Chapter Forty: The Darkest Hour
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An atmosphere of despair and terror settled over the assembled cultivators.
“We are finished. All we can do now is wait for death. Once that terrifying creature awakens, we will be utterly doomed.” One cultivator, seemingly possessed, walked away from the group.
“Emperor Han, what should we do now? Even the combined attack of all of us was unable to break through this blood-red curtain of light.” Prince Song spoke with a grim expression.
Just as everyone was at a loss, the Black Bird reminded them, “Everyone, the ghost children we destroyed earlier have come back to life. They are heading this way.”
Dozens of children, each as massive as a mound of flesh and covered in bluish-gray skin, crawled toward the statue of the Ghost Mother.
“It is too late. We can no longer stop events from unfolding.” Zhao Yuan’s eyes were cloudy and utterly devoid of light.
“No. We still have hope. We can summon the Master. He is the guardian of the mortal world. He could never stand by and watch this place become a living hell.”
The moment the others heard the Master mentioned, they straightened their backs, their hope of survival rekindled.
Together, they cried out the Master’s name at the tops of their voices.
“Master!”
At that moment, the Master, who had been enjoying tea, naturally sensed that someone was calling for him. A hint of displeasure crossed his face.
“It is time for us to make our appearance. Originally, I had intended to draw out a few more big fish, but the situation has already become dire. They have far too much patience.”
With a single thought, the Master appeared above the State of Wei. His teacup fell freely from the sky, only to be caught by Liu Xiaosheng.
“Such fine tea. It would be a shame to spill it.”
Liu Xiaosheng then rose and employed the great art of shrinking distance to inches, hurrying toward the Imperial Palace of Wei as well.
When the Master’s figure appeared above the State of Wei, purple qi stretched for three thousand miles. Radiant clouds drove away the blood mist, and sunlight once again fell upon the land of Wei.
“You beast! Last time, I cut down your yin body. Without the protection and concealment of imperial dragon qi, your yang body has still dared to torment living creatures and create such a mountain of slaughter. Today, I will absolutely not spare you. Even if your true body from the Upper Realm descended, it would not be able to protect you.”
The Master’s voice rang out like thunder. The surviving citizens and cultivators of Wei could hear every word clearly.
The common people fell to their knees, offering tearful thanks. The cultivators, too, finally breathed a sigh of relief. As though they had seen their savior, they all cried out loudly for the Master.
When Sword One saw the Master’s manifested form, he nearly rushed to him at once to pour out his grievances.
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“Strange. Why hasn’t my master come? Could that old man have drunk too much counterfeit liquor? Is he spending another night at some widow’s house?” Liu An grumbled inwardly about his master.
People often appeared the moment they were spoken of. Sure enough—
“Ungrateful disciple, can’t you wish your master well for once? How could you imagine the master who dotes on you to be so depraved?”
It was clearly a voice transmission from Liu An’s master, Liu Xiaosheng.
“Master, how did you know what I was thinking? Don’t tell me you can read minds?” Liu An thought in astonishment.
“There is no need to guess. You would not be wrong to call it mind reading. This divine art is known as the Reading of Others’ Minds.”
Liu An immediately developed a keen interest in the technique.
“My good master, when will you teach me a divine art? I have already reached the First Realm. By the way, Master, where are you right now? Why can’t I see you?”
Liu An looked around in every direction, yet he could not catch even a glimpse of his master.
“Stop looking. I do not want anyone to find me. In this lower realm, there is no one who can.”
Liu Xiaosheng’s voice transmission carried an unmistakable note of arrogance.
Sword One interrupted the exchange between Liu An and his master.
“Junior Brother, let us go join the Master. We will be absolutely safe by his side.”
Lin Yiyi was once again so shocked that she could not speak.
“You two are actually disciples of the Master? Your backgrounds are astonishingly powerful. You have concealed this from me so well!”
As she spoke, Liu Yiyi looked as though she were about to burst into tears.
“That is enough. Stop crying at every turn. The most important thing now is for us to stay alive.” Liu An rebuked Liu Yiyi several times.
Hearing the displeasure in his tone, Liu Yiyi immediately abandoned her weeping act. By now, she had realized the enormous gulf between herself and Sword One and Liu An, and she no longer dared to show the slightest disrespect. Instead, she became rather stiff and cautious.
The Master’s direct disciples were honored guests in every state they visited. No one dared treat them with disrespect—unless they wished to make enemies of all the scholars under heaven. After spending the past few days with them, especially considering the way she had treated Liu An, Liu Yiyi felt frightened whenever she thought about it. Thus, she now behaved with exceptional meekness.
The Ghost Mother within the golden statue naturally sensed the Master’s arrival, and an intense resentment surged from her.
“Old grudges and new hatred—we shall settle them all today.”
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“My children, come into your mother’s embrace. Offer all your blood and souls to your mother.”
Across the State of Wei, the ghost children stopped where they stood and opened their mouths wide. Countless souls who had died wrongful deaths poured from them, while their bodies visibly withered and shriveled.
At the same time, dense blood mist formed from the dead creatures within Wei continued to gather around the Ghost Mother sealed inside the golden statue.
As the Master gazed upon this gruesome scene of a mortal world transformed into hell, the killing intent in his eyes could no longer be restrained.
“You beast! I have already arrived, yet you still dare to continue this atrocity. You truly do not take me seriously.”
Having said this, the Master exhaled a stream of righteous qi. It became a raging wind that scattered the dense blood mist, preventing it from converging upon the Ghost Mother’s body.
But the Ghost Mother reacted swiftly as well. A vortex appeared above her head, greedily contending for the blood mist and drawing it in.
Meanwhile, the wandering souls continued to surge into the Ghost Mother’s body without end, helping her break free from the golden statue’s restraints.
Before even the time it took to finish a cup of tea had passed, the Ghost Mother’s eyes suddenly opened.
“Today, I shall destroy you, guardian of the mortal world. Then I will return to my true body and advance even further. Ha ha ha!”
The Ghost Mother’s laughter was shrill and horrifying.
“But before that, I will collect some interest for the way you severed my son’s path to immortality. I saw that the disciple of you and the disciple of that Taoist are both here.”
Soon, the Ghost Mother cast a casual glance around. In an instant, her gaze locked onto the locations of Liu An and Sword One.
The hairs on Liu An and Sword One’s bodies stood on end as they sensed some terrifying presence fixing upon them.
Before they could react, a gigantic skeletal hand suddenly burst from the ground and reached for them.
“Save me, Master!” Liu An cried out.
The Master had no time to react, but fortunately, Liu Xiaosheng was already nearby. With a wave of his hand, he formed a circular protective shield that enclosed Liu An, Sword One, Lin Yiyi, and the Four-Unlike Beast, shielding them from harm.
The three people and one beast, having escaped danger, gasped heavily for breath.
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