Chapter 286: Thousand Questions
Chapter 286: Thousand Questions
“Injuries actually benefit me. This battle further unleashed my potential. I won’t rush to clear the gate now—since someone awaits at the Sixteenth Gate, charging over immediately would play right into their hands.”
Hu Yuer stared at the Sixteenth Gate, where Yu Feilong and Li Moru of the Heavenly Palace lingered, proving the gate’s difficulty.
Hua Yuehong occupied the Seventeenth Gate, while Shui Yingyue remained at the Eighteenth Gate, still locked in combat though her situation looked grim.
Progress slowed in later gates. As long as the frontrunners stayed put, those behind felt no urgency.
Cheng Lingyu started healing his wounds. He possessed ample resources—the three Blood Martial Realm experts, including the cold man, had carried storage rings filled with pills and cultivation resources, all now his.
At the Sixteenth Gate, Yu Feilong and Li Moru showed no haste. They exchanged surprised glances—Cheng Lingyu reaching the Fifteenth Gate had defied all expectations.
Yu Feilong’s plan was straightforward: let Cheng Lingyu come, then slay him and offer his corpse to clear the gate.
Cheng Lingyu naturally remained cautious. He concentrated on healing, determined to confront the Heavenly Palace’s two holy sons at the Sixteenth Gate in peak condition.
……
On the Blood Moon Wasteland, Lou Ri City’s five experts pursued the Divine Martial Sect’s four masters along the blood river, their clashes echoing across the land.
The fleeing sect members split up, forcing Lou Ri City’s group to divide.
After a day and night of pursuit, Wan Fang and Feixue eliminated two foes.
Qiu Yu chased Liang Wei for the same duration. Just as she moved for the kill, Liang Wei activated a magical artifact and plunged into the blood river.
After a brief hesitation, Qiu Yu withdrew. She soon reunited with Feixue and Wan Fang—but Tian Yi and Fang Mu were missing.
“Where are they?”
“Still hunting, perhaps. Let’s follow the river downstream and wait ahead.”
The trio advanced along the crimson flow, daunted by the wasteland’s vastness.
The blood river unnerved even them. Qiu Yu frowned. “It’s eerier than I imagined.”
Feixue and Wan Fang stayed silent, casting uneasy glances at the cursed waters.
By dusk, they’d traveled hundreds of miles to a sprawling withered forest.
Attempting to fly over, they soon encountered swirling illusions.
“Careful—something’s strange here.”
They landed cautiously among skeletal trees, some petrified from centuries of death.
No sounds. No life. Feixue shuddered at the desolation.
Wan Fang’s footsteps crunched like snapped heartstrings, tightening the air with tension.
Qiu Yu peered into the gloom, her eyes narrowing.
Wordless, they crept forward under Wan Fang’s lead.
The forest’s terrain wasn’t flat, but the slopes weren’t steep.
After moving cautiously for over ten miles, the trio spotted a towering giant tree.
Unlike other withered trees, this one wasn’t completely dead – sparse yellow leaves still clung to its branches.
With trunk wider than ten zhang and height surpassing a hundred zhang, the tree that once flourished now stood with only a few leaves trembling in the wind.
Wan Fang stared at the giant tree in awe.
“There’s still Life energy here. This must be the only living thing in this entire forest of withered trees.”
Qiu Yu shook her head. “Not the only one. You’ve missed another presence in the tree.”
Wan Fang blinked and examined the tree again, finding nothing unusual.
Feixue suddenly gasped. “There’s a snake coiled around the trunk! It has… so many heads!”
“Many heads?” Wan Fang squinted. “I don’t see anything.”
Though still miles away, Wan Fang kept turning his head but saw only bare branches.
“It’s right there!” Feixue insisted. “Wrapped around the trunk!”
Rubbing his eyes, Wan Fang still saw nothing. “Strange. Why can’t I see it?”
“Because you carry no sorrow,” Qiu Yu answered.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Wan Fang protested.
The woman softly said, “That’s the legendary Thousand Questions. Only those burdened with regret can see it.”
Wan Fang paled. “Thousand Questions? That’s a taboo being! No one’s ever confirmed its existence!”
Feixue trembled slightly. “They say encountering it brings misfortune…”
But Qiu Yu was already walking toward the tree, eyes blazing with light.
“I’ve sought it for years. Thousand Questions knows all ancient and modern secrets – but demands payment for answers.”
“If we don’t ask anything, will we stay safe?” Feixue whispered.
“Seeing it means it holds your heart’s unanswered questions.” Qiu Yu’s silhouette seemed etched with time itself. “Asking… that’s your choice to make.”
Wan Fang and Feixue exchanged a look before following.
At the tree’s base, Wan Fang still saw nothing while the women gazed at the massive serpent covered in countless heads – the fabled knower of past, present and future.
Yellow leaves danced around them like fragments of time, each holding forgotten memories. The cracked bark bore patterns echoing cosmic truths, its ancient life fading with each falling leaf.
Qiu Yu stood motionless beneath the branches, hunger burning in her eyes as she stared upward.
In the depths of her mind, a voice echoed.
“What do you want to ask?”
Qiu Yu’s emotions surged violently.
“I want to know where he is.”
This mental communication remained undetected by Wan Fang and Feixue.
“Knowing requires payment.”
The voice remained utterly calm.
“Just tell me his whereabouts – I’ll pay any price.”
Qiu Yu’s desperation showed through; this man represented her ultimate dream, worth any sacrifice.
“What if I demand you forget him?”
Qiu Yu staggered as if physically wounded, retreating while shaking her head.
“No. I can’t forget.”
“Then I can’t reveal his location.”
“Name another demand! Anything else!” Qiu Yu pressed urgently.
“Some fates are sealed. I’ll tell you this – he teeters between life and death. Someone you know holds the answer.”
Shock and hope warred within Qiu Yu.
“Could you explain clearer?”
“A free hint: imprint your palm on the tree.”
Though cryptic, Thousand Questions’ instruction gave Qiu Yu direction. While unsatisfied, she’d gained her first lead.
Approaching the giant tree, Qiu Yu pressed her delicate hand against the bark. The glowing imprint flashed briefly before vanishing.
Wan Fang and Feixue exchanged puzzled glances, witnessing the strange event without comprehension.
As Qiu Yu withdrew, Thousand Questions’ voice invaded Feixue’s mind.
“Your heart harbors unresolved matters. Why stay silent?”
Feixue stiffened. “I… fear failing your terms.”
“How know without trying?”
“You seem eager for questions,” Feixue countered suspiciously.
“Knowledge confined grows bitter. Questions relieve this.”
Feixue blinked in disbelief. The legendary forbidden entity, condemned for knowing too much, behaved like some attention-starved child? Yet each inquiry’s cost hinted at hidden needs.
“Whether asked or not, I perceive your thoughts regardless.”
“Then name your price for the answer I seek,” Feixue ventured cautiously.
“Bring the Xuanmoon Hall’s mistress here within a year.”
Feixue froze. Xuanmoon Hall – foremost among Xuanmoon Ridge’s Western Fallen Nine Ridges, equal to the First Palace of Falling God and First Palace of Ming Mo as Lou Ri City’s holiest sites. Coming from Xuanmoon’s upper four palaces herself, Feixue understood the gravity.
“This… is your condition?”
“Simple enough for you.”
Feixue’s mind raced. The ancient knower of secrets wanted her junior sister? “Swear no harm will come to her!”
“No harm intended,” the voice assured.
“Then I’ll arrange her visit.”