451 Master, I Had a Dream (2/2)
The tear that he created was enough to destroy an entire planet!
That wasn't the end of it. Through the tear, Wang Baole could distinctly see another world lying beyond. Perhaps it might be more accurate to say that this tear was like a form of teleportation—the world within lay an immense distance away from where they were.
The universe within the tear contained a single planet, one that was red in color and exuded an extreme heat. One could vaguely see a civilization present on the planet. There were countless lives on it. However, this civilization was about to experience mass sorrow and despair…
This was because a huge meteor had just crashed into the planet. The planet shuddered. It didn't collapse or disintegrate, but calamity descended. It swept across the entire planet and countless people perished!
As these lives faded, their souls littered the heavens, some even drifting further into the stars. The living couldn't see them, but they were clear to the eyes of one from the Dark Sect. The countless souls of the dead wandered beyond the planet, amongst the stars. They wept and clustered together. There were countless of them…
The planet faded from its deep red into a gray color. It seemed like the planet… was also marching towards death!
The sight stirred Wang Baole's heart once again. He felt that this was a familiar sight. It seemed that he had seen something like this in his dreams, on a wall painting. There was a striking similarity with what he was seeing now.
”Baole, you must remember, the Dark Sect's responsibility is to serve on behalf of the Heavenly Dao and ferry the dead souls. We have to guide them to where they are supposed to go, instead of allowing them to wander the universe…”
”Watch carefully…” the elder said. He raised the lantern oar in his hand and shook it lightly. Wang Baole couldn't tell what spell he cast, but as the lantern oar shook, the dead souls on the planet and in the universe within the tear trembled in unison. They no longer howled. They were like a drowning man who had just grabbed hold of stray straws. They seemed to have seen a lighthouse in the midst of overwhelming darkness. The dead souls turned their eyes towards the elder instantly. In the next instant, they fled towards him!
Countless souls passed through the tear, traveling from one end of the universe to the boat where Wang Baole and the elder stood. They gathered and formed a river of dead souls!
It was a vast river without an end in sight. This river of souls carried the lone boat as it drifted into the distance…
The tear slowly shut. As it disappeared, Wang Baole caught a glance of the planet inside the tear. It had turned completely gray.
Shocked, Wang Baole stared at the river of souls around him before he turned and looked at his master. It was then that his master's quiet and calm voice echoed in his ear.
”This is the Dark Sect's mission. We ferry all dead souls in the entire universe… Baole, why are you in a daze? Start singing the Soul Song!”
Wang Baole shuddered. He opened his mouth instinctively, and a strange melody, like a form of chanting, rang out and echoed in the heavens. It drifted alongside the river of dead souls…
”When the heavens and earth separate, the cycle of fate stops…”
”Knowing what happened in the past, the one who suffers now is…”
”Knowing what's to come in the future, the one who is working hard now is…”
As the song drifted into the distance, countless faces appeared within the river of dead souls. There were faces of the young and the old, of men and women. Some of them appeared to be human, others monsters. They had a look of peace on their faces. They seemed to be filled with joy. There was no pain. They gathered around the boat and moved with the Soul Song.
They traveled into the distance… towards the Dark Sect!
Eons ago, what had been the pinnacle and most glorious era of… the Dark Sect!
From afar, the river of souls seemed vast and endless. A lone boat drifted on the river. On it should have been two figures, one old and one young. However, at that moment, the silhouette of the elder seemed faint and slightly blurry. Only Wang Baole's form grew ever clearer.