Rows of grim tombstones stood in silence. Lush pines and cypresses screened out the light, and a gentle breeze stirred waves of rustling through their branches, lending the place an especially solemn, heavy air.
The bases of some tombstones had cracked, exposing the hard bluestone and rammed earth within. On others, the carved names had weathered beyond recognition, overgrown with vines and moss. Who knew how many years they had stood here?
Bai Xiang Shou slowly swept his gaze across them, and several familiar names caught his eye.
"Chi Xulong?" "Hong Yi?" "Xiang Tianxing?"
Shock surged through Bai Xiang Shou's heart.
The war god of the former Great Liang Kingdom, the founding patriarchs of the True Martial Sect and the Vertical Sword Sect-which of them had not been renowned far and wide, a mighty figure who once commanded the winds and clouds? Their legends still circulated in the martial world. Who would have thought they, too, lay buried here?
Bai Xiang Shou gazed at the densely packed tombstones stretching beyond sight, his heart roiling as countless questions flashed through his mind.
Pulao Aotian stood in solemn silence. As though he knew what Bai Xiang Shou was thinking, he sighed softly. "Boy, bow your head to them...
"They all fell defending the world you come from. In a little while, I'll take you to meet someone. He'll answer all your questions."
At those words, Bai Xiang Shou bent both knees and respectfully kowtowed three times.
Clouds and mist suddenly churned in the sky. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, scattering a fine, hazy rain, as though wind and rain shared their grief, as though heaven and earth mourned together...
"This place was also created by that Sage. Out of respect, we all walk here. Flying is forbidden."
Ao Tian led Bai Xiang