ragginovel Chapter 2413 Ink Bridge
Chapter 2413 Ink Bridge
Chapter 2413 Ink Bridge
The Plague God held a crystal in his hand. The curved crystal was pure and flawless, slightly smaller than his palm. The patterns on the surface of the crystal formed a peculiar design, resembling a crystal tortoise shell.
‘Wow! ’
The crystal tortoise shell emitted the sound of waves.
To the naked eye, the inside of the tortoise shell appears to be composed of water; this small piece of crystal evokes a sense of depth and vastness, stirring up waves of emotion.
"how come……"
The First Madam looked surprised.
The Gu Granny flashed to the Plague Lord's side, staring intently at the crystal tortoise shell. "Why is it reacting like this here? Could it be..."
“We guessed right,” the Plague Lord said in a deep voice. “This Xuanwu Sacred Palace must have some connection with the secret realm at the bottom of Reflection Moon Lake. The two places are connected, and someone has already opened that secret realm!”
Gu Lao and the First Madam nodded in agreement. Facts speak louder than words, and the mutation of the crystal tortoise shell was the best proof.
"What should we do now?" the First Madam asked anxiously. "My husband has already agreed to join forces with the Black Demon King. Should we continue to split our forces into two groups?"
"My agreement with Hei Ji was only verbal; we did not make a vow!"
The Plague God descended from the cloud throne, his gaze piercing through the golden pagoda as he looked towards the constellation of the Dipper. "There are undercurrents here, and the shadow of a demon saint is behind it all. If there were no better choice, I would not want to get involved in this mess. I can only trouble my wife to stay here and mislead them. Remember to act with caution!"
"Don't worry, my lord, I understand," the First Madam replied without hesitation.
The Plague Lord nodded. “That scoundrel Hei Ji is very shrewd. I’m afraid we can’t fool him for long by using the same old tricks. But we just need to buy him some time. If he dares to come and question us, Madam, you should take the palace to other constellations to avoid the storm. As for Fu Yuan and the others, if anyone wants to stay and try their luck, you don’t have to force them.”
After he finished explaining, Gu Lao asked, "Should we bring the three elders along this time?"
The reason they chose to join forces with the three elders was because they realized that the target they were dealing with was not simple, and sure enough, it helped them intimidate the Five Immortals Sect in the end.
Now, it's unclear whether that secret realm was opened by someone or opened on its own due to the influence of the Xuanwu Holy Palace. If it's the latter, bringing the three elders along would mean giving up a lot of benefits for nothing.
"Take it with you! That secret realm couldn't have opened on its own. Don't forget how many times we've gone in, and we've been clueless. Someone must be interfering. I suspect it's the Five Immortals' Sect again!" The Plague King's tone turned cold. "They certainly didn't expect that this time, they're still in the open while we're in the shadows! This time, we must find out exactly what they're up to!"
After discussing the matter, the Plague God and the Gu Granny used a trick to quietly leave the palace and send a message to the three elders. Before long, the three elders arrived to meet them, but only two of them came; the old man in the brocade robe was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Teng'an Sou?" asked the Plague God.
The three elders were named Qiuzang Gong, Chayun Jun, and Teng'an Sou, and they addressed each other by their Dharma names.
When Qiu Zanggong learned the reason, he explained, "He has entered the Dou constellation and we cannot contact him now, so there is no need to wait."
Both the Plague Lord and the Gu Granny were secretly surprised, not expecting the three elders to be so bold as to go in now and participate in the battle for the constellation.
After discussing it for a while, the four demons, guided by the crystal tortoise shell, traveled through the fierce winds.
At this moment, somewhere in the Nine Heavens Mystic Realm, the Five Immortals were sitting cross-legged around a wooden statue. Different colored spiritual lights shimmered on their bodies, and the spiritual lights converged into a cloud of rosy light, enveloping them, so that even the gale could not penetrate them.
Their location was not far from the constellation Dou.
At this time, the Five Immortals were missing two people: the White Immortal and the Black Protector. The Black Protector volunteered, while the White Immortal claimed to be skilled in divination. So everyone recommended him to go to the Dipper constellation and have him deduce its secrets.
The three immortals sat with their eyes closed, not uttering a word. Their energy was connected to the wooden statue, as if they were waiting for something.
Suddenly, the fox spirit opened her beautiful eyes and asked in a doubtful voice, "Where is the Plague God going?"
They had secretly used their methods on the Plague God to monitor their movements.
Willow Fairy and Yellow Fairy awoke, their minds connected with the wooden statue, and they sensed the whereabouts of the Plague God.
"Are they getting impatient and going elsewhere to seek opportunities?" Liu Xian guessed. During this period, it was not uncommon for demon cultivators to leave one after another.
"It doesn't look like it!"
The fox spirit said decisively that the other six constellations were not on the route that the Plague God and his companions were traveling.
With that, the fox spirit got up, put away the wooden statue, and was about to follow.
"If we just leave like this, what will happen to them?" Protector Huang asked.
If Bai Xian and Hei Hufa were to encounter danger in Dou Su and seek help from outside, only to find that their companions were missing, one wonders what they would think.
“Those two old foxes are cunning and treacherous. Don’t worry about them. Just leave them a talisman.” Liu Xian flicked her jade finger, and a stream of light disappeared into the Nine Heavens Profound Gang. Then, the three immortals did not hesitate and chased after them.
At this point, the five demons and five immortals were reduced to four demons and three immortals. One after the other, they braved the fierce wind and successfully found the well.
The illusion created by Qin Sang and Mo Yan did not work.
"This well couldn't have appeared out of thin air!"
The Plague God landed on the edge of the well, looked around, and became more and more terrified. He then made a pronouncement.
Could it really have been done by Wu Xian Zhai?
Even if he were in the same situation, he wouldn't be able to discover the secret here, even with the crystal tortoise shell in his hand.
This shows that the other party knows more about the Xuanwu Sacred Palace and that secret realm than he does!
A hint of worry flashed in the eyes of the Plague God. The Five Immortals were already difficult to deal with, and now their side was missing a general. It was still uncertain who would emerge victorious!
"Where does this well lead?" Qiu Zang Gong asked.
“Now that things have come to this, there’s no need to hide it from you two anymore. If I’m not mistaken, the place opposite is the secret realm I mentioned to you, and the entrance to that secret realm is at the bottom of Moon Reflection Lake,” the Plague Lord of Miasma said frankly.
"The bottom of Reflecting Moon Lake?"
Qiu Zang Gong and Cha Yun Jun looked at each other in astonishment.
Yingyue Lake is not the dojo of any demon king, but it is very famous in Lian Du Da Ze. Because of its beautiful scenery, it is known as the Lotus Marsh Reflecting the Moon. Every time the moon is full, Taoist friends come to the lake to admire the moon in an endless stream.
This lake offers a view of two moons: the moon in the sky and the moon reflected in the lake.
They even held a trade fair at Yingyue Lake, but found nothing.
The other party had been inside for an unknown amount of time. The four demons, unwilling to fall too far behind, decided to act quickly and jumped into the well.
The three immortals noticed the plague god leaving the golden pagoda as early as when the plague god left. They followed closely but did not act rashly. They lay in wait outside and waited for the four demons to go in for a while before quietly coming to the well.
After a brief investigation, the three immortals also disappeared into the well.
……
Looking at the scene before them, Qin Sang and Mo Yan both had strange expressions, because it was too unexpected.
They entered the well, and what came into view was an arched bridge. One end of the bridge was beneath their feet, and the other side was pitch black. Mist swirled around the bridge, making it gray and hazy, obscuring their vision.
In the void, there was only this arched bridge, its destination unknown, as if it had been drawn stroke by stroke by a painter.
They've actually returned to traditional Chinese ink painting!
Qin Sang looked at Mo Yan with a questioning gaze.
I originally thought that the ink-wash landscape had nothing to do with the Xuanwu Sacred Palace, but now it seems that this is probably not the case.
If the other side of the bridge is also part of the Xuanwu Sacred Palace, what is the mystery behind this ink bridge embedded in the Xuanwu Sacred Palace?
But Mo Yan frowned deeply, pondered for a moment, and then walked step by step onto the Mo Bridge.
Qin Sang followed slowly.
'call! '
As they stepped onto the Ink Bridge, the surrounding weather suddenly changed, and the gray fog turned into an extremely dense, boundless black cloud.
They could see nothing in any direction, everything was obscured by dark clouds, including behind them. Qin Sang awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, but even the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's supernatural powers were restricted.
Just moments ago, they could see the other end of the arched bridge from under it, but now the ink bridge beneath their feet has been stretched infinitely, and every 'brick' has become enormous.
Qin Sang and Mo Yan walked on the bridge, and the surrounding dark clouds seemed to move with them, so they could only see a section of the bridge ahead.
They rode on their escape light, their speed increasing dramatically. They flew for a long time, but the scenery remained unchanged, and they had no idea how far the end of the Ink Bridge was from them.
The arched bridge seen from below is not very big; it's clearly an illusion!
'Huff! Huff! Huff!'
Dark clouds swirled around them.
As the clouds surged, they conjured all sorts of bizarre cloud formations in the sea of clouds, sometimes resembling a ferocious beast, and sometimes transforming into towering cloud mountains, ever-changing and unpredictable.
The meaning of these cloud formations is unclear, but one thing is certain: never leave the bridge surface or you will be swept into the dark clouds!
Suddenly, Qin Sang and Mo Yan stopped and looked at each other.
"They're here!" Qin Sang said in a deep voice.
Mo Yan sighed, "They still found out. It must be the Plague God!"
They deliberately left a mechanism at the wellhead so that they could detect anyone who broke in.
"I wonder how many came this time," Qin Sang said.
There appears to be only one road here. If there aren't many enemies, they can ambush and kill them on the bridge.
Unexpectedly, Mo Yan shook his head and said, "No need! They can't catch up with us, and if the three elders are also there, we won't have a chance and will miss the opportunity!"
Qin Sang only offered a suggestion, and seeing that Mo Yan had already made up his mind, he said no more and continued to use his escape technique to fly forward.
What they didn't expect was that the length of the ink bridge far exceeded their imagination. They flew continuously for a month and still couldn't see the end of the bridge.
One month, two months...
……
Lotus Crossing the Great Marsh.
Since Yuanluo and the others opened the Xuanwu Holy Palace, this reed marshland has almost disappeared. There are still patches of reeds surviving on the edges, but they are not enough to make a difference.
Since the Star Gate was sealed, nothing has changed here, and many demon cultivators still guard this place.
At this moment, a young man dressed in a blood-red robe walked among the reeds. His steps were light and his feet did not leave any dust, which showed that his cultivation level was not low. The demon cultivators he encountered along the way all consciously made way for him.
However, those demon cultivators never expected that this was actually a demon saint!
The Great Sage Hidden in Ghostly Formation!
He learned the news from the demon king that day and traveled south from the Arctic ice field to the Lotus Crossing Marsh.
The Great Sage Ghostly Hidden concealed his identity and cultivation level. He walked to the edge of the reeds, paused, put his hands behind his back, and looked out. The old reed marshes had been transformed into a vast expanse of blue waves.
His gaze seemed to penetrate the lake's surface. He stared intently for a while, then looked up and glanced at the sky.
The Great Sage Ghostly Hides sensed some subtle energy, watching over this place from afar; they were all his fellow cultivators.
However, he should be the only one who has arrived in his true form now.
The saints have been lying dormant for countless years, waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity that is once in a lifetime for all the beings here and for the saints themselves!
Before that opportune moment arrives, no one wants to see the world descend into chaos, so no one will act rashly.
Now, that time has finally come.
Fortunately, he had the opportunity to seize the initiative!
The Great Sage Ghostly Concealed the glint in his eyes; those auras hadn't detected his presence. However, if he went down now, he would certainly be discovered.
He stood there for a long time without leaving.
A streak of light appeared on the horizon and sped past. The Great Sage Ghostly Hideout noticed the streak of light and looked up at it.
……
"I wonder if Second Brother has any information about Eldest Brother!"
A broken sheath sighed in silence.
At that time, unexpected events occurred one after another, and the brothers had to act separately. He followed Crimson Meteor Mountain and Moonlit Tundra, but was eventually blocked by the Nine Heavens Mystic Gang and kept outside the Star Gate.
Because he had not heard from his eldest and second eldest brothers for a long time, he dared not leave without permission and kept lingering nearby.
I finally received a message from my second brother not long ago, and I'm on my way to meet him.
Lost in thought, Duanqiao passed by a reed bed and noticed a figure among the reeds. Sensing something special about the figure, he couldn't help but take another look.
"He must be an expert."
A thought flashed through Duanqiao's mind, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Right now, the place was full of experts.
He flew out of the reeds and headed straight for Yingyue Lake.
When Duanqiao arrived at Yingyue Lake, it was a full moon night, with two moons shining brightly. The name "Lotus Lake Reflecting the Moon" was truly well-deserved!
After confirming that there was nothing unusual in the lake, the broken sheath disappeared into the lake bottom.
The bottom of Reflecting Moon Lake is not as flat as its surface; the terrain is undulating, crisscrossed by ravines, with many treacherous sections and unfathomable depths. Broken Sheath traveled through the mountains at the bottom of the lake, eventually passing through a ravine and meeting Stringless before a stone wall.
"Second brother, eldest brother has gone missing!"
Upon seeing Wuxian, Duanqiao breathed a sigh of relief and said urgently.
Wu Xian nodded. "I went to check. The place they went to has been closed again for some reason. But since my elder brother and Fellow Daoist Qingfeng are together, they should be fine unless they are attacked."
"I believe in my elder brother's abilities, but I'm afraid that Fellow Daoist Qingfeng is unreliable," Duanqiao shook his head repeatedly, seeing that Wuxian remained calm. "What did my elder brother ask my second brother to find earlier? Have you thought of a way?"
"I summoned you here precisely to ask for your help in this endeavor!"
Wu Xian stared at the stone wall in front of him, raised his hand and pressed down, and the runes that had been engraved on the stone wall immediately shone.
Duanqiao nodded, walked to Wuxian's side, and was about to lend a helping hand when a voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
"interesting……"
"who!"
Wu Xian and Duan Qiao were startled and turned around abruptly, unleashing two attacks that shot out like lightning.
"It's you!" Duanqiao exclaimed in shock.
A young man in a blood-red robe appeared behind them without their knowledge. It was the same person he had noticed in the reeds who had followed him here without his knowledge.
The two supernatural powers shot towards the blood-robed youth and immediately dissolved without a sound or ripple.
Wuxian and Duanqiao were horrified when they saw this, their hair standing on end.
The young man in the blood-red robe looked them over with great interest, repeatedly saying how interesting it was.
"You are neither demons nor spirits, so what is your origin? Could you be... artifact spirits?"