CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61 ANCESTORS BLESS!

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

Ren Suo’s guess was indeed correct.

In the winter of 265, even though Ren Suo had all Ren Family Members refrain from the expedition, the remnants of Shu Han still came knocking.

The current Patriarch of Ren Family was now the grandson of the Divine Child ’Ren Ying’—the sixth-generation Family Head, Ren Han (counting Ren Ying and the Divine Child Ren Ying as two generations).

A mere 76 years passed, just a single lifetime for a long-lived mortal. Yet, the turbulent Eastern Han had completely vanished from the stage of history. Even the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han dynasty was on the verge of unification, and the heroes of that era had all passed away.

First, Shu Han fell. Then, in the summer of 265, Cao Huan abdicated, signaling the end of the Wei Kingdom. Only Sun Wu remained, stubbornly defending Jiangdong. However, Sun Hao was like a withered bone in a tomb; it was only a matter of time before the Western Jin army crossed the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and struck directly at Jianye.

With the establishment of the Western Jin, the grand drama of the Eastern Han and the Three Kingdoms was essentially drawing to a close.

It also marked the end of the first stage of "Over My Dead Body."

However, within these short 76 years, the Ren Family Cultivators, starting from an initial three, had grown through six generations to a total population exceeding fifty. Like mayflies, living briefly and dying quickly, generation after generation fought and died on the battlefield to slay demons and monsters and ensure the family’s continuation.

All of them turned to ashes in the prime of their lives. They could not have love, a future, or expectations; their only possession was the heavy weight of responsibility.

Currently, there were 14 living Ren Family Cultivators, 8 of whom were capable of fighting—Divine Child Ren Ying had made outstanding contributions to the family’s population growth.

Yet, when the winter of 265 arrived, Ren Suo was dragged into the plot, whether he liked it or not.

On screen, the thriving Ren Family Village was surrounded by neatly terraced fields, now fallow as late autumn turned to early winter. Normally, only rabbits would be seen darting through the wild grass. But now, countless soldiers in black armor stood upon the fields, besieging Ren Family Village.

Dark clouds pressed down on the city, threatening to crush it.

At the head of the black-armored soldiers stood generals in white attire, Painted Face Persons, scholars with feather fans and silk headscarves, and numerous high-ranking officials of Shu Han.

Standing at the very front was an elderly man with a kindly face, his hands hanging below his knees, dressed in magnificent robes.

The old man spoke, "Greetings to the Patriarch of Ren Family. I am Liu Bei, the Emperor of the Great Han, ruling under the era name Zhangwu."

The sixth-generation Family Head, Ren Han, replied, "Greetings, Emperor Zhaolie. Since Your Majesty is already deceased, why return to the human world to cause more slaughter?"

Liu Bei turned his head, gazing at the distant, overlapping mountain ranges under a world of blue sky and white clouds. "It is just that... what one desires, one cannot attain, and yet, one cannot let go.

"The Great Han’s eight hundred years of history, the glory of the Han dynasty, the name of Yan Han... ultimately, they could not endure...

"Perhaps this is what is called history, what is called destiny. We are merely remnants of an ancient age, lingering spirits clinging to the past.

"If the world were simple and pure, perhaps we would eventually fade into the memories of the living, gradually forgotten, and dissipate..."

The sixth-generation Family Head responded, "That will not happen, Your Majesty. The loyalty and heroism of you and your valiant followers will surely be chronicled and celebrated by later generations. Your deeds will shine brighter with time, history books will be honored to record your passage, the common folk will sing of your accomplishments, and you will live on longer than any dynasty."

Ren Suo always felt that each generation’s Family Head seemed as if they had read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*...

Liu Bei sighed, "And what of it? The victor is crowned king, the vanquished branded a bandit. It is nothing more than that."

The sixth-generation Family Head remarked, "If that is so, why not rest in peace?"

Liu Bei stated, "But even ashes harbor the hope to rekindle. True, the Great Han has fallen, I have lost... but that was only in the world of the living."

The Sixth Generation Family Head was startled and looked at the figures behind Liu Bei. "Could it be that the Prime Minister..."

Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Patriarch of Ren Family, it is as you suspect. Even in life, I had found a method for departed souls to retain their sanity. I set up the Seven-Star Lamp at Wuzhang Plains precisely to free this frail body from its mortal bindings, to continue serving the Great Han as a spirit. Alas...

"However, Jiang Wei has learned my various esoteric arts. He laid out formations in places like the Sword Pavilion and Chengdu. Using his own death as a catalyst, he ultimately completed these arrangements."

Liu Bei said, "If I could not be a victor in life, then becoming a mighty ghost in death is not an unacceptable alternative."

The Sixth Generation Family Head exclaimed in horror, "You actually intend... to rule the world with the bodies of the dead?"

"And why not?" Liu Bei retorted. "Compared to the imperial succession from one dynasty to the next, the dead are eternal. Once the issue of their sentience is resolved, they can govern the world for millennia.

"The common people fear inept emperors, tyrannical officials, and undisciplined armies. But among the dead, these problems do not exist."

Zhuge Liang added, "We have no descendants, no desires, no weaknesses.

"We have nothing left, save for... the ideal of purifying the world and restoring our Han Dynasty!

"We shall forge an eternal golden age!"

Liu Bei continued, "However, in this world, there is still your Ren Family.

"The Ren Family, slayers of monsters and demons, suppressors of ghosts, guardians of the world... You belong to no faction. You silently safeguard the world’s peace, exterminating all manner of evil spirits.

"You possess supreme Immortal Techniques, your cultivation reaches the heavens, and even the Great Cultivators of the various kingdoms are no match for you. Wei Kingdom’s Great Cultivator Cao Zhen had his nascent divinity shattered right here by a mere child of the Ren Family. Wu State’s Great Cultivator Lu Xun would only observe from afar, never daring to approach. My own capable ministers who have had dealings with the Ren Family all show you the utmost respect.

"Yet, it was only when I awakened from the netherworld that I truly comprehended the greatness of the Ren Family."

Liu Bei, looking at Ren Family Village, said, "The land where your Ren Family resides is precisely at a nexus of Spirit Veins. Not only have Ren Family Cultivators guarded it for generations, but countless cultivators have also perished here at their peak, fusing their will to ’slay demons and monsters’ into the Spirit Veins.

"It is precisely because your Ren Family Cultivators are willing to sacrifice themselves that the world has not seen more demons arise."

Ren Suo blinked, mulling over Liu Bei’s words. He was somewhat astonished. "Does that mean the more Ren Family Cultivators die, the slightly lower the game’s difficulty becomes?"

Ren Suo recalled that in certain mid-to-late-game stages, like Red Cliff or Xiaoyaojin, the number of demons that appeared did indeed vary slightly. However, it was unclear whether this was due to system randomness or the number of Ren Family Cultivator deaths.

Liu Bei declared, "However, to us departed souls, the Ren Family is a shackle. As long as you exist, even if the loyal souls of Shu Han reconquer the world, we will eventually be eroded by the Spiritual Energy from the will within the Spirit Veins, and be purged by Heaven and Earth!

"Furthermore, the Ren Family Cultivators would never stand idly by and watch us, the departed, retake the world!"

That might not be the case, Ren Suo thought. He only planned to survive these next two years and had no interest in the deathmatch between Shu Han and Western Jin. Besides, Ren Suo himself held no interest in the Western Jin. The Sima family’s ascendancy through oppressing a widow and orphan left a bad taste, and the Western Jin’s system, customs, and eventual developments didn’t appeal to him in the slightest.

Of course, according to the game’s design, Ren Family Cultivators were certainly obligated to slay demons and monsters.

Ren Suo’s thoughts seemed to project directly to the Ren Family Patriarch in the game.

Sixth Generation Family Head: "..."

Liu Bei: "I know that we departed souls are no match for the strength of the Ren Family Cultivators. Therefore, we have no choice but to... overwhelm you with numbers."

Zhuge Liang: "Please, allow us to realize our dream. Or, let us remain lost in this dream forever...

"Your Ren Family... is the great mountain we must overcome!"

「Enter battle!」

Eight Ren Family Cultivators entered the battlefield!

Enemy: "Emperor Zhaolie of Han," "Marquis Zhongwu of Han, Zhuge Liang," "Marquis of Shunping in Han, Zhao Yun," "Marquis of Xixiang in Han, Zhang Fei," "Marquis Yi of Han, Fa Zheng," "Han Grand General Jiang Wei," "Marquis Gang of Han, Huang Zhong," "Marquis Wei of Han, Ma Chao," "Marquis Ting of Han, Chen Dao..." "Han White-Eared Elite Soldiers..."

Ren Suo silently reviewed their information and was rendered speechless.

"Han White-Eared Elite Soldiers"

"Attack 20, Defense 20, Move 10"

"White Ears: 15% chance to deal double damage when attacking; 15% chance to increase Defense by 20 when attacked (this bonus disappears next turn, whether consumed or not)."

"Elite: As elite troops in life, they retain their military discipline in death. If more than 5 allied units are within 5 squares, Attack +5, Defense +5."

"Rationality: They possess clear self-awareness and are unaffected by standard aggro mechanics."

Even common soldiers were this powerful; the named figures were absurdly strong.

"Emperor Zhaolie of Han"

"Attack 25, Defense 300, Move 10"

"Emperor of the Han: Can command all souls loyal to the Han dynasty."

"Zhaolie: Liu Bei, who dedicated his life to reviving the Han dynasty, gained the recognition of the twenty-nine previous Han emperors after death. Recovers 29 Defense each turn (cannot exceed original Defense cap)."

"Benevolence: Liu Bei’s benevolence is renowned. He can share his Defense with any Shu Han unit, limited to two units per turn, up to 50 Defense each (this shared Defense lasts for one turn only)."

"Rousing Cry: When Liu Bei gives the command, all Han generals respond. Liu Bei can designate an enemy unit; for this turn, any Shu Han unit attacking that enemy will deal double critical hit damage (e.g., an original 4x critical hit becomes an 8x critical hit)."

"Twin Swords: Melee single-target skill, attacks twice per turn."

The attributes of others like Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun, while not matching Liu Bei’s, weren’t far behind.

Truthfully, even if these heroes, who were Great Cultivators in life, were revived and strengthened in death, they still couldn’t individually compare to a Ren Family Cultivator. If nothing else, the Sixth Generation Family Head alone could crush Liu Bei—

"Ren Han"

"Age: 15"

"Lifespan: 23"

"Attack 50, Defense 200, Scouting 20, Move 24, Healing 7, Management 17"

"Inherited Spell: Cold Flame Mixed Origin Overflowing Roar of the Heavenly Sovereign: Upon entering combat, Attack +50%, Defense +50%. Can force enemies within 8 squares to attack oneself. All attacks that do not exceed Defense are completely ineffective. Performs a single-target attack each turn, dealing 2x Water damage and 2x Fire damage (if the enemy has no weakness to these elements, it becomes a 4x single-target damage)."

(Inheritance source: Celestial Lord’s Form (Sixth Generation Family Head), Roaring Tianzun Force (Ren Nu), Ying’s Roaring Tianzun Force (Ren Ying), Surging Fullness Roaring Tianzun Force (Ren Ying), Mixed Origin Surging Fullness Roaring Tianzun Force (Ren Pingsheng).)

It seemed that as long as Shu Han lacked the ability to reduce armor, the Ren Family shouldn’t lose.

But the problem was—Shu Han had numbers.

More people meant a greater variety of spells.

As soon as the battle began, Ren Suo felt ’many’ was insufficient to describe Shu Han—’omnipotent’ was more fitting!

The Shu Han generals cast countless buffs on the White-Eared Elite Soldiers, and the civil officials directly altered the battlefield! Ren Suo could barely keep up with the long list of skills—

Fiery Flame Rattan Armor: Reduces enemy Defense by 2 points if they are nearby.

Borrowed East Wind: Increases the attack range of Shu Han units and decreases that of Ren Family Cultivators.

Eight Trigrams Formation: Reduces enemy Mobility Attribute by 5 points and increases Shu Han units’ Mobility Attribute by 10 points.

War Fog: Conceals important figures in the Shu Han rear.

White Horse Volunteers: Increases Shu Han cavalry’s Move by 30% and Attack by 30%.

...

The Shu Han battle formation could only be described as perfect!

They possessed corresponding weakening techniques for close-range, mid-range, and long-range spells!

This was truly a battle of overall capability. Ren Suo could already foresee that once the Sixth Generation Family Head’s armor was whittled down to nothing by the Fiery Flame Rattan Armor, the other Ren Family Cultivators would quickly be picked off one by one.

And indeed, that’s what happened. Initially, the Sixth Generation Family Head, leveraging his powerful taunt ability, forcibly carved a bloody path for the Ren Family Cultivators. Just as they were about to reach the heart of the Shu Army, Liu Bei and his forces retreated!

That’s shameless! How could you run! Ren Suo fumed.

Ren Suo now fully understood the Ren Family’s role.

Look, Ren Suo thought, a character that requires everyone’s combined strength, outnumbering them to be dealt with—isn’t that a boss?

Liu Bei and his followers were treating the Ren Family as a boss fight!

After a long chase, the Sixth Generation Family Head’s armor was finally weakened to a dangerous level. Then, Huang Zhong landed a long-range critical hit, instantly putting him into a near-death state!

The common soldiers were about to swarm and finish off the Sixth Generation Family Head!

Sigh... Ren Suo touched his forehead. This run is probably a wipe... Time to restart...

However, on the screen, an option appeared above the body of the fallen Sixth Generation Family Head:

"Consume ancestral souls to resurrect? Yes/No"