Nighttime, atop a high mountain peak. A majestic youth, draped in a cloak made of black bear hide, came to stand behind Yang Zicang. Together, they looked toward the comet that had appeared in the sky.
黑夜，高山顶峰，一名身披黑熊皮所作披风的威武青年来到杨子藏身后，一起看向天际出现的那枚彗星。
“Attendant, the lord appointed by the Chief has offered a new wife as tribute. The giver is the leader of the White Wild Tribe in the north. That woman’s village no longer exists.”
“侍者大人，被首席册封的领主又为他上供了新的妻子，献供者是北方白野部落的首领，那女人的村子已经不存在了。”
The night wind rippled, cold air lingering in the forest. Yang Zicang, clad in thin clothes, seemed oblivious to the biting chill.
夜风荡漾，寒气萦绕林间，杨子藏身穿单薄的衣服却恍若不觉这逼人寒气。
“The next book is at this location. Go find its owner, and wait there for the arrival of the Undying King.”
“下一本书在这个位置，你去寻找它的拥有者，然后在那里等不死之王的到来。”
Yang Zicang handed him a piece of hide and a gold coin, which served as both a token and a reward.
杨子藏递给他一份兽皮，以及一枚作为信物与奖励的金币。
“Understood.” Wu Zheng took the gold coin and the hide marked with a route map, standing silently behind this man.
“是。”武正接过金币与画着路线图的兽皮后，安静的站在这人身后。
His reports never received direct responses from this man, yet he was never stopped from speaking.
自己的汇报，这位男人从来就不会正面回复，但也不会阻止自己的讲述。
“Has your sister recovered from her illness?”
“你姐姐的病好了吗。”
Hearing this lord take the initiative to speak, the cold young man revealed a hint of genuine smile, humming an affirmation while nodding.
听到这位大人主动开口，这冷酷青年露出些许发自内心的笑容，嗯了声点点头。
“That’s good.”
“真好。”
“I want to give her a gold coin.”
“我想给她一枚金币。”
“Of course you can.” Yang Zicang’s figure vanished on the spot.
“当然可以。”杨子藏身影消失在原地。
The young man no longer found this unusual. He looked up at the sky and stars, clenching his right fist.
对此这位青年已经见怪不怪了，他抬头看向苍穹与星空，握紧右拳。
The Chief’s follower had lost the essence of his pursuit. He and his fellow disciples were determined not to fall behind such a man.
首席追随者已经失去了追随的初心，自己以及与自己一同修行的这些兄弟姐妹们，决定不能落于这种人之后。
He took a deep breath, stepping forward, gazing at the thousand-meter cliff below.
他深吸口气，往前走去，看向下方的千米悬崖。
“For this challenge, reach the ground within three minutes, or slaughter a thousand ivory dragons.”
“这次的挑战是，三分钟之内到达地面，否则就猎杀一千头齿龙兽。”
He leaped off the cliff, landing firmly on a protruding rock a few meters down, then shot himself toward the other side.
他一个纵身从悬崖落下，几米后双脚稳稳踏在块突出的岩石上，身子一窜射向另一边。
……
……
The chief of the Sanctum Order led a mighty army in launching their campaign.
圣殿团的首席率领威武大军开始出动。
Their ancient scriptures had recorded countless experiences of coping with such situations, which he himself had successfully applied sixty-one years ago.
他们古老的圣典上已经记载过无数次的应对经验，六十一年前自己也成功将之运用过。
Yet every time, they faced greater challenges, as the past few decades had given rise to many new things.
可每一次都会遇到更大的挑战，因为这几十年会制造出许多许多新东西。
Houses, tools, clothing, or even discarded trash thrown who knows where—all of these could breed demons, unless a city completely ceased to develop and remained permanently within those old, hard, dark-red houses.
房屋、器具、衣物，乃至于废弃的不知丢到哪里的垃圾，它们都能孕育出恶魔，除非城市完全不发展，一直住在那些古老的坚硬暗红房屋中。
In this town where the leader personally led the expedition, shadows began to emerge as the surrounding warriors raised their heads with sharp eyes.
这一座首领亲征的小镇内，暗影开始诞生，周围的勇士们目光炯炯的抬头。
“Be prepared, children.”
“孩子们，做好准备。”
Zaguda, whose hair was just starting to gray, declared in a loud voice, standing beside him were his offspring, who looked to be in their forties or fifties.
头发开始花白的扎古达朗声道，身旁是几位年纪看上去四五十岁的子嗣。
“Will the Undead King come this time?”
“不死之王这次会来吗？”
That was what everyone wanted to know.
这是所有人想知道的。
Within the Sanctum, the new warriors could now only glimpse the figure of that person through saint statues and ancient texts.
圣殿内的新勇士们，已经只能从圣像与典籍上才能见到那个人的相貌。
Were it not for the living Saint-Granted one right there on the bay horse beside them, they might have doubted whether this person really existed.
要不是身边的骏马上就坐着活生生的圣赐者，他们都快要怀疑是不是真的存在这个人了。
Some years ago, it was rumored that the Undead King was a code name for a group of people.
在好些年前，有人传过不死之王是一群人的代号。
Others said there was an ancient family with mysterious bloodlines who intermarried, which made them look alike, so each generation that came seemed the same but was, in fact, different.
也有人说，那是一个拥有神秘血脉的古老家族，他们内部通婚，因此长相相近，每一代来的看似一样，实则不同。
There were also rumors that the Undying King had abandoned the temple, but soon the makers of these rumors would be skinned, their tendons pulled out, and hung on wooden racks to roast.
还有传言道，不死之王已经放弃了圣殿，但马上这些声音的制造者就会被剥皮抽筋，挂在木架上烤。
Yet the more this happened, the more such rumors proliferated, especially during droughts or floods, when they surged with particular intensity. These warriors of the temple looked forward to the arrival of that year; they wanted to know whether the King was truly here or had already departed.
但越是这样，这种传言就越来越多，每当干旱或洪涝的时候，尤其巨盛。这些圣殿的战士们期待着这一年的到来，他们想知道，王到底是在这里，还是已经离开。
Boom!
轰隆！
A new building shattered, not exploding outward but collapsing inward, forming a dark red shadow.
一间新房屋破碎，却不是向外爆破，而是向内坍缩，形成个暗红黑影。
The horses startled, rearing high with their front legs.
马儿受惊高高扬起前腿。
Boom! Boom! Roaring winds howled as more and more fiends emerged.
轰轰！狂风呼啸，越来越多的恶魇诞生。
“Charge!”
“冲啊！”
Countless people raised their sacred weapons, roaring, and rushed fearlessly toward these demonic creatures.
无数人举起手中圣器，大吼着，舍生忘死地冲向这些魔物身前。
The great battle raged day and night in the evacuated town.
大战在疏散的城镇里持续整日整夜。
Zaguda dreamed of once again receiving the Undying King’s reward in this battle, so he fought with exceptional zeal. Despite his advanced age, with twice-renewed life, he was strong of bone and sinew, capable of facing dozens of enemies single-handedly.
扎古达梦想着能在此战中再度收获不死之王的赏赐，因此格外卖力。拥有两度生命的他哪怕已经迟暮，但筋骨强健，一人独战数十人不在话下。
Over the past few months, he had galloped across countless regions like the legendary Undying King; he wanted to emulate the King’s crossing of the continent, save every place, accumulate more merits, and gain a third youth.
几个月来，他已经如传说中的不死之王般驰骋无数区域，他想尽力效仿王横穿大陆，拯救每一个地方，立下更多功劳，第三次年轻。
Yet as the army advanced, more and more news reached his ears—there was another group doing the very same things as the temple!
可随着大军的前进，越来越多的消息出现在他耳畔——有另一支队伍在做着跟圣殿一样的事！
And those people were masters of martial arts, unbeatable.
而且那些人武技高强，无人可挡。
The more he heard, the more shocked he became.
越听他越是心惊。
Finally, before winter arrived, the Temple army reached another great city in the eastern part of the continent.
终于在冬季到来前，圣殿军队来到大陆东边另一座大城。
Outside the city lay a sea of placed items, stretching as far as the eye could see.
城外有着如海般被放置出来的物品。
There were various jars and dye vats, weaving shuttles, wooden frames, tables, chairs, benches, and thousands of arrow shafts. Black, menacing demons scurried amidst the gaseous waves.
各种罐子与染缸，织布用的梭机，木架，桌椅板凳以及成千上万的箭苗，黑压压的恶魔窜梭在气浪中。
Both sides of the conflict were advancing their lines with lives as the price.
征战的双方都在用生命推进着他们的阵线。
Above, thousands of demons resembling garments yet moving freely and emitting eerie, illusory sounds—each burst of gray mist causing someone to scream and twist into scattered, bloody tendrils of flesh.
天空上如同衣物，却能自如行动，发出咿呀幻声的恶魔成千上万，灰雾每一次喷涌都有人惨叫着变成扭曲的血肉藤蔓般散开。
Amid the countless troops, an old man on a white horse cleaved through a wooden-born demon charging at him. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned his gaze toward the distance.
万军丛中，白马上的老人一刀劈开冲来的诞生自木头的恶魔，忽然他若有所感，转头看向远方。
At the opposite end of the battlefield, a group of people was rapidly partitioning the demons’ territory.
战场的另一端，有群人正快速分割着恶魔的领地。
Countless warriors of the Holy Temple corps also took notice.
无数圣殿团的勇士们也发现了。
They watched in awe at how those dozen or so individuals could slay vast numbers of the swarming, rain-like demon shadows that tore through the sky.
他们震撼的看着那边十几人就能斩杀成片划破长空蜂拥而至的如雨魔影。
Facing that golden wave of energy, these locust-like demons fell in droves, becoming sealed sacred relics.
面对那金色气浪，这些仿若蝗虫般的恶魔成片掉落在地，成为被封印的圣物。
Among this group, there were individuals who had defied the Holy Temple in recent years!
这只队伍中，竟然有这些年来忤逆圣殿之徒！
For instance, the somewhat grizzled, robust man who, five years ago, had slain a noble appointed by the Temple.
比如那已经胡须略有斑白的健硕男人，五年前，他竟然斩杀了一位册封的领主。
There was another figure carrying a wooden staff who once singlehandedly slaughtered a patrol team of over thirty people, seizing the annual grain and serfs!
还有另一个手持木杖的家伙，他曾经一个人就屠了三十多人的巡视队，劫走了岁粮与奴仆！
At this moment, the vigorous man with graying hair on the opposite side, a defiant rebel, wielded his longsword like a god of swords amidst a horde of demons.
此刻对面那长发花白的健硕忤逆之徒舞动长剑，宛若万魔丛中的剑神。
As the golden waves faded, the chief follower on the white horse caught sight of the young figure appearing in the distance.
金浪散去，白马上的首席追随者瞧见远方出现的那道年轻身影。
With a buzzing in his ears, Zaguda felt as if the sky had collapsed.
嗡的下，扎古达感觉天都塌了。
In the distance, the young man calmly looked up, his gaze crossing a thousand meters to meet his eyes.
远方的年轻人平静抬头，目光跨过千米与之相对。
It was like a sudden crack of thunder.
仿佛惊雷炸现。
Zaguda stared in shock at that person, that supreme being.
扎古达震撼的看着那人，那位至高存在。
One who had walked the earth time and again since ancient times… he was now leading a new host…!
从远古就一次次行走在大地上之人…他正带领着新的队伍…！
Vigorous and daring warriors surrounded the king on all sides.
充满朝气的勇武之人围绕在王的左右。
Zaguda seemed to see, across thousands of years, the legendary “Cleansing Band” that had repeatedly crossed continents since the barbaric age.
扎古达仿佛透过数千年时光，看到了曾经传说中的，自野蛮时代便一次次横跨大陆的“清理队”。
Clang!
铛！
A demonic arrow-shaped shadow flew at him from behind; the old man’s splendid sword slipped from his grip and fell under the horse. He felt his vision blur, and something seemed to burst inside his head.
化为魔鬼的箭矢黑影自脑后射来，老人手中华贵利剑落于马下，他感觉自己的眼睛瞬间模糊，头颅内似有什么在爆开。
“Chief!”
“首席！”
Panicked people rushed over, forming a circle around him.
周围人慌神跑来，圈圈围在他身边。
But their chief could no longer hear them.
可他们的首席再也听不见了。
Zaguda tumbled from his horse, his Adam’s apple moving slightly as blood from the back of his head dampened the wet grass. A white circular halo emerged, floating over his chest, bearing blurry, unreadable digits.
扎古达从马上坠下，喉节微动，脑后鲜血濡润着潮湿的草地。一道白色的圆形光环浮现，飘荡在他胸前，里面有着模糊无法看清的数字。
[22N]
[22N]
On the other side of the grassland, the cold girl, whose youth seemed frozen, looked at Yang Zicang beside her, then broke into a smile:
草原另一边，青春似乎凝固的冷漠女孩望向身侧杨子藏，转而露出笑容：
“Brother, it seems something’s gone wrong over there.”
“大哥，那边似乎出现变故了。”
“Let’s focus on ourselves.”
“做好我们自己。”
Yang Zicang swung Fist of the Gale, its golden radiance surging, and punched a path nearly ten meters long through the dense, overwhelming horde of demons.
杨子藏挥动金辉弥漫的狂风之拳，一拳自黑压压的群魔中打出近十米远的通道。
Beside him, chilling ice and blazing flames—the sword energy—erupted simultaneously, alongside the trembling earth and ethereal chants.
他身旁，同时爆起了寒冰与烈焰剑气，以及震动的大地，与飘渺的吟诵。
Once again, the comet’s figure vanished, solitary, across the other end of the sky.
彗星的身影再次孤寂地消失于苍穹另一端。
On the lands it passed, trumpets of resistance had already sounded, and war spread across the continent…
它路过的大地上，反抗的号角已然吹响，战斗弥漫大陆…
……
……
This time, Yang Zicang had gathered a massive mountain of spirit objects and war implements.
这一次杨子藏聚集了大量的，堆积如山的灵物战器。
They filled two dark-red, colossal ships.
它们装满了两艘暗红色的大船。
“Hey, what’d you call me here for? My time’s really tight, you know—I can’t afford to be as carefree as you.”
“喂，你把我叫来干嘛，我时间可是紧张得很，没办法像你这么逍遥欸。”
Morley grumbled reluctantly, as he was at a critical moment in his breakthrough, and he had only a few centuries of temporal order left.
莫里不情愿的嘟囔着，自己可是在突破的关键时刻，而且自己没几百年时序了。
“You have to come with me this time, and that’s final.”
“这次你还必须得跟上才行。”
“Why?”
“为什么。”
“Remember the second experiment I mentioned?”
“还记得我说过的第二个实验吗？”
“What?” Morley was a bit baffled. What experiment?
“啥？”莫里有点蒙，什么实验。
He quickly racked his brain, trying to recall.
他快速回忆着。
One advantage here was that although a long time had passed, it felt like everything had just happened. So after thinking for a while, Morley actually managed to recall those first days he met Yang Zicang over thirty years ago.
在这里有个好处是，虽然经历了漫长时光，却又仿佛一切都在刚刚才发生过。因此莫里想了会儿，还真给想起了三十多年前初次与杨子藏相识的那些日子。
“Ah, you mean bugs watching snow back then? What exactly are you trying to do—run an experiment for decades?”
“啊，你说当年看雪的虫子？你到底想干嘛，一个实验做几十年？”
“I originally thought it would take a thousand years.”
“我原以为要上千年的。”
Morri felt a jolt inside. So this was the Complete Stamp Emblem—this guy…
莫里内心震动了下。这就是完整邮徽，这个家伙…
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“你到底想做什么。”
“You’ll know soon enough.”
“马上你就会知道。”
Two ships sailed on the sea, anchoring at a spot where the water looked slightly different in color. Occasionally, bubbles rose from below.
两艘航行在海上的船，停泊在一片海水颜色有些不同的地方。它下面偶尔会有海水泡冒上来。
“Let’s begin, boys!”
“可以开始了，小伙子们！”
At Yang Zicang’s command, the sailors on board shouted as they dumped crate after crate of spiritual artifacts and weapons into the sea.
随着杨子藏一声令下，船上的水手们吆喝着将成箱成箱的灵物战器倒入海中。
“Follow me down.” Yang Zicang took off his coat and plunged into the water with a splash.
“随我下来。”杨子藏脱下外套噗通跳入水中
Morri watched with a pained grimace, gritted his teeth, and jumped in after him.
莫里看得心疼的咬咬牙，也跟着跳了下去。