Chapter 500 — One Stele Divides Yin and Yang

Shen Mu, the box, Dragon Qilin, and the skulls and skeletons whirling across the sky came crashing down in a great clatter. Despair filled Shen Mu's heart. He had meant to make no sound at all—that was the only way to evade the freakish keenness of Xing'an's ears—but human schemes cannot best Heaven's will, and now his plan had fallen utterly apart. Thump, thump, thump—they plunged into a disordered pile of bones. All around, a crowd of skeletons was shouting and squabbling, arguing over who had shattered whose pelvis, who had broken whose thighbone, while others snatched ribs from one another—a deafening pandemonium.

Suddenly some skeletons broke into a fight, producing bone cudgels from nowhere and swinging them wildly, cracking skulls with thumping blows.

Unless Xing'an was stone-deaf, this could never be hidden from his ears! Shen Mu staggered to his feet and looked around in a daze. The fog that had been so oppressively thick moments before had grown much thinner here, and light now filled the space more generously.

He looked to the east and froze. Through the mist over the Yongjiang, a vast, boundaryless world of white bones was hurtling across, materializing in the heart of the Ruins and overlapping with the world of the Ruins.

"You're stepping on me.

. . " a feeble voice said from beneath the box.

Startled, the box hopped into the air.

When it saw that the speaker was a pile of bones, it grew delighted and, overjoyed, opened itself and "swallowed" the talking pile of bones inside. Ever since Shen Mu had awakened its spirit, it loved collecting these strange, bizarre things.

"A ghost!

" Dragon Qilin's fur and scales stood on end all over his body, and he went stiff. When he saw the wilds covered with dry bones, the great fatty flipped over, belly up, with his four legs stuck straight out. Seeing him dead, the box wanted to swallow him as well.

It began with his tail, and when it reached his rear, Dragon Qilin kicked his legs and muttered angrily, "Stop that.

I'm playing dead.

. . " "Fengdu.

. . this is the outer world of Fengdu.

.

. " Shen Mu stared at the world in swift motion. When it overlapped with reality, the mountains and rivers of reality seemed to recede out of existence—an uncanny sight.

A thought stirred in his heart. He nudged Dragon Qilin with his foot and said, "Fatty Dragon, get up. Your playing dead isn't as convincing as Ling'er's.

If you don't get up, these skeletons will come gnawing at your flesh. " "Meat!

Meat!

" Beneath Dragon Qilin, a skeleton caught the smell of flesh, grinned in delight, opened its mouth wide, threw its arms around his leg, and bit down. "Meat! Meat!

" In the sea of skeletons, countless bones grew excited and came running toward them in a frenzy.

The running skeletons churned up a wave of skeletons a hundred zhang high that swept down upon them. Crash.

The skeleton wave fell, and innumerable bones rolled together into a giant of white bone that came charging over, wild with eagerness for flesh.

"I have no flesh—give me your flesh!

" "Leave me a piece of skin—mine has rotted away! " Dragon Qilin frantically rolled over, crushing the skeletons that had piled onto him into powder, and at the sight of this scene nearly fainted in terror again.

Buddha light blazed all around Shen Mu, and the phantom image of a great white jade Buddha materialized behind him. The charging skeleton giant collapsed at once, and the skeletons scattered in all directions. "Not tasty—it's that young bald donkey from before!

Run!

" Shen Mu was speechless. He took out a gold coin and shone it toward the sea of mist.

A lone skiff was sailing out of the fog.

"Get out of my way, all of you! " Xing'an's voice came from the distance. He had drawn back his eye and, guided by the sound, had forced his way in, approaching at tremendous speed.

The countless skeletons that lunged at him were shattered and sent flying. In his raging wrath, a single blow from him leveled a mountain of skeletons, pulverizing countless dry bones.

He bore down on Shen Mu with boundless might and ferocity. Shen Mu had repeatedly thwarted him, and now a nameless, genuine fury rose in Xing'an's heart; he was intent on killing this fellow who had made a fool of him time after time.

Shen Mu hurriedly activated his teleportation art, wreathed the box—which was busily gathering skeleton monsters—and the shivering Dragon Qilin in its power, and teleported toward the lone skiff faintly visible in the mist. "Do you think you can work the same trick a second time? Get down here!

" One of Xing'an's eyes flew over and cast its light through the air.

Shen Mu's teleportation sigils were immediately hacked apart. He, the box, and Dragon Qilin reappeared in midair and tumbled into the sea of mist below. The sea of mist churned with monstrous creatures, seething with strange excitement.

At just that moment, the lone skiff appeared suddenly at their fall and caught them. "Senior Martial Brother Xing'an, have you been well?

" The boatman poling the skiff lifted his conical hat, revealing a skeleton without flesh or blood, and grinned eerily. Xing'an pursued them to the shore, hesitated, and came to a stop.

Failing to recognize him, he asked suspiciously, "And who might you be? " "Senior Martial Brother Xing'an does not recognize Daoist Lingjing?

Once you hunted me everywhere, trying to seize my divine blood, yet now you've forgotten it all—how very heartbreaking. " The boatman pushed off with his bamboo pole, letting the skiff drift away, and laughed: "This is the territory of Fengdu. Senior Martial Brother Xing'an is a living man, so please turn back.

This is no place for your feet. " Xing'an withdrew his two eyes, stepped forward, and waded into the sea of mist. Beneath him, clouds and fog churned as monstrous creatures stirred up waves, restive and ready to strike.

The creatures in the mist were immensely strong, yet he showed not the slightest fear. Continuing his pursuit of the skiff, he said coolly, "Since a living man cannot set foot here, how is it that they may board the boat?

Daoist friend Lingjing, you and I are old acquaintances after all—is it proper of you to deceive me like this? " His speed was extreme; even in this unearthly sea of mist, he moved as if strolling in a courtyard. The lone skiff could not shake him in the least; the distance between them was steadily shrinking. "Do you have money?

" Daoist Lingjing said unhurriedly. "Money can make ghosts push a boat. He has money to pay the fare, so of course he may board my boat, and of course he may enter Fengdu.

You have no money; you may only drink the northwest wind.

Go back. Fengdu is truly no place for you—there are far too many beings here whom you cannot afford to offend. " Xing'an snorted coldly and pressed onward. Suddenly a colossal monster surged up from the mist and dragged him into the sea. On the skiff, Dragon Qilin started, hurriedly leaned over the side, and craned his neck to look.

Daoist Lingjing raised his bamboo pole and lightly nudged his head back into the boat, laughing: "Foolish creature, there are dreadful things below that know no reason. Mind they don't bite your head clean off.

" Before the words had faded away, the sea of mist suddenly convulsed. The roars of monsters echoed up from the water, and then the great mountains in the fog began to shake violently. Those mountains were made of piled-up pale bones, and the bones at once turned into giants, scattering in all directions to take cover. Dragon Qilin hurriedly flattened himself in the hull, covering his eyes with both paws, peeping furtively between them.