The Cheonma Church has completely burned down to ashes.
Sudden heavy rain was enough to extinguish the fire on the Cheonma Church, but the already charred buildings eventually couldn’t bear their own weight and crumbled down.
The structures perched on tall, naturally formed stone pillars collapsed in a chain reaction, tumbling into the lake below.
Thus, the Cheonma Church was reduced to ruins overnight.
No one remains in the area. At least, not during the harvesting period.
The only remnants of the harvesting period are two people fleeing, lost in the far-off north.
But even they don’t seem to have long left. They’re already being chased.
Feeling the stark reality of no surviving harvesters, I looked down at my knees.
The corpse of a person in front of me has crumbled to white dust, looking less like a human body and more like a fallen plaster statue.
Considering the weather, it wouldn’t be strange for bugs to swarm, but it seems all life-like materials have vanished at the point of turning white.
After sitting all day, I stood up when the rain stopped.
There was nothing left on my knees but white powder.
Looking around, I realized I was standing in the midst of ruins.
Wondering if everything was really over, I noticed smoke still rising from a village to the west.
There was white smoke and black smoke. The place spewing particularly dark smoke was once a plaza where the Cheonma and Oh Myeong-seong had fought martial arts.
If there’s smoke coming out where nothing should burn, it means something is being gathered and set ablaze. And it smells familiar—a pungent aroma of burning protein.
They’re burning corpses.
At least, there were no living souls in sight.
I stood in the midst of the ruins, pondering what to do.
Creating harvesters in this world seems difficult. This world snatches anyone with purple hair without question.
So the few remaining harvesters from the north are slowly being captured and dying.
And I have purple hair too.
I touched the treasured item I had been holding since yesterday. It’s a weapon called the Makya Sword.
I just picked it up thinking it was a ray sword, but it seems I can’t use it. It must be something that requires Qi.
But it’s convenient to carry, so I guess I’ll take it along.
Just in case it might be useful.
I contemplated whether to head home or not, clearing the ruins in search of a path upward.
The main hall of the Cheonma Church was built atop stone pillars, so all paths were completely cut off. But that doesn’t mean there was no way at all.
In the memories of some, there was a way down below.
So I wandered through the ruins in search of familiar places.
Most were destroyed alongside the collapsing buildings, but an old stone staircase carved along the cliff remained.
It was too big for me, but I headed that way.
If I fall to the ground, I can regenerate, right?
Following the staircase, I spiraled around the rocky pillars and finally reached the bottom. The ground was hazy with debris from collapsed buildings.
And below the surface, there was an unusual gathering of light.
That must mean various creatures are having a party down there.
I closed my eyes to what they might be eating, heading toward the house where I lived. Of course, it was merely a waypoint. I had no reason to linger there anymore.
There were a lot of wooden pieces among the debris, so I walked over floating objects on the water from the rocky pillars to the cliff.
So I walked quite a distance north along the cliff. Then, the adjacent cliff gradually descended, revealing a path I could walk.
From there, climbing another hill south, I found a small house, all but destroyed, halfway between where I was and the collapsed buildings.
It’s completely squished due to the sealing needles. However, there were no sealing needles in sight.
I guess the survivors took them away.
As I entered the house, I found only a gaping hole, and the interior was in a chaotic mess. It looked like someone had searched for something to take.
All I found were clothes for tall women or children.
It seems there’s nothing worthwhile to take in this room.
Wondering if I could sell metal tools, I entered the kitchen. It was dark and silent.
Huh? Dark and silent?
Oh, now that I think about it, the fire that used to brightly shine is nowhere to be seen.
Looking at where the fire used to be, it’s completely blocked by sand.
So I cleared the sand away, but there were no traces of fire left in the furnace.
Anyway, I wouldn’t need it anymore.
I decided to grab a few utensils and head north.
Northward in relation to my position.
In the world where people live, that’s the center.
In that direction, there’s Kunlun Mountain where immortals reside.
There, warmth exists. Not an immortal much different from ordinary humans, but one at a level similar to Daegon.
There must be plenty of warmth there.
Right?
Saying goodbye to the now cold kitchen one last time, I shifted my steps toward my destination again.
As I descended the hill, I reached a level boundary where tall trees began to appear.
The deep forest.
I used to have a scar from being bitten by a feline creature in this area, and the memory of it teasing me leaves me reluctant to come here.
But to get out, I must cross through it.
I stepped into the forest, walking in the opposite direction of where the immortals and Taoists had come. Traces they left while arriving are still present.
It would be nice if I could run quickly like a Murim practitioner, but even if I ran until my heart burst, I wouldn’t be that fast.
So I kept walking steadily. If I walk persistently, I should be able to reach somewhere eventually.
Unlike when Soo-oh pointed out the forest was quiet, now the forest is noisy with the sounds of various animals. At least that suggests there are no immediate great threats.
I never thought I’d be walking in this deep forest with not a soul in sight.
Three years later.
Perhaps I could have walked this path with two others.
The forest resounds with what could only be called white noise.
Luckily, following the remnants left by many people moving about, it’s not too difficult to walk. At least I won’t have to navigate through pathless areas, right?
After a long while of walking.
Suddenly, I looked far off.
Toward a direction slightly shifted east from the north.
The last harvester was murdered.
They shouted loudly for the Cheonma Church as they fought and died.
At least, within the scope of my knowledge, there are no longer any living people left. There might be one person who could still be alive.
Though they probably don’t think that person ran away from their beloved.
If they had run away, the chances of not being caught would be higher.
Because that person has black hair, not purple, and according to Oh Myeong-seong’s memory, they’ve lived outside while hiding their identity.
So, they must have enough skills.
Not sure if there’s any willpower left, though.
After walking a while, I pick some nearby edible plants when I’m hungry. Fortunately, it seems that the immortals and Taoists mostly eat plants, so I know quite a bit about edible plants in this world.
Even if the memory obtained from being murdered is a tad fragmented, I can easily cross-verify it to extract useful information.
So I ate some suitable edible plants, and when the sun set, I curled up to rest my body.
My mind doesn’t need sleep, but my body does.
And so, a day passed, then two days, and by the third day, I had finally reached the edge of the lush primitive forest and stumbled upon a village where people live.
That means walking will be a lot easier from here on out.
I cheerfully stepped into the village.
But the moment I entered, men wearing white hoods rushed at me, swords drawn.
“Remnants of the Cheonma Church!”
“Purple hair! Someone call the Taoist!”
“A giant woman. Is she dangerous?”
“The solar blood isn’t protruding. Her hands are white.”
They pointed their weapons at me but didn’t swing them. They pulled out their swords, but the man at the front signaled to the others behind him and stepped forward.
This man was shorter than me.
“What is it?”
“Are you a member of the Cheonma Church?”
“Isn’t it a judgment based on hair color?”
Aren’t they supposed to kill me just for having purple hair?
“We’re not murderers. We only came to save those from the evil Cheonma Church. Are you a person from the Cheonma Church?”
Am I a person from the Cheonma Church? Well, let’s see.
The contract is gone, and the only person I met in the Cheonma Church is already dead.
“No.”
The man looked flustered.
“Surely, a scoundrel like you is lying! Hurry and kill her!”
Someone shouted from the back.
But the man, deep in thought, examined me, then asked,
“Where are you going?”
“To Kunlun Mountain.”
At that, a murmuring erupted from behind.
“Daoist? Daoist?” It seems they’re pondering my identity.
Being free to choose either way, I just stood there waiting.
The man, who had been watching me quietly, turned around to shush those behind him and faced me again, speaking.
“If that’s the case, wait here for the Taoist to arrive. If you are truly innocent, you can proceed to Kunlun Mountain with the Taoist.”
The man said this while eyeing me, warning in a low voice.
“If not, you’ll have to pay the price for deceiving us.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Fine. Let’s do that.”
Many of the people behind him now looked particularly startled. Maybe I answered too lightly.
But I have no connection to the Cheonma Church anymore, so I have nothing to worry about.
My very existence poses a danger, but I’ll think about that if it ever becomes an issue.
Considering I’m the target, regardless of their weapons, anything can touch me.
Right?
It’s really not that dangerous.
Truly.
