owlsbooks Chapter 90 Beneath the Stone Coffin
Chapter 90 Beneath the Stone Coffin
Xiong Hai and Da Huang stood guard at the door.
After closing the doors and windows, Song Quyou took out a worn-out teapot from his bosom.
When he wanted to enter the Pot Heaven as usual.
But I can't get in!
Song Quyou frowned and tried again, but he couldn't budge an inch.
"Hibari, come out quickly."
no respond.
Song Quyou felt a sudden heaviness in his heart. He let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and pondered all of this.
The Taiyin Mingxin Mirror showed no reaction to any of this, so it must not be an illusion.
And drinking mud and eating rotten wood are all characteristics of ghosts.
Yet they all have shadows.
The anomaly was discovered on the way back from the tomb; the wind was putrid, and the moon did not follow.
Song Quyou sat cross-legged, his hands forming a mudra, and a point of moonlight appeared between his eyebrows, transforming into a clear, round mirror that hung in front of him.
The Mirror of the Bright Mind, shimmering with light, reflected his face, which then rippled outwards like waves.
Song Quyou looked at the water and seemed to hear the sound of water. In a daze, his ears were clear.
After putting away the mirror, Song Quyou picked up his longsword and opened the door.
Xiong Hai, who was standing by the door with a worried look on his face and sighing, hurriedly turned around and looked at Song Quyou expectantly.
Song Quyou raised his hand and said:
"After we came out of that tomb, everything started to go wrong. The only way to find out everything was to go back and explore that ancient tomb."
……
The two retraced their steps.
The morning light filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting dappled patterns of light, but the stench grew stronger and stronger, as if long-fermented farmyard manure had been scattered in the forest, making even the wind stink and forcing one to hold one's breath.
Xiong Hai gripped the two rusty axes, remaining silent the whole way, but his steps were even faster than when he arrived.
As I crawled back into that narrow crevice, the damp, chilly air from the tomb passage rushed towards me, a bit more refreshing than the decaying wind outside.
Song Quyou walked ahead, holding a fire tinderbox, his sword hilt always gripped in his palm, his knuckles taut and white.
The sloping tomb passage seemed longer than when we arrived last night. The moss on the walls remained, and water still dripped, but the scattered skeletons were nowhere to be seen.
Song Quyou paused, shone his tinder on the ground, and saw that the bluestone floor was spotless, not even a trace of bone remained.
Stepping over the broken stone beast on the ground, the two entered the stone chamber.
The murals still depict auspicious clouds and cranes, divine generals and soldiers, and the stone coffin still lies horizontally in the center, with the coffin lid leaning to the side, just as it was last night when the hairy zombie lifted it.
Armor was scattered on the ground, and the remaining dark green pus and blood stains had turned into black charcoal, making a soft, crunching sound when stepped on.
Except for the missing remains, everything was exactly the same as when they left.
Xiong Hai's grip on the axe handle tightened and loosened, his voice hoarse as he said, "The rest are still here, but where did the skeletons go?"
Song Quyou did not answer, but looked at the empty stone coffin in the center and the dark green mycelium on the four walls of the coffin.
"The stone coffin and the patterns on the ground together resemble a door, and the hairy zombie's clothes make it look like a gatekeeper. It even says, 'Those who trespass into the Heavenly Palace will die.' In that case..."
Song Quyou unleashed a sword aura at the stone coffin.
As the sword flashed, the stone coffin split in two, and the broken stones collapsed with a crash, raising a cloud of dust.
A cold, white light, hazy and indistinct, shone through the dust as the earth's energy rose.
Song Quyou waved his sleeve to brush away the dust and looked down. He saw that the stone coffin was not on solid ground, but rather a stone staircase leading downwards.
The smooth stone steps were a stark contrast to the rough bluestone in the tomb passage. The mica ore embedded in the stone walls on both sides emitted a faint glow, illuminating the passage as if it were dusk.
"Damn it, there's a path hidden under the coffin?" Xiong Hai leaned closer to the cave entrance, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Before Song Quyou could answer, he stepped onto the stone steps. The smooth, mirror-like surface beneath his feet was spotless, a stark contrast to the putrid, muddy tomb passage above.
The stone steps spiral downwards, becoming wider and wider as you go.
The mica veins on both sides became increasingly dense, their fluorescent light illuminating the passageway as bright as day. The putrid smell gradually faded, replaced by a cool, dry scent of stone dust.
After walking for about half an incense stick's time, the passageway suddenly opened up into a vast expanse, with clouds rippling and swirling across the ground. In the distance, a magnificent gatehouse stood proudly.
The gatehouse was made entirely of white jade, with intricate carvings of mythical beasts and a huge, gleaming plaque.
"South Heavenly Gate!" Xiong Hai said.
Song Quyou looked up at the three golden characters, their strokes sharp as knives, ancient and vigorous, their age unknown.
"What the hell is this place? Isn't this a tomb?"
Song Quyou continued to move forward.
The clouds beneath their feet seemed to recede to the sides as if they were alive, clearing a path of jade-white stone. Xiong Hai, gripping his rusty axe, followed closely behind, his breathing heavy, his gaze constantly sweeping over the churning clouds on either side.
The closer one gets, the more majestic the gatehouse appears. The cranes and phoenixes carved on the white jade pillars have eyes inlaid with unknown gemstones, which shimmer and turn when illuminated by the fluorescent light of mica, as if they are sizing up the visitors.
Zzzzz!
Big Yellow bared its teeth, its body suddenly grew larger, and it howled "woof woof" to both sides.
Song Quyou stopped in his tracks, his right hand already on the hilt of his sword, coldly surveying the clouds on either side.
Amidst the clouds, countless figures of Taoists rose up indistinctly.
The figures were all skeletal and devoid of flesh, dressed in various ways: some wrapped in cloth, some in armor, and others in animal skins.
Their empty eye sockets suddenly burst forth with green flames, and they all turned towards the two of them. Their jaws clattered together, and the rusty weapons in their hands were a motley collection—rusty swords, broken spears, and tattered knives… Despite their imperfections, they still wielded them with impressive skill.
"So all those skeletons ended up here."
Song Quyou had no intention of sitting idly by and waiting for his death. He immediately drew his longsword, and the sword light swept out like a bolt of lightning.
As the blade passed, several skeletons were severed in half at the waist, their bones scattering across the ground.
But the shattered bones trembled on the ground, then quickly pieced themselves back together and stood up unsteadily.
"Can't be killed?" Xiong Hai gasped, then swung his Xuanhua axe at the nearest skeleton. The axe blade split the skeleton in two, but the broken bones writhed on the ground, rejoining themselves like worms.
"It's the clouds causing this." Song Quyou's gaze swept over the churning white mist on the ground. The mist was seeping into the gaps between the skeleton's bones, stringing the broken bones together like threads.
Upon seeing this, Song Quyou flicked his sleeve and threw a talisman, and a crimson firebird shot out, crashing into the charging skeleton.
In an instant, the flames blazed brightly, and the crimson purification talisman fire spread across the skeleton's body. However, the surrounding clouds surged and piled up, pressing down on the burning skeleton, extinguishing the flames immediately.
"It's not foul air..."
Xiong Hai forced back the approaching skeletons with an axe swing, then leaned against Song Quyou and said, "Brother Quyou, we can't kill them. If this keeps going on like this, we'll be worn down and die here sooner or later!"
Big Yellow rampaged around the two, smashing and swatting away any skeletons that came close.
Song Quyou glanced at the countless skeletons rising from the depths, like a tidal wave.
Finally, his eyes settled on the majestic white jade gate tower in front of him.
"Walk!"
Without hesitation, Song Quyou grabbed Xiong Hai's wrist with his backhand, touched the ground with his toes, and shot straight at the white jade gate tower like an arrow released from a bow.
The skeletons surged from behind like a tide, the clattering of bones creating a piercing, tidal wave of sound that echoed against their backs.
As the white jade gate tower drew closer, Song Quyou mustered his strength and ran swiftly. Suddenly, he felt the clouds beneath his feet dissipate. The surging clouds receded all ten steps in front of the gate tower, revealing a smooth white jade floor.
Big Yellow stopped at Song Quyou's feet, crouched down, and bared its teeth at the skeleton that had chased it to the edge of the clouds.
"They can't get in."
Xiong Hai, bent over and panting heavily, glanced back at the white bones churning in the clouds, then looked up at the towering gate tower before him. His Adam's apple bobbed: "Brother Qu You, this place is too eerie."
Song Quyou gazed into the distance.
Behind the gate tower is a straight white jade passageway, flanked by twelve stone-carved deities, each over two zhang tall, holding various weapons, with solemn and dignified faces, their bodies shrouded in mist.
At the end of the passageway, clouds and mist drifted by, and the outline of a grand hall could be vaguely discerned.
Song Quyou stepped over the gate tower, and the white jade gate tower suddenly shone with a white light, rippling like the sound of bells, clearing the ears.
Song Quyou rubbed his ears and turned to Xiong Hai beside him, asking, "Brother Xiong Hai, did you hear a sound?"
Xiong Hai passed through the white jade gate and pointed to the sea of skeletons behind him, saying, "Wasn't the sound coming from these skeletons behind us?"
Song Quyou shook his head and said nothing more.
The two people and the dog walked into the passageway. The jade bricks under their feet were as smooth as mirrors, reflecting the cold, fluorescent light of the mica ore above them, like a galaxy on the ground.
The twelve stone-carved deities stood motionless, their weapons gleaming coldly in the mica glow.
Upon closer inspection, one can see that the faces of the deities are not carved, but inlaid with extremely fine colored sand. Their eyebrows and eyes are so vivid that they are almost eerie. Any more would make them real, and any less would make them look fake. These statues of deities are just in the middle of this realism and realism, making them indescribably strange.
Xiong Hai, gripping his rusty axe, followed closely behind, lowering his voice and saying, "Brother Song, these stone statues look like living people, staring at me and giving me the creeps."
"clatter".
Song Quyou turned around abruptly and looked in the direction of the sound.
It turned out to be a false alarm; it was just that some mica embedded in the stone wall had fallen off.
Suddenly, Da Huang stepped forward, grabbed Song Quyou's clothes, and pulled him forward with all his might.
Song Quyou looked down at Dahuang and saw that all of its golden fur stood on end, its four paws scratching at the white jade floor tiles with a harsh scraping sound, and the low growl coming from its throat was more like fear than a warning.
"Taoist priest, you dog..."
Before the words were finished, the twelve stone-carved deities on both sides of the passageway all rolled their eyes, and tiny golden rays of light shone from their pupils.
"run!"
As the sound echoed, the nearest mace-wielding deity stomped forward, causing the white jade floor tiles to crack like a spiderweb beneath his feet. His stone mace swept across the ground with a powerful gust of wind.
Song Quyou's pupils contracted sharply, and almost instinctively he pulled Xiong Hai backward.
The stone mace grazed Xiong Hai's scalp, and the resulting gust of wind ripped his hair out of shape, leaving his face covered in tangled hair.
The stone mace smashed onto the white jade floor tiles with a loud bang, creating a crater the size of a millstone. Shards of jade flew everywhere, stinging my face.
Xiong Hai scrambled and dodged behind a divine general who had not yet moved, his rusty axe held horizontally in front of his chest, his voice trembling so much it split.
"Isn't this a tomb? Why are there these strange things here?... "
Before the words were even finished, the twelve divine generals moved simultaneously.
Their movements were slow, yet heavy as mountains, causing the passageway to tremble with every step they took. Those wielding swords slashed diagonally down from the left, those with axes swept horizontally from the right, and those with hammers thrust straight at the opponent. Their moves subtly mirrored the formation of a military column, blocking all escape routes with their advances and retreats.
A cold glint flashed in Song Quyou's eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his toes touching the spine of the oncoming stone sword, using the momentum to flip and leap into the air. In mid-air, his longsword was drawn, its blade gleaming blue, transforming into a streak of blue light, aiming straight for the sword-wielding general's brow.
With a crisp clang, the sword tip pierced less than half an inch before failing to go any further.
Suddenly, clouds of mist rose from the sword-wielding general's body, and a large hand entwined with these clouds lashed out, cutting through the wind.
Song Quyou felt a chill run down his spine, drew his sword, and retreated swiftly.
Instead of scattering stones from the sword mark between the sword-wielding general's brows, wisps of milky-white clouds emerged, winding down the sword's spine like living things. Wherever they passed, the stone sword gradually became lustrous and translucent, gleaming with a jade-like luster.
"He's alive?" Xiong Hai exclaimed in disbelief.
The twelve divine generals were surrounded by billowing clouds, and their originally gray stone armor peeled away inch by inch, revealing the bright and shiny golden armor underneath.
The golden light in their eyes shone from the tip of a needle to the size of a pigeon's egg, and they all turned toward Song Quyou. Their steps were no longer heavy and slow, but instead carried the solemn and fierce air of a military formation.
"Brother Xiong Hai, just keep running forward, I'll catch up soon."
Knowing that staying here would only be a burden, Xiong Hai gritted his teeth, gripped his rusty axe, and turned to run.
Seeing Xiong Hai run far away, Song Quyou stood with his sword drawn, his sword energy boiling. He looked around at the twelve golden-armored generals who had surrounded him, and watched as the clouds on the ground crawled up along the feet of the generals' shoes, their momentum growing stronger.
Twelve golden-armored generals formed a battle array, their weapons whistling through the air, pressing in from all directions like a tidal wave.
Their steps were precise and orderly, their advances and retreats measured, each strike sealing off any escape route, each advance suffocating their opponents.
Song Quyou moved swiftly through the gaps between the blades and axes, his toes barely touching the ground. The clash of blue light against the golden armor sparked a string of blinding sparks, but could only leave faint white marks on the armor.
The clouds around those divine generals grew even denser, and milky white mist seeped out from the seams of their armor, smoothing out the sword marks one by one.
Sword energy is useless!
Song Quyou's eyes flashed with lightning, and an electric python coiled around his finger and sword. Wherever the sword pointed, a bolt of blue and white lightning tore through the tunnel and struck the chest of the foremost general wielding a mace.
Lightning exploded, the golden armor shattered, and milky white clouds surged out from the cracks like splattered blood.
The divine general froze, golden light flashing wildly in his eyes, before he suddenly knelt down, his stone mace crashing to the ground, causing the passageway to vibrate.
The remaining eleven gods wielded their blades and attacked again.
The lightning in Song Quyou's eyes had not yet dissipated. He retreated swiftly with his sword drawn. Facing the relentless attacks, his sword flashed again, and lightning snakes danced wildly.
He moved with lightning speed, his steps traversing the seven stars, weaving through the encirclement of eleven golden-armored generals. Each sword thrust was imbued with lightning, specifically targeting the gaps in the clouds around the generals' joints.
Boom...
The mica exploded, and fragments of crystal flew like rain.
The golden light in the eyes of the eleven divine generals flickered, their movements froze in unison, and they collapsed to the ground with a thud, causing the entire passageway to tremble violently.
Song Quyou, panting heavily, covered his mouth and nose as he walked out of the area surrounded by the remains of the divine general.
suddenly.
Wisps of mist rose from the mica crystal on the stone wall, flowing like a small river and rushing towards the remains of the divine general, repairing the cracks and shatters.
As long as the clouds persist, the divine general can rise again; no matter how many times you kill him, it will be useless.
Song Quyou had no intention of continuing the entanglement, so he ignored the gradually recovering divine general behind him and ran towards the end of the tunnel.
……