Chapter 38: Modern Times, Ancient Roads

nto a fierce climax. The atmosphere crackled with impending doom, like a storm gathering on the horizon.Jiang Wang didn't want to get involved in this big mess, so he decided to leave early.Of course...The sound of a bell, dingling and clanging, brought a ripple of life to the gray sky. But it quickly vanished into the endless haze. Nothing seemed to have changed, yet a change had undeniably occurred.

Have you ever seen a camel from the wild

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Or...

What's up

In the language of the grasslands, it represents the meaning of "tenacity". Of course, in the grassland language system which has blended with divine language and the languages of various primitive tribes, it only expresses "tenacity" when attached to a specific noun.

When it stands alone, it is a unique ranking, referring only to this kind of camel—

They are silent, with steadfast brown eyes.

There is no hair.

The outer layer was black and wrinkled, not at all supple, like tanned leather. Soldiers who patrolled the borderlands would sharpen their blades directly on it.

Within its towering humps, it stores vast quantities of food and water—sometimes even resorted to by desperate warriors who carve into them for sustenance. Food and water are secondary, however. What truly matters is the vital essence contained within—the life force.

Human cultivators used soul stones to resist the omnipresent resistance and erosion in the desert. Udtuna didn't need them; Udtuna could produce its own soul force that countered the desert, which also proved that Udtuna belonged to the human race rather than the demon race.

The life of a demon, is not afraid of that "desiccation," for they are already part of it. All demonic life activities, along with the environment, form this "desiccation."

Idle warhorses never crossed the line between life and death, nor entered the desolate wasteland. Even mighty demon steeds, upon entering this place, require the power of a soul stone to withstand the environment.

"Udotna" is the most common pack animal here.

For millennia, they have borne the burden of humankind, marching time and again into the desolate depths. They are chariots and sustenance, armor and comrades-in-arms.

>Older than an old ox.

Unless absolutely necessary, no one would be willing to harm the Udu.

To have one's hump split open meant the final, desperate hour for many warriors. On the steppe, this act was called "Yi Che," describing the act of cutting open a hump, but it signified "suicide." And it was a glorious suicide, an undignified one could not be expressed as "Yi Che."

The day Jiang Wang arrived at the desolate border, it was said that a rain had just passed, and the air had the metallic tang of rust. Jiang Wang strongly suspected that the rain here was not water, but blades.

Yuwendu told him, "About that."

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Jiang Wang asked again, "What's the rain like here"

Yuwen Duo only said, wait until the day it rains, you will know.

After that, Jiang Wang kept waiting for the rain.

A procession of dozens of ox-drawn carts, bearing nearly a thousand herdsmen warriors, emerged from the hazy mist. The winding serpent of wagons was a faint line stretched across history.

The borderland has always been a place Jiang Wang wanted to visit, not just because it was where Zhao Ruchen had fought with his life.

Including Bianhuang, including Yuyuan, including the Immortal Extinction Forest, including the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons... he wanted to see, experience, and feel every dangerous place where the human race fought against threats.

Extraordinary power, extraordinary courage, extraordinary responsibility.

This is his innermost, naive understanding of the practice.

Therefore, he has always been more lenient towards ordinary people than towards cultivators. This is not only because cultivators possess greater destructive power, but also because, “Those who wield power bear the responsibility.”

This understanding was first established by Zu Guanglie.

This desolate place, the front line between humans and demons, is where Zhao Rucheng and Zuo Guanglie had fought.

Jing Mu and Liang Guo's armies amassed on the front line, launching assault after assault against the demonic tide for years on end.

On this land, how many heroes and heroines, how many epic sagas of bravery, how many heroic elegies.

Since we're here in the grasslands, how could we not visit the barren lands nearby

Remember history, don't ignore the future.

At this very moment, Jiang Wang stood at the edge of life and death, just as he saw a group of "Demon Hunters" returning.

On one side, there are grasslands stretching as far as the eye can see, while on the other, grey sand fills the air.

Life and death, passion and desolation, in the world, a line is drawn so clearly between them.

This feeling is so desolate, and at the edge of desolation, a spark of ancient heat arises.

This boundary line, this is the demarcation drawn by humankind for this world. It was carved by generation after generation of human warriors, with iron blood and steel swords, in this cruel world.

Here, on the line of life and death, there is endless slaughter and blood that never dries.

After the boundary of life and death, there is an endless expanse of fertile land, inhabited by billions upon billions of human beings.

But what lies beyond the line of life and death

Here is the translation:

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Where are those passages connecting the myriad tombs of countless heroes, those paths leading into the endless depths of shifting sands, to the desolate and boundless realm of the Great Burial Ground What do they look like

Jiang Wang stood with his sword drawn, his eyes blazing with the fiery essence of yang. They seemed to stretch on forever.

Uwen Duo and the returning monster hunter talked loudly about their harvest. Jiang Wang kept a respectful distance, listening quietly, indicating respect with a side-leaning posture.

The two nations of Jingmu have never ceased their advance into the depths of the desert. On one hand, they need to kill a large number of yin demons and accumulate soul stones to prepare war resources for future resistance against the demonic tide. On the other hand, this continuous demon hunting action can also effectively reduce the intensity of the demonic tide.

However, demons are not pigs or dogs that can be slaughtered at will. Demon hunters often have to pay a greater price than the demons themselves.

This is a sample text.

There's a very famous question on the prairie——

Why is this end of the lifeline covered in lush green grass

And everyone knows the answer.

Because too many people have poured their blood and sweat into it.

Even in the height of divine power, this remained an issue on the boundless prairie that was never touched by divine light.

“Do you really not want to come in with me” Wu Wen Duo asked after exchanging information about the surrounding area with the witcher squad.

Jiang Wang just smiled.

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“Well,” Yuwen Duo shrugged, “I’m a burden.”

"Don't say that about yourself." Jiang Wang comforted, "You're just a little weak."

Yuwen Duo:

Jiang Wang looked out at the haze, as if seeing a blurry shadow of a gray vulture. He said casually, "Don't make the atmosphere so heavy. So many people can enter Bianhuang, what problem do I have"

"Hunting demons is a very dangerous thing, especially to do alone... I know saying this is useless, but I have to say it anyway. Lest you become a victim and blame me after you leave the pass."

Jiang Wang turned her head to look at him and smiled. "Should I write you a disclaimer, saying that I entered the Border Wilderness entirely of my own volition and have nothing to do with you, and that you've tried your best to dissuade me"

"That's even better," said Yuwen Du, taking out paper and pen.

Jiang Wang truly wrote him a letter of exemption, stating that he voluntarily ventured into the remote borderlands and had no connection with anyone.

It's not all a joke.

If something really happened to him, with such a disclaimer, it wouldn't affect the relationship between Qi Mu.

And the fact that he could write such a disclaimer is enough to show that his trip was not a sudden burst of madness, but that he truly had a clear understanding of the dangers of the wasteland.

Yuwendu said: "Actually, you don't have to come. No one would blame you. Originally, you were on a diplomatic mission, and the responsibility wasn't yours. I know you have a great reputation overseas and have killed many sea creatures in the Demon Realm."

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"Just treat it as me cultivating." Jiang Wang only said.

Yuwen Duo thought for a moment, then said: "The troops here on the frontline have their own defenses and cannot be moved easily. But I will stay here and coordinate a reserve force to come over. If anything unexpected happens, remember to retreat back. I will provide support as soon as possible."

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated! I can handle a variety of languages.

Then, thank you.

Let me know if you have other text you'd like translated!

“Do you need any further assistance Cloud Lord granted me great authority.”

"Give me a map, give me a sack of soulshards, and give me a black camel." Jiang Wang only said: "I will be back before the succession ceremony begins."

Compared to "Uduna", Jiang Wang prefers to call it a black camel.

After all, the prairie language wasn't sufficiently direct for someone like him who hailed from the Western Frontier and had been residing in the Eastern Territories.

On the brink of death, Yu Wen Duo bid farewell to Jiang Wang.

Watching the lone man and his camel, they grew smaller and smaller as they disappeared into the haze, like a flicker of light in the world being swallowed by darkness—just like during those times he stood on the front lines, each farewell to Zhao Rucheng.

He thought that Da Qi's Wu Anhou would say something like "the righteousness of the human race," and he was also willing to believe those words, at least when someone like Jiang Wang said them, it wouldn't feel so insincere.

But Jiang Wang said nothing, only calling this “cultivation”.

Yuwen Duo, on the contrary, felt that cultivation was a more meaningful pursuit. Whether it was killing thieves, serving the country, or protecting humanity, none of these could be accomplished simply by talking about them. Those who constantly spout about benevolence, righteousness, morality, and the well-being of all beings, and who constantly demand that others reflect... have they truly done anything for this world

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Walk down-to-earth, with enough strength, you naturally have the qualification to realize your ideals.

He also needs to work hard on his cultivation.

I will never go to Shennong Temple again.

After some more thought, Yuwen Tuo changed his mind—

Stay away for at least five days.

As for five days later

In five days I'll definitely be back at the royal court, we can talk then!

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring... Jiang Wang rode on the camel, swaying as he made his way deeper into the desert.

One person, one sword, one camel. Dressed in blue, he traveled far away, and it was quite dashing—if not for the swirling sand and rocks before him.

When I was still close to the edge of life and death, I didn't feel it. But now that I have reached this point, the feeling of being rejected and ostracized by the whole world is very obvious.

The mortal realm is the human world, that much is undeniable. However, here, it doesn't seem quite so accurate.

To say that the barren land is a demon realm isn't entirely wrong.

Or, is it part of the invasion of the world by the Desolate Mausoleums

As for knowledge on this matter, Jiang Wang still had some shortcomings. After all, it involved the very foundations of the world, and he hadn't been qualified to touch upon it before.

Now he could feel it, an intangible, "arid" power, relentlessly eroding his flesh and soul.

Even if one's physical body is made of gold and jade, even if their spiritual power has been refined into a spiritual consciousness, they would still be shaken by this "dryness."

Fortunately, they were all neutralized by the soul stones they carried on their bodies.

Jiang Wang believes that there is a rule-level exchange, but for him at the moment, he still has some distance to understand the rules, so he can't see clearly.

There were enough Soul Stones, so to not miss the ceremony, he only planned to stay in the desert for five days. Uwen Du had prepared enough supplies for a month's worth of consumption.

The udon, walking slowly on the sand, didn't seem to feel any pressure, it was free and easy.

Over the long years, it has already evolved a body and soul adapted to this land.

Actually, all life in the world has its tenacious part.

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The tender blades of grass can grow in the crevices of rocks. Even in this desolate desert filled with death, there are sand scorpions hidden beneath the sand. It recklessly emerged, wanting to attack Wudu, but it was killed by Jiang Wang with a flick of his finger.

Thinking about this, Jiang Wang couldn't help but wonder—if there were no Soul Stones, no extraordinary cultivators, and only ordinary people lived here, after a massive number of deaths, would they not naturally evolve into something else

Just as fish entering the vast ocean gradually undergo changes, so too have the sea creatures evolved into a completely different race.

Of course, no one dares to do such an experiment.

Knock, knock.

A creature with one foot a thick, gnarled hoof and the upper half two withered chicken claws, atop which sat an illusory human skull, its belly bulging, came bounding towards them from afar.

The hooves of the cow trampling on the sandy ground sounded like an exciting drumbeat.

With a piercing shriek that was snatched and torn by the wind, its mouth emitted an unsettling sound.

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Jiang Wang silently gazed.

The steed he rode, a udtuna, was also calm and continued to walk at a leisurely pace. This black camel, which Yuwen Tuo had brought from his own ranks, was certainly no stranger to the world.

This is a test.

The monster before him was no stranger to Jiang Wang. He had already seen it at the bottom of Qingjiang River.

The Yin Demon doesn't have a fixed form, taking on millions of strange appearances. Seeing two identical ones would be considered a kind of fate.

At that time, when he saw the monster, an instinctive fear arose within him. Now, upon seeing it again, the instinctual emotion that remains is merely disgust.

>It has nothing to do with bravery, this is the essence of life's ascension.

Or, even... before the arrival of the Gods, was humanity's essence inherently weaker than that of demons

This kind of judgment, this kind of understanding, is called Jiang being puzzled.

Of course, it won't affect his fighting.

>

The body of the Yin Demon is real and touchable, but its head is illusory and ever-changing.

This skull sometimes resembles a human, sometimes an animal, it is strange and varied.

At this moment, it was as if I hadn't eaten for days, running frantically this way and that, kicking up dust.

As it drew closer, it suddenly froze.

It screamed in agony, but no sound came out.

And then, starting from the hoof, a flame was slowly kindled. The fire spread at a slow pace, but with time, it gradually engulfed its entire body. Through this languid process, it was finally consumed by the flames.

Only a shriveled humanoid skull remained, lying on the sand.

Another gust of flames surged forward, and the head vanished once again.

The reason for using the True Fire of Samadhi, rather than other means, was naturally to supplement one's knowledge. Demon slaying is a long-term endeavor. To kill quickly and effectively, one must first understand "demons." Their composition, their life forms, every part of their physical bodies...

Jiang Wang silently felt the flames, saying nothing.

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A horned oni, with a sinister grin, shot out from the ground, its claws slashing towards the black camel's hooves —

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Tap.

Both paws were cut off.

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Then the whole body was shattered, leaving behind a unicorn skull.

The sword light flashed and vanished.

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Jiang Wang casually gestured, picking up the Yin Demon's head and examining it for a moment before tossing it into the bag hanging from the side of the black camel.

As I ventured deeper, the Yin Demon appeared with increasing frequency.

At first, they attacked individually. Later, they formed groups of three or five. Then, there were dozens, even hundreds... On one occasion, nearly two hundred Yin Demons surrounded and attacked me together.

In the harsh environment of the desert, human cultivators' perceptions were severely suppressed. Jiang Wang was also trapped in the encirclement before he realized his predicament.

Of course, hundreds of ants still can't kill a human.

Jiang Wang tried tirelessly with swordsmanship, Taoist arts, or divine powers — many attempts failed, but the bag of demonic heads kept growing.

He is learning more and more about "magic".

The more you understand, the more confusion arises.

>

No matter how far he delved or what hunting methods he employed, there were no anguished cries of the Shadow Demons. He also attempted to control the power of sound under the unique rules of the Wastelands.

War never ceases, and cultivation is constant.

The black camel continued to walk slowly, its footprints forming a long line.

Modern people, ancient times road.

Last year's sandstorm, next year's sandstorm.

Though people change, they remain the same in essence.

For a very long time, on this route, there was only the sound of jingling, jingling. Its sound was melodious and not lonely.

Because at the edge of that wind and sand, there are countless... echoes across time.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!tains. The art of language is taken to such a level!Actions speak louder than words.Jiang Wang had every reason to suspect that this man wanted to silence him. But who was Jiang WangIt's not wrong to...