Chapter 328 Jinjiang
Before Yan Shixun jumped into the cave entrance, he already had a rough guess about the situation inside the cave.
Although the cave was dark and bottomless, he could still make out the jagged rock walls and the endless void with the help of the bright moonlight, and knew that there were no stairs or mountain slopes to follow to get down.
However, he did not panic, but decisively called Ye Li.
Yan Shixun believed that Ye Li would catch him in time.
Things happened just as Yan Shixun expected. Ye Li, who jumped down right after him, held him in his arms accurately.
A chilly wind carrying moisture blew up violently from below, instantly penetrating Yan Shixun's clothes. The chill spread along his skin, and the strong wind made it impossible for him to open his eyes. His vision was blurred, and he was unable to accurately identify the situation when he landed.
But at this moment, a slightly cool but powerful hand reached out, grasped Yan Shixun's waist, and brought him towards herself.
When Yan Shixun bumped into the strong chest behind him, although his vision was blurry and dark and he couldn't see clearly, a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
The two fell in the darkness for a long time before finally touching the ground.
When Yan Shixun sensed the change in the wind sound beneath him, he quickly adjusted his body shape and stepped firmly on the uneven and rocky ground, preventing himself from stumbling and falling.
He blinked quickly, suppressing the physiological tears blown out by the wind, and his vision became clear again.
At this time, Yan Shixun finally saw the appearance of the cave clearly.
He looked up and found that the ground he was standing on was dozens of meters away from the top of the cave. The bright moonlight quietly sprinkled down from the cave above his head, becoming the only light source in the dark cave.
The surrounding stone walls are rugged and rough, with strange and sharp shapes. You can tell at a glance that they were formed naturally without any human intervention.
However, in the dim light, Yan Shixun still saw an outline that looked like a staircase, spreading down from the darkness above and landing on the ground not far away.
He squinted his eyes, confirmed his vision, and then asked Ye Li questioningly: "Is that a staircase? Was it carved out by humans?"
Ye Li, who was wholeheartedly protecting Yan Shixun, then raised his eyes and looked over there.
Because there was no light in the cave, Yan Shixun had difficulty seeing clearly at a distance beyond the range of the moonlight.
However, when ghosts and gods "see" things, what is more important is perception than eyes.
Ye Li only glanced at it and nodded, confirming Yan Shixun's question: "The stairs go up along the stone wall, with rough, unpolished axe marks, all the way to the top. It looks like it was carved out by the villagers before."
Hearing this, Yan Shixun pushed Ye Li away, walked quickly over there, and looked up to observe carefully.
It was just as Ye Li said, the stairs were extremely rough and narrow, and one could only step on them with difficulty. It seemed that when they were building them, the builders did not think that these were stairs that would be used frequently, but only used them to build a simple path for themselves to go down into the cave.
The stairs were already covered with dust, and because they had not been used for a long time, the stone surface that had once been chiseled had grown other stones due to the effects of water vapor and calcification. The stairs that were originally built along the direction of the stone wall had also been broken, and the stone wall had long since changed shape.
This staircase is completely dilapidated.
And judging from the changes in the stone walls, the terrain can move and change to this extent, so this staircase should have been built thousands of years ago.
The villagers who collected the corpses back then should have planned to transport them and hide them here, so they built a simple staircase in advance. Judging from the iron filings scattered around, there should have been other tools as well. Then they transported the corpses to the cave and hid them so that people on the ground would not find them.
Since then, the villagers have been living on the ground above the cave, guarding this natural mausoleum wholeheartedly and have never come down again.
Even if the people from other villages had known about the burial site more than a hundred years ago, no one would have been able to successfully descend into the cave.
From the very beginning, the villagers who first collected the bones never thought of letting other people disturb the tranquility here.
Yan Shixun stood where he was and did not act rashly. Instead, he quickly checked the situation around him, and then prepared to cross the uneven rocks on the ground and walk towards the stairs.
The general and the King of Hell also landed steadily afterwards.
Yan Shixun just glanced at a few people casually and asked quickly: "Are there any of you who can sense the location of the skeleton now?"
The sound echoed back and forth in the huge, empty cave, making the dark space seem even more dead and terrifying.
This cave is too big.
If you search aimlessly in the dark, apart from the problem of getting lost, the searching time will be too long, which is not conducive to finding the specific location of the burial site.
Yan Shixun carefully observed the surrounding situation, while at the same time imagining and marveling at how huge this cave was in the past.
As the earth's crust moves, the underground structure of caves will also change accordingly. Some caves will even completely change their structure and direction in just a few months.
A cave that seems as huge as a football field when you first see it may be compressed to the size of a dog hole when you see it again after a few years.
It is like a sponge in the earth's strata. In places invisible to everyone, it has been silently supporting the ground and the mountains and providing a buffer for collisions.
But in this case, even if someone has explored the cave before and left marks, in this case, it will be completely ineffective, and may even cause interference to those who come later, leading those who explore the cave later to a dead end with no way back.
Not to mention that collapses occasionally occur in caves.
Even the most experienced adventurers have to be cautious when faced with the intricacies of caves.
Just by looking at the cave in front of him, Yan Shixun was unable to guess what the terrain was like a thousand years ago. He didn't even know if he could successfully find the burial site by following the few traces left by the former villagers.
Yan Shixun is a person who is used to making a series of backup plans and will never put himself in a passive situation.
But now, he hoped that he would not have to use the latter plan and could follow the simplest plan.
——If the terrain of the cave has indeed changed dramatically and they cannot accurately and directly find the burial site, then there is only one last method left.
Let the general sense the location of the burial ground as accurately as possible, and then break through in one breath.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. This law, which is known to everyone, is also the simplest, crudest but most effective method that allows Yan Shixun to find the buried bones as quickly as possible.
But doing so will also bring other consequences.
That is the stability of this land.
Once the underground structure is violently destroyed, the ground above is likely to collapse, and even cause the mountain to sink, triggering a chain reaction.
No one knows what terrible consequences will occur.
Because before this, there was no existence like Yeli, which could completely destroy the support and fulcrum of the terrain from the deepest part of the cave upwards.
Yan Shixun didn't want to go to that point either.
So even though he had a simpler method and the power to implement it, he still gave up the shortcut and chose the difficult path that would best protect the cave.
After Yan Shixun asked, the general slowly shook his head and said, "We are very close here, but I can't sense the exact location. Shixun, the closer we are to the burial ground, the less I can do for you."
"When I find the burial site and see the remains, it will be time for me to leave."
The general's voice no longer had the sharpness of the past, and it was not as cold as when Yan Shixun first met the general, but was full of tenderness and love.
The general did not intend to hide this fact.
Yan Shixun was stunned when he heard this. He stopped groping, held on to the cold stone wall with one hand, turned around and looked back.
A bright light appeared at the fingertips of the King of Hell and gradually expanded into a ball. He held it in his white palm, illuminating the surrounding darkness.
The general's figure was hidden in the semi-light and semi-darkness, but Yan Shixun could clearly see that he was smiling.
Even though the general had changed into casual clothes like ordinary people before leaving the southwest, the soft and loose clothes could not soften his sharpness, and he was still the general who led his troops to fight on the battlefield.
But now, he has changed.
It was as if he had taken the initiative to discard the armor on his soul, throwing away all protection and obstacles, so that there were no more obstacles between him and Yan Shixun.
Then, step by step, he took the initiative to walk towards Yan Shixun.
Showing his love fully.
Yan Shixun's slender fingers hanging by his side twitched unconsciously a few times. He did not expect General Zhan to have such a reaction.
It was only then that he vaguely discovered that it was not only Ye Li, but also this general who was in the same body but different position as Ye Li...
It seems that I also have unusual feelings for him?
"I'm sorry, Shi Xun. The corpse is nearby. I am the last trace of a mortal left behind, which means I am the same existence as the corpse... It is suppressing my power."
The general smiled at Yan Shixun and said, "I really want to fulfill your wish, so that all your thoughts and wishes can come true, and there will no longer be anything that will bother you. However, I can only lead you here."
"From now on, you, Yan Shixun, will have to walk alone."
The King of Hell also took over the conversation calmly.
He held the ball of light in his hands, looked up at Yan Shixun calmly, and said, "Those are the remains of Yeli and 100,000 soldiers. They still have power attached to them. They are the last things left of the ghosts and gods. They have extraordinary meaning and power. No ghosts or gods can get close to them."
"That guy Ye Li just didn't say it and refused to tell you, but in fact."
The King of Hell looked at Ye Li and calmly stated the fact that he had not told Yan Shixun: "Ye Li's power has been reduced and suppressed since he entered the cave, and it has reached a dangerous level. He can still grit his teeth and endure the pain now, but if he continues to walk, it is hard to say what will happen."
"This is a place where heaven and earth have voluntarily given up their jurisdiction."
"This is..."
The King of Hell chuckled and said word by word: "The burial place of ghosts and gods."
Yan Shixun looked at the King of Hell and the general in astonishment, but on their faces, he saw only seriousness and solemnity, without any trace of deception.
He suddenly turned sideways and looked at Ye Li beside him, with a question in his eyes - is what they said true? You are in pain, but you won't tell me?
Ye Li's gaze was as cold as a knife, and he gave the King of Hell a glare. Then when he looked at Yan Shixun, he smiled again.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it, Shi Xun."
Ye Li said softly, "It's just a minor injury."
He even brought up the fact that Yan Shixun himself had once been injured but still managed to hold on, in an attempt to convince Yan Shixun.
But Yan Shixun's eyes were shaking like broken waves, and the look he gave Ye Li was complicated and dazed.
Although the King of Hell and the general were unable to explain their words directly because they were in the burial ground, he still understood the true meaning of their words.
For Ye Li, the old bones were the things he once gave up.
He abandoned the time he had spent as a mortal, like cutting out the unclean rotten flesh from his body and removing all the heavy things, allowing his soul to transcend the mortal form and then ascend to the throne of a ghost or god.
The moment he opened his eyes as the Lord of Fengdu, the experiences of mortals no longer mattered to him. The one standing there commanding all the ghosts was a fair and selfless ghost god.
It is precisely because one has given up the mortal side that one can wield the authority of ghosts and gods impartially.
Just as the Tao is always ruthless and rational, it will not be soft-hearted because of anyone.
This was a decision that Yeli had once made solemnly.
In this case, it is not easy to accept the mortal side again.
This is not just a matter of finding bones.
But...it is the final test of the Great Dao on ghosts and gods.
See if he can support the heaven and earth, see if he can protect all living things impartially, and find a way to life for all living things.
The greater the authority, the more severe the test will be.
Even if Ye Li was determined to accept his former mortal side, he still had to endure all kinds of suffering before he could get close to his bones.
Therefore, the closer they were to the burial ground, the weaker Yeli and the generals became.
But Ye Li gritted her teeth and refused to say anything. She wanted to be with Yan Shixun all the time and didn't want to be separated from him.
But the general made it all clear.
After learning the truth, Yan Shixun's eyes gradually became filled with anger when he looked at Ye Li.
"If he doesn't tell you, when do you want to tell you?"
Yan Shixun asked Ye Li coldly: "Wait until you are crushed by the heaven and earth? Or wait until you, as the Lord of Fengdu, are killed by the Great Dao?"
Ye Li was silent for a moment and did not defend himself.
He just said in a hoarse voice: "Among us, the only one who can get close to the burial ground is you, Shi Xun."
"If I move forward with you, the burial ground will not reject me too much because of your scent. However, once I separate from you, I will never have the chance to get close to you again unless I pass the test."
Ye Li laughed softly: "Perhaps you can't understand, but Shi Xun, it will be a long and painful separation for me."
Before obtaining a treasure, a poor person will not know how the treasure's brilliance can shine as bright as the sun and the moon.
But what is more painful is getting it and then losing it than never having it at all.
Ye Li knew that he was like a person who had been poor for a thousand years, and only found his treasure at the last moment when he was full of disappointment and ready to give up.
Because of this, he could hardly bear to be separated from Yan Shixun.
Even a single minute or a single second was extremely tormenting for him, far more unbearable than the pain brought by the burial ground.
Yan Shixun had not expected that after succeeding the general, Ye Li would also reveal her true feelings to him.
He couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
Yan Shixun was silent for a moment, then asked: "What kind of test do you need to endure?"
"As it was in life, so it will be after death. The battlefield of ascended ghosts and gods will reappear."
Ye Li said softly: "I will experience again the most painful battle in my life. Then, the world will ask me if I would make a different choice."
"However, there is no turning back on the road to success. If I had experienced a similar battle in Yedi, but had lost my current memories and chosen the same choice as before, then..."
Ye Li paused, as if afraid of scaring Yan Shixun, and said softly: "The body dies and the Tao disappears, and it turns to ashes and smoke, nothing more than that."
He was even smiling, as if such a tragic possibility was as brilliant as flowers, and was so light and joyful that it was not worth mentioning.
But Yan Shixun froze in place.
Yan Shixun is well aware of the cruelty of the Tao. Even though it is fair and impartial, the choices it makes will protect the future and survival of all living things. It plans the laws so that yin and yang, life and death are balanced, so that the living can live a peaceful and happy life, and ghosts cannot invade the world.
However, he had never faced the cruelty of the avenue like he did at this moment.
Even if the ghosts and gods who had once begged for help from the Great Dao would embark on the road of trial to become the new Great Dao under the guidance of the Great Dao itself, there would be no leniency, let alone any preferential treatment for Ye Li.
It is what it should be.
What the Great Dao wants is an independent existence that can become a new Great Dao, rather than an ordinary ghost or god that can only survive under the protection of the Great Dao.
It coldly distinguishes the two clearly.
Yan Shixun's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his throat felt sore and it was even difficult for him to make a coherent sound.
Neither the general nor Ye Li urged him, but just waited quietly for Yan Shixun to digest what he had just said.
But the King of Hell sighed softly.
The King of Hell walked up to Yan Shixun with his soft cloth shoes stepping over the sharp stones, took his hand, and gently placed the ball of light in the palm of Yan Shixun's hand.
"No ghost or god can get close to the bones of other ghosts or gods. What's more, I am just a remnant soul that reappeared in Zhang Wubing's body."
The King of Hell lowered his eyelashes and said calmly, "Let's go, Yan Shixun."
"At the very least, I promise you as the King of Hell - no matter what, you can continue to be with your Ye Li."
"Even if he really failed the test of the Great Dao and was reduced to ashes on the battlefield of Ye... I still have a way to snatch his soul back from the Great Dao, let him return to reincarnation, and stand in front of you alive."
The King of Hell blinked at Yan Shixun, and in the other's surprised gaze, he chuckled and said: "Yan Shixun, don't forget, I was able to survive and exist until now because I successfully escaped from the death of the gods under the Avenue."
"Believe me, I'm already very skilled at this kind of thing."
The King of Hell jokingly said, "It depends on whether you can accept someone who is more than 20 years younger than you."
Yan Shixun was amused by the imagination that came to him because of the King of Hell's words.
It was hard for him to imagine what a child would look like with Ye Li's face and personality.
"No, if that's the case, then Ye Li, you should find someone else to live with."
Yan Shixun looked at Ye Li, smiled and said slowly: "I hate being with people younger than me."
Ye Li was stunned at first, then he laughed softly.
"Don't worry, my Shi Xun... my Shi Xun is such a treasure, how can I be at ease and let the treasure be seen by the world and attract people to snatch the treasure from my arms."
Ye Li said: "Others? Don't even think about it."
There are countless living beings in the world, but the only one he deeply loves is Yan Shixun.
He gave all his remaining emotions to Yan Shixun, so how could he have the energy to care about others?
"Shi Xun, you may not remember, but we made our marriage vows under the witness of heaven and earth. Once the gods and ghosts have spoken, they cannot be revoked."
Ye Li stared at Yan Shixun, smiling slyly and happily: "Our karma has long been so deep that it cannot be solved."
"Even if it's the heaven and earth, don't even think about doing it."
Yan Shixun was a little surprised: "When..."
But as soon as he said that, he started laughing.
Not at that moment...
The cause and effect began from the first moment I met Ye Li, and it was love that lasted all the time.
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