Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Suddenly, a Junior General of the Nether Spring Army began to speak, his voice trembling...

”M-M-Marshal...”

”There’s a strange legend about the Nether Spring Mountain Range: When darkness appears, the devil emerges.”

The Nether Spring Junior General’s voice sounded as if it were being squeezed through his gritted teeth.

He continued in a hoarse voice, ”Legend says that even in the shallower parts of the Nether Spring Mountain Range, a terrifying darkness descends periodically, and then horrible demons and monsters will appear.”

As the Junior General spoke...

Lu Dingtian froze for a moment, then shivered violently. He, too, recalled the terrifying legends of the Nether Spring Mountain Range.

He quickly looked at Chi Xingxun. ”Young City Lord, we have to leave! Otherwise, I’m afraid we won’t get out of here alive.”

A chill ran down Chi Xingxun’s spine as well. He shuddered and replied, ”Could this be the Nether Spring Mountain Range from the Biyue Continent? Yes, that’s it! The other side of the Biyue Continent’s Nether Spring Mountain Range is the Azure Flame Domain.”

At this, Chi Xingxun shouted urgently, ”Go back! We’re going back immediately!”

Clearly, Chi Xingxun was just like the Yan Soul Guard before him.

He also remembered the legends of the Nether Spring Mountain Range, but he had heard them on the Biyue Continent, not in the Azure Flame Domain. However, when they turned to go back, they were completely lost.

You couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face. How were they supposed to find their way back?

Shrouded in such darkness, they would surely get lost in here.

”Quick, quick, light the torches...!”

Someone shouted, and others scrambled to light torches, but it was useless.

The moment a flame sparked to life, it was extinguished.

A strange, cold wind seemed to snuff out any source of light. Someone even took out a Luminous Pearl, but the result was the same. With a sharp BANG, the Luminous Pearl shattered into dust on the spot.

The sound scared Lu Dingtian, Chi Xingxun, and all the others half to death.

In the end, they could only feel their way through the boundless darkness, fumbling about in a panic, but they soon realized they were completely disoriented.

”What do we do? What are we going to do?”

Every one of them was on the verge of a full-blown panic. Boundless terror welled up in the hearts of Lu Dingtian, Chi Xingxun, and all their men.

「At the same time...」

Where the Yan Soul Guards were, they too were panicking. They had also recalled the legends of the Biyue Continent’s Nether Spring Mountain Range, but they didn’t know the specifics. They had no idea why the darkness had suddenly fallen.

”Little Sword-Winged Ice Wolf, what’s wrong with you?”

A Yan Soul Guard suddenly noticed his Little Sword-Winged Ice Wolf was pressed flat against the ground, not daring to move an inch.

It seemed all the surrounding Demon Beasts were doing the same.

’Something terrifying must be about to appear. Nether Spring is like the Yellow Springs. I’m afraid we’re done for.’

The Yan Soul Guards scrambled to find a way out, no longer caring about Lu Chao or Chi Xingxun. But it was just as frighteningly dark, and they couldn’t find the path. Their scalps tingled with fear.

「At the entrance of a certain cave...」

Lu Chao had not yet fully processed the medicinal power of the Blue Dew Fruit within his body.

Nor had he devoured a new Moon-level Heavenly Destiny Bone. He, too, watched as the terrifying darkness descended, a chill running through him.

’Nether Spring is like the Yellow Springs; when darkness appears, the devil emerges.’

Lu Chao also recalled the legend from his training days in the Nether Spring Army. He mused, ’So the darkness can just appear anywhere; you don’t have to be deep inside. What will happen next?’

’Will the so-called demons and monsters appear?’

’Why did the darkness fall so suddenly? Is it a regular monthly or yearly occurrence?’

Although a chill was running through Lu Chao, he wasn’t truly afraid.

Nothing could be as terrifying as having his soul trapped inside the Life-taking Star-devouring Bone.

The sudden darkness was frightening, but Lu Chao had truly died once before. He remained quite calm.

He tried to channel the power of the Bright Eyes and Clear Wind Guide, but it was useless. It was still dark.

The darkness... it was too sinister.

’Wait, would the Azure Flame Treasure Manual have any records of this?’

’This was once the territory of the Azure Flame Sect. Perhaps their patriarchs explored this place.’

As he thought this, Lu Chao took out the Azure Flame Treasure Manual and sent his consciousness into it, searching every page for any possible records.

Soon, in the latter pages, he found a relevant entry.

These pages were titled ”Curious and Unusual Records.”

And the very first record was about the Nether Spring Mountain Range. Within the page’s illusory image, a line of text appeared: ”Within the Azure Flame Domain, the most terrifying place is the Nether Spring Mountain Range.”

This single sentence revealed why the Nether Spring Mountain Range was the very first record.

It was the most terrifying and bizarre place in the Azure Flame Domain.

Lu Chao continued reading...

”The Nether Spring Mountain Range connects to the Biyue Continent. Crossing it leads directly to the Green Bone Palace, yet no one can traverse the Nether Spring.”

”According to explorations by the ancestors of the Green Bone Palace, there is an Ancient Illusion Array in the Nether Spring Mountain Range. The array was left behind thousands of years ago by a powerful expert who possessed a Life-taking Bone. The full extent of this expert’s power is unknown, but no one from the Green Bone Palace has ever been able to break the array.”

Reading this, Lu Chao trembled. ’An array left behind by an expert with a Life-taking Bone?’

”Experts from the Green Bone Palace entered to explore on more than one occasion, yet few made it out alive. Those who survived either went mad or became raving lunatics, or they refused to speak of it at all. All that is known is that the Ancient Illusion Array is ever-changing, mixing truth with illusion, making them impossible to distinguish.”

”It is only known that it was left behind by the expert with the Life-taking Bone...”

GULP...

Lu Chao swallowed hard as he read this. ’Mad or raving lunatics...’

’So that old prince from the Great Wu Empire a century ago was just one of those who went mad.’

’Even people from the Green Bone Palace suffered the same fate as that old prince. And those who remained sane didn’t dare speak of the Illusion Array.’

”In the past, the Green Bone Palace gathered individuals with the Life-taking Bone on several occasions and sent them into the Nether Spring Mountain Range, hoping that someone who also possessed a Life-taking Bone could make it out alive and bring back useful information.”

”However, it was all in vain. None of them ever came out. They all perished.”

His pupils contracted again. ’They continuously gathered people with the Life-taking Bone and just threw them in here.’

’But it makes sense. Since they knew it was left by an expert with a Life-taking Bone, of course they would look for others with a Life-taking Bone to investigate.’

’But it was useless. Was the expert who set up this Illusion Array so merciless, even to others who possessed a Life-taking Bone?’

”Disciples of the Azure Flame Sect, remember: never set foot in the Nether Spring Mountain Range, especially in the autumn of each year. The Illusion Array will activate, covering the territory of the Peak Realm Demon Beasts. As for why the array activates every autumn, no one knows.”

”Remember, remember, remember...”

The last part was heavily emphasized, and Lu Chao understood at once.

It was now the beginning of autumn.

That was all the Azure Flame Treasure Manual recorded about the Nether Spring Mountain Range. As Lu Chao put the Treasure Manual away, he gave a bitter smile. If he had known, he would have looked for these records sooner. Now, he was completely trapped.

Other than warnings, the records only described the terror of the place and instructed not to enter.

There was no solution at all.