Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 145: Return of the Past

When faced with the question, Fang Xiu openly showed his ignorance and how little he cared.

He blinked, his dark eyes full of innocent confusion.

Unfortunately, A’Shou had the breath stuck in her chest and insisted on explaining. “Heaven’s Will is natural, born of Heaven and Earth, and contains the principles of all things…”

Fang Xiu continued to look at her with innocent eyes.

A’Shou: “…”

A’Shou: “…In short, mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas each have their own spirit. When their spiritual nature gathers, Heaven’s Will is born.”

“These beings are neither gods nor ghosts. That is why they are called ‘Corners of Heaven’s Will’. It is not surprising that Xushan, the largest mountain range in the world, gave rise to the ‘Spirit of the Mountains’.”

What was surprising was that she had never realized this herself until Bai Shuangying personally told his story. Bai Shuangying had polluted the Disaster Relief Tower for who knows how many years just to escape.

As soon as it was related to Bai Shuangying, Fang Xiu perked up immediately.

No wonder Bai Shuangying was so good at magic—

From a scientific perspective, the relationship between “Heaven’s Will” and a “Corner of Heaven’s Will” was like that between the internet and a server.

The so-called magic was simply programs running on the “internet” of Heaven’s Will.

…But what did that have to do with him?

…He was no genius in mystical arts and not even spiritually gifted. Other than Bai Shuangying himself, he didn’t need to gain anything more from him.

“You make it sound like a ‘Corner of Heaven’s Will’ should be easy to find. But judging by Zhuang Feng’s reaction, the Guishan Sect clearly struggled.”

Fang Xiu quickly steered the topic back.

A’Shou shook her head. “First of all, hills and valleys that haven’t truly developed can’t produce spiritual nature. To give rise to consciousness, it has to be something at the level of vast mountain ranges or mighty rivers.”

“Second, such entities live as long as Heaven and Earth. They are extremely slow to perceive and rarely interact with outside beings. A thousand years is just a moment to them—let alone communicating with mere mortals who live less than a hundred.”

Fang Xiu thought for a while. “So you’re saying they’re not very smart and also kind of antisocial.”

A’Shou’s mouth twitched. She hesitated for a long time but finally gave a reluctant nod.

…That’s your takeaway? The important part is that they are extremely rare and unbelievably powerful!

“Then Bai Shuangying is very smart,” Fang Xiu praised his ghost sincerely.

A’Shou resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes.”

Fang Xiu pretended not to notice. “But Bai Shuangying previously used the Four Symbols Spirit-Viewing Array. His result was ‘Evil’. Not a mix of ‘God’ and ‘Evil’.”

“What?!”

A’Shou’s teasing and helplessness vanished instantly.

……

Even when Zhuang Guiqu was getting ready to leave and suppress the evil, A’Shou’s words still echoed in Fang Xiu’s mind.

She had spoken with certainty that Bai Shuangying’s power had been eroded.

His power had been infiltrated by an “external entity”, like a parasite in the body, temporarily stripping it of its natural purity. Combined with his actual malice toward the human world, the Heaven’s Will had judged him as “Evil”.

Bai Shuangying hadn’t noticed anything wrong before, simply because he had no basis for comparison. He had assumed it was due to his sealed power and his own negativity, not realizing the full nature of the seal.

When Fang Xiu questioned her, A’Shou had made her stance very clear.

“They’re about to demonstrate the sealing process.”

She said with concern, “This is the perfect chance to see what that ‘external entity’ really is.”

After sunrise, the reinforcements gathered in front of Zhuang Guiqu’s tent.

The curtain of the luxurious tent fluttered, and a small boy crawled out first. He wore coarse clothes like a mountain villager and had a crooked wooden mask on his face. He looked completely out of place beside the lavish tent.

The boy carried a bamboo basket on his back, filled with freshly dug sweet potatoes and wild fruit. The scent of forest and mountain was so fresh, Fang Xiu could smell it even from afar.

Zhuang Guiqu’s attendant? No, didn’t look like it.

Most people from the Guishan Sect were well-dressed and well-groomed. There was no way would they raise such a messy child.

As Fang Xiu pondered, he saw Zhuang Feng step forward respectfully and bow to the boy. “Greetings, Master.”

“Mm.”

The boy nodded, and an aged voice came from behind the mask.

Then he cupped his hands in a salute and politely addressed the gathered crowd.

“The Great God of Calamity has plagued the people. Over five years, tens of thousands have died in Xushan, their bones not yet cold. Natural disasters persist across the land, chaos spreads in the borderlands, all because the dragon vein of our mighty Kui Dynasty has been disturbed.”

“Today, all of you have braved danger to gather here. This humble Taoist is deeply grateful. The path ahead may lead to death, but the righteous path of humanity shall never perish!”

Cheers erupted from the cultivators around him. It wasn’t exactly in unison, but it was loud enough. Zhuang Feng stood off to the side, his gaze toward Zhuang Guiqu full of reverence.

Fang Xiu kept his hands tucked in his red sleeves, coldly watching from the side.

Zhuang Guiqu had disguised his face and body; Fang Xiu couldn’t even see his expression. Through the black holes in the mask, he could only faintly sense Zhuang Guiqu’s gaze sweeping over him.

After the speech, Zhuang Feng stepped forward. He bowed to Zhuang Guiqu, then slowly walked past him to face the crowd.

“For five years, no one has dared make a wish to the Great God of Calamity. Surrounding villages have all relocated. That monster now hides deep in the mountains, luring mortals in but never showing itself again.”

“This time, my Master will risk himself alone to lure the God of Calamity out—”

Crack.

Fang Xiu clenched his fists, his knuckles popping.

He didn’t need Zhuang Feng to explain. He could tell what Zhuang Guiqu was planning at a glance.

Zhuang Guiqu and his group knew full well that Bai Shuangying was actually a corner of Heaven’s Will. He was extremely simple-minded and bore no innate malice.

He had once lived peacefully with a small village for over a decade. That story must have spread in some form.

They knew that as a powerful and absolute being, Bai Shuangying had a soft spot for pure and weak children.

“The God of Calamity prefers to use virgin boys and girls as sacrifices…” Zhuang Feng said passionately.

They knew that five years of pestering meant nothing to Bai Shuangying. He was just angry, but he didn’t truly hate humanity.

“For years the God of Calamity has received no offerings. My master will appear in the form of a child to lure him out…”

Ignoring the impassioned speech, Fang Xiu stared past Zhuang Feng at Zhuang Guiqu behind him.

That man took a few steps, and in the movement, part of a book inside his basket became visible.

According to Zhuang Guiqu’s plan, he would head into the mountains alone. A few cultivators would lie in ambush nearby, while soldiers waited farther out.

Once he “engaged the enemy”, the cultivators would stabilize the situation, and the soldiers would charge in to help. Perfect timing.

“…Perfect my ass.” A’Shou, now with the main group at the border of Xushan, cursed under her breath. “This handful of mortals couldn’t even fill the gap between the Spirit of the Mountains’ teeth!”

Cursing aside, her expression was grim.

They all knew—Bai Shuangying was still sealed in the Disaster Relief Tower. He hadn’t gone there willingly.

For the third time, they returned to the ruins of the small village.

The landslide had turned into firm ground. Only some broken tiles and scattered bricks remained on the surface. Many dead trees were still buried, with only withered, crooked branches sticking out of the earth.

The remnants of the shrine had been completely swallowed by weeds. If Fang Xiu hadn’t witnessed the village’s destruction twice, he wouldn’t have even found the ruined shrine’s location.

Even the white porcelain statue had been devoured by the mountain. Only a sliver of whiteness peeked through the overgrowth, like bone exposed through yellow earth.

This was the village closest to the mountains. Beyond this point was the true Xushan domain.

There, black forests stood in dense clusters. The ground was covered in yellow-white pebbles. Shriveled white fruits swayed from the branches.

Clearly, many had died here over the past five years. Compared to Fang Xiu’s memory, the dark forest had grown much wider.

A boundary between reality and nightmare.

The cultivators stopped at the edge of the village. Zhuang Feng had already set up spells. A giant water mirror floated in the air, reflecting the image of Zhuang Guiqu advancing alone.

As the moment of sealing drew near, Fang Xiu stared expressionlessly at Zhuang Guiqu’s back.

The “little boy” moved through the thick mountain fog. He passed through ominous black trees and crossed a creek filled with white stones, heading toward the beginning of it all—the very first place, where the little girl once cried.

It was an ordinary and hidden little spot, one even the grown-up girl could no longer find. Zhuang Guiqu calculated and walked, somehow managing to find the old place.

A hundred years later, the stone was still there, unchanged.

Zhuang Guiqu staggered over, moving just like a real child. He sat “blankly” on the stone for half an hour, then began to cry. He lifted half his mask and wiped at his nose and eyes.

In that moment, even his voice matched that of a child.

“Help me, someone help…” he whimpered. “Father, Mother, where are you—”

“I want to go home. I want to go home. This place is scary—”

But he cried from daylight until the sun set. No one responded. The cultivators in the village sat and waited almost the entire day and gained nothing.

Zhuang Feng, however, continued to maintain the spell with full confidence.

One had to admit, Zhuang Guiqu’s acting was impressive. Once night fell, he curled up miserably and cried himself to sleep.

Before long, a wild dog spotted the “little prey”. Under cover of night, it approached and bit into Zhuang Guiqu’s leg.

Zhuang Guiqu didn’t use any spells to defend himself. His leg was soon torn and bloody. He grabbed a stone and began sobbing and smashing the dog’s head.

The sharp rock wounded the dog’s eye. After a sharp yelp, it tucked its tail and fled into the dark.

Zhuang Guiqu crawled back to the stone and barely managed to bandage the wound. Blood kept oozing out. He kept sobbing, his voice hoarse and terrifying.

Within half an hour, he began to run a fever, his head drenched in sweat.

“Mother… Mother… home… take me home…”

Zhuang Guiqu lay limp on the stone, muttering in a delirious voice.

The contents of his basket had spilled onto the ground. In addition to sweet potatoes and fruit, there was a nameless book and a small bundle of porcelain items.

Among them was a tiny porcelain statue.

Zhuang Guiqu grabbed it, added a few beautiful fruits, and offered them on the bloodstained stone.

“Mother… you said… this could summon the mountain god to protect me… Mountain God, please save me… please…”

“I just want to go home…”

His crying was honest and despairing, like a real child. Finally, after a night of suffering, just before dawn—

…A hand reached out from in front of the porcelain statue.

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