Chapter 151 — Purgatory
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 3 of 6
Just as he was about to reach the door, Ming Li's voice suddenly came from behind him: "Sect Master..."
The Nether King started, somewhat caught off guard. Ming Li rarely spoke to him of his own accord; this sudden address left him wondering what it was about. "What is it?"
Ming Li was silent a moment, then suddenly said, "Do you hate me in your heart?"
The Nether King stood with his back to him, motionless, saying nothing; his expression could not be seen.
Ming Li said slowly, "It's because of me that Bi Li has come to this. In your heart—do you hate me?"
His face was blank, as though he were speaking of matters that had nothing to do with himself, but the Nether King said not a word all the while. In the stone chamber the two men stood thus, back to back, and the air between them seemed to stiffen.
Thin wisps of mist rose lightly from the cold jade platform beneath Bi Li and drifted into the air. How long passed, no one could say, before the sound of the stone door sliding open came from behind; the Nether King said nothing, and quietly stepped out.
"Rumble!..." With a low, deep sound the stone door closed once more, and in the Cold Ice Stone Chamber only Ming Li remained, keeping watch at Bi Li's side. His face was wooden as he stared blankly at the woman before him.
In the ancient, dense primeval forest, gusts of a dreadful, scorched stench came on the wind, like ugly scars. Everywhere in the once-green woods were the marks of the beast-demons' ravages: giant trees lay strewn this way and that upon the ground, the bones of countless forest creatures were scattered all about, and the forest's former air of tranquility was utterly gone.
On the second day after they found the Devil Sect disciple who had gone mad, Xiao Yichen, Fa Cheng, and the rest of their party of seven righteous-path disciples, following the ever more obvious traces of the beast-demons, gradually drew near the valley hidden deep in the mountains. The forests they passed along the way showed everywhere the same scene they had just witnessed; though no human bones were seen, the sight was still enough to move anyone.
In many hearts the same thought arose unbidden: were these beast-demons truly born into this world for no purpose but slaughter?
Around noon that day, the party appeared upon the broken old road outside Serpent Valley. The marks of the beast-demons' destruction here were so plain that they had hardly to exert themselves to see them: the old road had been stamped and trodden by countless beast-demons until it was several times its former width, giant footprints and sharp claw marks left everywhere by the creatures, and a rank stench still hung in the air. Beyond that there seemed also a fainter yet even more unbearable foulness, though no one could tell what it was.
Looking toward the valley entrance ahead, they saw the same desolation within as without: the land and forest laid waste by that dreadful torrent were plainly visible. The old road wound and curved, and no one knew what yet remained inside that valley.
For some reason everyone's expression was tense, and an awkward silence fell. At last Xiao Yichen coughed, but having made the sound he quietly discovered his throat was dry and aching. Steadying himself, he said, "Everyone, it seems that Devil Sect disciple was not lying. This must be the place where the beast-demons and the Devil Sect fought their great battle."
He looked around, hesitated a moment, then asked, "Shall we go in and take a look?"
No one spoke. Even Li Xun's face looked grim now. After a moment Fa Cheng, standing beside Xiao Yichen, softly intoned a line of Buddha's name and said, "Now that we've come this far, there's no point in speaking of turning back. Let us go in."