I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 615 - 615 614. Moth flies into the fire_1

Chapter 615: 614. Moth flies into the fire_1 Chapter 615: 614. Moth flies into the fire_1 “Taoist Crane Cry is still alive?”

Having been in the Foreign Domain for so long, Shia naturally encountered many things related to Taoist Crane Cry. In her mind, Taoist Crane Cry should have ascended long ago, his will becoming an existence akin to the Evil Gods of those domains, with only his corpse contested over.

From what Lu Ban saw in the “present” Abandoned Capital, he must have been a man of at least several hundred years ago. How could he still be alive today?

“To put it accurately, if you define death as the cessation of consciousness, then Taoist Crane Cry has never died. If you define death as the abandonment of the flesh, then Taoist Crane Cry has long perished.”

Stone shook the ashes from his pipe.

“I don’t like the way you talk.”

Shia was outspoken, at least Cui Siter wouldn’t speak in such a vague and ambiguous manner.

“I apologize, Miss Shia. My profession has accustomed me to maintaining mystery. If revealing only half the truth gets me to my goal, then I can sell the other half for a good price. Of course, in the presence of a Chosen by Gods, I’ll be mindful of my words.”

Stone explained that he meant no harm and then elucidated further.

“According to the investigation by Mr. Cui Siter and myself, Taoist Crane Cry indeed ascended. The so-called ascension, just like Sublimation, occurred as he grasped many pieces of knowledge in the Abandoned Capital that were severely tainted. He might have even faced some grand existences directly. When this Pollution reached a certain limit, he lost his human shell and became an entity like those monsters.”

“The human remains of Taoist Crane Cry contained immense Pollution. They were divided and preserved by his disciples, and sometimes they would appear in the underground black market of the Abandoned Capital for sale. Those wealthy and foolish people would spend a great deal of money to buy them, and after grinding the remains into powder, they would consume it attempting to enhance their own strength or to extend their lifespans.”

“Of course, in the beginning, this powder indeed offered them extraordinary sensations. They could feel their bodies becoming younger, their muscles stronger, their vision wider, and their thoughts clearer. This was because the Pollution brought power, but after a few years, most of these people would end up mad, constantly hearing murmurs in their ears, ending in tragedy.”

“Despite this, the remains of Taoist Crane Cry remain in high demand. People always have a stroke of wishful thinking, always believing they won’t be the ones to face adversity. But who knows, they’re like moths rushing to the flame, heading straight to their destruction without even realizing it.”

Stone sighed as he said this.

These foolish wealthy people compete eagerly for Pollution, but the Chosen by Gods are no different.

In the beginning, the Chosen by Gods entered the Silent Lands for power, to change their own lives, to pursue knowledge.

But as missions proceeded one after another, and the truth of the Foreign Domain gradually unveiled, the Chosen by Gods realized that it wasn’t they who were pursuing knowledge, but rather knowledge that was pursuing them. Despite this, the Chosen by Gods still had to delve deeper into the Foreign Domain to grasp more power; otherwise, they would fall into madness or die outright.

The more powerful the Chosen by Gods, the more missions they underwent, the lower their sanity, the closer they were to madness.

The moths rushing to the flame—this refers precisely to the Chosen by Gods.

“As for the spirit, or soul, of Taoist Crane Cry, this involves the state after Sublimation, or rather, the state of becoming a deity,” Stone said after deliberating his choice of words.

“When humans bear knowledge to a certain limit, the body collapses, the soul mutates, and they fall into monstrosity. But there are exceptions. If one doesn’t passively receive the infusion of knowledge but actively seeks it out, there is a certain probability that they won’t completely lose sanity, retaining some of it, or they might use special methods to block knowledge’s Corrosion, preserving their will.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ban thought of the Mysterious Monarch.

Cui Siter must also have endured Pollution at the level of an Ancient Overlord, yet his will was able to maintain itself to an extent, persisting. From the viewpoint of a common person, Cui Siter had already become a Mysterious Monarch, a semi-divine being.

Thus, by enduring Pollution under certain circumstances, one might undergo Sublimation and become divine.

“Taoist Crane Cry underwent Sublimation, but it was not a complete ascension. He employed a rather crude and primitive method of Sublimation—leaving the Pollution within his shell, his soul departed the body in search of a new host, thus avoiding as much Pollution as possible to acquire the greatest amount of knowledge,”

Stone explained.

“Hmm? This method of description…”

Lu Ban quickly thought of his own lost crowbar.

When Lu Ban grasped the crowbar, the corresponding methods of using it would cover his brain like a spiderweb. Knowledge would flood into his mind, but once he released the crowbar, the corresponding know-how would disappear without a trace, causing no serious Pollution to Lu Ban.

This method of engraving knowledge on objects could, to some extent, avoid Pollution. Of course, there were downsides. Once the object left one’s hands, it no longer belonged to them, and the power it represented passed to someone else.

For Taoist Crane Cry, the body was also an object.

He left a part of the severe Pollution in his physical body, scattered in different places, while his spirit, maintaining his Sanity, lay dormant in the Abandoned Capital. He waited for the day when the Pollution would be gradually assimilated and he would adapt. Then, through certain methods, he would retrieve his body and continue advancing towards higher levels of Pollution.

“It’s possible that Taoist Crane Cry is listening to us talk right now,”

Stone said with a smile.

“What do you know about the Soul Summoning Night?”

Miss Shia asked again.

Resurrection of the dead is also a taboo topic in the Night Country. Even with the control of Magic, one cannot resurrect the dead, but the Soul Summoning Night of the Abandoned Capital seems to suggest that the deceased might return to life.

“The Conjuring is a hidden custom in the Abandoned Capital, known only by a select few. These individuals are usually followers of the Crane Cry Sect. They believe that if the Conjuring ritual is performed on the ninth day after the death of the individual, the soul of the deceased will return to its body and be resurrected. Before this, the corpse must be kept intact, or a fresher body must be used in its place,”

Stone recounted.

“For this, followers of the Crane Cry Sect have committed illegal acts. You know, those rich and powerful people dream of coming back to life, and their flattering subordinates would kill young people to please them, using them as sacrificial offerings for the ritual.”

“How foolish.”

Miss Shia scoffed.

“So, could this ritual succeed, or is it just a mere scam by the Crane Cry Sect, similar to ‘I, Taoist Crane Cry, need money’ kind of thing?”

Lu Ban inquired.

“At least to my knowledge, there are no successful cases,”

Stone said, but quickly added.

“However, it is said that Taoist Crane Cry himself was resurrected using a similar method.”