Chapter 451: Being Noble Alone

By the time dawn broke, Chu Liang had already led the group to the edge of the Valley of Bewildering Fog.

Wei Lang, a distinguished Confucian master from the Noblemen's Hall, and Grandmaster Yan Qihu of the Great Astral Sect took the lead. Ji Lingyu, Tang Shi, and Chu Liang followed closely behind, with Second Madam Gu and her mysterious attendant trailing at the rear.

The attendant was a small but sharp-eyed man. He kept his face concealed beneath black cloth.

Second Madam Gu introduced him to the group. "Chabu is from a mysterious village on the Scorching Sun Plains. The people of his village carry a bloodline that can suppress malevolent spirits. He might be of use when the time comes."

Chu Liang had briefly mentioned Second Madam Gu's background with the others, and both Wei Lang and Yan Qihu found themselves having so much respect for this extraordinary woman. With that, the group stepped into the fog.

As the guide, Chu Liang took on the responsibility. The moment they entered the mist, faint whispers seemed to swirl around them, echoing in his ears.

Recalling what happened when he was here last time, he warned the group, "This fog is filled with lingering spirits and Sickle Ghosts. Stay sharp. We'll need to hunt down the Sickle Ghosts. Their bones can ignite a fire, which will help disperse the mist..."

As Chu Liang spoke, Wei Lang raised his hand, summoning an azure scroll that glowed faintly. In an instant, a soft light enveloped the group, and the whispering spirits dissipated.

"Let's get going," Wei Lang said calmly.

Chu Liang's rambling stopped abruptly.

Ah, going with an Eminent One is the best.

Previously, Chu Liang thought the two Guiders of the diabolical sect were quite formidable. Yet, they couldn't protect the entire group, forcing everyone to hunt down Sickle Ghosts just to stay alive.

Now that I'm going through this again, the difference is so obvious. Is this why they say people are afraid to compare themselves with others in the same field?

As soon as the Soul-Pacifying Scroll was activated, the fog retreated, and all the lingering spirits vanished. The arduous task of hunting Sickle Ghosts was no longer necessary.

Chu Liang couldn't help but think,

Sometimes, the manager's lack of ability is truly the reason the workload becomes so heavy and difficult.

The group continued forward at a steady pace.

Before long, the shadowy figure of a Sickle Ghost emerged in the distance. Yan Qihu, with a flick of his sleeve, readied himself to attack.

But Chu Liang couldn't hold back any longer. He leaped forward and shouted, "I'll clear the path for everyone!"

"Hey," Yan Qihu stopped Chu Liang with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Just focus on guiding us. There's no need for you juniors to concern yourselves with such trivial matters."

"Esteemed senior, it's precisely because it's such a small matter that we juniors should handle it," Chu Liang said earnestly. "There are greater dangers ahead. You and the others should conserve your strength. Please, allow me to take care of this!"

Sensing the sincerity in Chu Liang's words, Yan Qihu released his grip and nodded. "Alright then, but be careful."

Yan Qihu stepped back twice and whispered to Wei Lang, "This kid is really something. It's a shame he's a disciple of Mount Shu... and that his teacher is Di Nufeng. Otherwise, I'd love to recruit him into the Great Astral Sect."

"Indeed," Wei Lang agreed. "Our little friend Chu Liang here has a kind heart and a strong sense of righteousness. Such qualities truly make people love him."

Chu Liang's intentions were genuinely heartfelt.

He was genuinely wanting to slay a few Sickle Ghosts so that he could open up some rewards in the White Pagoda.

The last time he hunted Sickle Ghosts, he was rewarded with a One-Inch Golden Ghost Bone Pill, which granted him two indestructible "golden fingers."[1] If he could earn a few more pills this time, he might even be able to forge a golden right hand.

When he was here previously, these Sickle Ghosts could still somewhat threaten his life.

If it wasn't for the Ghost-Slaying Sword of Divine Light, he wouldn't have killed these ghosts so easily.

But he no longer had to exert so much effort this time. With a simple command, his sword flew through the air, effortlessly slicing through every ghost in its path.

The seemingly tough bones of the Sickle Ghosts crumbled under even the faintest sweep of his Dustless Sword's sword qi.

As he collected the golden imprints visible only to himself, Chu Liang's smile grew wider with each one.

Behind him, Yan Qihu watched Chu Liang happily slaying ghosts and said to Tang Shi, "Look at him. He's able to feel such joy from deep within while he is contributing to the group. It shows that his nature is truly noble... What an example worth following."

And so, Tang Shi drew her spear and said resolutely, "I can't let Young Hero Chu bear all the burden alone. I'll help him clear the way."

Chu Liang's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a stern expression.

"That won't be necessary!" he declared.

There was a gleam in his eyes, as if he were protecting something precious.

Tang Shi, still gripping her spear tightly, suddenly felt awkward. She fidgeted with it, feeling a bit wronged.

Why is he being so mean?

How come he gets to be noble but won't let us act nobly too?

...

Chu Liang cleared the path flawlessly, accomplishing the task with ease. Compared to the previous time he ventured here, this journey was infinitely smoother.

Of course, he himself was the biggest obstacle last time.

With no sense of time in the dense fog, it felt as though they had walked for ages. Finally, the group reached the depths of the Valley of Bewildering Fog, where the vast and mysterious outline of the Deep Pool of Dreams emerged before them.

The sound of clashing armor began to echo once more.

It was the undying, tireless soldiers of the former dynasty again.

As they charged over from all directions, they shouted, "Kill the enemy!"

This time, Chu Liang didn't insist on facing them alone, knowing it was too much for him to handle by himself.

But as soon as Yan Qihu made a move, things became different.

The Martial Artist at the seventh realm let out a thunderous shout, stomping the ground beneath him, and in an instant, his figure vanished from the spot.

At the same moment, thousands of Yan Qihu's silhouettes flickered into existence, appearing before every lingering spirit of the former dynasty's soldiers. Each one delivered a punch or a palm strike.

Thud, thud, thud...

A series of muffled sounds blended together, and in the blink of an eye, when Yan Qihu reappeared in his original spot, the soldiers of the former dynasty had all been obliterated.

"..." Chu Liang ground his teeth. Not even one left for me, huh?

Just as he was about to continue forward, countless figures suddenly dashed out toward them.

Ten times more soldiers than before appeared out of nowhere. They came from all directions, charging toward them like an unstoppable tide!

"Hmm?" This overwhelming sight caught Chu Liang by surprise.

At that moment, an earth-shattering dragon roar erupted from the depths of the abyss.

"Roar—"

Several skeletal dragons soared upward, launching their attack alongside the mass of soldiers. Flying beside the bone dragons was a seemingly insignificant figure—the astute chancellor of the former dynasty.

It was clear that the lingering spirits from the Deep Pool of Dreams were launching an all-out assault!

As the group braced themselves for the oncoming battle, they suddenly realized something strange—the lingering spirits weren't heading toward them. Instead, they rushed right past.

"They don't seem to be attacking us..." The Great Confucian Wei Lang raised his hand. "They're fleeing!"

In the blink of an eye, countless lingering spirits, accompanied by the booming sound of thunder, fled from the Deep Pool of Dreams, including the powerful skeletal dragon and the chancellor of the former dynasty.

The group realized that something was wrong. Although their destination was the Deep Pool of Dreams, something weird was clearly happening inside.

They couldn't recklessly advance.

Yan Qihu quickly commanded, "Retreat for now!"

A rainbow-colored barrier appeared in their line of sight, and the group immediately understood why the spirits were fleeing.

The Deep Pool of Dreams was expanding, and the multicolored barrier surged toward them, the dark abyss widening like a massive maw, threatening to devour all life in its path.

"Go!"

Wei Lang waved his sleeve, and the halo from the Soul-Pacifying Scroll above his head condensed into a radiant orb, enveloping the group as they swiftly retreated.

Behind the rainbow barrier, the abyssal mist coalesced and morphed into a giant hand that reached out, attempting to grasp them!

Just as the light orb was about to overtake the fleeing spirits, the chancellor of the former dynasty suddenly turned to face them.

"The land of the nine provinces shall sink...the vast heavens...You officials who did not die for your country are all traitors!" the chancellor chanted. Every word he said sounded eerie.

As he spoke, a scroll materialized in his hand, unleashing countless talismanic characters into the air!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

What's happening?

The group behind was shocked—could the Confucian divine art that Wei Lang had activated have provoked the chancellor into launching such a fierce attack?

The talismanic characters shot toward them, but with a sweep of his sleeve, Wei Lang exhaled a breath of righteous energy, dispersing them all.

The chancellor of the former dynasty may have been powerful, but as a lingering spirit, he was no match for this Confucian Eminent One.

However, that brief delay allowed the misty giant hand to catch up!

Boom!

Yan Qihu had already sprung into action, delivering a powerful punch that shattered the giant hand.

Yet, the dispersed mist still engulfed them, and the rapidly expanding abyssal barrier surged forward, swallowing the group whole.

Whoosh—

In an instant, they were forced into the Deep Pool of Dreams.

Everything went dark as a hurricane-like force swept the glowing orb into a black vortex, pulling everything along with it.

...

A faint floral aroma wafted through the air as he breathed in.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Chu Liang opened his eyes.

Several kind but unfamiliar faces hovered around him. "You're awake?"

"Uh..." Chu Liang was startled, quickly asking, "Who are you... Where is this?"

One of them answered, "This is the Kingdom of the Dream Immortal."

1. A reminder that golden fingers typically is a Chinese slang for cheat codes. So he has two literal golden fingers but also he does have a golden finger, which is the White Pagoda. I believe this is what the author is trying to convey. I did think about naming it as metal since it means metal as well but that would mean losing the term golden finger. Therefore, even though gold is not the strongest, we will keep it as golden. ☜