hua looked at her father. “Father, they’re unfamiliar with this place…”

Venerable God Sang Ye sighed, a headache forming. “Be careful. On the second day after you enter the demon territory, I will lead an attack to draw the demons’ attention, which should make things a bit safer for you.”

On the edge of the inauspicious land, Qin Mu’s Nightmare Demonfire Steed let out a mournful cry as its legs were severed by a flurry of sword light. A demon divine arts practitioner tore open the horse’s belly, moving to attack Qin Mu on its back.

Qin Mu leaped up, pressing his palm downwards, instantly shattering both the practitioner and the horse.

*Whoosh* — An old woman carrying a large gourd rushed forward. A tide of bloody light surged from the gourd, engulfing him. The putrid, swirling blood transformed into a giant crimson python that coiled tightly around Qin Mu, constricting him until his bones audibly creaked.

Array patterns spun madly in Qin Mu’s eyes, and a great sun rose from the starlit river. With a buzzing sound, two beams of light shot out, one severing the python’s head and the other decapitating the old woman.

A Rakshasa Scorpion-woman swung her tail hook like a long whip; the venomous hook pierced Qin Mu’s shoulder, flinging him high into the air before slamming him violently onto the ground. Another young demon, carrying eight large banners on his back, bowed to the fallen Qin Mu. The eight banners whizzed out, planting themselves around Qin Mu.

“Demon Mountain Array! Suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress, suppress!” The demon youth shouted eight times. Eight illusory mountains descended from the sky, landing with eight thunderous crashes that shook the earth.

Suddenly, countless starlight flickered within the eight illusory mountains, transforming into a bizarre Great Luo Celestial Star energy field. Qin Mu struck out with a palm, shattering all eight mountains.

He burst out of the banner array, only to see more than a dozen spinning blade-orbs flying at him. He hastily struck out with a palm, and a giant character for “Stability” appeared in the air, freezing the blade-orbs in place. The next moment, the blade-orbs spun, and countless demonic blades shot out from them, tearing the “Stability” character to shreds!

Qin Mu turned, executing the Big Dipper steps, narrowly dodging the myriad demonic blades. His sword pellet flew up, and he seized it, sweeping it through the air to shatter the countless demonic blades.

More than a dozen three-headed, four-armed demon warriors roared as they charged. They advanced and retreated, attacked and defended, relentlessly assailing Qin Mu.

Qin Mu parried repeatedly, but within a blink, he had been hit by dozens of attacks. He quickly burrowed into the ground, but the dozen four-armed demons simultaneously pressed their palms to the earth. The ground rumbled and continuously rose, forcing him out from underground.

Qin Mu leaped into the air, then plummeted, moving with a dragon-like serpentine gait as he swiftly plunged into a large marsh ahead.

The numerous demon warriors pursued him to the edge of the marsh, then abruptly stopped, all frowning deeply.

“What now? Should we go in?” a demon divine arts practitioner murmured.

Qin Mu entered the marsh. He looked around and saw dense fog and pervasive demonic qi. Beneath the clear water, bodies floated, and on the occasional patches of exposed marshland, only skeletons remained, along with some rusted spirit weapons.

After a moment’s thought, he approached a patch of marshy ground, gently tapped a skeleton on the ground, and chuckled, “Friend, how does one get through here?”

The skeletal remains sat bolt upright, turned its head to look at him, and its jaw opened and closed. “This is the Path to the Underworld,” it said. “There’s no coming back once you enter.”