52 A grand mausoleum. (1/2)
Li Yang mindlessly killed, the spear in his hand stabbing and sweeping without end. Silver blood splattered the area around him, his entire body drenched in the foul smelling liquid. Despite the blood drenching his body, despite the fact that his mind was blank, his lips had curled into a wide smile. Since he was acting on instinct alone, he was able to unleash everything he got, the satisfaction of being able to fight freely filling every inch of his being.
But sooner or later, all things must come to an end, and Li Yang's mindless battle ended after he spent almost three straight months battling. When the last beast was slain and Li Yang no longer sensed any beasts in the surroundings, his consciousness slowly returned. He blinked his eyes a few time to get used to his vision again, giving the surroundings a quick sweep with his gaze.
All the beasts that were slain had already sunk back into the earth, their silver blood the only trace that remained of the battle that had just taken place here. Li Yang could feel his stomach grumbling the moment his consciousness returned, so it was easy to guess that at least over two months had passed. He glanced at Jinwu, who had grabbed a tight hold on his shoulder and was sleeping without a care, before swiping his interspatial ring and taking out some food and water, quickly scarfing it down.
Thinking back to the three other trials he had taken, his lips could not help but curl into a wry smile as he shook his head. Were these trials ever meant to be completed by anyone? When someone with a cultivation as weak as his had to spend over two months of continuous battle to clear Bai Yawen's trial, how long would those with a stronger cultivation have to fight? Not to mention the trial where his body was disintegrated and rebuilt, or the two illusory trials he had to endure. Even Li Yang felt that the trials were quite sadistic and cruel.
After Li Yang finished the food and drinks he had pulled out, he gave Jinwu a few pokes to wake him up. He slowly woke up, looking at the surroundings with a droopy gaze, slowly spreading his wings. He took off from Li Yang's shoulder, but it seemed like he had only done so to stretch his body, as he quickly returned to Li Yang's shoulder, now fully awake. Li Yang gave him a few pats, muttering quietly as he scanned the surroundings.
”So, where do we have to go receive the emblem for completing the trial?”
Jinwu joined Li Yang in sweeping the surroundings, looking for any sign that would let them know where to go. Li Yang was just about to start heading in a random direction when he felt his chest heat up, the three emblems that were already lodged in chest flying out and floating in front of him. The three emblems formed a square that was missing a corner, a faint light radiating from each of the emblems.
The faint breeze that blew through the area started to increase in strength, the blood that covered the ground rising into the air and gathering into shining orb. The orb flew over to the three other emblems, taking up a spot in the missing corner of the square, rapidly shrinking. The blood turned into a small square emblem that was silver in color and was engraved with the image of a spear piercing through a roaring dragon, an awe-inspiring pressure radiating from the emblem. Once the emblem formed, the familiar voice of Bai Yawen rang out in Li Yang's head.
”You have fought, and you have won, proving your worth. I grant you my emblem, whether or not you can acquire the rest depends on your performance.”
After the voice rang out, the new emblem started to release faint light that connected it to the three other emblems. The moment all three emblems became connected, the light they released quickly grew blinding, forcing Li Yang to close his eyes and turn his head away. The blinding light continued to shine for a few seconds, before it quickly receded, allowing Li Yang to turn his head back.
In the place where all four emblems had floated, there was now only a single emblem, floating proudly as space around it distorted from the power it released. The emblem was the size of Li Yang's hand and a deep golden in color, arcs of golden lightning crawling along the surface. The emblem was engraved with the image of two long dragons, one golden and one purple. The dragons coiled around each other, their maws wide open as they roared at the heavens.
While Li Yang was looking at the emblem, the ground beneath the emblem lit up with a large array, runes covering the ground for as far as Li Yang's eyes could see. The entire mountain started to shake as the array activated, a massive amount of Qi filling the runes as they lit up with a gray light. As Li Yang was preparing to deal with whatever might happen, the light of the array dimmed down, four familiar kneeling figures appearing before him. Upon seeing these four figures, Li Yang's tensed body calmed down as he spoke out.
”So it's Little Zhu and the others, you guys nearly gave me a heart-attack.”
The four figures that appeared were Lin Zhu and the others, all four guardians had appeared before him, kneeling in human shaped. Since all four had arrived at the same time, Li Yang guessed that the array that had activated was an array designed to teleport the four guardians here once someone completed all four trials. Zizai was the one to respond to Li Yang, his cheerful voice ringing out.
”Congratulations on completing all four trials, Lord Li Yang, I knew it was only a matter of time.”
Zizai stepped forward with a slight bounce, his childish face covered in a wide and beaming smile. The three people behind him also stood up, their faces similarily covered in smiles. Finally, after so many years of waiting, someone had completed all four trials. And it was not just anyone, it was the Thunder Monarch himself who had come to pick up his own inheritance. Li Yang let out a light chuckle as he gave a slight wave of his hand, turning towards Chen Huo as he spoke.
”Alright, alright, no need to try and flatter me. So, how do I go about entering the Thunder Flower Memorial, and is it possible for me to bring the four of you out of here once I have picked up whatever is in the Thunder Flower Memorial?”
Right now, Li Yang was very curious exactly what of his inheritance that Zhao Feng and the others had left behind in the Thunder Flower Memorial. At the same time, he would like to bring Mengxiang and the others out with him, after spending so many years stuck here, they must surely be bored. Chen Huo stepped forward, pushing the floating golden emblem towards Li Yang as he spoke, giving a slight shake of his head.
”Entering the memorial is easy, you merely need to have that emblem on you as you enter the city. That way, none of the arrays will activate. As for bringing us out of here, while we appreciate the thought, we have sworn to our previous masters that we would not leave this hidden realm unless they were to return.”
Li Yang grabbed the emblem, which turned into a stream of energy that sank into his body, settling in his chest. He then furrowed his brows slightly, his gaze moving between all four guardians as he questioned.
”You swore to them?”
Since Chen Huo said that they swore, it must mean that they had sworn an oath. To cultivators and powerful Demonic beasts, an oath was the strongest binding force, a promise they could never break. One would generally only swear an oath to ones closest friends and allies. Mengxiang was the one who responded, with a bright smile on her face as she gave a nod of her head.
”Yes. No matter what, they are our masters, we refuse to follow anyone else. Only if they were to return will we leave this hidden realm. If they never return, we will never leave here.”