novelraw Chapter 459, The River of Ghost Infants
Chapter 459, The River of Ghost Infants
Hua Changxi hovered above the rift, crimson flames swirling around her, reflecting the dilapidated yet still majestic Vermilion Bird formation on the rocky bottom of the well.
However, just as her gaze swept across the edge of the magic circle, her expression suddenly changed.
Hundreds of figures were densely packed in a ring around the outer edge of the magic circle.
They sat cross-legged like mountains, with the Vermilion Bird Tokens that Hua Changxi could recognize at a glance hanging from their waists.
Unfortunately, the Vermilion Bird totem on the Vermilion Bird Token has long since faded and lost its luster.
These people are the long-lost Vermilion Bird Army!
wrong!
There are fewer people!
The Vermilion Bird Army Roster lists nearly a thousand Vermilion Bird Army soldiers whose names are obscured, but there are fewer than five hundred Vermilion Bird Army soldiers here. Therefore, several hundred Vermilion Bird Army soldiers are still missing.
As the Palace Master of Lingguang Palace and the leader of the Vermilion Bird Army, Hua Changxi could hardly bear to look at the hundreds of Vermilion Bird soldiers in front of him.
Corroded by ghostly energy and scorched by ghostly fire, their flesh and blood had long since dried up, their skin clinging tightly to their bones, presenting a bluish-gray, stone-like texture; only a faint red flame remained in their dantian, burning stubbornly like a candle flickering in the wind.
What's even more chilling is that every Vermilion Bird soldier has a crack between their eyebrows.
From that crack, strands of pure soul power and primordial blood flowed out slowly like a stream, merging into the patterns of the magic array beneath their feet.
The reason why the Vermilion Bird Formation has not completely collapsed is precisely because these hundreds of Vermilion Bird soldiers use their souls as fuel and their flesh and blood as a catalyst to maintain the operation of the formation day and night!
Hua Changxi's wings trembled slightly, and she choked up.
These Vermilion Bird soldiers are delaying the complete collapse of the magic array by sacrificing themselves.
The magic array only had a crack, yet the ghostly energy and flames inside the prison tower were already so dense. Once it completely stopped operating, one can imagine that the ghostly energy and flames would likely engulf the entire Nanxiang County.
"Whoo~"
Fire lotuses bloomed beneath the Vermilion Bird Army, while dozens of Zhu Rong stones were arranged around them.
With the magic array broken, Hua Changxi was unable to rescue the Vermilion Bird Army at this time and could only hope that the Fire Lotus and the Zhu Rong Stone would allow them to hold out for a little longer.
The next moment, Hua Changxi flew into the magic array and stared at the crack in the center of the array.
Then, she took a deep breath, and the Southern Bright Fire ignited into a crimson-gold barrier at the edge of her wings. With a flap of her wings, she plunged into the rift without hesitation.
In an instant, heaven and earth reversed, and time and space were torn apart.
Her body was drawn into a twisted void passage. The surroundings were no longer just ghostly energy and will-o'-the-wisps, but also accompanied by countless shattered lights and wails—the echoes of torn souls and countless unwilling obsessions.
In the chaotic torrent, only the nine blood-red chains, like guiding threads, pierced through the illusion and pointed directly to the other shore.
After an unknown amount of time, Hua Changxi saw a dazzling green crack and swooped down towards it.
The instant she flew out of the crack, her body rapidly shrank, transforming into a firebird the size of a thumb. At the same time, her vision suddenly changed.
She hovered above a vast, boundless, dark green river.
The river water is not ordinary water, but is formed by the condensation of billions of resentful, dead, and malevolent energies, shimmering with a phosphorescent green light as it flows slowly.
Silent and unnoticed, yet it can cause one's mind to crumble.
Hua Changxi didn't have time to observe the river closely before her attention was drawn to the scene in the middle of the river not far away.
Nine bloodline chains intertwined and woven together to form a blood cage, within which floated a palm-sized black token emitting a ghostly green light.
At the same time, a ghostly hand, formed from ghostly energy and imbued with green ghostly flames, gripped the blood cage tightly.
The ghostly hand extends from the dark green river and connects with it. Whenever the ghostly energy on the ghostly hand fades or the ghostly fire weakens, ghostly energy and ghostly fire will escape from the dark green river to replenish its consumption.
Although Hua Changxi concealed her aura to the extreme, her appearance still caused the green river to tremble.
Sensing something approaching from the riverbank, Hua Changxi's expression changed slightly, and with a 'whoosh,' she flew onto the Blood Cage.
The thumb-sized firebird was quickly engulfed in the crimson light of the chains. "Why is the Ghost Infant River suddenly shaking?"
Several demons dressed in black robes appeared on the riverbank directly opposite the Blood Cage.
"Could it be that the humans on the other side of the Ghost Fire Well are trying to reclaim the Ghost Fire Token?"
"That should be it. Should we notify Lord Ghost Commander to come and investigate?"
"Forget it, Lord Ghost General just went to the altar. He's probably going to refine the Vermilion Bird Bone that the humans offered as tribute. Let's not disturb him. Otherwise, if Lord Ghost General gets angry, we'll all be scattered to the winds."
"That's right. That Vermilion Bird bone is the core of the array that seals the Ghost Fire Well. Once the core is refined, Lord Ghost General will be able to freely open the restrictions on the Ghost Fire Well. At that time, our Ghost Clan will be able to freely enter and leave the human world."
"If Lord Ghost General were to seize the Ghostfire Token, the nine-story prison tower that suppresses the Ghostfire Well would belong to our Ghost Clan. It is said that the nine-story prison tower is a Dao weapon, containing the sound of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. If one can comprehend it, one might become a master of a Dao."
"No wonder Lord Ghost Commander takes the strange occurrences at Ghost Infant River so seriously and came here personally to guard it."
The few demons left, chatting and laughing.
Only after they left did Hua Changxi fly out, looking in the direction they had gone with a stern gaze.
Vermilion Bird Bone, Core of the Formation.
The magic array was broken because its core was taken away!
The rift she passed through earlier must have been the location where the core of the formation was placed.
The Ghost Fire Token must be retrieved, and at the same time, the Vermilion Bird Bone, which serves as the core of the formation, must also be retrieved.
Hua Changxi withdrew her gaze and looked at the Ghost Fire Token in the Blood Cage.
The Ghost Fire Token has a relief carving of a Vermilion Bird with its eyes closed, standing on a black well, exuding an air of 'using the might of a divine bird to quell the chaos of the netherworld'; the other side is inscribed with the words "Ghost Fire".
Having previously occupied six blessed lands, Hua Changxi looked at the Ghostfire Token and instantly thought of a way to refine it—to make the Vermilion Bird on the Ghostfire Token open its eyes.
She has cultivated the Vermilion Bird Spirit Body, and her blood contains the Vermilion Bird's will. Shouldn't that make the Vermilion Bird on the Ghost Fire Token open its eyes?
Hua Changxi decided to give it a try, but before that, she had to deal with the ghost hand under the blood cage.
"Whoo~"
A fire lotus the size of a thumb floated down and landed on the ghost's hand, which was still clinging to the blood cage.
As the fire lotus entered, the ghostly hand instantly faded somewhat.
Immediately afterwards, the ghostly energy dissipated from the Ghost Infant River, filling the part of the Ghost Hand that had been melted by the Fire Lotus.
After several such instances, seeing that the ghost hand showed no other reaction, Hua Changxi knew that the ghost hand had no 'consciousness' and needed to be controlled by a person.
Seeing that no ghosts came to investigate during this time, Hua Changxi felt a little relieved. Without further hesitation, a drop of essence blood flew out and disappeared into the Ghost Fire Token.
As the essence blood entered, the Ghost Fire Token immediately began to vibrate. Then, a bright red light shone, directly suppressing the green light on the Ghost Fire Token.
The crimson chains seemed to sense the anomaly of the Ghost Fire Token and instinctively tightened.
The moment the crimson chains tightened, the ghostly hand instinctively began to drag them.
The tug-of-war began again.
Hua Changxi was anxious, worried that Jing Sheng wouldn't be able to withstand such a violent pull. Fortunately, at that moment, the Vermilion Bird relief on the Ghost Fire Token opened its eyes.
In an instant, Hua Changxi sensed a connection between the Ghostfire Token and himself, and immediately manipulated the Ghostfire Token to stop vibrating.
"Why is the Ghost Infant River shaking again?"
The same group of ghosts reappeared, cursing under their breath as they looked at the Ghost Infant River, which was creating waves, and the tightening ghost hand.
"The Ghost Infant River has been shaking continuously. We must inform Lord Ghost Commander. We can't afford any unforeseen circumstances." (End of Chapter)