Chapter 1272: Gossip Regarding The Demon Abyss

Having stirred up the entire world, what was the perpetrator doing right now?

He was doing nothing. More accurately, he was currently sitting inside a restaurant and enjoying some fine song, dance and wine.

The song was the world famous Feather Shirt Song. It was a seductive, charming, yet pure song.

The dance was Wei’s famous Heavenly Demon Dance. It was rough, primitive, yet sexy beyond imagination.

Legend had it that the Feather Shirt Song was a song possessing the power to communicate with gods and demons, and the Heavenly Demon Dance was a dance performed during a sacrificial ritual to a demon god.

Of course, the legend was a legend for a reason. Today, it was impossible to say if there was any truth behind the legend. Still, Ye Qing could not deny that there was a demonic sort of charm to the Feather Shirt Song and the Heavenly Demon Dance. Those unprepared could easily lose themselves in them.

No one in the restaurant was clapping when the song and dance finally reached the end. It wasn’t because they didn’t like it, however. They were simply too immersed in the song and dance to remember the proper etiquette.

“Heavenly Demon, Feather Shirt. They deserve their reputation!” Ye Qing praised longingly after drinking his wine.

“Indeed, they are.”

Sitting opposite Ye Qing, Tao Wang waved his folding fan and said, “It’s a shame both song and dance only possess the shape but not the essence. If this is the true Feather Shirt Song and heavenly Demon Dance, then everyone here would have their minds stolen from their bodies and sacrificed to the demon god as a means to communicate with the ancient celestials, Buddhas, gods and demons.”

“You make it sound like you’ve experienced the true Feather Shirt Song and Heavenly Demon Dance before,” Ye Qing said curiously.

“Yes, I was fortunate enough to witness them once at the ancient Demon Abyss.”

Tao Wang gave up his story freely. “Once upon a time, I was accompanying an old man from White Jade Capital to the ancient Demon Abyss to investigate something. I do not remember what the investigation is about, though I do remember encountering a group of ancient people who worship a demon god.”

“Every time the moon is full, they would perform a sacrificial ritual by singing the Feather Shirt Song and dancing the Heavenly Demon Dance. They sacrificed the people and warriors they kidnapped from the outside world to their demon god to appease him and entertain him.”

“That is the true Feather Shirt Song and Heavenly Demon Dance. When the dance began, the people would be bewitched, and strange phenomena would occur throughout the space. When the song began, the air of darkness would rise, the Heavenly Demon would manifest, and the victims would lose consciousness. Their minds would automatically be separated from their bodies before they were devoured by the demon god.”

“I took only one glance, and I still nearly lost my mind that day.”

Tao Wang said with lingering fear and trepidation in his voice.

“What happens next?” Ye Qing grew interested as well. “Did they successfully communicate with the ancient demon god?”

“Oh, they did. Not only that, they even summoned it into existence,” Tao Wang answered.

“What happens next? And what does the demon god look like?” Ye Qing pressed.

“It’s incredibly ugly and smelly like a giant pool of moldy, rotten mud. It’s covered in green mold and white hair, and it stinks to the high heavens.”

Tao Wang seemed reluctant to recall the memory. A hint of gloominess crept onto his face as he said, “As soon as it appeared, the ancient people immediately charged toward it as if they had gone mad. During the process, their bodies began melting, rotting, and growing the same mold and white hair as the demon god. Naturally, they too stink to the high heavens.”

“As soon as they reached the pool of mud, they began consuming the mold and the mud. To say it was disgusting would be an understatement, but the ancient people reacted like it was the most delicious food in the entire world. They ate like they were competing with each other, and they looked like they were experiencing the height of mortal pleasure.”

“Strangely, their rotting, smelly bodies began recovering after they were done devouring the mud and the mold. They gradually grew younger and stronger...”

“This is not the strangest thing though. Despite being eaten by countless, the pool’s volume and size hadn’t decreased in the slightest. Not only that, it was expanding by the second, and its mold and white hair were growing thicker and denser...”

“Enough.”

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Suddenly, Ye Qing ordered Tao Wang to stop. “You should stop here.”

Tao Wang could not seem to hear him though. He kept talking and growing more agitated by the second.

“Enough!”

His brow furrowed deeply, Ye Qing infused his voice with immense power before commanding Tao Wang to stop once more. His voice exploded beside Tao Wang’s ears like thunder.

Tao Wang abruptly staggered backward, and his eyes looked dazed and unfocused for a second. After that, he recovered and asked in puzzlement, “Is something wrong, Brother Ye?”

“Look at the back of your hand,” Ye Qing said.

“Motherfucker!”

Tao Wang obeyed and recoiled in horror when he saw the back of his hand. It was now covered in mold and white hair and giving off a faint but indescribable stench.

“How did this happen? When did it happen?”

“It happened when you were talking about the demon god,” Ye Qing said gravely while recalling Tao Wang’s earlier transformation.

When Tao Wang was talking about the pool of mud, his expression had turned a little strange and eerie. Ye Qing didn’t think much about it at first, but over time, his expression grew eerier, and he began growing mold and white hair not just on the back of his hands, but also his face, his neck, and other exposed parts of his body.

Tao Wang wasn’t the only one who was affected. Despite having never seen the pool of mud, its image suddenly appeared in Ye Qing’s mind as well. However, the Profound Yellow Mother Qi had crushed it instantly.

That was the point Ye Qing realized that something was terribly amiss. That was why he warned and snapped Tao Wang out of his trance.

To say it was anomalous would be an understatement. He was just indulging in a bit of curiosity, and he had nearly damned Tao Wang and himself to corruption. Whatever that pool of mud was, its power was as immeasurable as it was terrifying.

“Is... Is that pool of mud that scary?”

Tao Wang exclaimed as his eyes widened in disbelief. He was just recalling and retelling a memory, and that was enough to put him under its influence? Just what on earth was that mud, and how was it so powerful?

As soon as the thought occurred, the mud’s image suddenly appeared in his head once more. Not only that, it was growing clearer and clearer.

“Brother Tao!”

It was at this moment Ye Qing’s voice pulled Tao Wang back to reality again. When he subconsciously looked at Ye Qing, Ye Qing shook his head and said, “Don’t think or speak of it.”

“Oh... got it,” Tao Wang responded very, very slowly as if his mind was slowed down for some reason. Then, he closed his eyes.

A moment later, the mold covering Tao Wang’s body began to fade, and the white hair fell off on its own. It wasn’t until the mold and white hair had completely disappeared that Tao Wang finally opened his eyes once more. This time, they were clear and pure. None of the darkness and eeriness from before were present any longer.

“Phew... that was terrifying.”

Tao Wang scratched his now normal hand as if the mold and white hair was still there and said fearfully, “Now I understand why the old man had sealed this memory of mine.”

At first, he did not remember the ancient Demon Abyss or the pool of mud at all. It wasn’t until he saw the Feather Shirt Song and Heavenly Demon Dance that he suddenly recalled some scattered fragments of memories. As he talked about them, both the memories and the image of the pool of mud became clearer.

Unless he was sorely mistaken, the old man must have sealed this memory of his to prevent him from being corrupted by the pool of mud. And it had worked until he accidentally saw the performance and broke the seal.

The pool of mud was unbelievable though. It had been ages since he encountered the pool of mud, but the mere thought about it was still enough to corrupt him. Just what was it?

“Are you serious right now? If you want to commit suicide that badly, do it somewhere where I’m not around.” Ye Qing shot Tao Wang a glare. He already warned the scholar to shut his mouth, but he was still talking about it. Was he bold or stupid?

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop talking now.”

Tao Wang wisely sipped his wine and changed the subject, “Anyway, can you tell me why you’ve set up a heroes’ arena at the East Radiance Mountain now?”