Chapter 225 — The Wound
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 2 of 5
Above the blood pool hidden in the deepest heart of the mountain, the Nether King and Master Gui stood side by side. Master Gui was still wrapped entirely in black, his expression impossible to read, while on the Nether King's face excitement and joy could not be concealed.
He showed no sign of fatigue from the sleepless night; indeed, with the Nether King's cultivation, several days without rest or sleep would do him no harm. Now his face bore not the least trace of weariness—rather a faint red glow seemed to shine through it. Full of vigor and spirit, he fixed his eyes intently on the blood pool at his feet.
The pool, soaked in countless streams of blood, had changed markedly from before. The four spirit beasts were still imprisoned in the bloody water, and even Taotie, who had struggled so fiercely earlier, now lay sprawled in the blood as though every ounce of strength had been drained from it, listless and motionless for long stretches.
And the waters of the blood pool, so long placid, were placid no more. Across the vast surface, bubbles rose ceaselessly from the depths, bursting with a constant sound—at a speed no less than several times faster than before, and in far greater number. The whole pool seemed to be boiling, as though some formless power were slowly awakening from its depths. The stench of blood that had always filled this space was now more than ten times stronger than before.
In midair, the Fulong Cauldron—the hub of the Four Spirits Blood Array—had also changed. The ancient, weighty body of the cauldron seemed already to have drawn much spiritual and demonic force from the pool below and from the four beasts, and now a faint red light showed through it. The great cauldron, which had looked like bronze, now took on a translucent, faintly yellow amber hue, and there was something almost solemn in its aspect.
Upon its body, the mysterious inscriptions had all lit up, as though each had been given life anew, flickering with eerie light. And at the very center, in that design, the four beasts that had once glimmered fitfully were now all blazing bright, shining with a radiance that outshone the characters around them. Only the hideous demon-god visage within the pattern remained blood-red, greedily drinking in the spiritual power the Fulong Cauldron drew ceaselessly from below.
And in the space around the cauldron, within this sealed mountain belly, whirlpools of mist and cloud had appeared out of nowhere, trailing a vast power of wind and thunder as they circled the cauldron. Even the Nether King and Master Gui, standing far off, could clearly sense the dreadful, terrifying magic dwelling in the cauldron itself—and that eerie power was still ceaselessly growing, replenishing, strengthening.
Like the Nether King, Master Gui watched the Fulong Cauldron, but his gaze was cold and sharp; compared with the Nether King, he lacked that fanatic fervor and had one measure more of calm.
After watching the cauldron for a long while, Master Gui spoke slowly: "All is as expected for now—exactly as the inscriptions on the cauldron describe. At this rate, once the full term of seven times seven, forty-nine days is complete, this peerless array, the Four Spirits Blood Array, will surely be perfected!"
The Nether King drew a deep breath, his face glowing red, a fevered light in his eyes rarely seen in him. He stepped forward and could not restrain a long cry: "Good, good, good! This old man can scarcely wait!"
Master Gui glanced at him. "Patience, Sect Master. There is time enough."
The Nether King laughed uproariously, wheeled about, and strode to Master Gui, raising a hand to clap him heavily on the shoulder. Master Gui seemed to start, a flicker of something strange passing through his eyes, but in the end he did not move, standing where he was. A moment later the Nether King's palm landed on his shoulder, and there was nothing untoward—only the King's roaring laughter: "Good, good, excellent!"