Destiny in Cinders

Although he was worried about identifiable marks on the deceased's clothing, he could simply move on to the next town among the multiple settlements scattered across the wilderness to avoid having his clothes recognized. As the sounds of gunfire drifted away, An Jing stood up and moved toward the site of the fight.

Language was no longer an issue, so his only remaining concern was danger. Despite the risk, An Jing had to act. He wasn't just after a change of clothes; he was gambling on the slim chance of finding someone still alive.

The fight here was intense. Reaching the scene of the fight, An Jing realized that while this world resembled both Void Embrace and his past life in some ways, it was neither. Despite their varied attire, certain elements were consistent. They all sported bulletproof raincoats made from fiberglass, wore gas masks, and veiled hats that had useful heads-up displays.

The raincoats and hats shielded them from the corrosive rain while the gas masks that obscured their faces blocked out poisonous qi and miasma. From afar, they resembled ordinary fishermen, but a closer look revealed a startling level of technological refinement.

"These raincoats, hats, flying swords, and even the sword cases are all artifacts." A hint of surprise rippled through Yvelbane's voice. "Decked out in artifacts from head to toe—the level of technomancy in this world is almost too advanced."

"They're all artifacts?" An Jing had been frantically stripping the corpses of their raincoats, hats, and weapons, but upon hearing Yvelbane's words, his movements faltered. "If I remember correctly, only cultivators can use artifacts, whether they are on the martial path or the immortal qi path..."

"Indeed. Some artifacts can be used by mortals, but not these." Yvelbane confirmed An Jing's suspicions. "They were all cultivators, low-level ones, mostly equivalent to the Aura Realm, but not a single one was an ordinary person. And that's not all. From what I've sensed, everyone in that town is a cultivator, save for some of the children."

"All cultivators..." An Jing muttered to himself as he continued to loot the corpses. "So everyone in this world has spirit roots?"

"No." Yvelbane refuted him. "Spirit roots are complicated. There are secret techniques to alter them, but you can't just grant spirit roots to every person. Cultivating isn't the same as ascending to immortality. It's likely that through mass dissemination of cultivation techniques and other methods, the people here have learned to cultivate basic inner qi essence and manipulate their innate qi. Simply put, everyone can be an Aura martialist, but only a small percentage will ever reach the Fortification Realm."

There was an uncharacteristic trace of nostalgia in the sword soul's voice as it continued speaking. "Still, it's an impressive achievement. Back then, in Void Embrace, only the most powerful sects could ensure that every person under their wing became a cultivator. Look, these gang members are fully equipped with artifacts. This would be impossible if cultivation wasn't universal."

An Jing listened with rapt attention, his movements slowing. He couldn't help but press for an answer. "What about lifevessels? Where exactly do they fit within the classification of artifacts?"

"While lifevessels date back to ancient times, it was only in the wake of the grand calamity of Void Embrace that they became more common," Yvelbane said. "A great cultivator who studied this explained that lifevessels are formed when a bearer with a matching lifearc entrusts their soul to an artifact. Thus, the more lifearc bearers there are, the more lifevessels emerge. Conversely, a powerful lifevessel catalyzes the birth of similar lifearcs in its vicinity. The two complement each other.

"Lifevessels are entirely unranked. Even minor lifevessels bestow unique, irreplaceable effects. When paired with a matching lifearc bearer, they can unleash power far beyond imagination. Certain lifevessels are so rare and potent they're worth saving for the right lifearc bearer. Beyond that, my knowledge is limited..."

An Jing quietly committed these facts to mind. Yvelbane's origins remained a mystery and its status was exalted. Though it once belonged to an immortal from ages past, not even the sword soul knew which era it came from or what power it truly possessed.

"Alright."

Having settled on his gear, An Jing pulled the raincoat and hat from the smallest corpse and threw them on. The corpse was a dashing young man, maybe fourteen or fifteen, not much older than An Jing. Yet he was taken out in a gunfight, and his life ended right here. An Jing couldn't help but think of Void Embrace. The two worlds were chillingly similar in their utter disregard for life.

Firearms in this world were a matter of some nuance. Much like the weapons An Jing had scavenged from the explorers' corpses back in the initial cave, the guns wielded by these gang members fell into two distinct categories: conventional gunpowder weapons and spirit-beam guns.

However, the spirit-beam guns in the cave were larger, heavier, and required substantial aura to fire. An Jing was so weighed down by constant tension from the danger he was in that he lacked the energy to channel his aura and test the weapons.

In contrast, the gang's guns were more compact and portable. They required far less aura than those antiquated spirit-beam guns, so even a Silk Aura martialist could fire a round or two.

Naturally, their power had limits. Most of the holes on the bulletproof raincoats on the corpses had been pierced through by conventional gunpowder rounds, probably fired from peculiar high-penetration weapons. Meanwhile, compact spirit-beam guns were easily countered by the raincoats' reflective coating, leaving behind nothing but scorched black marks. A lucky shot from a gunpowder weapon was all it took sometimes to punch right through the raincoats and strike a lethal blow to the martialist.

Just then, a commotion erupted from the town's direction. An Jing wasn't the only one with the sense to loot the fallen. The rival gangs had likely already sent people to recover their gear.

An Jing had already collected a considerable amount of items, so he quickly departed, taking two spirit-beam guns, three handguns, and various smaller items. These were the most valuable spoils he could gather in the limited time available.

Among the miscellaneous items were some questionable medicines. While some looked like they were intended for healing, the rest seemed clearly off. Even without Yvelbane's warning, the packaging alone told An Jing it was a banned psychedelic. A portion was missing, likely having been used to boost morale before the fight.

An Jing donned a bloodstained, bullet-ridden raincoat and concealed his face behind the hat and gas mask, vanishing into the darkness with the weapons he had scavenged. The night was far from peaceful, the air shattered by an unrelenting racket.

It was unclear to him if this was just another night in this world or an anomaly. Either way, the wilderness came to life with the sound of every gang and faction locked in violent struggle. An Jing visited four towns, and in every one, multiple factions were embroiled in a bitter conflict that left the air thick with gunfire.

"What the hell even is the deal with this world?" Several times, stray bullets whizzed past him by a hair's breadth. One even slammed into his raincoat, bouncing off only due to the distance. An Jing was drenched in cold sweat. "Is there any place left where I can find some actual peace?"

After wandering aimlessly for some time, An Jing realized that there was no safe haven to be found. He even spotted several wild beasts, likely wolves, retreating from the town's chaos in the exact same sorry state as himself. Man and beast crossed paths before going their separate ways. It seemed the madness and internal strife was too extreme even for the wild beasts.

Apart from the towns, the wilderness were home to other small settlements. Some were villages, while others were refuges for vagrants built from scrap, steel plates, and containers.

Though they lacked decent food and clothing, these vagrants were armed to the teeth. Wary of the fighting, they remained in their respective dens, monitoring their surroundings with such vigilance that it was impossible for An Jing to get close.

Furthermore, something was unmistakably wrong in the distant megacity as well. The towering metropolis stood like tall mountains in the distance, its lights so unusually bright that it looked like the moon had fallen to the earth. Airships darted around the city like flickering fireflies. Despite the distance, An Jing could sense the faint hum of chaos stirring within.

"Could it... have something to do with that warship?" Carrying his scavenged loot, An Jing slowed his pace, staring at the city while lost in thought. The wilderness hadn't seemed this chaotic before, but An Jing hadn't been in this world long enough to know if this was the norm.

Not knowing anything and having to guess felt terrible. Luckily, An Jing solved that problem fast. He captured a gang member who was wounded but somehow still alive.