Chapter 112 - 1106: 10 Years in a Flash, the Eve of the Great Calamity

This stretch of Heaven and Earth was vast and boundless.

It was immeasurably larger than Earth.

It encompassed the Ten States of the Great Hao Divine Dynasty, the Barbaric Region, the Foreign Countries, and the Endless Sea Territory.

Even for an expert at the Tribulation Crossing Realm, traversing the entire land would likely take a decade, if not longer.

Wang Xiao shed his Daoist Robe for simple cloth garments and began to walk alone through the mortal world.

The feeling was reminiscent of his time in his first world, when he observed all living things on his path to becoming a Martial Saint.

However.

This time, Wang Xiao didn’t just want to observe all living things; he wanted to become one of them.

To experience their joys and sorrows, their kindnesses and cruelties.

He set out from Shuntian City in Yangzhou.

Along his journey.

Wang Xiao saw bones bleaching in the fields, refugees fleeing from famine, and Traveling Merchants heading to market.

Of course.

Due to the presence of Demon Ghosts, few people traveled through the wilderness.

Those who did traveled in groups and hired Cultivators for protection.

Wang Xiao traveled slowly. Every time he reached a new place, he would stay for a while to experience the local culture and customs.

He no longer seemed like a Cultivator, but rather one of the countless masses, just another person struggling to make a living.

A full year passed on his journey.

And Wang Xiao still hadn’t left Yangzhou.

He wasn’t in a hurry; on the contrary, he was enjoying himself immensely.

One year.

It wasn’t a long time, but it wasn’t short, either.

Wang Xiao hadn’t yet integrated his Gang Qi into his Five Viscera.

Instead, whenever he reached a new place, he would use his Divine Thought to collect a single flame from a lamp.

Within that single flame was contained the very essence of the local people—their kindnesses and cruelties, the ever-changing nature of their world.

Then.

Wang Xiao would merge his Gang Qi into the flame, using it to meticulously experience and temper the Spiritual Will within.

This process was even more arduous than refining Incense.

After all—

Incense contained only the purest Faith Willpower.

But a single flame from a mortal lamp contained the seven passions and six desires of the masses—all their love, hatred, joys, and sorrows.

At times, Wang Xiao even had to stop his journey to re-temper his Gang Qi.

He had to do this to avoid being consumed by the influence of the Ten Thousand Lights, lest he sink too deep and be unable to free himself.

And so, the seasons turned. Spring gave way to autumn, and autumn to winter.

Another four years went by.

A vast, heavy snow fell from the sky, blanketing Heaven and Earth in a coat of silver.

At that moment.

Wang Xiao, dressed in a thick cotton jacket, sat on a flatbed cart, following a group of Traveling Merchants to the next city.

This was how he traveled.

He had journeyed this way the entire time, never using his Gang Qi to fly, as if he had forgotten he was a Cultivator.

"Business is getting harder and harder these days."

"You can say that again. Have you noticed there seem to be more ghosts and monsters around these past few years?"

"I know, right? I don’t get it. The ghosts that used to only haunt the night are now showing up in broad daylight!"

"Don’t say that, you’re scaring me! I thought ghosts were afraid of the light!"

"That’s just what I heard from some other merchants in the city. They said they were resting at a post-house—during the day, mind you—and ran into a hanged ghost. It killed a whole bunch of people."

"Brother Wang, you’ve been all over. What do you think? Is there any truth to these stories?"

Hearing this, Wang Xiao said, "Even if it’s true, the chances of encountering a ghost are still slim as long as you stick to the main roads and don’t travel at night. Instead of worrying, it’s better to focus on the here and now."

"Brother Wang, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders," one of the Traveling Merchants chuckled. "No wonder you’re out doing business so young. You deserve every penny you make!"

"After this trip, I’m not coming out again until spring," another Traveling Merchant said. "This weather is damn cold. It’s much better to be at home with the wife and kids and a warm bed."

"Old Wang, you’ve been away so long, you sure your wife hasn’t been snatched up by someone else? Better watch out she doesn’t make you a cuckold!"

"Bullshit! It’s a miracle I don’t go to the brothels; I’m already doing right by her. If she dared find another man, I’d break her legs!"

Another round of banter and laughter erupted, and the tense atmosphere from before lightened considerably.

Wang Xiao sat on the cart, looking up at the endless snowfall, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

He, too, had noticed it over the past year or so.

This world, this Heaven and Earth, seemed to be growing stranger.

The yin energy was growing thicker, so much so that the wicked ghouls and Fierce Ghosts that normally only dared to roam in the dark were now occasionally appearing in the daylight.

However, the change was still faint.

Thus, there had been no widespread chaos—not yet.

’Is this a sign of the great calamity’s approach?!’ Wang Xiao wondered.

The great calamity of Heaven and Earth was less than eighty years away.

The appearance of ghosts in daylight meant that the Underworld’s power to restrain them was gradually weakening.

He feared that as the great calamity of Heaven and Earth drew nearer...

...the Underworld’s control would continue to weaken until it collapsed entirely, leaving a hundred ghosts to walk the day.

’Looks like I need to find a place to settle down and officially begin the process of Five Viscera Concealed God.’

In the context of this world, Wang Xiao was only at a level equivalent to the Tribulation Crossing Realm.

Although in a real fight, even someone in the Saint Realm might not be his match.

However, it was still far from enough to face the great calamity of Heaven and Earth.

When the great calamity of Heaven and Earth arrived...

...all those beneath the Dao Realm would be nothing more than ants.

Only by reaching the Dao Realm would one have a chance to survive.

One might even have a chance to contend for the authority of the Underworld itself.

As for the mysterious and unfathomable Underworld...

...Wang Xiao was determined to investigate it.

He had a faint suspicion that the great calamity of Heaven and Earth, as well as the world’s poisonous Incense, were all connected to the Underworld.

But until he saw the Underworld for what it truly was...

...all he could do was speculate.

The caravan traveled for three full days.