Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Heck! This is too intense!” Xu Lan shivered and cursed angrily; Yet to recuperate from the shocking sight, they had to immerse themselves in the battle once again.
The bells rang again and the tune echoed in the spacious chamber. The Gu worms retreated into the crystal coffin and even the subsurface stream seemed less treacherous.
“Xu Lan…” At the chamber opposite, the businessman stood up weakly and shouted grudgingly.
When Xu Lan turned around, the businessman was right before him. Xu Lan was shocked and leaned on the chime-bells. The crew-cut man and Sheng Ya looked at the unworldly businessman. They looked at the corpses on the ground and gasped in horror.
“Hurry up, ring the bell! This is his soul!” Sheng Ya shouted at Xu Lan.
Xu Lan leaped over the soul and glanced at the corpses in the chamber. He took a deep breath and played the tune again. More and more of their companions returned to the platform. They looked at the trio begrudgingly, with a hint of regret.
“Sorry, everyone. I should have listened to Xu Lan and remained on the platform,” the businessman apologized solemnly.
Fang Lingzi held on to his arm and looked at Sheng Ya. She was a year younger than Sheng Ya, a young lady in her prime. It was unfortunate that she had to die in this unknown catacomb.
“… Elder?” someone shouted.
Xu Lan’s hands became heavier, he refused to accept the fact that Bai Wu died. He felt a lump in his throat, he did not have the courage to raise his head and look at Bai Wu.
“Papa…” Bai Wu looked at Xu Lan from afar and whispered with a heavy heart. He was not afraid of death but he hated to see Xu Lan being sad.
Xu Lan was shivering so hard that he struggled to hold the wooden mallet in his hands. His face was pale and he gritted his teeth. He could not find the courage to raise his head to look at Bai Wu.
The businessman moved away from Xu Lan and let Bai Wu get closer to him. Bai Wu tried to hold Xu Lan’s face in his hands, but his hands went right through Xu Lan’s face.
“… I’m sorry,” Bai Wu apologized sadly.
“I refuse to accept your apology!” Xu Lan roared and turned his head away from Bai Wu.
The entire chamber was eerily quiet and no one said a word. Xu Lan rang the chime-bells in silence. Suddenly, a loud bang came from the inside of the crystal coffin that took everyone by surprise.
The shark lamps in the chamber started turning, the eight shark lamps were parallel to the ones on the platform. As the lamps shone, the hidden mechanism at the bottom began to operate. The stone bridge extended from the bottom of the shark lamps onto the platform. The crystal coffin exploded and the water from the subsurface stream rushed up like a fountain, presenting a jade box to everyone.
“F*ck! F*ck! This… This…”
“Sheng Ya, why don’t you have a look at that?” Even though Xu Lan’s responded more subtly than the crew-cut man, his excitement was palpable. He instructed Sheng Ya as he rang the chime-bells.
Sheng Ya retrieved the jade box. There were a codex and a map within—’soul-resurrection’ and the floorplan for a catacomb!
The codex started with, ‘Those who die, they head to Yama, the King of Hell; the unyielding ones, they remain in this world. In the form of a soul, they are uninhibited. A technique exists, to bring back the dead, to save their souls from being taken away. I have much to do in this world, but I have met my tragic end as destined. I advise against the use of the said technique, and here it shall rest, along with me in my final resting place.’ The manuscript for ‘soul-resurrection’ was attached at the end of the codex.
“Give it to me!” Xu Lan snatched the codex from Sheng Ya before she managed to read everything out loud. This was the first time he raised his head to meet Bai Wu’s gaze. Bai Wu was clothed in white, he looked at Xu Lan with a grim expression on his face.