The Infernal Plane: Book 5 of the Coiling Dragon Saga

by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi

When he had trained in the Essence of the Earth, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Linley was merging it with the Throbbing Pulse of the World, two years probably would have been enough for mastery.

  And at that time, Linley’s soul was much weaker than it was now.

  This was a difference in talent!

  Perhaps in training and comprehending, a person’s hard work and spiritual sensitivity determined everything. Some people, upon seeing a scene, would instantly and naturally make the mental connections and perhaps suddenly breakthrough. This didn’t have anything to do with elemental affinity; it was related to a person’s pondering and logic, to one’s spiritual sensitivity.

  But with regards to how clearly or how unclearly one would sense the Elemental Laws, that was a matter of natural talent.

  “Boss, what are you thinking about?” Bebe suddenly woke Linley from his pondering.

  “Nothing. Just some random things. Let’s go. We’ll go to our living room to celebrate.” In all those interspatial rings, quite a few had stored fine wine. Linley turned to look at Delia. Suddenly, he asked, “Delia, how has your fusing of the divine spark progressed?”

  “I’ve fused with eight of the profound mysteries. I expect that in a few more years, I should be able to comprehend the ninth one as well,” Delia smiled as she spoke.

  “In a few more years, we can finally head out,” Bebe said rather hopefully.

  Linley glanced at Bebe. In his heart, he felt rather guilty. Bebe had essentially been keeping them company here for sixteen years, while Nisse and her elder brother Salomon had most likely already reached Bluemaple City, and perhaps had even headed out on their journey to the Jadefloat Continent.

  Who knew when Bebe and Nisse would meet again?

  “Bebe, let’s go drink some wine.” Linley rested his right hand on Bebe’s shoulders. The two brothers headed together towards the outside.

  In the blink of an eye, nearly five more years passed. Delia finally completely fused with that Highgod spark, reaching the Highgod level. From the outside, especially upon seeing Delia’s Fiend medallion on her chest, it was clear… that she was a Highgod Fiend!

  Highgod Fiends had quite a frightening reputation.

  “We’ve been in this place for over 20 years. I feel rather attached to it.” Linley turned to look at the cave estate, while the nearby Delia couldn’t help but laugh. Jokingly, she said, “What, you want to keep living here? How about… we stay for a few more decades?”

  “Haha, let’s go.”

  Linley waved his hand, and suddenly, a black panther-shaped metallic lifeform appeared in mid-air. Linley’s group flew into it. The metallic lifeform immediately transformed into a ray of light, flying towards the east. By now, Linley had over ten metallic lifeforms.

  These metallic lifeforms had been discovered within those hundred plus interspatial rings. After all, quite a few Highgods had purchased metallic lifeforms.

  Within the metallic lifeform, Linley and the other two were seated on chairs, looking outside through the translucent ‘window’ to look outside. They drank wine as they headed forward.

  “Boss, this metallic lifeform is so bizarre. Generally speaking, humans and magical beasts can’t be stored in interspatial rings, but metallic lifeforms can. Also, I feel as though their intelligence is very low,” Bebe said.

  Linley nodded slightly. He had noticed this as well.

  “Perhaps metallic lifeforms are rather special,” Linley said.

  Actually, what Linley didn’t realize was that all the metallic lifeforms bought and sold in places like Redbud Castle had undergone some special modifications. They were already essentially transportation tools who only had very basic thought processes.

  Seated within the metallic lifeform, Linley’s group of three continued to advance.

  The metallic lifeform once more halted, and Linley chuckled towards Delia. “Delia, sorry. We’re going to have to trouble you to go out again.”

  Delia laughed helplessly. “There really are quite a few bandits here, and they are all so annoying. They can’t find me with their divine sense, but as soon as I head out, they go ‘whoosh’ and disappear.”

  Indeed…

  As soon as Delia exited the metallic lifeform, those hundred plus Gods, upon seeing someone whom they couldn’t find with their divine sense, and in particular someone with a Fiend medallion…

  “A Highgod Fiend!”

  The bandits were so terrified, they immediately scattered.

  Delia headed back into the metallic lifeform. “Let’s continue going forward.”

  Bebe laughed loudly. “Haha, Delia, Highgod Fiends really are quite frightening to people!”

  Delia nodded and said, “Actually, it makes sense. The Fiend trials are so very hard. Survival of the fittest! Also, the Fiend missions are fairly dangerous. In battles, it is Highgod against Highgod, God against God… generally speaking, after multiple missions, the surviving Highgods are all rather powerful ones.”

  Linley, hearing this, nodded slightly. This made a lot of sense.

  “But of course, there’s another situation; a Highgod who is weak, but has a team.” Delia laughed. “Only then can that Highgod undertake multiple missions without dying. No matter what though, when bandits encounter Highgod Fiends, they will generally flee immediately.”

  60

  The Amethyst Mountains

  In the desolate chain of mountains, there were almost no signs of human life.

  People familiar with this place knew that this was a territory claimed by bandits. Normally, people didn’t dare to halt here. At the edges of the chain of mountains, halfway up a mountain, there was a large amount of rattans and wild grass, with the mountain cliffs behind them.

  The strange thing was…

  The rattans separated, and a head popped out from between them. This was a youth who was slightly fat and whose gaze was very innocent.

  Raising his head, he looked towards the sky. It was late at night, and the sky was covered with dark clouds, making the entire world pitch black. Even Deities would only barely be able to see a few hundred meters away. The youth nodded slightly. “The weather today is excellent. It is time to head forward.”

  “Swoosh!”

  The youth transformed into a graceful gust of wind, heading towards the east silently. Soon, he had travelled thousands of kilometers.

  “Huh?” The gust of wind came to a halt, and the youth returned to his normal form. He lay hidden on the ground, quietly staring into the distance. Just now, he seemed to have noticed some movement. Paying careful attention, he noticed a long-tailed beastman fly past.

  “So it was just a Saint.” The youth let out a hidden sigh of relief.

  The youth once more transformed into a silent gust of wind. While it was dark, he pressed forward, occasionally coming to a halt. Like this, he carefully advanced. Suddenly, he realized that a metallic lifeform was flying at high speed. Instantly, a look of joy appeared on the youth’s face.

  “Swoosh!”

  The youth’s speed instantly exploded, and he flew into the air, chasing after the metallic lifeform. In terms of short-distance speed, Deities were generally capable of catching up to metallic lifeforms. When the youth drew near the metallic lifeform, he immediately spread out his divine sense, finding only a few Gods within.

  “Everyone, I’m just a God. Please help me and give me a ride!” the youth immediately said through divine sense.

  But the metallic lifeform paid him no mind.

  “Milords, please help me,” the youth once more spread out his divine sense and messaged.

  “Fuck off. If you keep jabbering, I’ll kill you,” a divine sense message came out, and the youth immediately lowered his speed.

  Shaking his head with a sigh, the youth once more transformed into a gust of wind, landing down and continuing to advance eastwards. In this pitch black night, he encountered three metallic lifeforms, all filled with many people, but his three entreaties were all refuse
d.

  Since he was refused, he had to rely on himself to travel. He managed to travel two hundred thousand kilometers before daybreak. By the time the skies slowly brightened, the youth stopped advancing.

  The place he came to a halt in was within a flat area where wild grass was growing.

  “Crackle…” The youth summoned his divine power and immediately dug out a tunnel within the wild grass. It was a very secretive, hidden place.

  “Whew.”

  The youth sat down calmly within the tunnel, frowning in thought. “Given this speed, it’ll most likely take me decades before arriving at the Amethyst Mountains. I didn’t expect that I, Jenkin, would fall to such a state. This Infernal Realm… it really isn’t an easy place to roam.”

  When thinking back to the life he had lived upon arriving in the Infernal Realm, Jenkin’s heart was filled with sourness. He sighed.

  However, moments later, Jenkin’s mind returned to calmness.

  “No matter what, my top goal right now is to hurry to the Amethyst Mountains. The Amethyst Mountains will be the place where I, Jenkin, make my first mark!” Jenkin’s eyes were sharp and fierce. No matter how much he had to suffer, he wouldn’t give up.

  Undaunted despite countless setbacks. Self-confident!

  This was why Jenkin was able to become a Deity and able to stay alive up till now.

  “Fortunately, in the Infernal Realm, the area of a divine sense is very small. If this was in a material realm, where a divine sense could spread across a vast area, those bandits would be able to easily locate their targets.” Jenkin smiled slightly. “Alas, but only once or twice a month will I encounter a night like last night, where there is no moonlight at all.”

  Jenkin knew very well that if he were to travel by day, he would definitely be discovered.

  Once he was discovered, given his power as a new God, he definitely wouldn’t be able to flee.

  All he could do was travel during this sort of dark night, but a completely black night like the previous night only appeared once or twice a month. The chances were too low. Also, the complete darkness persisted for only a third of the day, during night. Thus, he only had a short period of time to hurry forward.

  “All I can do is carefully move forward. Perhaps I’ll be able to encounter a kind-hearted person who will give me a ride.”

  Jenkin understood.

  Generally speaking, those who travelled aboard metallic lifeforms couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to others. If they encountered bandits, they wouldn’t chase after them and attack, as that took too much time and energy and wasn’t worth it. They couldn’t be bothered to even act against bandits; naturally, when they encountered someone like Jenkin who begged for a lift, they would ignore him as well.

  “All I can do is continue to wait.” Jenkin immediately acted, using the earth to cover the hole above him, revealing only a small opening that would allow a bit of sunlight in.

  This sort of wide flatland was mostly inhabited by ordinary Saints, and bandits wouldn’t be present on literally every inch of land, unless they were utterly bored.

  He waited.

  After roughly 27 days, yet another pitch black night came.

  Jenkin silently pushed aside the grass, staring at his surroundings. After ascertaining no one was nearby, he once more came out of the tunnel, transforming into a gust of wind and silently advancing towards the east. This time, roughly two hours later, he encountered yet another metallic lifeform.

  But when he flew over at high speed and sent an entreaty, he was once more refused and shouted at angrily.

  Jenkin didn’t feel any disappointment in his heart at all, and didn’t even feel much of an emotional impact at all. As Jenkin saw it, every single chance had to be treasured. Failure was nothing. If he didn’t even try, then he would definitely fail. Jenkin continued to stealthily travel forward.

  After roughly an hour, yet another metallic lifeform flew over towards the east.

  Jenkin immediately raised his head, once more chasing over at high speed. Up ahead was a fairly small metallic lifeform. Clearly, there were very few people inside. Generally speaking, if there were few people within a metallic lifeform, the people within would be fairly close family or friends who usually wouldn’t allow a stranger to join them.

  However, without at least making an attempt, Jenkin wouldn’t give up.

  Immediately spreading out his divine sense, Jenkin found two Gods within. “Milords, I am only a God. I hope you can help me and give me a ride.” If he was refused and yelled at again, Jenkin wouldn’t mind at all, nor would his mental state be disturbed.

  However…

  This metallic lifeform actually came to a sudden halt.

  Jenkin immediately halted as well, nervously looking at the metallic lifeform, afraid that the people inside would come out to kill him. However, Jenkin consoled himself, “That won’t happen. People who ride metallic lifeforms will encounter bandits and shout at them to leave. They’ve already become accustomed to not killing people who don’t pose a threat to them.”

  “Boss, this fellow is quite interesting. He actually asks people to give him a ride,” a voice rang out from within, while at the same time, an entrance to the metallic lifeform opened up.

  “Then let him in.”

  A gentle yet ordinary voice rang out, but this voice caused Jenkin’s calm heart to instantly swell with emotion. A look of shock and joy suddenly exploded forth from his eyes. Jenkin was certain that he would never forget this voice for the rest of his life.

  “My Boss is letting you in. Hurry up and come in.” A figure wearing a straw hat appeared at the entrance.

  “Thank you, milord.” Jenkin immediately flew over, entering the metallic lifeform.

  The internals of the metallic lifeform was very soft and comfortable. Aside from several rooms in the back, there was a living room in the center, with wine, tables, and chairs. There was even a place to view the outside scenery. Jenkin said to himself, “This is what the upper class of the Infernal Realm live like!”

  At the same time, Jenkin saw a young couple in front of him.

  The young man had a head of long brown hair and wore a sky-blue robe, and his eyes contained a hint of a smile. He appeared fairly friendly and amiable. The woman behind him caused Jenkin to be shocked. This woman was beautiful, but… Jenkin couldn’t sense her aura at all.

  “She is a Highgod, and a Highgod Fiend?” Jenkin instantly noticed the Fiend medallion, while at the same time he noticed the Fiend medallions of the other two. Jenkin now began to understand why this metallic lifeform dared to roam the Infernal Realm without danger.

  Because a Highgod Fiend was present.

  With mild interest, Linley glanced at this slightly pudgy yet very friendly looking youth.

  “Hey, you can sit over there,” Bebe said casually.

  Delia asked, “Why did you ask us to give you a ride?” Not only was Linley curious; Delia and Bebe were curious as well.

  Jenkin said hurriedly, “Milords, my name is Jenkin. As to why I asked you to help out, actually, this story starts from when I first entered the Infernal Realm. When I entered the Infernal Realm, I was tossed out by the Redbud Army, and I joined a very ordinary tribe. I imagine you all know that earning money in a tribe is a very slow affair. In ten thousand years, you’d probably only earn a few dozen inkstones.”

  “A few dozen?” Linley frowned slightly.

  When he had lived in the Black Dragon Tribe, every ten thousand years, there was more than a thousand inkstones to be earned. However, Linley immediately realized that this was because of the Gerrard Black Dragons. Otherwise, other tribes wouldn’t have allied to attack them either. Ordinary tribes who had to rely on forging divine artifacts or divine gems to earn money really were limited to just a few dozen inkstones every ten thousand years.

  “Also, in the Infernal Realm, battles are very frequent. An ordinary tribe might survive for a million years or even longer, but it also might be d
estroyed in just a few thousand years,” Jenkin said bitterly. “If I was an ordinary citizen, perhaps after defeat in battle, I could join another tribe. But I am a God. I was forcibly recruited to become a warrior for the tribe. In every battle, the majority of the casualties occurred amongst the warriors!”

  Linley nodded slightly.

  When he had been in the Black Dragon Tribe, a tribe with a fairly powerful backer, whether or not one became a warrior was a matter of choice. Clearly, they didn’t care too much about warriors. But for many of the weaker tribes, Gods were forcibly recruited to become soldiers.

  “Within ten thousand years, I experienced being in two tribes.” Jenkin shook his head. “I realized that this can’t continue. I was barely lucky enough to survive the first battle, but would I have that sort of luck again? After planning for a long time, I quietly slipped out of the tribe and began to head towards the Amethyst Mountains. However, my tribe was tens of millions of kilometers away from the Amethyst Mountains, and there are a very high amount of bandits on the way. All I could do was wait for the skies to become completely dark before carefully advancing.”

  Linley, hearing this, began to understand.

  At the same time, he could imagine how much hardship this Jenkin had suffered on the way over.

  “Why are you going to the Amethyst Mountains?” Bebe asked.

  Jenkin said hurriedly, “I heard of them and learned that the Amethyst Mountains have ‘amethysts’ in them. I wanted to go harvest amethysts. Amethysts are very valuable. I can make six or seven thousand inkstones by selling one. This is much better than just staying in a tribe.”

  Linley immediately began to laugh. “You’ve heard of it? But do you know about the regulations regarding mining in the Amethyst Mountains?”

  Linley had read some general information regarding the Infernal Realm. Naturally, he knew about the famous ‘Amethyst Mountains’ of the Redbud Continent. Because of this, Linley was actually planning to make a tourism trip while passing through the Amethyst Mountains.

  The Amethyst Mountains had a circumference of hundreds of thousands of kilometers. It was the only area in the Redbud Continent that produced amethysts.