Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Porcelain Dolls in the Kiln Works
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Ghost God Domain was the term cultivators used for mysterious zones that defied all reason.
Such places were invariably accompanied by bizarre rules. For instance, just outside the provincial capital of Xinxian Province stood a place called Huixing Town—a notorious Ghost God Domain.
Anyone who entered Huixing Town would endlessly repeat the events of a single day, trapped in perpetual reincarnation, forever unable to escape until death claimed them.
Then there was the Ghost God Domain in Nanmen County, which turned all who entered into flat paper figures, rendering even the mightiest divine abilities utterly useless.
Yet these sites were famous across the world, known to all as perilously infamous lands.
Huangpo Village was merely a humble hamlet under Xinxian County's jurisdiction in Xinxian Province. How could it harbor such a deadly hazard without anyone knowing?
"Xinxian big bastard, shameless little cur!"
The Purple-Clothed Woman had just reached this thought when the Embroidered Uniform Guards who had followed her erupted into chaos. Some desperately cast spells in attempts to restore their bodies. Others fled backward, convinced they would revert to normal once outside the Ghost God Domain. Still others tripped in their panic mid-flight, shattering into fragments across the ground.
The Purple-Clothed Woman barked,
"Don't scatter everywhere! Obey my commands!"
The group gradually regained their composure and regrouped, their gazes converging on her.
The Purple-Clothed Woman steadied her breathing.
"Since a Ghost God Domain exists here, we've come to the right place. This must be the legendary Tomb of the True King..."
At that moment, Chen Shi's voice drifted from ahead.
"Big sister, why didn't you all keep up? The porcelain dolls' nest is right here!"
Her eyes flashed like lightning as she traced the sound. Behind a massive dirt mound protruded a small head—it was Chen Shi, his face pure and innocent, his gaze clear yet utterly foolish. Clearly, he was no cunning schemer as she had imagined.
"He's just a child. I must have overthought it."
A twinge of self-reproach stirred in the Purple-Clothed Woman's heart. She had painted Chen Shi as a master manipulator, forgetting he was merely a boy of ten or so.
As she sized up Chen Shi, a realization struck her—Chen Shi had transformed into a porcelain doll just like them!
"This kid has obviously been here before. He must know how to revert from porcelain doll back to human form!"
Her eyes brightened. She immediately issued the order,
"Follow him! Seize him while we have the chance!"
The group charged forward. The forest ahead gradually thinned, the dense trees giving way to towering dirt mounds.
These mounds were hollow inside, scarred with burn marks, resembling kiln caves.
Scattered among them stood enormous pottery jars—some shattered, others intact—each four or five times taller than the group, looming like enigmatic behemoths with an oppressive presence.
Pursuing Chen Shi, they wove between the jars and kiln caves. The Purple-Clothed Woman brought up the rear, surveying her surroundings in astonishment. Suddenly, enlightenment dawned.
"No... this isn't the Tomb of the True King! This is... the Kiln Works where porcelain is fired!"
A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind. How had a rural Kiln Works turned into a Ghost God Domain?
Where had all these porcelain figures come from?
What was Chen Shi's scheme in leading them here?
Just then, Fang He's voice rang out from the front.
"We lost him... people over there! It's that group of porcelain dolls!"
The Purple-Clothed Woman hurried forward. There, cowering in the shadows of a ruined kiln cave, were the very porcelain dolls that had been frolicking by the stream moments ago. They stared at the group in terror.
One of the porcelain dolls waved frantically at them.
An Embroidered Uniform Guard chuckled.
"These little things are scared of us..."
The Purple-Clothed Woman snapped to attention, her expression shifting dramatically.
"They're not afraid of us—they're afraid of something else! Retreat at once—"
Abruptly, the ground rumbled with a thunderous boom. The sky plunged into gloom as ferocious winds howled. Three giants clad in grayish-green robes came striding toward them.
The giants were gaunt and towering, ten to twenty feet tall. Against them, the group's foot-high porcelain doll forms made the disparity even more staggering.
Their limbs were unnaturally elongated, their faces like crudely molded clay—no expression whatsoever—like Kiln Workers shaping porcelain in the factory. Each step whipped up gusts of阴风, and upon spotting the group, they reached out to grab.
The group bolted in every direction. Suddenly, one was snatched up by a Kiln Worker. With a crisp crack, its neck snapped, its porcelain head crushed to powder that trickled through the giant's fingers.
The others fled even faster at the sight. But the Kiln Workers' strides spanned dozens of their own steps, allowing them to effortlessly catch another and scoop it up.
The Purple-Clothed Woman was utterly aghast. She was a cultivator who had long forged her Divine Embryo. Yet within this Ghost God Domain, her arts' power was severely diminished—she posed no threat to these Kiln Workers at all!
A single casual stomp from one could pulverize her!
She sprinted for her life, darting through the Kiln Works to evade the pursuit. But her companions dwindled with each passing moment until she alone remained.
The others had all been seized by the three Kiln Workers.
The Purple-Clothed Woman suddenly recalled the porcelain dolls hiding in the kiln caves. Inspiration struck. She dashed into a dilapidated kiln cave of her own.
Several porcelain dolls already lurked inside. Upon her arrival, they waved urgently, signaling her to stay silent.
The three Kiln Workers stooped low, peering about. One thrust its head toward the entrance, its massive face blocking the opening entirely.
The Purple-Clothed Woman held her breath, not daring to make a sound.
The Kiln Worker's movements were rigid, its eyes lifeless and gray, its porcelain-like eyeballs scraping with a gritty rasp as they scanned the cave. Satisfied, it straightened and strode away.
The other Kiln Workers ceased their search as well.
After a moment, the porcelain dolls inside cautiously poked their heads out, glanced around, and breathed a collective sigh of relief. They beckoned to her.
The Purple-Clothed Woman crept forward, stooped low, trailing the porcelain dolls in silence.
Not far off, a colossal kiln cave belched roaring flames, its coals blazing fiercely. The three Kiln Workers hurled their captured porcelain dolls into the inferno.
The dolls writhed in the blaze, shrieking as they melted and deformed.
The Purple-Clothed Woman's heart ached. Those porcelain dolls were Embroidered Uniform Guards of the Xinxian Zhao family—now dead in this forsaken rural hellhole!
She shadowed the group of porcelain dolls out of the Kiln Works.
"Miss, were you tricked here by that little beast from Huangpo Village too?"
The Purple-Clothed Woman replied,
"I can't understand what you're saying... wait, what?"
To her astonishment, after becoming a porcelain doll herself, she could innately comprehend their chirping, bird-like speech!
The Purple-Clothed Woman held nothing back and recounted the full story.
"He calls himself Honest, but he's rotten to the core! What about you all..."
One of the porcelain dolls sighed.
"We came here seeking treasure too. He lured us in, and this is how we ended up."
"And us."
Several more porcelain dolls approached.
"As well as us."
One cluster after another emerged from around the Kiln Works, their porcelain faces grim.
"We heard the Tomb of the True King was nearby and came searching for this grand tomb, hoping for some fateful opportunity. Little did we expect the world to be so deceitful—who would think a simple rural village harbored such a little demon!"
An elderly-looking porcelain doll seethed with fury, thumping its staff.
"That little demon tricked us here and turned us into porcelain! Over the past two years, more and more have fallen victim—all by his hand!"
Someone cried out in righteous anger,
"Not fit to be human!"
The crowd echoed,
"Right! Not fit to be human!"
The Purple-Clothed Woman joined in the chorus, though inwardly she mused,
"These people came for the Tomb of the True King too, just like me. They must have planned to silence witnesses, but Little Honest saw through it and lured them here instead. That boy..."
Recalling Chen Shi filled her with seething hatred, her teeth grinding.
"Is that stinking kid really just ten years old? And how does he transform back from porcelain to flesh?"
"Miss, you are..."
A middle-aged porcelain doll stepped forward, scrutinizing her before exclaiming in recognition,
"You're Second Miss Zhao of the Xinxian Province Zhao family?"
Stunned, the Purple-Clothed Woman nodded.
"And you, sir...?"
The porcelain doll replied,
"I'm Li Xian from Quanzhou. Second Miss Zhao, we met once just last year!"
Shock rippled through her. Li Xian hailed from a prestigious clan and enjoyed a storied reputation. Word was that bandits infested Dragon Abyss and none could subdue them—yet Li Xian had stormed in alone, entering and exiting seven times unscathed!
When he had visited Xinxian Province before, her father had even instructed her to pay respects to Uncle Li. To think he now languished in this godforsaken backwater!
"Your servant He Qinghe of Danjiang pays respects to Second Miss Zhao."
Another jolt of surprise hit her. He Qinghe of Danjiang was a renowned figure, having formed a Golden Core—a top expert among the younger generation!
To see him trapped here as well!
A female porcelain doll spoke up.
"This humble woman Lin Feishuang pays respects to Second Miss Zhao and to all present."
"Long Gang of Xinxian pays respects to Second Miss Zhao and to all present!"
"Your servant Hua Qingchi of Yudu pays respects to Second Miss Zhao."
...
One by one, the porcelain dolls announced their names—each a prominent figure. Among them was even an elder who had achieved the Nascent Soul stage!
The Purple-Clothed Woman felt equal parts astonishment and dread. These powerhouses were the sort even the Xinxian Zhao family treated with deference. Yet they had all fallen to that boy's trap, reduced to porcelain dolls at the mercy of others!
"Still, my standing in the Zhao family is no small thing. I've been missing for days now—Father will surely send men to search for me. Once they find Huangpo Village, they'll trace us and rescue me!"
Back in the Kiln Works, flames soared skyward.
Chen Shi stealthily backed toward a shadowy corner by the wall, evading the three wooden, clay-like Kiln Workers.
In the corner squatted several urn-shaped jars. Seeing him try to squeeze in, they hastily retracted their limbs, huddling tighter to bar his way.
But ample gaps remained between them, and Chen Shi wriggled inside regardless.
The three long-limbed Kiln Workers passed by out front. One glanced at the jars in the corner. Startled, one jar popped out a leg with a soft "boop."
The other two Kiln Workers whipped their heads around. Sensing danger, the jar sprouted two arms and another leg, then bolted off with its lid clanging wildly.
The three Kiln Workers gave immediate chase. Moments later, two returned, bending down to peer blankly at each jar in the corner, as if inspecting for signs of life.
From his hiding spot amid the jars, Chen Shi stole a glance. The Kiln Workers' eyes were a dull gray-white, like failed porcelain firings.
After a thorough check revealing no anomalies, the two departed.
Soon after, the third Kiln Worker dragged the escaped jar back and tossed it into the kiln to melt.
From the shadows of the corner, Chen Shi and the surviving jars crept away on tiptoe.
The survivors clearly bore no fondness for Chen Shi. Once clear of the three Kiln Workers' sight, they whirled to settle scores—only to find empty space behind them. Chen Shi had already slipped away without a trace.