Chapter 554: 507 The Serpent of Shadow Images

Having received Xing Cang's invitation, Tang Zhao appeared extremely reluctant, wavering back and forth, until he "had no choice" but to agree.

However, he insisted on holding the white fox, as if he wanted to use the "YoungMaster's Sword Image" as a shield, and his face inevitably revealed an expression of resignation to his fate.

Xing Cang did not mind at all, revealing a kind smile. He entered the carriage first, chased out the sword-slave who had been serving inside, and let "Xing Qi" sit opposite him. Xing Wu, watching Xing Qi being pulled into Xing Cang's carriage, could not help but be filled with worry.

The two sat opposite each other in the carriage. Seeing the other's restless demeanor, Xing Cang did not display any might; instead, he spoke to soothe him, taking his hand and asking after his well-being, as if Xing Qi had just returned from abroad and the two had not seen each other for a year or so. If anyone were to look into the carriage through the window, they would surely think they were the closest of friends.

Tu Fei naturally did not care about the internal strife of Changfa Manor; he gave an order and boarded his own carriage.

Following Tu Fei's order, the carriage procession turned.

To the west of Yulang City, there was a mountain range as straight and towering as a sheer cliff.

Whether it was a sunny day or an overcast one, the mountain range was always gray-white. Seen from afar, it looked like a wall carved by human hands, standing silently at the edge of one's vision. Its height was remarkably uniform, forcibly raising the skyline by a hundred zhang.

Even those very familiar with this place would feel a sense of bewilderment upon seeing such a mountain body that looked as if it had been cleaved by knives and axes, as if it were a wall built by immortals, enclosing the Human World within and another world without.

Because it resembled human work yet was so majestic that no human could achieve it, such a giant object would give people an instinctive sense of fear. No one knew when it began, but bizarre legends about that mountain emerged one after another. The various tribes on the desert passed down countless stories of gods and demons dwelling on that mountain wall.

This "Wall of the Human World" that people held in awe was called Anxi Mountain.

But in the mouths of those who knew a little bit of the inside story, it was called Wangliang Mountain.

The reason it was said to be those who knew "a little bit" of the inside story was because those who truly understood a lot knew that Anxi Mountain was not Wangliang Mountain.

Wangliang Mountain did not truly exist as a mountain in this world.

If one had to insist it truly existed, one could only say it existed within the shadow of Anxi Mountain.

This was Tang Zhao's first time officially setting foot on Wangliang Mountain, but it was not his first time approaching Anxi Mountain.

For the past half month, Tang Zhao had been living in Yulang City, thirty miles away from Anxi Mountain, and had come to the area around the foot of Anxi Mountain many times to scout. Especially after making contact with Wei Zhangle, he had observed the environment of Anxi Mountain under his guidance and verified it against the intelligence collected. Every time he saw this mountain, he still felt it was strangely extraordinary.

The incredible height and the steep slope perpendicular to the ground of Anxi Mountain could only be described as the work of ghosts and gods, but what was most bizarre was its shadow—

The shadows of all things in the world changed with the light. For example, the shadows of ordinary mountains, like tree shadows, were long and slanted in the morning and evening but in different directions, short and thick at noon, and almost invisible when illuminated from directly above. But Anxi Mountain was different; the shadow of Anxi Mountain was eternal and unchanging.

At the foot of Anxi Mountain, there were stretches of shadow, vast and expansive, like the magnificent skirt of a dress worn by Anxi Mountain. From the moment the first ray of Sunlight hit the mountain in the morning until night completely descended upon the earth, the shadow of Anxi Mountain was always that wide, that long, and that unfathomably deep.

That patch of shadow was as uniform as the mountain wall, except for a circular bulge in the very center, with a faint gap in the middle, as if it were a portal, or like the wide-open mouth of a demon or ghost laughing wildly.

That was the public entrance to Wangliang Mountain—the Abyss Gate.

According to the analysis of the Jing'an Division of Yunzhou, this shadow of Anxi Mountain was perhaps the true body of Wangliang, or at least an avatar of Wangliang used to connect to the true body. And Wangliang Mountain was likely inside Wangliang. The Abyss Gate was the mouth of Wangliang, or an opening similar to the seven orifices, connecting the inside and outside of Wangliang's body.

The interior of Wangliang should be layered. The lowest level was the legendary "Shadow Kingdom," where everything was reduced to mere shadows. But the upper levels should still resemble the real world, where slave owners and sword-slaves lived, able to survive like ordinary people.

But when Tang Zhao came here in person to investigate, he had always harbored doubts. Today, as the team bypassed the Abyss Gate, he believed this speculation even less:

Why was there no aura of destruction here?

According to what Jinwu said, Wangliang was suppressed by the Destruction Sword Intent and unable to move. Even if it had recovered now, or even counter-suppressed the destruction, it could not have completely devoured the destruction, and even if it had, it would surely still carry a residual aura.

And Tang Zhao, as the heir to one-third of the Jinwu Sword, was very sensitive to the Jinwu Sword Intent; it was impossible for him to see that patch of shadow before his eyes and have absolutely no reaction.

Perhaps Wangliang was still hiding in a deeper place, and this shadow of Anxi Mountain was merely its "outer garment," or...

A projection of Wangliang?

Come to think of it, the original meaning of Wangliang was "Shadow of Shadow." Could this patch of shadow be called "Shadow of Shadow of Shadow"?

Could this be nested infinitely?

Tang Zhao was certainly doubtful, but he was also mentally prepared: how could one figure out the bottom line of Wangliang by just touching and looking at the edges? If one could not enter the tiger's den, let alone the tiger's cub, one wouldn't even be able to touch a single hair of the tiger.

"Ah Qi."

Tang Zhao's Spirit tightened, and he looked at Xing Cang sitting opposite him. The old man was wearing a kind smile.

Tang Zhao immediately said respectfully and cautiously: "Grand Steward."

Xing Cang smiled and said: "No need to be so nervous. Returning to Wangliang Mountain is returning home. Could it be that you are nervous about returning home? It couldn't be that you are nervous because of me, could it?"

Tang Zhao said: "How could that be? Being with the Grand Steward is like being with family—no, it is family. How could I be nervous? I am just... nervous about the Yinglang Bridge."

Xing Cang feigned realization: "I see, this is your first time crossing the Yinglang Bridge, right?"

Tang Zhao said: "Yes, I haven't had that honor before."

In truth, he did not know if Xing Qi had crossed the Yinglang Bridge or not. It was impossible to ask about such trivial details, but he could not hesitate, so he pulled it out as an excuse.

Logically speaking, it was impossible for Xing Qi to have crossed it.

Still, as the saying goes, if the bet was lost... it was lost, and he would just flip the table immediately. With his strength as a fallback, he was not afraid even if he lost.

Xing Cang said: "It is indeed an honor. Only First Tier Manors and a few special Second-tier Manors can open the Yinglang Bridge, because opening the Yinglang Bridge requires Asking the messenger of Lord Wangliang. Marginal manors like ours cannot get a response, and don't even have the qualifications to Ask. Today, we are all basking in the light of Changyi Manor. However, you don't need to be too nervous. I crossed the Yinglang Bridge once in my youth. Before crossing, I was trembling with fear and didn't dare to raise my head, but after crossing, it was nothing. Rather than worrying about the road, it is better to focus on the destination. There may be many paths in the process, but there is only one correct destination."

His words were meaningful. Tang Zhao just wanted to probe him: "Back then, how many years ago was that?"

If it were before, Tang Zhao would have had to probe him a bit, but ever since he received the accurate news from Wei Zhangle, he had gained certainty. Once certain, there was no need to probe, so he only cooperatively revealed an expression that was astonished, respectful, and carried a tiny bit of dread, saying: "Could it be that you also received the favor of a First Tier Manor in the past?"

Xing Cang shook his head and said: "A First Tier Manor, what does that count for? Crawling at the feet of giants, we are all ants. Take Tu Fei for example; he accepts the Master's wealth and runs about like a lackey. Can he also use 'favor' on us?"

Tang Zhao thought: You certainly have a big mouth. The man is right in front; do you want to be even louder?

Of course, as he said, a down-and-out household among the First Tier Manors like Changyi Manor really didn't have much face. Changyi Manor couldn't even produce a single Sword Hero, so Xing Cang didn't face much risk even if he despised him.

However, not all First Tier Manors were like this. According to the intelligence Tang Zhao had obtained, at least three First Tier Manors possessed strength worth taking seriously, with more than one or two Sword Heroes.

Not to mention the authority possessed by First Tier Manors.

Just now, Xing Cang also said that First Tier Manors could directly communicate with the messenger of Wangliang.

The messenger of Wangliang was as mysterious and unfathomable as Wangliang itself. Outsiders didn't even know how many messengers it had, let alone their strength or identities. In all the data of the Yunzhou Jing'an Division, only one could be confirmed.

At this moment, the carriage procession had already bypassed the front of Anxi Mountain and arrived under a cliff.

This was Tang Zhao's first time coming here, but he immediately noticed the inconsistency.

The shadow here had a gap.

The gap here did not mean the shadow looked like a pancake that had been bitten by someone, where anyone could see an obvious defect, but rather that a portion of light-colored traces appeared within the shadow. It could not be seen from afar, but one could see it immediately upon getting close.

The shape of the gap was like a snake as thick as a water barrel coiled up. Even though the outline was not very clear, it made one's hair stand on end as if it were a living snake. Getting closer, one could even seem to hear a "hissing" sound of a tongue flicking in one's ears.

Getting closer still, at the position of the snake's head, there was a mark like a laugh, which seemed to be the snake's mouth. It might not look like the gap of the Abyss Gate, but it shared the same spirit.

Inside the snake's mouth was another color, having the feeling of a water surface in the night. Although it was also black, it shimmered with a faint, rippling light.

"It really is it. The legendary envoy of Wangliang—the Shadow-Coiling Snake."

The group stopped ten zhang away. Tu Fei stood at the very front, and the White-haired Swordsman from his manor held out a dark-colored box for him.

The box was shaped somewhat like a snake's head, and the silver dark patterns on it resembled individual snake scales.

Xing Cang's white beard twitched, and he seemed to mutter, "So it defected to the Coiling..."

But the voice was very low; apart from the white fox that had been staring at him, no one heard it.

The box was opened, revealing the treasure held within a Jade Plate.

At first glance, it was a drab pile of cloth, but upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a long robe.

The Third-tier Manors of Wangliang Mountain have all sorts of names; one can call them whatever one likes. Second-tier Manors have fixed rules, with names chosen to sound grand and lofty, such as those related to the sun, moon, stars, and the like. Moreover, it is implied that after a Third-tier Manor is promoted to a Second-tier Manor, it will inherit this character. For example, before Anxing Manor was promoted to the second tier, it was called Anyu Manor; after the promotion, it became Anxing Manor.

Only the eight First Rank Manors have ordinary names related to clothing, food, housing, and transportation. These names have existed from the beginning and have never changed. The intelligence Tang Zhao collected did not mention what these names actually meant. But Tang Zhao guessed for himself that they might relate to specific artifacts with special uses.

Today, Changyi Manor bringing out a long robe could be considered confirmation of Tang Zhao's guess.

The long robe is likely an item "bestowed" by Wangliang.

Tu Fei stood by the Dark Shadow River, muttering words, seemingly reciting a prayer. Beside him, the sword slaves knelt all over the ground, and the White-haired Swordsmen from the manor also followed along in silent prayer. They were so familiar with the process that it left the bumpkins from Changyi Manor at a loss; from Xing Cang on down, they could only stand aside with their hands bound, silently watching.

Then, he reached out and pulled, drawing from the plate holding the clothes a...

Shadow.

The shadow of a garment detached from the long robe and transformed into a cotton-like object.

Origin Energy!

But it was not Sword Essence, nor was it the pure Origin Energy between heaven and earth, but a specially existing energy.

The fissure of the Shadow-Coiling suddenly stretched, as if a snake had struck, swallowing the Origin Energy.

"Yinglang Bridge, rise!"

Tang Zhao steadied his gaze, and before he could see the bridge, he first saw the river!