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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 1: [Nether Realm of the Dead]
Chapter 12: [The Ancient Road of Chixian]
(12th of Volume 1)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"This ocean... is it the final resting place for all the deceased souls in the universe? Does that mean that the Netherworld Underworld from myth isn't just a legend, but exists in the microscopic world?"
After the initial shock and terror, the group began to share their thoughts, their voices rising in heated discussion.
"Perhaps we can't find the Three Souls and Seven Spirits within the human body using scientific methods because they are too small, existing in a unique state within the microscopic world. After death, when the Three Souls and Seven Spirits lose their vessel, they naturally return to the microscopic Soul Sea before us."
"Exactly! The human soul is born within the womb. It must be even smaller than the fetal egg to fit inside!"
....
Someone asked, "Are we really in the microscopic realm of Earth? Is Earth the Netherworld Underworld, where all souls return? I think that at this level of microscopic detail, the material state of Earth no longer exists. We might... no longer be on Earth."
"Or perhaps we've entered a special interface completely distinct from the macroscopic universe. We might truly be unable to return!"
....
The words "We can't go back" were utterly despairing.
They meant an uncertain future, life and death hanging in the balance, and the atmosphere grew oppressive.
Fierce souls continued to howl in the sea, and strange, thunderous cries echoed from the depths, unsettling everyone's hearts.
They couldn't help but wonder if demons or monsters resided in the Soul Sea.
As the Bronze Ship sailed onward, more fierce souls, like moths drawn to a flame, attempted to leap onto the deck, but all met a gruesome end.
The protective force surrounding the Bronze Ship was incredibly strong; they couldn't break through it.
This was the only thing that offered temporary reassurance.
Amidst the gloom and anxiety, there were still optimists.
Gao Huan, his hand wrapped in a white bandage, stood at the very front of the ship, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I told you we must have fallen from the Arctic Ocean into the Netherworld! Now do you believe me? The Arctic Ocean is the ancient North Sea! Imagine, a Kunpeng thousands of miles wide couldn't maneuver in the Arctic Ocean, but in this boundless Soul Sea, it could probably turn the world upside down!"
"Also, do you know why there's a seven-day mourning period after death? Because after seven days, the soul can never return! The journey from Earth to the Soul Sea takes exactly seven days."
As a top-ranked third-year graduate student, Gao Huan was deeply superstitious, his conversation filled with myths, legends, and wild speculations.
In the past, people would have secretly chuckled at his beliefs. But now, with everyone's faith in science shattered, they could only resort to the same chaotic guesswork to explain the inexplicable events unfolding around them.
Li Weiyi had no interest in their groundless theories. He had already accepted his fate.
After achieving Transcendent cultivation, he no longer felt the confusion and bewilderment he had experienced upon awakening.
Life now had a purpose, a driving force, a vision, and a clear direction to strive toward.
To cultivate the Transcendence.
To advance further into the Transcendence.
He wanted to know how powerful humans could become at the pinnacle of the Transcendence. Could they truly fly through the sky, travel underground, move mountains, and command the stars, as the myths claimed?
Even if they had truly arrived in the Netherworld Underworld, the Ghostwild World... so what?
He and Cai Yutong were escorting the two elderly professors, injured in the stampede, to the medical tent for examination and treatment.
At that moment, the Bronze Ship was only a few kilometers away from the stone peak pillar monument rising from the sea.
One of the professors, whose leg was injured, wiped his glasses and finally made out the four characters carved on the monument.
He gasped, "These characters are completely different from the inscriptions on the Bronze Ship. They closely resemble Oracle Bone Script and Bronze Script, and shares the same origin as Chinese characters."
Though not professional scholars, both were ancient script enthusiasts who had been studying the inscriptions on the Bronze Ship for days, attempting to decipher them.
The elderly professor who had been stomped in the chest, his face ashen, was being supported by Li Weiyi. He gazed at the stone pillar fragment for a moment and said, "This script predates the period of Oracle Bone Script and Bronze Script. The evolution of writing systems always leaves traces. We should be able to decipher it."
The professor with the injured leg added, "I think it resembles the script on the Cang Sheng Bird-Track Stele. They might belong to the same era."
The Cang Sheng Bird-Track Stele features twenty-eight bird-track characters, said to be the original pictographic forms created by Cangjie, the legendary ancestor of civilization.
Li Weiyi's heart pounded: "Could these four carved characters share the same origin as Chinese characters? Does this mean that long ago, ancient Huaxia people reached this place?"
"It's likely... Let's decipher them first and see what four words they represent."
The two professors were so engrossed in the script that they ignored their injuries. Each pulled out ancient texts, pens, and notebooks from their bags, and began a serious discussion and study.
After a short while, they reached a conclusion.
He wrote four words in my notebook: "Red County (Chixian) Ancient Road."
"Red County Ancient Road!"
A crowd had gathered around, all looking puzzled.
How could such an enigmatic phrase be carved onto a stone pillar in the middle of the sea?
The Bronze Ship, its sails fully unfurled and moving as swiftly as a galloping horse, had already reached the base of the stone pillar.
Up close, the pillar's imposing grandeur was even more palpable.
It had stood here in the vast Soul Sea for countless years, its steep, treacherous cliffs impassable even for apes and cranes, towering and eternal.
Such a perfectly flat-faced stone pillar shouldn't exist naturally in the sea; it must have been brought here by some powerful being.
The four characters carved into its surface were as if hewn by divine axe and heavenly blade, each stroke resembling a crack in the earth.
The elderly professor with the injured leg, putting away his fountain pen and leather-bound notebook, said, "Red County isn't the county you're thinking of, like a city or district!"
"The earliest record of Red County appears in the Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Mencius and Xun Qing, where Zou Yan calls ancient China the Red County Divine Land."
"Legend says that in ancient times, Emperor Yan ruled over the land called Red County, while the Yellow Emperor ruled over the land called Divine Land. This is how the name Red County Divine Land came to be used for ancient Huaxia."
Gao Huan exclaimed, "So the Red County Ancient Road is the path leading to the Red County Divine Land? The way back to Earth?"
Li Weiyi glanced back at the stone peak pillar inscribed with the words "Red County Ancient Road," now receding into the distance. Farther still, the leaden-black Nethercloud shrouded the sky and horizon, as if the Soul Sea abruptly ended there, unable to penetrate the darkness.
The Bronze Ship had emerged from that very Nethercloud.
Li Weiyi said, "With this stone peak pillar, wanderers who fall into the Soul Sea will one day find their way home. The Red County Ancient Road must be the path the Bronze Ship has traveled for the past seven days. The Nethercloud likely holds many secrets we cannot yet comprehend."
He recalled the image of the Nine Infants being snatched from the Nethercloud by a golden claw, a memory that still sent shivers down his spine.
"It's a pity we can't control the Bronze Ship," Director Yang said meaningfully, his gaze fixed on Li Weiyi, "If it were to turn around, perhaps we could return to Earth."
Li Weiyi escorted the two professors to the medical tent.
Soon after, Zhao Meng arrived.
"Follow me."
Zhao Meng, rifle in hand, led Li Weiyi to a secluded spot beneath a mound of graves, his expression grim throughout the journey.
Seeing no one around, Zhao Meng spoke with utmost seriousness: "Now that the Nethercloud has dispersed, everyone's fantasy of returning to Earth has shattered. This means the greatest restraint - the law - has completely vanished, and those with ulterior motives will no longer hesitate. I predict chaos will erupt on this ship very soon. Listen carefully to every word I say next."
"First, your injuries are too severe. I doubt I can protect you during the chaos. Tonight, after everyone is asleep, gather as much food as you can. Then, in the depths of the Graveyard Forest, find a burial mound and bury yourself and the food shallowly within it. Make sure you hide yourself thoroughly. Oh, and stay away from the Nine-Tiered Ship Tower - it's too dangerous there."
"Second, I buried the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish and the Yellow Dragon Sword in the burial mound where you crashed onto the Bronze Ship. A string of bone wind chimes hangs from the tombstone in front. Look carefully - it's easy to spot."
"Third, I don't know when this chaos will erupt or how many people are secretly plotting. Although I've joined forces with some brothers and made some preparations, we... have no real chance of winning."
Zhao Meng gripped Li Weiyi's right shoulder, his gaze intense and complex.
"Three days! We'll set a three-day limit. Within those three days, no matter what sounds or disturbances you hear, do not come out, even if they threaten my life."
"After three days, I will come to the Graveyard Forest to find you and call your name. That will mean I have gained control of the situation."
"If you don't hear me call your name after three days, it means I am dead! At that point, you must understand that the situation has become dire... but no matter how desperate things get, you must never hand over the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish. If you do, you are doomed!"
"Also, trust no one. Without the constraints of law and morality, people have no bottom line when faced with survival, profit, and desire. Concepts like morality, shame, and dignity can become worthless. Even the strongest man has no guarantee of enduring torture."
Li Weiyi could feel his Senior Brother's concern and worry.
"Is this why you made this three-day agreement with me in advance? Because you were afraid you might fall into their hands and break under torture?"
"Who can guarantee they can withstand torture without ever having experienced it? When that moment comes, at least this three-day agreement gives me some mental buffer," Zhao Meng said with a bitter smile.
Li Weiyi hesitated, considering whether to tell him now that his injuries had fully healed and he had cultivated the Transcendent abilities his Master had spoken of.
He could certainly trust his Senior Brother.
But the people around his Senior Brother might not be trustworthy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said, "Trust no one."
Ultimately, Li Weiyi decided to keep it a secret for now. That way, he could become his Senior Brother's secret weapon later.
"Brother Meng! Brother Meng! The backup generator's been repaired! Haha!"
Chen Hong, covered in oil stains, ran over, dancing with joy. He was the research vessel's equipment technician, personally recruited by Zhao Meng - in other words, Zhao Meng's absolute confidant. Li Weiyi had met him several times before.
The two men stopped their private discussion.
Li Weiyi's face lit up: "With power restored, can we reactivate the freezer?"
"Of course! We've temporarily averted the biggest crisis. The ship's food should last us at least a few more months," Chen Hong said, beaming with optimism.
For days, Zhao Meng had been leading people in repairing the cold storage and generators. Only by doing so could they fundamentally prevent conflicts from erupting among the survivors due to food shortages.
"Come, let's go take a look," Zhao Meng said, his spirits lifted by the progress. He and Chen Hong headed toward the capsized and broken research vessel.
Li Weiyi watched them go, a smile spreading across his face: "The world will never lack builders of civilization," he thought, "No matter how dire the circumstances, there will always be those who mend and repair."
Civilization and morality were born to restrain human nature, to guide humanity toward a greater future. They were not meant to replicate the primal era, where humans preyed on each other, enslaved the weak, and even resorted to cannibalism.
In the face of adversity, the kind and courageous often choose civilized means to heal their shared home, to combat the destructive forces of primal human nature.
Examples include Cai Yutong, who cultivated crops, and Zhao Meng, who repaired the generators.
Those driven by self-interest and ambition, however, are often consumed by their primal instincts, choosing to trample civilization rather than build it.
The common folk can only follow.
Li Weiyi walked alone into the eerie and terrifying Sea of Graves Stone Forest, determined to retrieve the Yellow Dragon Sword and the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish first.
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END OF CHAPTER
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