Dark Sky Village
Since I had never been to Seven Kills Village on Mount Tai, I decided to head there first. Mount Tai was a sacred mountain in the Shandong Province, well-known to most people from the Central Plains.
The reason for its fame wasn’t anything complicated. It was the place where the history of China began and where Qin Shi Huang first held the Fengshan Ceremony after unifying the realm. While the Fengshan Ceremony existed since the Zhou Dynasty, it was more about Qin Shi Huang trying to seek approval from the heavens after his reckless unification.
Due to its historical significance, emperors and unified rulers often visited Mount Tai to perform the Fengshan Ceremony whenever they had a chance. Perhaps that’s why there were many Gates and a significant number of Guard Soldiers in the vicinity. This was a precautionary measure to avoid unnecessary trouble if the emperor were to pass through.
‘There are hardly any bandits, so it’s convenient.’
On my way to Mount Tai, I encountered bandits just once.
“G-give us your money.”
To my surprise, they were three Hwa Jeon Min bandits, looking as if they hadn’t eaten for days. They appeared scraggly, with ribs showing, and when they trembled and demanded money with a crudely made spear, I couldn’t help but laugh. They wouldn’t be able to handle even a big man.
“Here, take this.”
“……?!”
Feeling sorry for them, I handed over forty silver coins from my pocket. They were so astonished to receive money that I decided to perform a little healing as a bonus. Once the jaundiced fellow began to heal, they immediately bowed to me.
“Ahh… are you the Hero of the Martial Arts World? Thank you so much.”
The reason I showed kindness to them was because, through my long experiences in both official and martial life, I could distinguish between murderous bandits and those driven to steal for survival. Those who became bandits out of sheer necessity were living in hell. I felt too uneasy to just kill them.
I asked them,
“How did you end up as bandits? Is it that hard to survive around here?”
“Oh, don’t even mention it.”
The middle-aged Hwa Jeon Min bandit began to weep, tears streaming down his face.
“The noble families and aristocrats keep plundering us, taking everything the landowners harvest. If there’s a pretty girl, they even snatch her up to turn her into a concubine. We couldn’t survive any longer, so we came to the mountains.”
“……”
It wasn’t surprising. I had seen this time and again throughout my life. It’s an undeniable truth that the strong exploit the weak. No individual could change that. Even if I killed every corrupt official in the area, someone else would simply take their place and continue the exploitation.
Yet, it sparked a thought in my mind.
‘What would a peaceful world even look like?’
No matter how peaceful it might be, the distinction between strong and weak would always exist. The law of nature is survival of the fittest, and that truth would not change no matter how many demon beasts or otherworldly races I vanquished. Though monstrous human sacrifices and tragedies could be stopped, the overall volume of misery in the world would remain stagnant.
Actually, for the Hwa Jeon Min bandits in front of me, the corrupt officials would likely seem a hundred times worse than any demon beast. Humans could indeed be unimaginably cruel, even without the existence of monsters.
After pondering for a moment, I said,
“I see. Then I shall take my leave.”
I chose not to get involved. Not only would it lead to unnecessary complications down the line, but I simply didn’t want to. I could easily cut down a few corrupt officials stealthily with my martial skills, but I didn’t feel compelled to. In the end, if the upper waters aren’t changed, the lower waters will rot for eternity.
After walking for a while, I finally approached a Gate. The Guard Soldier scrutinized me with a strict eye and remarked,
“A child traveling alone?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not forbidden, but if you die and fall down around here, no one will care.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, pass through.”
The guard must have just wanted to meddle a bit. I gave him a blank stare then asked,
“Excuse me, but how far is it to Seven Kills Village?”
“Eh? You’re heading there? Why?”
“I have a friend there.”
The guard frowned.
“I’ve heard that it’s a poor village where lowly commoners live, so why would you want to visit a shabby place like that… Hmph.”
“Lowly commoners?”
“Yeah. It’s an impoverished backwater. You’d have better luck staying in a large town rather than starve to death there.”
“……”
If he was saying that, it must have been quite severe. If the Guard was worried about it, the poverty there was undoubtedly real. I asked another passerby for directions and finally walked about a hundred li to arrive at the entrance of Seven Kills Village.
Seven Kills Village was a shabby village located in a valley not far from Mount Tai. So much so that it looked more like a tattered shanty village than a proper village. The villagers looked disheveled, almost like beggars, making it seem like a haven for the destitute.
‘What the…?’
It’s true that being a lowly commoner means being at the bottom of the social hierarchy, but I didn’t expect it to look this haggard. Everyone appeared gaunt and on the brink of starvation.
Ironically, despite their sorry state, the eyes of the villagers sparkled with vitality. It was as if one could see a sharp and indignant spirit in these individuals who were on the verge of fainting from hunger. Just as I was observing the bizarre scene of Seven Kills Village, an old man approached me, leaning on a cane, and said,
“Young one… what brings you here?”
I glanced at him. Judging by his gait, it seemed the one-eyed old man hadn’t yet made it here. I discreetly showed him the Black Token I was holding.
“I’ve heard I should bring this…”
“Whoa…!?”
The old man’s eyes widened in surprise. He looked around and then yelled,
“Hey, everyone… the Divine Guest has arrived!! Come and welcome him!”
“Whoa…!!”
The shabby villagers, who had been struggling to get by, swarmed around me and began dancing strangely without distinction between age or gender. Their coordinated clapping and dancing was bizarre.
“Hee-yah~ Hee-yah~ Hee-yah~”
Clap
“Ah-ha! Ah-ha!”
“……”
I was trapped in their cheers and found myself watching their frenzied dance in silence for a while. Some movements involved awkwardly wiggling their behinds.
This situation was funny and intriguing enough that I couldn’t help but want to know what was going on. As I stifled a laugh and chuckled, the dance eventually came to an end, and the old man with the cane spoke seriously,
“O Divine Guest. It doesn’t matter where you acquired that token or from whom… all we know is that since you’ve brought it, we follow our utmost duty to guide you to the Divine.”
He shifted to a more respectful tone. Among the villagers of Seven Kills Village, it seemed the term “Divine Guest” was a highly respected title.
“So what should I do now?”
“Head to that tree over there…”
Following his direction, I made my way to the peculiar tree at the center of Seven Kills Village.
The tree was oddly pure white. The trunk, the leaves, even the ground nearby appeared to be tinged with white. I looked for any pests, but even bugs wouldn’t cling onto this white tree. It was the first time I’d ever seen such an unusual White Tree.
Standing beneath the White Tree, I suddenly felt an overwhelming tremor in the world around me.
Dududududu
Dudududu…
“……?!”
It felt as if the ground was shaking, but it was not. Given that the villagers appeared unbothered, it seemed my very spot was quaking. More precisely, it felt like the very space I occupied was quivering.
Moments later, a flash of light erupted before my eyes.
Paaaat – !!
“Uwaah!”
I screamed as I was suddenly dropped from mid-air into what seemed to be a dense jungle. I quickly regained my balance atop a tree, but I started slipping down the leaves. So, I poured my Qi into my feet to stabilize myself.
Just barely managing to climb up the trunk, I was astonished.
‘What kind of tree is this?!’
This jungle tree was no ordinary tree. It was so tall that it seemed to reach the heavens, with trunks at least a dozen spans wide. Moreover, it was solid, and I had never encountered such a towering tree in any forest I knew of. Its branches were adorned with strange leaves, adding to its eerie appearance.
Something felt off. I instinctively sensed that I had entered a bizarre space and began to descend slowly from the tree. When I reached the ground, I found muddy earth forming the forest’s foundation, with decaying leaves emitting a foul scent scattered everywhere.
Grroowwwl…
I heard strange beast-like noises. Since entering this jungle, I had felt a strange discomfort and unease wash over me. It was as if this place was overwhelmed by some kind of madness, a sensation I was sure I recognized from somewhere.
‘What on earth is this place…?’
And why had I suddenly moved from under the White Tree to such a grotesque location?
It didn’t make sense, but soon I heard a voice.
[ Come here…]
The voice was something I had never encountered before, in a language entirely foreign to me. While I couldn’t interpret it, its meaning resonated deeply within me. There was a strange power that dulled the senses; I instinctively understood it was summoning me.
‘Ugh, let’s go check it out.’
I made a rotten face but walked ahead. This jungle wasn’t entirely impossible to traverse, provided I subdued the unpleasant feelings. As I walked for quite a while, I felt a beast’s gaze and suddenly flapped its wings right in front of me.
Grroowwwl…
It had a thick hide with a face and limbs resembling humans, yet sprouted bat wings and had horns protruding from its head. Strangely enough, while it had a face, it lacked facial features and spikes covered its tail. I hadn’t seen a creature like this before, so I made a small sound to myself.
“Hmm…”
Could such a life form appear naturally? A bat-like creature without features? But the faceless Bat Monster didn’t seem too hostile; rather, it soon turned and flew away to somewhere else.
I continued on, and soon, I arrived at the source of the [Calling].
“……!!”
Something enormous was captured. That was the only way to express it; it was a massive pile of tentacles adorned with black bat wings, lying in the middle of a vast canyon.
Upon closer inspection, it had features reminiscent of a woman’s breast—countless of them attached to its form. A faceless Bat Monster I had seen earlier was clinging to one of those breasts as if it were a baby, suckling.
Although the tentacle creature lacked eyes, it felt as if it were watching me. A few flying Bat Monsters fluttered nearby before quickly returning to their perches.
This overwhelmingly grotesque and terrifying sight!
Finally realizing I had trespassed into the territory of the Otherworldly Race, I looked up at the dark sky.
There, a distorted yellow moon hung aloft.
‘This… this place is…’
Despair washed over me as I understood where I had arrived.
Dark Sky Village!
I had somehow found myself in Dark Sky Village, summoned by the being before me—the one with black bat wings and tentacles!
I randomly stumbled into the nightmare landscape that even Immortals feared.
Just as I was feeling faint at the thought of meeting doom again, the tentacle being spoke to me with its own will.
[ Welcome… a special individual has come to the land of dreams…]
Gggruuuummm
In that instant, I felt an immense pressure and presence crushing my mind. It was an overwhelming force that I hadn’t experienced even when facing a mere demon beast. The tension was so palpable that I thought my nerves might snap. Yet strangely, I didn’t feel tainted or driven mad; there was simply an acknowledgment before me that the being was a Great Being.
I couldn’t help but strongly reflect in my mind,
[ Are you the Ancient Ruler?]
At that, the being replied,
[ That’s the human title for us… I am &^%*@.]
It was an indescribably strange name that couldn’t be pronounced with the languages familiar to me. As a god at the pinnacle of the Otherworldly Race, that made perfect sense.
Yet, I could ascertain with certainty that this being before me was indeed the Ancient Ruler. A strange feeling began to bubble within me. According to Mangnyang, it was a common trend for ordinary humans to go mad merely by standing before an Ancient Ruler and feel the terrifying magical power. Even sorcerers, wizards, or exceptionally mentally trained Immortals would typically cower in fear. But all I felt was a bit of irritation.
It seemed the Ancient Ruler was just as puzzled by my reactions. I felt what could only be interpreted as its amusement.
[ Strange…]
“……?”
[ You cannot be treated like an ordinary human… I have a friendly feeling towards you… That is how it is…]
I couldn’t comprehend what the being was trying to express. The Ancient Ruler, a terrifying evil god with power enough to wipe out even Great Divine Immortals, would typically view a human as nothing more than an insect. Yet, it seemed to regard me as a talking companion and bore some form of affection for me.
‘Maybe it’s because I brought the Black Token?’
That thought crossed my mind.
As I stood there gazing blankly, the Ancient Ruler began to flap its bat wings and spoke.
[ Speak… with the power of reversal granted to me… I give you one right to turn life to death… and death to life… no one can avoid this power…]
The power of reversal?
I pondered what that entailed, grasping that this entity had the ability to upend everything. Whether it was possible or not was secondary, but the implication behind one kill carried such meaning.
After a moment of contemplation, I made my decision.
“Please kill the Emperor.”
[ Is that so… you wish to kill that man… very well…]
Tentacles from the Ancient Ruler began to wriggle and stretch forth, pointing towards a space in mid-air. Suddenly, a plume of mist-like substance flowed from the air. As the tentacles wrapped around the mist, the Ancient Ruler devoured it like a delicacy.
Then it spoke,
[ He is dead…]
“……”
Is that it?
I stared at the being in confusion, realizing I’d been caught off guard when I suddenly heard a chuckling voice.
[ Come back and visit… you are… quite an interesting being…]
Paaaaat!
Once again, a flash of light occurred, and when I regained my senses, I found myself standing beneath the White Tree again. The gatherers of Seven Kills Village were utterly startled.
“Oh, no?!”
“You’re alive…!!”
They looked genuinely surprised. Upon seeing their reaction, I frowned in displeasure.
‘Dying seemed the natural course here.’
I had stepped up to an Ancient Ruler in Dark Sky Village and, despite being engulfed in madness, had pinpointed a single target I truly wished to eradicate. Surely, I would have ended up gripped by the ruler’s tentacles, meeting a dreadful demise. Fortune aside, I’d likely have been a wretch windowed by the Dark Sky.
The one kill offered by the Black Token was indeed such a request.
The success rate of such an endeavor was guaranteed at a hundred percent. After all, who could withstand the direct intervention of an Ancient Ruler?
Whoosh!
I immediately lunged forward and grabbed the old man, seemingly the village chief, by his collar. I fixed him with a strong glare and proclaimed,
“So you’re the servitors of the Ancient Ruler. Your role was to drag humans and send them to Dark Sky Village, wasn’t it?”
“Ahh, uh… uhh…”
“Is this how you repay a life saved? You’re hardly even human.”
Thud!
I threw the old man to the ground, and one villager beside him shouted,
“Then what do you want us to do?! We are bound to serve him for life, or we must bring a Divine Guest from the outside world to become free. Only those who present a Divine Guest can escape.”
“Ha?”
“Anyone who tries to escape from the village by other means dies from the Divine curse. Do you think we have any desire to live as lowly commoners?”
I sternly questioned,
“How do you treat those who return from Dark Sky Village?”
“……”
“There’s no way you could just let them leave without any cost.”
I glared at them.
Despite being in such miserable states, the villagers exuded a richness of life. They didn’t look particularly hungry or worn out. It was certain they received vitality as a payment for serving the Ancient Ruler.
I drew my sword and aimed it toward them.
“I could kill all of you in thirty seconds. Before I act, tell me what you did.”
The villagers of Seven Kills began murmuring.
“Stop right there. I’ll answer as the chief.”
The old man, who had fallen to the ground, weakly continued,
“They were eaten.”
“Eaten?”
“Our bodies have become this way because of it.”
Swish
“……!!”
A moment later, the head and body of the chief morphed into something completely different. It took on the appearance of a Dog-like Human. The body appeared robust and formidable. I was taken aback as I looked around and noticed the other villagers transforming one by one into Dog-like Humans.
Speechless, the chief said,
[ We were human as children, but as we grew, we became Dog Humans. We live much longer than humans and have strong bodies, and even if our food supplies run low, we don’t easily lose our life force. We serve him as his devotees.]
“Insane…”
I could feel the world spiraling into madness. The path leading to the Ancient Ruler was so close, and yet there existed a whole race dedicated to serving him.
[ Those who wish for a wish will not live long, as they lose their minds. We bring the Divine Guests swiftly and dispose of their bodies.]
“You’re all mad.”
Then, the former chief—a Dog Human—spoke in a sorrowful tone,
[ Naturally, we are mad. We were not meant to inhabit this land, the Otherworldly Race. With our fumbling grasp of human values and reasoning, we always live in sadness.]
“Sad? Is that something a monster like you can say?”
[ A monster, you say… if we are monsters, then what are you?]
The chief’s following words left my face frozen.
[ Even the Immortals go mad when facing our god. Our god is among the noblest of the Elders. That you returned unscathed after feeling his magic, what kind of being are you?]
“……”
[ Do as you will. It would be easier for us if you killed us.]
The villagers, with their strong bodies and powers, seemed to have felt how formidable my strength was. They bowed their heads as if waiting for my execution. I trembled, gripping my sword, finally letting out a noise as my frustration boiled over.
“Damn it!”
Swish!
In a flash, I lunged and swiftly beheaded all the villagers of Seven Kills. I didn’t kill them brutally like I had against pirates; each fell quickly with a single, swift strike, dying like sheep. Perhaps they too were tired of their inhuman lives.
After completing the slaughter, I caught my breath and muttered,
“Damn…”
I couldn’t leave the villagers of Seven Kills Village alone. They had undoubtedly continued to create innocent victims and would continue to do so in the future. However, labeling them as villains and slaying them didn’t sit right with me either. They were merely victims enslaved by an evil god. Thus, despite killing them all, my mind felt slightly disturbed.
I shook away those thoughts and moved on.
‘I will never use this place again.’
Even if I could kill a singular being, what good was that?
Finding myself before the Ancient Ruler had ignited an overwhelming irritation in me. Inexplicably, I wasn’t mad but rather just wanted to avoid going there again.
I decided to check whether the Emperor had truly died or not.
Paar!
As I made my way back to Mangnyang, I found him sitting on the grass in deep thought. When I appeared before the thatched cottage, he looked at me with wide eyes.
“You’re here.”
“What were you thinking so deeply about?”
“Nothing… just that the Heavenly Mechanism is twisted…”
Heavenly Mechanism?
I tilted my head in confusion as Mangnyang continued in a worried voice,
“A giant star that should never fall has fallen. Someone has killed a [being that must not die] by some power. This is an extremely rare occurrence, and I’ve been pondering it. Probably, every sorcerer or astrologer across the continent is also thinking on it.”
It seemed likely he was referring to the Emperor’s death.
“This has happened.”
I recounted the events I experienced at Seven Kills Village and revealed my request to execute the Emperor.
Mangnyang’s face drained of color.
“By heavens… you actually went to the Dark Sky Village and made a wish to an Ancient Ruler and returned alive?! Are you joking with me?”
“No joke.”
“……!!”
Suddenly, Mangnyang dashed toward the base of the tree and began to vomit. After a long bout of retching, he calmed down and returned with a composed expression, saying,
“My apologies. The shock nearly made me faint.”
“Is it truly that shocking?”
“Many have run into a trap of evil gods throughout history, but those who returned in one piece are nonexistent. Moreover, those who gained favor with an Ancient Ruler are unheard of in human history. Even Great Divine Immortals couldn’t achieve such a feat.”
Thinking back, it was strange that Ye Dong-bin hadn’t shown up when I faced the Ancient Ruler. When I questioned him about it, Mangnyang replied,
“Of course. Dark Sky Village is completely separated from this world. Ye Dong-bin wouldn’t be able to cross that dimensional veil to respond to your summoning. Furthermore, to my knowledge, that veil is also maintained by the Ancient Ruler.”
“……”
I realized I had landed in quite a situation. Knowing one of the Seven Luminaries resided in Dark Sky Village, I had intended to gather my power and seek him out someday. However, if Ye Dong-bin cannot be summoned from Dark Sky Village, the danger in returning would be immensely heightened.
Feelings of heightened difficulty settled in my mind as I scratched my head.
“At least, it’s a relief if the Emperor is dead, right?”
“… matters won’t flow so simply.”
Mangnyang muttered as though feeling empty.
“Based on what you said, the Emperor is likely not the main player in all of this…”
The truth of Mangnyang’s words was confirmed the very next day.
