Go Ask Him What His Name Is

Old Yang's words calmed the restless and insecure crowd.

The Abyss of Despair, a name Yu Ziqing had given it, was now commonly accepted. Everyone understood how bizarre that place was.

They believed that since Cècè was from their village and could move in and out without issue, their initial judgment was correct.

However, it was not so friendly to outsiders.

Previously, when An Yue came to trade and people from the Seventh Floor infiltrated, they all bypassed the Abyss of Despair. While they didn't know exactly what was inside, they didn't dare to try it.

Now, a powerful enemy had arrived and foolishly dared to enter the Abyss of Despair. This made everyone less anxious.

Another reason was their trust in Old Yang's knowledge and experience.

Every domain had its strengths and weaknesses. The Abyss of Despair's strengths and weaknesses were particularly obvious, meaning its strengths were exceptionally powerful.

"Perhaps the anomalies in the Wasteland this year have attracted the attention of these heretical paths.

Many years ago, the White Sun Evil Sacrifice suddenly appeared everywhere, establishing idolatrous temples and recruiting followers. After being jointly suppressed by various forces, they went into hiding. It hasn't been long since they resurfaced to stir up trouble.

The outsiders who have come now are likely a Joy Lantern Priest from the White Sun Evil Sacrifice, holding a not-insignificant position within it. These individuals are quite sinister. Those who reach such a level have cultivated Spirit Refining, or are directly Spirit Refining cultivators.

They are extremely bizarre. It's best if you Body Cultivators avoid direct confrontation with him. You might get confused and lose yourselves."

"Why would such a sinister individual come here?" Yu Ziqing was puzzled.

No matter how absurd the development strategy of such a creature was, it wouldn't choose to develop in an uninhabited area.

The current Wasteland had almost no living people left. The only surviving stronghold was the Jinlan Mine, but there were only a few people here. What use was that?

"The slogan of the White Sun Evil Sacrifice is 'When the Red Sun's Calamity Ends, the White Sun Shall Rise.' Understand?"

Yu Ziqing suddenly understood.

A few months ago, the Great Sun Descended upon the Wasteland, a sudden disaster that caused countless casualties. To this day, it was hard to find even a living rat.

For such an obvious event that they could exploit, an event that aligned with their slogan, it would be strange if these heretical paths didn't show up.

They could claim this was a sign from heaven, that their slogan had become a prophecy, and that it had come true. It was precisely the time for the White Sun Evil Sacrifice to rise and prosper.

Then, they could bury some aged artifacts in the Wasteland, unearth one every now and then to maintain public interest and facilitate brainwashing.

Most importantly, after the anomalies in the Wasteland, the poor commoners living in the areas bordering the three kingdoms who couldn't afford food would likely increase. This situation would provide another opportunity for these heretical paths to develop...

Looking at it this way, these heretical paths should have arrived long ago, but for some reason, they intruded into the village's territory today.

"A Joy Lantern Priest who can act alone is at least a cultivator who has achieved the Yin God stage, and most are in the Out-of-Body stage. They are also definitely accompanied by White Robed Dao Soldiers to protect them.

However, in Cècè's Abyss of Despair, I only saw the Joy Lantern Priest alone. His White Robed Dao Soldiers did not enter; they were not drawn into the Abyss of Despair.

Those White Robed Dao Soldiers must lack self-awareness. At most, they are third-tier. Fourth-tier White Robed Dao Soldiers possess self-awareness.

This suggests that the Joy Lantern Priest is at most a fourth-tier Yin God. He is likely not from the group of heretical paths from decades ago. When they were defeated and perished, some children they had misled and taken away were never found. At the time, it was believed they had all perished. Now, it seems this person has likely grown up among those children.

Our priority now is to deal with the White Robed Dao Soldiers who might enter at any moment, and then address other matters."

Old Yang spoke rapidly, analyzing everything. Yu Ziqing listened intently, filled with envy.

Having knowledge and experience was truly remarkable.

With just a glance, he had grasped almost everything about the opponent's identity, origin, cultivation methods, specialized secret techniques, magic treasures, and trump cards. He had completely exposed them.

Yu Ziqing thought that if he possessed such abilities, when facing enemies in the future, he would only need to issue a challenge.

"Who goes there? State your name. I am Yu Ziqing. I don't kill nameless ghosts."

As long as the opponent replied, "I am so-and-so."

He estimated that he would immediately meet the minimum judgment requirement and draw his sword to kill the opponent.

Thinking about it, his cheat, which was both powerful and weak, was usually useless. It wasn't related to the cheat itself, but rather his lack of education and narrow knowledge base.

If Old Yang had such a cheat, he could probably traverse the Wasteland and defeat the experts of various factions, even in his current form as a goat.

Unfortunately, Yu Ziqing himself didn't fully understand how this cheat worked. If he could lend it to Old Yang, he wouldn't hesitate.

As they were talking, they saw figures in white robes emerging unsteadily from the mist at the village entrance.

Just as Old Yang had said, things without self-awareness, or those with chaotic and non-existent selves, were not drawn into the Abyss of Despair. The last time they entered, only Yu Ziqing was pulled in, and Old Yang had remembered this detail.

"These White Robed Dao Soldiers are all puppets of the Joy Lantern Priest. Their current rank is not high, and they should all be Body Cultivators. You can all handle them.

Be careful. These guys are no different from the living dead. Even if their hearts are shattered or their heads are severed, they might not die.

Also, be aware that without the Joy Lantern Priest's control, after these White Robed Dao Soldiers die, their white robes will automatically seek new puppets. Don't let them get onto you; it's very troublesome."

Yu Ziqing wasn't prepared to fight. Among the dozens of Body Cultivators in the village, his Body Refining progress was at the very bottom. Their accumulation was incomparable to his.

However, looking at the more than thirty white-robed figures walking towards them, Yu Ziqing couldn't help but mutter.

The inexplicable disappearance of so many potential third-tier Body Cultivators outside had not caused any major stir. This led him to believe that the number of low-tier Body Cultivators must be very large, and their status was very low, even lower than he had imagined.

Er Han was the first to charge forward. With a roar, his Blood Essence surged, and his entire body seemed to grow larger. His muscles bulged, appearing as solid as rock, exuding an immense pressure.

With a head-on collision, he immediately sent four or five white-robed figures flying, scattering the enemy formation.

From the side, a lean man, holding a boning knife backward, crouched down and caught one of the flying white-robed figures. The boning knife transformed into a series of afterimages, piercing the gaps in the opponent's white robes and striking at its vital points and joints.

In a single exchange, a white-robed figure fell to the ground, its limbs twisted unnaturally. Blood gushed out from its white robes.

The lean man glanced at the boning knife in his hand. Both of them, good items he'd traded from An Yue, had blades that had actually rolled…

The lean man didn't mind. He held up the boning knife and ground it against his forearms a few times with a clatter, sparks flying. Then, he turned and continued circling around, ready to pick up any remaining scraps.

Yu Ziqing watched from afar, his shock growing with every passing moment.

This butcher was far more clean and efficient when killing people than that brute Er Han.

Looking at the others, their mining pickaxes, specially traded for the task, had pinned a white-robed figure to the ground with a single strike. Others fought bare-handed, their fists landing with solid thuds, a series of impacts that beat the white-robed figures to death…

Even those two older women, wielding their metal clubs, kept the white-robed figures from getting close. One hit would send them flying backward.

Yu Ziqing completely abandoned the idea of joining the fray. He was only a second-tier Body Cultivator.

Having these villagers start Body Refining was simply too wise.

In a place where Qi Refining was impossible, having a group of burly, strong-armed individuals, whose arms were hard enough to be whetstones, made this area a forbidden zone for ordinary Qi Refining cultivators.

He had initially estimated those white-robed figures to be around third-tier Body Cultivators, and with over thirty of them, he expected the fight to last a while. He never imagined that the white-robed figures, lacking any control or consciousness, driven only by instinct, would not even last the time it takes an incense stick to burn against these villagers, who were of a lower overall tier…

In the end, only over thirty white robes, resembling living creatures, remained, either pinned to the ground or crumpled into balls in the hands of those strong men.

"Ziqing, if we manage to survive until the Wasteland calms down, when you go out in the future, please, please don't say you taught these people Body Refining. You'd best warn them too…" Old Yang leaned in and whispered to Yu Ziqing.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid you'll get beaten to death when you go out."

"What are you talking about? What does it have to do with me? I'm only second-tier. They're much stronger than me. I learned from them."

"…"

The chaotic battle ended. Yu Ziqing pointed at the white robes.

"Don't destroy these yet. I have a question for you. Is there any danger if I go to see that Joy Lantern Priest?"

"Yes. I just counted, there are thirty-four white robes here. That Joy Lantern Priest has at least two more. A Body Cultivator like you, if he throws a white robe over you, he can control you in an instant."

"What about Er Han?"

"For him, it would be a bit more difficult. Even if he were caught, Er Han could at least run back."

Yu Ziqing nodded.

"Er Han, go do something. Take a look over at Cècè's place and ask who that person over there is. After you ask, come back immediately. If he doesn't answer, tell him you don't want to make an enemy of him, that everyone should mind their own business, give him a mountain name, and then return his white robe and let him go."

"Okay."

Er Han honestly poked his head into the Abyss of Despair. A quick glance revealed a person holding a white lantern in the distance.

"Who are you? What's your name? My brother said he doesn't want to make enemies with outsiders. Give us a mountain name, and we'll return your white robe and let you go."

The Joy Lantern Priest was already mentally unstable from Cècè's Abyss of Despair. At this moment, his face was as cold as frost, his eyes filled with killing intent. Without thinking, he waved his hand, and a white robe from his sleeve turned into a streak of light and entered Er Han.

Er Han, remembering Yu Ziqing's words, took a step back and retreated.

The Joy Lantern Priest floated in mid-air, like a ghost chasing after him. However, the moment he entered the mist, he returned to his original position.

On the other side, the instant Er Han emerged, waiting villagers went up and pinned the half-enveloped white robe to the ground.

Seeing that Er Han was unharmed, Yu Ziqing felt a lot more at ease.

"Did he not say anything? Did he get angry? Did he attack directly?"

"Yes."

"Go ask him again. Say we don't want to interact with outsiders. Ask one last time. If he still doesn't give his name, then he can wait here for the rest of his life."