After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 31: Chapter 32: Mind-Bending Insect

Everything went smoothly, aside from a minor hiccup where other Earth Dragons snatched the chunks of cured meat tossed by the Hee father and son twice.

The three Walnut Boats cruised across the Desert Sea at about half the speed of a galloping horse, but they had the advantage of being stable, long-lasting, and relatively safe—

Whenever the boats encountered strange and bizarre creatures, the beasts would initially seem eager to attack. However, the stench of the cured meat was too overpowering. After following for a short while, they would flee in terror, wishing they had been born with more legs. They were in no state to bother with the humans on the boats.

Although most of the people here had grown up on the edge of the desert, they had never witnessed the Desert Sea from this perspective and were completely mesmerized.

Hee Lingchuan muttered, ”So you can travel like this?”

’Sailing on a sea of sand... a first in two lifetimes. It’s a real eye-opener.’

The only drawback was the persistent stench drifting over from the front, which made it difficult to breathe.

The Helmsmen of the three Walnut Boats were extremely cautious, doing their best to steer clear of the tall sand dunes.

The more magnificent the sand dune, the larger its shadow.

And all the Black Water City People knew that the shadows in the Panlong Desert were to be avoided at all costs. The scorching sun, the hot winds, the thirst, the Sand Bandits, and the attacks from Exotic Beasts—none of these combined were as terrifying as the shadows of the Panlong Desert.

But no matter how skilled the Helmsmen were, after more than a double-hour, buildings began to emerge bit by bit on the distant horizon.

As they drew closer, they could make out crumbling high walls and a city gate.

This was clearly the satellite city southwest of Panlong City, which had once formed a mutually supporting defensive position with the main city.

Of course, it had been abandoned for a century, its only frequent visitors being the wind and sand.

Yet the city walls were still high, and the gate was shrouded in a deep shadow.

If one were to peer inside through the gate, one would find several ruined buildings stubbornly refusing to be completely swallowed by the yellow sands.

They were silhouetted against the light, and shadows were everywhere.

Having come this far, there was no avoiding it. The only path forward was through the city gate and across the ruined city.

Nian Songyu, standing on the lead Walnut Boat, turned and blew three long whistles to the boats behind.

This was the signal they had agreed upon back at the desert outpost.

It was time to initiate the next phase of their plan.

The Hee father and son stood at the prow and shouted to their men, ”Ignite the Life Fire!”

Despite the order to ”ignite,” everyone actually took out a small red pill from their robes and swallowed it.

Immediately after, a sour and spicy sensation welled up from their stomachs, as if their insides were churning.

But they had to hold back the resulting burp at all costs.

Everyone’s eyes felt hot and their noses stuffy, and a sour fluid filled their mouths. Yet, their bodies were wracked with waves of chills. Despite the scorching sun overhead, many soldiers began to shiver uncontrollably.

Fortunately, these symptoms only lasted for about a dozen breaths before subsiding.

As everyone looked at each other, they noticed a ghostly flame burning above each person’s head and on each of their shoulders.

Most of the flames were a base shade of light green, though some were dimmer, some brighter, some more yellow, and others more blue. They were all small flickers, about the height of a pinky finger, floating unsteadily in the air as if a single gust of wind could extinguish them.

But the desert wind, strong enough to make their faces sting, was unable to extinguish these three ghostly flames.

In fact, once the three flames were lit, everyone felt the temperature around them drop by several degrees, and the searing waves of heat no longer felt so scorching.

This was the Life Fire, also known as the Life Lamp. It is normally hidden within a person’s Spirit Stove and is commonly called the Fire of Life. As long as the fire burns, the person lives; when the fire is extinguished, the person dies.

This is the origin of the saying, ”a life extinguished is like a snuffed-out lamp.”

Once the Life Fires were lit, the leader of each squad turned to face his men and roared, ”Don’t look back!”

From all three Walnut Boats, the soldiers’ unified cry echoed:

”Don’t look back!”

They roared it three times.

It was a warning to others, and a repeated reminder to themselves.

Remember, remember, remember!

Hee Chunhua stood in front and to the right of Hee Lingchuan. His son asked, ”Dad, did you know your Life Fire is a bit yellowish?”

Hee Prefect was about to shake his head but suddenly remembered the gesture was extremely dangerous. He quickly held his head still and shot his eldest son a glare. ”You brat!”

Hee Lingchuan grinned. ”Just a little practice, so we’re ready when we face real danger later.”

’He actually has a point.’

”Your Life Fire is yellow with a hint of red,” Hee Chunhua said with a smile. ”It’s good to be young.”

The Life Fire was a direct reflection of its owner’s health. The stronger one’s body and vitality, the deeper the color of their Life Fire would be.

’Young people just have more fire in them.’

He couldn’t turn his head left or right anymore, otherwise Hee Lingchuan would have loved to see what color Nian Songyu’s and National Preceptor Sunx’s Life Fires were.

As the boat reached the foot of the city walls, Hee Chunhua took a deep breath and roared, ”Don’t move! Nobody move!”

The same command came from the other two boats.

The three Helmsmen cast their rods one last time, guiding the Earth Dragons straight toward the city gate.

The smoke and fire of past wars, combined with centuries of erosion from wind and sand, had caused the once-vertical city walls to lean forward, looking as if they might collapse at any moment.

Yet they had stood here for a hundred years—resilient, silent, and unyielding.

Closer and closer they came. The massive gate opening was like the gaping, bloody maw of a silent beast. Hee Lingchuan could even see faint stains on either side of it.

Perhaps they were layers upon layers of repeatedly splattered bloodstains. First bright red, they had darkened to black and purple, and then, scoured by wind and sand for countless years, their gruesome colors had faded, leaving only a faint, final glimmer.

All clamor and passion must eventually fade into tranquility.

Darkness fell before everyone’s eyes as the Walnut Boat finally sailed into the shadow of the city gate.

A sinister chill washed over them.

The soldiers had already lit their Life Fires, which now allowed them to see wisps of smoke emerging from the shadows and lunging toward the Walnut Boat.

Only up close could one see that these wisps of smoke resembled human silhouettes. They had torsos and limbs, but no faces.

They ignored the Earth Dragons pulling the boat but were intensely curious about everything on board the Walnut Boat—every human, every plank of wood.

In the blink of an eye, four or five wisps of smoke surrounded each person. They drifted before and behind the humans, probing with malicious intent. Though the figures had no eyes, everyone felt as if they were being stared at intently, and goosebumps broke out on their skin.

These things were the Three Corpses Insects!

According to the legends of the Panlong Desert, they were also known as Resentful Souls, spirits that lurked within any shadow. Even if a traveler managed to avoid the desert’s other creatures, the moment they stepped into the shadow of a sand dune, they would be attacked by these entities.

In truth, a person who had not manifested their Life Fire could not see these things with the naked eye, and thus would have no way to defend against them.

After Panlong City vanished, their favorite prey—humans—was gone. The Three Corpses Insects had to resort to invading other living creatures instead. It wasn’t a perfect substitute, but it would have to do. All living things in the desert were influenced by them, gradually undergoing bizarre mutations, such as the very Earth Dragons pulling the boats.

Far from being worried, Sunx Fuping and Nian Songyu were actually pleased. The presence of these creatures was indirect proof that the Grand Square Pot existed. Their trip had not been in vain.

Soft, intimate whispers began to echo in every soldier’s ears, as if someone was speaking directly to them.