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墨書 Inktalez
Amidst the relentless rumble of thunder, a plume of black smoke shot down from the Black Cloud Abyss like an arrow released from a taut bow, aiming directly at the ground beneath the Ancient Guge Silver Eye.
This Black Demon Cloud was extraordinary; from a distance, it appeared as a cloud, but up close, it resembled mist—sometimes formless and unpredictable, traversing thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. At other times, it took on a solid shape, like columns made of reinforced concrete or torpedoes launched with thunderous force, capable of piercing through anything in an instant. Memories surged within me like floodwaters, and my heart raced as I shouted, “Get down! Quickly!” while lunging toward A Li, who was at the center below.
Suddenly, a deafening crash echoed behind me, reverberating throughout the Buddha Cave. The sound waves collided with the vast walls of the cave, bouncing back in layers of echoes that made my eardrums throb painfully, nearly rendering me deaf. Countless debris flew through the air and struck my back like shotgun pellets, causing me to almost lose consciousness as I clutched A Li tightly and gritted my teeth.
At that moment, a blinding light flashed before my eyes. I turned to see my junior brother pointing frantically above us, his expression contorted in fear. Though I couldn’t hear him over the chaos, it was clear that another wave of Black Demon Cloud was descending.
The three of us scrambled to our feet, our ears filled with the relentless roar akin to a bomber flying overhead. The Black Cloud Abyss above had split open, revealing a fissure wide enough for a person to pass through. Groups of Black Demon Cloud surged down from the Ground Fissure like malevolent spirits roaming the underworld, crashing into walls and barreling through anything in their path. The Gan Shi within the Buddha Cave could not withstand such turmoil; anyone struck by the Black Demon Cloud would disintegrate with a resounding crash and be consumed by thick black smoke, turning to ash in an instant.
Everyone stood frozen in shock, cold sweat trickling down their backs. In this situation, how could anyone expect to survive? Being burned alive was hardly better than being poisoned.
Then I noticed that amidst the rising black smoke, only the towering Ancient Guge Silver Eye remained unscathed, as if all the Black Demon Clouds were avoiding this great Buddha out of some fear. Everything in this world is interconnected; as they say, where there is evil, there is also good to counter it. It became clear that Old Qiao's earlier words were not entirely without merit.
I pointed at the Ancient Guge Silver Eye and shouted, “Quick! Climb up there!”
Old Qiao immediately understood. “Yes! Everything exists in balance; life is intertwined with death. Let’s climb up along the Ancient Guge Silver Eye and pass through the Black Cloud Abyss!”
We were currently on the open ground before the Ancient Guge Silver Eye and could quickly reach it. However, climbing up was another matter entirely. First, aside from my senior sister and junior brother, everyone else lacked suitable climbing tools. Second, we had to evade attacks from the Black Demon Cloud. Third, everyone except me had been afflicted by Corpse Poison and was severely drained of energy—especially Old Qiao—who struggled just to walk on flat ground, let alone expend more energy climbing.
Thinking about all this made my heart ache; while ideals were beautiful, reality was starkly bare. However, at this point, whether we climbed or not would lead to death; we might as well give it our all. If we were to perish with a final gasp, at least we wouldn’t have any regrets.
I quickly devised the most suitable Chuan Bang Dai formation in my mind: I would go up first and then use A Li’s Nine-Tailed Whip to pull A Li and Old Qiao along behind me. Before I could think further about those below us, there was a thunderous explosion—a mass of Black Demon Cloud exploded near our feet like an infant's head—and in an instant it ignited along my pant leg. I screamed as I rolled on the ground; it felt like rolling in a pot of boiling oil—the searing pain crushed several brittle bones within me.
Fortunately, only a few sparks from the Black Flame landed on me. I rolled just in time, and the flames only singed my thigh. If I had been a few seconds later or if the fire had been any stronger, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
My junior brother looked at me with a strange expression as I got back on my feet. Following his gaze, I touched myself and realized, to my horror, that my pants had burned off! Damn it, my pants were gone! I was left bare!
I quickly covered myself with my hands, and in that instant, I devised a new "Chuan Bang Dai" strategy. My senior sister and junior brother would lead the way while I brought up the rear.
My senior sister A Li and the others probably hadn’t noticed my embarrassing situation yet. I quickly communicated the new plan to everyone; time was of the essence, and there was no room for dissent.
We first worked together to push Old Qiao up, letting him brace his feet against the edge of the Lotus Throne. He gripped tightly onto the protrusions of the Buddha statue with one hand while wrapping his other arm around the Nine Section Whip. My senior sister swiftly climbed above him to assist with pulling him up; then came my junior brother and A Li, following a similar pattern as Old Qiao and my senior sister, sharing a Ze Zhang between them. Finally, it was my turn. Using my flashlight as a makeshift climbing pick along with my dagger and staff, I managed without much trouble.
To be safe, A Li tied one end of the Nine-Tailed Whip around Old Qiao’s arm, creating a double safety measure alongside my senior sister's Nine Section Whip in case he slipped from above.
Although our progress was difficult, once we reached the Ancient Guge Silver Eye, those roaming Black Demon Clouds dared not approach us anymore. However, there are always exceptions; some reckless ones still tried to brush against us. A sweep across my back burned away a layer of skin, hissing with black smoke and releasing a scent reminiscent of roasted meat. Damn it, it worked!
My junior brother could no longer bear it and shouted from above, “What the hell! Here I am, a proud tenth-generation authentic Errand Runner, being chased by some unknown black smoke!”
Old Qiao gasped for breath while calling out, “Don’t worry about me! You all hurry up… you must reach the Black Cloud Abyss before it closes… climb up!”
My junior brother twisted his body and shouted back while panting heavily, “Old Qiao, you’re overthinking it! It’s not that we’re worried about you; it’s just… we really can’t move any faster!”
At that moment, A Li suddenly pointed upward and shouted, “Look! It’s Senior Sister’s body!”
Although we had known this fact for some time, seeing it with our own eyes was entirely different. Senior Sister's body sat peacefully in the Buddha Cave above where the Ancient Guge Silver Eye arched back. Her expression was serene, showing no signs of decay; she looked as if she were merely asleep.
What sent chills down my spine was that when Senior Sister "died," she was wearing the exact same clothes as now, with the same hairstyle. Even the dark circles around her eyes from the poison were identical—she was practically a replica of Senior Sister!
My heart raced wildly, pounding in my chest. Could it be that Senior Sister… was truly nearing her end? Was there no escape this time?!
No, no, that couldn't be possible. If that were the case for Senior Sister, what would happen to us?
I eagerly moved closer to the Ancient Guge Silver Eye, my vision blurring significantly. Everything appeared double, and amidst the hazy images, I thought I saw a few familiar faces, but when I blinked again, they vanished.
At that moment, Old Qiao suddenly said, "Hmm, strange... why aren't we included?" (To be continued.)
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