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墨書 Inktalez
The Legend of the Immortals Prequel: Wilderness Journey
"What is that thing?"
Beneath the mountains, behind a hidden Dune, the five members of the Azure Cloud Sect all saw the dark, abyss-like shadow that had suddenly appeared in front of the Demon Cult Holy Temple. From a distance, it looked like an endless abyss turned upside down in the void, filled with profound darkness, as if countless strange entities were lurking in the shadows, restless and poised to erupt at any moment, spilling into this world in a terrifying manner.
The first to speak in astonishment was Zeng Shuchang, but the expressions of the others standing beside him were also filled with surprise and confusion, including Ten Thousand Swords in One, who seemed equally unaware of what was happening. After a moment, Azure Pine, standing next to Ten Thousand Swords in One, snorted and said, "Indeed, there are many such ghostly things among the evil cults."
Upon hearing this, Ten Thousand Swords in One suddenly felt a stir in his heart as if he had thought of something. He let out a soft "Hmm," and began to mutter to himself, "Could this be Bai Duzai's 'Mingyuan'?"
Tian Buyi happened to walk over and asked curiously, "Wan Shixiong, what is it?"
Ten Thousand Swords in One snapped back to reality and shook his head. "It's nothing."
The term Mingyuan had only been mentioned once by Bai Duzai; however, what it truly was remained a mystery. Ten Thousand Swords in One certainly could not make arbitrary judgments based on this alone. After observing the peculiar sight for a while longer, he called the others over and said, "Brothers, I have something to discuss with you. When we descended from Tongfeng and traveled westward into the wilderness, our purpose was to explore the mysterious Wilderness that has existed for centuries and uncover the secrets of the Demon Cult that have plagued our Middle-earth for many years. The most crucial aspect of this journey is the Sanctuary of the Demon Cult located within the Wilderness. This journey has been fraught with danger; it goes without saying that each of us has faced life-and-death situations."
At this point, he took a deep breath. Although there was a hint of nostalgia on his face, there was no fear or trepidation; instead, he laughed heartily and said, "But we are fortunate to be alive! We have made it this far and found the location of the Demon Cult Holy Temple. It is likely that we are the first group from Middle-earth to arrive here in hundreds of years."
Azure Pine, Tian Buyi, and the others all laughed as they looked back at their path. All they could see was endless yellow sand; however, under the blazing sun, the Dune appeared magnificent. Despite its desolation, it inspired a sense of heroism within them. They felt that no matter how many dangers lay ahead, it was merely a matter of "facing challenges head-on." As great men, what was there to fear?
Even life-and-death crises were just trivial matters.
Ten Thousand Swords in One laughed along with everyone else for a moment before nodding slightly and saying seriously, "To journey through this wilderness with you four brothers is truly a great joy in my life!" With that, he clasped his hands together as a gesture of respect.
With a whoosh, the other four bowed in return.
A strong wind blew across them as yellow sand swirled around. Ten Thousand Swords in One nodded again and then glanced at the mountain where the Demon Cult Holy Temple stood. He noticed that during their conversation, that mysterious black shadow had gradually faded away and seemed on the verge of disappearing completely. Ten Thousand Swords in One withdrew his gaze and said to Azure Pine and the others, "Now there is something we need to discuss."
Azure Pine said, "Senior Brother, please."
Ten Thousand Swords in One replied, "When we descended the mountain, our purpose was to explore the Wilderness and find the Demon Cult Holy Temple, to gather valuable information for the upcoming Righteous and Demonic War. Now that we have come this far and found the Demon Cult Holy Temple, it seems we have achieved our goal. However, at this moment, I still have one question for everyone: should we also ascend the mountain to explore the last remaining Demon Cult Holy Temple?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the other four fell silent. Among the five present, none were foolish; they quickly understood Ten Thousand Swords in One's meaning: after enduring hardships, the original purpose of their journey into the wilderness had been fulfilled. Even so, it would not be unreasonable to turn back to Azure Cloud Mountain now, considering they had already discovered a path leading to the mysterious Demon Cult Holy Temple for the future of the Middle-earth Righteous Path.
Although there had been many dangers along the way, the path was indeed correct.
However, Ten Thousand Swords in One's question went deeper; he was asking whether they should venture up the mountain to investigate the Demon Cult Holy Temple. It required no guesswork; everyone could surmise that as the most important and sacred hall of the Demon Cult, the Demon Cult Holy Temple must hold countless secrets. Yet, it was undoubtedly fraught with unimaginable dangers. There was a high possibility that they had managed to navigate through this perilous journey without incident, but venturing into the Demon Cult Holy Temple could lead to unforeseen accidents.
Was this risk worth taking? They could simply return after seeing the Barbaric Sacred Hall.
※※※
"Go!" A decisive voice suddenly broke through the silence, drawing everyone's attention.
The speaker was Azure Pine. At that moment, his face was filled with determination; his thick brows furrowed as he addressed Ten Thousand Swords in One and the other three: "We have endured hardships to reach this point; how can we return empty-handed? I believe you all are aware of the various dangers we've faced along this journey. To speak frankly, if we leave now, it may be a long time before anyone from the righteous sects of Middle-earth comes here again. Therefore, since such a rare opportunity has presented itself, I think we must explore this Demon Cult Holy Temple and uncover more important information to report back. That is what matters most."
Ten Thousand Swords in One pondered for a moment without speaking, while others like Zeng Shuchang and Shang Zhengliang remained silent. After a brief pause, another person stepped forward—short and stout—who was none other than Tian Buyi. He slowly shook his head and said, "I have a different opinion on this matter."
The expression on Azure Pine's face darkened slightly as he coldly glanced at Tian Buyi, saying, "Tian Shidi, what do you have to say?"
Tian Buyi, seemingly oblivious to the tension, looked at Ten Thousand Swords in One and sincerely said, "Wan Shixiong, I believe we should know when to stop. We five have ventured deep into this desolate wilderness and faced numerous dangers to arrive here; the information we've gathered is already sufficient. Moreover, having found the Demon Cult Holy Temple, returning now would mean we have achieved our goal. Why stir up more trouble?"
Ten Thousand Swords in One remained silent, but beside him, Azure Pine's expression changed as he sneered and said, "Are you afraid of death?"
Tian Buyi's face instantly flushed red as he glared at Azure Pine and angrily said, "What do you mean by that?"
Azure Pine snorted and replied, "Cowering like that, are you afraid of dying or what?"
Tian Buyi shouted, "Have you ever heard the saying about moderation in advance and retreat, and not being overly greedy?"
Azure Pine was taken aback for a moment, seemingly not expecting Tian Buyi to speak to him like this. After all, from their time at Azure Cloud Mountain to their journey so far, Azure Pine had been recognized as the second most prominent figure in the group after Ten Thousand Swords in One, both in reputation and skill. Even in the past at Azure Cloud Sect, ordinary disciples like Tian Buyi rarely dared to provoke him. However, it seemed that during this time, whether due to Tian Buyi's significant progress in cultivation or being favored by Ten Thousand Swords in One, his temper had noticeably increased, daring to argue directly with Azure Pine.
Azure Pine immediately became furious, stepping forward with a dark expression and shouted, "Who do you think you are?"
Tian Buyi huffed but ignored him, instead looking at Ten Thousand Swords in One and said, "Wan Shixiong, I think it's better not to go up. There will be plenty of time in the future. As long as we return and announce the route we have taken this time, there will definitely be someone looking for an opportunity to infiltrate it. Why take this risk?"
Ten Thousand Swords in One remained silent, his brow furrowed as if deep in thought.
Beside them, Azure Pine's face turned pale with anger as he glared at Tian Buyi and said furiously, "According to your logic, if you see a strong enemy and feel intimidated, how can you accomplish great things? Have all the dangers we've faced been for nothing?"
Just as Tian Buyi was about to retort, Zeng Shuchang stepped forward and stood beside Tian Buyi, saying, "We have gone through hardships to reach this point. Discovering the location of the Demon Cult Holy Temple and the current route is our greatest achievement; how can it be for nothing?"
Azure Pine's chest heaved with anger as he was about to speak but was interrupted by Ten Thousand Swords in One. He frowned again and then turned to the last person who had been silent, Shang Zhengliang, saying, "Shang Shidi, do you have any thoughts on this?"
Shang Zhengliang pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Wan Shixiong, I believe Azure Pine Shixiong has a point. The Demon Cult Holy Temple is the lair of the evil cult that has existed for thousands of years, hiding countless secrets. Moreover, the cult has repeatedly wreaked havoc on Middle-earth, causing great suffering to Lower Mortal Beings. Such an important place—we've come all this way; if we return empty-handed, it would be quite unacceptable."
Tian Buyi rolled his eyes and shook his head repeatedly, frowning as he said, "Shang Shixiong, I don't like what you're saying. Empty talk—who are you trying to scare…"
Shang Zhengliang angrily retorted, "What empty talk? You better listen clearly, you fat idiot!"
Zeng Shuchang jumped out, spat, and sneered, "What’s wrong? Can you only curse people? If you’re not convinced, come over and let’s see the true skill with your sword!"
Shang Zhengliang stepped forward without fear and coldly said, "Is there anyone who is afraid of you?"
Tian Buyi and Azure Pine both stepped forward at the same time, their expressions grim, and the atmosphere in the arena suddenly became tense.
At that moment, a sharp voice rang out; it was Ten Thousand Swords in One, who coldly scolded, "Enough!"
The four were startled and turned to look. They saw Ten Thousand Swords in One staring coldly at the four disciples and sneering, "Is this just a little dispute? Are you really going to fight among yourselves? After all the hardships on this journey, can’t you put aside your petty grievances?"
Azure Pine and the others had always respected Ten Thousand Swords in One greatly. Hearing this, they fell silent, their faces showing shame as they each took a few steps back.
The atmosphere in the arena became quiet. After a while, Azure Pine glanced at Ten Thousand Swords in One's expression, sighed, and said, "Wan Shixiong, it’s my fault; we shouldn’t have let this matter lead to a dispute."
Tian Buyi and the others were somewhat surprised; clearly, they hadn’t expected Azure Pine to say such a thing. However, with Azure Pine taking the lead, the others quickly followed suit and each expressed their apologies to Ten Thousand Swords in One.
Ten Thousand Swords in One waved his hand and sighed, "This matter is indeed a bit troublesome; let me think about it."
The group fell silent as Ten Thousand Swords in One led them to seek a hidden spot beneath Demon Mountain to rest for the night. Whether to stay or leave, or whether to ascend the mountain or not, Ten Thousand Swords in One would make a decision by tomorrow.
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