Love & Redemption
Chapter 123: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 30 Perilous String (Part 6)

Chapter 123: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 30 Perilous String (Part 6)

Xuanji and her companions stepped through the "door" at the center of the Sacrificial Altar, only to find themselves surrounded by overwhelming brightness, unable to open their eyes, their bodies no longer under their control, as if in a swift, downward fall, and then, mysteriously, they felt as if they were flying upward. The sensation was indescribable, beyond words.

People tightly shut their eyes, daring not to move — in reality, they couldn’t move even if they had wanted to, their minds overwhelmed but their bodies too weak.

After an indeterminate amount of time, they felt their feet lightly touch solid ground, standing in a stable place, the blinding light around them gradually fading. Xuanji then slowly opened her eyes, gazing bewildered and intrigued at the legendary Buzhou Mountain.

The area felt gloomy and eerily silent, so much so that not even the slightest sound could be heard. The full moon, like a frozen wheel, slowly emerged from behind the clouds, immensely large and seemingly close enough to touch. Its bleak, cold light spilt over the land, making everything appear black; dark peaks extended endlessly, not reaching the summit, lying dormant in a vast expanse of black mountains, utterly silent, without a breath... like a stretch of dead land, devoid of life.

"Ah... this place..." Min Yan murmured, unable to continue, shocked and bewildered like everyone else while surveying this ancient and sacred, unfathomable land.

Buzhou Mountain! This was the mountain that connected the Netherworld and the human world, standing between heaven and earth since the dawn of creation!

Everyone was still caught between shock and awe, staring blankly. Zi Hu, disdainful of these simpletons, had already walked ahead, saying, "Just standing here at the foot of the mountain and you’re already spellbound; who knows what you’ll turn into higher up! Really a bunch of bumpkins!"

The group then collected themselves; Xuanji saw Zi Hu walking briskly and quickly caught up, asking, "Are you... are you heading to the Netherworld right now? Are you really going alone?"

Zi Hu calmly replied, "Of course, alone. I don’t want you all following me, you’d just be a burden."

Ruo Yu, seeing the vast, uninhabited expanse and not knowing where the demons’ lair on Buzhou Mountain was, laughed and said, "Let’s do this. We will accompany Zi Hu to the gates of the Netherworld and look for any signs of the demons along the way. We can’t let her go alone; after all, we are companions on this journey."

Everybody agreed; Zi Hu’s face flushed, though in the deep night it was hard to tell if it was a trick of the light, but awkwardly she retorted, "Who, who wants you to accompany! I’m not a child who doesn’t know the way!"

Xuanji, holding her arm, laughed and said, "Don’t be like that, surely you don’t want to part from us, right? Sneaking there alone, always on edge, isn’t it better to have more people, less panic?"

Zi Hu, having her motivations exposed, was indeed a bit flustered, and so shook her large ears and pouted, "I... well, it’s up to you! Follow if you want!" she said, pretending to sigh dramatically, acting frustrated, "A bunch of kids, always needing looking after!"

She was clearly the one being looked after. Xuanji couldn’t help but snicker.

The peak of Buzhou Mountain was guarded by Shen Tu and Yu Lei at the Netherworld gate. Seeing Buzhou Mountain’s vastness, stretching up into the sky without end, Yu Sifeng exclaimed in amazement, "How long will it take us to reach the peak?"

Zi Hu snorted, "It was broken by Gonggong; it used to be a pillar holding up the sky! But if you walk, you mortals would need half a lifetime to reach the top. There’s a formation up ahead that can take us straight to the top. The Netherworld gate is about to open, Shen Tu and Yu Lei are busy; they won’t mind us, a little activation is all it takes."

Really? Min Yan looked at her skeptically. Zi Hu angrily retorted, "Follow if you want, or go do your own things! As if I’d lie to you!"

The group had no choice but to follow her, but not far along, Zi Hu suddenly stopped, her ears twitching left and right, sniffing the air, then exclaimed, "Wait! Do you hear anything?!"

Xuanji concentrated but heard nothing but the wind, so she shook her head obediently.

Zi Hu looked shocked, calculated with her fingers, then exclaimed, "No good! I forgot it’s February!" Suddenly withdrawing her fingers, a mix of joy and fear on her face, she gritted her teeth, "Well, it’s worth a shot!"

With that, she dashed forward urgently. The others, puzzled, hurried after her. Xuanji wondered aloud, "What about February? What big event is happening?"

As Zi Hu sprinted, she explained, "In February, the main gates are opened, not the side ones! Hell releases Evil Ghosts to roam! Be careful!"

Be careful of what? Before they could ask, they saw her body sway and she fell to the ground. They were shocked and were about to help her up when they too felt unsteady and tumbled down.

The ground began to shake violently, like waves on the ocean, large ripples spreading out in rings, shaking the forest with rustling sounds, making it impossible to stand, or even lie still — rolling from one place to another.

Suddenly, a deep, desolate sound echoed in the air, as if a giant were emitting a low howl. The gloomy sky suddenly brightened, as if a pair of giant hands had torn apart the night, sending down thousands of beams of golden light. Amidst her terror, Xuanji clung to a tree, finally stable, no longer rolling on the ground. She looked up in astonishment at the golden light showering from the sky, where figures in Golden Armor seemed to be gradually materializing, with fierce helmets and giant treasure swords hanging at their waists, on either side, each as tall as half of Buzhou Mountain. She was so astonished that she forgot to breathe, feeling that the two giants in the golden light, with their stern faces and solemn expressions, were eight points similar to the immortals worshipped in temples, devoid of any emotion.

At that moment, a familiar sensation suddenly surged into her heart, as if she had been hit hard in the chest, and two names involuntarily slipped from her lips, "Shen Tu! Yu Lei!"

The two men then stepped forward, the Azure Dragon Boots intricately detailed with dragons, and immediately grabbed Buzhou Mountain, towering into the clouds like a giant gate they were trying to pull open.

Only a tremendous, earth-shaking noise was heard as Buzhou Mountain was pulled apart by them, forcibly splitting a crack in its midst, and indeed, the massive mountain was pulled open like a gate.

The low howl gradually faded, and it seemed as if someone in the sky began to play a strangely tuned flute, a chilling wind swept through, bringing with it a bone-chilling coldness; the already dark sky now turned even darker as if it had been painted over with thick ink, almost to the point where one could not see their own fingers.

Xuanji felt her heart pounding wildly, and a long-lost sensation slowly awakened within her. Suddenly, a tight grip was on her shoulder, and the person leaned in to whisper by her ear, "Are you alright?"

It was Yu Sifeng. She managed a weak smile, "I’m fine..."

Zi Hu suddenly exclaimed shrilly, "Stay here! No one is allowed to move! I... I’ll go now! You must not follow!"

In the darkness, someone moved swiftly, climbing up. Xuanji panicked, just as she stood up, she was thrown to the ground, she cried out, "Wait for me! Let’s go together... I... I’ll transport you there with Sword Control!"

At this critical moment, who cared whether they could perform Sword Control or not, she finally managed to stand up straight with the support of a tree, immediately flew up with her sword, ignoring the cries of surprise from the people below, and after a few swift movements, she flew next to Zi Hu, and on seeing Xuanji, Zi Hu began to curse loudly, unexpectedly grabbing her by the back of her shirt and lifting her onto the sword.

Zi Hu tried to struggle, but her wrist was suddenly clenched tightly, held so firmly by Xuanji that she couldn’t move as if in an iron grip.

"Don’t move. I’ll take you across," Xuanji said in a low voice.

Reminded of the scenes where she had been driven to a dead end on Gao Mountain by her, Zi Hu suddenly found herself unable to speak and could only obediently follow her.

Suddenly, several rustling sounds came from behind. Zhong Minyan and the others were not to be outdone and followed by using Sword Control as well, shouting, "We’re coming too!"

She was shocked, annoyed, and delighted all at once, truly not expecting these children to go to such lengths for her. However, with the gates of the Netherworld wide open and Shen Tu and Yu Lei guarding the entrance fending off evil spirits, this was no child’s play; she couldn’t simply let them sacrifice themselves for her.

"Fly lower! Don’t let them see!" she commanded sternly, and indeed, they flew silently, skimming the treetops, feeling the sinister cold intensify as they neared the front.

It wasn’t the freezing cold of midwinter or the chill of deep mountain caves... that kind of coldness made one’s pores tremble with fear as if it were alive, capable of penetrating the organs like venom.

Xuanji suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" pointing ahead in horror. Without her saying it, everyone saw it too, the revealed Buzhou Mountain opened up to reveal a vast, broad cavern, pitch black as if filled with dark ink, impossible to see anything, while out of the cave surged a mass of green evil spirits, some with horns growing on their heads, others with tongues stretching down to their chests... each one bizarre and unheard of.

These evil spirits wailed, cried, or laughed maniacally as they pushed out from the cave, emerging from the depths of hell like a volcanic eruption, rushing towards the rare freedom of the outside world.

Shen Tu and Yu Lei waved huge whips, sporadically driving them, the shattering sound of the whips breaking through the air, causing a buzzing in the ears and even the face felt the tremendous vibrations.

Seeing them gradually approaching, Xuanji quickly hid among the leaves to conceal herself, relieved as they passed quickly, seemingly unaware of the few uninvited guests hiding in the forest below. As they walked far enough, Xuanji immediately shot out like an arrow, urging, "Zi Hu! Hurry inside!"

Zi Hu leaned on her back, without saying anything, only tightly squeezing her hand. She really couldn’t say anything anymore.

As they were about to reach the split middle of Buzhou Mountain, the sword suddenly shook violently, and the two almost fell off. Zi Hu, shocked and pale, grabbed her sleeve, urgently asking, "What’s wrong?!"

Before she could finish, she felt a sudden tremble in her heart, as if responding to something, and stared blankly into the midair.

"Someone... has blown out my candle!"

She only managed to speak these words when her entire body, like a kite with its string cut, drifted straight off the sword. (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)