I opened my eyes in the stable as if it were the most natural thing in the world and stared blankly at the ceiling. I wished I would wake up to an unfamiliar ceiling, but this one was so familiar it made me want to vomit. The only fortunate thing about this death was that it was so sudden that I only felt a sharp pain all over my body, but the agony was surprisingly not severe. When consciousness is severed too quickly, there's no time to feel pain.
As always, I checked my internal energy.
Sure enough, the coexistence of the Leilong Yiqigong and the Xiantian Gong breathing techniques was still present, and a vast, mighty internal energy, like a great river, was stirring within me. However, I couldn't feel happy this time and just lay there, stretched out.
"... I couldn't even last a year..."
Every time I left this stable, I had grand plans for my life, but I often died unexpectedly. Of course, this time it was my fault for not being able to resist my curiosity, but even so, it was too easy to die when things went wrong. Despite my martial arts reaching a level where I wouldn't be outmatched in the martial world, I still faced many dangers.
I secretly thought I had a strong will.
I've died four times already, but I haven't gone mad yet. Even now, I can dismiss death with a casual "Oh well, what can you do?" As long as I can still breathe and move, there's no need to lament. Perhaps the immense internal energy that constantly infuses my body with vitality also affects my mental state.
I calmly analyzed the reason for my death this time. I was suddenly attacked and killed by a massive monster. The martial artists who attacked me weren't a significant threat, but the monster was truly incomprehensible.
'What exactly was that monster? Who were those black-robed people?'
The reason I haven't fallen into despair is that I'm curious about the nature of those bizarre beings. To be honest, I'm so curious that I don't have time to fall into despair. Even if it's a heretical cult performing human sacrifices, why are there flute-wielding fanatics, and why are the black-robed people protecting them?
There was only one plausible answer.
'The black-robed people are the ones controlling the cult. There exists a massive organization that can mobilize a group of experts capable of handling even a Xiantian Daoist.'
They were secretly plotting something in that village, but they were caught by a Xiantian Daoist who happened to be nearby. The Xiantian Daoist, caught off guard, failed to slay the flute-wielding monster, but it was probably a shocking situation for the black-robed people as well. If the Xiantian Daoist's martial arts were a bit stronger and he remained calm, he might have killed the core figure, the flute-wielding monster.
So, when the Xiantian Daoist was searching the village for top experts, the black-robed people called in others to protect the brown-clothed flute-wielding monster. They must have been called in to "prevent the Xiantian Daoist from returning." Otherwise, it would have been impossible to block the Xiantian Daoist's attack as if they were waiting for it.
But I still don't understand.
Among the black-robed people were top and first-class experts. To be honest, the three who faced the Xiantian Daoist were no ordinary fighters. Especially the black-robed person who used sword qi, I couldn't even tell if I could defeat them. There must be a force behind the black-robed people that rivals the Nine Great Sects.
If they have the power to cultivate such experts, they must have wealth and fame that would make them prominent in the martial world. So why are they performing such evil acts like human sacrifices and causing chaos in the village? What could they possibly gain from such actions?
I sat there for a long time, pondering, and finally reached a conclusion.
'Monster. It must be the monster. They were trying to summon a monster.'
A terrifying giant monster with hundreds of eyes and tentacles!
That monster could not have been a naturally conceived and born creature. While I don't particularly like the Left Path Sect's techniques, the probability that it was a being summoned from the "other world" they speak of was high. They were using the evil technique of human sacrifice to summon a monster or something even more powerful.
In reality, the monster's power was tremendous. The Xiantian Daoist, who briefly clashed with the monster using sword qi, described it as a creature whose physical abilities were beyond the realm of living beings. Just by ramming into things, it could destroy a six-story pavilion, which was abnormal.
Perhaps the black-robed people intended to use the monster's power for something.
What should I do now?
I've already jumped into this once and died.
No, I just died a moment ago.
But despite that, I can't help but feel curious.
The evil religion, the Nian Sect, which will only become rampant decades later!
Why are they active with the black-robed people at this point?
Or are the black-robed people themselves Nian Sect officials?
Excitement welled up in me for a moment, and I stomped my feet. After a while, I calmed down and sat comfortably to think. Leaning against the wall made my mind clearer and easier to organize.
I muttered to myself.
"No. I can't."
I made a cold, rational judgment.
"This doesn't make sense. I should give up."
Of course, there is a way to foil the Nian Sect's plot.
If I just grab the Chanyan Secret Book, don't take the elixir, and run straight to the tragic village without rest, I'll have plenty of time. I'll arrive at least seven weeks earlier than originally planned, and the Xiantian Daoist won't have noticed the village's abnormality yet. The black-robed people probably haven't created the monster yet.
I just need to convince the Xiantian Daoist, confirm the village's tragedy, and assassinate the flute-wielding monster with him. This way, I believe we can successfully thwart the black-robed people's plot.
But why should I?
If I foil the black-robed people's plot, justice will be upheld in the world, and the innocent villagers who were sacrificed will have a chance to survive. However, in return, I will likely be chased by the black-robed people for the rest of my life. Being targeted by an organization that can mobilize top and first-class experts in groups is a terrifying prospect.
If I'm prepared to die, I could foil the plot and learn the Wudang Sect's secret techniques from the Xiantian Daoist. However, there's no guarantee that I'll learn the Wudang Sect's secret techniques from the Xiantian Daoist again. In the past, the Xiantian Daoist agreed to the condition because he personally confirmed the tragedy and was in a hurry.
If I offer to help the Xiantian Daoist resolve the tragedy in exchange for the Wudang Sect's secret techniques, the probability of getting beaten up and chased away is very high. I might even lose an arm if the Xiantian Daoist gets really angry.
Even if I act at the same time as before, it's not a good strategy. To foil the black-robed people's plan, I need to quickly assassinate the monster, but if I give them time, the black-robed people will likely send reinforcements, just like last time.
'Even if I just learn the secret techniques from the Xiantian Daoist and run, that's not a good idea...'
The time I spend learning from the Xiantian Daoist won't be long. It's not worth making an enemy of him just for that. If the Xiantian Daoist gives up on the village's tragedy and postpones it, I will definitely become his enemy. It's better to stay out of it from the beginning.
I made my decision.
"Let it go. This time, I need to focus on cultivation."
I thought about the reasons for my repeated failures and deaths. While curiosity and poor judgment were significant factors, the biggest reason was that I was "weak."
If I had reached the level of the Xiantian Daoist in this incident?
I could have swept away the black-robed people, taken the flute-wielding monster hostage, and safely escaped. The monsters didn't appear when I attacked the flute-wielding monster; they only appeared after the flute was played. Since the monster was almost certainly controlled by the flute-wielding monster, I could have survived if I had secured the flute-wielding monster in that desperate situation.
My current problem is that I have invincible internal energy but lack the martial arts skills to fully utilize it. Thanks to a few days of sincere guidance from the Xiantian Daoist, my skills have improved, but I'm still far from the peak. In terms of martial arts proficiency, I clearly don't match Zhen Xiaoqing.
I need to become stronger.
To do that, I need to cultivate my martial arts. I bit my lip firmly.
'From now on, I need to be prepared to die.'
The moment I decided to seriously cultivate my martial arts, my resolve changed. Before, I only intended to learn the martial arts necessary for survival, but now I'm determined to learn them "even if it means death."
This is a significant difference. It means I can use extreme methods to become stronger, which I couldn't do before because I feared death each time.