Chapter 72 of 100
Chapter 72
13 min read3,222 words
Wei Shizhe climbed up the cliff and made his way deep into the cave. The walls were damp and dripping with water, the mist was thick, and the air still retained a hint of the scent of the soul-soothing incense, which was neither sandalwood nor not, quite peculiar. After walking for a while through the winding path, the view suddenly opened up. He saw a hot spring bubbling with water, and the stone walls were covered with unknown flowers and plants. The light from the sky shone through the hole in the cave ceiling, forming beams of light that intertwined with the mist, creating a dreamlike and illusory scene.
The white snake spirit was not asleep; she sat quietly by the spring, her slender fingers playing with a green bead.
"Salutations, Senior." Wei Shizhe noticed that the green color was not the bead's natural color but a dense green smoke locked inside, swirling and flowing, clearly the green smoke from the soul-soothing incense that she had used her magic to contain, preventing it from taking effect.
"Why have you returned here again?"
Wei Shizhe did not hide his intentions and explained his thoughts about finding a place to cultivate. The white snake spirit neither confirmed nor denied, seemingly not opposing his plan.
"Have the two people outside the cave left?"
"Yes, I see Senior knew they had come."
"That human-faced dove was clearly being controlled by someone. How could it suddenly lose control?"
"About that... it's hard to say. Perhaps Sun Ergou's cultivation method was not refined enough, or perhaps the soul of the human-faced dove was too strong..." Wei Shizhe was uncertain.
"She seems to have been affected by something." The white snake spirit's gaze fell on him.
Wei Shizhe thought for a moment and said, "It shouldn't be related to me. I met the human-faced dove before, and there was nothing unusual."
The white snake spirit did not intend to delve deeper. She tossed the bead to Wei Shizhe, who hurriedly caught it, not understanding the reason.
"The soul-soothing incense is very valuable; there are only a few in the entire Kunlun Mountain. It would be a waste to let it go to waste. I'll give you this soul-soothing bead; it might be useful."
Wei Shizhe realized that the white snake spirit had been watching their every move from the beginning but had not revealed it. If he had not intervened, she would have waited quietly for Sun and Shang to appear, then collected the soul-soothing incense, given them a small punishment, and let them leave. He thanked her, put away the soul-soothing bead, and tentatively asked, "I heard Sun Ergou of the Pingyuan Sect say that Senior made a solemn vow at the Demon Suppressing Tower to guard the Jietian Ridge for eight hundred years and not harm any cultivator. Is that true?"
This question stirred the white snake spirit's thoughts. She was lost in thought for a long time before saying, "Yes, the four great demon kings of Jietian Ridge all made vows to guard Jietian Ridge for Kunlun. Otherwise, how would the Kunlun Sect be willing to let us out of the Demon Suppressing Tower?"
A few words revealed countless secrets: Yin-Yang Ridge, Ghost Gate Abyss, Demon Suppressing Tower, Jietian Ridge—these places seemed to be connected by a faint thread of fate.
She lost interest and suddenly remembered that Wei Shizhe had told Sun Ergou he would go to the Ghost Gate Abyss to catch a human-faced dove to compensate him after the winter hunt. She asked casually, "Have you been to the Ghost Gate Abyss?"
"Yes, I've been there. I only fought the human-faced doves, killed a few, and then retreated. The Ghost Gate Abyss is too dangerous. With my current strength, I cannot protect myself."
"Did you find the stone stele of Yin-Yang Ridge?"
"I only saw one. I heard there are forty stone steles of Yin-Yang Ridge scattered throughout the Ghost Gate Abyss."
"The stone steles of Yin-Yang Ridge are the remains of the Heaven-Connecting Array. Tens of thousands of years ago, the demon army surged into the human world from the Ghost Gate Abyss. Your Kunlun ancestors set up the Heaven-Connecting Array, capturing the leaders of the demon army and imprisoning them in the Demon Suppressing Tower on Flowing Stone Peak. Without their leaders, countless demons died in the Heaven-Connecting Array. Their bodies were all sealed under Jietian Ridge, and their lingering demonic energy gave rise to countless low-level demons. Due to the lack of guidance from their kin, they relied on instinct to harness the power of nature and absorb the essence of the sun and moon, at most only able to form demon cores, unable to advance further."
"At first, these demons only appeared in Kunlun Mountain, but gradually they moved south to the Ximin River, east to the Mangu Forest. To prevent them from disrupting the human world, your Kunlun ancestors selected four demons with gentle dispositions from the Demon Suppressing Tower, implanted heart worms, and made them swear to guard Jietian Ridge as demon kings. They were tasked with controlling the demons and managing the 'hunting grounds' for the seven branch sects. If they could maintain peace for eight hundred years, they would be granted freedom and honored as Kunlun elders, allowed to cultivate in the back mountain of Flowing Stone Peak. This is the only chance to leave the Demon Suppressing Tower."
"The current demon kings of Jietian Ridge, besides me, include the Green Ox, the Jade Toad, and the Zhongming Bird. We have guarded Jietian Ridge for over seven hundred years. None of us want to fail at the last moment. In recent years, the disciples of the seven branch sects have become increasingly bold!"
Wei Shizhe thought, "Sun Ergou dared to target the snake eggs, probably because he saw this opportunity. Otherwise, how would Qi have agreed to let him take the risk? But I've messed up this plan, and now I've offended the Pingyuan Sect."
"The two disciples of the Pingyuan Sect have not given up. They might come back at any time. I don't want to deal with them, so you stay here to cultivate and drive them away."
"Yes." This was a win-win situation, exactly what Wei Shizhe wanted.
The white snake spirit said lazily, "Alright, then it's settled. You may go."
Wei Shizhe bowed and slowly retreated.
The white snake spirit sat by the hot spring, gently stirring the water with her hand. Her heart was in turmoil, and the memories buried deep in her heart were vivid, as if they had happened yesterday. So many years had passed, but the past was not a distant memory.
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