The solemnity in Luo Ling's tone made Shen Qing's heart skip a beat.
She never expected that there were so many hidden secrets behind the sealing of the Demon Abyss ten thousand years ago.
Moreover, since she had received Luo Ling's power, according to Luo Ling, if she wanted to reinforce the seal, she would have to become one of the stones as well.
Her heart sank slowly, and her mind was in a complete mess.
"Didn't you say there were thirty - six people sacrificing to the formation? Why are there only eighteen stones here? Where are the other eighteen?"
While warning Shen Qing to be careful, Luo Ling motioned for her to look down into the Demon Abyss.
Just now, Shen Qing had only taken a rough look at the environment of the Demon Abyss, but she hadn't had the chance to observe the interior carefully.
Now, following Luo Ling's instructions, Shen Qing saw that about one to two meters below the entrance of the Demon Abyss, there were several stones glistening with a faint light.
The Demon Abyss was like a huge well, with a path seemingly leading straight down.
On the downward rock wall, besides the few stones Shen Qing had just seen, she could vaguely see the shadows of more stones further down.
"Do you mean... the remaining eighteen stones are below the Demon Abyss?"
Luo Ling nodded and explained, "Yes. You can think of this place as the entrance to the Demon Realm, and there is a long passage connecting the Demon Realm and this place."
"The eighteen stones above are the last barrier to seal the Demon Abyss, while the other eighteen are scattered on the cliff walls of the Demon Abyss."
"You can see that there are only nine stones left down there. The rest have all broken..."
"There's something else. Take a closer look..."
Luo Ling seemed a bit scared and shrank back.
Shen Qing squinted her eyes and carefully examined the gloomy entrance. To her surprise, in the churning black mist, it seemed as if there were countless tiny claws constantly attacking the remaining stones.
Shen Qing was shocked. She quickly spread out her spiritual sense. In an instant, countless shrill wails filled her spiritual sea, and her whole body was enveloped in the bone - chilling despair.
Those heavy feelings of despair made Shen Qing recall the moments of being trampled on in her previous life. The thought of seeking death gradually emerged and filled her mind.
Her heart was tightly gripped by hatred and grief.
Those wails seemed to instantly trigger the despair and breakdown that Shen Qing had always suppressed and hidden deep inside.
"Shen Qing! Wake up!"
Luo Ling raised her hand and released a surge of spiritual power into Shen Qing's brow.
The wails in Shen Qing's mind disappeared instantly. A warm current passed by, and she slowly pulled herself out of this overwhelming despair.
When she came to her senses, big teardrops fell on the back of her hand.
Shen Qing raised her hand and dully touched her cheek. Only then did she realize that somehow, she was already in tears...
"What is this..."
Shen Qing was still in shock, her emotions hadn't calmed down yet, and there was still a strong sense of grief in her heart.
Luo Ling stroked Shen Qing's head. The sorrow in her eyes turned into ice that was hard to dispel.
"These... are the souls of the cultivators who died in the battle ten thousand years ago. After the sealing formation was activated that year, these unjustly dead souls were trapped here. For ten thousand years... they have been constantly eroded by the demonic energy of the Demon Abyss... and have become like this."
"Unable to be reincarnated, they developed great resentment and hatred and became vengeful spirits that wanted to break through the seal day and night."
"After all, we did too many wrong things in order to seal the Demon Abyss that year..."
Luo Ling's voice became softer and softer, and it seemed to fade away.
Shen Qing immediately understood that Luo Ling had very little remaining spiritual power. She anxiously asked,
"What do you want me to do when you summoned me here?!"
In Luo Ling's mind, the two prophecies of Master Huiming about ten thousand years later flashed.
One: When the destined female protagonist is born, the Demon Abyss will open, and all things will perish.
Two: When the destined female protagonist is born, the Demon Abyss will open, and all things will thrive.
These two prophecies back then left many people puzzled. Both prophecies indicated that a destined female protagonist would be born and the Demon Abyss would be reopened, but the endings... were completely different.
Master Huiming said that ten thousand years later, a fated person would inherit the power on her body. At that time, the fated person would lead the world towards a different ending.
So Luo Ling left the jade pendant with her spiritual power. One reason was to let the Nether Wolf survive after her death, and the other was that she also wanted to see who the fated person in Master Huiming's words was.
But so far, she didn't see anything special about Shen Qing.
However, Master Huiming's prophecies were never wrong. The master once said that as long as someone could obtain the power she left behind, the destined female protagonist would bring the fate towards the second ending.
Thinking like this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Luo Ling's eyes. "Shen Qing, I can only remind you that this seal won't hold for long. It's up to you to decide what to do next."
Shen Qing was a bit confused. "But I don't know what to do..."
Luo Ling smiled, and her figure gradually faded. "You don't need others to guide you. The path you choose is the right one. Strengthen yourself well. Don't use that power unless it's a special moment..."
Shen Qing nodded in agreement. But then, as if she remembered something, she quickly asked the last question.
"Since the entrance to the Demon Abyss has been sealed, why can the demons still come out?"
Logically speaking, since the seal here hadn't been broken, where did the demons come from?
Just like Ji Chongming, he seemed to come and go freely. Then what was the meaning of this seal?
Luo Ling thought for a while, and her expression became solemn. "In that case, there must be more than one entrance to the Demon Realm. I've told you everything I know. From now on, it's up to you."
"And... come closer..."
Luo Ling motioned for Shen Qing to get closer. Then she raised her hands, held Shen Qing's cheeks, and slowly brought her head closer.
Shen Qing only felt herself being wrapped in a warm embrace. Then Luo Ling pressed her forehead against Shen Qing's.
With their foreheads touching, suddenly, all of Luo Ling's memories, all the cultivation techniques she had practiced in her life, and most importantly, Luo Ling's insights on controlling her power, flooded into Shen Qing's mind.
"Okay, you've received my inheritance... But remember, you are you, and I am me. Don't follow in my footsteps..."
Just as Luo Ling's figure was about to completely disappear, she hesitated for a moment. A look of entanglement flashed in her eyes, but finally, she decided to speak.
"Shen Qing, take good care of the Nether Wolf for me. He's a pure - hearted fool. The lifespan of a Nether White Wolf is more than ten thousand years. Let him move forward well and don't look back..."
As soon as the words fell, Luo Ling's figure turned into dots of light and disappeared on the spot. Her voice and appearance were nowhere to be seen.
At the same time, the scene created by Luo Ling was also gradually disappearing.
Shen Qing took a deep look at the lifeless Demon Abyss. In the surging darkness, she could still seem to see the ferocious faces of the vengeful spirits...