The Eternal Sin-Chapter 47: A Death Without Burial.

Jiang Chen raised his left leg and kicked the rock faced ghost spider’s corpse. The massive carcass that had been wedged over the hole tumbled backward and vanished into the abyss below the cliff. There was no echo to be heard. It was as if the darkness had opened its mouth and swallowed the mass of flesh whole.

He stood at the precipice and glanced at the sky. The sun was already tilting westward. It appeared like a bruised eye weeping crimson over the silhouette of the world.

He had crawled into this hole at high noon. Now half a day had slipped away, and the earth was preparing to drape itself in the shroud of night.

’If I climb now, I can reach the summit before the moon fades. I will try to rest briefly, then at dawn head for the Black Market. With my current pace, I should still make it in time, hopefully.’

He let out a slow breath and tilted his head slightly. From the depths of the dim cave, figures began to emerge one by one. A dozen clones gathered behind him like shadows cast by a single flame.

Jiang Chen glanced at the sheer cliff that rose like a blade toward the heavens.

’I have already stumbled once because of carelessness. Rock faced ghost spiders are typically social creatures. Where there is one, expect ten more. With my rotten luck, this cliff is likely riddled with their nests. I can only depend on my clones to act as shields.’

With a command of his will, the clones moved forward. They spread out along the cliff face in a tight knit, web like structure. Like the eye of a formation, Jiang Chen allowed the clones to form a living shield around him. Some moved slightly higher. Others took the sides. Like this, even if danger strikes, he will have room to respond.

The climb was grueling, especially with his right arm still a mess of torn muscle and fractured bone. The situation forced him to clench his teeth and rely on the strength of his legs and the white knuckled grip of his left hand.

The wind grew stronger as he ascended. It tugged at his robes and howled past his ears like baleful spirits.

It did not take long for the first spider to appear.

The surface of the cliff shook and a scythe like limb lashed out, revealing a rock like face on which six crimson eyes gleamed with malice. Before it could even leave a scratch, a clone to the right slammed its fist forward.

Heavenly Tiger Fist!

The spider’s body caved inward, and it was hurled away from the wall. It flailed frantically for a hold but found nothing but the void. Its shriek faded as it plunged toward the distant earth.

Jiang Chen’s expression remained unchanged as he continued the climb.

More spiders emerged soon after.

They crawled like ants from a broken nest. Their legs scraped against the stone, and venomous webs dripped and sizzled where they touched the rock.

Jiang Chen engaged them with his clones, maneuvering the skirmish with the masterful skill of a puppeteer.

These fights along the cliff face were perilous. A single misstep would send man and beast alike into the abyss. Nevertheless, Jiang Chen struggled and came out on top each time.

But ultimately, these encounters made the ascent agonizingly slow.

By the time the moon had climbed to the zenith, the world had become a mesmerizing landscape of silver and black.

A biting wind howled through the cliffs, pulling the heat from Jiang Chen’s skin and chilling his bones.

His breath grew heavier with fatigue. The climb carved a map of shallow cuts and abrasions across his left hand. One third of his clones had vanished. The remaining figures were not much better off.

But Jiang Chen did not stop.

’I cannot halt midway. There is no safe space here like before. My dantian still holds more than half its essence. The clones are weakening, but they can hold a little longer. So it is better to endure the exhaustion and push upward.’

Time seemed to lose meaning.

The moon shone alone as clouds drifted across its face like veils. When Jiang Chen raised his head this time, he could see the faint outline of the cliff’s edge above.

’Five hundred meters... perhaps seven hundred. At long last, the summit is within sight. The spiders have not appeared for some time. This will soon be over.’

His eyes narrowed unconsciously. ’That is precisely why I must remain wary. Either this section is truly void of beasts, or something stronger occupies it. If I grow careless, I will repeat my earlier mistake.’

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the leftmost clone froze. Its hand hovered against the rock. Jiang Chen’s muscles tightened, his Qi flaring in preparation for a strike.

But the clone did not retreat. Instead, it unleashed the Heavenly Tiger Fist.

The blow did not meet the solid stone of the cliff. Instead, mud and brittle layers shattered away. Beneath the outer crust, an ancient dry wooden wall was reduced to reddish shards that rained down into the abyss.

A cavity opened in the cliff face.

The clone that had delivered the strike dissipated into a puff of gray mist. Jiang Chen hesitated for a second before sending two other clones to investigate. Moments later, a thread of perception returned to him.

He shifted his path and moved toward the hole. The opening was broad enough to accommodate five men walking side by side. The interior was dim, as one would expect. A foul scent drifted outward. The air inside was stagnant, carrying the smell of decay long sealed within.

Half of the clones stationed themselves at the entrance, while the others followed him into the darkness. The cave extended inward for several dozen steps before widening slightly. The ground was uneven and littered with fragments of stone. At the far end, a skeleton slumped against the wall.

Jiang Chen slowed his steps.

The bones were dry and yellowed by the passage of time. The skeleton was draped in dark blue robes embroidered with golden leaf patterns along the sleeves and collar. Despite the ravages of the years, the cloth retained a faint richness.

Jiang Chen’s eyes fell on the skeleton’s lap, upon which rested an object shaped like a human eyeball carved from crystal.

’Isn’t this the Flowing Pictures Eye. An information path treasure. Hm, it seems this fellow prepared a final message before death.’

Jiang Chen did not approach immediately. One of the clones stepped forward and picked up the crystal. A thin stream of spiritual essence flowed from its fingertip into the treasure. The pupil within the crystal dilated, casting a beam of flickering light onto the cave wall.

A scene flickered to life. An old man appeared in the light, clad in the same blue and gold robes. His hair was sparse and white. His face was gaunt and worn by time. Blood stained the corner of his mouth as he coughed weakly.

"So in the end, I have reached this day."

His voice was hoarse.

"If you are seeing this, then I, Zhao Mingyuan, have already died. I have been a lone cultivator who roamed these lands for more than a hundred years. I have seen the sunrise over the Jade Peaks and the blood moon over the Asura Sea. I have fought, I have bled, and I have tasted both victory and defeat. I have done all I could in these years of cultivation. Yet in the end, the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment remained a wall I could not scale."

He gave a tired smile.

"I once believed that with enough perseverance the heavens would not forsake me. Hah... how laughable. Heaven is high and distant. It does not listen, nor does it answer. And dreams, heh, they do not come true for everyone. You may work hard until your limbs fall apart, but so what? Will the world reward you? It did not reward me."

"Why...? I do not know. I have pondered such questions many times, and I am tired of pointing the finger of blame at Heaven, at fate, at the world, its people, and even at myself. I have lived long enough for even resentment to become tiring. When one grows old, anger loses its edge. Only exhaustion remains."

The old man sighed, a sound of profound and weary regret.

"Finally, I am dying. No longer do I need to care, or perhaps it does not matter whether I care." The old man coughed blood again. "I have no disciples to carry my name, no kin to weep at my departure. Those I called friends are long buried. Now I die of old age in this cave. Of all endings, this is the one I never imagined. To struggle against beasts and men only to be defeated by time."

His gaze lifted as if looking directly at Jiang Chen. "Are you laughing at me, oh fated one?"

"By finding this projection, you have allowed me to survive one breath longer in the memory of the living. For that, I suppose this old man should be grateful. But I have nothing left to give, no treasures of heaven and earth to tempt you with, only these old bones. I... I ask only for a shred of your compassion. Give these remains a place beneath the earth. Bury me, oh fated one, and grant this old man that peace. Perhaps in the next cycle of reincarnation I will repay the favor. Or perhaps I will fail again. Who can say?"

The light flickered weakly.

"Still... to the one who finds me, I offer this final word. Cultivation is not merely breaking through realms. It is enduring loneliness, swallowing a sea of bitterness, and continuing forward even when Heaven turns its face away."

His figure began to fade.

"Walk carefully, oh fated one. The path ahead is longer than you think."

The projection dissolved into darkness.

The crystal eyeball had fully dimmed and lost its color. Silence returned to the cave. The wind outside whispered faintly through the opening.

Jiang Chen’s expression did not change. After a breath, he gave a cold humph.

"Got my hopes up for nothing, you dead trash." Jiang Chen stepped forward and kicked the skeleton in utter contempt.

The brittle bones shattered like glass, the skull rolling away into the shadows while the ribcage collapsed into a pile of white splinters.

Jiang Chen did not hold a shred of respect or compassion for this dead man.

’If I pause to bury every stranger I encounter, I will not survive long enough to see my own goals fulfilled. Spending your life clinging to the sentimentality of losers, no wonder you never broke through.’ Jiang Chen sneered and turned to leave.

As his foot brushed the scattered bones, a faint metallic sound rang out.

A small soot blackened ring slipped free from within the skeleton and rolled across the ground. It bumped against a stone and stopped near his clone’s feet.

Jiang Chen’s gaze dropped.

Then the corner of his mouth lifted.

"It seems Heaven has not completely shut its door on me after all."