Chapter Thirteen: The Stone from the Heavens
In the twentieth year of the black haze’s reign over the sky, a sudden blaze of light pierced through the gloom and showered the land below. For a brief moment, people glimpsed the long-lost sun, but the sunlight was soon smothered again as the haze gathered tightly, plunging the earth back into confusion.
The radiant glow was woven from several colors, dispersing in midair into stones of various hues, which fell to every corner of the continent. The leader of Eden took notice of this strange phenomenon and, after much effort, acquired one of these stones, gaining a mysterious power said to command wind and rain, and breathe clouds into existence.
“Is such a thing truly possible?”
Xiang Jiuxi had always scoffed at tales of supernatural powers, but his present experience forced him to believe that there were realms on Earth yet uncharted by humanity.
White Bone pointed to a distant skull and said, “At least, that’s what I saw in his memories. Moreover, the leader of Eden is exhausting every means to scour the continent for colored stones. That’s why that group appeared here.”
“Colored stones… crystals! They’re after the crystals!”
White Bone nodded. “That blue crystal indeed contains a wondrous power. I believe we, the undead, awakened our consciousness because of its influence.”
“So it’s true, then—crystals are indeed remarkable things. Used correctly, they might even dispel the black haze.”
Hearing this, White Bone solemnly added, “In truth, there is another continent on Earth, where the sky is clear and the seasons are forever spring.”
“What? Where is it?!”
“Beyond the Eastern Sea, where the sun rises.”
“Is this a riddle?” Xiang Jiuxi frowned, increasingly perplexed by White Bone’s words. The sun, after all, was a burning star in the cosmos—a fact even those living in the apocalypse knew well.
White Bone shook his head. “I saw such a scene in his memories: a blazing sun rising from ancient towering trees, illuminating an entire continent lush with grass, teeming with fish and birds—a true paradise beyond the world.”
Listening to White Bone’s description, Xiang Jiuxi yearned for that sunlit world, unable to tear himself away for a long while.
“Memories do not lie, and the fact that he possesses such memories means Eden must be closely connected to that sun! For us, and for all living things, you must find them!”
As White Bone spoke, his emotions again surged violently, on the verge of descending into madness once more.
Xiang Jiuxi hurried to comfort him. “Rest assured. If I promise something, I will see it done. Besides, I have sworn a deadly oath!”
Upon hearing this, White Bone gradually calmed, speaking quietly, “But those people are no ordinary mortals. You will not be able to face them alone.”
Page (1/3)
Xiang Jiuxi stood tall and resolute. “I will not shrink from death!”
White Bone gazed at him, shaking his head. “You cannot die. I have no one else to entrust this to. You must live!”
Suddenly, Xiang Jiuxi’s ears filled with a strange emptiness, and the scenery before him twisted and warped as his consciousness blurred...
“At the easternmost edge of the continent stands Moonwatch Cliff. When you reach it, someone will guide you toward the lands beyond the Eastern Sea.”
“This is everything we have. Take it. Carry our wishes with you, and set forth…”
White Bone’s voice grew distant, as Xiang Jiuxi’s mind spiraled, tumbling endlessly.
Suddenly!
A deep blue radiance awakened him. Gasping for breath, Xiang Jiuxi found himself still lying at the cave’s mouth, unmoved.
He had broken free from the surface realm of his mind, returning to reality.
Beneath him, White Bone had crumbled to powder, leaving only a pair of pristine bone hands, still holding the shape of a lotus flower, supporting a ghostly blue flame.
The moment Xiang Jiuxi’s gaze landed on the bone hands, the blue flame surged, floating toward him.
As the flame departed, the bone hands dissolved into dust, as if they had never existed.
Soon, the blue flame lingered once more before him.
The familiar scene filled Xiang Jiuxi with mixed emotions. Through the blue fire, he saw a crystal within—rounded, substantial, just as White Bone had described.
As he tried to examine the crystal’s structure, its blue light suddenly intensified, enveloping him in its glow.
Faintly, he saw a beam descending from the heavens, lighting the barren earth, and himself within it, soaring upward.
His consciousness detached from his body, ascending uncontrollably through the clouds, piercing the black haze, and finally halting beneath a blinding brilliance.
The strong light above warmed his body, and a gigantic fireball hung in the center of the sky.
“The sun! That is the sun!”
Here, for the first time in his life, Xiang Jiuxi saw the blazing star described by his predecessors, the eternal star that bestowed life upon Earth!
Page (2/3)
He stretched out his arms, embracing the warmth of the sunlight. Looking down, he saw the gloomy black haze covering the earth’s entire surface, like some ancient beast devouring all vitality from the land.
In awe, a golden ray shot forth from the dazzling sun!
The golden light poured from the sun’s brilliance, outshining all things. Xiang Jiuxi squinted, barely able to make out a shadow slowly approaching within the gold.
Upon closer look, the shadow revealed a magnificent horse—jet black, unmarred by a single blemish. Atop its back sat a man, tall and imposing, clad in gilded armor beneath a dark cloak, a coiling silver halberd resting on his shoulder—a figure of regal might!
An invisible pressure swept forth, making Xiang Jiuxi’s every breath a struggle.
The man reined his horse at the edge of the golden light. Xiang Jiuxi, summoning all his resolve, met the stranger’s eyes.
“Hiss!”
At that instant, Xiang Jiuxi’s consciousness began to unravel! He hurriedly averted his gaze, straining with all his strength to gather his mind, not daring another look.
Still, in that fleeting moment, he saw the man’s eyes bore two pupils each...
“Double pupils…”
That was the mark of an ancient sage!
“Roar!”
As Xiang Jiuxi quailed in silence, a thunderous shout rang out. The double-pupiled man raised his halberd, as if to rend heaven and earth, sending a gale that cleaved the black haze with a mighty chasm!
Yet the rift soon closed again as the haze gathered.
Overwhelmed by such fierce and domineering power, Xiang Jiuxi’s body bowed involuntarily, nearly kneeling before the silver halberd.
“Stand!”
Startled, Xiang Jiuxi heard the man speak!
The voice seemed to echo from primordial times, ancient and distant, tinged with anger: “My bloodline belongs to warriors who die in battle—not to slaves who kneel!”
Page (3/3)