Once upon a time there was a greedy snake

"what do you mean……"

The 27th generation Akakage vaguely understood something.

The seeker nodded.

"First lose everything, then gain everything, then lose everything again, and then take everything back with your own hands... That's what the people in the mountains did back then, and most of today's seekers of the Way have had similar experiences."

"But the people of our tribe now have everything, just like those who first entered the sacred mountain back then..."

At this point, the seeker paused.

The 27th Akakage also raised his head.

"But they didn't encounter those Ice People, so they didn't lose everything, is that what you mean?"

"Is such that."

The seeker nodded.

"When you are invincible, that is when you are most dangerous... Many times, the existence of enemies can actually help us grow."

"In other words, I am going to find an enemy for my people."

The 27th Akakage confirmed this once again.

But the seeker shook his head.

"It's not about finding an enemy."

"Instead, it will start a war."

"A war that is dangerous enough."

Chapter 75 Crossing That Mountain

Even after leaving the seeker's hermitage, the 27th Akakage was still thinking about their previous conversation.

To rouse the people and restore them to their former glory, what is needed is a war that is dangerous enough—dangerous enough, which means people will die, or even many people will die, and they may even end up like the Ignis people of the past, with their cities destroyed and them enslaved.

But this absurd logic, upon closer examination, surprisingly makes sense.

As a top-tier mage and warrior, the 27th Akakage surprisingly understood this line of thinking—after all, to become stronger, a warrior must experience real combat, even life-or-death battles.

Otherwise, if it's just simple training, it will either make people rigid, so that when they face the enemy in actual combat, they will be flustered and run away with their heads in their hands; or it will make people arrogant, thinking that they have done a perfect job in training and will definitely win in actual combat, and then they will be beaten black and blue by their opponents due to carelessness and underestimation of the enemy in actual combat.

"It seems... that's really the case."

On the way back, the 27th Akakage couldn't help but stroke his chin.

That's the situation, but that's where the problem lies.

Whom can the Ignis wage war against right now?

The Ice People of the North? Forget it. Perhaps in the era of the Old Kings, these Ice People could be considered a worthy opponent, but the Ignis people of today are not what they used to be. Those Ice People have been driven back to the frozen tundra, with no possibility of ever migrating south again.

If it weren't for the fact that the permafrost was so barren that the tribesmen had no interest in it, those icefield people would probably have been wiped out long ago.

But if we don't look for the Ice People, it seems we really have no other choice. The miasma swamp in the south was already explored back when the first Akakage was there. The Ice People are in the north, so there's no need to talk about that. As for the east... the east is all water, an endless expanse of water, so it's obvious that there are no enemies there.

As for the west, there is a sacred mountain to the west.

Although the serpent... Taiyi, did not forbid the Ignivas from exploring to the west, war would likely disturb the serpent god's slumber.

It could even escalate into a war with the serpent god, repeating the foolish actions of the late Old King's era.

"But if you think about it this way, it's surprisingly understandable that the former kings were enemies of the gods... After all, that ancestor of the Dao was the best enemy they could find."

The moment this thought arose, the 27th Akakage couldn't help but shake his head.

"Moreover, are there really still enemies to the west?"

I don't know, I'm not sure. The Ignivas know very little about the world to the west. The only record about the west is the record left by the people of the mountains. According to the record of the people of the mountains, at the end of the old king's era, before the first Akakage had taken the throne, the great ancestor of the Way had personally explored the world to the west.

According to the Dao Ancestor, to the west lay endless snow-capped mountains. Even with the Dao Ancestor's godlike stature, it took him a long time to climb to the summit. It was only when he reached the top that the Dao Ancestor saw another world, a warm plain that was almost identical to the place inhabited by the Ignis people.

"There might be suitable enemies there... but even Taiyi found it extremely difficult to cross this great snow mountain, how could we possibly do it?"

Thinking of this, the 27th Akakage's heartbeat suddenly slowed down by half a beat.

If we are going to find an enemy, if we are going to start a war... then must the target of the war be a living thing?

Why can't we wage war against inanimate objects?

"Etc., etc……"

At that moment, the 27th Akakage vaguely sensed that he seemed to have grasped something.

On the morning of the second day after returning to the city, the 27th Akakage announced new guidance. He declared to everyone that he had received guidance from the serpent god, but the serpent god did not leave the things directly to the Ignivas people. Instead, he told his people to take them with their own hands.

"That inexhaustible compost is to the west! Far beyond the sacred mountain! On the other side of the great snow mountain!"

At first, no one took it seriously. After all, they had just said that the snake god didn't intend to help them, but now he was changing his mind so quickly. He was talking faster than flipping a piece of roast meat. Who knows if he was telling the truth?

But everything changed when the explorers sent to the west brought back news from afar.

With the permission of the 27th Red Shadow, the explorers traversed the sacred mountain that the Ignivas had never explored before—and in the distance of the sacred mountain, in the west, they actually saw an endless expanse of white snow, and a giant peak that reached the horizon.

This means that everything the 27th Akakage said is true.

Since the snow mountain is real, then the world on the other side of the snow mountain is naturally real as well. In the description of the 27th Akakage, opposite the snow mountain is a land flowing with milk and honey, where countless compost piles are left. These are all the excrement left by the Serpent God from ancient times to the present. It is on this vast compost that all crops grow lush and green, and a large number of fruits and vegetables rot on the branches because no one picks them, allowing birds and beasts to come and peck at them.

"What a waste! How can we let those animals benefit from this!"

The Ignivas people, who had been doubtful, were suddenly filled with despair and wished they could fly to the other side of the snow mountain immediately.

However, they definitely can't go right now. On the one hand, the snow mountain itself is already quite far away, and climbing it is not an easy task. They would have to make good preparations to get to the other side of the snow mountain.

On the other hand, food shortages are a major problem. Due to the lack of compost, food production has dropped drastically, making it difficult for the Ignivas to continue refining high-purity food essences. Although they still have some reserves, they will eventually run out of them.

This time, however, these Ignivas people unexpectedly chose to persevere.

"Everything will be alright once we get over the snow-capped mountains!"

As the people of Ignivas chanted these slogans, they seemed to possess a hint of the heroic spirit of their predecessors.

Only the 27th Akakage was still somewhat uneasy.

While he did want to see his people's spirits lifted, his fervent dedication also caused him some concern.

"Will everything really be alright once we cross the snow-capped mountain?"

This kind of trouble even plagued the 27th Akakage for his entire life.

Chapter 76 On the Other Side of the Mountain

The vigorous mountain-climbing movement continued until the later years of the 27th Akakage.

Due to the lack of compost that could quickly promote the growth of fruits and vegetables, the Ignivas people had to eventually stop refining their food essence. After losing the food essence, they even had to start consuming pills and soups that they considered to be full of impurities again. This directly led to the Ignivas people being unable to maintain their youth and longevity, and their lifespans generally began to decline, although they themselves were unaware of it.

Or perhaps, even if they did realize it, it wouldn't matter; in their eyes, it was all worthwhile. As long as they could cross the snow-capped mountain, everything would be alright.

"But will things really get better?"

The 27th generation Akakage, now very old, lay on his sickbed, staring blankly at the roof beams.

"Really, will it get better?"

"Most definitely."

The successor chosen by the 27th Akakage, his most loyal and intelligent apprentice, was sitting by his bedside, holding his hand tightly.

"Things will definitely get better, after all, this is the divine decree of the Taiyi God... Now that the snow mountain has been discovered, there must be something behind it too..."

"Not necessarily."

The 27th Akakage slowly shook his head.

"Not necessarily, not necessarily..."

"Why do you say that?"

The apprentice was quite puzzled.

"This isn't something you heard directly from the God Taiyi..."

"...That's not the case."

The 27th Akakage sighed.

“Child, since you are going to become the new Crimson Shadow, there are some things you must know.”

"This is something only Akakage should know. Under no circumstances should you tell anyone else."

As he spoke, the 27th Akakage recounted his experiences from his youth, from meeting the great serpent god to his interactions with seekers of the Dao, and the decision he made that night to restore his people to their former glory... This was a secret he had kept buried in his heart for countless years, one he had never dared to tell anyone.

“I never dare to say these things to anyone, because I have lied to all of you.”

Having said all this, the 27th Akakage closed his eyes.

"The God Taiyi never spoke of what happened on the other side of the snow mountain. I found those things myself in the records of my predecessors... I don't know what's on the other side of the snow mountain, but no matter how I think about it, it can't possibly be as beautiful as I described."

"This……"

The apprentice was completely stunned. He never imagined that the rumors about the other side of the snow mountain were a lie from the very beginning.

You should know that even he himself believed this explanation wholeheartedly, thinking that everything would be alright once they crossed the snow-capped mountains.

"This, how, how could this be..."

After a brief moment of panic, the apprentice quickly calmed down.

Chosen as the successor to the 27th Akakage, this apprentice, though not very old, possessed remarkable insight—putting aside personal feelings, he unexpectedly discovered that the 27th Akakage's actions seemed to be without fault.

Even the lie itself, in terms of its outcome, had an extremely positive effect.

Indeed, the 27th Akakage deceived everyone, but he also successfully made the Ignivas people, who were experiencing food shortages at the time, quickly accept the facts before them. And because of this lie, the Ignivas people did not become depressed because of the food shortages, but instead became even more excited.

"From any perspective, this is a good thing."

Taking a deep breath, the apprentice patted his mentor, the 27th Akakage, on the hand.

“Mentor, you did the right thing.”

"……Really?"

The 27th Akakage opened his eyes again.

But his eyes still revealed endless bewilderment.

Although his apprentices repeatedly explained the benefits of this matter, the 27th Akakage felt a pang of regret. While it might seem like a good thing now, the thought that he had accomplished it all through lies made him feel like he had done something terribly wrong.

After all, even he himself didn't know what lay on the other side of the mountain.

He always felt that something ominous was going to happen.

"Don't worry, mentor, it won't happen."

The young apprentice patted the 27th Akakage's hand.

"No matter what lies beyond the mountain, our people are capable of dealing with it... Although it sounds a bit like boasting, just as you thought before, our people do need an enemy to test their strength."

"But we can't be arrogant or complacent, otherwise..."

The ominous premonition in the heart of the 27th Akakage grew stronger. He tried to express something, but in the end, all he could say were a few words of warning.

Even these few words of admonition sounded rather forced.

As the lamp burned out, he was almost unable to make a sound.

Thus, on this day, the era of the 27th Akakage came to an end, and the apprentice who had been chosen as the successor successfully inherited the position of the 27th Akakage, becoming the 28th Akakage.

However, unlike the previous Akakage, the 28th Akakage did not rush to create his own achievements after taking office. Instead, he followed the path left by the previous Akakage and continued to lead his people toward the Great Snow Mountain.

This move was seen as a sign of wisdom by the other members of the clan. After all, if the path of the previous generation was changed after the death of the 27th Akakage, people would fall into a period of chaos. Normally, this would not matter, since a period of chaos could bring long-term stability, which would be a good thing.

But now, people's energy is focused on climbing snow-capped mountains, so the so-called temporary chaos seems somewhat inappropriate.

"Actually, it's because you yourselves want to climb the snow-capped mountains."

After hearing his subordinates report on the clansmen's situation, the 28th Akakage thought to himself.

As the Akakage, many times the decisions we make are not necessarily the right ones. Or rather, what is considered right is not actually about the things themselves, but whether our actions and words meet the expectations of the crowd.

"From this perspective, it's best not to let them know that the mentor is lying to them."