Chapter 96 - 96 96 The River Flows into the Body

96: Chapter 96: The River Flows into the Body 96: Chapter 96: The River Flows into the Body “Don’t be so nervous, Young Master Meng,” a light chuckle came from beneath the mask. “Look, if I don’t take this Death Spirit for you, you would never see her again in your lifetime. Once the six rivers reconverge and the long sea of the netherworld remolds its source, what is the difficulty in resurrecting a mere Shang Ying and reshaping her Spirit Root?” Meng Zifei breathed heavily, staring fixedly at the blood red lake in front of him, and spoke with great difficulty, “In this world… there is no such thing as resurrection from death, don’t think you can deceive me.” The man in the purple robe chuckled and his tall, slender body slowly sank into the waters of the lake. Just as his mask was about to be submerged by the crimson lake, his voice, full of expectation, echoed throughout the valley, “Young Master Meng might want to think this over. Though the descendants of the six rivers are hard to find, mortals are innumerable. I can afford to wait. Right now, the river of fresh blood from Kongcang Mountain has fallen into that young child’s hands. Will you choose to kill and seize treasure to continue your mortal ties with Shang Ying, or opt to pursue the solitary path of the Immortal Path for ten thousand years… This is for you, Young Master Meng, to decide.” Meng Zifei looked at the lake that was gradually becoming clear and regaining its blue color. He stood stunned, lost in thought for a long time. With the departure of the purple-robed man, the affairs of Kongcang Mountain came to a temporary close. Baili An and Lin Yuan exchanged complex glances, gazing at the scattered demon beast corpses strewn all over the mountain. The land was soaked in red, the wild grass soaked with bloody demon blood, dotted with viscous Blood Pearls. One couldn’t find a clean patch of earth within a ten-mile radius. Only around Baili An and Lin Yuan, within a radius of five meters, not a single drop of blood or piece of flesh had splattered their way. Baili An watched with a complex expression the figure who had stubbornly knelt in the pool of blood after a battle to the death, utterly exhausted yet adamant. His neck askew, his knees kneeling in the bloody mud, his arms hung limply without the strength to hold. The once bright and fiery eyes of sunrise could no longer be found, the pupils no longer jet-black and luminous, but revealed a lifeless gray. His robe, dyed red with blood, continued to silently shed tiny chunks of flesh. His head tilted, his death-gray eyes revealing an anguish that penetrated the soul. He opened his mouth wide making a ‘ah… ah…’ raspy choking sound, but could not speak. It was as if he had returned to the helplessness and despair of his youth when he was abandoned by his parents and elder brother. Lin Yuan almost couldn’t stand steady, with a look of collapse in her eyes. Baili An took quick strides to arrive in front of Lin Guiyuan, not fearing the possibility that he might suddenly explode with rage and tear him apart just like those demon beasts. With trembling hands, he gently held the other person’s shoulders, his lips parting only to find no words would come out. When his gaze landed on the black line at Lin Guiyuan’s neck, it seemed as if he understood something in an instant. He carefully straightened Lin Guiyuan’s head; the black line sprouted delicate willow leaves which contained an incredibly miraculous power of rebirth, seeping into Lin Guiyuan’s long-dead skin. After the head was put back in place, Lin Guiyuan finally managed to stutter out, “I… am… guilty… deserving… death!” Baili An looked at Lin Guiyuan’s pale and bloody face, which exuded a helpless isolation, and felt a sudden surge of poignancy in his chest. He gritted his teeth and said, “Not guilty enough to deserve death, but also not completely disconnected from you. Since there is guilt, then live well to atone for it. Surely the Mountain Father had this in mind when bestowing this thread upon you.” “Mountain Realm… Mountain Realm… Mountain Realm…” Lin Guiyuan repeated these words incessantly, his dead-gray eyes drastically constricting and expanding. Even though his facial muscles had long since stiffened, through those eyes, Baili An could sense his extremely frenzied emotions. He took out the dull Golden Crow Vine, rearranged Lin Guiyuan’s disheveled and blood-soaked hair into a high ponytail, and pinned the Golden Crow Vine in his hair. The Spiritual Power-sealed Golden Crow Vine emitted a faint golden glow upon touching Lin Guiyuan’s body and hair as if responding, just like the light he saw emanating from the elder when he was enveloped in death and darkness in the forest. Lin Guiyuan’s ash-gray eyes stared blankly at Baili An, while two streams of gray tears flowed from his dry eye sockets. Having experienced death himself, Baili An was not so taken aback by Lin Guiyuan’s current undead, unliving state. There are three thousand paths to the ultimate way, and as long as the soul, body, and consciousness are all present, one can always cultivate one’s own path. It was Lin Yuan who was greatly impacted by Lin Guiyuan’s current state. She followed silently behind Baili An, her expression vacant and distracted. In this way, one man and two corpses traveled the blood-stained road to the river’s upper reaches. Huang Kang’s corpse was already shriveled, hanging on the riverbank like a piece of wind-dried meat. His eyes stared roundly in unwillingness, his hand still clutching a small silver sword tightly. Lin Yuan found it unbelievable. How could the two Puppets who couldn’t be completely killed by Yuanli’s Heavenly Tribulation have died just like this? “How did he die?” Lin Yuan squatted down out of curiosity, about to remove the sword from his hand. “Don’t touch it!” Baili An hastily pulled Lin Yuan’s wrist away and said. To prevent any mishaps, he took the initiative to remove the small silver sword from Huang Kang’s hand and said, “This sword, it must not be touched by the living, be careful, Sister Lin Yuan…” Mid-sentence, Baili An’s body shook violently, and sensation was instantly stripped from his right hand holding the silver sword. Lin Yuan exclaimed in shock, her eyes widening as she stared at Baili An’s arm being covered with blood-red, web-like veins. The threads of blood pierced through Baili An’s skin, rhythmically pulsing as if breathing, insanely pouring blood-red fluid into Baili An’s body. The immensely powerful, sinister force within the silver sword seemed to be sustained by a bottomless pit, endlessly surging into Baili An’s body. What was even more peculiar was that despite such an overwhelming force pouring in all at once, Baili An’s arm underwent no change and remained pallid and sickly. It was as if the terrifying power, interwoven with the breath of God Demons, rushed entirely into his soul. Cold! Evil! Cruel! Madness! Insanity! Sinister emotions flickered wildly in his crimson eyes. Baili An bit down hard on his teeth, knowing in his heart that this must be the power of the blood river. He had not expected the small sword to not directly seal the blood river but instead transferred half of the river’s power into his body. Baili An only felt his bones, flesh, and even his soul were immersed under the icy Nether River of the Nine Nethers, engendering a strange Soul Refining method so agonizing it was nauseating and repulsive. “What’s wrong with you?” Lin Yuan asked anxiously, about to reach out to check on him, but was pulled back by Lin Guiyuan’s grip on her sleeve, “No… Don’t… touch him, it’s… dangerous.” The danger was not only for Lin Yuan but also for Baili An. Given his current state, he could not afford any disturbance from others.