Translator:
Exodus Tales
Editor:
Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The palace tomb...
Statues: the place was filled with vivid and lifelike statues made of white jade, looking extremely similar to a pale woman’s soft, tender skin.
Most importantly, the statues were all women with glamorous and slim figures, each with a different posture: lowering their heads, bowing, kneeling on the ground, or with a smile on their faces. The group felt like they were being welcomed by the emperor’s harem as they walked past them.
Also, none of them were wearing clothes when the sculptures were carved, further implying that they were the pampered women of the emperor. Their alluring expressions and their naked bodies... it was too difficult to just treat them as mere statues...
Even Liu Ru and Su Xiaoluo blushed when they saw the spectacular sight. Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and Fang Gu felt slightly awkward. Their only comment was that the Qin Emperor had a strong interest in all kinds of collections, including women. They did not find a single statue that was repeated, each of them had a unique taste and charm.
Mo Fan nudged Zhang Xiaohou with his elbow and whispered, “Houzi, which one do you like?”
“Brother Fan, I’m not in the mood for this. All I think is trying to meet the Ancient King as soon as possible, many people are still waiting for us...” said Zhang Xiaohou sternly.
“So, which one do you like?” Mo Fan was enjoying it despite the suffering of the city. No matter how grim the situation was, it could not stop the men from pursuing their natural desires.
“Well...” Zhang Xiaohou blushed before he whispered, “I like this one that’s alive.”
Mo Fan looked at Su Xiaoluo beside them and chuckled.
Even the most beautiful statue with the perfect body and peerless beauty was merely a lifeless object. It was nothing compared to a lively girl whose single smile or wink could pluck the strings in a man’s heart.
“Is there no end to this place, just like the corridor?” Su Xiaoluo finally asked.
There were too many jade statues on both sides, yet every one of them was unique in their own way. It felt the same as the endless corridor...
“Err...I think there are just too many of them,” Mo Fan pointed ahead, telling her that there were no more statues ahead.
—-
As Mo Fan mentioned, the statues had come to an end. Mo Fan was in a different mood than Zhang Xiaohou. He basically inspected all the statues along the way. Liu Ru, who was following him, rolled her eyes a couple of times, yet Mo Fan did not feel ashamed of his action. It was his passion for art. Humans should never stop pursuing beautiful things in their lives. Otherwise, what difference was there between them and salted fish?
“Why is it completely dark ahead?” Zhang Xiaohou asked suddenly, further ahead than the others.
“Did the path end?” Fang Gu was stunned.
As they continued forward, the path gradually narrowed as it led them to a jade platform surrounded by darkness, as if they had walked up to the edge of a cliff.
A strong wind was blowing, circling the platform on both sides, as if it would sweep them into the abyss if they took the wrong step.
Zhang Xiaohou was a Wind Magician. He probed the area ahead with his will, but quickly withdrew it in panic and blurted out in shock, “It’s a very high-quality type of wind, I can’t even transmit my will through it. It can easily tear a Ruler-level creature to pieces!”
The strong black wind looked like countless black sickles swiping wildly beside and above them. If it was as scary as Zhang Xiaohou described, the whole space apart from the platform they were standing on was a death zone!
“There is nothing... mmm, bridges!” exclaimed Liu Ru, whose vision was the best of them in the dark.
The path had ended, and they were surrounded by the death wind. They would be at a loss if the bridges did not appear. Luckily, the arching bridges were connected to the edge of the platform. For some reason, they could not see the white bridges when they first arrived at the platform!
The arching bridges were not the kind that was built on small rivers, but similar to the massive flyover bridges. The white bridges extended deeper into the darkness, like flying dragons.
There were ten dragon bridges in total. They could not see the ends when they stared into the distance. However, it seemed like the bridges were not affected by the death wind dancing around like sickles...
In other words, the bridges were the only way to advance forward.
“Come, the bridges are not swept by the black wind. We should be able to reach the Blood Emperor Throne safely,” said Zhang Xiaohou.
“Wait!” Su Xiaoluo immediately pulled Zhang Xiaohou back with a nervous look.
Fang Gu had an anxious look, too. He said with a deep voice, “These are most likely the Nine Bridges of Death and One Bridge of Life.”
“Nine...Nine Bridges of Death and One Bridge of Life?” A chill went down Liu Ru’s spine as she heard the name.
Nine to death, one to life!
There were ten bridges here, which meant that only one of the bridges would bring them to the Blood Emperor Throne. The other nine would lead them to death!
Zhang Xiaohou fell speechless in shock. He was actually hoping that Fang Gu and Su Xiaoluo would show him the bridge that would lead them to the Blood Emperor Throne!
“Nine bridges of death, and one bridge of life. Our ancient teachings did mention it, but it did not tell us which one is the right one,” said Fang Gu firmly.
“What do we do now? One out of ten, aren’t the odds a bit too low?” said Liu Ru nervously.
“It’s not necessarily one out of ten. There are five of us here. If each of us chooses a bridge, the odds are two to one,” said Mo Fan rationally.
Fang Gu nodded and said, “He’s right, if each of us chooses a different bridge, it will dramatically increase the odds, but... do you really want to do that?”
Fang Gu did not care much about the approach. He had come to atone for his sins. He would no longer die with regrets after finding the tomb of their old ancestor. However, Mo Fan, Liu Ru, Zhang Xiaohou, and Su Xiaoluo were different. The pairs of Liu Ru and Mo Fan, and Zhang Xiaohou and Su Xiaoluo, were surely inclined to stay together, let alone Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou, who were extremely close to one another.
How were they going to cross the bridges?
By crossing the bridge together, they would share the same fate, but the odds of the millions of people in the city seeing the next dawn were one in ten.
If they split up, it meant they would be separated forever, although the odds of resolving the calamity were two to one.
The Nine Bridges of Death and One of Life, the candidates were forced to make an extremely hard decision, yet the thing was, even if they split up, the odds were still fifty percent!
“You guys make the call,” Fang Gu sat on the ground. He was well aware of how tough it was to make the decision.
Chapter 666:
The Bridges of Death
Translator:
Exodus Tales
Editor:
Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The group of four fell silent. As they were struggling on how to make the decision, they were unaware of the copper mirror on a boulder behind them...
——–
As long as there was a Wicked Eye Copper Mirror in the area, the people from the villages could observe it through the mirror. As a result, the people in the clock tower were aware of the situation they were in, too.
The truth was, the problem that Mo Fan and his crew had encountered had left the authorities in silence, too. They were extremely worried on their behalf, yet their hearts were burning with anxiety for the city!
“What is there to think about? Just take a bridge each, the odds of fifty percent are good enough!” Chu Jia, an elder of the Hunter Union broke the silence. How he wished that he could transmit his voice into the group’s ears.
“That’s easy for you to say. They have made a huge sacrifice just by being willing to jump into the Dark Abyss, and now, they have to choose if they are going to die alone or together...” said Du Xiao, who was relatively more sentimental.
“But don’t they know the burden they are carrying on their shoulders!” said Chu Jia.
“That’s because of how useless we are, that we have to place this huge burden on the shoulders of these young Magicians. No matter what they choose, we should respect them. I believe neither determination nor their urge to save the world was the reason that brought them so far. In fact, it’s the never-changing friendship between them, facing anything fearlessly as long as they are together. It’s difficult to move forward when you’re all by yourself,” said Du Xiao in a deep voice.
Nobody would be more familiar with the feeling than him. He was all by himself the moment he became a Senior Hunter. The glory, the determination, and the ambition suddenly became meaningless.
Du Xiao could understand the feelings that the group was experiencing. He hoped that the authorities would not try to judge them with their skewed sense of morality and righteousness. They had already sacrificed themselves when they jumped into the Dark Abyss. Either staying together or splitting up, nobody else had the right to condemn them!
“Mo Fan has come to the Ancient Capital because of Zhang Xiaohou, I heard that he was in the middle of the nomination battles...” said Yao Nan.
“Su Xiaoluo saved Zhang Xiaohou’s life.”
“I think that girl jumped into the Dark Abyss because of Mo Fan.”
“Man, I would have a mental breakdown if I was in their shoes...”
“Yeah, the burden is too heavy, it’s suffocating.”
———
The bridges of death!
The bridge of life!
The ten bridges extended into the darkness swayed slightly as they were blown by the black wind. It felt like any of the bridges would lead them to death, or endless darkness.
Regardless of the final decision, their hearts were in pain, as if a knife was twisting in them.
Zhang Xiaohou looked at Mo Fan. He could not decide at all.
He was willing to sacrifice himself, yet if he was told to pick a bridge and watch Mo Fan and Su Xiaoluo pick the other bridges that would separate them eternally, it was no different than killing him right on the spot. He had only jumped into here because he did not want to lose the two most important people in his life!
He had already experienced the sense of losing someone. He was not willing to experience it again!
“Brother Fan... I’ll follow your decision,” said Zhang Xiaohou after taking a deep breath.
Zhang Xiaohou could not make the decision. His only urge was to choose Mo Fan, choosing to believe him completely.
Mo Fan was silent for a long time. He was staring at the ten bridges, as if he was trying to detect any clue from them. However, the bridges were exactly the same, as if they would all lead them to the same destination.
“Fang Gu, is the death from picking the wrong bridge inevitable?” asked Mo Fan sternly.
Mo Fan was unable to remain optimistic in the current situation. The impact of his decision was too bizarre. There was no way he could make the decision easily, when it would either decide the fate of the city, or separate him from his friends forever.
“Maybe it’s only deadly to us? I believe that the Dark Abyss, even if it can murder a Ruler-level creature, isn’t necessarily a death zone, either. I believe a Forbidden Magician could enter and leave as they wished, too... As for the Bridge of Life, it won’t necessarily guarantee our safety, either. Who knows, the old ancestor on the Blood Emperor Throne might actually be scarier than anything else,” said Fang Gu.
Mo Fan’s eyes glittered when he heard Fang Gu’s words. It seemed like he had made up his mind.
Mo Fan looked at Liu Ru, who avoided his eyes. She spoke before Mo Fan could ask, “I’ll listen to you. I’ll do whatever you say.”
Mo Fan nodded and pointed at one of the bridges, “We’ll take this bridge, together.”
Fang Gu was slightly confused when he heard Mo Fan’s decision. He could not understand why Mo Fan would make such a decision. It was obvious that splitting up and taking five bridges would significantly increase the odds. Was Mo Fan really that cold to the millions of lives in the city?
“Are you sure?”
“I just don’t understand why we must obey the rules. No matter how astonishing the capabilities of the man who died more than two thousand years ago are, there would still be times when he was buried or defeated. Picking the wrong bridge doesn’t mean we are going to die!” replied Mo Fan.
Fang Gu was stunned when he heard those words. He said with a wry smile, “I agree with you, but whether you are strong enough to overcome the situation is a totally different story.”
Mo Fan shrugged, “It doesn’t matter, I just don’t feel like following a dead man’s rules. We will face it together; we’ll either live, or die together.”
Mo Fan was already making his move. It was better to proceed forward than to waste their time further here. It would give them more time to resolve the danger, even if they chose the wrong bridge.
“That’s fine, but I won’t be taking the same bridge. Good luck,” said Fang Gu.
——
The authorities had grim looks on their faces.
They did not want Mo Fan and his crew to take the same bridge. It would give them the lowest odds. They were relieved when Fang Gu decided to take a bridge himself, increasing the odds from ten to one to five to one.
A fifth, there was still hope. They could only pray that Heaven would bless the Ancient Capital.
——
The group of four slowly ventured into the darkness as they proceeded forward on the white arch bridge.
As they turned around and glanced backward, the platform had already disappeared. The path ahead was in pitch-black darkness, while the howls of the black wind came from behind. It felt like they were walking on a bridge hanging in the air. They would fall into the abyss at any second...
“Why is there nothing here?” Su Xiaoluo began to panic.
She was from the villages, thus she did know about the Nine Bridges of Death and One Bridge of Life. She did not have Mo Fan’s courage to challenge the rules. She only felt like they were surely going to die if they had chosen the bridge of death!
“Will it work if we turn back here?” Liu Ru asked softly.
“Most likely not, the Ancient King is the master of the Space Element. I think there was no return the moment we stepped on the bridge,” said Zhang Xiaohou.
“I’ve already tried it. It’s useless...” said Mo Fan.
“Brother Fan, I thought you were walking forward quite confidently,” said Zhang Xiaohou.
“Confident my ass, we still haven’t reached the altar yet. I’m afraid this is most likely the bridge of death. Buckle up, we have to stay calm no matter what happens. I don’t believe any of the rules the dead man has set. I believe that unity is strength!” said Mo Fan.