The closer you get to the truth, the greater the danger becomes.
This Pioneer-era godman may have already uncovered the secret behind the darkness, but he failed to carry the news out—instead, he died before the Umbral World Stele. Only with Quinn Shepherd’s arrival was he finally awakened.
Quinn followed him onward; the lake beneath the bridge grew ever vaster, until it resembled a boundless sea, with no land in sight.
Quinn glanced down from the bridge and vaguely made out huge dark fish swimming below. These fish tore at each other, frantically devouring one another, yet no matter how much they ate, they never seemed satisfied.
“These sea beasts are husk-ghosts too—always eating, yet never biting into anything real.”
At last, Quinn saw the end of the long arched bridge lying over the waves. Though the bridge ended, the sea itself had no boundary. Suspended in the gray-black sky above was a gigantic, transparent hourglass, as if crafted from the thinnest glass.
Inside the hourglass was black sand. At this moment, sand from the upper bulb was flowing down—a torrent of black grains, most already fallen, with the lower bulb nearly full.
From a distance, Quinn saw that beside the hourglass stood a cluster of small palaces. Small only by comparison with the hourglass itself—for when Quinn estimated the scale, he realized this palace complex stretched over ten li wide, absolutely enormous, like an island rising from the sea.
This palace cluster was linked directly to the long bridge. When Quinn looked behind it, he saw another arched bridge stretching away, destination unknown.
The Pioneer-era godman halted, pointing toward the palaces.
Sealed by the Heaven-Forging Demon Art, he could neither speak nor use his cultivation.
Quinn thought for a moment, then took out paper and brush. "If you have any insights, Senior, why not write them down?"
The Pioneer-era godman dipped his brush and wrote swiftly. Quinn glanced at the paper—the script was bold and upright, as vigorous as ancient pines.
"Is that a Nether City disciples' stronghold in the Umbral World?"
Quinn read the words and exclaimed in surprise, "How many people? What cultivation levels... Are there Nether City gods among them? That's a problem... Are they dead or alive? Alive, huh..."
Quinn narrowed his eyes, thinking for a moment. "Dead or alive, neither is hard to handle. The real issue is, where did they come from, and how did they enter the Umbral World? Even if I kill all the Nether City experts in the palace, more will keep coming. I have to sever the root—the road connecting Nether City to the Umbral World."
The Pioneer-era godman kept writing.
Quinn paused, startled. "Lady Umbral? Why did you write Lady Umbral's name? Wasn't she already eaten by the husk-ghosts...? Wait! I get it now!"
He lifted his head, still surveying the palaces beneath the hourglass, and whispered, "You're right. To solve this, we need Lady Umbral. Senior, your idea is brilliant—why couldn't I think of something so clever? You must've been a genius in the Pioneer Era!"
The Pioneer-era godman just stood there, blank-faced, brush in hand, completely lost as to what Quinn was talking about.