Chapter 11.2 (2/2)

Qi Ling moves over and looks into the dim city. He is cannot understand why similar looks of terror washed over Qi La and Yin Chen’s features. “This is the same as when we came before. So dark you can see nothing. Then again, Yin Chen, it was pretty weird then too. Last time……” As he speaks, he sees Yin Chen’s face darken even further and he pauses. He takes a step back to stand beside Youhua before asking her softly: “Do you know what’s wrong with them? Are they possessed?”

Tianshu Youhua’s face is even paler than the other two. She bites her purple lips before replying, “Do you still remember the little girl we met here last time?”

“Of course I do. Her name is Lijier. I was confused because she already died before in our little town. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps. Who knows if she’s a man or ghost……”

“No matter if she’s a man, ghost, monster or a dead soul,” Tianshu Youhua attempts to suppress the fear in her voice, “Now, they are all gone. In this entire relic, there is not a single departed soul left. There is no trace of soul powers at all. I cannot feel any……”

Qi Ling suddenly feels chills running down his spine, as if a spirit has blown cold air against his neck.

The four stand in silence.

Only the bronze mirror above Yin Chen’s head is emitting soft white light.

Endless darkness surrounds them. The relic before them is like a ma.s.sively eerie grave panning out before them. No one knows what is hiding within it.

This twisted and horrifying atmosphere creeps Qi Ling out.

After a long period of time, Yin Chen turns to ask Qi La slowly and steadily, “On the territory of Aslan, who can Instant Kill the tens of thousands of departed souls that once were here in such a short period of time?”

Qi La stares into the boundless darkness and silence of the relic. His vision is like the surging dark ocean. “Not a single person can do this.”

“How wide of an area can you detect?” Yin Chen inquires.

“Not very big, yet it is definitely not small. I do not sense any trace of soul powers within what I can detect.” Qi La replies. “Gelans.h.i.+ and you have identical soul’s return circuits. Can you sense if he is inside?”

“I am unable to do that.” Yin Chen’s face is blank. “The soul’s return circuit in my body now is an entirely new one. The one from Gilgamesh is sealed deep in my body. I am unable to use it.”

Qi La turns and looks at him with a hint of surprise. Almost immediately, calmness returns to his face, as if his emotions never wavered.

“Since it’s like this, let’s not barge in. Who knows what will happen in there.” Qi La turns and lifts his head to stare at the pitch-black upper part of the place, “We need a person who can sense an area large enough. It’s a good thing that I know exactly where she is.”

After saying that, Qi La puts his hand lightly onto the stone door on his left. Golden smoke surges from his palms to envelop the surface of the door. Instantly, a new chess piece is created. “Come, this chess piece will bring us to her.”

[West of Aslan Empire – Surrounding waters of Rennes]

When Shen Yin awakens, the sun is already hanging high in the sky. The pelt of the snow leopard is still wrapped around her yet Ni Hong has disappeared. She touches the wound on her abdomen and realizes that it has healed completely. She attempts to move the soul powers in her body and realizes that it has healed completely as well. It feels even more abundant than before she was injured.

She crawls out of the small house of ice. Facing the glaring suns.h.i.+ne, she sees the tanned Ni Hong standing in the sun. His pure and vacant face seems naively primal in the clear rays of the sun. A woman is currently snuggled against his lean torso. A seductive and alluring woman. Her long and toned legs, her full chest and snow-white skin seems even more feminine and tempting in contrast to the tanned skin of Ni Hong.

“Who are you?” Shen Yin questions cautiously.

“Oh me, my name is Thalia. Have you heard of it before?” The beautiful woman lifts a hand to cover her mouth as she giggles. Her voice is like that of bells being blown in every direction by the wind from the ocean. Her dress is also flowing with the wind, revealing her body faintly, drawing one in.

“The Lord to the Fourth Degree, Thalia……?” Shen Yin’s face pales.

“Yes, that’s me.” Thalia points a finger at her nose and grins charmingly. She then points her thin fingers with nails painted red to Ni Hong, “This is my Disciple, Ni Hong.”

“He is your disciple?” Surprise fills Shen Yin. As the Second Disciple herself, her soul powers are already horrifyingly strong. Although she puts away post of them in a battle normally and no one knows how strong she actually is, she is still clear of her own strength. However, what she senses on Ni Hong’s body is no less powerful than her own. It can be said to be even more powerful. How can a person with such a surging amount of soul powers only be a mere Fourth Disciple?

“You must be thinking that Ni Hong is so powerful so why is he only a mere Fourth Lord, am I right?” A blizzard is happening within Thalia’s eyes. She looks blankly at Shen Yin, as if trying to pull her into the chaos in her eyes.

Shen Yin’s heart drops.

“That is because Ni Hong isn’t actually my disciple. He is a Corroder of this generation.” The blizzard is getting stronger in her eyes. Her smile seems strange and dark. “Ai yah, I forgot to tell you. You are too. Ni Hong and you are the two Corroders of this generation.”

“I do not understand your words……” Shen Yin replies coldly.

“Oh yeah. That’s because you don’t know what sort of monster you are. Technically, neither you nor Ni Hong is human. Ai yah.” As if saying something she shouldn’t have, Thalia giggles bashfully, “Actually, I’m not human either. We can all be considered to be monsters created. It’s just that my generation knew of this fact since young. From your generation onwards, Corroders no longer have a memory. And hence the task of telling you the truth falls on the shoulders of us Corroders of the previous generation.”

Shen Yin stares at Thalia. She faintly understands that the secret she has been searching for will be revealed very soon.

“Your Lord Nether and I are the Corroders of the previous generation. Basically Corroders are similar to a disciple being bestowed a seal. In their face, it’s when the return circuit of the lord and the disciple are identical. For us Corroders, we are the experiments with soul’s return circuits planted in each. There are hundreds of Corroders in each generation, and these infants will grow up. Some die when they were conceived because their soul’s return circuits are not whole. Others die early because their soul’s return circuits are much too perverse and dark. These Corroders will also fight among themselves and kill each other. Usually only two or three will remain alive. These three are usually the strongest among them all. The soul’s return circuits in our bodies are brand new and have never been seen on the territory of Aslan yet. And so, our powers and gifts differ from previous lords. You should know the mission we were born to do now, yes?” Thalia smiles at the pale-faced Shen Yin, as if waiting for an answer.

Shen Yin bites down at her pale lips and says nothing. Despite that, she already has an inkling of what that horrifying answer is.

“Our mission is to kill n.o.ble Lords. What we do is to maintain that the seven n.o.ble Lords will always be the pinnacle of soul powers on this land. If we are able to kill a n.o.ble Lord, this is proof that his soul’s return circuit and soul powers are beneath us. This also means that he can no longer shoulder the task of being a n.o.ble Lord of the Aslan Empire. On the other hand, if we die in their hands, this proves that the newly grown soul’s return circuit is not that powerful after all. It means that we are failed experiments.” Thalia reaches out to caress Ni Hong’s shoulder. “Do you understand now?”

“Which n.o.ble Lord are you and Nether going to kill?” Shen Yin tries to control the tremor in her voice as she asks.

“Oh, us?” Thalia t.i.tters, “We kill many, not just one.”

She glances at Ni Hong for a second and then Shen Yin before turning her attention to the ocean. “Nether and I grew up together. From the moment we became sensible, we killed. First we killed the dozens upon dozens of Corroders of our own generation, and then we killed countless high-leveled soul beasts. You should understand your lord, no? He can constantly destroy the Lord’s Seals of soul beasts and soul masters and absorb their soul’s return circuits into his own body to further himself constantly. My precision in detecting soul powers over a vast area is a Lord’s Seal’s detector made just for him.”

Thalia then looks at the angelic face of Ni Hong before continuing, “And the Corroders that survived in this generation are only you and Ni Hong and so Nether and I each took one in as our disciple. Haven’t you ever thought about why your gift is completely different from his?”

“Then did we kill everyone……along the way……in order to survive?” Tears glazed over Shen Yin’s eyes.

“Of course. Back then when Nether and I saw the two of you covered in blood while walking from that h.e.l.lish cave, it was as if we saw us from many years before. Really liked you guys right then. The two of you were so young. Your thin and weak bodies were bathed in boiling fresh blood and your hair covered in thick stench of the dead. You guys looked so attractive.” Thalia leans her face onto Ni Hong’s bare chest as a twisted smile graces her features, “Also, perhaps this is a fine coincidence, but back in the days, Nether and I worked together to kill Tong Que. Yesterday, the two of you worked together to kill Shan Gui. One’s call can gather the wind and snow; the other can break apart the skies and earth. I can’t help but proclaim that it seems like it’s in the Corroder’s nature to attract each other.”

“When I first got to know Ni Hong, I knew his gift was extraordinary. From the beginning, I realized that his talents in speed, strength, regeneration, soul powers, array, elements and everything else are at the peak of perfection. This is impossible for a Disciple on the lands of Aslan. He has such a perfect gift that he can rival any n.o.ble Lord. However, it was only later did I realize that his real gift is not that, but him being born not able to feel pain, horror and any need of defense. This means that he is a perfect killing machine that knows no pain or fear. When we are battling, it is impossible for us to always be in perfect condition, yet Ni Hong can, as he knows no pain or fear of being injured. No matter when or where, his soul powers usage can be at a hundred perfect, this is a power that can destroy anything. Ni Hong knows not of the complicated principles of the mortal realm. He is a primitive man. He doesn’t know how to speak aside from his own name. He has the instincts of an animal. He will forever be in a child-like state.

“What is the most wonder is that he has the most primitive s.e.xual desires and this allows his soul powers to be even more wild. Because he knows nothing of the things between a man and a woman and so, when his s.e.xual desires are triggered, it will only cause the soul powers within him to become even more unruly and destructive……” As Thalia speaks, she caresses Ni Hong’s body gently, moving from his broad shoulders to his firm muscles all the way down to his flat but tight abdomen……

Shen Yin sees that Ni Hong’s cheeks are becoming more and more red, his breathing more and more rushed. Yet his expression remains vacant and innocent. He stares straight at her with his burning gaze. Shen Yin can feel the surging and explosion of his soul powers within his body becoming as violent as a tidal wave. Her heart hurts.

“Stop!”

Thalia’s hand pauses as she looks at Shen Yin with a faint smile on her face. She continues, “As for you, when I saw you in battle yesterday, I was extremely disappointed. For a Corroder, you are much too weak. So weak that even Shan Gui can attack you. Then I realized that I was mistaken. Shan Gui wasn’t attacking you; you were allowing it to attack.”

Shen Yin closes her mouth. Darkness flashes before her eyes.

Thalia continues, “Later on did I discover that your gift is actually allowing yourself to get hurt when the enemy attacks. You then turn this into your soul power. Whenever a different soul’s return circuit attacks you, it allows your soul’s return circuit to be repaired and perfected and it can only become more and more powerful. As long as your opponent does not kill you immediately, your soul powers will be even better than before when you recover. I can’t help but applaud at this because your gift and Nether’s gift are so different yet they do the same. They are both the most incredible yet the most overwhelmingly compelling gifts……at that moment, I realized the true intention of you coming to this island……you want to find the secret of the Immortal Lord because once you learn the gift of infinite healing, you can allow yourself to withstand any form of powerful attacks without worry. And so, within a short time, you will be the most powerful monster in the territory of Aslan……”

Thalia’s clear yet dark eyes s.h.i.+ne with a blade-like gleam. She glares coldly and intently at Shen Yin, “Am I right, Shen Yin?”

<script>