Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 1033 - 1029: Black Forest

Yangzhou Netherworld still stands with a thousand peaks, stretching across ten thousand valleys, countless bizarre peaks piercing the firmament like sharp swords, forming a stone barrier on the land as far as the eye can see.

These jagged rocks all present a fierce and menacing appearance.

Some resemble beasts lying in wait, their backs arched, limbs tensed, as if they’re about to leap into the sky at any moment.

Some seem like giant apes standing tall, roaring up at the heavens, with the wind whistling through the stone crevices sounding like their howl, making the nearby trees shudder.

Others transform into glaring Fierce Ghosts, with human-like features faintly discernible, deep eye sockets resembling black holes, mouths stretched into sinister arcs, faces fierce and terrifying, enough to make one’s heart tighten.

Some even resemble giant pythons coiled around mountain tops, their bodies winding and encircling, stone scales staggered, appearing to be hissing and coveting the creatures below.

"These are really fun, like a monster amusement park," Dou Dou surveyed the surroundings, a trace of excitement on her little face.

"Fun? Don’t you find it scary?" Duoduo asked.

"Scary? You aren’t scared, are you?"

Dou Dou immediately perked up, her eyes gleaming, ready to mock Duoduo if she admitted to being scared.

"No, I’m not scared at all," Duoduo said stubbornly.

But her voice wavered slightly, although Dou Dou didn’t notice and instead glanced sideways at Xiao Yue.

Xiao Yue: →_→

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Xiao Yue asked with a cold expression.

"I just... I just thought you looked nice," Dou Dou said, trying to please.

"No need for you to say," Xiao Yue’s mouth curled slightly.

Shen Siyuan had the urge to laugh, but now was not the time.

So he said, "Alright, don’t joke around here, get ready, this place isn’t Qiongzhou Netherworld, it’s very dangerous all around."

As soon as Shen Siyuan finished speaking, Dou Dou’s small body was enveloped in a layer of golden light, and in an instant, a dazzling golden armor covered her from head to toe, tightly sealed. Fiery red flames rose and churned around the armor, exuding an air reminiscent of the Red Boy coming into the world.

The Divine Fire on the little one grew stronger, the Nether Blue Flame that once surrounded her body was gradually replaced by this bright Divine Fire, making the air where it reached faintly hot.

On the other hand, Duoduo was much stealthier; her figure flickered and she turned into a strand of pale cyan smoke. As the smoke dissipated, an ancient umbrella remained, floating in the air, its surface hidden in hazy shadows, without any trace of human presence, reflecting an air of mystery.

Xiao Yue’s movements were sharp and decisive; she lightly raised her wrist, securing the Three Pure Ones Bell onto the Soul-hooking Chain.

The Soul-hooking Chain slithered around her like a Spirit Snake, the bell shaking intensely, producing a continuous "ding" sound. The clear ringing carried a faint but potent force to dispel evil and push back the surrounding dense shadowy aura.

"Let’s go."

Shen Siyuan was the first to step forward and proceed toward the mountain path ahead.

Here was where they had once encountered the Demon Scholar Lu Xiwen. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Times had changed, and Lu Xiwen’s presence was long gone, only the sword scars on the cliff, deep enough to reveal the bone, remained, evidence of the fierce battle that took place there.

Following the mountain path, the group walked on, passing through jagged rocks until they finally stepped out of the path’s end.

But the sight before them made everyone stop abruptly, as what lay ahead was a black forest of dead silence.

The trees in the forest were bare of any leaves, only inky black branches stretched like demonic claws toward the sky, intertwining to weave an impenetrable web.

Even more distressing were the twisted faces faintly visible on each trunk, with blurred features, appearing to be countless dead souls trapped within, silently wailing through the trees, a chilling sound inflicting unease as the wind blew through.

Shen Siyuan gazed at the eerie atmosphere of the Black Forest, furrowing his brow.

The Yin Wind carried a thick aura of Yin Sha, evidently no ordinary place and fraught with potential danger if rashly ventured into.

"Dou Dou, use fire to clear this forest," Shen Siyuan ordered firmly, his voice leaving no room for doubt.

Upon hearing this, Dou Dou eagerly responded, "Alright!"

She gripped her small axe tightly, the red flames on the golden armor instantly surged several feet, the clear Divine Fire flowed like molten gold, coating the axe in a dazzling blaze.

The little one suddenly raised the axe and struck it down on the nearest black tree.

"Boom!" The axe hit the trunk, sparks flying, a vast sea of Divine Fire immediately engulfing the dark branches.

The previously silent tree suddenly trembled violently, as if infused with sinister life, the faces on the trunk distorting even more, emitting a fierce shriek.

The branches twisted frantically, like countless black snakes whipping and entwining each other, trying to snuff out the flames.

But Dou Dou’s Divine Fire was no longer the cold Nether Flame of the past, now a pure and scorching Yang Attribute Fire, perfectly countering evil.

The flames clung to the branches like festering sores, not only not extinguished but burning even more intensely, the fire tongues spreading along the branches, encasing the whole tree in flames.

"Sizzle~"

The black wood melted and carbonized in the Divine Fire, producing a tooth-aching sound.

The other trees, seeing their companion in peril, strangely grew restless and turned their faces towards Dou Dou, eyes flashing with angry red light.

Just as they intended to act, Dou Dou rushed into the forest, swinging her axe. The Divine Fire shot around like meteors, igniting every tree it touched in raging flames.

Seeing the fire unquenchable, these eerie black trees made a surprising move.

They gave up struggling, the branches shrank quickly, transforming into dense black mist, and "swish!" They dove into the ground, leaving only blackened holes.

One tree, two trees, three trees... Within moments, the overshadowing black forest retreated like a tide, every black tree vanished underground.

As the Divine Fire gradually died down, the scenery before them underwent a drastic change, the once ghastly forest now a rugged plain, pockmarked with holes and pits, between which lay exposed layers of black bones beneath the surface soil.

These bones, accumulated over untold centuries, soaked in shadowy auras, stacked layer upon layer to no discernible end, as if countless beings had perished here.

The Yin Wind swept over the piles of bones, emitting a "woo woo" sound, even more chilling than the prior wailing through the trees.

Shen Siyuan leaned down to pinch a fragment of bone, feeling an icy chill through his fingertips.