The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 813 Collapse
By the third day of the rain, they had killed so many crabs at home that Pelayo had to walk through the flooded yard to throw the dead crabs into the sea. The newborn baby had been running a fever all night, and everyone thought it was related to the stench of the dead crabs.

—Gabriel García Márquez, The Old Man with the Giant Wings

"The paint for the Dalang statue, the bricks and stones for the Gudui shrine, and the branches of the Ruomu tree—why are these three things all in the Fuwei Escort Agency?"

Zhu Youjian was quite curious about the scene happening before his eyes. He only knew that the "Bixie Sword Manual" was hidden in the old house of the Lin Mansion, and had never heard that there were such treasures in Lin Zhennan's home.

Lin Zhennan entered the house and rummaged through the drawers and cabinets, and Zhu Youjian raised his questions.

Qi Meng looked around, and all the escort leaders of the escort agency consciously left the courtyard, and Shen Lian was guarding the door.

"Uncle Huai, have you ever thought that the "Bixie Sword Manual" might be more than just a sword manual?"

Zhu Youjian smiled and said, "I know, it's still the Sunflower Manual."

Qi Meng grinned and patted Zhu Youjian on the shoulder:

"You, can you be serious? Do you think I'm telling you a martial arts story?"

"So what kind of story are you telling? Science fiction? History? Or cultivation? You think you're writing a novel? Uncle Qi, I have to remind you that there are only three days left before the one-month deadline! You and I haven't even boarded the ship yet!"

Qi Meng shook his head and smiled, not caring about Zhu Youjian's superficiality, and patiently explained:

"Have you ever heard of Cthulhu?"

"You said the "Sword Manual of Exorcism" is an investigator's notebook? Why don't you say Lin Zhennan is a messenger of God?"

Qi Meng nodded, then quickly shook his head. Without further ado, he got to the point:
"The Manual of the Evil-Defeating Sword isn't really a sword manual; it's a scroll for communicating with the ancient evil god. It originally consisted of two volumes, but after Lin Yuantu came into contact with the evil god Zhu Jiuyin, the lower half was lost, leaving only this fragment."

Zhu Youjian looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Keep making it up. Are there any more UFOs?"

"This possibility cannot be ruled out. To practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself. It talks about the way believers and evil spirits reproduce. The moves in the book are used to summon evil spirits, such as Zhu Jiuyin and Xing Tian, but they were misunderstood by later generations as practicing martial arts..."

Zhu Youjian tried hard not to laugh:
"You're saying that the 'Bixie Sword Manual,' which caused Yue Buqun and Lin Pingzhi to castrate themselves, was originally a communication manual for Cthulhu believers, explaining sex reassignment surgery and sacrificial summoning rituals?"

Qi Meng clapped his hands in praise, "Exactly! As expected of someone who has been emperor for over a decade, Master Huai, you understood it instantly. The so-called sword techniques are actually rituals to summon evil gods. The opening line states that those who wish to practice this technique must first castrate themselves, which is the preliminary preparation for the reproduction of human gods. It's just that the world only has the first half."

Zhu Youjian laughed and continued to ask:

"What are the pigments on the statue of Dalang, the bricks and stones on the shrine, and the branches of Ruomu trees? Are they the snake skin left behind by Zhu Jiuyin? Or are they fragments of Xingtian's armor?"

Qi Meng was about to answer when Lin Zhennan came out of the house holding a wooden box. With trembling hands, he handed the box to Shen Lian.

"Everything you three want is in the box. I don't want the one thousand taels of silver anymore. Please leave."

Qi Meng took the wooden box from Shen Lian, opened it and took a look. A golden light burst out from the box, radiating in all directions and illuminating half the sky. In an instant, the Taoist Zhang Yixing, who he had killed, appeared in his mind, along with various...
Deep within the nebula, facing the unknown, all instincts gradually emerged. Tentacles, ghosts, indescribable beings, darkness, nightmares, grotesque black arms, claws, or tentacles stretched out from the pile of forms and then swallowed them; countless mouth-like cracks opened and closed; countless green eyes formed and dissolved along the ever-flowing surface. But it was not just a hideous imitation of nature. All the mouth-like cracks screamed out broken words that had no time to express their true meaning, blending into an indistinguishable noise.

All the wandering eyes turned and looked towards the source of the light, looking at Qi Meng.

"Master Qi? Master Qi?"

Lin Zhennan called out twice, and Qi Meng's dazed eyes returned to rationality.

Lin Zhennan's eyes were solemn as he spoke word by word:

"My great-grandfather, Yuantu, gave these three items to my grandfather, who then gave them to my father, who then gave them to me, repeatedly instructing me not to open them lightly."

Qi Meng consoled him, "An innocent man is guilty of possessing a treasure. Leaving these things in your hands will only bring disaster and death, just like the sword manual, which seems to be called 'The Sword Manual of Exorcism'?"

After saying that, he looked at Zhu Youjian who was cracking melon seeds beside him.

Zhu Youjian didn't say anything.

Qi Meng went on, "Yu Canghai from the Qingcheng Sect is coming soon to steal your family's sword manual. Hundreds of disciples are coming out in full force. I'm afraid the Fuwei Escort Agency will be doomed." Before he finished speaking, a man came in from outside and whispered something to Lin Zhennan. After hearing this, Lin Zhennan looked terrified and slumped down on the armchair.

"I just got the news that both Escort Leader Zheng and Escort Leader He from Balipu are dead. My heart is broken into pieces. It's true... it's true..." Lin Zhennan was so scared that he couldn't continue.

Qi Meng interjected, "It's indeed the Qingcheng Sect's 'Heart-Destroying Palm'!"

Fuzhou Prefecture and Qingcheng Mountain are thousands of miles apart, and they have nothing to do with each other. However, sixty years ago, the Lin family and the Qingcheng Sect had a feud.

"Back then, my grandfather, Lord Yuantu, created the Seventy-Two Moves of the Sword of Exorcism, a technique that resonated with the martial arts world. He was truly unrivaled. He used the Sword of Exorcism to defeat the Qingcheng Sect's leader, Changqingzi. Indignant and resentful, Changqingzi returned to Sichuan and soon passed away, leaving the throne to Yu Canghai."

Lin Zhennan muttered to himself, "Since my father, the Lin family's martial arts have gradually declined. We have only relied on the golden signboard of Lord Yuantu to support us. I didn't expect that disaster would come today. Yu Canghai came to seek revenge."

Zhu Youjian was not interested in the martial arts fights. He glanced at Lin Zhennan who was still trembling, took the wooden box and left.

"Uncle Qi, I have to go first. You can continue to pursue your martial arts dream."

Shen Lian didn't know what would happen next, and he didn't even know who Yu Canghai was. He followed him out of the Lin Mansion and was about to leave holding the reins.

Qi Meng stood still.

As a time traveler, he couldn't stand by and watch the Lin family be wiped out by the Qingcheng Sect.

"Aren't you leaving?"

Zhu Youjian, riding on horseback, turned back and shouted to Qi Meng.

Qi Meng turned to Lin Zhennan and said, "We won't take the treasure for nothing. With the three of us here, the Qingcheng Sect won't dare to touch you."

Zhu Youjian turned around, looked at Lin Zhennan who was frightened beyond recognition, and then looked at Qi Meng.

"Let's go."

Qi Meng didn't move.

"I want to save them."

Zhu Youjian shook his head and smiled bitterly. He didn't want to enter the dimension of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. He was not interested in the world of martial arts at all. What's more important is that they didn't have much time left.

"The steward told me that after leaving the Eastern World, the world of Cthulhu lies ahead. There's no "Sword Manual of Exorcism" there, and if you go there, you'll be dead."

"Do you know why Liu Zhaosun insisted on cultivating immortality? It was to fight against those evil gods!"

Zhu Youjian pulled the reins, hesitant.

"Stay here to deal with the Qingcheng evil spirits, and then deal with Cthulhu."

Zhu Youjian has an instinctive fear of the Cthulhu world.

In fact, for players in the Eastern World, everyone has heard of the name of the god Cthulhu. However, many players still know very little about Cthulhu's true power and existence.

In various classical literary descriptions, Cthulhu is depicted as a massive creature with an octopus-like head, a body covered in dragon scales, and wings that appear to be able to travel through time and space. This image has become deeply ingrained in people's minds, becoming a symbol of fear and mystery. Cthulhu holds supreme power in the Eastern world, said to wield immense power and typically serves as the final boss.

As an unrivaled deity, its power transcends the laws of the Eastern world.

From the abyss of the universe to the endless void, it can control everything, even time and space. Its will is like an invisible force that cannot be resisted or escaped.

Many years ago, when the human emperor Liu Zhaosun stood in front of Cthulhu, he seemed like a speck of dust, insignificant.

"If even Liu Zhaosun couldn't kill this evil god, how can you and I possibly kill him? I don't want to die in vain."

"You won't die."

(End of this chapter)