Chapter 34: Stone Village

After three long hours of pushing through the dense forest, the towering canopy of blue-leaved trees finally began to thin.

The tangled undergrowth gradually gave way to wide fields of pale, glowing grain. The crops swayed gently in the soft light of the two violet moons hanging overhead.

At the bottom of the valley, Shadow One finally caught sight of civilization.

A small village rested quietly against the mountain slope, enclosed by a sturdy wall made from thick, hardened timber.

Inside were around fifty simple houses, each built from rough gray stone and topped with dried-thatch roofs. Thin trails of smoke rose lazily from a few chimneys, drifting into the cool evening air.

After hours of seeing nothing but endless wilderness, the village was the first real sign of life Shadow One had encountered since arriving in this strange world.

The moment he stepped out from the trees, the quiet settlement erupted into chaos.

Standing nearly two and a half meters tall, covered in jagged black armor with a massive greatsword strapped across his back, Shadow One looked nothing like an ordinary traveler.

The eerie violet flames burning inside his helmet only made him more terrifying.

The villagers noticed him almost instantly.

"What is that?"

"Is it a monster?"

Panic swept through the village.

People hurried to drag their children indoors. Wooden shutters slammed closed one after another as villagers rushed away from their doorways, desperate to put as much distance between themselves and the strange armored figure as possible.

Dozens of frightened faces peeked through small gaps in the windows, watching the strange armored figure slowly approach the village gate.

On the ramparts, the guards quickly raised their weapons.

The peaceful atmosphere was gone.

Then—

Clang!

The heavy village gate began to close.

Two guards stationed at the wooden palisade quickly stepped forward.

They raised their bronze-tipped spears and pointed them straight at Shadow One’s chest.

Both wore simple linen clothes reinforced with leather patches. Their cultivation was only around the Third or Fourth Stage of the Martial Warrior Realm, but their stances were steady and clearly showed that they had experience dealing with danger.

The older guard had a weathered face and a deep scar running across his left cheek.

He shouted something at Shadow One in a sharp, unfamiliar language.

"Zhenwai he ren? Tingxia! Ci chu bu rong wai-jie zhe shan-chu!"

Shadow One stopped.

His violet eye-flames flickered.

He understood nothing.

The language was completely unfamiliar. Its strange pronunciation and tone had no connection to any Federation dialect or ancient language recorded on Earth.

The two guards tightened their grips on their spears.

Shadow One simply stood there and stared at them.

The younger guard couldn’t hide his fear. He took a small step backward, his breathing becoming uneven as he faced the massive armored figure.

The air between them grew tense.

But Shadow One had no intention of starting a fight.

Violence was the last thing he needed right now.

He had entered this strange world alone, had no idea where he was, and had finally found signs of civilization.

These people were his first chance to learn about this place.

Killing them would accomplish nothing.

Shadow One had no intention of starting a fight in an unknown world.

Slowly, he raised both hands to shoulder height, keeping his palms open and clearly visible. He wanted the guards to understand that he had no intention of drawing the greatsword on his back.

Then he touched his throat with one hand before pointing toward the mouth of his helmet.

He shook his head.

I cannot speak.

The scarred guard watched his movements carefully.

When he saw no killing intent and no sign of spiritual energy gathering around the stranger, his grip on the spear loosened slightly. The spear tip lowered by an inch.

Shadow One continued.

He brought his hands together in a respectful gesture and lowered his head toward the older guard.

Then he straightened and tilted his head to the side, resting his cheek against his folded palms.

Finally, he pointed toward an empty corner of the village.

A place to rest.

The two guards exchanged confused looks.

The younger guard whispered something to his companion, clearly nervous.

The scarred elder remained silent, studying Shadow One.

The stranger was heavily armed and obviously powerful. Yet he had arrived alone, showed no hostility, and was asking for nothing more than a place to rest.

Turning away someone this powerful could easily create unnecessary trouble.

After a moment of thought, the older guard slowly lowered his spear.

The tension at the village gate eased slightly.

The elder guard let out a tired sigh and tapped his companion’s spear, signaling him to stand down.

Then he nodded toward Shadow One, gesturing for him to follow.

Shadow One walked behind the two guards through the village’s narrow dirt paths.

As he passed, he could feel countless eyes watching him.

Villagers peeked through cracked doors and small stone windows, quickly hiding whenever his violet gaze turned in their direction.

The air carried the smell of woodsmoke, dried herbs, and roasted grain.

Eventually, the elder guard led him to the northern edge of the village.

There stood a small stone building behind an old wooden granary.

It looked like a storage hut.

The place was dusty and mostly empty, with only a pile of dried reeds lying in one corner and a small window high on the wall.

The elder guard pointed inside and muttered a few rough words, clearly telling Shadow One to stay there.

Then he pulled the heavy wooden door shut.

Thud.

Shadow One was alone.

He glanced at the pile of reeds but didn’t touch it.

Instead, he walked to the center of the dirt floor and sat down cross-legged.

His greatsword rested horizontally across his lap.

For the first time since arriving in this strange world, there was no immediate danger.

The hut fell completely silent.

Only the faint sounds of the village could be heard beyond the wooden door.

Inside the dark and silent hut, the violet flames in Shadow One’s visor narrowed as he carefully organized his next steps.

He had three priorities.

First : the beast-skin manual.

Shadow One reached beneath his chest armor and pulled out the old beast-skin manual he had obtained from the cultivator’s cave in the Thousand Mountain Forest.

The strange symbols on its cover were still impossible for him to read.

Yet the manual gave off a faint spatial fluctuation.

It was subtle, but unmistakable.

Shadow One needed to study every symbol and understand the cultivation technique recorded inside.

More importantly, he needed to uncover the secret behind the teleportation array that had sent him across the realms.

Second : restore the connection with Lucian.

The soul tether was still there.

Somewhere across the vast distance, Shadow One could still sense his Master’s presence.

But the connection was far too weak for communication.

He needed more power.

The fastest way was to hunt powerful beasts, devour their souls, and strengthen his core.

Once his strength reached a sufficient level, he might be able to send enough energy through the soul tether to reach Lucian.

Third : gather information.

This village was his first connection to this unfamiliar world.

Shadow One needed to understand its people.

Their daily lives.

Their weapons.

Their trading methods.

And, most importantly, their cultivation system.

By observing the villagers, he could slowly piece together the rules and power structure of this strange world.

His priorities were clear.

Shadow One placed one gauntleted hand on the yellowed beast-skin manual.

A faint stream of spiritual energy flowed from his armor into the ancient pages.

The strange symbols immediately began to glow.

Shadow One’s violet eyes focused on the manual.

His investigation had begun.