Archean Eon Art

Chapter 762: Tribulation Begins, Exorcist

Translator: CKtalon

Archean Eon Realm.

Snow fell as Meng Chuan and his wife, Liu Qiyue, watched the history of Archean Eon Realm together.

Oh? Meng Chuan suddenly sensed something.

The Heavenly Tribulation was about to descend; the vast power left Meng Chuan alarmed.

“Qiyue,” said Meng Chuan.

Liu Qiyue looked at her husband and immediately realized what was happening when she saw his expression. She asked, “Is it time for the tribulation?”

“Yes.” Meng Chuan nodded. “I’m going to transcend the tribulation. There’s no need to tell Dad, Mom, and An’er.”

Everyone knew that Meng Chuan had to transcend the tribulation after becoming an Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation Eminence, but Meng Chuan didn’t tell them the exact time.

“Alright,” replied Liu Qiyue solemnly.

Meng Chuan stood up.

Liu Qiyue immediately stood up, hugged her husband, and said softly, “I’ll wait for you.”

“Alright.” Meng Chuan smiled and let go of his wife. He turned around and walked to the chamber.

Liu Qiyue watched silently before sitting down again. She watched the snow flutter.

The eighth Essence Soul Tribulation. Liu Qiyue knew very well that this might be the most terrifying Heavenly Tribulation her husband would encounter.

Ah Chuan, you will succeed. I know it. Liu Qiyue prayed silently.

…

In the chamber.

Meng Chuan dispersed all his Essence Soul avatars, leaving only his true body sitting cross-legged.

It’s here. Meng Chuan sensed it.

As though warranted by fate, the Heavenly Tribulation descended. The invisible, terrifying force struck Meng Chuan’s Essence Soul, and his Essence Soul instantly trembled with no way to resist it.

Meng Chuan felt his consciousness rumble as he lost his perception of himself.

With a blurry consciousness, he felt a terrifying force wrap around him and throw him out! He traversed endless spacetime and headed to an extremely distant place. It was a place even further than Dry Origin Mountain.

It was another world…

…

“Senior Brother, don’t die! Don’t die; it’s all my fault. It’s all my fault…”

“Senior Brother, I’ll definitely bring you back to the Exorcism Division!”

“Senior Brother, we’re back. We’ve arrived at the Exorcism Division!”

“It will depend on fate whether Fang Qi wakes up. His injuries are too severe, and he lost too much blood…”

Meng Chuan vaguely heard some voices. Although he didn’t understand the language, he instinctively understood. However, the vessel for his consciousness was extremely weak, causing his consciousness to be adrift.

Occasionally, he would hear words from the outside world.

Gradually, Meng Chuan’s consciousness stabilized.

Finally, one day.

Boom!

Meng Chuan completely received the memories of a lifeform.

An Exorcist from the Great Yu Dynasty’s Exorcism Division? The world is already in chaos. Many warlords have risen together? The most terrifying existence in the world… Fiends? Meng Chuan came to a complete understanding.

This was a mortal world. The Great Yu Dynasty was the largest dynasty in the entire world, and it had unified the world. But after 1300 years of rule, it had turned completely decadent. With the rise of firearms, many warlords used firearms to equip their armies.

The Great Yu Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse. Although the Imperial Court’s upper echelons knew that they had to use firearms, it was difficult to carry out the various orders once they reached the lower echelons. The military was bloated, and many factions occupied the land. This caused the Imperial Court’s army to be decimated. They were no match for the new armies of the warlords.

Fang Qi was the original owner of Meng Chuan’s body. He was the son of a local tycoon, Fang Dalong. When he was young, he entered the Exorcism Academy for his studies. Now, he was a Silver-badged Exorcist of the Imperial Court’s Exorcism Division—a seventh-grade official.

No matter how corrupt the Imperial Court was, Exorcists were viewed with great importance. This was because fiends were the most terrifying existence in the entire world. Even an army couldn’t deal with them. Therefore, during any era of the dynasty, all factions placed great importance on Exorcists.

Only an Exorcist could deal with fiends!

Huh? Meng Chuan woke up and opened his eyes. He saw the bright sunlight shining in from the window.

What a weak body. Meng Chuan sensed his body, and even breathing felt strenuous. In my memories, this body was still very strong. I must’ve been lying in bed for too long.

Meng Chuan barely managed to sit up.

He looked at his right arm. It was empty, with only his sleeve fluttering.

I lost my right arm? Meng Chuan wasn’t surprised. In his memories, he had lost an arm in order to save his junior brother, Li Feng. Back then, he had already lost an arm and was fleeing in panic with his junior brother. After that, he completely lost consciousness.

The original owner of this body had probably died at that time, and then he occupied this body.

This room was very familiar—it was where Fang Qi usually lived. As an Exorcist, the residence arranged by the Imperial Court was quite good.

Meng Chuan immediately saw a huge mirror, and it clearly reflected the outside world. Just this huge mirror alone was worth 100 taels of silver. It was definitely a luxury item.

Meng Chuan walked over and looked at himself in the mirror—a pale-faced, one-armed youth.

“Fang Qi, 19 years old. A Silver-badged Exorcist,” muttered Meng Chuan softly. “He lost an arm and 90% of his strength.”

Exorcists needed to form seals. Forming hand seals with both hands was naturally very different from forming hand seals with one hand. A single-handed hand seal could only unleash 10% of one’s strength.

Are Exorcists all mortals in this world? Meng Chuan had a headache. As a Silver-badged Exorcist of the Imperial Court, he naturally knew many secrets.

Exorcists were also mortals. Even if they didn’t suffer from illnesses or disasters, their lifespans were the same as a normal person’s. It was a blessing for a normal person to be 100 years old.

One would be satisfied if they could live to 50 or 60 years of age.

Meng Chuan picked up a long pole and supported himself with one hand. Then, he slowly walked out of the house and out of the courtyard.

This small courtyard was also a part of the Exorcism Division.

“Fang Qi, you’re awake.”

“Silver-badged Fang!”

On the road ahead, two Exorcism Division officials walked side by side. They revealed looks of delight when they saw Meng Chuan.

Meng Chuan nodded slightly.

“Fang Qi, you’re awake.”

“Fang Qi has been unconscious for more than half a month, but he has actually awoken.” The entirety of the Exorcism Division now knew that Fang Qi had awoken.

…

“Fang Qi,” said a white-browed elder in an official robe. “It’s a joyous occasion that you can wake up. Now that you have lost an arm, your strength has decreased greatly. It’s not suitable for you to continue being an Exorcist. You have two choices: One, you will still be a seventh-grade official when you return to the countryside. You will be given a leisurely job.”

The Exorcism Division had branches across the dynasty. It wasn’t difficult for them to arrange a retirement job for their staff back in their hometowns.

This was because many Exorcists died during exorcisms. Some survived but became crippled. The Exorcism Division had always guaranteed that every Exorcist could live a peaceful life even if they were crippled. After all, no matter how powerful an Exorcist was, they could become crippled because they had to deal with powerful fiends. Protecting these crippled people was to protect their future selves.

“The second choice is Exorcism Academy,” said the white-browed elder. “In Exorcism Academy, you will be a lecturer and teach the young children.”

“I’ll choose the second one,” said Meng Chuan.

The white-browed elder nodded slightly. “With your status as a Silver-badged Exorcist, you can directly become an official lecturer at the Exorcism Academy, which is a lower sixth-grade official. You can still be promoted by half a grade. By the way, remember to hand over the Exorcism Division’s Dharma artifacts.”

“Yes.” Meng Chuan nodded. Apart from personally purchased Dharma artifacts, he still had to return the Dharma artifacts the Exorcism Division had given him.

…

Fang Qi—an Exorcist with a severed arm—became a lecturer in the capital’s Exorcism Academy. This piece of news spread among the Exorcists.

Great Yu Dynasty’s capital, Exorcism Academy.

“Senior Brother, you can find a good-paying job and enjoy life. You can even get a few concubines to carry on your Fang family’s lineage. Why do you have to stay in the capital?” Li Feng was a very thin youth. He was 17 years old this year and had rather high talent. He had just been promoted to a Silver-badged Exorcist this year.

He was a good friend who shared the same room with Fang Qi back at the Exorcism Academy. But compared to Fang Qi, he was still lacking in experience and strength. Previously, he had caused Fang Qi to be crippled because of his mistake when dealing with the fiend.

“I don’t want to return for the time being,” said Meng Chuan with a smile.

“You don’t want to return?” said Li Feng. “I heard that your father got his sixth concubine. Are you unwilling to meet him?” He knew his senior brother’s situation.

“Don’t ask so much; go back and practice well. You have to be more familiar with the sealing technique. I saved you last time, but I won’t be able to save you the next time,” said Meng Chuan.

“Yes.” Li Feng nodded. Seeing his senior brother’s ruddy complexion, he felt relieved. Then, he walked away in the snow.

Meng Chuan watched Li Feng leave and then walked toward the Sutra Repository in Exorcism Academy.

I came to Exorcism Academy for this Sutra Repository. The students of Exorcism Academy could freely borrow the books here. As lecturers, they could naturally read them as they pleased.

When he was a student, Fang Qi only learned from a few key books and read some of the other topics.

Now that Meng Chuan was here, he read even more voraciously. The Sutra Repository of the Great Yu Dynasty’s Capital Exorcism Academy was ranked in the top three in the world. There were more than 100,000 books on Exorcism. Although the students could read them freely, the birth of a powerful Exorcist was still very difficult.

With over 100,000 Exorcism books, many of them could be thrown to the side after a simple scan. However, there were still over 1,000 books worth reading seriously. Meng Chuan was now a mortal, so he read very slowly.

Fiends are divided into three levels: Bizarro Fiend, Great Fiend, and Origins Fiend.

Exorcists are divided into ordinary Exorcists, Master Exorcists, and Heaven Master Exorcists.

When ordinary Exorcists use Dharma artifacts, they have to work together to deal with one Bizarro Fiend. Fang Qi… was formerly an ordinary Exorcist. When he was dealing with a Bizarro Fiend, he lost an arm while saving his junior brother.

Fang Qi was already a true Exorcist. Even so, he also had to be careful. He couldn’t slack off at all when cooperating with his companions since a single mistake could result in his companions dying.

For a Master Exorcist to use a Dharma artifact to deal with a Bizarro Fiend alone is rare. They will at least be a fifth-grade official in the Imperial Court’s Exorcism Division, but only by combining forces with a group of Master Exorcists can they have a chance of dealing with a Great Fiend!

Heaven Master Exorcists represent the highest realm of Exorcists. The Imperial Court only has one. In the entire world… there are only a handful of Heaven Master Exorcists. They can deal with one Great Fiend in a one-on-one battle with external objects like Dharma artifacts.

As for Origins Fiends? The nine Origins Fiends in the world have been sealed. They have lived for at least thousands of years. In history, every Origins Fiend that breaks through the seal will cause pandemonium to the world. Life will plunge into misery and suffering. All the Exorcism factions in the world will join forces to seal it. No matter how many Exorcists there are, they have never killed an Origins Fiend. Origins Fiends are indestructible. Meng Chuan frowned.

In this world, Exorcists used their psyche to communicate with Dharma Seals, talismans, Dharma artifacts, and other external objects. They used the Heaven and Earth powers to deal with fiends, but their bodies were ultimately mortal.

My tribulation this time… The unknown force threw my consciousness here and only sent a message—Become the strongest expert in this world! Meng Chuan looked at the book in front of him. However, I can confirm that this world can’t absorb external powers at all.

Meng Chuan’s willpower was at the Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation realm. How powerful was it? However, his willpower relied on this body. His body was his soul’s vessel! If his soul was too powerful, it would crush his body.

Meng Chuan could sense that his soul was very weak. Although his willpower had transformed his soul, he couldn’t absorb any external power.

Power of Heaven and Earth, Power of the Stars, Power of Supreme Yin, Power of Supreme Yang…

All powers were sealed.

This body’s soul was clearly extremely thirsty and could rapidly grow, but there wasn’t enough energy to supply it. It couldn’t seek external help; the only way to absorb energy was by eating!

Eating allowed him to absorb nutrients to supply his body and soul. Furthermore, this world was only filled with mortal food. There was no way to transcend the mortal world by eating these.

I can’t absorb external powers just by eating. Even my willpower can’t control my soul. It should be a law restriction. Meng Chuan understood this point.

Become the strongest in this world as a mortal? Meng Chuan pondered and continued reading.

…

Meng Chuan taught at Exorcism Academy. He spent his free time reading and exercising.

Mortals could naturally temper their bodies.

Meng Chuan knew too many ways to temper his body. As he tried, he gradually figured out a set of mortal exercises. This was the most suitable training method based on his severed arm.

He also bought a large amount of meat, and he ate large amounts of meat every day. With enough meat, not only could his body become stronger rapidly, but his soul could also absorb nutrients and grow.

He ate meat every day for an hour. Every day, he trained with his mortal body exercises for eight hours. On average, he only needed to teach for an hour a day… Besides working out every day, he had to make the best use of his time to read.

As a mortal, he had limited time. Even if he tried his best, it would be very difficult for him to transcend the tribulation successfully. If he slacked off? He would probably fail.

Apart from sleeping, he didn’t waste any time. Just this mental fortitude and perseverance were something very few mortals could attain.

In two years, his body had reached the limits of mortals.

Sigh, the soul a mortal body at its limits can carry is too weak. Meng Chuan picked up a 50-kilogram stone lock with his left hand and casually threw it. After throwing it five to six meters high, he reached out to catch it.

It seemed pretty good, but any random Bizarro Fiend was ten-fold stronger than him in pure strength, much less a Great Fiend that could destroy cities.

Such a body is the limit of this world’s mortals? Meng Chuan sighed.

Mortals had their limits. Strength, speed, and everything else had their limits, and it was difficult to break past the limits.

Meng Chuan estimated that 1,500 kilograms of strength was the limit for mortals. Of course, he had to consider his severed arm.

After my body reaches its limits, the soul I can carry will also reach its limits. I won’t be able to become stronger; this is the foundation I can rely on. Meng Chuan knew this very well.

Exorcists use their psyche to communicate with Dharma Seals, talismans, Dharma artifacts, and other items… The psyche originates from the soul. My soul’s limit is only this high. Furthermore, a mortal’s body will gradually decline from its peak at the age of 30. They will be old by the age of 50. It’s already not bad if they can live to the age of 80 or 90.

Therefore, it’s best if I succeed in transcending the tribulation at the age of 30. The longer I delay, the older my body will become, and the weaker my soul will be… In turn, it will be harder to become the world’s strongest.

Meng Chuan also understood this.

The strongest in this world was naturally not in comparison to humans but to all living beings in this world.

…

The third year of Meng Chuan’s teaching.

“The rebels have entered the capital!” The capital was in chaos, and the flames of war burned through the entire city.

The imperial palace was in chaos; the imperial family had fled in advance.

A one-armed, linen-clothed youth walked out of the imperial palace with a bag on his back. Some soldiers encountered him, but they didn’t seem to see him.

Meng Chuan’s soul had reached this mortal body’s limit. Although he had yet to reach the Essence Soul realm, Meng Chuan could still cast simple illusions. At the very least, he could bewitch dozens of ordinary people. Of course, if he encountered someone with strong willpower, the illusions his soul cast could be seen through. That or in front of a large number of people… He couldn’t bewitch too many people at the same time.

The imperial family actually ignored these three precious Exorcism manuals. They only fled with the treasures. Meng Chuan sighed inwardly.

He had long set his sights on these three precious Exorcism manuals. They were manuals that the Great Yu Dynasty forced the three top Exorcism factions to hand over when it was at its peak.

The Imperial Palace had a copy, and so did the Exorcism Division headquarters.

However, Meng Chuan didn’t go to the Exorcism Division. This was because he felt that it was easier to obtain the manuals from the Imperial Palace.

The capital has been breached. The Great Yu Dynasty is completely finished. On this day, Meng Chuan left the capital and embarked on his journey home.

…

The south’s largest city, Binhai City.

Fang Qi’s father sold all his farmland and moved to this large city? The single-armed Meng Chuan carried his luggage and walked through Binhai City.

Binhai City was close to the sea, and trade flourished here. Although the world was in chaos and several factions controlled Binhai City, it maintained a rare peace. It also caused wealthy merchants and nobles to flee here with their families. Under the chaos of war, Binhai City became the most prosperous city in the world.

When Meng Chuan was teaching at Exorcism Academy, he received a letter from Fang Qi’s father, Fang Dalong. He said that he had moved to Binhai City and gave him an address.

This is it. Meng Chuan finally found the address.

“What? You lost the bag of silver I gave you last night?” A roar sounded from the manor in front of him. The roar was extremely familiar to Meng Chuan. The voice in his memories belonged to his father—Fang Dalong!

Meng Chuan walked forward and knocked on the door.

The door opened.

An honest old man looked out and asked, “Who is it?”

Then, the honest old man immediately revealed a look of delight. “Eldest Young Master!”

“Master, Eldest Young Master is back. Eldest Young Master is back,” shouted the honest old man immediately.

“Uncle Sanmao,” greeted Meng Chuan with a smile.

One of Fang Dalong’s two lackeys was Wang Sanmao. Uncle Sanmao was strong, bold, and loyal. When Fang Dalong was young, Wang Sanmao followed him.

Even his wife was snatched by Fang Dalong and his men for his old pal. Toward the end of the dynasty, the government didn’t have much power. The chaos in the countryside meant that whoever had the biggest fist had the last word. It had become a tradition to snatch brides. Being able to snatch and hold onto her meant that one was strong enough. People would even consider it a good marriage.

“Qi’er is back?” A loud voice resounded throughout the manor, and a burly man with two guns at his waist ran out. He had a square face and was a hairy man. His eyes were like a tiger’s, and he had a rash aura.

Fang Dalong relied on his guns and his subordinates to become a wealthy local. He even sent his son to the capital’s Exorcism Academy.

Meng Chuan looked at the man. Fang Dalong was 41 years old, but he didn’t look old.

Fang Dalong saw the youth dressed in plain clothes standing in front of him. When he left, Fang Qi was still a youth with clean facial features, but now, he had lost an arm.

“Qi’er.” Fang Dalong hugged his son as tears rolled down his cheeks. “It’s all Dad’s fault; it’s Dad’s fault. I shouldn’t have sent you to the Exorcism Academy.”

“I was rash,” said Meng Chuan.

He remembered Fang Dalong’s repeated exhortations when he sent his son to the Exorcism Academy. “Qi’er, go to the Exorcism Academy and learn how to exorcise fiends. Come back after you’re done; don’t join the Exorcism Division.”

However, the young and impetuous Fang Qi clearly ignored his father’s exhortations and joined the Exorcism Division in high spirits.

As the father and son hugged, women and children came to the front yard.

“This is Eldest Young Master?”

“Why is he crippled?”

“Don’t spout nonsense. Eldest Young Master is an official of the Imperial Court.”

“The imperial government is gone. What official? Now that there’s war and chaos, our family is already tight on money. Now, we have another eldest young master.”

The women muttered, and some of them had unfriendly gazes. Back when Fang Qi went to the capital, he had reasons for not interacting with these aunts.

Fang Dalong hugged his son tightly for a while before letting go.

Meng Chuan looked at the women in the courtyard. There were even some children.

Fang Dalong felt a little embarrassed when he saw this. He smiled obsequiously and said, “You know your Second Aunt and the others, but there are a few that you don’t know. Let me introduce them to you. This is your Sixth Aunt, and this is your Eighth Aunt. This is your Eleventh Aunt…”

“How many did you marry?” asked Meng Chuan.

“I didn’t want to bother you when you were in the capital, so I didn’t tell you.” Fang Dalong smiled honestly. “When I was in the countryside, I married my seventh wife. Later, when I moved to the city… Now that it’s all war and chaos, I’m even more popular. I married another six. However, your Twelfth Aunt just married me half a month ago, and she left with someone else! She’s really blind; she’ll regret it!”

Meng Chuan didn’t say a word as he listened.

Fang Dalong smiled obsequiously when he saw his son’s expression. “Let’s not talk about such depressing matters. Qi’er, your return is something worth celebrating. Are you staying?”

“I won’t be leaving for now,” said Meng Chuan.

Fang Dalong heaved a sigh of relief.

Many of the aunts’ expressions turned ugly.