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“Am I really back at the Zhuyong Tribe?”

Upon arriving at the southern end of a continent I’d never seen before, I returned to the Zhuyong Tribe. They asked if I was planning to leave again, but I had other questions.

“Do you happen to know where the Fire Spirit is located on this continent?”

“Nope.”

“Any way to find out?”

“Well, you could scour every secret library in the world or, you know, just explore this continent yourself…”

Great, both options sounded like a headache. The Zhuyong Tribe member was spinning around but still claimed not to know about the Fire Spirit. After some thought, I continued.

“Well then, do humans or civilizations exist on this continent?”

“Sure.”

“Are they developed like the Ming Empire?”

“Not at all. Just small villages.”

The Zhuyong guy replied curtly, clearly displeased.

“If you want knowledge, you need to pay.”

In an instant, he vanished. Seems like I was annoying him with all my questions. I licked my lips and thought, ‘Has it really been ten days since leaving Jinrang Valley?’ That meant I still had some time before Jin So-cheong’s training. With no immediate tasks waiting for me back at Jinrang Valley, I decided to explore this continent as much as I could in the next 20 days.

“First, let’s head south.”

As I ran, I realized this place was nothing but wasteland. A few scrappy weeds and bizarre trees were scattered across a desolate field, but any signs of human life were absent. Expanding my Qi Sense, I detected only strange creatures I’d never encountered before—no humans in sight.

“What’s that?”

I glanced at a couple of weird animals standing oddly—some hunched over and others with their offspring in their bellies. They weren’t exactly what I’d call otherworldly beings, just a bizarre sight. Who knew animals could hold their babies in their bellies?

Fortunately, they didn’t seem dangerous, so I decided to ignore them and kept moving. These animals were unlike anything in the Central Plains, yet no wild beasts were around. Oddly enough, I didn’t encounter any tigers or lions.

After a good while of running, the reason became clear.

“It’s hot! It’s vast! And there’s no water!”

This wasteland I was navigating was unbearably dry and waterless. Though the sand was lighter, you could easily call it a desert. Surviving here would be nearly impossible for a carnivorous animal requiring vitality.

After running a significant distance, a lake-like formation finally appeared. However, I quickly realized that the shimmering white thing wasn’t water. I approached and scooped up a handful of white particles from the ground.

“Salty.”

This massive, sparkling white area was a salt flat! Probably formed from natural salt deposits. It was my first time seeing a salt lake, and I found it fascinating.

One thing was for sure—this area was not suitable for human habitation. Shaking my head, I continued south, hoping I might eventually find the sea.

As I veered slightly southwest, proper lakes and forests started to appear. I approached one of the lakes but felt hesitant to drink the water—the potential for parasites or diseases was too risky. Eventually, I decided to use my Ground-impact Technique to return to Jinrang Valley to get water from a village instead.

Once again, I used the Ground-impact Technique and headed to the southern continent to begin my exploration, hoping something would come up. After two days of running around, I finally reached the coast.

“Whoa!”

A beautiful, clear beach!

The bright and transparent sea was far beyond what I had seen in the Shandong region of the Central Plains. The phrase “emerald glimmer” perfectly fit this scene. Even though the sunlight was scorching and not ideal for living, this spot exuded a colossal beauty that nature had to offer.

I wandered along the beach for a while, soaking in its splendor, and then sat under a nearby tree, staring into space before I snapped back to reality.

“Ugh. I made it here, but now what?”

After a good run, I realized this continent was enormous. I had pictured a small archipelago, but this was on another level. It felt like the entire Central Plains’ expanse. The thought of such a massive continent existing at the southern end of the world blew my mind.

This place was not going to be easy to explore whimsically. Even if I spent a decade or two roaming around, I doubted I could cover the whole continent. Random exploration was off the table. I propped my chin on my hand and pondered.

“The Fire Spirit is supposedly at the largest mountain. Surely the locals know about it?”

Even though I reached the southern coast, that wasn’t enough to satisfy me. Since I made the trip, I needed to gather some results. With that in mind, I decided to search the continent for any indigenous tribes.

Since the central part of the continent felt like wasteland, humans were likely to reside along the coast. I figured it would be best to stick to the shoreline instead of heading inland, thinking there had to be a tribe somewhere.

Sure enough, after about three days of traveling along the coast, I sensed some signs of life. It felt like crude arrows were zooming around in the thick forest near the shore, indicating some hunting activity. Excitement flooded my senses, as this was the first time encountering humans since arriving on this continent!

Tydaht!

As I entered the forest, I spotted a nearly naked, dark-skinned man grasping a bird by the neck. Upon noticing me, he seemed startled and immediately swung the spear in my direction.

“What the heck? Is this an attack?”

While peak experts from the Central Plains could deal with me leisurely, this indigenous guy’s attack was a joke. Perhaps honing in the wild gave him a leg up compared to some honky from the Central Plains, but he was still weak. Plus, the quality of his spear barely consisted of a rock wedged onto a stick. I easily flicked his spear away with my finger, suppressing his bloodline.

“Grah!”

I attempted to engage in conversation, but naturally, I couldn’t understand a word. Grabbing the man by the nape, I ventured deeper into the forest. Searching for the flow of Qi revealed where this tribe lived. A primitive village existed by the river, and I walked in with the guy still in my grip.

As arrows flew towards me, I simply batted them away. Indigenous folks screamed and charged with their spears and knives, but I activated my Ground-impact Technique.

Boom!

With just the shockwave, the natives flew off like scarecrows. I tossed the man I was gripping into the village square and glimpsed at the rest of the tribe. With my arms crossed, they hesitated to attack me.

“#%#&%#…”

Then an old man, looking all wrinkly, stepped out and spoke something, perhaps realizing I meant no harm. Unfortunately, the indigenous language seemed like an otherworldly tongue to me. After musing for a moment, I decided to haul the elder and transport him to the Tower of Muwang.

Tydaht!

The Zhuyong Tribe members glanced at me strangely as I showed up with the captured indigenous elder, dropping him on the ground before addressing the tribe.

“I want to talk to this guy. Can anyone translate?”

“Why should we do that?”

“I’ll give you this as payment. For the next time too.”

I pulled out two gold bars from my bag. The Zhuyong Tribe member accepted my offer after some time.

“Fine.”

He placed his hands on both the elder and me, and suddenly, I could understand what the elder was saying in Central Plains language. Turns out the Zhuyong Tribe had some impressive mental abilities for translation.

“Oh powerful one! Where are we? Why have you brought me here?”

“I’m looking for the Fire Spirit. Supposedly, it’s one of the seven secret treasures from the divine era, hidden in the largest mountain on your continent. Do you know anything about it?”

Silence followed.

The elder’s eyes widened in surprise. After a moment’s contemplation, he said, “Are you looking to attack our tribe?”

“I have no reason to kill you. I’ll let you go once I get the information I need.”

“If you grant me a favor, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Out of nowhere, the elder’s tone shifted to one of respect. Catching a glance at the Zhuyong member showed him chillingly affirming my inclination about the elder possessing hints about the seven luminaries.

“What favor?”

“A yellow-haired, blue-eyed monster has appeared north of our village, slaughtering people left and right. Please help us get rid of it.”

“A monster, huh?”

After hearing the elder’s description and location of the monster, I agreed to his request.

“Alright.”

If there was a murderous demon rampaging against my fellow humans, I was bound to encounter it while exploring the continent. With that in mind, I accepted the elder’s request and used the Ground-impact Technique to return to the indigenous village.

Onward I went toward the northern coast, where supposedly the elder indicated there were about 20 tribes living around the area, each panicking due to the sudden appearance of the yellow-haired monster, which had caused the slaughter of half of their tribes. They were bordering on paranoia about being the next victims when I appeared.

As night fell, the starlit coast filled with brilliance. Following the elder’s directions, I spotted a campfire in the distance.

Scanning from a hundred paces away, I squinted at the figures near the fire and gasped.

“A monster? No way, that’s…”

Colorful-eyed people!

About fifty of these colorful-eyed individuals were gathered around the campfire, having set up makeshift tents and surrounding a massive ship. The ship was as big as the military vessels I had seen in Shandong, and these colorful-eyed folks were clearly putting the indigenous people to work, making them carry their burdens around.

If they were colorful-eyed people, I could bet a hefty 90% chance they hailed from some Western nations. The term “yellow-haired monster” had to refer to these guys. They were all equipped with firearms resembling those I’d seen at the royal palace in Nanman.

Now, these seemed like soldiers with a unified appearance. Among them was a bizarre firearm I’d never seen before.

“Huh? What’s that?”

This slim, sharp-looking gun had an oddly futuristic vibe. A high-ranking Westerner, appearing as a commander, was equipped with it, and it looked unlike any firearm I’d come across so far. I tilted my head but forced myself to focus on the task at hand.

Tydaht!

I charged in and attacked them immediately. Within moments, I compressed space with the Soul Removal Technique, swiftly beheading several soldiers and initiating a butchery spree. Though they screamed in Western tongues and raised their firearms or axes in defense, their movements were dreadfully slow. I effortlessly cut down more than twenty of them.

Bam! Bang!!

The loud sounds of gunshots echoed around me. I noticed the gunmen had finally aimed their firearms at me.

“They reload fast!”

Yet, even without reading their angles, I could effortlessly dodge their shots. As I swung my sword to behead a few more, the commander directed his bizarre firearm at me.

Bam! Bam!

“…!!”

At that moment, I leaped back in surprise.

“What kind of trick is this?”

Astonishingly, the firearm he shot wasn’t using any kind of ignition or spark, and the length of its firing mechanism was remarkably short. Usually, the reload speed of firearms was laughably slow to martial artists, yet this thing fired again within just a few breaths of time. Compared to the matchlock guns exhibited by the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, this was a night-and-day difference!

If these kinds of firearms became commonplace, it would be tragic. In a direct confrontation, even a first-class expert would likely stand no chance and be annihilated.

Swoosh!

But an absolute power disparity couldn’t be overturned. I concentrated and unleashed my Sword Strength, instantly dismembering the remaining soldiers. Leaving no one behind, I only spared the commander.

“#%&&#%&*…!!”

The colorful-eyed guy struggled in terror. Though I thought about having a chat with him, it wasn’t the right time yet. The thought of handing out more treasures to the Zhuyong Tribe for yet another translation felt excessive. Things like Black and White Lotus or gold bars were nearly impossible to replenish after spending them, so I figured interrogating him could wait.

After tossing the colorful-eyed guy into my bag, I proceeded to gather all the firearms and valuable items on the ship from the colorful-eyed troops. After wiping out their fleet, I felt a swell of pride before turning back to speak with the indigenous elder.

The elder, probably aware of the Zhuyong Tribe’s translation abilities, followed me without a hint of resistance. He then began sharing what he knew.

“According to the legend passed down among our tribe, a fire bestowed by the gods is hidden within the largest mountain. But this mountain is usually concealed from human sight due to the dark sorcerer’s powers. On the day when the sun is hidden, it will be revealed to humans.”

Leaning in, I furrowed my brow at his words.

“The sun being hidden? So it shows up at night?”

“No. The day it’s swallowed by darkness.”

“…?”

I felt flustered, as if trying to solve a riddle. The sun being swallowed by darkness? What on earth did that mean? But it seemed the indigenous elder was merely reciting the legend passed down in his tribe.

“Ugh… what now?”

I gained something valuable but felt unsatisfied. It seemed I still had quite a way to go before finding the Fire Spirit. Pondering how to utilize the spoils I’d obtained from the Western navy, I decided to show them to Mangnyang. If anyone could assess the worth of the items I gathered, it was that warrior.

 

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