Fiend Sealing Pagoda
“So you pit your skeleton soldiers against each other daily to kill time?” questioned Mu Yu.
“We are fighting for the dead cultivators. We have no means of reincarnating, so this is our duty,” proudly justified He Liankong.
“You don’t mind using your own bones as weapons?”
Bo Hong explained, “Initially, we did. Later on, we discovered the fiends were using their bones to drive us off. Souls cannot hurt one another; however, if you smear a special type of aqua fiend’s blood onto bones, you can inflict pain onto other souls using the bone. This may be a large island, but there is finite space. We were forced to retaliate when they kept pushing us back further and further. There’s only one match for today. Sometimes, we have several days break between matches.”
“How many souls are there between the two races on the island?”
“19,371 human souls and 18,533 fiend souls,” answered Mu Mengfei. “There’s a mysterious energy protecting the souls on this island from dying.”
“These fights are a way of fairly competing for territory. Whichever side’s skeleton soldier falls apart first is deemed the loser of the match, and they must move the boundary line back their way one metre. We have lost sixty kilometres of land so far,” elaborated Bo Hong.
“Don’t you get tired of fighting all the time? Ever considered getting along with each other? This isn’t going to get you anywhere if you can’t kill each other.”
“This is an issue of honour, not fatigue. The only options are to win or lose,” argued He Liankong.
Mu Yu gave up arguing and changed up the topic. “How do you procure enough bones if you’re constantly smashing bones in every fight?”
Bo Hong elucidated, “We only utilise the bones that are extremely robust for combat. If the ones we utilise do break, Fiend Sealing Pagoda repairs them at night for us using its qi that can nourish bones, albeit requiring one night.”
“What is this Fiend Sealing Pagoda?”
The human skeleton soldier ripped off the fiend’s skeleton soldier’s arm, although sacrificing its own leg in the process.
“Reverend Xuan Jizi, wielded the magical weapon to subdue Archfiend Yujiang’ seven ocean fiend guardians in the war. Archfiend Yujiang is sealed inside it. You might be keen to see it, but it is only visible under the moonlight,” responded He Liankong.
That has to be the first fiend king sealed on his own turf, mused Mu Yu. “Where is the pagoda now?”
“We were tasked with guarding it five thousand years ago. Hundreds of years ago, the fiends drove us back and took it from us,” replied He Liankong.
“Souls cannot approach the pagoda due to a formation cast outside it, so they cannot do anything with it,” assured Mu Mengfei.
“How do you keep with the demand for bones, then?”
“The pagoda absorbs moonlight as energy and then disperses it across the island. We, therefore, receive its benefits even without possession of it,” said Mu Mengfei.
The humans’ skeleton soldier vaulted up and swung at the fiends’ skeleton soldier, risking its head. Thick tail bones sprouted from the ground, capturing the humans’ titan. Tentacles encroached and tore apart the trapped titan, giving the victory to the fiends.
The audience readied their bone blades in case the other party tried something unscrupulous immediately after the match ended.
He Liankong introduced to Gui Yuzi, humanity’s fourth leader, Mu Yu. Gui Yuzi had no desire to exchange words with Mu Yu; the feeling was mutual, nonetheless.
Mu Mengfei was a member of Mystic Spirit Sect, while Bo Hong wasn’t affiliated with any sect.
He Liankong wasn’t happy to hear level seven alchemists were on the brink of becoming a myth because there were, at least, twenty of them back in his era. In exchange for the information, he told Mu Yu about the restrictions on the island, such as the flight height limit due to the sealing energy around the island. Mu Yu then found a moment when Gui Yuzi wasn’t paying attention to have a word with He Liankong in private, informing the later of Ghost Gate’s people’s imminent arrival and plans.
He Konglian patted Mu Yu on the shoulder, making Mu Yu shiver as if an ice block touched him. “Don’t worry. We’re not pure souls, so they can’t harm us. Gui Yuzi was formidable during his lifetime. After he died, though, he lost his twin. The energy on this island hampers Ghost Gate’s style whilst protecting our souls from being erased. They’re wasting their time coming here.”
Mu Yu didn’t have anything else to say given He Konglian’s confidence. Still, he was worried about Gui Yeming’s incredible powers. As for the energy protecting the souls on the island, by some mechanism, Mu Yu’s death qi couldn’t do any harm to the souls, either.
“Elder, my shifu, Eternally Youthful Ku Mu, was a splendid alchemist. Unfortunately, Third Heaven Palace killed him. Is there any way I can repair his comatose soul?”
“How did your shifu end up in Third Heaven Palace’s blacklist?”
“It is a long and convoluted story. My shifu was the leader of Bamboo Peak, so his demise is a heavy blow to Pill Cauldron Sect. Do you have any way to repair the damage to his soul?” Mu Yu sincerely pleaded, showing his Bamboo Peak token to prove his identity.
“Mm… There is, but…”
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