Departure

"Mountain Ghost, who are you, really? This mountain is covered by an incredibly profound formation. This is the only place it can be crossed, and yet you're here guarding it. What secrets lie behind all this?"

Yue asked in a low voice as he faced Mountain Ghost in midair.

He had now solved 1,999 boards of the Rhino Emperor Game. An ordinary mountain could never have stopped him.

But he had also discovered long ago that the mountains surrounding Bauhinia Village were extraordinary. Their ridgelines seemed to form a vast formation. Although the sky appeared perfectly normal, anyone trying to leave through the layers of mountains would be blocked by it.

That was why, despite his rapid progress over the past five years, Yue had never tried to seek out Mountain Ghost again.

The mountains around Bauhinia Village were strange everywhere, making Yue increasingly cautious. His original plan had been to test Mountain Ghost after solving the 2,000th board, but he hadn't expected Mountain Ghost to come looking for him today.

Faced with Yue's questions, Mountain Ghost remained silent. The whirlwinds surrounding him only grew more violent, and nine enormous tornadoes swept toward Shi Yan.

"So you won't talk—you'll just attack?"

Yue snorted. White light blazed from his body, and for a moment, it seemed as though two suns had appeared in the sky, dazzlingly bright.

The white light spread from Yue like sunlight, illuminating everything around him. Wherever it touched, space twisted. The tornadoes that had been rushing toward him were instantly bent into knots and shattered.

The so-called "World Authority" was the ability to wield the world's rules and draw upon its origin.

Because everyone solved the game differently, they gained different authorities. Some authorities were inherently more powerful than others, so someone who had solved fewer boards wasn't necessarily weaker than someone who had solved more. But...

"Generally speaking, if you've solved more than a hundred boards beyond your opponent, you can overwhelm them. If you're ahead by more than five hundred, then no authority, however miraculous, can turn the tables."

After easily shattering one tornado after another, Yue regarded Mountain Ghost coolly and continued, "Mountain Ghost, your authority is impressive, but it's only on the level of someone who's solved 1,500 boards of the Rhino Emperor Game... You're going to lose!"

Yue was confident. He had now mastered a World Authority called "Observation," which let him observe all things in the world, including how many boards of the Rhino Emperor Game someone had solved.

As long as his opponent wasn't more than five hundred boards ahead of him, he could determine their number. It was an extremely useful support ability.

Yue hovered in midair, protected by a translucent barrier.

Although solving five hundred endgame boards gradually improved an ordinary person's physique through World Authority, this did nothing to extend their lifespan. And compared with the authorities they wielded, their bodies were still extremely fragile. That meant they had to be especially careful to protect themselves in battle.

The difference in their authorities was so vast that Mountain Ghost was completely at Yue's mercy. In just a few moves, Yue dismantled all of Mountain Ghost's resistance.

Several ropes made of condensed light tightly bound Mountain Ghost. Yue slowly floated up in front of him, reaching to lift his hood.

He couldn't tell what the black robe was made of, but even his World Authority couldn't see through it to reveal the face beneath.

"Five years ago, you didn't kill me. I won't kill you now, either. But I will find out the truth about you and these mountains." Yue reached out and lifted the hood.

"..."

There was nothing beneath the hood. As Shi Yan lifted it, the once-bulging black robe collapsed. Before long, all that remained bound by the ropes of light was an empty garment.

Yue's eyes widened.

The outcome was completely beyond his expectations.

As Mountain Ghost vanished without a trace, Shi Yan felt a faint tremor ripple through the surrounding mountains.

Yue quickly used his World Authority to observe the formation, only to discover that the array stretching across the layers of mountains was becoming unstable.

What should he do? Should he repair the formation?

Yue hesitated briefly, then decided to stabilize it.

Mountain Ghost's strange disappearance and the unknown world beyond the mountains both made Yue uneasy. He couldn't bear the thought of Bauhinia Village being left without the protection of the formation.

"Rise!"

Yue didn't understand geomancy or formations, but he had his authority.

The rules of the world took many forms, including "Repair." By the time someone had solved as many boards of the Rhino Emperor Game as Yue, they had access to a wide range of authorities. Repair was among them; authorities related to combat were actually in the minority.

Under the influence of the rules, the formation soon stabilized. But Yue discovered that the spot where Mountain Ghost had been stationed needed something to anchor it and connect it to the rest of the formation.

Mountain Ghost had served as the anchor. Now that he had disappeared, there was nothing left to hold the formation in place.

Yue pondered briefly, then turned his gaze to the black robe bound by the ropes of light.

There was something strange about it. Perhaps it could serve as an anchor.

Of course, if it couldn't, he would have to stay there and hold the formation in place himself. Bauhinia Village had no other options, after all. Given the choice between exploring the unknown and protecting the village, Yue would put his hometown's safety first.

As he thought this over, Yue took the black robe to the cave where Mountain Ghost usually lived.

This cave was Bauhinia Village's only passage to the outside world. Mountain Ghost had always stayed near its center.

Flying deeper into the cave, Yue soon came upon a massive shrine built inside it.

At the start of each year, the villagers of Bauhinia Village would respectfully carry sacrificial livestock to the altar outside the shrine.

As for the shrine itself, no one had ever gone inside.

Yue was the first person in Bauhinia Village's recorded history to do so.

Carrying the black robe, Yue entered the shrine and saw a conspicuous throne. His World Authority also alerted him that this was the formation's core.

Yue controlled the robe and sent it flying onto the throne. A strange ripple spread through the layers of mountains, and the formation, which had been held together by the World Authority "Repair," immediately settled down.

"Marvelous. Simply marvelous."

Shi Yan marveled at it. He couldn't begin to understand the black robe's wonders. Even after using the "Truth" authority, he couldn't uncover any useful information about it.

After finishing all this, Yue returned to Bauhinia Village. He also prepared to say goodbye to his fellow villagers and explore the outside world.

"Xiao Yan, do you really have to go?"

Early the next morning, after saying goodbye to the villagers, Xi Yun accompanied Yue alone to the cave leading outside.

"Sister Yun, I keep feeling like something out there is calling to me. I won't be at ease unless I go and see what it is." Yue furrowed his brow as he spoke.

But when he saw the worry on his older sister's face, Yue quickly smiled. "Don't worry, Sister Yun. I'm not who I was five years ago, and I won't be gone long. Well... five years at most. I'll be back in five years, at the latest."

Yue promised her with complete conviction.

Xi Yun listened, then finally managed to set aside some of her worries. She smiled and said, "Then it's a promise. If you haven't come back in five years, I won't let you off! Don't think I can't deal with you just because I'm an ordinary person."

"How could I dare? You're my sister, after all." Yue grinned and pretended to surrender.

"All right. You're grown up, but you still can't be serious... It's getting late. If you're going to explore, don't waste any more time. Go on, and remember to take good care of yourself." Xi Yun gave him one reminder after another.

"I know, Sister Yun. Don't worry."

With that, Yue hurried into the cave. Xi Yun watched his figure grow fainter and fainter until he disappeared into the darkness.

"..."

With Yue gone, Xi Yun seemed to reach a decision of her own. When she returned to the village, she went straight to the Old Temple.

Meanwhile, Yue had no idea what his sister was planning.

Once inside the cave, Yue used his authority to speed up and soon made it through.

"I'm out."

Stepping from the cave, Yue gazed into the distance, full of anticipation.

An endless stretch of lush, primeval forest lay before him. It looked perfectly ordinary.

"..."

Yue wasn't even sure what he had been expecting. After the brief surge of excitement passed, he waved his hand and shifted a huge boulder over to block the cave entrance. He also controlled the vegetation, making it grow around the area.

In no time, the conspicuous entrance had vanished, as though there had never been a cave there.

Satisfied, Yue brushed off his hands, rose into the air, and flew toward the horizon.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."

Yue sped through the lush primeval forest, startling countless birds and beasts along the way, but he showed no sign of slowing down.

The primeval forest was enormous. Even at Yue's flying speed, it took him three days to cross it.

As for Teleportation, it consumed a tremendous amount of energy. With the number of boards he had solved, he still couldn't use it to travel long distances for an extended period.

"With a primeval forest this huge, the chances of anyone finding their way to the village must be tiny." Yue glanced back at the endless forest behind him, feeling somewhat reassured.

After leaving the forest, Yue soon came across a city.

He frowned and muttered to himself, "I should find out what's going on first."

As he spoke, he quietly descended into the city from a secluded corner. He refrained from using his World Authority on a large scale.

He knew nothing about the world beyond the mountains. If someone here possessed greater World Authority, then making such a commotion would be no different from deliberately drawing their attention.

The city seemed rather chaotic. Its streets were filthy, and quite a few people who looked like soldiers were patrolling them.

Nearly all the homes and shops lining the streets had their doors tightly shut, making the place seem desolate. The few restaurants and inns that remained open had guards at their entrances who looked strong and capable.

"..."

Walking along the filthy streets, Yue couldn't help frowning.

Before he could learn anything more, the sound of galloping hooves came from a distance. "Everyone, report to the city walls and stand by!"

A mounted messenger charged recklessly down the street. Yue stepped aside to avoid the large horse, while the soldiers began discussing the news in small groups.

"Go to the city walls? Does that mean the monsters are here?"

"Could they really be coming? I heard the capital's already fallen. How could we possibly hold them off?"

Many of the soldiers were visibly panicked.

"What are you talking about? The capital's one thing, but Guan Town is a little backwater. Even if monsters come, they'll only be small fry. With Master Sun here, we'll be fine."

A small-time officer who seemed to be a squad leader stepped forward and scolded them.

The soldiers exchanged glances. At last, they calmed down a little and followed their squad leader toward the city walls.

"Monsters?"

Yue was puzzled, but quietly followed them anyway.