Chapter 364: Witch Barbarian Giant City of the Southern Domain

Chapter 364: Chapter 364: Witch Barbarian Giant City of the Southern Domain

「The Southern Domain.」

Deep within the Ligong Mountain Range, on the far side of a mountain by a gorge where the Nu River raged, an earthquake had struck several days prior. It was followed by a torrential downpour that lasted for three days and three nights, triggering mudslides and landslides.

A colossal ancient city was unearthed, seeing the light of day once more.

Within the ancient city, Hui Ke walked along the boundlessly wide streets, a Profound Iron Staff in hand and a satchel on his back. Trailing behind him was Long Yinwen, who now went by the name Gui Fan.

The city was described as colossal not because of its sprawling size, but because of the sheer scale of its buildings.

Or perhaps, the city itself did not seem to belong to this world at all.

The city walls were over three hundred feet tall, and the gates alone were a hundred feet high.

The buildings within, constructed entirely from gargantuan stones, were at least a hundred feet tall, with the highest reaching over six hundred feet.

This wasn’t to say the city was full of skyscrapers; the tallest building was only six stories high. Each story, however, averaged a hundred feet in height.

The doorways to these buildings were seventy feet tall.

It was as if this place had once been inhabited by a group of Giants, each at least fifty or sixty feet tall.

As Hui Ke and Gui Fan walked through the city, they felt like two mice scurrying through a human metropolis.

"Master Hui Ke, what is this place?"

Gui Fan stared at the city, which defied all his understanding. He felt a suppressive weight pressing down on the very depths of his soul.

"The Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth is reviving. Once it reaches a certain point, many ancient ruins long buried underground will be unearthed. This is the way of the Celestial Dao."

"What does that have to do with the Celestial Dao?" Gui Fan asked, confused.

"It is simply the cycle of the Celestial Dao. The land beneath our feet is clearly not as simple as it seems. This city was once undoubtedly glorious, and with glory inevitably comes decline. This cycle may be closely tied to the disappearance of Spiritual Qi. Now, the Spiritual Qi is reviving once more. It is the principle that prosperity leads to decline, and from extreme adversity comes renewed fortune."

Hui Ke had explained at length, but Gui Fan still didn’t understand.

"The true age of great conflict is about to begin," Hui Ke said with a sigh, gazing down the wide road before them.

"Let’s go. There’s not much else to see in this city. This should be a town of the legendary Witch Barbarian Race. Even if their legacy is here, it’s of no use to us."

"The Witch Barbarian Race? What are they?"

"In the primordial dawn, when heaven and earth were formed, the myriad races of the universe were born. The Human Race was one of them. Later, a portion of the Human Race received the favor of the heavens and gave rise to the Divine Race and the Witch Barbarian Race. I need not explain the Divine Race; as a Cultivator, you’ve surely heard many stories about Immortal Gods. The Witch Barbarian Race, however, is also known as the Giant Race. A newborn Giant infant is already eight feet tall. Adult Giants average sixty feet in height, with the tallest exceeding seventy."

"The Witch Barbarians are born with Divine Power. An ordinary adult can shatter a thousand-foot mountain with a single punch. If they were to practice Cultivation Techniques on top of that... their power would be beyond description."

"If that’s the case, doesn’t that make the Witch Barbarian Race the most powerful in the world?" Gui Fan asked, astounded.

Hui Ke shook his head. "The Celestial Dao contains the principle of mutual creation and destruction. Beneath the Celestial Dao, there is no strongest, nor is there a weakest. An elephant is mighty, but ants can devour it. For every strength, there is a weakness. This is true for all things in the world."

"Oh," Gui Fan said, nodding, though he only half-understood.

As the two were speaking, a large group of people entered the city.

They were all Cultivators. With the appearance of the ancient city, treasure hunters were flocking to it from all over.

"Hey, you two little monks up ahead! Stop right there!"

At the shout from behind, Hui Ke and Gui Fan did indeed stop and turn around, waiting for the group that had hailed them.

Once the group of several dozen people drew near, Hui Ke placed his palms together and recited, "Amitabha. Kind sirs, were you calling for us?"

"You’re not from the Southern Domain, are you?" their leader, a middle-aged man with a long beard dressed in a dark robe, asked.

"We are all living beings. Why draw distinctions based on geography? My feet are less than a foot long, yet they can measure all the mountains and rivers under heaven. Is there anywhere I cannot go?"

Having awakened the memories of his past life and now possessing a Tier Four Void Realm Cultivation, Hui Ke naturally had a streak of pride. Thus, he spoke with a calm and even tone, neither humble nor haughty.

"You’ve got a sharp tongue for a little monk," the middle-aged man said. "This is the Southern Domain. An ancient site has appeared here, and since you’re not from the Southern Domain, you have no right to enter."

"And yet, I am already here. What do you propose to do about it, sir?" Hui Ke asked with a smile.

A man in his thirties stepped out from behind the middle-aged man and sneered, "Well now, these two little monks are quite full of themselves. Elder Qiu, why don’t you let me go teach them a lesson?"

"Teach them a lesson?" The middle-aged man shot him a sidelong glance, then smiled. "Just kill them. It’s simpler."

"Yes, yes! We’re from Sunset Valley! When has anyone ever dared to be so arrogant in our presence? Especially some outlander monk," a few other men chimed in, shouting from the back.

Hui Ke simply smiled and shook his head. Gui Fan glanced at the insufferably arrogant group from Sunset Valley, then turned to Hui Ke. "Master, do I have permission to start killing?"

"The Buddha is merciful and does not wish for needless slaughter. However, the world is full of demonic hindrances, all of them deluded by illusions. This is not a massacre. Think of it as giving them a chance to repent and be saved. By entering the cycle of rebirth, they can yet turn back. Let us hope they perform more good deeds in their next lives. Amitabha."

Gui Fan couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ’This monk... If you want to kill someone, just kill them. How can he make murder sound so righteous and grand? An educated monk is a terrifying thing indeed.’

Gui Fan drew his Sword and took a few steps forward.

"Holy shit, the kid’s got balls! Who does he think he’s scaring with that sword? Fuck, get him!" The same young man who had spoken earlier pulled two four-foot-long steel tridents from his back and charged at Gui Fan.

Hui Ke stood to the side, showing no intention of getting involved. He simply put his palms together and recited, "Amitabha. Was this truly necessary?"

Gui Fan and the young man had already clashed.

It was over in a single move. With a horizontal sweep of his Sword, Gui Fan struck. The young man had never imagined that this kid, who looked at least a decade younger than him, could be so overwhelmingly powerful.

By the time he realized he was completely outmatched, it was too late. The sweeping arc of Sword Qi struck both his wrists and ankles.

In a single strike, all four of his limbs were crippled.

This sudden turn of events left the dozens of people from Sunset Valley utterly stunned.

"Y-You... what is your Realm?" Elder Qiu asked in shock.

He knew that not even he could have crippled the young man’s limbs in a single blow.

"What Realm am I? Can’t you see for yourself?" Gui Fan retorted.

Hui Ke spoke from behind them, his voice tinged with impatience. "Which one of them doesn’t have the blood of at least ten people on their hands? Don’t hold back. Kill them."

Hearing Hui Ke’s words, Gui Fan cast aside all restraint and charged into their midst.

Of the dozens from Sunset Valley, the elder named Qiu undoubtedly had the highest Cultivation. But if even he couldn’t discern Gui Fan’s level, how could he not be afraid?

They had initially assumed that because Hui Ke and Gui Fan were young, their Cultivation couldn’t be very high. Who knew that in their attempt to show off, they’d end up smashing their foot against a steel plate.

"Wait, wait! We were out of line! Can’t we just stop here?" Elder Qiu shouted in a panic as he dodged, desperately trying to compromise.

"Well, well, isn’t that Qiu Changkong of Sunset Valley? Can’t even handle two little monks?" A mocking voice drifted over from the side. The crowd turned to see four old men strolling toward them.

"What fucking business is it of yours?" Qiu Changkong roared when he saw who it was.

"It’s got fuck-all to do with me, but I just love a good show," one of the old men said with a hearty laugh. He then turned to Gui Fan. "Lad, this bunch is a bad lot. You’d better teach them a proper lesson."