Chapter 614 | Demonic Beings? Obviously Auspicious Omens!

Chen Zhou’s tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he let out a breath of relief.

Cloud Sea Resplendence resumed its effect, with the mist shrouding his tracks. The entity tracking him had finally lost its target.

However, Chen Zhou knew the other party hadn't given up; it had simply lost him for the time being.

“My Lord, is that thing still following us?” the Plague Rat approached and asked in a whisper.

Chen Zhou nodded. “No, it’s gone for now.”

The Plague Rat exhaled, sat on the ground with a thud, and touched his pierced shoulder.

The wound was still there, but the dark green death qi was slowly repairing it, and new flesh was already growing at the edges.

“Damn, this Qingzhou place is way too creepy.”

“We get mobbed as soon as we enter, and then we’re chased by who-knows-what.”

Jian Huaishuang sheathed his sword, slowly withdrawing the Paper Snow Sword Domain into his body. He stood beside Chen Zhou, his gaze alertly scanning their surroundings.

As the moonlight spilled down, the road they had seen moments ago became abnormally rugged, slowly twisting before Jian Huaishuang’s eyes.

The road would be wide one moment and narrow the next, veering left and then right.

The moment Jian Huaishuang stepped down, the soil beneath his feet suddenly turned into a puddle, and his ankle sank half an inch. But when he looked down, the puddle had turned back into soil—dry and hard, without even a footprint left behind.

Clearly, the moonlight here served to confuse perception in addition to blocking prying eyes.

“My Lord, this place is also unsafe. We should not stay long.”

Chen Zhou glanced at the system panel. The duration of the stolen Sunlight Array had less than half an hour remaining.

With a wave of his hand, Chen Zhou used the Sunlight Array on a small scale.

A small cluster of sunlight surged from his palm, illuminating the surrounding forest.

The moonlight was dispelled by the sunlight, revealing the hidden road.

The paths in the forest were complex and winding. Some led deep into the woods, some led out, and some led to unknown places.

But the Longevity Deer had lived here for a long time and was intimately familiar with these paths.

It navigated through the woods with practiced ease, each step landing where the sunlight illuminated, precisely avoiding the interference of the moonlight.

The group began to follow the Longevity Deer. As they walked, Chen Zhou asked, “Where is this?”

The Longevity Deer let out a few cries, and the Gold Dragon translated: “The old deer says this place is called the Graveyard of Ten Thousand Beasts. It was once a place where Lord Dou Mu Xie provided them with protection.”

“Graveyard of Ten Thousand Beasts?” Chen Zhou frowned. “The name sounds rather ominous.”

The Longevity Deer cried out again.

“The old deer says they named it themselves—him, the Old Pine, and the others.”

“It’s because the remains of many ancient auspicious beasts are buried in this forest. They were all tribes once protected by Lord Prime Qilin. After Lord Prime Qilin fell, they died one after another, and their bodies were buried here.”

“After Lord Dou Mu Xie took over, this forest became their sanctuary. The remains of those auspicious beasts have been preserved as a way for their descendants to remember them.”

Chen Zhou nodded, indicating his understanding.

The forest under the moonlight was very quiet.

The full moon hung directly overhead, its light like water pouring down, dyeing the entire forest silver-white.

Chen Zhou silently quickened his pace. After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the trees ahead suddenly thinned out.

The moonlight overhead was no longer blocked by the canopy, spilling down in vast sheets to illuminate an open clearing.

In the clearing, countless skeletons were arranged in dense rows.

Large, small, long, short, thick, and thin.

They were neatly aligned, with heads pointing in one direction and tails in another, as if someone had deliberately arranged them.

The Longevity Deer wove through the piles of skeletons and then stopped before a massive set of remains.

The skeleton was over a hundred feet tall, with a thick frame and long limbs. A pair of magnificent horns sat atop the skull; even as mere bone, they exuded the majesty the creature held in life.

The Longevity Deer lowered its head and gently rubbed its nose against the skeleton’s leg bone, letting out a low, mournful cry.

The sound was filled with sorrow.

The Gold Dragon translated softly: “The old deer says this is Lord Prime Qilin.”

Chen Zhou nodded and walked up to the skeleton. He looked up at the magnificent horns, remained silent for a moment, and then bowed slightly.

Not for any other reason, but because this ancient divine beast had once protected so many weak living beings.

After passing through the skeletal area, the trees ahead became dense once more.

The group then pushed through a patch of shrubs and circled around a giant tree before finally coming to a stop.

Before them was a lake.

The lake water was crystal clear, shimmering with a silver-white glow under the moonlight.

The lakeshore was covered in green grass and wildflowers, their petals beaded with dew. The air was filled with a faint, refreshing fragrance—part floral, part medicinal—that cleared the mind.

The Longevity Deer lay down by the lake, took a few sips of water, and then turned to cry out to Chen Zhou.

The Gold Dragon translated: “The old deer says the Celestial Maiden Spring is just ahead.”

Chen Zhou walked to the edge of the lake, crouched down, and cupped a handful of water in his hands.

The water was cold—chilling to the bone.

However, the water contained a strand of pure spiritual power that surged into his body through his palms.

Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly. This spiritual power was so pure it didn't seem like something from this era.

“My Lord, if I’m not mistaken, the Celestial Maiden Spring was likely formed when the divine power of some ancient goddess seeped into the ground and merged with the ley lines.”

“Such spiritual springs were common in the ancient era, but nowadays, they have almost entirely vanished.”

“The spiritual power in the Celestial Maiden Spring is so pure, it indicates that the goddess possessed an extremely high status when she was alive.”

Chen Zhou nodded, stood up, and looked at the lake’s surface.

The water was very clear, and deep at the bottom of the lake, something seemed to be glowing.

Chen Zhou frowned. Just as he was about to look closer, the Longevity Deer cried out again.

The Gold Dragon continued: “The old deer says Lord Dou Mu Xie didn't allow them to approach the Celestial Maiden Spring in the past.”

“Only the Old Pine and the Old Locust were bold enough to sneak here often for a soak.”

“He was too timid, fearing he’d be caught by Dou Mu Xie, so he never dared to go once.”

Chen Zhou glanced at it. “Do you know what is inside the Celestial Maiden Spring?”

The Longevity Deer shook its head, indicating it didn't know.

It had only heard from the Old Pine and the Old Locust that the water of the Celestial Maiden Spring could nourish the body and accelerate cultivation—a single soak was worth years of bitter training.

Chen Zhou smiled. This forest was covered by moonlight and had a unique celestial phenomenon that confused perception and blocked prying eyes.

It was an excellent temporary base.

Chen Zhou took a Jianmu leaf from the system storage.

The emerald-green leaf glowed faintly in his palm, with faint golden light flowing through its veins.

He crouched down, dug a shallow hole in the clearing, placed the Jianmu leaf inside, covered it with soil, and then poured some water from the Celestial Maiden Spring over it.

The moment the water seeped into the soil, a surge of pure spiritual power erupted from underground, and the entire clearing vibrated slightly.

Soon, a tender green sprout broke through the soil.

Its stem was straight and only as thick as a chopstick, possessing a texture like jade. The sprout stopped growing once it reached a foot in height and then slowly unfurled its leaves.

After a few breaths, one of the leaves trembled slightly.

An emerald-green light lit up from the tip of the leaf, projecting a person-sized light screen in front of the sprout.

Chen Zhou reached out and pressed his hand against the glowing leaf. Two choices immediately appeared in his sea of consciousness: teleport to the City of the Wrongfully Dead, or close the passage.

He didn't teleport; he simply withdrew his hand.

The Jianmu clone had taken firm root.

From now on, he could travel freely between the City of the Wrongfully Dead and this place.

Satisfied, Chen Zhou nodded and walked halfway around the lakeshore to observe the surroundings.

On the opposite side of the lake was an open space.

There, many skeletons were arranged with extreme precision.

Unlike the remains of the auspicious beasts he had seen earlier, these skeletons were significantly smaller and arranged even more neatly.

Their heads pointed toward the center of the lake and their tails outward, arranged in a radial pattern like a blooming flower.

Chen Zhou counted them; there were about a hundred.

The Longevity Deer walked over, looked at the skeletons, and let out a mournful cry.

“The old deer says these are the descendants of the auspicious beasts who died over the years.”

“After Lord Prime Qilin fell, life became increasingly difficult for auspicious beasts.”

“Some were eaten by fierce demons, some were hunted by aberrant cultivators, some died of disease from environmental pollution, and some starved to death while wandering.”

“Those who could make it to the Graveyard of Ten Thousand Beasts were already in the minority.”

“But arriving here didn't necessarily mean they would survive.”

“Some were too heavily injured to be saved.”

“Some were too old, having reached the end of their lifespan.”

“Before they died, they would all crawl to the edge of the Celestial Maiden Spring, face the lake, and die peacefully.”

“Lord Dou Mu Xie would collect their remains and arrange them here, giving them a place of rest.”

Chen Zhou turned and looked at Jian Huaishuang. “Sense the area. Are there any living auspicious beasts left in this forest?”

Jian Huaishuang closed his eyes, and his Paper Snow Sword Domain expanded soundlessly. Countless paper people landed and spread out in all directions to investigate.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he opened his eyes and shook his head.

“My Lord, there are none.”

“Within a hundred-mile radius, the paper people found no aura of any living thing.”

“Only us.”

Upon hearing this, the Longevity Deer grew frantic.

It ran into the woods, looking around desperately, the moonlight on its antlers flashing wildly to illuminate the trees and shrubs.

It ran one lap, then another, before returning to Chen Zhou with eyes full of terror and confusion.

It let out a series of urgent cries.

The Gold Dragon translated: “The old deer says this isn't right.”

“When he left, there were still many auspicious beasts here.”

“They all lived here; there should be at least several hundred living descendants of auspicious beasts in the Graveyard of Ten Thousand Beasts.”

“Why are they all gone now?”

Chen Zhou frowned. It had only been a little over a month since the Longevity Deer and the Qianqiu Locust were lured to the City of the Wrongfully Dead by the Old Pine.

In such a short time, the descendants of the auspicious beasts in the Graveyard of Ten Thousand Beasts shouldn't have died out completely.

Unless some accident had occurred.

Chen Zhou walked to the lake’s edge, crouched down, and stared deep into the center of the lake.

The faint cluster of light he had observed earlier was still flickering, pulsing erratically.

He released his perception, attempting to probe the lake bottom.

But as soon as his perception touched the water’s surface, it was bounced back.

The lake water blocked perception like an invisible wall, hiding everything at the bottom.

Chen Zhou tried several times, but all failed.

He withdrew his perception and looked at the Gold Dragon.

“Can you feel Dou Mu Xie’s aura?”

The Gold Dragon closed its eyes, its whiskers drifting gently, and its golden scales shimmering in the moonlight.

After a few breaths, it opened its eyes.

“My Lord, I can feel it.”

“It’s very faint, but it definitely exists.”

“Dou Mu Xie’s aura permeates the entire Graveyard of Ten Thousand Beasts, especially around the Celestial Maiden Spring, where the concentration is highest.”

“However, I cannot tell where its true body is.”

Chen Zhou frowned and took out the black plate sent by Xuan Cai from the system storage.

The black armor piece glinted coldly in his palm, its edges carved with intricate patterns that looked somewhat like array markings.

Chen Zhou turned the black plate over and over but couldn't make heads or tails of it.

He looked back at the lake surface.

The moonlight reflected on the water was shimmering; it seemed chaotic and disordered, but it also held a subtle, hidden rhythm.

Chen Zhou stared at the lake for a while and suddenly noticed that the moonlight on the lake was different from the moonlight in the sky.

The moonlight in the sky was silver-white, cold, and soft.

The moonlight on the lake was also silver-white, but it was filled with many black shadows.

The shadows were very faint—so faint they were almost invisible.

But Chen Zhou saw them.

He crouched down and reached out to stir the water’s surface.

Ripples spread across the water, and the moonlight was broken, then reconstructed.

After the reconstruction, the moonlight on the lake remained as it was, and the shadows also reformed.

Chen Zhou frowned, stood up, and stepped back a few paces.

He looked at the entire lake surface and suddenly realized that the moonlight on the water was distributed in a regular pattern, with alternating light and dark, and varying intensities that vaguely outlined a certain image.

Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes, observing closely.

After a few breaths, he saw it.

It was a game of Go.

The moonlight on the lake surface served as the stones on the board.

The white stones were the moonlight, and the black stones were the shadows.

The white stones were numerous, while the black stones were few.

The white stones had already surrounded the black stones completely, sealing off all paths of escape.

The black stones were trapped in a corner, with no way to advance or retreat, and not a single shred of hope in sight.

Chen Zhou stared at that game for a long time.

Chen Zhou very much hated riddlers.

However, Xuan Cai wanted to meet him, yet when he arrived at the Celestial Maiden Spring, there was nothing but a lingering game on a chessboard.

That certainly meant Xuan Cai had a reason for being unable to appear or speak directly.

As for why he couldn't speak directly, Chen Zhou could guess a few things—it likely had to do with the Heavenly Tribulation; mentioning Him would draw His gaze.

Chen Zhou himself had already been marked by the Heavenly Tribulation and had to be more cautious than usual; perhaps Xuan Cai was in the same situation now.

But why was it inconvenient for him to appear? Chen Zhou looked at the black plate in his hand and then at the chessboard.

Generally speaking, Xuan meant black.

If Xuan Cai compared himself to the black stones, then what about the white stones?

Chen Zhou thought of a name.

Bai Xing.

If he thought of it that way, the current state of the game became very clear.

Xuan Cai’s situation was quite dire.

Chen Zhou flipped the black plate over, back side up.

The back was very smooth, without any patterns, except for a small indentation in the very center—its shape and size were identical to the plate itself.