Nightfall

The words were carved deeply into the stone with a sharp blade in awe-inspiring strokes.

Ning Que looked at the line of words on the stele. His brows rose slowly. He did not lament but looked at it in silence for a long time. And then, he left without saying anything. He looked to the side, avoiding the bones by his feet.

He walked around the no-word stele a couple of times before returning to the front of it. He raised his head once more, looking at the stele in silence. His brows were raised so high that they looked as if they might take flight. He pointed to the words on the stele and said with a small smile, “My Youngest Uncle wrote that.”

Mo Shanshan had once heard her teacher mention this sublime being who had vanquished the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine. However, the name of this sublime being had never been revealed for some reason or another. She had once wondered if that person was the same senior who had disappeared from the Academy after committing a deed that had shocked the world.

Ning Que’s odd actions throughout their travels from the Wilderness to the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine, especially the kneeling and worshipping in the Stone Array Tactics had allowed her to confirm her suspicions. She had finally obtained a confirmation from Ning Que. However, she still found herself speechless with shock. How powerful was the person who had vanquished the Devil’s Doctrine with a single sword?

Her brows furrowed and her red lips pursed into a single line. After a moment of silence, she looked at Ning Que’s raised brows and drifting expression. She asked softly, “You seem very proud.”

Ning Que nodded honestly. He looked around himself in an attempt to negate the impact those words had on him. He realized that there remained a strong aura on the bones of the Devil’s Doctrine’s powerhouses. He was shocked, especially so as the bones were stronger than the average steel. So many powerhouses of the Devil’s Doctrine had died under his Youngest Uncle’s Haoran Sword. It was evident how scary his Youngest Uncle’s state was then.

Ning Que had long guessed that this Youngest Uncle was one of the most powerful beings in this world from the reactions of Second Brother and the others at the back of the mountain of the Academy. However, he had not guessed that he was that powerful. Could it be that he had already passed through the five states and became a Sage when he had broken into the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine back then?

As a disciple of the Second floor of the Academy, Ning Que could not help but feel proud that he had a Youngest Uncle like that.

However, pride could not be eaten. Ning Que and Mo Shanshan had experienced many difficulties before finally reaching the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine. They had done this for the “Ming” Handscroll of the Tomes of Arcane as well as the aura left behind by Youngest Uncle. After they had stood before the stele for a moment and gathered their thoughts, they continued their trek towards the depths of the temple. He could sense Youngest Uncle’s aura in the hall behind the stele.

The Devil’s Doctrine’s main hall was majestic as well. It looked like a simple building held up by a single beam. The oil paintings on them gave it a sense of sacredness. There were hundreds of stone statues by the sides of the wide passageway. These statues were of curious divine devils that were rarely seen in the Central Plains. They were ferocious and silent.

The passageway was deep but dry. There was no hint of dampness at all. It seemed that the ventilation and lighting were done well when the Desolate Man had constructed it. It was still bright as the two walked on.

As they entered the depths of the main hall, the aura that moved Ning Que became even thicker. It felt as if it was about to become a tangible being. He looked at Mo Shanshan silently. They did not know what they would see later. No matter the “Ming” Handscroll of the Tomes of Arcane or the secrets of the Devil’s Doctrine, he only hoped that he wouldn’t see what he didn’t want to.

The number of bodies in the passageway grew. As they made a turn, they saw piles of bones lying above each other, forming a small mountain. Ning Que helped Mo Shanshan forward and looked at the deeper and deeper sword marks. He thought about the bloody battle that had happened then and could not help but feel his heart pounding.

The main hall at the end was an ordinary room. The room would have felt wide and spacious usually, but the piles of bones and dried corpses took up the entire middle of the room, making it seemed a little crowded and small.

“How many have died then.”

Mo Shanshan exclaimed subconsciously as she looked at the mountain made up of bones in shock. Her hands were cold and her voice trembled. As a core disciple of the Master of Calligrapher from the Divine Hall, she had never felt any pity for the Devil’s Doctrine. However, after all she had seen today, she could not help but feel the hopelessness felt by the Devil’s Doctrine then.

Ning Que looked at the mountain of bones and said after a moment of silence, “I do not know why Youngest Uncle wanted to vanquish the Devil’s Doctrine then. But I guess he had his own reasons and there was a cause for it.”

Then, a voice sounded from the middle of the pile of bones.

“There are many times in the world when many things don’t require a cause or a reason. That is because when you think about causes and reasons in another way, they are but just delusions. There are many reasons today for why he did that. But the truth is, he simply came and did it.”

…

…

There were only silent bones in the room and still sword marks on the walls. It was silent as if it was not of this world. However, the voice that had sounded was especially clear even though it was feeble.

The voice was soft and weak but exuded calm and peace. It sounded clear to Ning Que and Mo Shanshan and was like a thunderbolt to their ears. However, this had nothing to do with the quiet environment.

The verdant valleys had been buried in the depths of the Tianqi Mountains for decades. The Daming Lake had disappeared from the realm for decades. The Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine had cut off all ties with the world for decades. According to speculations, this place had long become a ruin. It was impossible for there to be any trace of life within. And that was true from what the two had seen. However, there was someone alive buried in the past of bones and sword marks!

Ning Que was shocked speechless. He quickly pulled Mo Shanshan behind him and raised his bow and arrow. He used his most powerful weapon and shot at the pile of bones and bodies in the middle.

After looking carefully, he realized that there was a person in the mound of bones and bodies.

That person was very old. He was bald and toothless. There were only two extremely long white brows that hung off his face and reached his chest. The person wore extremely old robes of a monk. The robes were tattered and the threads and pieces of cloth hung from his body just like his brows.

The person was extremely skinny. His limbs looked like firewood. There was no muscle nor fat on his body and a thin layer of skin was wrapped around his jagged bones. The two black holes that were his eyes looked terrifying. However, the gaze that his eyes exuded was kind and warm.

Other than the thin layer of skin that had long lost its elasticity, the old monk looked almost like the bones and bodies around him. That was why it was so difficult to spot him in the pile of bones.

There were two very fine chains that went through the monk’s drum-like abdomen. The other end of the chain was nailed on the hard wall behind him. The fresh blood of decades past had turned black over the years and was painted on the tatters of his robes.

This image was rather strange and the old monk within it was terrifying.

Ning Que’s finger trembled and he almost shot his arrow that was in the bowstring. Mo Shanshan clasped a hand to her mouth before she could make a sound. They had stopped themselves in time due to the benevolence and warmth in the old monk’s eyes.

“Who are you?”

Ning Que held on to his bowstring tightly as he asked agitatedly. He aimed at the old monk in the middle of the Bone Mountain.

The sudden appearance of an old monk in the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine which had disappeared from the world for decades was hard to explain. It was unthinkable how the old man had managed to survive despite being so thin. And things that did not have a rational explanation were usually fraught with danger.

“Who am I?”

The old monk raised his head slowly. The chains that pierced through his belly rattled. A trace of pain appeared on his sallow face. However, his gaze remained warm as he reminisced.

A look of understanding passed through his eyes after a long time. Lips twitched on the loose skin as he smiled with difficulty. He said, ” I am a person who has bounded himself.”

“I have committed a grievous sin in the past and regretted it all my life. That is why I have locked myself in this place with metal chains. I swore that I would use the rest of my life to help these souls pass on in order to atone for some of my sins.”

Every slight action or words from the old monk would cause him pain from the metal chains that passed through his body. However, his weak voice and gaze were filled with benevolence like a gentle spring breeze.

Ning Que looked at the shriveled old monk with an aura of spring and asked in shock, “What sins have you committed?”

The chains rattled again. The shriveled old monk smiled as he looked at the bodies strewn around him. He extended a finger with great difficulty and gently touched a white femur before him. He said, “I have committed murder.”

“Committed murder?”

The old monk looked at him calmly and said, “I entered Buddhism at 20 and became a monk. I thought that with benevolence, I would be able to help the world with the light of Buddha. Who would have thought that it would lead to the birth of these bodies? That, is my act of murder.”

Ning Que understood it but did not understand it either. It was rumored that these bodies of the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine were killed by Youngest Uncle. The sword marks, as well as the words on the no-word stele, made it seem that the rumors were rather close to the truth. Why would the withered old monk say that this was his act of murder?

“You… do you know my Youngest Uncle?” He asked.

The old monk looked at the two like a senior looking at his juniors. He asked gently, “Crazy Ke is your Youngest Uncle. That makes you a disciple to the Headmaster of Academy. Who is this young lady?”

Ning Que and Mo Shanshan could feel the man’s kindness and trust. There was perhaps even a trace of doting warmth. They revealed their identities subconsciously.

The old monk lamented softly, “I had thought that I would spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins. I did not think that I would meet the descendants of my enemies. Does this mean that the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine has opened?”

He looked at Ning Que puzzledly, ” You are the Academy’s wayfarer of this generation? You seem to have only broken the realm and entered the Seethrough state only a couple days back. Why is your state so low? Could it be that the Academy has gotten weaker with each generation?”

Following that, the old monk looked at Mo Shanshan and smiled, “I’ve stayed in the Bone Mountain and not heard of anything. I do not know how much time has passed and only felt that I have slept and woken up. It seems that even little Wang has a successor now.”

Ning Que knew that he was the weakest World Wayfarer in the Academy’s history. However, he was still annoyed when the monk pointed it out. However, he thought of how the old monk had stayed in the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine for decades, and how he had called Youngest Uncle Crazy Ke and the Master of Calligrapher little Wang. He knew that the man was an Unworldly Sublime Being and could not bring himself to scold him.

It was just, who exactly was the withered old monk?