I ate the porridge the people gave and realized that this was not the afterlife, but the world of the living.
I wondered how I had survived that situation, but since there was no way to solve it right away, I decided to put the thought aside for now.
My body was still unstable. If I had to describe my current state, it would be that my life had been extended a little longer.
The energy that had filled my body had completely disappeared.
As if soone had eaten it all.
And now, the energies were resonating with each other again and accumulating in my body.
In the end, if ti passed, it would be the sa as the beginning.
This was my problem, and I looked around. The people here were said to be people whose original villages had disappeared. In Central Plains terms, they were people who had lost their hotowns.
However, from my point of view, I couldn't understand at all why Gurat, who had taken the villages from them, was doing this.
If he had done it out of simple sympathy, he would be a madman, and even if he hadn't, it didn't make sense from a common-sense perspective.
So I asked. If Gurat was really a madman, to kill him and free these people.
But the answer that ca back held a rather complicated situation.
"The old Tianzhu was still lacking in resources, but it was a relatively good place to live. But as the new leader of the Secret Cult took his place, Tianzhu changed."
The newly established leader had a mysterious ability.
"He could control birds, and with that, he began to monitor everyone in Tianzhu. And he eliminated those who had opposing opinions one by one."
"I was in the resistance on the opposite side. Because I didn't like his policies."
"Policies?"
"Yes. He divided people into classes."
"Classes?"
"He called those who followed him most closely Brahmins. Except for him, the leader, they were the highest class. Below them, those who had learned martial arts were called Kshatriyas. I was a warrior chief, the highest of the Kshatriyas. The comrades here were my subordinates."
The identity of the Mad Wind Unit turned out to be not just a simple group of bandits, but the actual military force of the Secret Cult.
'So that's why they were so strong.'
It didn't make sense for a re group of bandits to have an average of peak level or higher, with transcendent peak and Transformation Realm martial artists.
Gurat continued to speak.
"Below them, the Vaishya class existed. Farrs and rchants belonged to this class. And finally, the slave class, the Shudras, existed."
"Slaves? Are you talking about the slaves I'm thinking of?"
"Yes. Those who have lost their villages naturally belong to the Shudras."
However, Gurat was still not answering the core question.
"So why did you, who were in the resistance, now listen to the leader of the Secret Cult and attack the villages?"
"We resisted, but he was strong. Honestly, even if he didn't have the military force of the Kshatriyas, he was strong enough to face everyone alone."
I knew because I had fought him directly.
The guy was a monster.
"At that ti, he proposed one thing to us. If we caught the child of the stars, he would grant us one request. We were promised that he would free all the current Shudra slaves."
"He could just not grant it, couldn't he? In fact, weren't you just used and abandoned?"
"Ugh. I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths. But please know that it was the best choice we could make at the ti."
"Then, the people here were going to beco Shudras, and you saved them?"
"That's right. They are the ones who have migrated here to escape the eyes of the birds."
"Wait, what about that old woman?"
"The old woman was also a spy sent by him. Of course, the old woman doesn't know about this place either."
"Then that's a relief. But to the people here, you're an enemy, right? How can you be together?"
"They also know. What happens to those who do not follow him."
It's difficult. The relationships between people are already difficult, but the way they are entangled is too complicated.
What's clear is that since I haven't been in Gurat's and their position, I can never understand what they are thinking and feeling.
Still, there were no people here with unhappy expressions.
I asked my second question.
And unlike before, I had my own answer to this question.
Therefore, if I had to say, this was a fact check.
"The chicken mask we t is the current leader of the Secret Cult, right?"
"That's right. He always wears that mask when he leaves the castle."
"Then, why is the leader of the Secret Cult looking for the forr leader?"
"I don't know that either. But I only rember that when the forr leader was in place, Tianzhu was not this desolate. That's why we tried to find the forr leader before him. Although we failed."
"I heard that the forr leader is dead."
"It is known so to the public, but the person I know is not soone who would die so easily."
"Alright. Let's say you find him first. Then, do you have a chance of winning against that monster? In the end, didn't that forr leader also retreat because he lost to that monster?"
"That is also true, but as of now, there is no other particular thod."
This is just my feeling, but I had a rough idea of why the current leader of the Secret Cult, the chicken mask, was trying to find and kill the forr leader.
It must be an extension of what he had done in the Central Plains.
The forr leader of the Secret Cult was the Divine Monk's master.
The Divine Monk had called his master a master who had reached the Profound Other.
They had tried to kill the Divine Monk who had reached the Profound Other, and this ti too, they were probably trying to eliminate a factor that would interfere with their work.
However, there was still an unanswered question.
I had fought with the Divine Monk, and I had also fought with the chicken mask.
Honestly, I didn't think I could win against the chicken mask even if the Divine Monk and I, who had reached the Profound Other, attacked together.
'What on earth are they afraid of?'
In the first place, if they had this much power... this might be an over-interpretation, but couldn't they have eaten both the Orthodox Faction and the Demonic Cult?
Even though the huge wall of the Heavenly Demon exists.
In fact, they had also eaten Tianzhu whole.
In the end, this situation urged to do one thing. No! It forced .
'I have to find the forr leader of the Secret Cult before the chicken mask does.'
If the chicken mask finds and kills the forr leader of the Secret Cult first, I will eventually die without being able to solve the phenonon happening in my body.
Also, if I get caught by the chicken mask while looking for the forr leader, I will be killed by the chicken mask.
"This is like one mountain after another."
Just then, a mysterious sight ca into my eyes.
The people who had finished eating were gathering one by one and starting to bow to Baek-ah.
"Why are they doing that?"
"Life in the desert constantly pushes people. Do you know what they think when they are pushed to the edge of a cliff like that?"
"Just give up and jump?"
"Half right, half wrong. They either jump, or they pray to God."
I don't believe in God.
I too had prayed countless tis before my regression, and God did not give an answer.
However, I had no intention of particularly denying their actions. Because I knew how miserably desperation can make a person. They just needed an excuse to temporarily escape this situation.
"Baek-ah isn't a god, is he?"
"He is our savior. If I had to say, to them, that white snake is probably being regarded as a guardian deity by now."
"A guardian deity..."
He did save their lives, so that's right.
In fact, so people were offering tributes to Baek-ah. Such a Baek-ah was constantly spitting out people.
Every ti that happened, the sound of people's prayers also echoed louder.
"Ah! And I should also warn you. You'll see the surrounding trees."
"Yeah. I see them."
Strangely, only around this place, trees were densely packed. And from those trees, a very strong scent that seed to pierce the nose was wafting, and perhaps because of that, my head had been throbbing since a while ago.
I couldn't understand why they had settled here of all places.
"Do you see the fruit rolling over there?"
"Yeah."
"That is called a ginkgo. The sll that has spread throughout this area cos from that fruit."
Just then. So adult n approached the place where the fruit was and deliberately stepped on the fruit. At that, the fruit was crushed, and the sll from the liquid that flowed out beca even stronger.
"Ugh!"
I covered my nose and frowned. Seeing that, Gurat grinned and continued.
"Because of this sll, we can live together here. It's painful, but endure it."
"Do all the people here have a strange taste for liking the sll of feces?"
"Hehehe. Where would such a person be? Central Plains person, look at the sky."
Why is he suddenly telling to look at the sky?
I did as Gurat said and looked up at the sky.
I didn't see any particular sight.
Just then, I could find one strange point.
A single bird was flying this way, and then it suddenly turned and moved away. I thought it might be a coincidence, but I confird that this sight was repeated several tis.
"You seem to have noticed."
Gurat continued.
"There are two main reasons why we have settled here. That there is enough drinking water for the nearby plants to grow densely. And that we can escape from the eyes of the birds. The current leader of the Secret Cult, who calls himself the reincarnation of Buddha, can control birds as he pleases, as I said before. I also saw that sight up close just once when I was a warrior chief, and it was as if he were talking to the birds. Anyway, he uses that ability to know all the situations throughout Tianzhu. In this Tianzhu, the only space where his eyes can be avoided is this place where birds cannot approach."
"I see."
I acted as if I agreed, but I filtered out the part about a person being able to talk to a bird.
A person? With a bird? A conversation? Does that even make sense?
* * *
After talking with Gurat, I ca into the forest to warm up my body.
The sll of the fruit was strong enough to pierce, but since there was nowhere else to go, I just endured it.
When I raised my energy, there was nothing particularly wrong except for the internal injuries I had suffered from the shock at that ti.
On the other side, the Sword Demoness and the Mad Demon were sitting in the lotus position, enduring this sll well. The two of them had been in ntal training ever since they ate, asked how I was, and then.
They must be thinking about the fight at that ti.
I thought they were amazing as I looked at them. To be honest, I couldn't think of a way to beat the chicken mask no matter what I did right now.
The best I could do would be to find a way to avoid facing the chicken mask as much as possible.
There's no way to go back to the Central Plains as it is, and there's no solution even if I stay in Tianzhu.
I don't even know where the internal energy that was in my body went.
After going around in circles, I returned to the village's open space without finding any solution to the current situation.
Just then, a woman approached .
"I don't know if you rember, but thanks to you, I was able to survive in the fire arrows. Thank you."
"You don't have to do this."
It wasn't an act to save them.
It was just because I didn't want to see a corpse.
"Whatever your intention was, my child and I were able to live because of you. Thank you."
Behind the woman was a child of about five years old, and when the mother bowed her head to , the child also shyly bowed and then hid behind his mother again.
After that, a few more people ca up to to thank for the sa reason as the woman.
I dealt with them roughly and then approached Baek-ah.
Baek-ah had returned to its original small size, having vomited out all the people inside. Such a Baek-ah was curled up and sleeping, and it didn't budge even when I poked it.
"Tsk, tsk. You'll catch a cold sleeping in a place like this."
"Shasha."
It made a small sound as if it had heard my words. It looked as if it understood my words, wagging its tail while its head was tucked into its body.
Of course, that couldn't be.
I picked up Baek-ah and put it in my sleeve. At that, Baek-ah wrapped itself around my arm and fell asleep again.
It's strange to think about it now, but this guy, Baek-ah, might not be just an ordinary snake.
I'll have to ask the Demonic Brain once I get out of Tianzhu alive.
Just then, I saw a single bamboo slip in the place where Baek-ah had been.
"This is?"
It was a bamboo slip with a fortune written on it from the fortune-telling tube that Fatima had been carrying. I picked up the bamboo slip. There, only one character, West (西), was written.
Yes. Co to think of it, I also had a debt to collect from Fatima.
I threw the bamboo slip on the ground without much thought and went into my room.
I lay down on the bed, but for so reason, I couldn't fall asleep.
* * *
A night when everyone was asleep.
A man was running frantically, covered in blood. Various arrows were embedded in the man's body, but fortunately, not a single one had hit a place directly related to life.
Far behind the man, a group was slowly following.
"Was there such a place?"
At the question of Garam, who had newly beco a high priest, the Kshatriya-class martial monk next to him answered.
"I'm also seeing it for the first ti."
A forest that suddenly appeared in the middle of the desert.
A smile is drawn on the lips of the high priest, Garam.
"It seems I'll be able to sll blood after a long ti."
Garam and his party continued to follow the trail of blood that the bait they had released had made.
(End of Chapter)
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