Chapter 558 — Awakening the Dead Souls

Shen Mu sat down beside the skeleton, took out wound medicine, and treated the places where he had been injured in battle, then smiled and said, "I walked out of the Yellow Springs to begin with. Why should I fear the road back to the Yellow Springs?"

The skeleton rose to its feet and said, "This is an ill-omened place. There is no way out alive. The only road to life is to turn back at once."

Shen Mu squeezed the bad blood from his wounds and expelled the demonic qi, saying, "Turning back is the one road to death. Going forward is the only chance of survival. Do you know a safer path?"

The skeleton shook its head.

Shen Mu applied medicine to himself, stirred his vital qi, and circulated it once through his body. The wounds did not split open. Only then did he rise and say, "Do you know east from west and north from south?"

"There lies east!" The skeleton raised a hand and pointed ahead.

"Thank you."

Shen Mu stepped in the direction it indicated. After two steps he stopped again, turned his head, and smiled, "Friend, why are you following me?"

The skeleton had been following closely at his heels. Seeing him stop, it hurriedly stopped too, and said, "I was drifting here in a daze, remembering nothing of my life, only a hazy sense of some things after death. It was you who woke me. Naturally I must follow you."

Shen Mu could not help laughing. "Humans and ghosts walk different paths. Following me is no solution. Go back to sleep."

The skeleton looked bewildered. "While I was drifting in a daze, I could sleep soundly, paying no heed to spring, summer, autumn, or winter, caring nothing for the wars and slaughter of the world. But you woke me, and now I cannot sleep. You disturbed my slumber. You must take responsibility for me."

"You ghost, you are utterly unreasonable!"

Helpless, Shen Mu turned around and argued with the utmost seriousness, "I saw that a remnant of your soul had not yet been extinguished, so I used the Myriad Gods' Natural Art to wake you and ask the way. But you know nothing—only the east. You cannot lead me to a way out. And you are dead. Even if I leave this ill-omened place alive, you cannot follow me into the world of the living. Friend, the dead should remain dead. Sleep."

The skeleton shook its head. "I once knew no vexation and no sorrow. You woke me and gave me vexation and sorrow. You must help me resolve them."

Shen Mu's head ached. He smiled, "Then I will once more use the Myriad Gods' Natural Art, draw out your remnant soul, and let it scatter between heaven and earth. Then you can sleep again. How is that?"

"No."

The skeleton shook its head again. "Now that I am awake, if you make my soul scatter, you are killing me. The scattering of the soul is agony beyond measure. I will not have it."

Shen Mu's head truly throbbed. He turned and continued east. Behind him, the skeleton still followed, matching him step for step.

Troubled and restless, Shen Mu was about to argue again when suddenly the waters of the marsh on both sides churned, and corpses soaked white rose straight up from the water, staring fixedly at him.

Shen Mu's heart tightened. These corpses had been soaked for countless years, yet their bodies had not rotted. Tattered armor still clung to them, a bloody light gleamed in their eyes, and a yin aura hung about them.

In life these corpses had been immensely powerful; in death they carried a thick corpse-qi, terrifying to behold.

Suddenly the skeleton behind Shen Mu opened its mouth and let out a great roar. As if receiving an order, the corpses on the water's surface sank slowly into the water one after another.

Shen Mu said in astonishment, "Why do they obey you?"

The skeleton too looked blank. It thought for a moment, then said, "I vaguely remember they were my subordinates, who died in battle here with me. I saw them trying to harm you, so I shouted at them. Fortunately they still heed my command."

Shen Mu's interest was roused. He smiled, "Who were you in life? Do you remember?"

The skeleton pondered bitterly and shook its head. "I do not remember."

Shen Mu's interest deepened. He stopped and smiled, "I have a divine ability that can open a passage to the Netherworld, summon remnant souls to gather, and bring the dead back to life. Let me perform the rite. Perhaps it will help you remember something. If you remember, then you must stop following me."

The skeleton was overjoyed and laughed, "If you can do that, I will surely repay your great kindness."

Shen Mu removed his hairpin, letting his hair fall loose. Suddenly his true form as the Star Lord Zhenxing appeared. Behind him rose a Heaven-Bearing Gate. In the marsh he performed the Soul-Pulling Art of the Nine Nether Gate, and a heavy, obscure demonic tongue issued from his mouth.

Halfway through the demonic incantation, Shen Mu's heart suddenly stirred. He felt strange information inexplicably welling up in his mind, and the demonic tongue in his mouth changed into another, older and more obscure language, which he could not help but recite.

The demonic qi around him grew thicker and purer, surging and rolling, filling the marsh like a vast black sea. The Heaven-Bearing Gate grew ever more majestic, towering in that sea of demonic qi.

Creak, creak. The immeasurably heavy gate slowly opened.

From the darkness came scream after scream, the wails of ghosts and the howls of wolves, indescribably pitiful. Countless spirits poured forth from the Heaven-Bearing Gate!

Shen Mu was startled. "So many spirits?"

Countless spirits swarmed out of the Netherworld. At the same time, innumerable remnant souls gathered in the great marsh. In an instant, countless will-o'-the-wisps, like stars, flitted through the dark demonic qi and burrowed into corpse after corpse.

How many corpses rose from that great marsh, staring around in bewilderment, no one could say.

The desolate marsh suddenly filled with tens of thousands of corpses and skeletons—some standing on the water, some floating in the air, some sitting on the marshland, all utterly lost.

"Who disturbs the Netherworld?"

Shen Mu was still performing the rite when suddenly a vast voice exploded in his mind. The voice left him dazed and muddled, and his power was cut off at once. The Heaven-Bearing Gate behind him swallowed the sky-covering dark demonic qi, sweeping it back into the Netherworld like wind rolling up scattered clouds.

Shen Mu hurriedly dispersed his true form as the Star Lord, but to his surprise the Heaven-Bearing Gate remained open, not closing. Faint points of light came from the darkness of the Netherworld.

They were lanterns hanging from the prows of boats!

Shen Mu's scalp went numb. He repeatedly reversed his technique, but the Heaven-Bearing Gate still would not close.

Those boats, sailing out of the darkness, were about to pass through the Heaven-Bearing Gate and come to this ill-omened land!

"I remember who I am!"

Beside him, the skeleton suddenly cried out in shock and joy, laughing heartily, "I remember! The South Dipper Star Division of the Southern Heaven of the Celestial Court—Qisha, the Star Lord of Seven Slayings, ordered by Kaihuang to guard Taihuang Heaven, Jiedushi Wei Liao of Taihuang Heaven! Where is my battle armor? Where is my ceremonial axe?"

Boom—

The great marsh beneath Shen Mu's feet suddenly churned. Boundless divine light shot skyward. Huge fragments of battle armor broke through the water and the earth, flying up from beneath the marsh.

Clang, clang, clang—crisp impacts rang out as piece after piece of shattered battle armor covered the skeleton beside Shen Mu, in moments sheathing its whole body. A broken helmet flew over and settled onto its skull.

Shen Mu was left gaping. Suddenly a great mountain in the marsh split apart, and from it flew several broken divine weapons. They assembled in midair, becoming a massive ceremonial axe, which came spinning with a howl. The skeleton reached out and caught it.