Chapter 562: 515 The Altar

The duration of the Ghost Disaster was longer than imagined.

The group sat listlessly on the sand dune for the better part of a day. During this time, the You Water rose to the mountainside and stopped, but it never showed signs of receding, turning the vast sand dune into an isolated island.

There is no day or night on Wangliang Mountain; the sky remains a pale, unchanging white, yet everyone has a sense of time.

The Sword Guests have their own ways of telling time, and those sword slaves can also guess the hour based on when their stomachs growl.

It must be said that enduring on a sand dune without food or water is truly not something an ordinary person can handle. The Sword Guests were fine, but the sword slaves gradually could not hold on—not because of thirst or hunger, but because of the urgent need to relieve themselves.

Food and water could be managed, but the three urgencies of nature could not be held back.

There were a few important figures on the top of the dune, so they could not let it become foul-smelling. Tang Zhao directed them to dig a hole on the mountainside for emergencies; flushing was certainly impossible, but they could cover it layer by layer with sand. Fortunately, there were not many mortals trapped on the mountain, so they did not end up hollowing out the dune.

After several hours, seeing the sword slaves becoming increasingly listless, Tang Zhao took out food and water to distribute to everyone, and even Tu Fei used some.

Tang Zhao naturally brought out sumptuous dishes to host him and even gave him a comfortable recliner, providing service that truly exceeded expectations. While building a relationship with him, he also asked for quite a bit of intelligence.

When mentioning the Ghost Disaster, Tu Fei did not say much, only that he did not know where it originated, appearing to come from somewhere above the First Tier. Legend says it has occurred since the mountain was established, only now it is becoming increasingly intense, showing it is an unavoidable Natural Disaster.

Their First Rank Manor suffers from it particularly, and they have no peace even when hiding in shadows. Although the You Water will not flood into shadows, its effect of severing communication greatly impacts the manor's operations and also cuts off Sacrifice, making the Abyss Envoy unhappy.

Above the Second Tier of Wangliang Mountain, there is only one place unaffected, and that is the Altar. It is the great Altar that connects the first, second, and third tiers and faces the Lord of Wangliang directly. That place is called a "Shengdi" and is naturally immune to all evil...

Evil?

Although Wangliang Mountain itself is not upright, it cannot find joy with other evils. Evil is also exclusive.

Tang Zhao chatted a few more sentences, but seeing that Tu Fei was unwilling to reveal more information—or perhaps he truly did not know—Tang Zhao turned to ask about currying favor with an Abyss Envoy, inquiring what channels the Changfa Manor could use to curry favor with one.

Tu Fei was willing to talk about this and introduced: "Naturally, you must pray. Every Abyss Envoy has its own specially made incense and favorite offerings. If you obtain a portion of incense and prepare the offerings to begin praying, you can contact a certain Abyss Envoy. If the offerings satisfy the Abyss Envoy, it will bestow a small sacrificial array, and then you will have entered its favor and gained its protection; other manors will not be able to bully you in this regard. If it is also very satisfied with your Master, it might even leave a projection in your manor alone, which is the level of a confidant, and you might even be able to make some additional requests of it."

He also pointed out: "However, before praying, you had best ask an acquaintance to introduce you. Firstly, incense is hard to get; the best way is to buy it from a manor that serves one. Secondly, having someone pass the word ensures that even if you cannot win its favor, you will not invite disaster. Some Abyss Envoys have violent tempers; if they are summoned and see that the offerings are unsatisfactory, they will fly into a rage, which would be detrimental to your manor."

Tang Zhao nodded. The Abyss Envoy was one step closer to Wangliang, and having a channel was beneficial; there might even be an opportunity for a "beheading," so he continued to ask: "Our humble little manor has no one to introduce us; I wonder if you could introduce Lord Panying..."

At this moment, Xing Cang, who was drinking tea nearby, shouted: "Old Seven, you are presumptuous! Is the matter of serving an Abyss Envoy something you can comment on? Does the Master know about this? Without the Master's order, what qualifications do you have to pray to the Changyi Master?"

Tu Fei laughed instead: "No matter. In any case, outsiders cannot understand your manor either. I am willing to be an intermediary. It is just that the Lord Panying I serve is a veteran Abyss Envoy; his elderly self does not lack offerings and has plenty of follower manors, so he is quite picky. His confidants are already full, and newcomers cannot squeeze in, so he is not the best choice. I have heard there are a few newly promoted Abyss Envoys; among them are some who are kind and some who are wise. You can consider them."

Tang Zhao's heart stirred, and he asked: "Is there one called... He?"

Tu Fei said in surprise: "You are well-informed. You must be talking about Lord Xin Ying. It is not that I am disparaging the High Envoy, but this lord's reputation is average; he is neither kind nor wise, he..."

Just as he was speaking, someone shouted: "Abyss Envoy, the Abyss Envoy is here!"

They saw a giant fish flying in the pale sky. On the fish's back, there was a vague shadow sitting. At first glance, it was a human shadow, but upon closer inspection, it was an ape.

A monkey riding a whale?

Tu Fei said happily: "It is Lord Tunying and Lord Yuanying! Good, they have arrived; the Ghost Disaster will end soon."

Tang Zhao thought: Do Abyss Envoys have such great ability that they can resist a Natural Disaster?

The two Abyss Envoys flew past in the sky without glancing at the people below, turning directly; it looked like they were heading toward the Altar.

The few could only gaze at their shadows for a long time before sitting back down to wait silently.

The "soon" end that Tu Fei spoke of did not happen.

Two hours later, they saw the You Water vibrate, as if it had a tendency to recede. But immediately, the momentum was blocked, and it instead came back with a vengeance, flooding up once more.

Seeing the You Water rising even more fiercely, almost exceeding the previous water line, everyone was extremely nervous.

Fortunately, the rise had a limit. After a while, the water receded again, then rose again.

This happened three times, and another half-day of tossing and turning passed.

Xing Wu muttered: "A stalemate... the battle is very intense."

Suddenly, Tang Zhao's heart jolted, and he tilted his head slightly to look into the distance.

That was the direction the Abyss Envoys had just passed, and also the direction of the Altar.

An extremely familiar, extremely majestic aura rushed toward them.

Destruction!

That was not a trace of aura from a sculpture, but pure Destruction Sword Intent!

It was there!

The tug-of-war over there involved Destruction!

Which side was the Destruction Sword Intent on? Was it creating the disaster or suppressing it?

Although they were far apart and could not see a thing, a thought flashed through Tang Zhao's mind: Destruction has appeared in the world; it should be over.

Sure enough, a moment later, the You Water slowly receded.

This time it receded and never returned.

Tang Zhao watched the sky turn gray bit by bit and the sand dune reveal itself bit by bit, realizing that the aura of Destruction was becoming thinner and thinner, finally almost disappearing. At this moment, he heard Xing Wu let out a soft "hum," his voice quite pained.

Tang Zhao turned his head and asked: "What is wrong?"

Xing Wu said hoarsely: "Nothing. Just feeling a bit uncomfortable, as if my internal organs were tugged by someone."

Tang Zhao was lost in thought, then suddenly caught a glimpse of the sword slave he had carried up the mountain.

He suddenly walked over and reached out to pick him up.

The sword slave's face turned pale, and he opened his mouth to cry out, but Tang Zhao was already prepared, covering his mouth to suppress his scream, then placing him on the ground.

The sword slave shook like chaff and said tremblingly: "Deputy Grand Steward... My... Lord..."

Tang Zhao waved his hand and said: "It's fine, go."

It seemed his guess was correct.

Although the Ghost Disaster appeared to be a calamity, for some people, it was a blessing.

Although the You Water had receded, the group did not dare to go down the mountain immediately. They waited on the sand dune for another two hours until the You Water had completely calmed and the river channel had returned to its original state before walking down together.

After this ordeal, not only was the Airship nowhere to be found, but that Wangliang Power-user was also lying on the ground motionless, not knowing if it was broken or if it could not move without orders.

The group could not wait and had to proceed on foot; Tu Fei could only follow them and walk.

Fortunately, the group was considered numerous and powerful, and there were no other disasters after the Ghost Disaster. After trekking for three or four hours, they finally arrived safely in front of a high platform.

He saw that this high platform was built from solid black boulders; from afar, it resembled the shape of a pyramid, yet it was clearly divided into three large tiers. The group was currently on the middle tier, which had several dozen zhang of flat ground, with stairs leading both up and down. Looking up, there was a vague, shadowy platform, and looking down, there was another deep, flat area beneath their feet.

The three tiers were not far apart in terms of visibility, but they were not truly close either; the one above seemed to be in the clouds, while the one below seemed to be in the underworld, separating into three distinct worlds.

This was the core of Wangliang Mountain—the Altar.

Tang Zhao thought to himself: This Altar... looks unremarkable. The common folk of the Human World could build it too.

At this moment, he saw Xing Wu out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Xing Wu's body was trembling.

Although he was not shaking as violently as the Sword Slaves before, one could tell at a glance that he was terrified.

Xing Wu had a weak nature, but he was ultimately not a frail little Sword Slave; for a Sword Guest to tremble like this, it must be due to a presence that brought him lethal terror.

Is it the Altar?

Tang Zhao thought: Could it be that because they have been subjected to Sacrifice, they are suppressed by the aura of the Altar? Just like ants drawing near a true dragon?

Or is it a matter of the Spirit, where the Altar reminds him of the Sacrifice, bringing back unbearable memories?

Given Xing Wu's age, he was considered elderly on Wangliang Mountain and must have undergone Sacrifice, perhaps even more than once.

Could the Sacrifice of Wangliang Mountain be settled as easily as offering pigs, cattle, and sheep like in the Human World?

The scene of the Sacrifice was terrifying just to imagine. For a Sword Guest destined to eventually offer their body, Soul, and everything to Wangliang, seeing the Sacrifice was not merely a case of "the rabbit dying and the fox grieving."

Tang Zhao knew clearly that this was the center of Wangliang Mountain, a place of evil, yet looking at the Altar, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Here, a trace of the aura of destruction still lingered!

Although very faint, bordering on non-existent, it had left an indelible mark.

The Abyss Envoy had just been here. They had stirred up the aura of destruction here!

Could it be that the destruction is beneath the Altar?

Does this Altar, while ostensibly for the Sacrifice to Wangliang, actually serve to suppress destruction? Did the Abyss Envoy just come here to borrow the aura of destruction to counter the Ghost Disaster?

That is not impossible. After so many years, perhaps destruction has already been separated by Wangliang, or perhaps it is precisely because it has been suppressed that he has never been able to sense the familiar aura.

In that case, to obtain the Sword Intent, he will have to break the Altar?

Although acting when all the power of Wangliang Mountain is gathered is no different from a frontal assault and is extremely difficult, having a clear goal is a great step forward.

Moreover, it does not seem that difficult. The Abyss Envoy just stirred up the destruction, which shows that the suppression formation may not be airtight. If they act on the day of the Sacrifice, with Jinwu acting personally, they might succeed in one stroke.

Just as he was thinking this, a golden light suddenly burst forth before his eyes, and a long-lost book appeared.

The Sword Manual!

"Sword: Wangliang."

As a page flipped open, Tang Zhao was startled; suddenly, the golden page dimmed, the characters faded, just as noon turns into dusk. The handwriting flickered; some vanished, some remained, and some twisted and changed, forming new characters.

"Wangliang (Sword Deity)."

Tang Zhao was first dazed, then immediately shocked in his heart:

Wait, is it not the Destruction Sword Intent beneath this Altar... but Wangliang?