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There was no broken face of a god in the sky, yet the mutagen in the world was very strong. Mutagen was ubiquitous in the Revered Ancient mainland, and it didn’t just affect the continent itself, but also any minor worlds connected to it.

Neither the sun nor the moon here was the resting place of a god. Instead, the light came from the eyes of the heavenly daos, which were creations of the Swordsage Palace. As the sunlight of their gaze shone down through the clouds, an old man and a young one appeared in the sky.

The old man was, of course, Ghost Hand, and the young one was Xu Qing.

“Unit C jailers have simple work,” Ghost Hand said as he led the way down. “They patrol this world. You’re not the only jailer assigned here. Including you, there are a total of sixty-seven. In terms of the patrol route and the scheduling, that will all be arranged before you arrive for duty. For now, I’ll take you around to let you start getting familiar with the place.”

“Yes, sir,” Xu Qing said respectfully.

“Also, Xu Qing, as a Unit C jailer, you get two big perks.” Grinning, Ghost Hand took out a flagon of alcohol and drank a mouthful. “The first perk is that you have no limit on the number of prisoners you can kill per month. That said, don’t go overboard.

“The second perk is the one that Unit C jailers care the most about. And that’s related to enlightenment opportunities in the minor worlds. The natural and magical laws here are under the control of the jailers. As a result, you can seek enlightenment of the operations of heaven and earth, and can even do research into the formation of the dao of heaven.

“Those things will be critical when you break into the Spirit Trove level. The secret troves of the Spirit Trove cultivators are all governed by a heavenly dao.

“Right now you aren’t even in Nascent Soul. That said, the earlier you start seeking enlightenment, the better it will be for you. Once your cultivation base is high enough to go on patrol, your senses will lead you to the spots where you can benefit. As for how much you benefit, that will be up to your personal good fortune.”

Xu Qing committed that to memory. It was his first time hearing much at all about Spirit Trove. Though he could obviously ask questions of his Master or Arch-Immortal Plumdark whenever he wanted, just this offhand remark from Ghost Hand had given him new insight. Clasping hands, he bowed thankfully.

Ghost Hand grinned and took another swig of alcohol. As they passed through a vast wilderness, Ghost Hand looked down and chuckled.

“Right. I forgot to mention that, as a jailer, you should occasionally scatter some provisions when you go on patrol.”

He waved his hand to toss out some shriveled medicinal pills that contained vast amounts of mutagen and only scraps of spirit energy.

Licking his lips, he said, “Watch. The fun’s about to start.”

Ghost Hand looked off into the distance, and Xu Qing followed his gaze. Suddenly, the wilderness ground in that direction exploded as a host of scrawny figures burst out into the open. Some of them were human, but the vast majority were nonhumans in all shapes and sizes. There were even some spirit plants among them. They rushed forward with madness and longing in their eyes. And as they closed in on the shriveled pills, they began unleashing brutal attacks on each other. To them, even those shriveled pills could be considered treasures, and it had already driven them into a state of madness.

Xu Qing saw a nonhuman with six arms and blue scales who grabbed one of the pills only to lose half an arm in the process. He didn’t seem to care. After throwing the pill into his mouth, a look of contentment filled his face. Then he turned to flee. He wasn’t fast enough. A group of several nonhumans fell on him and ripped him to shreds, all to get some of the lingering effects of the medicine.

In another area, a group of about a hundred inmates with bloodshot eyes were fighting fiercely among themselves. In the end, one of them came out victorious and covered with blood. The pill was also covered in gore, but he consumed it without hesitation.

Similar scenes played out everywhere. Every single pill resulted in fierce and violent fighting.

Before long, the surrounding wilderness was littered with corpses. The survivors noticed Xu Qing and Ghost Hand up in the sky, and reverently dropped to their knees to kowtow. It was almost as if they were bowing to gods.

“This is where we’ve been putting the liveliest prisoners over the last hundred years or so, which is why things got so spirited.

“That Sixarm that got ripped to shreds was once a seven-soul cultivator who murdered a cultivator from the Administration Palace. On the outside, he had quite a fierce reputation. But in here, it doesn’t matter that he was in the Nascent Soul level. Once part of a minor world, he was incredibly weak.” [1]

“See that Wingflyer? The one with the wings on his back? I arrested that one personally. He was really incredible on the outside. As an eight-soul cultivator, he terrorized Daybreak Prefecture. What do you think it’s like for them to think back to when they could call the wind and summon the rain, all while being weak and powerless in here?”

Ghost Hand grinned.

Xu Qing looked around and noted how all the inmates had such weak cultivation bases. Clearly, some of them were in the Nascent Soul level, and yet they seemed weak enough that he could kill them as easily as turning over his hand.

“They all covet those shriveled pills because they live in a place almost completely bereft of spirit energy. If they want to keep on living, then they need to keep their cultivation base intact. Therefore, they have to be willing to die at least once to get those pills.”

Xu Qing frowned. What Ghost Hand said seemed strange. In order to avoid dying, they had to be willing to die? It seemed contradictory.

Ghost Hand chuckled and said nothing further as he led Xu Qing onward.

They passed mountains and deserts until they eventually reached a sprawling plain.

Looking around, Xu Qing’s pupils constricted. As far as the eye could see, there were figures seated cross-legged in meditation. Just about every species imaginable could be seen, and all of them sat perfectly motionless with their eyes closed. They all had very weak life force. And the plain upon which they sat had a shocking spell formation built into it that slowly extracted their life energy and cultivation base.

“The main rule that governs this place is something we call the Reset. Other than the inmates killed by jailers, everyone who dies here experiences the Reset on a monthly basis. When that happens, they get resurrected, missing some of their memories, and their record wiped clean.

“After dying enough times, they eventually become like the walking dead, completely bereft of any memories. Then they wander mindlessly here, where they become a power source for the county capital’s taboo treasure.

“Xu Qing, most inmates consider losing memories to be the most painful thing imaginable. That’s because their memories remind them of what it was like outside, and how much better it was than here.

“At the same time, their memories make them an individual, so they view them as priceless. Losing memories means losing themselves as a person. Therefore, the idea of slowly losing their memories fills most of them with terror.

“If they don’t fight for those pills, then they can’t replenish their spirit energy, and they’ll die sooner. That’s why most of them are willing to die trying to get a pill, just in the hopes of ultimately dying less. It’s a case of drinking poison in the hope of quenching one’s thirst. Wonderful, eh?”

Ghost Hand laughed maliciously.

Xu Qing nodded. He had already come to a good understanding of Ghost Hand’s personality during that training lecture. As he studied the area, he noticed one section that looked different. The ground there was crimson red, something that was particularly noticeable from up in the air. Seated cross-legged there was a group of over forty Demi-Immortals.

Xu Qing recognized one of them.

It was the very same one Ghost Hand had brought along during his lecture on the fatal weaknesses of various species.

Noticing where Xu Qing was looking, Ghost Hand took a swig of alcohol and said, “Due to the three-species treaty, there’s nothing we can do about them. Demi-Immortals can only be locked up for ten years before we have to hand them back to their people.

“Though you can’t erase many memories in that short a time span, you can do a bit. That said, about three hundred years ago the governor showed mercy. In the interests of continuing our friendship with the Demi-Immortals, he issued orders prohibiting us from tampering with Demi-Immortal memories. From that point onward, Demi-Immortals get thrown directly to this spot to serve as temporary spirit stones.”

Xu Qing nodded. Then he thought back to the secret mission to find out more about the immortal puppets that the Demi-Immortals could create.

“Senior Ghost Hand, have you ever fought any of the Demi-Immortal’s immortal puppets?” Xu Qing asked.

“Immortal puppets? Of course I’ve fought them. But those things are vile. They’re full of mutagen and very difficult to defeat. They can also repair themselves on the spot.” Ghost Hand looked at Xu Qing. “Are you interested in immortal puppets?”

Xu Qing nodded.

“I suggest you ask the lieutenant governor for guidance. He’s extremely knowledgeable about many things, and I know he’s done some deep research into immortal puppets. Anyway, let’s not waste time talking about that now. We need to keep going. There’s more I need to show you.”

Ghost Hand continued onward and Xu Qing kept pace.

The two of them flew across the astonishing plain until they saw a vast sea and a withering jungle. Occasionally Ghost Hand would throw out some medicinal pills, which would lead to vicious life-or-death struggles like the one Xu Qing had already witnessed. They sometimes ran into other Unit C jailers, all of whom were in charge of different areas. When they saw Ghost Hand, they would clasp hands respectfully. Ghost Hand would introduce Xu Qing, and the Unit C jailers would study him and nod. That said, most of them treated him fairly coldly.

“Once you can sustain the natural and magical laws of this place, and start going on patrol, they’ll warm up to you. Right now, though... you’re not good enough.

“By the way, do you know why they treat me with respect? It’s not because I’m in charge of this world. Every single one of these jailers is a proud person, and many have cultivation bases superior to my own.”

Ghost Hand looked very pleased with himself as he took another drink of alcohol. It wasn’t an expression he commonly wore on his face.

Xu Qing looked at him curiously, wondering about the answer to the question.

Ghost Hand laughed heartily and pointed at his own head. “I’m old and have average talent. I reached Nascent Soul eight hundred years ago, but have never been able to break into Spirit Trove. But during my entire life, I’ve never used The Emperor’s Sword! Mine has been powering up for eight hundred years! Once I unleash it, the results will be heaven-shaking and earth-shattering!”

“Eight hundred years?” Xu Qing said, looking surprised. The Emperor’s Sword became more mighty the longer it was powered up. He hadn’t forgotten the story of a Nascent Soul cultivator who powered up The Emperor’s Sword for two thousand years, and then used it to kill a Void Returning expert. Of course, that was just what he had read in the description; he had never seen it actually used that way.

Today was the first time he had encountered someone who had actually been powering up the sword for nearly a thousand years. It was no small task. When cultivators fought to the death, you couldn’t just hold back from using the sword if you reached a critical moment in which your life was on the line. Being able to power the sword up for that long would obviously require luck and destined opportunities.

When Ghost Hand noticed the look on Xu Qing’s face, he looked even more pleased than before.

“Since I’m a jailer, I think of The Emperor’s Sword as a tool to use when watching over this world.

“I’ve already thought everything through. One day when my longevity is running out and I can’t be a jailer anymore, I’ll go look for the strongest nonhuman I can find that I don’t like, and kill them. If I can eliminate something that might be harmful to humankind, then my life will not have been in vain, and my death will be worthwhile.”

Hearing that caused Xu Qing’s eyes to glitter with admiration. Yet again, he clasped hands respectfully to Ghost Hand.

Clearly, Ghost Hand was very proud of the sword that he had been powering up for eight hundred years. Seeing the show of respect from Xu Qing, he laughed heartily, took another long swig of alcohol, then led the way forward.

In that manner, a number of hours passed quickly. Ghost Hand led Xu Qing around, allowing him to get familiar with the world. Eventually, they prepared to return to the Corrections Division.

Just before leaving, Ghost Hand looked over his shoulder at something, and his expression turned grim. His gaze landed on a withered forest. Among all the dead trees was one towering tree that, despite being as wilted as the others, still seemed mighty. On the side of the tree was an ancient face. The eyes of that face slowly opened, revealing two green eyes that looked up fearfully at Xu Qing and Ghost Hand.

“Greetings, exalted Ghost Hand.”

Expression dour, Ghost Hand coldly said, “Didn’t I tell you not to leave your spot? And yet you disobeyed my orders and came here.” Turning to Xu Qing, he explained, “Remember this fellow. He’s not an ordinary treant. He’s actually the only Wood Spirit in the entire Corrections Division. Though his species isn’t much to talk about nowadays, in the past... they were incredible.”

Xu Qing looked down at the Wood Spirit.

“Before Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity, the ruler of Revered Ancient was Emperor Ancient Spirit, who was a member of the Ancient Spirit species. Back then, the Ancient Spirits were the top species in Revered Ancient, and were occasionally called the Heavenfates. Emperor Ancient Spirit had five generals associated with the five elements, and each one started one of the species’ main bloodlines. [2]

“After he perished, the Ancient Spirits’ bloodlines slowly ceased to exist, and the five generals were all killed. Eventually, only the Wood Spirit branch remained here in Sea-Sealing County. They’re generally peaceful and live in harmony with those around them. But this one has a different personality compared to other members of his species. He’s bloodthirsty. Three hundred years ago, he caused great turmoil before I finally managed to quell him and imprison him here.”

1. As you can see in this paragraph, Nascent Soul cultivators are categorized by how many nascent souls they have (just as we categorized Foundation Establishment with flames/lamps and Gold Core with heavenly palaces). For ease of reading, I will generally say “one-soul cultivator, two-soul cultivator” etc. That said, I have to mention yet again that the “soul” in “nascent soul” is different from the general word for soul. I have an entire chapter in my book Understanding Chinese Fantasy Genres about nascent souls. Suffice it to say, the character in that term has literally nothing to do with souls. This specific translation choice is one I regret a lot, but “nascent soul” has already become part of the common xianxia nomenclature. ☜

2. Similar to the Demi-Immortals and Woe-Immortals, the Ancient Spirits are a species. The ‘spirit’ in the name of their species doesn’t necessarily imply that they are actual ‘spirits’ of some sort. ☜