Chapter 101 — The Yellow Bird
劍問蒼天 · Page 1 of 6
The trunk shook more violently still; even this incredible, towering tree seemed to tremble beneath the vast body of the Blackwater Mystic Serpent.
Like a beast of prey that had walked the earth since the dawn of time, the Blackwater Mystic Serpent coiled its enormous length about the trunk. Wherever it passed, branches and leaves lay in ruin, and the creeping vines and strange blossoms withered and shattered in droves. It advanced with swaying head and lashing tail, and the humans before it were, in that moment, no more than ants, beneath notice.
Lu Xueling's face had gone slightly pale. She stepped forward one pace, her eyes still fixed on the ancient leviathan drawing nearer and nearer, and said in a low voice to Zeng Shuyan beside her, "What is going on?"
Sweat stood on Zeng Shuyan's brow. "When we were down below just now, we suddenly came upon this dreadful beast. With the little cultivation we have, running was naturally all we could do. But at the time it seemed to pay us no mind—it was searching for something, and it soon left. I never imagined it would actually—actually climb up here."
The others exchanged glances. True, everyone present had achieved something in cultivation, far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals, but human strength has its limits, and before a beast of such terrifying power, any resistance was laughable.
Just as the Blackwater Mystic Serpent drew ever nearer, Jin Pingyue suddenly said, "This is bad. I fear this beast has come for the things in the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House as well."
The faces of all present changed at once.
Ming Li frowned slightly, his face impassive, but inwardly it came to him that when he had first entered the inner marsh of the Death Marsh and come to that wall of miasma, he had abruptly encountered a beast of inconceivable size within the poisonous fog. Because of the miasma he had not seen it clearly—but from that moment on, the peculiar rank stench of the place had seemed faintly familiar. Now it appeared that what he had met that day was none other than this Blackwater Mystic Serpent.
He watched the Blackwater Mystic Serpent press onward, its vast black body making the trunk shudder without cease, until one almost feared the trunk would be crushed beneath it. And there in midair, beneath the fangs of that enormous head, a forked scarlet tongue flicked in and out of the air, hissing softly toward the distant Heaven Emperor's Treasure House, as though in great excitement.
By now everyone could see plainly: the object of this leviathan was indeed the thing inside the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House behind them.
Ming Li turned and looked toward the Treasure House. The thick stone door stood unmoved as ever, and the sunlight that had earlier fallen only upon the sea of flowers before the door had now shifted onto the door itself. The four ancient seal characters—HEAVEN EMPEROR'S TREASURE HOUSE—glittered in the sun.
Facheng watched the vast serpent body loom closer like a moving hill, sighed softly, and turned quickly to the others. "This Blackwater Mystic Serpent is an ancient demonic beast, not something human strength can oppose. We are no match for it—there is no point in forcing the issue. We must go, quickly."
This, of course, everyone already knew. Zeng Shuyan, Lin Jinghong, and the others nodded. Over there Jin Pingyue gave a snort, plainly none too willing, though by her expression she too was preparing to leave.
The gathered cultivators summoned their treasures one after another, ready to scatter in all directions. Beside Ming Li's hand a dark azure glow slowly kindled as well; he turned to call to Xiao Hui, who was still hiding near the stone door—and at that very moment, a muffled rumbling sound came from the stone door of the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House.
At that instant, the sunlight at the horizon was falling upon the topmost horizontal stroke of the character HEAVEN among the four ancient seal characters.
"ROAR!"