Chapter 00054: The Non Existent Grand Square Pot
# The Non-Existent Grand Square Pot
Chapter 54
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 54: The Non-Existent Grand Square Pot
The corpse lay on a straw mat, with a few pieces of dried skin still clinging to the skull, making it look especially gruesome.
"The skeleton seems quite intact," Nian Songyu remarked as he jumped down and examined it closely.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
"Intact, but not in its original position."
He pointed to the area where the corpse's hands and feet were, still covered in soil.
"Dig it out."
At this point, He Lingchuan had no choice but to obediently follow the order.
When they finished digging, everyone let out a long, surprised "Huh?"
"Was he eaten too?!" Several bones clearly bore burn marks and knife scars.
"Eaten first, then buried?" Nian Songyu was puzzled.
"What was so special about this person?"
"Over here!" Mao Tao had just dug open the soil on the other side of the grave and found something clutched in the corpse's hand.
When they pulled it out, it turned out to be a small goatskin bundle.
Even Sun Fuping, with all his experience, couldn't help but feel his heart race.
They were finally one step closer to unraveling the mystery.
He personally unwrapped the goatskin, revealing a handwritten journal inside.
With bated breath, everyone watched as Sun Fuping opened the journal.
The pages were densely filled with writing, growing increasingly messy toward the end.
The goatskin had preserved it well, though the paper had yellowed and become brittle.
But then, they couldn't understand a word of it.
They had no choice but to wait for the Imperial Preceptor to translate.
Sun Fuping read slowly, word by word, afraid to miss even the slightest bit of useful information, all while pondering deeply.
He Lingchuan couldn't hold it in any longer and went outside to relieve himself.
By the time he returned, Sun Fuping was just taking a sip of water.
"Imperial Preceptor, what does the journal say?" He Lingchuan pointed at the grave.
"Did the dead guy write it?"
"No, it was written by his companion, the last surviving member of the Balin expedition team that buried him," Sun Fuping said slowly.
"This person was Tao Bo, a disciple of Zhu Gen."
"This journal records his journey from accepting the mission from his master, Zhu Gen, up until the point where their team was nearly wiped out. They found the entrance to the illusionary realm in front of a temple in the desert ruins, triggering the sandstorm season prematurely. But soon after, they were attacked by vengeful spirits. The powerful Wind Army caused heavy casualties, and only five of them managed to escape here. The vengeful spirits didn't pursue them further."
"The events before that are already known to us, so I won't elaborate. The key part comes afterward: after entering the illusionary realm, they failed to achieve their goal. They neither found the Grand Square Pot nor an exit. The food and water they brought with them were gradually depleted, until they had nothing left."
Sun Fuping spoke slowly and meticulously, not just to explain to the three of them, but also to digest and ponder the contents himself.
"This place may seem peaceful and pleasant, but it's no different from the desert. It lacks extreme heat and cold, but it's still unsuitable for sustaining life. Those who can't find a way out will eventually meet their end."
Sun Fuping flipped open a page.
"These Balin people also ran out of water and food, and were forced to eat their companions, of course deciding the victim by drawing lots. We've already seen their remains at the Chen residence."
Nian Songyu asked curiously, "Then what's the deal with this grave?"
"The third person who drew the death lot refused to be eaten and tried to resist. In the end, Tao Bo and Yu Qingyuan teamed up to kill him. This person was quite formidable, and Tao Bo couldn't handle him alone. After some time, when it came down to the last two, Yu Qingyuan voluntarily took his own life, giving Tao Bo the final chance to survive."
The three of them fell silent.
Living through dozens of days of despair and fear, only to give up the last glimmer of hope for survival—they couldn't imagine themselves doing such a thing.
"Tao Bo, moved by Yu Qingyuan's noble act, built this grave for him and left his own journal behind as a gift for those who might come after."
Mao Tao gave a bitter smile.
"That would be us, the unlucky ones."
"Watch your words," Nian Songyu said, not feeling particularly unlucky himself.
"The journal must contain something useful, right?"
"Relying on food, water, and his companions, Tao Bo lived in the illusionary realm for over sixty days. He searched Panlong City inside and out several times and even ventured out into the wilderness a few times. However, thirty miles outside the city, there was a boundary beyond which he couldn't go."
Tao Bo's journal was essentially a diary, recording his daily observations and thoughts, which were inevitably fragmented.
Sun Fuping summarized the key points.
"Zhu Gen had many theories about Panlong City and the Grand Square Pot. As his disciple, Tao Bo tried to verify them here but failed. In the end, he even gave up on finding the Grand Square Pot, hoping only to find a way to escape."
"Of course, he also understood that the two were essentially the same thing."
"The biggest problem with living in this illusory city was not knowing where to start. Countless attempts ended in failure. After Yu Qingyuan died, leaving Tao Bo as the only living person in the entire city, he wandered in a daze for several days. Then, a thought suddenly struck him: Could the reason they couldn't find the Grand Square Pot be that it simply wasn't here?"
The three of them were stunned.
"What do you mean?"
If there was no Grand Square Pot, how could this illusionary realm exist?
Nian Songyu's expression turned grim.
"Are you saying we came to the wrong place?"
"The wheat fields outside the city and the buildings inside suggest that Panlong City during this period enjoyed peace and prosperity, untouched by war."
Sun Fuping spoke slowly.
"Without war, people wouldn't pray to the gods, and the Heavenly God naturally wouldn't bestow the Grand Square Pot meant for war!"
War was the beginning of all the tragedies that followed.
Without war, there would naturally be no Grand Square Pot.
Absurd! Did they come here to die in vain? Mao Tao wanted to argue, but he opened his mouth and found no words.
He Lingchuan muttered, "It does seem to make sense."
What could they do here? "If we can't find a way out, this illusionary realm is a dead end, a death trap!" Nian Songyu's eyes flickered.
"There can't be such a formation or secret realm in the world. It defies the natural order!"
Even in man-made death traps, there is always a way out, no matter how slim the chance.
Otherwise, such a trap couldn't exist in the first place.
This was a fundamental law of their world, as undeniable as water flowing downhill or the sun rising the next day.
Nian Songyu, having studied mystical arts, understood this deeply.
"So, why does this Panlong City world exist?" Sun Fuping shook the journal in his hand.
"As Zhu Gen's direct disciple, Tao Bo proposed a theory. Who do you think would love this version of Panlong City?"
Love?
The three of them exchanged glances.
He Lingchuan tentatively asked, "Everyone?"
A peaceful, prosperous oasis untouched by war—who wouldn't love that?
"Exactly, everyone! All those who once lived on this land, both the living and the dead, would envision their ideal homeland as this. So, the Grand Square Pot, based on the vengeful spirits' desires, created this world for them!" Sun Fuping continued, "Tao Bo even suspected that this illusionary realm had been beautified and enhanced, far better than any version of Panlong City in history, which is why the vengeful spirits were content to stay here."
(End of Chapter)