by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
“Powerful? They couldn’t even be described as just powerful. Humans are the spirit of all things. Each human is a spiritual being, their own existence. They possess the pinnacle of the cosmos’s truth, the rulers of the world. Regretfully, the current human race’s bloodline is no longer pure, and they have fallen to the point of extinction. And yet, they still don’t seem aware of it and only know how to fight amongst themselves.” Yue Xiaoqian shook her head with pity for the changing of the times.
Long Chen wanted to say that this was a good thing. If the human race fought to the point of extinction, there would be no one to make things hard for her original devil race. But then thinking of his own status, he swallowed his words back down.
Continuing to examine the murals, he saw that it was a story. Each mural was linked to the next.
At the next mural, a large group of humans had appeared and an immense battle was fought between them and the winged devils. It was a miserable battle, with corpses littering the bloodstained ground.
The human race was losing miserably, with heavy casualties. Those winged devils had powerful runes on their wings. Although these were just static images, Long Chen could feel just how fast they had to be.
Furthermore, their bodies were muscular like bulls. Their flesh bulged with explosive power. They were clearly both powerful and fast. The humans weren’t their match.
Thinking of Yue Xiaoqian’s words, Long Chen couldn’t help feeling it was satirical. The human race was the ancestor of the winged devils, but now the winged devils were mercilessly slaughtering them.
There were several consecutive murals of the winged devils slaughtering the humans. Towards the end, a group of people appeared. They formed hand seals, and illusory figures appeared behind their bodies.
Those figures held blades, swords, towers, bells. From their hand seals, they should be using a kind of soul art.
Once that soul art was activated, the bloodthirsty winged devils became immobile, unable to move an inch.
“The winged devils are afraid of soul arts?” asked Long Chen.
“Living ones are afraid of soul arts, but dead ones that have revived aren’t. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had it so hard back then.” Thinking of their previous cooperation against the winged devil skeletons, Yue Xiaoqian smiled in reminiscence. She held Long Chen’s arm.
“What… what is going on here?!” Long Chen didn’t notice Yue Xiaoqian’s gentle movements. Looking at the next mural, he was filled with disbelief.
Chapter 863 Riddle
In that mural, the humans had just defeated the winged devils and were celebrating. They had gathered to kowtow in front of a group of people.
There were men and women in that group. They were standing in the air, sacred and holy, graceful and grand. The shocking thing was that there was a mark on their foreheads.
That mark was indistinct, but Long Chen could see that it was extremely similar to the one that appeared on Yue Xiaoqian when she released her core energy. Even the feeling he got from it was similar.
“Xiaoqian, are they your original devil race’s members?” asked Long Chen.
“I seem to be able to sense a familiar aura from their bodies, especially from those race marks on their foreheads. Even if they aren’t members of the original devil race, they should have a relationship with us. But look, in that era, the human race was so respectful to us, practically worshipping us. If they are really members of the original devil race, how could the original devil race have ended up being the public enemy of the entire world?” A lost expression appeared in Yue Xiaoqian’s eyes.
“Even you can’t be sure?”
Yue Xiaoqian shook her head. “My mother refuses to let me learn too many secrets. As for the Grand Elders, even they regard the secrets of our ancestors as something that can’t be leaked no matter what. They also refuse to say anything. Previously, I told you that any disciple that learns too many secrets will no longer be permitted to leave the Skyscraping World. Although I don’t know the reason behind it, I’m sure my mother is doing what’s best for us.”
Long Chen nodded. Looking at these people in the scene, countless questions revolved in his head. Supposing these people were from the original devil race, then just what had happened during this time?
From the murals, it seemed that the human race had received their help or pointers, which was the only way they had defeated the winged devils. These murals were eulogizing the original devil race’s contributions.
If these people really were members of the original devil race, if his guess was truly correct, then this riddle was a bit too frightening, wasn’t it?
From being worshipped like gods, they had become targets to be slaughtered and even the Heavenly Daos refused to accept them. What had happened?
Was it something related to the battle back then? Just what kind of history was hidden by that battle?
Yue Xiaoqian suddenly slashed her sword, killing a Rockthorn Mouse that was attacking them and breaking Long Chen’s pondering.
“Alright, let’s not waste too much time thinking about this. Whatever the truth is, it’ll be exposed sooner or later. But before we have enough power, learning those secrets has no meaning. Let’s keep going.” Yue Xiaoqian pulled on Long Chen’s hand.
He nodded and they continued onwards. This underground world was like a maze. They were constantly being attacked by Rockthorn Mice.
After traveling a bit more, Long Chen felt like the spiritual pressure was growing stronger. He suddenly saw that Yue Xiaoqian was a bit pale. “Xiaoqian, what is it?”
“You… do you not feel that some illusions are starting to pop up?” Yue Xiaoqian looked at him with shock.
That was because an hour ago, she had started to feel that everything she was seeing was growing distorted. Illusions constantly popped up.
Sometimes the ground beneath her feet would become an abyss. Sometimes fierce devils would appear in front of her. Sometimes she would hear a strange sound behind her. From the start, she had known they had entered an illusion formation.
But seeing Long Chen easily brushing it off, she hadn’t said a word. However, now the illusions were growing stronger, and they were becoming more and more realistic. She was starting to be unable to bear it.
Being caught in illusions, a person’s spiritual perception would sharply drop. At this time, even if a Rockthorn Mouse appeared right in front of her, she might not even notice it. That kind of feeling was extremely uneasy. It was like someone with excellent vision had become blind.
“Illusions? Where?” Long Chen’s words caused Yue Xiaoqian to feel shocked.
At this time, the Eastern Wasteland Bell rang out in his mind. “You’re different. You defeated yourself, and a version of yourself that was even stronger than you at that. Your will has reached a kind of pinnacle, and your Dao-heart is essentially flawless. The illusions here don’t just require powerful Spiritual Strength to resist. They are targeted toward a person’s heart-devils, the weaknesses in their hearts. Your will has reached a monstrous level, so this kind of illusion formation cannot shake you. You can’t even sense them, but she finds it very taxing here.”
Long Chen didn’t know that this illusion formation was targeted toward a person’s heart. The more unsteady a person’s Dao-heart was, the easier they would be affected. The stronger their heart-devils, the greater their fear, the more things they feared would appear here. In the end, they would be lost in this labyrinth.
“Do you not feel anything at all?” Yue Xiaoqian felt this was inconceivable.
Long Chen smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. He also released his will.
Releasing his will was like releasing his inner aura. That was an unrivaled will, one that could disdainfully look down on gods, the heavens, the earth, and the entire universe.
Long Chen would only release it when he fought peak experts. But he now used a kind of self-hypnotism to make it seem like he was facing a powerful expert.
&
nbsp; This was a kind of formless energy, but it was also substantive. It was mysterious and profound, impossible to describe with words.
“How did you do this?” Yue Xiaoqian was shocked.
Long Chen didn’t hide anything from her. He told her about how he had entered a trial where he had fought against an even stronger version of himself. When Yue Xiaoqian heard that, she was appalled. That was something impossible. How could someone possibly defeat a version of themselves that was slightly stronger in every aspect and never tired?
“Long Chen, why do you have to go all-out like this?” asked Yue Xiaoqian with a slightly pained expression.
Long Chen laughed, “If I said I wanted to get stronger to protect you, would you believe it?”
“If that’s what you’re saying, then I’ll believe you,” said Yue Xiaoqian sincerely.
Long Chen couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. Originally, he had been teasing her, but as a result, he had checkmated himself. If he really said it now, it would seem too fake. If he didn’t say it, she would feel bad. Long Chen still hadn’t completely grasped what kind of person Yue Xiaoqian was, so he couldn’t make random jokes with her like with Tang Wan-er.
“Oh, what’s that?” As they were walking, Long Chen suddenly noticed that the fluctuations in the air had disappeared. They had already passed the illusion region and entered a new region.
Not far behind them was a faint figure. It was following them, neither quickly nor slowly.
That figure was extremely faint. In this pitch-black world, it was almost impossible to notice it. Long Chen had just barely sensed a faint spiritual fluctuation before realizing it was there.
“A Nether Ghost,” said Yue Xiaoqian.
“Ghost?”
“Yes. The so-called ghosts aren’t those nonsense things you’ve heard of. When people die, their souls split into three kinds of energy. One is called the Hun, one is called the Po, and one is called the Kui. The Kui is the purest energy of a person’s life. Once a person dies, it will go to the Netherworld and be forever separated from this world. The Kui goes to the Netherworld, while the Hun and Po stay in this world.
“For some people, when they die, they are at peace and don’t leave regrets. Their Hun and Po combined to form a new kind of energy that reincarnates. But because the Kui has gone to the Netherworld, this reincarnation won’t possess the memories of its previous life.
“There are also some who are full of hatred and unwillingness when they die. Their Kui goes to the Netherworld, but their Hun and Po separate. Due to the unwillingness and regret within the Hun and Po, the Hun transforms into a ghost, while the Po transforms into a fiend. The ghost represents greed, while the ghoul represents bloodthirst and brutality. They’re both existences that can’t see the light of day,” explained Yue Xiaoqian.
“Really? There really is an underworld for the dead? And people can reincarnate?” Long Chen was shocked.
“Aiya, no. Those things you’ve heard are just stories. What I’m talking about regards how the Heavenly Daos operate,” said Yue Xiaoqian with a bit of vexation. After explaining this to him for so long, Long Chen had actually connected it to those fables of ghosts and monsters.
“Hey, little brat, get over here! Are you trying to act like a ghost in front of me?!” Long Chen pointed at the faint figure and shouted, hoping to scare it away with an intimidation tactic.
But the ghost didn’t give a damn about him. It just stood there woodenly like a fool.
“Fool, it’s useless. They are formed from greed and are different from shadow ghouls. They basically have no intelligence,” said Yue Xiaoqian.
“Oh?”
“You’re definitely thinking in terms of your popular folklore. Those devils and evil spirits in those stories are really just fiends. As for ghosts, they are just formed from greed. They just like following others in hopes to obtain something good from them. They have no attack power. If they run into ordinary mortals, they might be able to merge into their souls when a person is acting greedy. But even then, they can’t completely control them. They’ll only be able to blindly toss from side to side. Ah, that kind of situation has been called possessed by a ghost by people. As for cultivators, ghosts won’t be able to invade their souls. So you don’t need to care about them,” said Yue Xiaoqian.
Long Chen finally nodded in comprehension. At the same time, he had to admire her learning. Looking at the ghost, a pondering expression appeared on his face. It was unknown what he was thinking.
“Hey, Long Chen, you wouldn’t be getting any crazy ideas, right?” probed Yue Xiaoqian. After being in contact with him for this long, she had a slightly greater understanding of him.
“Hehe, it seems I’ve thought of a way to handle ghosts.”
Long Chen slowly walked in front of the ghost. He reached out his hand, holding a certain item.
When Yue Xiaoqian saw that thing, her eyes opened wide. She didn’t know what to say.
Chapter 864 I’ll Subdue Her
“Long Chen, can you grow up a bit? Don’t mess around.” Yue Xiaoqian looked at the round thing in Long Chen’s hand. That was a gold coin.
“Hehe, everyone says that money can make even ghosts do work. Let’s try it!” laughed Long Chen.
Yue Xiaoqian sighed. Sometimes Long Chen made her absolutely speechless. He actually wanted to bribe a ghost.
“Little ghost, come over. Big brother has a big pile of money here. Do you want it? Do you want to make some money?” Long Chen’s voice was full of excitement. Yue Xiaoqian felt goosebumps. This seduction was too obvious.
“Long Chen, don’t mess around!” reprimanded Yue Xiaoqian. But she had just finished saying that when a disbelieving expression appeared on her face. That ghost actually slowly approached Long Chen.
“Come, don’t be afraid. Tell big brother what’s going on here. I have lots and lots of money for you. Once you have money, you won’t be alone. You can buy a house and marry some beautiful ghosts. You can stay in your ghost room all day and listen to your ghost women tell you ghost stories. Heavens, that kind of blessed ghost day really makes a person envious.” Seeing the ghost slowly get closer, Long Chen was delighted. Nonsense continued to spout from his mouth.
Yue Xiaoqian was flabbergasted. Even though she thought of herself as educated, this kind of situation had escaped the scope of her learning. Could money really make even ghosts do work?
Long Chen didn’t feel any fear as the ghost approached him. He didn’t feel any feeling of danger, and Yue Xiaoqian had also said that ghosts were just manifestations of greed. If a person wasn’t intensely greedy, they couldn’t be possessed.
A shadow appeared on Long Chen’s hand. It was like a hand, and it grabbed the coin. The coin floated into the air and then vanished.
Long Chen and Yue Xiaoqian were shocked. What was going on? The coin had disappeared without the slightest spatial fluctuation. This situation was bizarre.
“Hey, don’t leave once you take my money!” raged Long Chen. The ghost had used some unknown method to take his coin and then retreated to its original location.
That was extremely irritating to Long Chen, and lightning runes appeared on his finger. He pointed at the ghost, shouting, “Hand back my money!”
Crackling sounds filled the air, and the ghost seemed to have been frightened. It disappeared.
“Fuck, I lost a gold coin just like that?” raged Long Chen.
Yue Xiaoqian was silent for a long moment before suddenly saying, “I think I’ve figured something out. Ghosts are unable to differentiate the value of money. It was only drawn over to your gold coin because it was contaminated with too many people’s desires. That is what it sensed, and it thinks it’s something good for it. Don’t get angry. This idea of yours is good. Take out another gold coin and see if you can draw it back.”
“Will that work? It looks like it has already fled,” said Long Chen. But he still took out a golden coin. These gold coins were from the Phoenix Cry Empire. H
e only kept them as memorabilia.
“Don’t worry, ghosts have no intelligence. As manifestations of greed, they quickly forget any danger,” said Yue Xiaoqian.
As she had expected, the black figure slowly appeared. It quickly appeared in front of Long Chen again. This time, Long Chen had learned from last time. He held onto the coin tightly, not letting it take it away no matter how it pulled.
“Ka Ni Yi Gu Ka Qi Lu.” Yue Xiaoqian suddenly said a string of bizarre syllables.
“Xiaoqian, you know how to speak ghost?” Long Chen was shocked.
Even a peaceful person like Yue Xiaoqian couldn’t bear such a thing. She hit him in fury, saying, “You’re the one speaking ghost[1]! I’m using these tones to see if I can communicate with it using Spiritual Strength. If you don’t understand, then don’t speak!”
Long Chen was amazed by her knowledge. How did she know this?
Yue Xiaoqian repeated it three times, but the ghost ignored her. It was still trying to take the gold coin from Long Chen’s hand, but with Long Chen’s tight hold over it, it was unable to.
But on the fourth time that Yue Xiaoqian repeated it, her eyes suddenly brightened. “Long Chen, give this coin to it and then take out another one. But don’t give that one to it for now.”
Hearing that, Long Chen let go. Yet again, he still couldn’t figure out how the gold coin simply vanished. He took out a second one.
Yue Xiaoqian immediately began to communicate with it. Long Chen didn’t know what she was saying. It sounded like nonsense to him.
Following her instructions, he ended up giving the ghost a total of eight gold coins before it suddenly moved. Yue Xiaoqian pulled on Long Chen, following the ghost.
“What’s going on?” whispered Long Chen.
“I managed to communicate with it, and it will bring us to the core region of the trial. All we need to do is give it some money. Long Chen, this idea of yours really was brilliant. We can just let the ghost lead the way,” said Yue Xiaoqian excitedly.