Elden Ring: With God Chapter 286: The Land of Shadow

Upon touching the withered arm, Bai Shi was imdiately enveloped by a peculiar power.

The sensation was much like his first ti teleporting via a Site of Grace—a singular feeling that seed to stem from the very sa source of power.

The next mont, Bai Shi’s figure vanished from the spot.

lina remained in the mausoleum. Seeing Bai Shi disappear, she stood quietly before the cocoon, waiting.

Leda raised her head and looked up.

The sun that had hung in the eternal night sky was long gone, and the false firmant once again twinkled with starlight.

Leda spoke to lina.

“The effect of the Unalloyed Gold on Mohg is about to end. I must depart to reinforce it.”

“May I ask what you and Lord Bai Shi intend to do with this corpse?”

lina shook her head.

“What to do with the body...”

“Let’s wait for Bai Shi to return and let him decide.”

Leda nodded.

“Then I shall await your decision.”

I hope everything proceeds as smoothly as Lord Miquella anticipated...

—

Bai Shi opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

He now found himself in a narrow space enclosed by rock walls.

Looking ahead, he saw a small path leading to an unknown destination.

Bai Shi did not imdiately follow the path.

Before exploring his new environnt, he first bowed his head, quietly checking his body for any abnormalities.

After a mont of self-assessnt, Bai Shi could find no trace of any power related to Miquella.

It seed he really couldn't determine on his own whether he had fallen under so unusual charm effect.

Bai Shi silently asked Ashmi in his mind:

‘Ashmi, did you notice anything during our arrival here?’

‘And have I shown any unusual behavior so far?’

Ashmi carefully analyzed the situation before offering her opinion:

‘Hmm... Host, I don’t think you’ve changed at all.’

‘Could it be you’re just worrying too much?’

‘But I’ll pay close attention when you interact with others. If there really is a change, it should be obvious then.’

Bai Shi pondered for a mont.

It seed there was nothing to see for now.

But it probably wasn’t an issue anyway; he had no reason to fight Miquella.

The physical changes were more obvious than any ntal ones.

A gloomy shadow now clung to his body, suppressing his power.

Bai Shi considered it for a mont, then released the power of the sun.

However, despite being a re shadow, it was completely unaffected by the sun’s light and did not disappear.

Bai Shi withdrew his power, ceasing his attempts.

This shadowy substance seed to be a unique law of this place.

Did shielding the Land of Shadow also partially alter its rules?

It appeared to have a special suppressive effect on those who ca from the outside world.

However, if he really had to use Fengling Yueying to grant immunity to abnormal effects, this should be dispelled along with everything else. It wasn’t a problem.

Bai Shi clenched his fist, gauging the amount of strength he could muster.

The suppression felt quite severe, leaving him even weaker than he was when he challenged Radahn.

He just didn't know if it was a percentage-based reduction or a fixed amount.

If that was the case, using one of his system charges just to remove this single debuff wouldn't be a waste.

Having assessed his condition, Bai Shi once again turned his attention to his surroundings.

It wasn’t particularly dark; a dim light shone from above.

Bai Shi looked up, trying to see the sky of this place.

Through a gap in the cliff face, Bai Shi saw a narrow, gloomy sky.

A faint, black, veil-like shadow seed to hang in the heavens, shrouding the world in twilight.

That faint black shadow obscuring the sky was nearly identical to the one currently clinging to Bai Shi's body.

Averting his gaze, Bai Shi looked up toward the long-abandoned structure on the cliff’s edge.

The building sat at the very verge of the precipice, making it easily visible from his position.

Judging by its architecture, the building was undoubtedly a church.

It was even more intact and cleaner than many of the churches in the Lands Between.

The churches in the Lands Between were severely damaged, with almost no complete structures remaining.

Bai Shi studied it for a while but found no significant differences from the Lands Between for the ti being.

There was no rush to return just yet.

Bai Shi discovered that the power of Grace still worked here. If he wanted to leave, he could simply teleport away via a Site of Grace.

So, before leaving, he needed to find a Site of Grace... if there were any.

Finding a Site of Grace would make things much more convenient, allowing him to travel back and forth with ease.

But since this place was once part of the Lands Between, he probably didn't have to worry about a lack of them.

Bai Shi walked toward the narrow passage ahead.

After passing through the rock formation, a vast plain unfolded before his eyes.

The expansive plain was covered with withered yellow straw, dense clusters of spectral gravestones, and stone tablets of unknown purpose scattered everywhere.

But right now, Bai Shi’s gaze wasn't on this magnificent plain.

At the far end of his sightline, a colossal, pitch-black tree stood between heaven and earth, capturing his full attention.

Golden light flowed down its dark trunk like honey or flickering flas.

This pitch-black tree was so imnse it seed to pierce the heavens, a dark counterpart to the Erdtree.

However, this tree was distinctly different from the Erdtree.

The most direct and obvious difference was their shape.

The Erdtree was perfectly straight, growing upright toward the sky, its branches lush and full.

Even today, with the Ring shattered and the Golden Order in disarray, it continued to shower the world with its light.

But the Scadutree here was completely different. Its trunk was twisted and gnarled, and it bore no leaves. Its crooked branches were completely bare.

In place of leaves, its crown was adorned with a sky-spanning veil of shadow.

This veil cascaded down from the treetop, shrouding the entire Land of Shadow, as if preventing any light from ever breaking through.

Looking at the shadow in the sky, Bai Shi understood why this land was called the Land of Shadow.

No one needed to tell him; he recognized this tree at a glance.

Without a doubt, this was the so-called Scadutree.

Bai Shi gazed at the towering Scadutree, his heart already filled with anticipation for the journey ahead in the Land of Shadow.

Though a vast plain lay before him, his vantage point was high, allowing him to see much from this elevated position.

Far in the distance, at the foot of the Scadutree, sprawled a great expanse of magnificent, interlocking structures.

Unfortunately, the distance was too great, and a layer of mist obscured the view, preventing Bai Shi from making out any details.

Beyond that, the plain was encircled by mountains, leaving him to wonder what might lie on the other side. Bai Shi’s face broke into a smile, thrilled by the prospect of a new journey.

This was a completely new and unfamiliar place.

His journey thus far had been along well-trodden paths. There were no unfamiliar territories; he even knew roughly where to find everything.

Because of this, it had been difficult for Bai Shi to develop a deep emotional connection to the journey itself. Its significance had been almost entirely granted by lina and the people he t along the way.

But now, this kind of exploration was what he considered a true journey. The very thought of it was exhilarating.

Bai Shi took a deep breath and returned his gaze to the plain before him.

He had been curious about it earlier—what was that massive, flaming creature wandering the plains?

Near it, the plain was littered with a vast and continuous stretch of architectural ruins.

These ruins varied in size; so were re village settlents, while others were large enough to have been called towns.

They all shared a common feature: they were completely scorched black.

Bai Shi watched the strange, wandering creature with growing curiosity.

This thing was likely the culprit that had turned these towns into ruins.

Bai Shi summoned Torrent and followed the guiding light of a distant Grace, a path that would lead him closer to the giant creature.

After touching a Site of Grace on the plain, Bai Shi’s position finally afforded him a clear view of the fiery being’s form.

The thing was clearly not a normal life form; it looked more like a walking brazier.

It had no head, only a stone mask surrounding a vortex of fire hanging at its top.

Instead, two heads of Fire Giants were attached to its legs.

A circular fire basin sat atop four cylindrical limbs; that was the entirety of its design.

Its body was constructed from thin tal strips woven together, like a cage, allowing the flas within to radiate out easily.

It was probably so sort of golem, but it was completely different from the simple, unadorned golems he had seen before.

Its colossal size and blazing flas reminded Bai Shi of the Wicker Man from Celtic legends.

According to legend, the Celts would weave a giant effigy of a man, place sacrifices inside, and burn them, praying for a bountiful harvest amidst their agonizing screams.

In later works of fiction, it often appeared as a powerful enemy or a religious symbol.

He never expected to see one in the Lands Between.

Bai Shi observed the wicker man for a while longer, then used the Site of Grace to teleport back to the mausoleum of the Mohgwyn Dynasty.

After a mont of disorientation, Bai Shi was back in the blood-soaked dynasty.

He glanced down at himself. The shadow from the Land of Shadow still covered him, but it had no suppressive effect here.

It seed its power only manifested within the Land of Shadow.

Seeing Bai Shi return, lina hurried forward and asked:

“How was it?”

Bai Shi shook his head.

“It seems there’s nothing wrong.”

“However, you might need to keep a close eye on

for a while.”

“As for that place, I think we are about to embark on a truly spectacular journey.”

lina nodded, then suddenly asked:

“What do you think of Miquella?”

Bai Shi was taken aback.

Did she even need to ask? His devotion to Miquella was absolute!

“Miquella is definitely a figure who needs to be ‘watched closely.’”

lina stared intently at Bai Shi.

Although there was nothing wrong with his answer, her intuition scread that sothing was amiss.

It was a familiar feeling, as if her ho was about to be stolen from her.

lina placed her hands on Bai Shi’s shoulders, looking him squarely in the eyes.

“Bai Shi, for my sake, please use that otherworldly power of yours and remove any abnormal status.”

Hearing lina’s words, Bai Shi blinked.

He didn’t feel strange at all, but he trusted lina completely.

‘That’s right, I must use Fengling Yueying imdiately.’

He considered lina his ultimate fail-safe because he knew that, no matter the circumstances, he could trust her absolutely.

Without another thought, Bai Shi used one of his Fengling Yueying charges.

‘Ding.’

Removing abnormal status... Cleared.

Coming back to his senses and rembering his recent thoughts, Bai Shi covered his face.

What...

That wretched Miquella, to make

think such things!

Miquella, you evil little siren!

At that mont, a golden sigil appeared on Bai Shi’s body.

Seeing the now-visible mark, Bai Shi was surprised.

Miquella’s mark remained on his body, and now he could feel its presence clearly.

But under the "Remove Abnormal Status" effect of Fengling Yueying, it had been rendered completely inert.

Miquella's mark hadn't vanished; it had just been nullified.

Now it had no negative effects, no effects at all. It was just a decoration.

Feeling the mark on his body, Bai Shi let out a cold laugh.

Let it stay. This was perfect. Now he could continue to pretend to be on their side.

He could gather intelligence along the way and see what Miquella was truly planning.

Surely Miquella wasn’t actually planning on enacting so kind of Infinite Tsukuyomi on the Lands Between?

That was a very classic "create a perfect world" cliché.

Right now, Miquella definitely lacked the power to charm everyone; he wasn't capable of it yet.

That ant there must be sothing in the Land of Shadow he wanted, sothing that would help him accomplish his goal.

From now on, understanding Miquella had to be his top priority.

He couldn't just let a man like that run rampant.

It would be best to stop him, and failing that, at least keep track of his movents and progress.

Bai Shi ntally raised Miquella's threat level to the maximum, then turned to the other changes in his body.

It seed this use of Fengling Yueying had done more than just remove Miquella’s charm.

The misty shadow clinging to him had also lost its effect; now, it was nothing more than a visual overlay.

He would be able to unleash his full power in the Land of Shadow without restriction.

And also...

Bai Shi took out a talisman pouch and opened it to look at Radagon's Soreseal inside.

The seal's negative effect, the increased damage taken, had also vanished, leaving only its positive boons.

From now on, he could carry it without any drawbacks.

It seed the ability to remove abnormal effects didn't nullify the entire object, but rather selectively removed only the negative parts.

The result was excellent. Bai Shi was very satisfied.

Happy National Day, ow~