Translated by TheFireTrucker.
Book 2: The Golden Lock of the Eight Gates
Chapter 8: Soar Through the Sky
After resting for a day, all of Zhong Shan's injuries have healed, even the repercussions of the Demonic Body Tonic Method was negated.
However, in this one day's time, due to the sealed cave entrance, the temperature inside had risen higher and higher and the air had become thinner and thinner. To the side, Tianling-er was panting and her face was thoroughly red. Even if they had two months worth of supplies, they wouldn't last that long.
"Zhong Shan, what's the plan, hurry up." Rushed Tianling-er.
Seeing Tianling-er, Zhong Shan shook his head and smiled, "Follow my instructions carefully."
"Alright, alright." nodded Tianling-er immediately, as if it'll speed up the process.
"How long can you extend your red silk?" asked Zhong Shan.
"Since it's been torn, at most it can extend one hundred metres, however, it cannot fly." said Tianling-er shaking her head.
"One hundred metres? That's enough." Nodded Zhong Shan.
"Huh?" Tianling-er watched Zhong Shan with a confused expression, not knowing what her torn red silk had to do with his plan.
"Wrap your red silk around my waist, and I'll climb up to check out the tunnel. If I accidentally fall, then pull me towards the ground, don't let me fall in the lava." Said Zhong Shan sternly staring Tianling-er in the eyes.
"Zhong Shan, you not gonna ask me to climb up there with you are you? It's so high, I don't think my red silk can manage that." Asked Tianling-er.
"Nobody said you're climbing too. Listen to me, understand?" Reiterated Zhong Shan.
Hearing Zhong Shan's stern tone, Tianling-er was inclined to agree so she found herself nodding.
"Okay then." Zhong Shan said, satisfied.
Then Tianling-er brought out her red silk and wrapped one end around Zhong Shan's waist, whilst she held onto the other.
Zhong Shan stuck to the walls, and slowly started to climb. Eventually, he reached a point where he hung below the ceiling of the cavern, but only when Zhong Shan has five fingers firmly dug into the stone does he dare to continue to climb.
This part of the cavern was curved, it was similar to the shape of a wine bottle. Zhong Shan's body continued to move up slowly.
The moment when Zhong Shan transitioned from hanging on the underside horizontally to once again vertically upright, he let out a sigh of relief.
Below him was now bubbling lava, if he was to fall in, at his level there wouldn't even be dust left of him.
Feeling the immense heat rising, Zhong Shan felt his sweat trickle down his face, as he continued to climb upwards. This vertical wall felt like it was even harder, only with his full strength can he dig out holes for his fingers.
Finally, three metres higher, Zhong Shan saw what he was looking for, water vapour, or rather, steam. Huge amounts of water has evaporated and since formed steam which rose up there.
He continued to climb carefully.
"Crack."
His foot slipped, and with a shock, he firmly dug his fingers into the holes. A very close call, he had almost fallen. Even with Tianling-er below him, had there been some unexpected happenings then he would've died. With fear in his heart, he carried on, paying much more attention to where he put his feet.
The underground reservoir is about ten metres deep. Beyond the ten metres, he'll reach dry stone and there won't be any water there at all, the underground reservoir doesn't reach through there.
With one hand, he held onto the finger holes firmly and with the other, he grabbed his machete and started to dig into the rock.
He had chipped away at the stone wall until he made a deep hole, then round the bottleneck, he dug a groove into the wall, like a slot into which he slid a large amount of stone slabs that was stored in his storage bracelet. Firmly embedded into the groove, over half of the stone slabs remained outside.
And so, there was now a platform of about half a meter wide in the air.
Zhong Shan looked around, the space where he was was about five metres in diameter.
Retracing his steps, he carefully climbed back down to where Tianling-er was, he looked at her and smiled.
"So? What were you doing up there? Don't tell me you plan to build steps all the way up to the top?" asked Tianling-er with a worried tone.
Shaking his head, Zhong Shan didn't answer, he just smiled and began to search the cavern. Eventually he found a large piece of rock, which was about six metres wide, and using the techniques he practiced to cut along the cracks, he began to carve the stone. Soon after, that large piece of rock had been carved into a large circular bowl-shaped disc.
"Ling-er, strap this piece of stone to my back, I'm going back up."
"Huh? You're taking this huge rock with you?" asked Tianling-er incredulously.
"Yep." nodded Zhong Shan.
"Then why don't you just climb up first and then pull the rock up after?" Said Tianling-er happily, as if she thought up a cleverer plan than Zhong Shan.
"But then, what if I fall down?" Zhong Shan smiled.
With that, Tianling-er's smile faded, indeed, if he fell as he was hauling the rock up, then there would be no hope for survival.
Shaking his head, Zhong Shan laughed. Using the red silk to strap the stone to his back, despite the higher difficulty in moving, Zhong Shan was strong and this little weight didn't bother him much.
Following his path up again, he reached the platform he inserted into the groove.
Zhong Shan very carefully, brought the stone disc forward and very very carefully, set it on the platform. The balancing was difficult due to the curved nature of the disc but in the end he found the position where it sat somewhat sturdily.
With the careful placement in mind, Zhong Shan climb into the disc, testing it and finding it just stable enough.
Sitting inside the disc, he had one hand dug into the wall and another holding onto the red silk, he called, "Ling-er, tie the red silk to your waist and follow me up here."
"Okay, I'm coming." answered Tianling-er excitedly.
Quickly, wrapping the silk around her waist, she copied Zhong Shan's path and climb up using Zhong Shan's fingerholds, it looked fun and easy, but in actuality, it was unfathomably difficult, and dangerous.
Tianling-er gritted her teeth and slowly climbed.
Zhong Shan also slowly wound the red silk up.
Reached the level of the underground reservoir, the water vapour made the rock in that area quite slippery.
"Oh my, ahhh~~~~~~~~~~"
Tianling-er slipped, and with her terrified reaction, she let out a piercing scream as she fell.
Dead? It was lava beneath her, Tianling-er was utterly frightened stiff.
"Beng~~~" The red silk held taut and held Tianling-er up.
She spun above the lava, and she was so scared she hung there stunned for a long time.
"Stop dazing about, get up here." called Zhong Shan from above. This shaking back and forth, what is it, a swing?
"Oh, oh yeah." Said Tianling-er snapping out of her shock, grabbed onto the red silk and started pulling herself up.
Reaching the large protruding slab, Tianling-er grabbed onto it as she lied down.
"Scary, so scary, scared me to death." Muttered Tianling-er incessantly. Her life literally hung by a thread, if it wasn't for the red silk, she'd have perished.
Seeing Tianling-er, Zhong Shan smiled.
"You alright? We're getting out." said Zhong Shan.
"Out?" Tianling-er looked up, all the way up, there had to be at least three thousand more metres to go, how would they get out?
"This time, I'm taking you flying." Said Zhong Shan confidently.
"Flying?" Exclaimed Tianling-er.
"Lie down firmly and grab onto the red silk, I'll come back shortly." said Zhong Shan.
"Okay." Replied Tianling-er even though she has no idea what's happening, however, she still did as he asked.
Preparing himself, Zhong Shan moved down, seeing the lava beneath him, he swallowed his saliva. This will work.
He drew his machete and looking around the area, he saw water vapour, water vapour everywhere.
Zhong Shan concentrated and aiming towards one part of the wall, he slashed his machete.
"Craackk~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
A loud sound exploded as one part of the wall was cleaved open.
Another slash, and another part of the wall cleaved open.
Slash, slash, slash.
"Crack, crack, crack ~~~~~~~" Rapidly slashing, the entire circumference of the underground reservoir was cleaved open. Through those cracks in the rock, the water started gushing out.
Seeing this, Zhong Shan sheathed his machete and quickly climbed back to the large rock disc.
"Zhong Shan, what did you do?" exclaimed Tianling-er.
Seeing Tianling-er sitting there, Zhong Shan's eyes widened and immediately grabbed onto Tianling-er and pushed her down flat against the disc.
Holding onto her tightly, he held onto her, so much so that the two bodies didn't have any space between them.
Being grabbed by Zhong Shan like this suddenly shocked Tianling-er, as her expression was of disbelief. What is Zhong Shan going to do?
Just when Tianling-er was going to fight back, suddenly:
"Bang~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
From below, a sudden explosion rang through the air.
Large amounts of water, flowed from the underground reservoir like a sea and poured onto the lava below. If there was just a bit of water, then it would've all evaporated before it even hit the lava, however this amount of water was too much.
Before hitting the lava below, only a portion of the water was evaporated, however, once the water made contact with the lava, the only possibility is for the water to all evaporate into steam.
One part water turned into a thousand parts gas.
The environment below was a firmly sealed cavern, the only way for the air to flow was upwards.
In that moment, the sea-like volume of underground water turned into steam in the blink of an eye.
In that moment, the cavern became a makeshift cannon, but more than a thousand time stronger.
An enormous air cannon aimed upwards, fired.
"Whooooooooooooooooosh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The large rock that Zhong Shan was on soared through the sky. The powerful force of flowing air forced even the heavy rock to launch, as though it was the ammunition for a cannon, and at such a high velocity, it soared through the sky.
Tianling-er had wanted to retaliate against Zhong Shan's 'attack' when suddenly, an explosion rang from below. Then Tianling-er felt the rock beneath her back, suddenly force her up. It forced Zhong Shan's and her body closer together, causing them to press against each other even closer. It was as if the force was trying to force her body into his.
Flying? The rock is flying? How is this rock carrying us and flying? Tianling-er was thoroughly stunned throughout this entire ordeal. Zhong Shan can really fly me out of here?
But then, Tianling-er's face flushed red at the thought of their bodies so close together. Because their chests are pressed together, it felt like the two had become one.