Chapter 97 - 97 97 The Other Shore Burns Like Fire

97: Chapter 97: The Other Shore Burns Like Fire 97: Chapter 97: The Other Shore Burns Like Fire Baili An only felt that with every breath he took, what he exhaled was tinged with an extremely strong scent of blood. His entire soul was engulfed in red. The power of the Mohe, which not even divine wrath could destroy through countless years, how could he bear it with ease? His weak soul was like a small boat in the vast ocean, at risk of being submerged at any moment. At a critical moment, a transparent Corpse Pearl in Baili An’s Dantian slowly turned, and from it, a fragile, snake-like glimmer of green energy delicately emerged, winding upwards along Baili An’s Inner Veins. This green glow arrived just in time to save his life; a small wisp of green energy managed to relieve much of Baili An’s suffering in an extremely short time, absorbing a significant amount of the violent power contained within the Mohe. But this was far from enough to resolve Baili An’s immediate crisis. The endless river flowed without cease, and a web of blood had already enveloped Baili An’s body, even though his physical form showed no change. But only Baili An himself knew that once his soul reached a saturation point, he would undoubtedly fall into demonic madness and succumb to a soul explosion. The green glow seemed capable of absorbing the purest Spiritual Energy from the world around, an energy that did not belong to any of the Five Elements, yet was utterly pure and stern. The green glow surged in speed, arriving at the sword wound near his heart. The red spider lily bloomed like fire. The Talent “Devour” was fully ignited at this moment. It was as if an invisible giant mouth surrounded Baili An’s body, absorbing into the petals of the Devour flower all of the overflowing power from within his soul. Under a slight tremor of the small silver sword in his palm, the blood-colored web covering Baili An’s body rapidly paled. Lin Yuan’s heart almost reached his throat as he watched Baili An kneel on the ground, pale but lucid, letting out a sigh of relief. Baili An silently stored the silver sword in the casket of Bi Sheng jade and then opened his palm. With a mere thought, a blood-red red spider lily suddenly blossomed in his palm. From full bloom to withering, Baili An keenly felt the terrifying devouring power that the flower brought. It was like a whirlwind, lazily turning a circle, compressing the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth to an extreme form and instantly being absorbed into his body, then exploding and rushing through his meridians. Such an efficient method of cultivation left Baili An stunned. He gazed at his palm, thinking to himself: Is this the power of the Blood River? He seemed to have awakened something truly formidable… … … When Baili An and Jin Sheng met up, Jin Sheng was indolently sitting on an ancient tree, swinging his legs. He looked at Baili An with a sullen face, frowning and saying, “Didn’t we agree that the toughest tasks were mine to resolve? I painstakingly set up a plethora of Array traps here, toiling away the entire day, only for you to tell me… that everything has already been settled, even those two Demon Sect Puppets…” Mentioning these two, he seemed to touch upon something unbearable, his mouth twitching slightly. He forced a smile, laughing dryly twice, “Heh heh, you’re truly capable, resolving in a few strokes those two ghostly things I couldn’t deal with, impressive indeed.” Facing Jin Sheng’s anger, Baili An calmly responded without batting an eye, “Actually, the task I gave you was to earnestly stay here, and you fulfilled it perfectly, deserving of verbal praise.” “Go to hell, you!” Jin Sheng shouted, spitting in anger: “When did I fail to see you being such a thick-skinned person, and you Meng Zifei! What are you laughing at? I’m talking about you, weren’t you supposed to investigate the person behind the Puppetry Technique? You sure have the nerve to come back empty-handed.” Meng Zifei paused slightly, the complexity in his eyes fleeting before he smiled and said, “It is Meng’s lack of ability, a disappointment to everyone.” However, Baili An remained unconcerned and said, “Young Master Meng need not be troubled. Those two Puppets were so difficult that surely the person behind them must be extremely skilled. It’s within reason that Young Master Meng returned without success; in fact, it wasn’t quite right to assign the most dangerous task to Young Master Meng in the first place.” “Brother Si Chen speaks too modestly. This life of mine is given by you, Brother Si Chen; no need for such words.” Young Master Meng’s smile was gracious, but when facing Baili An’s gentle eyes, he suddenly felt as if everything was seen through, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. The river receded, and the power of the blood did not flow into the entire Endless Sea. After the small silver sword absorbed the Blood River, looking across from afar, Countless corpse remains of the Fishwife Sea Demons lay scattered within the Endless Sea, as if drained of vitality, a far cry from the previous bloodthirsty frenzy. In the distance, above the Demon Cave, akin to a ghostly realm, the crimson Demon Eye that spanned the sky gradually faded and disappeared. As if this catastrophe across the land finally drew to a close with the end of the calamity within the Mountain Realm. Baili An and the others stood atop a peak on Kongcang Mountain, their gaze stretching over the villages at the mountain’s foot, most of which were nearly completely destroyed in the violent sea demon and Corpse Tide disaster. The slanting sun shone upon the ruined villages; houses were destroyed and crumbled, no longer any signs of smoke curling from chimneys, nor the leisurely life of cattle and sheep returning to the alleys. Wails filled the fields, blood bones piled high, everywhere was filled with heartbreaking desolation and sorrow. Baili An stared for a long time before finally withdrawing his gaze and said faintly, “Shall we return to the Mountain Realm first?” When the five of them arrived at the mountain range pass that served as the entrance to the Mountain Realm, Baili An looked at the half-collapsed mountain peak and the gorge rift gnawed large by the Corpse Tide, slowly lifting his palm. The Spirit Seal on his palm emitted a faint divine brilliance as the Barrier Array reassembled. The rolling, shattered boulders rumbled upward against the sky, as if time flowed backward, and the dark, defeated mountain range miraculously recovered to its original state under that wondrous power. A stick of incense later, Baili An, pale-faced, lowered his arm and looked at the Spirit Seal on the golden platform that dimmed due to the depletion of Spiritual Power, murmuring, “Is this the power of the Mountain God?” Lin Yuan looked at Baili An with a complicated expression, “Indeed, this symbolizes the status of Kongcang’s ruler. The Spirit Seal on the golden platform is of infinite use, a culmination of our father’s life’s work.” Baili An clenched his fist and said, “If so, I am now tied to every living being in these mountains.” Just as the Mountain God had said, he would not be confined by this mountain, but he had a duty to protect its tranquility. Now that the Blood River no longer needed to be sealed within the Divine Mansion of the Mountain Realm, half within his body and half within his sword, there was no need to guard the Mountain Realm perpetually like the Mountain God. Baili An lifted his gaze to the majestic mountain range, the moonlight illuminating his well-defined facial features, his eyes clear and exceptional. He quietly reflected: from now on, this would be his new home. Even as a wanderer, he had a place to which he could return. Passing through the mountain range’s Array Barrier, they set foot into the Mountain Realm again, everything silent as death, as if even the wind carried a dense aura of death. Lin Guiyuan remained silent, merely gazing at the remains scattered on the ground without making a sound. His frozen face showed little emotion. Haunting moonlight spilled over his blood-stained robe. The sight was piercingly vivid yet blurred, giving off a faint impression.