Yefutidaolu

Chapter 393 Huang Yun
The chilling aura of autumn filled every inch of space, and every breath carried a desolate and deathly scent.

Gao Jian continued on his journey.

The ancient battlefield of Cangzhou was formed because of a mistake made during the "Grand Sacrifice at the Temple of Heaven" in the past, which caused the "autumn air" between heaven and earth to fall uncontrollably here, disrupting the cycle of the four seasons and making this place perpetually shrouded in the desolate and decaying autumn atmosphere.

Unfortunately, this place was also a site of a decisive battle in ancient times, where countless bones are buried. It is said that ninety million warriors were beheaded and buried here!

The overwhelming resentment, combined with the ever-present, somber, and gloomy "autumn yin qi," produced a terrible anomaly—causing the Yellow Springs, which were originally hidden deep underground, to rise to the surface, and even exposing some sections of the river directly to the ground!
Normally, the main task of the Demon Suppression Division is to guard these gaps in the Yellow Springs, clear away the overflowing undead and demons, and prevent the death energy of the Yellow Springs from further eroding the mortal world. The "Three Thousand Year Cicada" that was suppressed here is one of them.

And now... could it be that the gap in the underworld has widened? Or has something even more terrifying emerged from within?

With these guesses in mind, Gao Jian quickened his pace and headed towards the area where the Demon Suppression Division and the major families usually stayed—a relatively safe canyon area consisting of several isolated peaks located on the edge of the ancient battlefield.

The closer one gets to that area, the more intense the deathly stillness in the air becomes. Even the wandering low-level undead and resentful spirits have become much less numerous, as if they have been frightened away by some more terrifying being.

Finally, Takashi arrived at the familiar canyon.

However, the scene before him made him stop abruptly, his brows furrowing tightly.

Empty!
The scene that should have been there—flags waving, tents stretching as far as the eye could see, cultivators patrolling, and magic arrays shining brightly—was completely absent!
Several solitary peaks still stand, and the warning stone tablet originally erected by the Demon Suppression Division at the entrance of the canyon is still there, but the camps, tents, and supplies that should have been stationed here have all disappeared! Only some traces of the camp that was once built remain on the ground - flattened withered grass, the remains of a long-extinguished campfire, and some discarded debris.

The people from the Demon Suppression Division have disappeared.

The Shui family members have disappeared.

All the experts from the Cangzhou aristocratic families who were supposed to come to reinforce and investigate have disappeared!
The entire canyon was eerily silent, even quieter than other parts of the ancient battlefield, as if no one had ever been here, or as if everyone had been wiped out by some force in an instant, leaving no trace of struggle or retreat.

"Are you kidding me?" Gao Jian couldn't help but mutter, his voice unusually clear in the empty, deathly silent canyon.

His senses instantly expanded, carefully perceiving every inch of the surrounding land.

There were no residual energy fluctuations from the battle, no smell of blood... nothing at all.

It was as if these people had received an emergency order and, in a very short time, they had evacuated in an orderly and silent manner, taking everything they could with them, leaving behind no valuable clues.

But how could this be? The patriarch of the Shui family, a tenth-realm Qi cultivator, and one of the top combatants in Cangzhou, what could possibly have caused him to leave so cleanly and completely without even a word, taking all the elites of the aristocratic families and the Demon Suppression Division with him? He didn't even leave behind the most basic personnel or talismans for relaying messages?
If such a thing were true, would Li Jun not know? Would Li Zoufang not know? Impossible. But the fact that they didn't inform Gao Jian beforehand means they weren't clear about the situation here either, so they didn't tell Gao Jian.

Gao Jian's heart sank.

This unusually empty space was even more unsettling than seeing a brutal battlefield directly.

The only explanation is that something unexpected happened here, something that even cultivators at the tenth realm felt powerless to do and had to make an immediate decision. And this event is very likely related to the rising Yellow Springs.

Faced with this eerie, deserted canyon, Gao Jian felt something was amiss, but he wasn't too afraid.

Fear often stems from the unknown, and Gao Jian is precisely the one who knows about "Huang Quan," and even to some extent, the one who controls it.

During his past journey to the land of the living and the dead, he not only personally set foot on the shores of the Yellow Springs, but also drew pictures and engraved their spirits around the Yellow Springs. He was even led by Xia Youdu to go deep into that desolate land of the dead and the void to meet Yuan Lu.

During his time in the Netherworld Sutra Pavilion, he read extensively on ancient secret texts concerning the Netherworld's role in the study of the Yellow Springs, gaining a profound understanding of the Yellow Springs' nature, its operating principles, and even how to utilize its power—a understanding far beyond that of ordinary people.

What ordinary cultivators regard as a raging flood and ferocious beast, the deathly aura of the Yellow Springs is, to him, merely a special "environment" that requires careful treatment yet is all too familiar.

Of course, this doesn't mean he can be careless. For those without the corresponding methods and sufficient strength, the Yellow Springs remains a death trap with no chance of survival. The sense of desolation and annihilation it contains is enough to corrode all living things.

Gao Jian stood still, meticulously scanning every inch of the canyon and every rock.

He tried to find clues about the people's departure or disappearance from the camp traces that had been almost erased by time and from the faint fluctuations of the air.

What exactly happened to them? Was it a voluntary evacuation or a forced relocation? If it was an evacuation, why was it so thorough and rushed? If they encountered an accident, why were there no signs of fighting?

There were too few clues; it was like a fog.

"It seems the answer still lies underground," Gao Jian muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the ground.

He suddenly remembered someone. "I wonder how that kid Zou Shu is doing... He should also be working in the Demon Suppression Division, so he must be here this time too."

Zou Shu, a captain in the Demon Suppression Division, was a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside him when he first entered the ancient battlefield. Zou Shu left without saying goodbye after he entered the Imperial Academy, and he hadn't had a chance to see him again. This time, both for official and personal reasons, he had to find them.

With his mind made up, Gao Jian no longer hesitated. He accelerated, transforming into a blurry shadow, and sped towards the core area of ​​the ancient battlefield, towards the direction from which the aura of the Yellow Springs emanated.

----------

Meanwhile, deep underground...

This is not a natural cave, but rather a huge cavity formed after some immense force tore the earth apart—deep, dark, and cold. A suffocating yellow cloud hangs in the air.

This was not ordinary water vapor forming clouds and mist, but a deadly poisonous haze formed by the rising, almost tangible aura of the underworld! Like yellow gauze, it flowed slowly through the huge underground cavern, making a "whooshing" sound, like a sigh.

This is 'Yellow Cloud'. Wherever the Yellow Cloud arrives, a feeling of oppressive heat arises, yet it also carries a bone-chilling cold.

The fog was mixed with decaying dust and an indescribable aura of decay. Prolonged inhalation of this yellow cloud would severely erode vitality and damage the foundation of one's cultivation. Ancient texts state: "When yellow clouds appear, a strong wind arises, the fog obscures the dust, and damage occurs. If it does not descend for a long time, it will stagnate and become stagnant, the sky will be filled with yellow dust, the earth will be covered in dampness, and the people will suffer from weakness in their limbs, dizziness, joint pain, abdominal distension, and chest tightness."

Yellow clouds can cause muggy heat and strong winds, with fog and dust spreading, which can harm the human body. If they do not dissipate over a long period, the accumulated pathogenic factors can generate, and the world will be filled with yellow and damp air, which can lead to illnesses such as weakness in the limbs, dizziness, joint pain, abdominal distension, and chest tightness.

For cultivators, this erosion is more direct and fierce, causing stagnation of true qi, dullness of spirit and soul, and even damage to the foundation of their cultivation.

At this moment, in a relatively spacious cave, a large group of soldiers dressed in tattered Demon Suppression Bureau uniforms were laboriously carrying heavy black stones, carving and constructing a complex and massive array foundation on a relatively flat surface. Each of them had a tired and sickly sallow complexion, and their breathing was as faint as possible, yet they were still inevitably being eroded by the omnipresent yellow clouds.

They were commanded by Colonel Zou Shu.

His standard armor was badly damaged and covered in stains and dried, dark red blood.

His once sharp eyes were now bloodshot, and even more alarming was that the whites of his eyes had turned an ominous, murky yellow! This was a clear sign that his body had been severely corroded by prolonged exposure to the dense deathly aura of the Yellow Springs!
He gritted his teeth and, in a hoarse voice, directed his subordinates to maximize efficiency and minimize their time spent there.

"Hurry up! We don't have much time left!" A cold, hard voice came from not far away.

A richly dressed, arrogant young man from a prominent family approached. He was enveloped in a faint, clear light that kept the surrounding yellow clouds at bay, clearly indicating that he possessed a powerful protective treasure. Looking at the slow-moving construction, his face was filled with impatience as he sternly urged Zou Shu to hurry up.

Upon hearing this, Zou Shu frowned deeply. He glanced at the soldiers around him, who were almost exhausted and looked even worse than him, and suppressed his anger. He turned to the young nobleman, cupped his hands, and said, "Sir, it's not that we're slacking off. The brothers are almost at their limit. Their inner energy is depleted, and their strength is failing. If this continues, even if the formation is completed, they'll be crippled! We urgently need to rest and recover!"

"Rest?" The young master from the aristocratic family sneered, his eyes filled with disdain. "Once the formation is complete, you can naturally rest!"

Before he finished speaking, a powerful pressure descended like a mountain, pressing down heavily on Zou Shu!
"Pfft!"

Caught off guard, Zou Shu's knees buckled, and he was forced to kneel on one knee by the pressure emanating from the sixth-realm cultivator. The gravel on the ground hurt painfully! He suddenly looked up, glaring angrily, his yellow sclera filled with bloodshot veins and rage!

He was only a fourth-level martial artist and could hardly fight against these young masters from aristocratic families!
"My lord!" Zou Shu forced out the words through gritted teeth, "If we continue to force this, resulting in large-scale non-combat casualties and delaying the formation's progress, who will take responsibility?! We need some breathing room!"

The displeasure on the scion of the aristocratic family deepened.

He did indeed need these cannon fodder from the Demon Suppression Division to complete this arduous task. Killing them all would not only be troublesome but also time-consuming, requiring more reinforcements. He snorted coldly and waved his hand reluctantly: "Hmph! Useless! Fine... I'll give you three... no, two hours! Get out on the ground and catch your breath! You must return in two hours to continue! Otherwise, you'll be subject to military law!"

The oppressive aura vanished abruptly.

Zou Shu stood up, not even bothering to brush the dust off his clothes, and immediately shouted, "Did you all hear that? Put your things down where you are! Hold your breath! Don't take deep breaths here! Those who can move, help the brothers next to you! I'll take you up!"

The soldiers, who had already reached their limits, were relieved and put down their stone tools as if they were exhausted. But no one dared to breathe in the deadly yellow cloud. They could only endure the dizziness and nausea, and support each other as they moved with difficulty toward the narrow passage leading to the ground.

Zou Shu hoisted a young soldier who could barely stand up onto his shoulder and looked around.

In other areas of this huge underground cavity, one could vaguely see the figures of several other teams of Demon Suppression Division soldiers, who were also forced to work like livestock under the watchful eyes of the aristocratic scions.

At this moment, it seems that only their team is allowed to rest.

Zou Shu's heart sank to the bottom, and an indescribable sense of grief, indignation, and helplessness welled up in his heart.

Damn it! These damned parasites from aristocratic families! If Lord Sima were still alive, and if the reinforcements sent by the court could truly take charge, how could they allow them to treat our brothers like this!

He gritted his teeth, carried his companions, and led this exhausted and death-corroded team step by step, laboriously moving towards the exit leading to the ground, a symbol of a brief respite.

The passage to the ground was narrow and steep, filled with thin, yellowish clouds seeping up from below. Zou Shu and his soldiers, enduring the discomfort, practically dragged each other along as they struggled to climb. With each step, the suffocating stillness and the burning pain in their lungs lessened a little.

Finally, the leader abruptly pushed aside a disguised stone slab, and the dim light of the day, mixed with the unique smell of rust and decay of the ancient battlefield, rushed in.

"Quick! Get out!" Zou Shu roared, emerging from the ground first, then turning back to pull his companions up one by one.

After the last soldier staggered out, Zou Shu immediately covered the stone slab again, trying his best to prevent the yellow clouds below from escaping. Having done all this, he seemed utterly exhausted, collapsing to the ground and greedily taking deep breaths, completely devoid of any decorum.

"Cough! Cough cough!" A violent coughing sound immediately rang out.

The air on the ancient battlefield was by no means fresh.

The "autumn killing" energy, accumulated over thousands of years, has solidified here. When inhaled, it carries a sharp, chilling feeling, as if countless tiny golden needles are piercing the alveoli. It's dry and cold, making one want to cough, yet nothing comes out; only an unusual discomfort in the throat and chest. As medical texts say, the lungs belong to the metal element, and the excessive, even stagnant, metal energy here naturally causes such difficulty in breathing.

Even so, compared to the dense, impenetrable yellow cloud underground that could directly erode life force and pollute true essence, it was already far better than anything else.

Zou Shu coughed a few times, catching his breath slightly.

Then he lay down, surrounded by many corpses.

Yes
Everywhere you look, there are scattered corpses!

But everyone seemed to take it for granted.

(End of this chapter)