Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty Five – This Is … …
In the night, the five slave transporting boats silently advanced.
“A Gui, we are going to Cloud Sea Jie,” Zuo Mo lightly said to A Gui beside him. The puppet-like A Gui was lifeless, appearing so fragile she invoked pity. Whenever he thought of A Gui blocking the attack above Golden Crow City sacrificing herself in the process, Zuo Mo felt his heart tremble.
Lil’ Black was still sleeping as usual, Lil’ Pagoda and Lil’ Fire were playing without worry but Silly Bird was acting out of the ordinary. She stood silently beside A Gui, her grey feathers lightly trembling.
Gongsun Cha, Shu Long, Xie Shan, and the others were gathered on this slave transporting boat. After Xie Shan entered jindan, he left the Sky Peak Platoon to act as Zuo Mo’s personal guard. Ma Fan became the leader of Sky Peak Platoon, Nian Lu and Lei Peng his vice-commanders. In this period of time, the effect of continuous battle was very evident on everyone’s development. There were eighteen more xiuzhe of Vermillion Bird Camp that had comprehended sword essence. The number of people in Sky Peak Platoon had increased rather than decreased even with Xie Shan’s departure, and reached a total of thirty people.
The forging division hadn’t been idle in this time. Due to the fact everyone used Golden Crow Fire, adopting the name Golden Crow Camp had received unanimous consent. Golden Crow Camp underwent further reorganization. The forging division was its most important division. Other than that, the dan-making division and other divisions were made into separate branches of Golden Crow Camp. Of the five slave transporting boats, two were especially set aside for Golden Crow Camp to construct specialized dan-making and forging rooms.
As their experience accumulated, everyone gradually created an effective system.
Xie Shan who had been resting suddenly opened his eyes. He glanced in the distance and a light flashed through his eyes. “This group of people are really not letting go.”
From the moment they had departed Hundred Flower Valley, there had been people following them along the entire way.
“Ignore them,” Zuo Mo said. Their travel was concealed as much as possible but it could not be completely concealed from those with the intention to follow. These scouts were very alert, did not come close and only trailed from far away.
After flying for another four hours, the ground underneath them turned from hills to plains. An enormous formation entered everyone’s field of view.
“Whoa, so big!”
“Powerful! Such a big transporting formation!”
The people on the slave transporting boats became excited, stretching their necks out to look at the enormous formation at the ground.
The Sky Water Transporting Formation was over ten li in radius and was one of the largest transporting formations in Sky Water Jie. In the darkness, the enormous transporting formation flashed with light that made it even more enchanting.
Zuo Mo’s face was filled with shock. Of all the kinds of formations, transporting formations were famed for their difficulty. It was hard to imagine just how difficult it had been to make such an enormous formation. The transporting formations of Sky Moon Jie compared to this one were like toys that children played with. Sky Water Jie was much stronger and prosperous than Sky Moon Jie. This transporting formation was a evidence of the difference in wealth.
“Let’s go down.”
The five slave transporting boats slowly landed. Vermillion Bird Camp spread out and went on their guard to stop others from coming close.
Zuo Mo impatiently flew off the boat and into the air above the transporting formation. Gazing at the complex seal scripts of the transporting formation, he was full of admiration. Zuo Mo quickly found that this formation had many places that he could not understand. However, he was not rushed, but took out a blank jade scroll to record down all the seal scripts of the transportation formation so he could study it in the future.
“Such a waste. You xiuzhe’s stuff is just grand yet impractical.” Pu Yao’s voice sounded in Zuo Mo’s mind. He said temptingly, “Little Mo Mo, come learn yao arts, yao arts are very useful.”
Zuo Mo ignored it and asked, “Pu, can you understand this formation?”
Pu Yao deflated. “Don’t understand … …” Then he argued, “I’m a yao, why do I need to understand your formations?”
“If you don’t understand, then shut up,” Zuo Mo shot back. A hint of suspicion flashed across his mind. Why was Pu Yao recently tempting him to learn yao arts? He couldn’t help but think at the same time that the golden core had been a very substantial meal. Pu Yao was much more lively than in the past.
If he ate a few more golden cores, would Pu Yao become a chatterbox?
Zuo Mo shook and decided to guard against this. A person couldn’t be overfed.
After flying multiple circles in the air around the transportation formation, Zuo Mo landed. Even though there were many details on this transportation formation that he did not understand, but he did not find it difficult to use it.
The five slave transporting ships flew inside the formation, and Zuo Mo started to bury jingshi inside the formation. One hundred and twenty four pieces of fourth-grade jingshi. Zuo Mo’s heart bled at the expenditure.
After all one hundred and twenty four pieces of fourth-grade jingshi were embed into the formation, the jingshi lit up one after the other like stars being ignited in the sky. Ten breaths later, all one hundred and twenty four pieces of fourth-grade jingshi were lit up. If one looked down from the sky, they looked like stars. The light started from each pieces of jingshi and flowed following the seal scripts.
Looking at the complex seal scripts slowly light up, everyone felt curiosity and novelty.
The seal scripts of the entire formation were activated. It was extremely crowded, grand and dazzled the eyes. The light suddenly left the seal scripts and slowly floated towards the sky.
“Everyone, pay attention, we’re leaving!”
The excited Zuo Mo couldn’t help but yell.
Before his words landed, everyone inside the formation disappeared. The blinding and grand light turned to countless pieces of light and scattered in the wind like rain.
A moment later, two people appeared beside the formation. One of them was Yan Yang.
Yan Yang’s face was unusually excited. When he had learned of Zuo Mo’s trip, he knew that they were going towards the Sky Water Transportation Formation. They had hurried to get here first, and silently altered the formation to trick Zuo Mo. Yan Yang suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, and respectfully bowed to the person beside him. “Shishu, many thanks for doing this!”
“It’s nothing. I liked Gao Xiu too. This is avenging him,” This person said lightly. “However, you shall not move against Little Mountain City. If Sky Water Jie is in chaos, no one will benefit. The other sects will not agree.”
“This disciple understands,” Yan Yang couldn’t help but ask, “Where will they be transported to?”
“Three thousand jie are like stars in the sky. Only the heavens know where they will go.”
This person waved his sleeve, and dots of light flew out. The dots entered the formation and some seal scripts silently changed.
“This has ended. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
———
Zuo Mo looked in front of him at the sky that seemed to be dyed with blood and suddenly had a bad feeling. Gongsun Cha, Xie Shan, and the others also had serious expressions. Anyone could see that something wasn’t right.
“This isn’t Buddhist Flower Jie!” Zuo Mo said darkly.
Sky Water Jie didn’t have a transportation formation connected directly to Cloud Sea Jie, so they had to first arrive in Buddhist Flower Jie. There was a clear description of Buddhist Flower Jie in Zuo Mo’s jie map. Buddhist Flower Jie’s seasons were all like spring, and the climate was mild.
But what was in front of them … …
The air was filled with a stern killing energy. The sky was tinted with a strange red. Nothing grew on the soil beneath their feet.
Zuo Mo reacted the quickest. He looked below him and his expression changed. “Not good, someone did something to the transportation formation!” The transportation formation under their feet was damaged and incomplete. It clearly had been many years since someone had used it. Many places had been worn away.
Everyone’s expression changed. Travelling among the jie, this was the most frightening scenario. If they suddenly landed in a strange and barren jie, there usually would be one ending, being trapped there until they died.
“Pu, do you know where this is?” Zuo Mo held one last thread of hope in his heart.
“No. You have to be careful. This place … … isn’t right!” Pu Yao’s voice held a rare gravity. Zuo Mo’s heart continuously sank.
Damn it! Without any thought, Zuo Mo could generally guess who had done this. However, there was no meaning in determining who had been working from the shadows at the moment.
Zuo Mo couldn’t help but be nervous as it was the first time he had landed in a situation like this. In the past, no matter if it was Little Mountain Jie or Sky Water Jie, he had never been so nervous no matter how terrible the situation was. He didn’t know what was up ahead. Were there people? Were there dangers?
He didn’t know anything.
Ignorance was the terror in the deepest part of his heart.
Nervousness and insecurity spread among the people. Zuo Mo forced himself to calm down. He knew he couldn’t panic right now. He inhaled deeply and tried to make his voice calmer. “We will go forward. Everyone, prepare to battle at any time.”
Zuo Mo’s efforts were not wasted. Everyone saw that he kept his composure, and it was as though they found their spines. Their restlessness instantly disappeared greatly. At this time, Shu Long and Gongsun Cha also reacted, and quickly calmed down.
The troop methodically started to move. The five slave transporting boats rose into the sky again and started to fly forward.
As they kept on flying, everyone’s expressions became even heavier.
Desolate, a desolation that made everyone feel hopeless. After flying more than a hundred li, they hadn’t seen anything that was living. The ground was burnt black but held a hint of blood red. There was nothing growing. All the mountain peaks were bare and free of any life.
Zuo Mo’s mind suddenly moved. He channelled his ling power, and his expression changed again. He turned and said to Gongsun Cha, “Get them to save their ling power, the ling energy here is too thin.”
Hearing this, Gongsun Cha’s expression shifted slightly. He knew what this meant. The Vermillion Bird Camp xiuzhe that had spread out quickly came back to the slave transporting boats.
Now that the situation was so terrible, Zuo Mo actually completely calmed down. He said to Shu Long, “You try. See what effects this place has on you guys.”
Shu Long hurried to activate his mo skill. He quickly had a joyful expression. “Daren, this place is very suitable for us to use mo skills, it almost … … almost … …” He didn’t know how to explain it.
“The black fiendish energy here is very heavy,” Pu Yao opened again, “and it has benefits for Shu Long and the others.”
“Black fiendish energy?” Zuo Mo ‘s mind moved.
“En, a type of special fiendish energy. They mostly appear on battlefields. This place is probably an old battle field. However… …” Pu Yao suddenly stopped.
“However what?” Zuo Mo asked impatiently.
“Such strong black fiendish energy means two things. One is that this place should have been a battlefield in the past, a battlefield that is very vast, and was the site of colossal battles. The other is time. It will take a long time to create such thick black fiendish energy.”
“How long?”
“Over ten thousand years!”
Hiss, Zuo Mo uncontrollably inhaled.
Ten thousand years … …
“An ancient battlefield from ten thousand years ago … …” Zuo Mo murmured to himself. The desolate scene in front of him became even more vast and desolate! Xie Shan and Shu Long beside him changed expression upon hearing this. Xie Shan even gave an expression of disbelief.
“But … …” Pu Yao stopped in his words.
“But what?” Zuo Mo suddenly shook and blurted.
“If this really is a battlefield, then a world-shaking and great battle was fought here. Such significant battles can be counted on the fingers. It is impossible that I do not know it!” Pu Yao said gravely, “But this place doesn’t match the descriptions of any battlefield that I know of.”
Zuo Mo’s face was ashen white upon hearing this. Coldness crept up his heart, and his limbs.
Translator Ramblings: Zuo Mo falls prey to his ignorance and a whole new unexplored map is in front of him now. This is the end of the transitory arc in Sky Water Jie. You can also consider this little arc the conclusion to the major one before this and see it as a showcase for what Zuo Mo and the others have accomplished. But he’s had too much of a smooth sailing after killing Clear Sky Old Forefather and a (major) setback is a good thing to cut Zuo Mo down to size. He fell prey to his ignorance about formations and his lack of understanding of his enemies.
Also, Lil’ Cliffy is back!