Ancient Temple
In the southern border badlands, at the extreme south of the Divine Land, legend said that it was inhospitable, abounded with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts. And the most glaring difference with the Central Plains was in the extreme south, lofty majestic mountain ranges, one after another, like erupting abruptly out of the ground, towering into the clouds, cutting off the south from the north.
Since ancient times, because of the fertile Central Plains, very few people ventured into the southern border, there was no other reasons, first the road was precipitous, second too many ferocious beasts and poisonous insects, miasma and unclean water and the most of the land was barren, unable to be cultivated. Later on without knowing since when, a rumour started that in the infinite great mountains of the southern border, there were different kinds of barbaric tribes which devoured raw meats and were savage and bloodthirsty, and among them there were even horrible cannibals, as such even lesser people dared to venture in. Instead the world shook in dread, worried day and night that one day those barbaric tribes would suddenly ran out from those great mountains and invade the Central Plains, endangering the world.
But for the past thousand years, there were no rumours of wild tribes attacking people. Although occasionally at the southern border frontier, from time to time there were sightings of queer creatures that looked like the tribes but most probably the rumours died off and people gradually forgot about it. In the current times, even for the people living at the fringe of the southern border, probably only the mothers would say, ‘If you don’t listen, those monsters from the wild tribes will come and catch you’ these kind of words while coaxing the children to bed, in normal days, nobody had seriously considered if those tribes really existed in the deep mountains, not to mention those living thousands of miles away in the Central Plains.
Speaking of which, that ten thousands great mountains shrouded within the layers of mists had already became a place forgotten by the people.
But even though the common people had forgotten about those tribes but some true enlightened Taoist priests did not. Regardless whether it was Good or Evil Faction, as long as those who were slightly more senior would know for the past thousand years, the reason why the south’s tribes were unable to scourge the world was because of the Good Faction huge sect, ‘FenXiang Valley’.
The majestic ten thousands lofty mountains, isolated the communications between north and south. The Central Plains folks were unable to travel down south and those wild tribes were unable to travel up north but a thousand years before, an unimaginable great calamity descended from Heaven, innumerable number of common people within a radius of thousand miles died. After the calamity, someone discovered that in the middle of the lofty mountain ranges, the mighty lightning from the sky actually cleaved off somewhere in the lofty mountains, revealing a three chi wide, black and gloomy small path.
And it was from then on, rumours started that in the ten thousands great mountains, concealed strange wild tribes and from time to time, invaded and harassed the common folks. The common people living at the border was miserable until the appearance of FenXiang Valley.
Among the various sects in the Good Faction, FenXiang Valley had the most mysterious origin, the earliest record was at one thousand and five hundred years ago which mentioned a group of FenXiang Valley disciples roaming the world. If to compare only the history, in the world only Qing Yun Sect and the Evil Sect’s histories were longer than FenXiang Valley, even TianYin Temple was shorter.
But even though it was so, this sect had always been the the most low-profile. Although a few highly skilled cultivated Taoist priests would emerge from time to time but their influences over the world’s matters were not great. Until eight hundred years ago, at the fringe of the southern border near that dark tunnel, this sect found a mountain valley and settled down and since then known as the ‘FenXiang Valley’. And in the eight hundred years, unbelievable highly skilled martial fighters came forth in large numbers, their powers flourishing by the day and until today, it was already standing equal with Qing Yun Sect, TianYin Temple, becoming one of the three great sects of the world’s Good Faction.
And fittingly, the current valley master of FenXiang Valley, Yun YiLan, together with Qing Yun Sect Reverend DaoXuan, Tian Yin Temple PuHong, were the Good Faction’s main pillars. Just that this person had always been low-keyed and his reputation were inferior to the other two.
Because of the location, FenXiang Valley almost instinctively took up the responsibility of guarding that dim, dark small path, known locally as the ‘Black Hole’. Since then, there were no more rumours of creatures from the wild tribes harassing the common people. Hence to the local common people, FenXiang Valley had an extremely high prestige and revered by the people like immortals.
All of these information were recorded in the Evil Sect Ghost King Sect and in these ten years, Ghost Li had read it and now slowly recalled it in his head. It was already the third day he had travelled south since the day he had approached Zhou YiXian to inquire about the human fish tribe. Making haste during the journey, he had managed to reach the area near the ten thousands great mountains.
The night was already late, this night, the moon was right in the sky, the clouds were slightly thick, a few stars missing but the moonlight was clear and bright, shone onto the world, illuminating the hill where he was settling at.
Ghost Li stood on the hill, gazed towards the south, frowning slightly. Xiao Hui the monkey was still crouching at his shoulder, holding a wild fruit plucked from somewhere, gnawing deliciously at it.
On his journey here, for the first two days he was still able to find the signs left behind by Kill-the-living Monk but today, Kill-the-living Monk seemed to have vanished. However from the messages that he had left in the previous days, the Kill-the-living Monk who was skilled in the art of pursuing had already confirmed that those mysterious human fish people were swiftly moving south, their goals obviously trying to return to their southern border lair.
Unless, Kill-the-living Monk already had a confrontation with those mysterious human fish people?
Ghost Li sighed softly, a trace of worry flashed through his eyes. The barbaric tribes were obviously very much different from Central Plains figures and this had been mentioned many times in the Ghost King sect remnant records. Those people there never knew what was enlightenment and cultivation but seemed to have all sorts of strange witchcrafts, inconceivable.
Kill-the-living Monk was young and had a fiery character but was an outstanding figure among the younger generations of the Ghost King sect and usually followed around Ghost Li, a capable man.
Now that he had mysteriously disappeared, Ghost Li felt worried. Right now he gazed ahead, in the heavy black night, shadows seemed to be moving in the southern area, like some enormous animal was making threatening gestures, most probably that must be the legendary ten thousands giant mountains. And at some place below that range of mountains, would be the legendary mysterious FenXiang Valley.
The southern border had always been FenXiang Valley territory, an Evil Sect disciple venturing in alone, needless to say, it was dangerous.
While Ghost Li was pondering, suddenly he had a sense and raised his head to look, only a moon hung solitary in the horizon, traversing through the faint dark clouds, suddenly it felt somehow unnatural.
A dark red light suddenly appeared in the night sky, under the clear moonlight, swept past the horizon and landed among the mountains in the south.
Ghost Li stared at that strange red light, both of his brows slowly knitted, after a moment he made up his mind, patted Xiao Hui on his shoulder and the dark-green light below his feet lighted up, the Soul-Absorbing Stick gleamed with faint light, supporting him and Xiao Hui, slowly rose and abruptly increased in speed, pursuing in that red light direction.
x x x
Since when, the dark clouds in the night sky gradually increased in numbers, that solitude moon in the horizon, the moonlight gradually darkened and a gloomy unnatural atmosphere that seemed to exist only in southern border, turned thicker and thicker in this night.
That mysterious red light flew for a while and landed between the mountains which were about ten miles south away from where Ghost Li was hiding. There were many mountains in the southern border and vegetations abounded on the mountains, just that in the forest on this nameless small mountain, there was a desolate ancient temple. That red light landed before that temple, wavered and a bony old person walked out.
He glanced around the surroundings and after checking to see that there was no one around, he walked into the ancient temple.
Wild mountainous terrain, dilapidated ancient temple but someone still came in the middle of the night, naturally there was something secretive. After a moment, in the shadows of the forest outside the ancient temple, Ghost Li’s figure slowly emerged. He studied the nameless ancient temple for a moment and then raised his head to look at the sky again. The clouds had turned darker, gradually obscuring the moon.
His figure flashed and he silently moved towards the ancient temple.
This ancient temple evidently was in a disrepair for a very long time, crumbling fences and dilapidated walls inside the temple, even the main hall from the outside also looked extremely broken-down, everywhere were holes. The cold night breeze blew over, the broken windows [zhi ya] swayed, the quiet noise seemed especially miserable in the night, with an added feeling of uncanniness.
In the main hall’s darkness, a faint voice suddenly rang out, softly floated out.