Chapter 346
Chapter 346
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Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: Corpses of the Nailed Gods
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Chen Shi drew the sword qi that had slain the Shepherd Ghost back into his body. This strand of sword qi contained the Shepherd Ghost's blood qi, which was incredibly vigorous. As he refined it into his body, strange patterns suddenly appeared on his bones—twisted and intertwined, flickering不定.
Chen Shi was utterly astonished. His head flew off his neck, circling to his front and back to inspect these bizarre patterns. "They're similar to the strange patterns on the Shepherd Ghost that blocked my attacks!"
He examined them closely. He had already noticed the odd patterns on the Shepherd Ghost's body. Those patterns possessed inconceivable power, capable of repelling his sword qi and preventing it from harming the Shepherd Ghost in the slightest.
Even more peculiar was that the patterns on the Shepherd Ghost resembled those on the Heaven-Spanning Iron Ruler—they had to originate from the same source! It was just that the patterns on the Heaven-Spanning Iron Ruler were far more profound and enigmatic, containing vastly more complex information.
"Strange. The Heaven-Spanning Iron Ruler is clearly a prehistoric remnant, and its patterns should be traces of prehistoric civilization. Yet these patterns are on the Shepherd Ghost."
Chen Shi was baffled. Why would prehistoric civilization resemble the strange patterns on the Shepherd Ghost? Could it be...
A bold idea suddenly struck him. Could prehistoric civilization not have perished? Perhaps it still existed, and underworld creatures were their descendants?
But that notion was too absurd. Chen Shi chuckled and shook his head, thinking, "Underworld creatures are ghosts and monsters at first glance—savage, barbaric races. How could they be the creators of glorious prehistoric civilization?"
The blood-red hue faded from his bones, but those strange patterns lingered for a while before gradually dimming.
Chen Shi circulated the Blood Lake True Canon slightly, and the peculiar patterns on his bones lit up once more! "Has the Blood Lake True Canon absorbed the Shepherd Ghost's abilities?"
Chen Shi pondered. The patterns on the Shepherd Ghost were likely what Pengju had called bloodline power—the hidden strength within one's bloodline. Underworld races often possessed such wondrous forces, which would awaken after reaching a certain age, granting them unique abilities.
The Blood Lake True Canon could absorb an enemy's bloodline power—a technique Chen Shi had never heard of!
Excess blood qi flowed from his bones into the blood teardrop behind his head. His blood teardrop had grown considerably larger; it would likely form a blood pond in another day or two.
Chen Shi noticed something in the blood pool struggling like a ghost. He detached his head for a closer look and vaguely made out the Shepherd Ghost's form, though it was covered in blood plasma, obscuring details.
The Shepherd Ghost seemed to struggle desperately, trying to escape the blood pool, only to be dragged back time and again by some mysterious force.
Chen Shi shivered. This technique was far too sinister. But its power was immense, and its cultivation speed incredibly fast!
By now, Pengju had slain the remaining livestock one by one. His wings absorbed their blood qi, tempering his body. He cultivated the Blood Lake True Canon differently from Chen Shi.
Part of the blood qi he absorbed enhanced his physical bloodline. With his bloodline power awakened, the tips of the feathers on Pengju's wings turned golden and razor-sharp, while the rest remained earthy brown and black, with the occasional stray feather.
The Blood Lake True Canon elevated his bloodline and strengthened his body, making him even more robust and powerful than before.
Pengju looked worried, scanning their surroundings. Plenty of peng birds were here. These peng birds loved a spectacle, and they had all witnessed him and Chen Shi slaying the Shepherd Ghost and livestock.
The Shepherd Ghost had been herding livestock for some wealthy household, who would surely come looking. A simple investigation would reveal the culprits' appearances.
Chen Shi felt a pang of guilt. "Pengju, this is my fault—I've dragged you into it..."
Pengju shook his head. "You deciphered my family's inherited technique and passed it on to me—you've done me a great favor. How could this be dragging me down? There are countless peng birds, and these ones don't know me. Let's get out of here quick!"
The two hurried away, the peng birds in the trees watching them depart.
They traveled for most of the day longer before Pengju said happily, "That's my home up ahead!" At that moment, a massive prehistoric remnant came into Chen Shi's view.
It was a four-legged cauldron forged entirely of black iron, pitted with rust, tilted askew, its three legs sunk deep into the mountainside and half-buried by the peaks.
As they passed in front of the four-legged iron cauldron, a skeleton sat within it—hundreds of feet tall even seated, bound by chains to the interior.
The skeleton was enormous, but the iron cauldron was larger still. The skeleton emanated an overwhelming aura, radiating immense danger.
As they passed by, the chains rattled. The skeleton's skull slowly turned on its neck vertebrae, flames flickering in its empty eye sockets as if watching them.
Pengju kept as far from the skeleton as possible, seemingly fearful it might come alive at any moment. He pointed ahead to a massive locust tree.
"Our village is right there! I'm the fastest flier in the village—that's how I got the errand-running job at East Palace!"
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze. "You're working at East Palace—don't you have an official divine post? I saw even the Shepherd Ghosts herding livestock had little yakshas burning incense for them."
Pengju shook his head. "We messengers running errands and delivering letters die carelessly outside all the time—what divine post is there? I've been a messenger at East Palace for two years. Seven of us started together, and I'm the only survivor."
Chen Shi was stunned. Life in the underworld seemed even more miserable than in the mortal world? They finally arrived at Pengju's home.
Pengju's home was on a locust tree in front of a sheer cliff face. The tree held thirty or forty nest-like houses, no different from the bird nests they'd seen along the road.
Pengju flapped his wings and flew up, Chen Shi following to one of the nests. Pengju laughed. "Little sister, your brother's back alive!"
He entered the room but didn't find his sister. "Chen Shi, wait here a moment. I'll ask the neighbors if they know where she's gone."
Chen Shi nodded.
Pengju flapped off to other nests.
Chen Shi looked around the nest. It was spartan—three rooms. Two were sleeping nests for the siblings, mere crude beds of grass and withered branches, utterly undecorated. The third was a kitchen doubling as living room, kept impeccably clean.
Pengju's sister must be a tidy peng bird. The home was simple but spotless.
He stepped outside the nest and gazed again at the massive iron cauldron, thinking, "This prehistoric remnant has an extraordinarily powerful aura. Who is that skeleton in the cauldron, and why is it suppressed inside?"
Even stranger, the skeleton in the cauldron still emanated a heaven-shaking aura. Was it still alive? Just as the thought crossed his mind, he sensed an odd aura behind him. Turning, he was dumbfounded.
The locust tree where Pengju lived stood in front of the cliff. Suddenly, behind the tree, a pair of enormous feet dangled from above.
Chen Shi flew up to the tree's crown and gradually made out the full form of the feet's owner. Directly facing the locust tree on the cliff hung the corpse of a god about ten zhang tall.
The god had a green face and fangs, four arms, clad in golden armor, head bowed low.
A black iron spear pierced the god's chest, pinning him to the cliff. Clouds and mist swirled at his waist, his blood still fresh and undried.
Chen Shi's heart raced with shock. Composing himself, he looked elsewhere and spotted a second god, also nailed to the cliff—but this one had a bird's head on a human body, its throat run through by a spear.
His eye twitched as he followed the cliff's length, which stretched endlessly east-west, spanning unknown miles. Every few li, another god corpse was nailed to the cliff, one after another, countless in number.
"Why are these gods nailed dead here?"
He was utterly shocked when Pengju's voice rang out. "Chen Shi! Chen Shi!"
"I'm here!" Chen Shi called back.
Pengju arrived flapping his wings, towing a small peng bird with a bird beak and human face. They landed on a broad leaf. "Found my sister. Things have been unsettled around here lately—she's staying with the neighbors. I need to report back to Tianchi. Tianchi's up on Immeasurable Cliff. Coming with me?"
The little peng bird eyed Chen Shi curiously, quite taken with this human.
Chen Shi turned back, incredulous. "You see all this?"
Pengju looked puzzled. "Yeah. So what?"
Chen Shi's eyes widened. "Why are these god corpses hanging here? Doesn't it strike you as strange?"
Pengju laughed. "They've always hung there—what's strange? They were there when I hatched. I asked the village elders, and they said these corpses have probably been hanging for several thousand years."
Chen Shi steadied himself, gazing at the god corpses, still unable to calm his mind. He murmured, "How did they die?"
"No idea."
Pengju continued, "You haven't seen anything scarier yet. Last year, I was sent from East Palace to deliver a message to a place called Yin Spring Sea. Giant trees hung upside down from the sky there. Beneath them stood massive coffins, tens of zhang high, facing the spring's eye in Yin Spring Sea. Giant corpses would occasionally fly out from the coffins and vanish into the sky—terrifying."
Chen Shi's expression turned odd. He thought, "The place he's talking about must be Mirror Lake Manor. Those so-called giant coffins are the ones Grandpa and the others built. The giant corpses flying out were probably me or Young Master Xiao emerging from the coffins."
Even so, he stared in awe at the god corpses hanging on Immeasurable Cliff.
If these were in the mortal world, they'd likely be at the Great Vehicle Realm or higher! he mused inwardly. Chen Shi thought for a moment. "Pengju, where did you see this Yin Spring Sea?"
Pengju pointed into the distance. "I flew tens of thousands of li that way and spotted Yin Spring Sea."
Chen Shi frowned. Yin Spring Sea was the Mirror Lake in Qianyang Mountain, confirming they were indeed in the underworld counterpart of Qianyang Mountain. But this underworld version was far too bizarre.
Just then, one god corpse's hand twitched. Chen Shi pointed. "He's still alive!"
No sooner had he spoken than the god roared furiously, thunderous bellow echoing through the base of Immeasurable Cliff!
The god struggled fiercely, its four arms grasping the iron spear in its chest, trying to yank it free.
The spear blazed with light, slamming the god back against the cliff wall. It writhed for a moment before going still again. "Happens sometimes."
Pengju was nonchalant, seeing nothing unusual. "Chen Shi, coming with me to Tianchi?"
Chen Shi shook his head. "I'll stay here. If I go too far, I'm worried Granny won't be able to summon me back."
Pengju nodded in understanding, whispering to his sister, "He's super strong, but his brain's a bit slow—he still doesn't realize he's dead. Peng Yan'er, take good care of him!"
The little peng bird nodded solemnly. Pengju gave her a few more instructions, then told Chen Shi, "Stay here a few days. I'll be back after reporting in." With that, he flapped away.
Peng Yan'er said to Chen Shi, "Don't stay up in the tree—it's too high, big winds come through."
Chen Shi followed her back to the nest. Peng Yan'er hopped about boiling water for tea, tossing in a red jujube. "Picked this from a jujube tree on Evil Dog Ridge. Drives out chills—try it."
Chen Shi smiled. "I don't drink..."
Peng Yan'er drank hers without a care, so Chen Shi picked up the cup, tipped it into his mouth. The tea flowed down his throat bones to his ribs and spine, then through his pelvis and leg bones—a full rinse.
"Good tea. My chills are much better." Chen Shi set down the cup.
Peng Yan'er glanced at his dripping feet and suddenly said, "I forgot you're... Want me to light incense for you?"
Chen Shi laughed. "No need."
Peng Yan'er's eyes sparkled. She grinned. "How about I make you some clothes? I picked up colorful feathers on Golden Rooster Mountain!"
Chen Shi recalled himself covered in chicken feathers and shuddered, hastily refusing with a smile. "Peng Yan'er, no need to fuss. I won't need food or drink these next few days—I'll be cultivating."
Even so, Peng Yan'er kept trying to look after him—bringing tasty treats or fun trinkets. Her personality was far livelier than Pengju's; she couldn't sit still.
Chen Shi found it overwhelming and simply spent time teaching her the Blood Lake True Canon.
To his surprise, Peng Yan'er's talent and comprehension far surpassed Pengju's. The Blood Lake True Canon contained divine script—extremely complex and hard to learn—but after Chen Shi taught it once or twice, she had it mastered.
He showed her the circulation routes, and she grasped them swiftly, integrating everything in short order. "This girl's aptitude is ridiculously good!"
Moved by her potential, Chen Shi taught her how to channel her power and infuse it into her body, along with key sword cultivation techniques.
Peng Yan'er practiced diligently outside the nest, progressing rapidly. "She's prime cultivation material," Chen Shi thought.
"Peng Yan'er, how did your family's Blood Lake True Canon get lost?" Chen Shi asked.
Peng Yan'er chirped crisply, "We don't know how to read."
Chen Shi smiled. "Then have literate peng birds teach you."
Peng Yan'er shook her head. "The other clansfolk don't know how to read either."
Chen Shi was puzzled. "Is there no one who can read?"
Peng Yan'er shook her head. "Big brother says no ghosts or gods in Tianchi Kingdom know how to read. There are lots of techniques like the Blood Lake True Canon, but no one can read them, so nobody cultivates."
Chen Shi was stunned. "You mean no ghosts or gods in Tianchi Kingdom know how to read?"
Peng Yan'er nodded.
Chen Shi sank into thought. This situation reminded him somewhat of the True Lord's Severed Tribulation Ascension Dual Realm. But Tianchi Kingdom had discarded literacy entirely, while the True Lord had merely altered the path of cultivation.