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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 18: Journey to the Ruins
When certain individuals summoned the divine beings, they came, but not willingly. The divine beings already possessed everything that mortals yearned for, yet there was one thing that they lacked: a soul capable of experiencing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. To fully become divine, one must abandon these emotions.
In the distant past, the divine beings also experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. However, they believed that such feelings would weaken them, so they cast aside these emotions. When they reached their peak strength, they began to long for those feelings again. This longing represented a kind of exchange; humans sought the help of the divine beings in return for their souls.
Souls allowed the divine beings to briefly savor the power of those lost emotional experiences. For them, experiencing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness was as sweet as tasting honey for the first time. In a way that did not diminish their strength, they required humans to willingly offer their souls.
Within the divine realm, many gods did not consider themselves entirely divine because they still yearned to feel human emotions. Thus, they were regarded as somewhat human, earning them the peculiar title of "the people of the divine realm."
Kai Zhou Shen once studied under Primordial Ancestor and eventually became Kai Zhou Shen with foresight abilities. The entire divine realm took pride in his prophetic skills; however, this pride did not make them stronger. They became overly reliant on prophecies and neglected to put in effort or learn new things.
The ability to see through the lives of mortals was once a noble quality possessed by the divine beings. Yet now they had slaughtered all the Zhuque within Zhuque Chenjing that could be killed. They had fallen into an unquenchable cycle of violence. With the ability to demand souls from humans in exchange for a brief taste of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, internal conflicts erupted among the divine beings.
The sweetness of this "honey" was irresistible; in their quest to feel emotions again, they turned against each other. This was laughable and unnecessary for humans but incredibly precious for the divine beings who had lost those emotions.
Kai Zhou Shen disapproved of such exchanges because it would make them more terrifying than Demon Beasts. However, he lacked the power to stop it; all he could do was close the rifts connecting them to the mortal world.
Of course, Kai Zhou Shen's realization came later; he had once enjoyed such exchanges himself.
Human souls were filled with uncertainty; beyond experiencing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, they also contained negative emotions like treachery and deceit.
The highest leader of the divine beings, Jade Emperor, met privately with Kai Zhou Shen in Lingxiao Palace. With a heavy heart, Jade Emperor asked, "Do you know why I called you here?"
Kai Zhou Shen nodded solemnly. "I do."
Jade Emperor continued, "We possess the strongest powers of artifacts. How we acquire and utilize them used to be a source of pride for me. But now look at what we've done—we've used our proud creations to slaughter Zhuque. We created artifacts to save lives and protect our kind, not for one-sided slaughter. This cannot continue; I hope everything can start anew."
Kai Zhou Shen solemnly stated, "I will do my utmost to close all the rifts in the world."
The Jade Emperor sighed, "Go ahead. Before we make any greater mistakes, close all the rifts."
After a pause, the Jade Emperor's eyes revealed a look of pain as he continued, "I have opened a Spirit Immortal Realm for you in the Opening of the Zhou Wasteland. You can reside there so we can maintain communication, and you can report your progress to me at any time."
Kai Zhou Shen looked at the Jade Emperor with mixed emotions. He knew that once he left, he might not know when he would return. However, he simply replied lightly, "I will not disappoint your expectations."
---
The Arbitrator and the Gravel Demon were dead, and matters concerning the Arbitrator could be put to rest. Canglin and Ji Zichen stood outside the Divine Chamber in Evil Spirit Hall Mountain Valley. The Divine Chamber was still a ruin, and it took the soldiers of Evil Spirit Hall Mountain Valley half a day to conquer it. Some Cult members had escaped, while many others had become captives. However, Ji Zichen had not heard any news regarding how to deal with these captives.
At that moment, Man Chengwen approached Ji Zichen and Canglin. Man Chengwen was the first to lead his team in conquering the Hall of Malevolence. He cupped his hands in salute to Ji Zichen and said, "Brother Ji, Commander Wei is holding a meeting, but I suspect it concerns how to capture the Great Seats within the Hall of Malevolence. Commander Wei has asked for you to attend."
Ji Zichen squinted slightly and smiled, "I won't be going. You all can handle matters regarding the Great Seats. Prince Huixin asked me to ensure Commander Wei's safety. Although there have been some changes, Commander Wei is no longer in any danger. I should return to Qingyang City."
Man Chengwen reluctantly asked, "Will we see each other again?"
Ji Zichen patted Man Chengwen on the shoulder, "There will be opportunities."
As the meeting was about to commence, Man Chengwen could not afford to be late. He said, "Then we shall meet again!"
After Man Chengwen left, Canglin asked, "Are you planning to head to Divine Dawn?"
Ji Zichen replied, "Yes, this matter has already been delayed for some time."
Canglin casually opened a rift. "Then we shall part ways here. However, I hope you can keep an eye on the rifts. If you see one, please close it. I will also be vigilant about them."
As Canglin entered the rift, it closed behind him.
Meanwhile, Ji Zichen and Xia Lian's group returned to Qingyang City, accompanied by Qin Xiaolan. The war had ceased, and the Desolate Central Plain seemed to be teeming with life again. Riding along the main road on the outskirts of Qingyang City, they passed by farmland; half of it was lush and green, while the other half had been severely damaged.
In the distance, five farmers were setting up a new waterwheel. On the flat land to the right of the waterwheel stood several new thatched cottages. A few dark-skinned children rolled up their sleeves and pant legs to help plant new seedlings in the fields, while some women washed clothes by the river, singing farm songs.
Qin Xiaolan was in high spirits as she said, "I hope there won't be any more wars in the future."
Her sisters nodded in agreement beside her.
Beyond the farmland lay a high slope covered with fruit trees. A few young fruit-picking girls skillfully gathered fruits. As they approached the outskirts of Qingyang City, they noticed a newly erected watchtower with a Ming Zhong hanging from it, likely for signaling purposes.
The city walls of Qingyang City were being repaired by many craftsmen. The group moved smoothly and soon arrived at the outer gate of the inner city. In the past, entering the inner city would require passing through the main gate known as Qingyang Gate, which was flanked by two dragon-shaped statues forming an archway. However, due to the recent siege by a cult, this main gate had been damaged.
The main gate was under urgent repair and had been closed off. They entered through a side gate instead. After walking a short distance through this side entrance, they reached the Training Ground. On either side of the Training Ground were displays of Azure Sun Flags symbolizing Qingyang City and various types of military equipment. Beyond the Training Ground lay the Side Hall, where Prince Huixin was discussing matters with his generals.
Seeing them from outside the hall, a guard immediately straightened up and said, "Please wait a moment while I go in to report."
"Wait," Qin Xiaolan called out to the guard. Turning to Ji Zichen, she said, "It seems that His Highness has important matters to attend to; perhaps we should meet him later."
Ji Zichen thought for a moment and agreed that meeting Prince Huixin later would be fine since he wanted to see Lin Chuyu as well. "That works too; after all, we don't have anything urgent," he replied.
Qin Xiaolan told the soldier, "No need to report; we'll come back later."
As they were about to leave, a voice echoed from within the hall, "You may come in."
Everyone recognized it as the voice of Prince Huixin. Since he had spoken, they had no choice but to enter.
Qin Xiaolan and the other girls tidied themselves up before stepping into the hall.
On either side of Prince Huixin stood two bodyguards, clad in green military armor from Qingyang City, each equipped with a Xuan Yang Sword. To the left was a row of ten armchairs aligned with another row of seats on the right. On the left side sat civil officials, while military generals occupied the right.
Prince Huixin reclined in a sandalwood armchair that could comfortably accommodate one person. His eyes sparkled like lightning, and although he wore a slight smile, he exuded an air of seriousness befitting a ruler. The Hall of Malevolence had suffered a great defeat, but now Prince Huixin's presence was as radiant as the sun. At that moment, Ji Zichen felt as if there were two different people before her.
Prince Huixin waved his hand toward the civil and military officials. "You may leave; let us proceed as we discussed." The officials bowed and retreated, while Qin Xiaolan and her sisters bowed respectfully and said, "We pay our respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."
However, Ji Zichen remained standing, appearing quite stiff as she gazed at Prince Huixin. Noticing her reluctance to bow, he smiled lightly. "Let’s skip these formalities."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Qin Xiaolan replied, standing with her hands at her sides.
Prince Huixin fixed his intense gaze on Ji Zichen and said, "Commander Wei has informed me of your matters; you should be credited for this victory over the Hall of Malevolence."
Ji Zichen humbly replied, "I haven't done much; I merely fulfilled my duties."
Prince Huixin laughed heartily. "Please take a seat."
The others took their seats accordingly. Prince Huixin turned to Qin Xiaolan and said, "Director Qin, your contributions are significant as well. I promise you that I have arranged for a Pharmacist Palace to be built for you in the Left Courtyard."
Qin Xiaolan's expression lit up with excitement. "Thank you very much, Your Highness!"
"Currently, the situation at the Hall of Malevolence has been resolved," Prince Huixin said, "but the whereabouts of the Evil God remain unknown. As long as the Evil God hasn't left the Desolate Central Plain, it's only a matter of time before we find him."
Ji Zichen replied, "If the Evil God isn't making any moves, it's best not to provoke him. The war has just ceased; we should focus on recuperating."
Prince Huixin nodded, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone dispersed to rest.
A few days later, Ji Zichen took his leave from Prince Huixin. The prince did not try to keep him, but during these days, Ji Zichen had not seen Yang Guizhi and the others; they had already left ahead of him. Xia Lian, seeing that the matter with the Arbitrator was settled, decided to return to her village. Since the issue with the Evil God was still unresolved, she needed to discuss countermeasures with Yang Guizhi.
Ji Zichen said to Xia Lian, "Take care on your journey."
Xia Lian reluctantly bid farewell to Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu as they headed towards Divine Dawn.
On the road, Lin Chuyu appeared sullen. Ji Zichen asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Lin Chuyu replied sadly, "I now understand why I had that dream. It was a dream showing me how the divine beings slaughtered the Vermilion Bird."
Ji Zichen inquired, "Have you had that dream again recently?"
Lin Chuyu shook her head. "Ever since we evacuated from Zhuque Chenjing, I haven't dreamed about it again."
Although Ji Zichen didn't understand why Lin Chuyu felt such resonance, he decided it was best to focus on resolving matters concerning Divine Dawn for now.
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