Chapter 558: The Land Beyond
Chapter 558: The Land Beyond
The Land Beyond...
Smack!
A whip, dipped in water, lashed across his body, leaving a searing pain.
'Dare you strike me?'
Fang Xing had just awakened from his stupor and instinctively tried to manipulate the power of the law.
But in an instant, his heart sank.
'The power of the law isn't responding. Is this world similar to that of the Rulers? My primordial spirit has possessed a weak body, with its essence and blood in decline... too weak...'
He grimaced, looking around, and saw several tattered young men and women, some with malicious smiles on their lips, but most were filled with fear.
In front of him stood a man dressed in a blood-red robe, reminiscent of ancient Eastern attire, holding a whip in his hand, and glaring at him with malice: "You 'Paper Slaves,' remember, every month you must submit ten 'Blood Papers.' If you're short by one, it's one lash of the whip... If you're short by five or more, well, you might as well not live."
'This original body is quite miserable... seems like a slave?'
'And there are tasks to complete. Is this punishment for not fulfilling them?'
Fang Xing's heart stirred: 'Wait... where's my original body?'
Boom!
At that moment, a series of memories flashed through his mind, causing him to black out momentarily.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a small wooden hut.
The hut was crudely built with wooden planks, allowing the wind to blow through from all sides, and he lay on a bed of straw.
Beside him, someone seemed to be cutting his clothes.
Indeed, the young man had fallen short by three 'Blood Papers' for this task, and he had received three lashes, leaving three bloody marks on his back.
The key issue was that the fabric fibers were mixed with flesh and blood, making it extremely difficult to treat.
It was slightly easier to just cut the clothes open.
As he moved his eyes, he saw a young girl.
She wore a blue skirt, with full breasts, rosy cheeks, and a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth, making her appear older than her actual age.
A series of memories flashed through his mind, revealing the girl's name: "Tao Hong, thank you..."
"Hmph, this is my family's precious wound medicine... there's not much left."
Tao Hong was quick with her hands and even quicker with her words: "Remember, I saved you this time and gave you medicine. Next time, you'll have to repay me with two 'Blood Papers'..."
"Two is fine, but can you give me some water..."
Fang Xing felt his lips parched, almost to the point of tearing, and his throat burned.
Recalling his past experiences, this seemed to be the worst one yet.
"Hey... it seems like those lashes did you some good. You look more lively than before..."
Tao Hong smiled, stood up, and soon returned with a chipped ceramic bowl, placing it before Fang Xing: "Young Master Fang, enjoy... I'm off!"
The wooden door slammed shut.
Fang Xing slowly took a sip of water, wincing with each movement, and then closed his eyes, recalling the memories he had just gained from the original body.
'The Land Beyond, the Great Zhou Divine Dynasty...'
'This body is also named Fang Xing, born into a poor family, later encountering a great calamity, and captured by the Blood Shadow Sect's demon as a slave...'
'This is the Land Beyond, where immortal swordsmen ride the wind and evil spirits wreak havoc. Further north lies the Great Zhou Divine Dynasty, a land yearned for by countless ordinary people...'
"The Land Beyond is in utter chaos, ruled by ten major sects of good and evil... There are also cultivators here, but their methods vary."
"The righteous sects can draw talismans, forge flying swords, practice healing arts, and refine pills... While the evil sects excel at corpse manipulation, shadow puppetry, paper folding, and spirit summoning..."
"Regardless of their alignment, they are all targets of the Great Zhou Divine Dynasty, or perhaps they came to the Land Beyond after failing in the Great Zhou. They established their own sects here..."
"The original body's family lived under the rule of the evil Blood Shadow Sect, enduring a miserable existence. This time, they were demoted to slavery, perhaps due to late tax payments..."
"Being a slave isn't so bad. If it were the Corpse Manipulation Sect, they'd all be turned into zombies..."
"Within the Blood Shadow Sect, there are Paper Slaves, Medicinal Slaves, Beast Slaves, and more... The mortality rate is high, and the original body has managed to survive for quite some time. Now, under the cruel stars, his family has perished, and he's not far from death... And then, my primordial spirit reincarnated into this body?"
After piecing together the situation, Fang Xing's expression turned grave: "If this continues, I'll die soon too... Unless I can successfully cultivate and become one of them..."
When he was first captured, the Blood Shadow Sect had tested him and provided him with entry-level cultivation techniques, but the original body made no progress.
Fang Xing silently recalled: 'Hmm, to cultivate in this life, it seems a certain physical 'talent' is required. One must first sense a special aura, then absorb and cultivate it... entering the 'Qi Sensing Realm,' and then establishing the foundation of the Dao, known as the 'Nine Levels of Qi Sensing and Three Grades of Dao Foundation'..."
"The original body couldn't even pass the first level, but what about me?"
Fang Xing tried to sense his own body but shook his head in disappointment: "It seems I'm not much better... This time, I'm truly going to die."
The original body was only sixteen years old but had already been a 'Paper Slave' for half a year.
The so-called 'Blood Papers' required nourishing with one's essence and blood, and each one consumed a significant portion of one's lifespan.
Therefore, the formal disciples of the Blood Shadow Sect never made them; they always had the Paper Slaves do it.
This explained why Fang Xing saw the Paper Slaves with depleted essence and blood, looking like they wouldn't live past the age of twenty-five.
"My immortal body is destroyed, leaving only a trace of my primordial spirit imprint, and I'm extremely weak... I also can't sense the strange energy in the void..."
Suddenly, Fang Xing's expression changed.
Discovering that he couldn't cultivate was one thing, but there was another important matter: "I'm just a clone; what about my original body? What about my massive original body?"
The loss of a cultivation clone was one thing, but if the original body were destroyed, it would be a much bigger problem.
"I can sense... that my true self is indeed within this great world, but its state is very peculiar, as if it's fallen into a deep sleep. Could it be... due to the suppression of that Transcender's legacy?"
Fang Xing's face turned as solemn as still water.
"It seems that I, as a cultivation clone, can't afford to die easily... Otherwise, I won't be able to awaken my true self, and it will be very troublesome later on..."
"I need power as soon as possible!"
This was the awkward situation for those who hadn't reached the 14th Realm of the Dao Master.
The Great Dao was eternal, but the laws varied with different worlds. In a world isolated from the fluctuations of the laws, one would be completely clueless.
...
After resting for a few hours, Fang Xing stepped out of his wooden hut.
Before him was a valley shrouded in a thin mist.
Over a hundred wooden huts were scattered around, all looking equally dilapidated.
A river flowed through the valley, but it wasn't clear; instead, it carried a faint stench.
Above the river stood a grand building—the Paper Mill.
He couldn't help but recall the words: "Blood Paper, an essential item for Blood Shadow Sect cultivators to practice the Paper Folding Technique, is made from various tree bark and coarse hemp... After nineteen processes of pulping, sedimentation, and bleaching, it eventually turns into a pool of 'raw pulp'... The job of the paper slaves is to use 'paper-making nets' to scoop out the paper, dry it... During this process, they must feed it with their own essence and blood to create the finished 'Blood Paper'..."
"Judging by this body, this demonic cultivation method is too damaging to one's vitality. It would probably consume almost ten years of my lifespan in just a month..."
"I've been here for half a year, and I couldn't even complete the last mission... It seems I'm already on the verge of being eliminated..."
His stomach growled embarrassingly as Fang Xing pondered.
"The feeling of hunger? How long has it been since I last felt this?"
"No matter how strong one's will is, without a strong body to support it, it will gradually deteriorate..."
"A mortal body is truly a burden, yet I can't abandon it. I have to offer it exquisite food, warm clothes, and a comfortable environment to appease it, lest it falls ill or goes on strike..."
Fang Xing sighed softly and looked towards the dining hall.
The Blood Shadow Sect would at least provide three meals a day to keep these paper slaves alive.
But when he looked up, he realized it was already night, and only a few stars were visible.
Obviously, the cooks in the dining hall wouldn't be waiting for him at this hour.
After walking a few steps, he heard a man's hushed breathing and a woman's sobs coming from a nearby wooden hut.
"Alright, it seems like everyone is busy. I'll have to fend for myself..."
Fang Xing surveyed the area and found that the valley region was quite vast.
He approached the riverbank, furrowing his brows slightly as he looked towards the Paper Mill.
He walked further upstream, where the river water was much clearer, and he could make out fish swimming at the bottom.
Fang Xing held a sharpened stick, waiting quietly.
Suddenly, he focused his eyes and thrust the stick into the water! As he acted, he sighed inwardly: "I missed... This body is truly weak... The injury on my back affects my strength."
Indeed, the stick didn't hit anything in the water, and instead, it scared away a fish.
"There might be cultivators guarding the valley entrance, and possibly even formation arrays..."
"If I want to leave, perhaps the riverbed is an option. But a mortal's breath-holding ability is a problem..."
Fang Xing moved to another spot, his gaze wandering aimlessly.
Suddenly!
He stabbed the stick into the water, impaling a black-backed carp.
Slap!
The carp fell to the ground, flopping for a moment before it stopped moving.
Fang Xing stepped forward, picked up a stone, and casually smashed it between the carp's eyes.
This was the spot where the fish's brain was located. After the blow, the fish became still.
"I can roast this fish later..."
"The law of the jungle, this is the way of nature..."
As Fang Xing mused, a thunderous sound erupted!
Before his eyes, a pitch-black, gold-veined, hornless silhouette appeared, transforming into a stream of data:
[Name: Fang Xing]
[Age: 16/25]
[Discovered Profession: Druid! Do you wish to accept this profession? Yes/No?]
...
"This is... an attribute panel? No, I'm just a clone, and I can't manipulate the attribute panel. It's just displaying the new power in a way I'm most familiar with..."
"Is this actually the Transcender's legacy? After my true self suppressed that legacy, the part he could understand was passed on to me... And by accepting the Druid profession and continuously leveling up, I can gradually digest this legacy?"
Fang Xing instantly understood the cause and effect, and he glanced at the age: "This body is 16 years old, and it can only live until 25? Indeed, it's already lost a lot of life due to the depletion of essence and blood..."
"I need power now, so I'll accept the profession!"
(End of Chapter)
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