Chapter 77: The Hand in the Shadows

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Take the river G.o.d alive!

Both Qing Han and Yuying exuded excitement when they heard Lu Yun’s plan, especially Qing Han . Although the G.o.d wasn’t quite as he’d imagined, he couldn’t help a surge of excitement .

He was but sixteen and knew the stories surrounding the Dusk River G.o.d, having studied countless texts and records about the deity . Now, not only had he seen the mythical river G.o.d with his own eyes, but he was going to capture it!

Whoos.h.!.+

Emerald Mistfire leapt out of Yuying’s hand and cast an emerald radiance in the abyss .

“What are those?!”  Qing Han stopped in his tracks before entering the underwater palace .  

White, strangely-shaped monsters covered the ground . They were lying prostrate with heads lifted, mouth at the top and eyes at the bottom . Slender limbs propped slim bodies up like spiders’ legs, the joints reversed . They’d been staring at Lu Yun and the others with black, dark eyes, but as soon as the light of the Emerald Mistfire illuminated their habitat, they started and skittered away .

“Ghouls!” Lu Yun called out . “They’re often seen in ancient tombs with thick yin energy or burial mounds of ten thousand bodies . They crave everything yin and fear all things yang . It’s rare for them to attack the living of their own accord; just ignore them . ”

He’d encountered ghouls back on Earth before, and hadn’t expected to see such a large group within the abyss . They possessed the strength of an ox, but the courage of a mouse . They never attacked unless they were provoked first .  

Qing Han and Yuying nodded slightly and made their way into the underwater palace . It was a tattered representation of what it had been, but there were hints of a once extravagant architecture .

“Qing Han,” Lu Yun suddenly asked, “do you find this place familiar?”

“I do . ” Qing Han nodded . “It looks just like the palace in the burial mound under Myriad Formation Summit . ”

“That’s right . It’s very similar . The palace in the burial mound was designed for burial purposes, whereas this is a real palace . ” Bafflement gleamed in Lu Yun’s eyes . “That one was obviously built after the burial mound was set up, and it was based on the layout of this underwater palace . ”

Lu Yun struggled to grasp a fleeting inspiration in his mind, but something was still missing .

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“Do you think the river G.o.d had something to do with the burial mound?” asked Qing Han .

“Perhaps . ” The governor shook his head, his mind a mess of tangled thoughts .

“How—how dare you come inside!” the hoa.r.s.e voice shrieked . The river G.o.d was hiding in the depths of the main hall, and her expression tensed when she saw the humans follow her into the palace .

Corpsefish emerged from beside her, creating several trapping formations with their tentacles to form the layout of Ghost Yanking Feet .

Whoos.h.!.+

Emerald Mistfire surged and reduced the corpsefish to ashes before they could come closer .

“Stay away! Don’t come any closer! Wait, no, come here . Come to me!!” The river G.o.d garbled forlorn squawks, highlighting the insane edge to her voice . There seemed to be something wrong with her mind .

“Wait!” Qing Han grabbed Yuying . “Don’t . There’s something there!”

The Scroll of Shepherding Immortals flickered in and out of existence over Qing Han, imbuing him with power .

“What is it?” Lu Yun couldn’t see anything with his Spectral Eye .

Earlier, Qing Han had been the first to see the Dusk River G.o.d . The barrier around the tomb for the living not only segregated the abyss and its terrible inhabitants from them, but also prevented those in the tomb from seeing the monsters . Therefore, no one other than Qing Han had seen the river G.o.d in the underwater palace in the beginning .  

The Scroll of Shepherding Immortals granted him a good variety of abilities, allowing him to see what Lu Yun couldn’t . Meanwhile, the Dusk governor could detect all dead things, but not living beings, or those that were stuck between the two realms .

“It’s the thing that ate the river G.o.d’s tail!” Eyes widened with fear, Qing Han hastily retreated a few steps . “No, no… . There’s something bigger . We’re inside its mouth!” He grabbed Lu Yun and beelined for the exit . “Go, go, go!”

Raaaagh!! 

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A tremendous roar tore through the air, shaking the palace and crumbling the premises . It felt like a giant mouth was gradually closing .

“This isn’t a palace,” Qing Han cried out, “but the mouth of a monster!!”

“What?!” Lu Yun couldn’t believe his ears . This turn of events was utterly fantastical and almost incomprehensible .

The palace was actually a monster’s mouth? They’d checked before entering and seen nothing around or behind the architecture . So where had the monster come from?

Yuying swiftly reacted and brought Lu Yun and Qing Han to her side, moving so quickly that she almost turned into a streak of emerald flame herself .

Crackle .

Rumble .

The maw bit closed and crushed the palace .

“Hahahaha!” A peel of ear-splitting laughter escaped the river G.o.d’s mouth . “Come, you lowly slaves! Didn’t you want to capture me? Come on!!”

She stood inside the giant mouth, losing all semblance of sanity .

Raaaaaaaagh .  A low growl emitted from the mouth of the giant monster .

Rumble rumble rumble .  

The terrain under the abyss trembled and rumbled as terrible cracks spread through the palace . Something was emerging from the earth .

“What, what have you done?!” screamed the panicked zombie king . The tomb for the living was shaking and wavering, covering the barrier with fine cracks .

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“Halt!” ordered a clear voice before a corpsefish swam out from underneath the monster, her body penetrated by a bra.s.s spear . It was the last river G.o.d, who’d been nailed to the wall .

Her body transformed in the next moment, keeping the fish tail but turning her upper body into that of a beautiful human girl . Just like the current river G.o.d, she, too, was a mermaid .

Her figure was full and l.u.s.trous, her complexion radiant . Long, pale blue locks floated as if underwater . She now fully resembled her living self . Wrapping her slim hand around the spear in her chest, she yanked it out with a firm tug .

“Go back from whence you came!” she snapped, the spear radiating beams of iridescent light, suppressing the giant monster erupting from the earth .

Gradually, peace returned to the abyss . The underwater palace reemerged before Lu Yun, but now it was eerie and terrifying in his eyes .

“Humans should not be here,” the mermaid turned and disapproved in a lilting voice .

“Aren’t, aren’t you dead?” Qing Han stared at the mermaid, wide eyed and tongue tied . Her curvy body brought a faint blush to his cheeks .

The mermaid sighed faintly but didn’t respond . “This is the Divinewater Talisman of the clan residing in the Dragon Palace . If you manage to enter the Dusk River, this will allow you to escape . ”

With a flip of the G.o.d’s wrist, the droplet-shaped talisman fell into Qing Han’s hand . Then, she buried the spear back into her chest with a sudden motion . Her body slowly reverted back into that of a corpsefish and pinned itself to the exterior wall of the palace .

Silence was restored to the bottom of the abyss . It was as if nothing had happened, and the previous river G.o.d hadn’t made an appearance at all .

“The Dusk River G.o.d is a true G.o.d, born of sacrifice and wors.h.i.+p,” murmured Yuying . “Although she’s been dead for a thousand of years, her will to protect all lives lingers… . Perhaps it really was her who sealed the great tomb . ”

“Then why would she leave instructions for such a terrible ritual, using ninety-nine pairs of children as tribute?” Lu Yun stared at the dead corpsefish, befuddled .

“I’ve read records from the year of the disturbance . It’s said that the ritual the river G.o.d pa.s.sed down didn’t use young boys and girls as tribute, but wood, gra.s.s, and dogs made from hay . Wors.h.i.+ppers received strength in exchange for the sacrifices .

“However, the next governor appointed after the great disturbance believed the power one received from offering gra.s.s and wood wasn’t enough to keep the great tomb sealed . Therefore, he changed the sacrificial goods to children, while leaving the rest of the ritual the same . ” Qing Han spilled the beans on everything he knew . He had previously labeled the Dusk River Sacrament as nothing more than a conspiracy, but hadn’t dwelled on the details . But now that the previous river G.o.d had shown herself and saved them even after her death, the disguised girl realized there was something amiss .

“The river G.o.d must’ve fallen victim to a plot too . ” Lu Yun frowned . “Who was the governor after the calamity?”

The previous governor had died in the unrest, so there would’ve been a new one appointed after him .

“Wayfarer,” replied Qing Han .

“What?!” Yuying started, looking at Qing Han in disbelief . “What did you say? Wayfarer? Which one?”

“There’s only ever been one—the master artist known as the Art Saint . ” Qing Han considered Yuying carefully . The latter’s ident.i.ty was very apparent now .

Wayfarer and Yuying had been very close, both as master and disciple, and close friends . Many had viewed them as a match made in heaven .

If Wayfarer had been the next governor, he must be responsible for everything, including the calamity in Dusk Province a thousand years ago . He’d even gotten the previous river G.o.d killed .

However, Lu Yun had unanswered questions . Everyone had seen the river G.o.d falling into the river after exhausting her power . Why was there a spear embedded in her, then? And how had she turned into a corpsefish?

“What are you doing here?” Lu Yun asked when he saw the zombie king, Mo Yi, Feinie, and the three august immortals walk out of the tomb for the living .

“The barrier is broken,” the zombie king responded with an impa.s.sive expression . “We are here to welcome our death . ” Her eyes glinted with bloodl.u.s.t . If it hadn’t been for the mermaid driving away the local monsters, everyone in the tomb would’ve already been eaten .

“Wait!” hurried out Lu Yun before the zombie king could open up with slaughter . “She gifted us with a Divinewater Talisman . If we can enter the river, we’ll be able to escape with it!”

“What?!” The zombie king lit up with excitement .

“Before that, however,” Lu Yun said decisively, “I’m going to capture that false river G.o.d!”

The river G.o.d was still hiding in the palace and sneaking glances outside .

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