The clouds and mist enveloping the peak of Kunlun Mountain swirled like boiling water all year round, shrouding the entrance of the demon-suppressing subterranean palace in a state of chaos. Ghostly purple lightning frequently flashed across the clouds, illuminating the nine-headed snake relief coiled around the dark iron gates. Those snake pupils, glowing with an eerie blue light, stared like living creatures at any trespasser daring to approach.
The snakes' mouths gaped wide, and black mist seemed to linger as their forked tongues flickered. The air was thick with a pungent smell of sulfur, as if intending to swallow all intruders whole. Cold sweat oozed from Shen Mingyue's palm as she gripped the jade pendant, her nails digging deep into her flesh to leave crescent-shaped bloody marks; the stinging pain made her tremble slightly.
The runes on the surface of the jade pendant suddenly grew scorching hot—hot enough to cause her skin a sharp sting—and resonated with the patterns on the doors, emitting a series of buzzing sounds. The noise resembled the low growl of an ancient beast, vibrating people's eardrums and making even their teeth chatter. Gu Jinghong pressed a hand against the blood-stained bandage at his waist; his Gu Poison from the Southern Frontier had yet to heal completely, and every step pulled at the excruciating pain of his wound, feeling as though countless tiny silver needles were threading through his flesh or as though a fire was burning inside his blood…
Chapter 41