Chapter 1218 - 879: Xue Yinzhou’s Purpose

Chapter 1218: Chapter 879: Xue Yinzhou’s Purpose

"About the Abyss, how much more do you know?" Shen Tang stared fixedly at him, her breath tightening.

Shen Li’s gaze showed hesitation; he paused, then went on, "The Abyss is the entrance to the Dark World. It is said that the Dark World is a boundless prison where no sky can be seen and no life exists, imprisoning the most evil, annihilating power in existence. Innumerable roots of darkness are deeply embedded in one place. That must be... a forbidden realm beyond description or imagination."

Shen Tang pressed on, "Then, does the Book Collection Pavilion have any record of how to find the Abyss and open the Dark World?"

Such urgency in her tone jolted Shen Li, who replied with adamant certainty, "I don’t know."

Shen Tang hurried to soften her voice, taking his hand and adopting a coaxing tone, "Are you afraid I’ll go looking for the Abyss? Don’t worry, I’m not that reckless! Don’t hide things from me, and you’re not allowed to lie to me!"

Shen Li shook his head and said, "Xiao Tang’er, I swore I would never lie to you again. Everything concerning the Abyss and the Dark World is a sealed secret. All that’s recorded amounts to only a few sparse lines, but..."

Shen Li’s words trailed off; he frowned, as though sunk into some memory.

He remembered that when he once accidentally came across a record on the Abyss, it stirred immense curiosity in him. He was deeply dissatisfied with those half-understood annotations, so he combed through all the histories and biographies in the Book Collection Pavilion, and he seemed indeed to have found a volume with more detailed accounts of the Abyss and the Dark World.

But no matter how he tried, he could not recall what he had read, as if a portion of his memory had been erased out of thin air, shrouded in fog.

Shen Li had always possessed an eidetic memory; something like this should have been impossible.

He quickly realized—there must have been some kind of Forbidden Technique placed upon that book, causing the memory of it to be erased after reading.

It should have been a Forbidden Technique set by a tremendously powerful ancestor a thousand years ago, and even he had been affected by it! Yet now that Shen Li’s strength had grown, perhaps he could break the Forbidden Technique.

Shen Li told this to Shen Tang.

"I never thought that in this lifetime, I would have to return to the Divine Fox Clan once more."

Shen Tang said, "All right, I have a Universal Pass Card; I can send you there."

What Shen Li worried about most was precisely this. Shen Tang could freely travel among the various worlds, and over these years she had often appeared and vanished without a trace, keeping him on edge, always afraid she would never come back, with no idea where he should even start looking for her. "You promised me that at least within this year, you are not allowed to go to those dangerous places again."

Shen Li’s voice lost its usual gentle mirth and carried a rare gravity and command. "What’s more, you’re still pregnant now, and your body is so weak... I don’t want anything else going wrong with you!"

Shen Tang’s expression grew solemn; she raised three fingers and swore, "I’ll absolutely behave and do as I’m told, I won’t go anywhere! We’ll talk about everything after you come back."

Only then did a satisfied smile appear on Shen Li’s face. He lowered his head and gently brushed a kiss across her forehead. "I’d wanted to spend more time with you, but this matter brooks no delay. I’ll hurry back as soon as I can... Get good rest, and if anything comes up, give your orders to Qiu Yang."

"All right, go with an easy mind."

After Shen Li left, Shen Tang looked at the darkening sky outside and gradually grew drowsy.

The hazy moonlight spilled in through the window. She lowered her head to look at the Snake Bone Bracelet on her wrist, and her thoughts slowly drifted far away.

Yin Zhou, Yin Zhou... where are you, truly?

More than three years had slipped by in a blur; she had not seen Xue Yinzhou even once, nor received any word from him—had he come back midway? Had he secretly looked in on her? Did he know she was carrying a child?

Why did he leave so without a trace of attachment? Just what kind of mission did he bear on his shoulders...

Over these years, more than once, in utter despair, Shen Tang had thought—would they ever meet again in this lifetime?

Did he still remember her?

"Do you truly still love me? There’s been no word from you all these years—are you planning never to come back..."

The longing suppressed for so long erupted. Shen Tang closed her eyes and lowered her head to kiss the Snake Bone, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes.

Her tears fell upon the Snake Bone and vanished without a trace.

...

In the Thousand-faced Stone Forest, poisonous miasma billowed.

Countless gray-white steles stood upright like tombstones, each ten zhang high, with natural rock veining upon them. Looking closely, they were like one face after another, each completely distinct!

Those steles moved and rotated ceaselessly like living things, following no pattern whatsoever, and no map recorded this uncanny place.

The instant someone stepped within, the faces on the steles seemed to transform into ferocious ghosts with fangs bared and claws extended, shrieking and howling, as though they wished to break some seal and tear to pieces the bold intruder.