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墨書 Inktalez
I never expected such a vast space beneath the stairs. The ground, the bright moon, and the stars wove together to create a dazzling and boundless realm of time and space. I could hardly find the words to describe it! It was breathtaking, utterly unbelievable!
It felt like stepping into a time tunnel, merging with the earth itself, each element reflecting and complementing the other—earth was simply earth. More precisely, it was as if the sky and the land folded in front of a mirror, existing both beneath our feet and at an immeasurable height above us, in the vast expanse of the heavens, infinite and boundless.
I had never seen such a brilliant starry sky. Under the deep blue canvas, all the stars seemed so close, within reach; yet when I looked up, they hung so far away. You might think I’m crazy, but no, I’m not mad. Moreover, I discovered that the flowing clouds and twinkling stars in this night sky were moving, like strands of jade ribbons swaying through the galaxy, breathtakingly beautiful.
Can you imagine? Two tiny figures, like matchsticks, walking through an endless cosmic expanse of stars—the shock, the novelty, the incredibility of it all still stirs my heart even now.
Don’t think I’m insane; if this weren’t firmly etched in my memory, I might even start to believe I was losing my mind.
I couldn’t help but ask again, “Is this really hell?”
No wonder Buddha’s words say, “If I do not enter hell, who will?” It seems that’s exactly what it is.
Whenever a Flowing Cloud Jade Belt passed by, my senior sister would carefully shift her feet, afraid of stepping on this exquisite scenery. Hearing my words brought her back to reality as she murmured, “If this is hell, I’d rather be here.” Just then, she suddenly lifted one foot and pointed down. “Look, there are bloodstains here.”
I snapped back to reality and finally remembered why we were here. I quickly looked down. At that moment, a Flowing Cloud Jade Belt glided past, instantly staining with a vivid red hue—an alarming sight.
I followed the direction of the bloodstains and called out to my senior sister, “Let’s go this way.”
Once that initial rush faded from my mind, anxiety began to creep back in. We were the first to walk upright in this night sky; beneath our feet flowed clouds that shifted unpredictably—sometimes fast, sometimes slow. After a while of watching, my head started to spin; it gave me an unsettling feeling as if at any moment one foot might step into nothingness.
What lay below remained unknown. If it truly was the Eighteen Levels of Hell, it would certainly match those murals on the walls. But neither my senior sister nor I were old or infants; seeking redemption for some “original sin” now wouldn’t lead us anywhere meaningful. We might as well wait until we reach ninety or a hundred years old before attempting such a thing.
I prayed silently alongside Jesus, hastening my steps to leave this unsettling place as quickly as possible. It felt much better to have my feet firmly on the ground.
As I walked, I suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps behind me, causing my heart to skip a beat and goosebumps to rise all over my body. I immediately stopped, and the sound vanished. When I took another step, the noise returned, like a ghostly presence trailing me.
My heart raced loudly in my chest, and I sensed that someone was right behind me. I was so tense that I could hardly breathe, my legs felt weak and ready to give way beneath me.
Damn it, if I'm going to die, then let it be!
I steeled myself, reaching for my staff as I turned around abruptly—only to find nothing there! At that moment, a thought struck me: could those footsteps have been my own?
Of course! It had to be. "Huh..." I let out a long breath. In such an environment, it was only natural for one's nerves to be on edge; scaring oneself wasn't something to be ashamed of—it was just human nature. My senior sister was experiencing the same thing in this environment; she wouldn't laugh at me.
Senior sister... Wait, where is she?
I looked up and saw a dark figure illuminated by my flashlight about ten meters away. "Senior sister!" I shouted and hurried over, discovering her curled up on the ground.
"Senior sister!" I crouched down and patted her shoulder. She lifted her head slowly; her face was pale, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her lips were blue—she looked like she was suffering from poisoning.
I quickly checked her pulse and found it weak and faint: "Poisoned... How is that possible?"
Senior sister had been under the same master as I had, even longer than me, and had learned more skills. I couldn't fathom what poison could possibly affect her. A disciple of the Poison King being poisoned? That seemed absurd!
Suddenly, she leaned over and collapsed into my arms, her breathing becoming increasingly labored: "I am an Illusionist, not a Blood Poison Man... Damn it, do you think Master sent you away because you were stronger than me? Because you had more talent in inheriting his legacy? The truth is... he cared for you the most."
A thunderous shock hit my heart, leaving me momentarily speechless.
Sister's eyes were already closed, but her extraordinary willpower kept her mind alert. The words she had held back for so many years finally spilled out, disregarding the time and place: "I originally thought Master punished you... because you were unambitious and not as good as I was. But after you left... I realized that for the past five years, I have been your sparring partner." She suddenly let out a bitter laugh, "Master guarded me... so strictly that I haven't even slept in a poison vat."
Tears or sweat trickled down the corners of her eyes.
I lifted her from the ground, unsure of what to say, but I didn’t bother to think too hard. Looking at Sister’s face, as pale as paper, I blurted out, "This isn't the time for that. We need to get out first. Sister, hold on and talk to me."
I changed direction and ran back quickly, my mind focused solely on one thought: "Sister must not be in danger." I completely forgot that I hadn’t found the mechanism of the Gemini Tree; going up there would be pointless. Perhaps subconsciously, I had already prepared myself to chop through anything with my knife if necessary.
Sister weakly smiled in my arms, "Don't worry. Even as a sparring partner... I still have some foundation. Otherwise... I wouldn't have lasted this long before it flared up. Besides... besides, I haven't..."
I suddenly froze and stopped in my tracks. "...Sister?"
Sister's pale eyes opened a slit, her gaze fixed on the distant night sky. Her beautiful brows gradually knitted together: "Look... what is that?"
Following her gaze, I looked up and saw a large expanse of the Flowing Cloud Jade Belt gathering from all directions into the center, slowly rotating into a massive circle that stirred the originally clear black-and-white starry night into a Black Abyss that seemed ready to swallow everything.
A flash caught my peripheral vision as I glanced down at my feet. My heart sank with a series of thuds; like a mirror image forming, we were now standing at the center of the Black Abyss. (To be continued.)
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