Chapter 54: The Non-existent Dafanghu

A straw mat was spread beneath the deceased, and several patches of dried skin still clung to the skull, giving it an especially gruesome appearance.

"The skeleton seems quite intact."

Nian Songyu jumped down as well, peering closely. Suddenly, his expression changed. "It's intact, but not all in their original positions."

He pointed to the position of the deceased's limbs, which were still covered in soil. "Dig up the dirt."

At this moment, He Lingchuan could only obediently do as he was told.

When the digging was finished, everyone let out a long, startled gasp.

"He was eaten too?!"

Several bones clearly bore scorch marks and knife cuts.

"Eaten first, then buried?" Nian Songyu asked, puzzled. "Was there something special about this person?"

"Here!" Mao Tao happened to clear away the grave soil on the other side, discovering something clutched in the deceased's hand.

Upon taking it out, they saw it was a small sheepskin wrap.

Even with Sun Fuping's vast experience, his heart couldn't help but quicken at this moment.

They were finally one step closer to the truth.

He personally unwrapped the sheepskin, revealing a notebook lying inside.

The group watched with excitement as he flipped it open. The writing inside was dense, becoming increasingly illegible and hurried toward the end. The protection of the sheepskin had kept it well-preserved, save for the paper being yellowed and brittle.

Then, they realized they couldn't understand a word of it.

They could only wait for the State Preceptor to translate. However, Sun Fuping read word by word, very slowly, for fear of missing even a shred of useful information, all while pondering the contents as he read.

He Lingchuan eventually couldn't hold it in any longer; he went outside to relieve himself, and by the time he returned, he just caught Sun Fuping tilting his head back to drink water.

"State Preceptor, what exactly does the notebook say?" He pointed at the mound. "Was it written by this dead man?"

"No, it is a suicide note left by his companion—the last survivor of this Baling expedition team," Sun Fuping said slowly. "This man was Tao Bo, the grand-disciple of Zhu Gen."

"This notebook records the process from the moment he accepted the mission from Grandmaster Zhu Gen until the near-total annihilation of the team. They found the entrance to the illusion in front of a temple in a desert wasteland and triggered the sandstorm season prematurely, but they were subsequently attacked by vengeful spirits. The Great Wind Army, in particular, was formidable, causing heavy losses to the entire team. Only five people managed to escape into this place, and the vengeful spirits did not pursue them further."

"I will not dwell on the events prior to this, as we have all experienced them. The focus is on what followed: after entering the illusion, they failed to achieve their goals. They found neither the Grand Vessel nor an exit. The food and water they brought were steadily consumed until they were completely exhausted."

Sun Fuping spoke slowly and meticulously, not just to enlighten the three men, but because he himself needed time to digest and contemplate the contents.

"This place looks peaceful and prosperous, but in reality, it is no different from the desert; it only lacks the extreme cold and heat, yet it is still unsuitable for sustaining life. For those who cannot find a way out, death is the only end." Sun Fuping casually flipped to a page. "These few Baling people eventually ran out of food and water, and were forced to eat their companions—deciding on the victims through a drawing of lots. We have already seen their remains at the Chen residence."

Nian Songyu asked in surprise, "Then what is this grave mound about?"

"The third person to draw the death lot refused to be eaten and attempted to resist, but was killed by the combined efforts of Tao Bo and Yu Qingyuan. This person was very difficult to deal with; Tao Bo could not handle him alone. After some time, when it was down to the final two to gamble on their luck, Yu Qingyuan took his own life, leaving the final chance for survival to Tao Bo."

The three fell silent. To live through dozens of days in despair and terror, only to hand over the last shred of hope for survival—they believed themselves incapable of such a thing.

"Moved by his nobility, Tao Bo erected this tomb for him and left his own notebook behind as a gift for those who followed."

Mao Tao gave a bitter smile. "Which means unlucky bastards like us."

"Watch your words." Nian Songyu did not feel they were unlucky. "There must be something useful written in the notebook, right?"

"Relying on food, water, and his companions, he lived in the illusion for a total of over sixty days. He searched the Panlong City inside and out and even made several trips into the wasteland. However, there is a boundary thirty miles outside the city; one cannot walk any further than that." Tao Bo's notebook functioned as a diary, recording observations and thoughts day by day, which inevitably made it trivial. State Preceptor Sun simply summarized the essence: "Grandmaster Zhu Gen had many hypotheses regarding Panlong City and the Grand Vessel. As his grand-disciple, Tao Bo worked hard to verify them here, but failed. In the end, he even gave up searching for the Grand Vessel, hoping only to find a way to escape."

"Of course, he also understood that the two were essentially the same thing."

"The greatest problem with living in this illusory city is that one has no idea where to start; countless attempts ended in failure. Just as Yu Qingyuan died and Tao Bo was the sole living person left in the entire city, he spent many days in a daze until a thought suddenly struck him: Could the reason they couldn't find the Grand Vessel be that it wasn't here at all?"

The three were stunned. "What do you mean?"

If there was no Grand Vessel, how could this illusion exist?

Nian Songyu's expression darkened instantly. "Are you saying we've been looking in the wrong place?"

"The wheat fields outside the city and the architecture within suggest that Panlong City during this period was enjoying peace and was never touched by the flames of war," Sun Fuping said slowly. "Without war, people would not offer sacrifices to the gods, and the Heavenly God would naturally not bestow the Grand Vessel, which is used for war!"

War was the beginning of all subsequent tragedies.

Without war, there would, of course, be no Grand Vessel.

Absurd! Had they come here just to die for nothing? Mao Tao wanted to argue, but he found himself unable to speak. He Lingchuan muttered, "It actually seems to make sense."

What could they even do here? "If we cannot find a way out here, this illusion is a dead end, a death trap!" Nian Songyu's eyes flashed. "It is impossible for such a formation or secret realm to exist in the world; it defies the laws of heaven!"

Even within a man-made death trap, there is a path to life. Even if the chance is slim, otherwise such a trap could not be constructed in the first place. This was a fundamental law of this realm, much like water flowing downward or the sun rising the next day; it required no debate. Having studied divine powers, Nian Songyu understood this principle deeply.

"So, why does this world of Panlong City exist?" Sun Fuping shook the notebook in his hand. "As the direct grand-disciple of Grandmaster Zhu Gen, Tao Bo proposed a hypothesis. Who do you think would love the Panlong City of this era?"

Love?

The three looked at each other. He Lingchuan asked tentatively, "Everyone?"

A frontier paradise, untouched by war, quiet, peaceful, and prosperous—who wouldn't love it?

"Yes, everyone! For everyone who once lived on this land, both the living and the dead, this is likely what their ideal home would look like. Therefore, the Grand Vessel created this world for them, based on the wishes of the vengeful spirits during their lifetimes!" Sun Fuping continued, "Tao Bo even suspected that the existence of this illusion had been beautified and processed, making it far better than any other period in Panlong City's history, so that the vengeful spirits could rest in peace here."