Chapter 1119: Vast Heaven and Earth
If one traveled south from the central part of the western planetary system, and went roughly 1.985 billion kilometers, they would eventually reach a mountain named Inkstone.[1]
There was a valley in that mountain, within which was a mysterious pond of emerald-green water. Occasionally, evil spirits would swim in the water. They looked like nothing more than smoke on the water, and if you touched them, they would vanish. The surrounding crags resembled bizarre dog fangs. Ancient trees rose up, creating a leafy canopy that blocked the sun.
Next to the pond was a stone dais, upon which was an inscription carved in very ancient characters. It said: “Evil has fallen here. The good shall stay away.”
Few people came to this location. Most just passed by as quickly as possible. The only people who did come were those who practiced cultivation that required evil energy. But even they would only come when the aura above was brightest, and they would never stay longer than an hour.
Standing just outside of Mount Inkstone was a young man in a black robe, who was peering at the pitch-black mountain. According to the rumors, there was a fiendish devil cultivator in ancient times who buried his sword here just before he died. The sword’s name was Inkstone. It eventually became this mountain, which was full of evil energy. And that was how the Pond of Fallen Evil formed.
This young man was Xu Qing, who had left Darkcloud City some time ago.
After escorting Yunmen Qianfan to Darkcloud City, he decided to do some traveling in the west. He focused on areas from the bamboo scroll Yunmen Qianfan had given him, specifically, the ones similar to the Desert of Time that had fantastic names and bizarre stories attached to them.
The Pond of Fallen Evil was his first stop.
After studying the mountain for a while, he waited until the aurora was at its brightest, then started walking up Mount Inkstone. He walked past boulders and thickets until he reached the valley. He saw the pond and he saw the dais with the inscription.
He also saw the so-called evil spirits. He studied them. They approached malevolently, howling viciously. They looked like they wanted to devour Xu Qing. However, as soon as they touched him, they collapsed into smoke.
This place isn’t strong enough to kill a cultivator instantly. But it could infect the soul, slowly devouring one’s flesh and blood. If you stay too long, you’ll eventually die. Some of it has to do with the time of day you enter. When the aurora in the sky is dark, the evil spirits here will be much stronger.