Chapter 134: The Slanted Ceiling and the Mountain of Laughing Corpses - 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: The Slanted Ceiling and the Mountain of Laughing Corpses - 6
The corpse in the baggy clothes seemed practiced at shouldering a human form, a skill it retained even in death.
After carrying me up the mountain, the corpse of the Gaian follower set me down before the Grand Master’s remains. I patted the corpse’s shoulder and stood before the body.
I unfastened my bag and took out the liquor.
Hundred Crimson Blossoms, a spirit said to turn one’s face as red as a flower with a single glass. It was the most expensive bottle the Regressor had brought, and the first one I’d stashed away for myself.
A waste, perhaps, but for the Grand Master’s remains, only something of this caliber would do.
I poured the Hundred Crimson Blossoms into a cup and sprinkled it beside the remains.
Once to the left, once to the right. And once behind.
After offering the liquor, I knelt before her, the empty cup in my hand. I placed the cup at her feet and tilted the bottle slightly.
The first pour for the sound.
The second for the scent.
The third for the taste.
I filled the cup in three parts, set it before her, then rose with my hands clasped and bowed to the Grand Master.
Once, in prayer for her time among the living.
Once, in mourning for her passing.
Then I knelt again, took the cup placed before her, and drank.
The potent liquor, enough to inebriate a giant, flowed down my throat.
And my consciousness began to fade.
How utterly arrogant.
That the rivers are Mother Earth’s veins, and the soil and rock her flesh?
Utter nonsense.
Because they call Mother Earth their mother, they act as stubbornly as a whining child.
The rivers are but beads of sweat upon her skin; the soil and rock, nothing more than her calloused flesh.
The mountains are merely small boils on her body, and her blood reveals itself only occasionally from the deepest of those scarred wounds.
Because we drink the river water and till the land, because they are so necessary and important to us, we delude ourselves into thinking they must be important to Mother Earth as well.
In truth, compared to Mother Earth, we are insignificant beings, not even ants.
Mother Earth’s blood is the magma flowing beneath volcanoes. Her flesh is the sea of steel that holds that searing magma.
You’ve never seen it? Hah, of course you haven’t.
Just as an aphid crawling on her skin mistakes a fingertip for the horizon, we, too, could never dare to witness her true flesh.
Perhaps down below, at the very center, lies Mother Earth’s heart. But its form, too, will be different from anything anyone has ever imagined.
Followers of Mother Earth, remember this. Mother Earth is merciful, but we are far more insignificant than she expects.
Humans are nothing but trivial beings who dig into Mother Earth’s calloused skin for food and drink the beads of sweat that flow over her body.
Those who serve Mother Earth must know humility. They must realize their own insignificance.
Whether the great and vast Mother Earth watches over us or regards us with indifference, we do not know.
But we who live as parasites upon her…
It is absolutely, utterly impossible.
We are not nearly as important as we think we are.
The highest mountain in the world, Mount Unfallen.
The utmost extremity of the earth, where the clouds lay beneath one’s feet and a tenth of the world could be seen at a glance.
The Grand Master was kneeling at its peak.
“…I was the arrogant one.”
Just as things too far away are invisible, so too are things that are too close.
Thus, the Order of Gaia had its followers climb mountains as a form of penance, believing that the higher the mountain, the more valuable the penance.
Countless people had challenged the highest of them all, Mount Unfallen, and a proportionate number had died in the attempt.
The thin air of the summit could not be reached by strength alone. A light body, a small frame, and a high level of Qi Art were all advantageous.
A young girl who had just awakened to these teachings, who met all these conditions, conquered the peak of Mount Unfallen.
She had fulfilled the deepest wish of all Gaians.
But what shook the girl’s heart was not their praise, but her astonishment at the world itself.
Having witnessed the world’s greatness and realized her own humility, the girl renounced the title of Taoist and wandered the world. To learn more about Mother Earth, she interacted with others, traveled, and subjected herself to trials.
She submerged her body in lava and even scooped it out to put in a furnace.
Some Taoists condemned her. They claimed that her attempts to uncover Mother Earth’s secrets would only breed arrogance, and they pressured her to stop immediately and return.
The girl was summoned and stood before the Taoists.
There, before their very eyes, she split the earth, proving she was right.
From that day on, the girl was called the Grand Master, the teacher of all Gaians.
“…Someone like me was never in a position to teach anyone.”
Watching this spiritual vision speak, I scratched my head.
“Corpses these days are always doing things you don’t expect. It’s a real problem. A dead person, talking to me in a vision.”
Unique Magic was the manifestation of an individual’s Spiritual World.
Among those who manifested such magic, some with deep-seated regrets would forge their Spiritual World into a relic just before death. And that relic would test whoever held it.
You could call it a particularly obsessive kind of vengeful spirit.
Well, there weren’t many Spiritual Worlds that had survived the ages this clearly without crumbling.
It was probably so well-preserved because it was at the bottom of the Abyss.
“Whatever. If you’re going to test me, get on with it.”
As if in reply, the Grand Master continued slowly.
“However, I wish to ask but one thing of the guest who has found their way here.”
Her transparent, sorrowful eyes met mine.
What I was reading now wasn’t a thought. This was closer to a book in the truest sense—a Spiritual World written by an author with a clear intent.
I might be able to read it better than others, but there wouldn’t be much of a difference.
“About my lingering regret.”
Instantly, the scene changed.
Hell was before my eyes.
The world viewed from its greatest height had been so beautiful, but the land seen up close was ugly and brutal.
Three hundred thousand people were dead, dying, or waiting for death. Screams and shrieks echoed throughout the pit. An even greater number of groans and death rattles drowned out the cries.
Most cursed the Overlord, but a few, consumed by malice, hurled their resentment at all of creation. Naturally, that resentment was directed at this pit, the Grand Master who made it, and her master, Mother Earth.
Even though the Mother Earth she served was being defiled, the Grand Master felt no anger. On the contrary, their fury seemed justified.
As the Grand Master watched with a devastating gaze, a cheerful man with a commanding presence approached her.
“Hahaha! What incredible power! To dig a pit of this size all by yourself!”
The Overlord.
He wore a magnificent beard and possessed the strength to shatter mountains. The hegemon of this era.
Clad in armor, he was greatly pleased and made an offer to the Grand Master.
“Hey, Grand Master! How about joining my army?”
After creating this atrocity, right now…
He was asking her to join his army?
Contempt, disgust, and rage surged within her. But the Grand Master, having undergone rigorous training, had the self-control not to show such emotions.
The Grand Master replied.
“…How could I, a servant of Mother Earth, involve myself in the taking of life?”
“Who said anything about killing the enemy with this? I don’t expect that at all! And besides, a power that just digs holes is useless for killing enemies!”
The strongest man of his era waved his hand dismissively, declaring that miscellaneous powers only got in the way of defeating an enemy.
“The reason I hated those bastards who strutted around calling themselves gravemen was because they were so damn noisy every time they had to clear away corpses! Because of them, my precious soldiers and I had to waste time digging! I can’t count the number of routed soldiers we failed to pursue or victories we missed because of it!”
Not a shred of malice could be felt from the Overlord.
All that emanated from him was purity.
He was filled with a pure, frenzied desire to unify the world. He paid no mind to those trampled under his hooves.
“But with you around, Grand Master, digging holes and holding funerals for the dead will be a whole lot easier! Then we won’t have to insult the gravemen! And you get to keep your honor! It’s a win-win for everyone!”
A win-win for everyone.
Then what about those who would die by his hand?
What about the common folk who would be trampled to death in the Overlord’s pursuit during the time she saved him?
In the first place…
“In the first place, if you hadn’t killed them, there would be no need to bury them.”
“What? You want me not to kill the rebels?”
“That is correct. If you, Overlord, were to cease the killing…”
“You’re spouting nonsense too, Grand Master. I thought you were made of sterner stuff.”
The Overlord scowled and replied as if he didn’t want to hear any more.
“Those who rebel are executed as an example. Isn’t that common sense? We have to teach everyone that if they don’t want to die, they shouldn’t have rebelled in the first place! You know nothing of war or kingship, Grand Master!”
How could she not know?
How many bodies had she buried during this war? On battlefields where there was no one left to collect the dead, in villages raided by bandits, on lands where warlords had passed through, leaving only slaughter.
How many deaths had she interred?
“Well, I won’t ask any more since you’re still working! Think it over when you’re done!”
She would think.
About this power she received from Mother Earth. This power to move mountains and cleave the earth.
Whether she should cast the Overlord and his army into the bottom of the Abyss, or not…
The scene froze. A jet-black staff lay before me. It was the sword of the earth, Jizan.
I had to choose.
Would I take this staff and, as a graveman, simply honor the souls of the dead?
Or would I draw it as a sword and, as an agent of Mother Earth, punish the Overlord?
“Give me a break.”
In a single moment of history. Within it.
“Don’t test me, deserter.”
I turned the page.
The frozen world moved once more. I forced my way through, reading the past she tried to hide. The Spiritual World seemed to creak in protest, bewildered by this unforeseen turn of events.
What happened next.
On a dark night when even the most oblivious beasts fell silent.
The Grand Master stood before the pit once more, to reflect on the atrocity she had created and to finish the funeral rites. The pit was quieter than before.
But was it because of the darkness? Or because there were no other senses or sounds to distract her ears? The groans and screams were much clearer than before.
Her deliberation was long. Terribly long.
Half a day passed, and still the Grand Master could not reach a conclusion. So she came to do what had to be done first: to cover the pit and perform the funeral rites to honor the souls of the dead.
But there was a problem.
Those who had been thrown in were not dead.
The Overlord had been too frugal to even waste oil to clean his swords, so he had them pushed in alive. After all 300,000 had been thrown in, he ordered the Grand Master to bury them.
A graveman buries the dead.
But they cannot bury the living.
Half a day had passed since she had buried them, and most were now dying.
But many were still not dead.
‘They were as good as corpses the moment they fell in there! Just bury them! It’ll be easier that way! For you and for the prisoners!’
The Overlord’s words, spoken during a banquet, still echoed in her ears.
The Grand Master gritted her teeth and knelt before them.
Her deliberation was long. Far too long.
And still, she could not reach a conclusion.
Should she bury the still-living prisoners, or should she kill the feasting Overlord?
The Overlord was the strongest warrior of his era.
Even with her power to overturn heaven and earth, to kill the Overlord, she would have to overturn this entire land.
Surely, the Overlord would not be the only one to die. Most of his soldiers would be caught up in it.
Was it right, then, to cover death with more death?
No conclusion came. The Grand Master placed her hands on her knees and prayed.
Oh, Mother Earth. Why do you put me to this test?
If only I could deliberate no longer. If only time itself would stop—
“I am sorry.”
Shunk.
Her wish was granted.
For the Grand Master’s time had now stopped.
“I will take your sin upon myself.”
What pierced through her back and emerged from her stomach was a sharp wedge, like an awl.
As the Grand Master coughed up blood with a gasp, a sorrowfully subdued voice spoke from behind her.
“This death must serve as a lesson. The Overlord’s sins must bring about his downfall. The people must revere the Monk King’s victory, praise his virtue, and learn to distinguish sin.”
Apart from the pain, her mind grew clear. Her lucid mind precisely grasped her opponent’s intent.
This was an excuse.
The one who had stabbed her in the back was making excuses, consumed by guilt.
“However, you, Grand Master, have become as a Divine. Just as no one questions the sin of a storm that sweeps through a village, just as no one can question the sin of a fire that consumes homes and lives, humans will only tremble in fear before you.”
Only then did the Grand Master realize who had stabbed her.
“The… Oracle…”
The Apostles of the Sky God.
Because their god was too distant, they had never flourished, but they had managed to survive, centered around their Oracle. Recently, they had been trying to expand their influence by moving between the Monk King and the Overlord…
Perhaps this was their plot. The Grand Master should have felt anger and betrayal.
And yet.
Why did she feel such joy?
That in this moment of choice, she was inevitably brought to death.
Thanks to her impending death, only one path remained for the Grand Master.
“I have… one… request.”
The Grand Master spoke in broken phrases. The Oracle replied, bewildered.
“I do not have that right.”
“Please… I beg you. Let me… be buried… down there… just like this.”
She had to finish what she started.
She had to comfort the not-yet-dead and bury the deceased.
In the moment before death, she was not the Grand Master, nor an agent of Mother Earth, but simply a graveman.
“What pierced you is our symbol, our treasure. If I remove it, you will die shortly after. If I do not, our mark will be revealed.”
“…Please… can you not…?”
The Oracle spoke in dismay, but the plea of a dying person carried more weight than a hundred words. Even the Oracle hesitated, unable to do one thing or the other.
“Oh, I cannot. I really, really cannot…”
As the Oracle deliberated, someone carrying a torch approached from the distance. It was a guard, posted to stop anyone from climbing out.
The guard, furious at having missed the banquet, would not forgive any intruder.
There was no time. The Oracle made a decision.
“Do not forgive me, Saintess of Origin who blessed me. I, in my unworthiness, have failed your expectations…”
With a short prayer, the Oracle pushed the Grand Master into the pit.
She landed in the middle of the corpses, but strangely, in the heart of death, her mind grew calm. Death was more comfortable to her than murder.
As she staggered to her feet, tens of thousands of eyes glittered before her. Eyes filled with anger, or perhaps resignation, with only the fading traces of life remaining.
She could not save them.
She could not soothe their resentment.
She could not avenge them.
All she could do, having returned to being a graveman, was to bury them in the bosom of Mother Earth.
“Oh, Mother Earth. I, too, shall be buried in your heart. I pray, I beseech you. Please, take us…”
The Grand Master clasped her hands and unleashed her power.
The Grand Master, the very first to see Mother Earth’s true form and to understand her depths.
She unleashed her final magic.
Unique Magic. Gaia Ego.
“…and hold us in your embrace.”
Mother Earth had not loved humanity. Not until the magic of a single person reached her.
Now, Mother Earth came to cherish humanity.
On that day, the Abyss was born into the world.
And humanity gained the Earth Art.