Chapter 553: Awakening the Dead
Qin Mu sat beside the skeleton, took out some medicine to treat the wounds he had sustained in battle, and said with a smile, "I came from the Yellow Springs in the first place, so why should I fear the road to the Yellow Springs?"
The skeleton stood up and said, "This is an ominous place, with no path to survival. The only way to live is to turn back immediately."
Qin Mu squeezed the bad blood out of his wounds and expelled the demonic energy, saying, "Turning back is the path to death; only by moving forward is there a chance to survive. Do you know of a relatively safe path?"
The skeleton shook its head.
Qin Mu applied the medicine, circulated his primal energy for a full cycle, and seeing that the wounds did not split open, he stood up and asked, "Do you know the directions of east, south, west, and north?"
"That way is east!" The skeleton raised its hand and pointed ahead.
"Thank you."
Qin Mu stepped forward in the direction it had indicated, but after taking two steps, he stopped and turned back with a smile, "Friend, why are you following me?"
The skeleton had been following closely behind him. Seeing him stop, it quickly halted as well and said, "I was originally here in a daze, not remembering my life before, only vaguely recalling some things after death. You awakened me, so naturally I must follow you."
Qin Mu laughed in spite of himself, "The living and the dead walk different paths. It won't do for you to follow me. Go back to sleep."
The skeleton looked confused and said, "When I was in a daze, I could sleep soundly, ignoring the seasons and not caring about the wars and killings of the world. But now that you've awakened me, I can't sleep anymore. You disturbed my slumber, so you must take responsibility for me."
"You're a ghost who doesn't listen to reason!"
Qin Mu was helpless. He turned around and explained earnestly, "I saw that you still had some lingering souls that hadn't perished, so I used the Myriad Spirits Natural Art to awaken you and ask for directions. But you know nothing, only the east, and you can't lead me to a path of survival. Besides, you are dead. Even if I manage to leave this ominous place alive, you cannot follow me to the world of the living. Friend, death is death. It's better to go back to sleep."
The skeleton shook its head: "I had no worries or troubles before. You awakened me and gave me worries and troubles. You must help me resolve them."
Qin Mu was baffled and said with a smile, "Then I'll use the Myriad Spirits Natural Art again, pull out your lingering souls, and let you dissipate into the world. Then you can sleep again. How about that?"
"No."
The skeleton shook its head again: "Since I am already awake, if you make my soul scatter, that would be killing me. The pain of soul scattering is immense, and I don't want that."
Qin Mu was truly troubled. He turned and continued moving eastward. Behind him, the skeleton still followed him, step by step.
Qin Mu was flustered and was about to persuade it again when suddenly, water splashed up from the marshes on both sides. One after another, corpses, soaked white, stood straight up from the water, staring fixedly at him.
Qin Mu's heart tightened. These corpses had been soaked for who knows how many years, yet their bodies had not decayed. They still wore tattered armor, their eyes held a bloody light, and they exuded a dense yin aura.
These corpses had been extremely powerful in life, and even in death, they carried a strong corpse aura, making them terrifying.
Suddenly, the skeleton behind Qin Mu opened its mouth and let out a great roar. The corpses on the water surface, as if receiving an order, slowly sank back into the water one after another.
Qin Mu asked in surprise, "Why do they listen to you?"
The skeleton was also confused. After thinking for a moment, it said, "I vaguely remember that they were my subordinates, who died in battle with me here. I saw them trying to harm you, so I shouted at them. Fortunately, they still obey my commands."
Qin Mu became interested and said with a smile, "Who were you in life? Do you remember?"
The skeleton pondered hard, then shook its head, "I don't remember."
Qin Mu's interest grew even stronger. He stopped and said with a smile, "I have a divine ability that can open a passage to the Netherworld, gathering lingering souls and reviving the dead. I'll perform the ritual. It might help you remember some things. If you do remember, then don't follow me."
The skeleton was overjoyed and said with a laugh, "If you can do that, I will surely repay your great kindness."
Qin Mu took off his hairpin, let his hair down, and suddenly manifested his True Form of the Star Lord of Suppression. Behind him stood a Gate of Heaven-Supporting. In the marsh, he executed the Soul-Drawing Spell of the Nine Nether Gate, and his mouth emitted heavy, obscure demonic words.
Halfway through chanting the demonic words, Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. He felt some strange information inexplicably appear in his mind. The demonic words on his lips transformed into another, more ancient and obscure language, and he began to chant it involuntarily.
The demonic energy around him grew thicker and purer, rolling and surging, spreading across the marsh like a pitch-black ocean. The Gate of Heaven-Supporting grew even more majestic, towering in the sea of demonic energy.
Creak, creak, the immensely heavy gate slowly opened.
From the darkness, screams came one after another, the wailing of ghosts and the howling of wolves, utterly miserable. Countless spirits surged out from that Gate of Heaven-Supporting!
Qin Mu was startled: "So many spirits?"
Countless spirits swarmed out from the Netherworld. At the same time, countless lingering souls in the great marsh converged. In an instant, countless will-o'-the-wisps, like stars, flew about in the dark demonic energy, drilling into the bodies of the corpses.
Who knows how many corpses stood up from this great marsh, looking around in confusion.
The desolate swamp was suddenly filled with tens of thousands of corpses and skeletons. Some stood on the water, some floated in the air, some sat on the swampy ground, all looking bewildered.
"Who dares to disturb the Netherworld?"
Qin Mu was still performing the ritual when suddenly a grand voice exploded in his mind. He was stunned by this voice, and his magical power was instantly cut off. The Gate of Heaven-Supporting behind him devoured the overwhelming dark demonic energy, sucking all the dark demonic energy back into the Netherworld like a whirlwind!
Qin Mu quickly tried to dispel his True Form of the Star Lord of Suppression, but unexpectedly, the Gate of Heaven-Supporting remained open and did not close. Faint lights appeared from the darkness of the Netherworld.
Those were the kerosene lamps hanging from the bows of boats!
Qin Mu's scalp tingled. He repeatedly reversed his cultivation technique, but the Gate of Heaven-Supporting still would not close.
The boats sailing from the darkness were about to cross the Gate of Heaven-Supporting and come to this ominous place!
"I remember who I am!"
The skeleton beside him suddenly cried out in surprise and joy, laughing heartily: "I remember! The Heavenly Court's Southern Heaven, Southern Dipper Star Department, the Seven Kill Star Lord, ordered by the Kai Emperor to guard the Grand Supreme Heaven, the Grand Supreme Heaven Military Governor Wei Liao! Where is my battle armor? Where is my ceremonial axe?"
Boom—
The great marsh beneath Qin Mu's feet suddenly churned. Boundless divine light shot into the sky. Huge fragments of battle armor broke through the water, broke through the earth, and flew out from under the swamp.
Clang, clang, clang, crisp sounds of collision came. Pieces of broken battle armor successively covered the skeleton beside Qin Mu, covering its entire body in an instant. A broken helmet flew over and locked onto its skull.
Qin Mu was dumbfounded. Suddenly, a mountain in the marsh split open. Several broken divine weapons flew out from within the mountain, combined in mid-air into a huge ceremonial axe, spinning and flying over, which the skeleton then reached out and grabbed.
This ceremonial axe symbolized the authority of the Heavenly Emperor. On the left was an axe, on the right was a blade, and at the top was a sharp spear tip, coiled with dragon patterns.
The skeleton grabbed the ceremonial axe, its aura erupting, shaking heaven and earth. It swung the axe heavily, and the Gate of Heaven-Supporting behind Qin Mu collapsed with a bang, shattered, cutting off the path of the Netherworld emissaries.
The skeleton let out a furious roar, shouting sternly, "Where are my soldiers?"
In the great marsh, the dark demonic energy dissipated. Countless skeletons and corpses stood on the water and the swampy ground, silently watching it. Suddenly, all the skeletons and corpses erupted with a heaven-shaking cry: "General, the soldiers are here!"
The skeleton laughed heartily and asked the heavens, "Where is our Emperor?"
Its question echoed for a long time, but no one could answer.
After a moment, Qin Mu said, "Military Governor, the Kai Emperor era has passed for twenty thousand years."
The skeleton looked dazed, lowered its head to look at him, and murmured, "Twenty thousand years?"
Qin Mu showed a look of pity and said, "Twenty thousand years. You all must have died in battle twenty thousand years ago as well..."
Plop.
The skeleton sat down, muttering, "Twenty thousand years... How could this be? We fought with blood and sweat, desperately blocking the enemy, yet we still couldn't protect our era..."
Qin Mu sighed and said, "Military Governor, your lingering souls are not extinguished, and your battle intent is eternal. Now I have summoned your lingering souls and broken your peace. You have awakened from your daze and come to the world of the living. I don't know what to do. Since you are the commander of the Grand Supreme Heaven from the Kai Emperor era, I trust you won't harm the people of this world. If I can return alive, I will go and ask the King of Hell if he can take you in. For now, please restrain your soldiers and stay in this ominous place. I need to continue moving forward."
He took his leave and turned to go.
The skeleton remained sitting there, lost and dejected, the ghostly fire in its eye sockets flickering faintly as it murmured, "Twenty thousand years... How could this be..."
At the edge of the ominous place, more and more demons were gathering in pursuit. Soon, over a thousand demonic cultivators had assembled, but none dared to step lightly into this ominous place.
After a moment, a gust of wind howled in and stopped. A demon general appeared before the many cultivators, surveying the ominous place.
"General Xiuluo!"
The many demons bowed in greeting, surprised and delighted. The demon general waved his hand and said, "My master, Furi Luo, ordered me to pursue Qin Mu and put you all under my command. Where is that Qin Mu now?"
"He has already entered the ominous place."
Xiuluo frowned slightly and was about to order an entry into the ominous place when suddenly, deep within the ominous place, demonic energy surged and turned into a sea of demons. A huge gate rose up within it, extremely eerie.
Xiuluo was startled and quickly stopped. After a moment, the sea of demonic energy disappeared, and the huge gate vanished as well.
"This ominous place is truly unpredictable."
Xiuluo pondered for a moment and muttered, "That kid barging in here probably won't come out alive. But my master ordered that we must capture him, dead or alive... Soldiers, hear my command! Follow me and explore this ominous place!"
Over a thousand demonic cultivators received the order and followed him, surging into the ominous place.
Qin Mu was moving forward in the ominous place when he suddenly heard sounds of battle coming from behind him. The clamor of killing shook the heavens, but it didn't last long before silence returned. He had no idea what had happened.
"This place is truly strange..." Qin Mu shook his head, unaware that he himself was the greatest strangeness in this land.
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