After several months of study, Zhao Li could finally match the characters to their sounds and meanings.
He recalled the two towering Stone Pillars in front of the Ruins' main hall, with the two lines of large characters carved on them.
Though Zhao Li didn't understand their meaning, he could feel a vast and imposing aura, a spirit that looked down upon the universe.
Zhao Li deciphered the characters on the Stone Pillars, and his heart filled with joy.
Breaking down this text confirmed for him that this place and the Ruins outside were indeed connected and from the same lineage.
Zhao Li continued his attempts. The texts written on the Stone Shelves were "Historical Miscellany", "Condensing Qi", "Gathering Qi", and so on, which were precisely the library classifications.
Zhao Li felt it was a pity, not knowing where the documents on the Stone Shelves had gone. Otherwise, he might have learned many ancient secrets.
After deciphering the characters he had noted down earlier, Zhao Li grew even more curious.
These Ruins should contain a powerful legacy.
Shaking his head, Zhao Li stopped thinking about it. He had already been here for half a year. Aside from the matter of the Emperor Lord, Zhao Li felt he had explored most of what there was.
Since he had learned the written and spoken language of this world, it was time to see other places. He planned to leave temporarily.
He already knew there were many such villages in this world, with towns above the villages, and an Imperial Court above the towns.
Since there were other places, Zhao Li naturally wanted to see them. At the very least, Zhao Li still didn't have any information about the Black Mist.
However, Zhao Li soon found that the village was different from its previous leisurely state; the villagers had all started getting busy. Upon asking, he learned that the five-yearly Sacrifice was about to begin.
Zhao Li's heart stirred. His luck was good; he could still encounter the Sacrifice. He figured he might learn something about the Emperor Lord then.
Zhao Li put aside the matter of leaving temporarily. He chose to stay and prepare with the villagers.
And this preparation took more than ten days, finally leading to the Sacrifice.
On this day, everyone in the village put down what they were doing and gathered outside the Ancestral Hall.
The village elder, along with a few younger generation members, were chanting inside the Ancestral Hall.
It was both a Sacrifice to the Emperor Lord and a transmission of heritage to the young people.
Zhao Li heard clearly that the mumbling words were nothing more than telling the Emperor Lord they hadn't forgotten their ancestral teachings and praying for the Emperor Lord's protection.
And he finally learned the Emperor Lord's name: "Primordial Spirit Emperor."
Zhao Li's heart skipped a beat, and he finally understood.
This Emperor Lord was likely truly a Dou Di, and these people were probably the Dou Di Descendants.
No wonder they were so powerful.
Having understood some things, Zhao Li became even more confused. This Pocket World had likely existed for countless years, so why was there still a legacy here?
One must know that the most recent Dou Di was ten thousand years ago, and there were only eight Dou Di families whose lineage had continued to this day.
Of course, the Sacrifice wouldn't stop because of the doubts in Zhao Li's heart.
Soon, after sacrificing to the Emperor Lord, the villagers of age were called forward one by one to make a choice before the Emperor Lord Statue: whether to leave the village to resist external enemies or to stay in the village, guarding the Emperor Lord and ensuring the legacy continued.
Some chose to leave, wanting to go to the town, to the Imperial Court, while others chose to stay in the village.
Many people had also left the village, but none of them had ever returned.
Zhao Li had thought this matter wouldn't involve him, but he was still called by the village elder.
Zhao Li had watched how the people before him did it. Now, he imitated them, walking to the base of the statue and standing still.
The village elder, as before, mumbled for a while, then looked at Zhao Li and asked:
"To travel outside and eliminate enemies, or to stay and guard the Emperor Lord and cultivate successors, Ling Li, what is your choice?"
Zhao Li didn't answer. He stood there in a daze.
Just now, he had heard a sigh.
Zhao Li had originally planned to come up, go through the motions, and then take this opportunity to choose to leave and go elsewhere.
A mysterious and complex sigh sounded in Zhao Li's ear. Along with it came a contradictory emotion, with relief, anger, and some disappointment, very complex.
Zhao Li saw that the people around him showed no abnormality, as if they hadn't heard the sigh. His body stiffened, and his hair stood on end.
This voice came from within his soul.
He instantly looked towards that mass of Black Mist. It was still surrounded by the Flame, with nothing unusual, but Zhao Li knew that only it could emit a sigh that only he could hear.
And he had heard the sigh only after the person presiding over the Sacrifice had finished communicating. It seemed as though it was responding.
Zhao Li couldn't help but think:
Is it the Emperor Lord? Or part of the Emperor Lord?
"Ling Li, what do you choose? If you go out, you must be prepared to sacrifice yourself at any time."
The village elder asked again, pulling Zhao Li back to his senses.
Zhao Li temporarily put aside the sigh. His investigation had yielded no results.
Hearing the village elder ask again, Zhao Li answered straightforwardly:
"I want to go out."
Zhao Li put aside his sigh for the moment; his probing had yielded nothing.
Hearing the elder ask again, Zhao Li replied straightforwardly:
"I want to leave."
Zhao Li had already intended to leave. Now that the sacrifice was complete and there had been no further activity after that sigh, Zhao Li grew even more eager to understand what it was.
Hearing Zhao Li's answer, the elder didn't say much, simply nodded, made a note, and moved on to the next person.
After that, Zhao Li didn't hear any more strange sounds.
When everyone of age had been asked and made their choices, the elder gathered them together and said solemnly:
"Too much time has passed. We no longer know who the enemies the Emperor Lord spoke of were, nor where they were defeated. But it has always been this way; the meaning of our existence is to ensure the Emperor Lord's legacy continues, to train warriors for the Emperor Lord, ready to be summoned at any time to defend against external enemies. When you go out, do not disgrace the Emperor Lord's prestige."
The next day, the few who chose to leave departed the village together and headed towards the town.
Zhao Li still followed them. Regardless, he didn't know the way, and it was easier to do things by following familiar people.
Following the large group, it took them over half a month to finally enter the town.
Looking at the city, which was no different from the outside world except for the fluttering banners on the city walls, patrolling guards, and extremely strict defenses, Zhao Li could feel a strong sense of solemnity and readiness for battle.
Zhao Li frowned. This scene felt like a state of war, where the people within the city could enter combat at any moment.
Zhao Li's soul swept through the town. Although it was large, the population was not high, but the people within it were generally stronger.
Although it was a town, it was more like an alliance formed by selecting elites from several villages.
Sensing this state of readiness where they could enter combat at any time, Zhao Li couldn't help but become curious about their enemies.
At the city gate, Ling Poshan presented the unique proof issued by the city to each village, only then being allowed to enter the city.
"Shanzi, you're here! I knew you'd come."
Upon entering the city, a tall young man of about thirty came forward to greet them. He was someone who had left the village previously.
Ling Poshan greeted him and brought Zhao Li and the others in with him.
In Zhao Li's perception, there was a presence close to Dou Sect within the city, several Dou Emperors, and the rest were Dou Kings. The young man was a Dou King.
"There should be more complete inheritances here, so is the Imperial Court even stronger?"
Zhao Li couldn't help but think.
Upon arriving in the city, they immediately completed the procedures. From then on, they were also city guards and had to train with others, always ready.
As expected, the training here was more advanced, but it was in the same vein as in the village.
Zhao Li stayed for three days. This place was no longer like the village with all sorts of things happening. The people here spent their days patrolling, training, and preparing for battle.
During these days, besides learning that people from other villages were almost the same as those from where he came from, Zhao Li didn't discover anything else. He even knew less than he did in the village.
Zhao Li was assigned to a team and was patrolling with them. Zhao Li couldn't understand why this was necessary; there were clearly no enemies here.
"Woo—"
A sharp horn sounded. Zhao Li knew this was the signal for emergency assembly.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read 666+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------