novelraw Chapter 283: Ancient Fire Mound, The Gravekeeper and the Ancient Heroic Spirits
Chapter 283: Ancient Fire Mound, The Gravekeeper and the Ancient Heroic Spirits
The time to infiltrate the Imperial Palace would be late tomorrow night. While waiting, Lin Xun decided to visit the last remaining location in Kyoto, the Ancient Fire Mound.
[…]
[The Ancient Fire Mound lay in a corner of Kyoto’s city. After walking for a long time, you finally arrived.]
[Long walls encircled a vast necropolis, within which stretched a dense sea of tombstones to the horizon.]
[Few people ever came here. Though rarely visited, there was no sense of desolation or decay. Each pitch-black tombstone had been wiped spotless, clearly maintained day after day.]
[What puzzled you was that every tombstone was entirely black, with no inscription carved. Not even the owner of each tomb could be known.]
[You went deep into the necropolis and at last found someone tending a grave.]
[It was a stooped old man in his twilight years, carefully wiping a tombstone.]
[You have discovered Fire-Worshipping Ancient Fire Mound Gravekeeper.]
[The old man clearly saw you as well. He gave you a casual glance and was about to continue wiping when his expression suddenly froze. He stopped, came before you, and examined you from head to toe.][The gravekeeper looked you over for a long time, his eyes growing more and more astonished. He could not help asking who you were and why there was such a dense aura of Enma about you.]
[Even decades of unbroken incense and worship day and night could not produce such rich and pure aura of Enma.]
[The gravekeeper seemed to think of something and asked in disbelief whether you were perhaps the incarnation of some god under Enma walking the human world. Otherwise there was truly no way to explain it.]
[He fell to his knees in excitement, tears streaming down his old face, knocking his head to the ground again and again as he confessed that he was Enma’s most faithful believer. Every day, besides wiping tombstones, he burned incense to offer to the gods.]
[Whether to Ancient Heavenly Enma’s statue or to the other gods under Enma, he burned incense day and night without slacking. Yet for some reason he felt as if his faith had picked up a layer of sludge-like impurity and was growing less and less pure.]
[His devout heart had not wavered in the slightest, yet his faith gradually became sullied.]
[The gravekeeper bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the earth before your feet, begging you, as the incarnation of a god, to resolve his doubts.]
[Looking at the old man worshiping devoutly before you, you did not explain. Instead, you asked why there were no inscriptions on the tombstones of the Ancient Fire Mound.]
[You raised a question everyone knew, which only made the old man more certain of your identity. He told you that the Ancient Fire Mound was the necropolis for human believers who died in the war of the deities.]
[Because the era of the war of the deities was too remote, the remains of the believers of Ancient Heavenly Enma had long since turned to dust. Beneath the tombstones there were no bones and no burial goods.]
[Later generations erected tombstones only for veneration and tending, hence there were no inscriptions.]
[He was a devout gravekeeper who devoted his whole life to this place, maintaining the tombs of the heroes of the war of the deities and burning incense day and night in offering to Enma.]
[You could feel the old man’s faith was extraordinarily steadfast, firm down to the bone. Do you wish to reveal your identity as Enma’s Proxy.]
Lin Xun raised an eyebrow. This gravekeeper very likely held a special event.
After weighing it, he pressed ‘Yes.’
[You drew out Amateru Sakiina’s Harvest Sickle. The small sickle was covered in rust, yet still bore the layered patterns like blazing flames left after being unsealed personally by Ancient Heavenly Enma.]
[You raised the Harvest Sickle to reveal to the gravekeeper your identity as Enma’s Proxy.]
[Fire-Worshipping Ancient Fire Mound Gravekeeper stared wide-eyed in disbelief. ‘You… you are truly the incarnation of Enma walking the human world.’]
[He trembled all over with excitement, stammering and unable to speak, only able to keep kneeling and bowing to show the devotion in his heart.]
[The gravekeeper suddenly thought of something and raised his head to ask. ‘The world all says the Great General is Enma’s Proxy, yet you say you are as well…’]
[You shook your head and answered his earlier doubt. The world does not know that an evil god has descended upon this world, secretly sowing seeds of evil among men. The Great General has already betrayed his faith in Enma.]
[As Enma’s Proxy, you walk the human world by Enma’s command. The most important task you must accomplish is to remove the Oathbreaker and slay the Great General.]
[Only that you have only just entered the human world and your power is far beneath the Great General’s. To complete Enma’s mission will be a long and difficult road.]
[Fire-Worshipping Ancient Fire Mound Gravekeeper had never truly seen the Great General, and the matter of Enma’s incarnation was mere rumor among the populace.]
[Now that you held Enma’s token and bore a pure and dense aura of Enma that could not be faked, he naturally believed what he saw with his own eyes.]
[The gravekeeper once more knelt without rising, face full of guilt. With Enma above, Lord Proxy, he had been deceived and had taken that Oathbreaker who deserved ten thousand deaths as Enma’s incarnation. That was utter folly.]
[Now that he knew the truth, he would fully and wholeheartedly aid you in removing the impostor Oathbreaker.]
Lin Xun was delighted.
Could this gravekeeper be some hidden boss, like a sweeping monk whose depth of strength was unfathomable, yet who had always been concealed here at the ancient mound in obscurity.
[You invited the gravekeeper. Tomorrow night you would infiltrate the Imperial Palace and would very likely come face to face with the Great General. Would the gravekeeper like to go together?]
[But the gravekeeper again looked guilt-ridden. Lord Proxy, aside from the purity of his faith, he had little strength. He could not even defeat a random samurai.]
[He feared not to lay down his life to destroy the Oathbreaker, but if he accompanied you into the Imperial Palace and lost his life, that would be nothing. If he slowed you down and ruined your plan, that would be a crime beyond forgiveness.]
[Hearing the gravekeeper’s words, you fell into a long silence.]
“…” Lin Xun twitched the corner of his mouth.
You cannot even beat a samurai, yet here you are talking big about fully aiding Lord Proxy to remove the impostor Oathbreaker.
Faith is devout, true, but it cannot be just lip service.
[Seeing your disappointed face, the gravekeeper blamed himself even more, his old features scrunching into a knot.]
[Suddenly he seemed to think of something and hurriedly told you that though his strength was meager and he had only pure faith, that very steadfast faith could aid you.]
Lin Xun’s face turned black.
Spiritual support, was it.
Offering the proxy lord verbal or mental encouragement to win a swift victory.
[The gravekeeper suddenly stood and led you before an ordinary tombstone. He lit three sticks of incense, knelt, and prostrated himself.]
[Soon an inexplicable aura emanated from the tombstone.]
[A powerful humanoid phantom appeared, fully twice a man’s height, enormously robust, holding sharp twin blades.]
[You have discovered Fire-Worshipping Lesser God War Heroic Spirit.]
[You may spend your own Faith Power to command the God War Heroic Spirits to fight for you.]
[Commanding one Lesser God War Heroic Spirit costs 100 Faith Power.]
[The gravekeeper did not stop and continued burning incense and worshiping at other tombstones.]
[One humanoid phantom after another manifested out of the void.]
[You discovered Fire-Worshipping Intermediate God War Heroic Spirit. Commanding this spirit costs 300 Faith Power.]
[You discovered Fire-Worshipping Greater God War Heroic Spirit. Commanding this spirit costs 1000 Faith Power.]
[You discovered Fire-Worshipping God War Heroic Spirit King. Commanding this spirit costs 3000 Faith Power.]
[Current Faith Power (Chaotic Origin Dragon): 2200.]
[Because you successfully saved 58 yokai of the Dharma-Aspect Temple, they were sincerely grateful for your deeds. They set up an image of you and burned incense day and night to worship, showing their devotion to the Chaotic Origin Dragon and gratitude to the Dragon God’s offspring.]
[Your Faith Power rose greatly. Current Faith Power increased to 8000.]
[Because Ancient Heavenly Enma is currently your friendly oath-faction, you may spend Faith Power belonging to the Chaotic Origin Dragon side to command the God War Heroic Spirits of the Ancient Heavenly Enma side to fight for you.]
[The gravekeeper raised his head and told you that this necropolis, the Ancient Fire Mound, held countless heroic souls who died in the God Wars.]
[So long as he worshiped devoutly at the tombstones, he could awaken the heroic souls of those ancient warriors.]
[His own strength was far too weak to help Lord Proxy in battle, but the heroic souls of these warriors could.]
[For Ancient Heavenly Enma and for you, the incarnation of Enma, even if they were to be annihilated, these faithful believers would not hesitate.]
[It was as if the heroic spirits could hear the gravekeeper’s words. They raised their weapons together and let out a silent roar to the sky.]
Lin Xun bared his teeth.
He already had the Dragon Marsh Temple Yokai Spirit Tablet, which likewise allowed him to spend Faith Power to summon helpers to fight.
“This should be a benefit from the Ancient Heavenly Enma oath side. Only because I combined both Enma and the Dragon God am I able to unlock the exchanges belonging to friendly oaths.”
“Though with the Dragon Marsh Temple Yokai Spirit Tablet in hand, these heroic spirits seem a bit redundant.”
[The gravekeeper continued. After awakening the spirits, Faith Power was needed as fuel to turn the spirits from incorporeal souls into physical bodies so that they could truly fight.]
[But even without spending Faith Power, as long as he awakened a certain number of spirits, the spirits would emit a unique fluctuation that formed a God Domain covering the entire necropolis, enhancing the strength of all Enma believers within it.]
[This God Domain not only enhanced allies but weakened enemies. According to what you said, the Great General had already become an Oathbreaker.]
[If you could lure the Great General to the Ancient Fire Mound and fight here, the ancient mound would surely become the Oathbreaker’s burial place.]
Lin Xun was overjoyed.
He had already witnessed the God Domain power in shrines and grand temples. Within a God Domain, ordinary clergy were strengthened to elite monster level.
If he could make the Ancient Fire Mound the site of the final battle, the probability of defeating the Great General would undoubtedly rise greatly.
[The gravekeeper kept burning incense to awaken spirits. As their numbers grew, you gradually sensed a strange power spreading.]
[…]
[You are empowered by the God Domain of Enma.]
[Within the God Domain, you and all believers of Enma will have your strength greatly increased.]
[Because the Chaotic Origin Dragon and Ancient Heavenly Enma are friendly oath-factions, here all Dragon God believers will receive the same increase in strength.]
[You stopped the gravekeeper, who was drenched in sweat yet still awakening spirits, and expressed your deep thanks.]
[When the time came, you would come to the ancient mound in advance to inform him to awaken the spirits. Then you would lure the Oathbreaker Great General here and behead him on the spot to comfort the heroic spirits of the warriors.]
[The gravekeeper no longer spoke and bowed to you repeatedly.]
[As the incense burned out, the phantoms of the heroic spirits dissipated one after another and returned to slumber.]
[You took your leave of the gravekeeper and departed the Ancient Fire Mound.]
Lin Xun left Kyoto and returned to the yokai base, the Dragon Marsh Temple.
Having completed the alliance with Ancient Heavenly Enma, there would likely be new developments at the Dragon Marsh Temple.
The final battle with the Great General was at hand. Given the vast disparity in strength, he had to mobilize every power he held.
[The powerful wandering soul awoke in the temple’s guesthouse.]
[You possessed the Shell of the Knowledge-Seeking Primordial Hermit.]
[You pushed open the guesthouse door and stepped into the courtyard.]
[More than fifty young yokai had newly joined the Origin-Tracing Trainee ranks, packing the courtyard full. Led by the Origin-Tracing Dignitary Bull Demon, the yokai trained diligently, striving for the day when they could once again walk under the sunlight.]
[You stepped into the courtyard, drawing grateful prostrations from the little monsters.]
[A few bold little yokai even pulled you to the Main Hall to admire the statue of the Dragon God’s offspring they had painstakingly sculpted.]
[In the Main Hall, beside the statue of the Chaotic Origin Dragon, there was now a small statue of the Dragon God’s offspring.]
[Like the Primordial Hermit, the statue had a dragon’s head on a human body. Only the carving skills of the little yokai were very poor, giving the statue an indescribable abstract beauty.]
[The Origin-Tracing Dignitary Bull Demon and the Origin-Tracing Night Escort Dog looked at the statue with faces that wanted to laugh but dared not.]
[In the Main Hall, the Origin-Tracing Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage was offering prayers before the statue. Seeing you arrive, he dismissed the crowd of yokai onlookers and waved the Main Hall door shut.]
[You told the Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage all that you had experienced in Kyoto.]
[…]
[The Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage was shaken beyond measure by the truth. After a long stupor, he sighed deeply. He had never imagined that the world had been deceived by the hidden evil god, nor that even their own gods were in peril without their knowledge.]
[Still less did he know that the ruler of the humans of Sakura Falls, the invincible Great General, had already betrayed the faith and become a lackey of the evil god.]
[The new god asked you, Dragonborn Lord, to find surviving gods as helpers. Alas, all the gods under the Dragon God fell in the God Wars. Otherwise they could have helped you to crusade against the Great General.]
[In the midst of his sighing, the Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage suddenly thought of something and hurriedly told you.]
[Though the yokai race had fallen so far that they hid in the deep mountains and dared not show themselves, the bloodlines of certain legendary great yokai very likely still survived in the world.]
[If you, Dragonborn Lord, could find those bloodlines of legendary great yokai, it would surely increase the chance of victory over the Great General.]
Lin Xun suddenly recalled what the Librarian clone he had gaslit had once revealed.
The Imperial Palace held books recording the God Wars, including clues regarding the three top-level yokai, Shuten Doji, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and the Great Tengu.
[The Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage pondered a moment, then took out an ancient compass, bit his fingertip, and dripped a drop of heart’s blood.]
[At once the compass shone brilliantly and the tiny needle upon it spun rapidly.]
[The Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage handed the compass to you.]
[You obtained Seeking-Yokai Luo Jing Ritual Compass (Item).]
[Seeking-Yokai Luo Jing Ritual Compass (Item): A yokai-seeking ritual compass infused with the Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage’s heart’s blood. Within a limited range, this item can point toward the nearby yokai clan with the strongest bloodline. Even if a yokai uses some yokai art to hide its aura, it will be hard to escape the compass’s search.]
[Please note that this item is powered by the Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage’s heart’s blood and can function for at most seven days.]
[The Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage solemnly told you that the search range of this ritual item was broad enough that, from the foot of the Dragon Marsh Temple’s mountain, it could search the yokai upon the mountain.]
[For the hidden yokai clans, it is extremely deadly. Do not discard it lightly, lest it fall into the hands of villains.]
[You took the item. The needle on the compass spun a few circles and then suddenly snapped to point at you.]
[You nodded and promised that, should you successfully behead the Great General, you would proclaim to the world in your capacity as Enma’s Proxy and the Dragon God’s offspring, so that the people could recognize who the true enemy was.]
[Thereafter, yokai and humans could share the same hatred and resist the evil god together.]
[The yokai race would then be able to leave the deep mountains and walk beneath an open sky.]
[Tears glimmered in the Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage’s eyes. His trembling lips could not form words. He could only bow deeply to you, press his forehead to the ground, and offer the most devout rite of worship.]