Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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I had never been to a place called Seven-Sheds Village on Mount Tai, so I decided to head there first. Mount Tai was the sacred mountain of Taoism in Shandong Province, and virtually everyone in the Central Plains knew of it.
The reason Mount Tai was so famous had nothing to do with anything else. It was simply that after the First Emperor unified China at the dawn of Chinese history, he performed the Enfeoffment of Heaven and Earth ceremony there. In truth, the rite had existed since the Zhou Dynasty, but it was more accurate to say the First Emperor had revived it on his own whim after unifying the world, seeking heaven's approval.
Thanks to that historical significance, successive unifiers and emperors frequently visited to perform the ceremony. As a result, there were many checkpoints in the area, manned by large numbers of soldiers. It was all to spare the emperor unnecessary trouble if he ever traveled nearby.
*Bandits are practically nonexistent. Convenient.*
On the way to Mount Tai, I encountered bandits only once.
"G-Give us... your money."
They were three thieves who looked like slash-and-burn farmers, starved for days. Filthy and gaunt with ribs showing, they thrust out crudely sharpened bamboo spears with trembling hands. It was almost laughable. They couldn't handle even one burly man.
"Here, take this."
"......?!"
They were so pitiful I couldn't even bring myself to kill them. I simply gave them forty taels of silver from my pouch. Surprised by the unexpected gift, they stared in shock, so I threw in some qi therapy as well. When the jaundiced one's condition improved, they bowed deeply to me.
"Oh... Are you a young hero of the martial world...? Thank you so much."
I could distinguish between murderous bandits and desperate survival thieves, thanks to my long years as an escort warrior and in the jianghu. Those who turned to banditry out of sheer starvation lived lives that were hell itself. Beating them to death felt wrong.
I asked them,
"How did you end up resorting to banditry? Is life that harsh around here?"
"Oh, don't even ask."
The middle-aged slash-and-burn thief choked up, tears streaming down his face.
"The noble clans and aristocrats tax us endlessly, and the landlords take every last grain of harvest. If there's a pretty girl, they drag her off to make her a concubine. We couldn't survive, so we fled to the mountains."
"......"
It was nothing new. It was something I'd seen throughout my life—past, present, and future. The strong preying on the weak wasn't something an individual could change. Even if I killed all the corrupt officials nearby, someone else would just take their place and continue the exploitation.
But a question suddenly crossed my mind.
*What would a truly peaceful world even look like?*
No matter how peaceful, the divide between strong and weak persists. Survival of the fittest is the law and truth of the world. Even if I crushed the Demon Suppression War, drove out the Other Race, and repelled the otherworldly envoys, that wouldn't change. I could end the horrific human sacrifices, but the total amount of misery in heaven and earth would remain about the same.
In fact, to these slash-and-burn thieves before me, corrupt officials felt a hundred times more vile than some distant Demon Suppression War or demonic beasts they couldn't even relate to. Humans could be utterly cruel to each other, even without demons around.
After a moment's thought, I said,
"Got it. I'll be on my way."
I decided not to get involved. Exposing my movements would only cause trouble later, but more than that, I just didn't feel like it. With my skills, I could easily sneak in and behead a few corrupt officials, but it still didn't sit right. Ultimately, without changing those at the top, the rot at the bottom would persist forever.
Some time later, I reached a checkpoint. The guard eyed me suspiciously and said,
"You're traveling alone as a kid?"
"Yes."
"It's not forbidden, but if you drop dead around here, no one will care."
"Yes."
"Fine, pass."
The guard seemed to just want to poke his nose in. I stared at him blankly and asked,
"Sorry, but how far is Seven-Sheds Village from here?"
"Huh? You're heading there? Why?"
"I have an acquaintance there, so I'm going to visit."
The guard scowled.
"I hear it's a poor ravine village full of untouchables. Going out of your way to such a backwater dump... Tsk."
"Untouchables?"
"Yeah. It's an impoverished, godforsaken hole. You'd rather beg in a big town than starve there."
"......"
If he was saying that much, it sounded serious. If even a checkpoint guard was worried, it had to be dirt-poor for real. I asked another passerby for directions and, after walking about a hundred li, finally reached the entrance to Seven-Sheds Village.
Seven-Sheds Village lay in a ravine a short distance from Mount Tai—a real backwater hamlet. It looked less like a village and more like a shantytown of ragged planks. The villagers were all filthy beggars without a proper look about them, like they were from Beggars' Sect headquarters.
*What the...?*
Untouchables were at the bottom of society, sure, but I hadn't expected them to look this wretched. Gaunt to the bone, on the verge of starvation.
What was odd was that despite their state, their eyes brimmed with vital energy—sharp and clear. They seemed like stern scholars on the brink of death from hunger, yet mentally unyielding. As I scanned the village for a while, an old man approached, leaning on a staff, and said,
"Young one... what brings you here...?"
I glanced at him. The one-eyed elder didn't seem to have spotted the black wooden plaque yet. I subtly showed it to him.
"I was told to bring this..."
"Ooh... Ooooh...!!"
The staff-wielding elder jumped in surprise. He looked around at the villagers and shouted,
"Everyone! A divine guest has arrived!! Come greet him!"
"Ooooh...!!"
The filthy villagers who had been scraping by suddenly swarmed over, men and women, young and old, all dancing some bizarre dance in unison. Clapping in rhythm, it was utterly strange.
"Hei~ Hei~ Hei~"
*Clap*
"Ah~ Sa~ Ah~ Sa~"
"......"
I stood trapped in their circle, watching the dance for a full incense stick's time. There were even hip-thrusting motions.
The situation was so ridiculous and amusing that I was dying to know what was going on. I stifled laughs with chuckles until, finally, the dance ended. The staff-wielding elder said gravely,
"Divine guest. We do not question where or from whom you obtained the plaque... We simply guide those who bring it to the god with all we have..."
His tone had shifted to formal respect. To the people of Seven-Sheds Village, a "divine guest" was evidently worthy of reverence.
"So what do I do now?"
"Go under that tree..."
I followed his words to the bizarre tree at the village center.
The tree was entirely white—an uncanny sight. White trunk, white leaves, even the nearby ground tinged white. No insects clung to it. I'd never seen such a peculiar white tree before.
Standing beneath it, I suddenly felt the heavens and earth quake.
*Rumble rumble*
*Rumble...*
"......?!"
It felt like an earthquake, but it wasn't. The villagers stood fine, so only my spot was shaking. More precisely, the space around me itself was trembling.
Moments later, a flash erupted before my eyes.
*Fwoosh—!!*
"Uwaaaah!"
I screamed. I'd abruptly fallen from empty air into a dense jungle. I quickly balanced atop a tree, but started slipping down the leaves. I channeled qi to my soles, enhancing my grip.
I barely climbed the trunk, but I was stunned.
*What tree grows this huge?!*
The jungle trees were abnormal. Towering so high the base was over ten zhang up. Incredibly thick too—no forest I knew compared. Worse, grotesque leafy stems protruded from each node, giving them a sinister look.
Something was off. Instinct told me I'd entered some eerie realm. I slowly descended to the ground. The muddy earth formed the forest floor, scattered with rotten-smelling leaves.
*Grrr...*
Strange beast cries echoed. Since entering the jungle, an odd discomfort and alienation gripped me. The place reeked of madness, a madness I'd felt somewhere before.
*What is this place...?*
And why had I been whisked from under the white tree to this freakish spot?
I didn't understand, but soon a voice spoke.
[Come here...]
It was a voice I'd never heard, in no language I knew. I couldn't parse the words, but the meaning reached me. It carried a hypnotic power, and I instinctively knew the direction.
*Ugh, might as well go.*
Grimacing, I walked. The jungle wasn't impassable if you ignored the unease. After a while, I sensed a beast's gaze. It fluttered ahead of me with a rustle.
*Grrr...*
Chirping hide, human-like face and limbs. Bat wings, horns on its head. Eerily, the face lacked features, and its tail bristled with spines. I'd never seen such a grotesque creature, so I grunted.
"Hmm..."
Could such a thing evolve naturally? A faceless bat monster? It didn't seem hostile, though—it turned and flew off somewhere.
I kept walking.
And reached the source of the [call].
"......!!"
Something colossal was confined there. No other way to put it: a black, bat-winged mass of tentacles, dozens of zhang across, sprawled in the canyon's midst.
The tentacle mass bore countless breast-like protrusions. Faceless bat creatures suckled at them like infants.
Eyeless, yet it felt like it watched me. Some flying bat monsters approached, then flew back.
This overwhelmingly bizarre, terrifying scene!
Only then did I realize this was Other Race territory. I looked up at the black sky.
A twisted yellow moon hung there.
*This... this place is...*
I realized where I was and despaired.
Dark Heaven Village!
I'd ended up somewhere in Dark Heaven Village, summoned by the being before me.
By the black bat-winged tentacle mass!
Even immortals feared approaching this nightmare land, and here I was.
Just as despair darkened my vision, thinking I'd die again, the bat-winged tentacle spoke to me psychically.
[Welcome... A special one has come to the land of illusory dreams...]
*Boom*
An immense pressure and presence crushed my mind. A power beyond any demon I'd faced. Even before guardian lions, I hadn't felt such dread—my nerves felt ready to snap. Yet my mind wasn't corrupted or driven mad. I instantly knew the tentacle mass was a [Great Being].
Just to check, I thought strongly,
[Are you an Ancient Ruler?]
It replied,
[That is what humans call us... I am &^%*@.]
A bizarre name. Unpronounceable in Central Plains tongue. As a god at the Other Race pinnacle, that made sense.
I was certain now: this was an Ancient Ruler. But something felt off. Per Mang-ryang, ordinary humans went mad from an Ancient Ruler's mere presence due to their horrific magic. Even sorcerers, warlocks, or ascetics with iron wills collapsed in terror. Yet I felt only mild annoyance—nothing more.
The tentacle Ancient Ruler seemed puzzled by this. I even sensed it smiling.
[How strange...]
"......?"
[You cannot be treated as human... You feel... very familiar... Like that...]
I had no idea what it meant. Ancient Rulers were evil gods with magic even Great Thunder Immortals couldn't destroy, treating humans like insects. Yet this one saw me as a conversation partner—maybe even liked me.
*The black wooden plaque?*
I figured that was it.
As I stared blankly, the Ancient Ruler flapped its bat wings and said,
[Speak... With my authority of [Reversal] bestowed upon me... I grant one right to turn life to death... death to life... No one... can escape this power...]
Authority of Reversal?
I pondered, realizing it could invert all things. Possible or not, "one kill" hid that meaning.
After a moment, I steeled myself and said,
"Kill the Emperor."
[Indeed... You desire that human's death... Very well...]
Tentacles writhed from its body, prodding empty air. Smoky essence leaked out. The Ancient Ruler coiled a tentacle around it and seemed to swallow it down.
Then it said,
[Killed...]
"......"
That was it?
Dumbfounded, I stared. Then a laughing voice came.
[Come again... You are... a most amusing existence...]
*Fwoosh!*
Flash again. When I came to, I stood under the white tree. The gathered villagers gasped.
"W-What?!"
"He's alive...!!"
They seemed genuinely shocked. Their reaction irritated me, and I scowled.
*Of course death was the expectation.*
You go before an Ancient Ruler in Dark Heaven Village, succumb to madness, name one foe you truly wish dead. Then you're probably seized by tentacles and killed. Even lucky, you'd wander as a lost soul in that otherworld.
The black plaque's "one kill" was exactly that request.
Success rate 100%. How could the Ancient Ruler's power fail?
*Grab*
I lunged, seizing the staff-wielding elder—who seemed the village chief—by the collar. Glaring fiercely, I said,
"You're minions of the Ancient Ruler. Luring humans to send to Dark Heaven Village—that's your role, huh."
"Agh, uh, ugh..."
"I saved your lives, and this is how you repay? You're not even human."
*Thud*
I flung him to the ground. A villager nearby spoke up.
"What do you expect us to do?! We're bound to that one—live here forever or fetch divine guests from the outside. Only those who deliver one can escape."
"Hah?"
"Anyone who left otherwise died from the god's curse. You think we chose to live as untouchables?!"
I snapped gruffly,
"How did you 'handle' those who returned from Dark Heaven Village?"
"......"
"No way there's no cost. Right?"
I glared at them.
Ragged beggars, yet brimming with vitality. No signs of hunger or fatigue. Clearly the life force granted by the Ancient Ruler for their service.
I drew my sword, pointing it at them.
"I can kill you all in 30 seconds. Tell me how before I act."
The villagers murmured.
"Enough. As chief, I'll answer."
The fallen staff-wielding chief spoke weakly.
"We ate them."
"Ate them?"
"Our bodies are already like this."
*Shrrr*
"......!!"
Soon the chief's head and body transformed into something inhuman. A dog-headed human form. But robust and sturdy. Stunned, I looked around—other villagers shifted to dogfolk one by one.
Speechless, I heard the chief say,
[We start human as children, but grow into dogfolk. We live far longer than humans, with tougher bodies that don't easily lose vitality even when starved. We are servants devoted to that one.]
"Crazy..."
The world felt insane. The path to the Ancient Ruler so close—and a whole race serving it.
[Those who petition that one go mad anyway and don't last long. We mercifully end the divine guests' lives painlessly and dispose of the bodies.]
"You're all mad."
The dogfolk chief said sorrowfully,
[Of course we're mad. We're Other Race who can't live on this land. Half-formed with human values and thoughts, we're always sad.]
"Sad? Is that something for monsters like you to say?"
[Monsters... If we're monsters, then what are you?]
His words made my face harden.
[Even immortals go mad facing our god. Among the [Old Ones], ours ranks high. You withstood its magic unscathed and returned—what manner of being are you?]
"......"
[Kill us if you will. It'd be a mercy.]
Sensing my power as befitted their strong bodies, the dogfolk bowed, awaiting death. Sword trembling, I spat,
"Damn it!"
*Slash*
I surged forward, beheading the Seven-Sheds villagers in a flash. Not cruel like pirates—just swift, clean kills. They'd accepted their fate, dying like meek lambs. Probably sick of their inhuman lives.
After the slaughter, I panted. Muttering,
"Damn..."
I couldn't leave them be. They'd sacrificed innocents before and would again. But seeing them as villains felt wrong—they were victims enslaved by an evil god. That's why killing them left me irritated and uneasy.
I shook my head and moved on.
*I won't use this place again, ever.*
So what if it kills one being?
Facing an Ancient Ruler filled me with insane annoyance. I stayed sane somehow, but I hated going.
I decided to verify if the [Emperor] was dead.
*Fwoosh*
I'd used Dimensional Transfer to reach Mang-ryang.
He sat in Zhenlang Valley, lost in thought. Spotting me before his thatched hut, his eyes widened.
"You're here."
"Deep in thought?"
"No... The secrets of heaven are in chaos..."
Secrets of heaven?
Tilting my head, I heard his worried tone.
"A star that should never fall has fallen. Someone's power killed a [being that must not die]. Such events are rare, so I've been pondering. Likely every sorcerer and astronomer on the continent is doing the same."
That had to be the Emperor's death, spot on.
"So that's what happened."
I told Mang-ryang about Seven-Sheds Village and commissioning the Emperor's death.
His face went pale.
"Good lord... You petitioned an Ancient Ruler in Dark Heaven Village and came back alive?! Are you joking with me?"
"No joke."
"......!!"
Mang-ryang dashed to a tree and vomited. After heaving for a while, he returned, composed.
"Sorry. The shock nearly made me faint."
"That shocking?"
"Plenty have fallen into evil gods' traps like you, but returning intact...? And earning an Ancient Ruler's favor? Unprecedented in human history. Even Great Thunder Immortals couldn't."
Come to think of it, Yeo Dongbin hadn't appeared before the Ancient Ruler—which felt odd. When I asked, Mang-ryang explained.
"Naturally. Dark Heaven Village is a fully severed otherworld. Yeo Dongbin can't pierce its dimensional walls, so no summoning. Those walls are guarded by [Ancient Rulers], from what I know."
"......"
Trouble. One of the Seven Luminaries was definitely in Dark Heaven Village—I'd planned to seek it once stronger. But no Yeo Dongbin there skyrocketed my risk.
Difficulty spiking everywhere, I scratched my head.
"Anyway, Emperor dead is good, right?"
"...It won't be that simple."
Mang-ryang muttered emptily.
"If what you say is true, the Emperor was never the mastermind..."
His words were proven the very next day.