I Have a God Simulator

The Ghoul’s head slammed against the stone wall. Its eyes went stiff, and it collapsed limply to the ground.

Yan Jiu stepped over the monsters sprawled on the ground and gazed ahead.

On the Tier Three Black Tombstone, three large skulls stared at him from a distance. They guarded one another, their jaws clacking open and shut and emitting a harsh, grating sound.

Dark green Nether Fire spewed from the skulls’ eyes.

Before the green fire could touch him, Yan Jiu merged into the dirt beneath his feet. A moment later, he reappeared by a patch of rubble diagonally ahead.

Yan Jiu strolled casually through the web of fire woven unceasingly by the three skulls.

"I’ve told you, this is useless against me."

"I mean you no harm."

The response was an even more frenzied torrent of Nether Fire.

Yan Jiu’s figure vanished, reappearing at the base of the Black Tombstone.

The three-tiered Black Tombstone was constructed entirely from a mixture of dirt and bricks. It had a stepped, conical shape, like a small fortress.

At its conical peak was a black stone monument—though it looked more like a square, black stone pillar.

The skulls spitting Nether Fire grew out of the tombstone, like grotesque masks hanging from its surface. They were the Black Tombstone’s primary means of attack, controlled by the Ghosts within.

Yan Jiu was all too familiar with this.

Having been in the Ghost Realm for sixty years, he had constantly dealt with these Black Tombstones, Ghouls, and Ghosts.

’If you patiently hone any craft for fifty years, you’re bound to learn a thing or two.’

The Black Tombstones were the foundation of this world.

They were the basic units that formed the tomb clusters, but they were also homes, watchtowers, fortresses, and a new kind of marvel. The inhabitants of this world lived their lives centered around the Black Tombstones; the tall, plain black stone monuments were what gave them a sense of security.

This reminded Yan Jiu of the Yao Race’s Ghost Lighthouses.

Their purposes were, in fact, different.

The Ghost Lighthouse had no combat Traits. It was an open structure for Ghosts, a bridge for communication between the Dead and the living.

The tombstone, however, was the opposite extreme—incredibly sealed off and exclusionary. Even Ghosts and Ghouls could draw Nether Fire attacks if they trespassed into the territory of another Black Tombstone.

They looked like a strange cluster of tombstones, but they were more like independent fortresses arranged in an orderly fashion under a God’s command.

In his early days, Yan Jiu had suffered greatly at the hands of the Black Tombstones.

Once Nether Fire burned the body, it would cause continuous pain and Weakness. Its lethality was considerable, and the higher the Tier of the Black Tombstone and the more levels it had, the stronger the Nether Fire’s power.

Fortunately, he was now a Sand Walker, able to exist and transform into the shape of sand. As long as his feet touched the earth, Yan Jiu could use pre-arranged sand to rapidly shift his position.

Sand was his most important tool.

The Black Tombstone’s weakness was inside.

As long as one could break through its attack range and enter its inner sanctum, one could subdue the controlling Ghosts inside.

The only unfortunate thing was that the areas around Black Tombstones were mostly muddy and damp. If it were dry ground or even a desert, Yan Jiu’s range of movement would be much greater.

Even after breaking past the Black Tombstone’s Nether Fire attack range, he still had to deal with the Ghouls sleeping underground.

Yan Jiu quite enjoyed fighting the Ghouls.

It reminded him of his past on the Eastern Continent, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Extraordinary Beings to seek a breakthrough. Typically, Yan Jiu would hold back and not deliver a killing blow, which also allowed him to avoid the Ghouls’ Self-Destruction.

The Ghouls retained their bestial nature. They hadn’t received any formal, professional training, which meant that despite their explosive power, durability, and Poisoned attacks, they couldn’t fully utilize their Combat Power.

’If Commander Boutu from Yan City were to specially train these Ghouls,’ Yan Jiu mused, ’I’d have a very difficult time facing them.’

Through his constant battles with the Ghouls and Black Tombstones, Yan Jiu felt himself grow stronger and stronger, until he hit a new bottleneck.

Now, he could handle most Ghouls with ease.

It wasn’t just due to Tier Suppression; it was also because Yan Jiu knew their attacks and behaviors like the back of his hand.

Yan Jiu passed through the inner perimeter and stepped inside the stepped tombstone.

Faced with an intruder, a dozen or so Ghosts backed away.

"D-don’t come any closer!"

"The Lord Apostle is already on his way! Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment?!"

"You lunatic, why do you always like to destroy our house! Where in the world did you come from?!"

"No one even provoked you!"

The Ghosts all chattered at once.

Yan Jiu simply said, "A traveler passing through, just came in to have a look. Sorry for the intrusion."

He glanced around.

Like the other tomb clusters he had visited, the interior of this tombstone was also simple, like a storage warehouse.

Many things were piled up inside, including stones of various colors, stone carvings, bones, wooden poles, wooden tables and chairs, all sorts of Pottery Jars... There was even a patch of dirt walled off by stones, where they were raising a kind of translucent slug—a favorite pet of the Ghosts.

The Ghosts of the Ghost Realm had rather peculiar tastes.

After his tour, Yan Jiu asked, "Do you know where a Tier Four Black Tombstone is?"

"Tier Four? There’s no such thing as Tier Four."

"That’s just a legend, and legends are fake."

"Tier Three is the best! We have the best house here! With the best skulls! And the strongest, smartest Ghouls!"

Speaking of their Black Tombstone, the Ghosts were once again filled with pride.

’What a pity,’ Yan Jiu thought.

He had already visited twelve Tier Three Tombstones, but he hadn’t found a more advanced four-tiered structure.

A legend circulated in the Ghost Realm that a Tier Four Black Tombstone would transform into a [Mad Tombstone]. Corpse Hunters would be born from it and would stitch together even more powerful Ghouls.

The legend was ancient, but its authenticity was hard to determine.

Yan Jiu wanted to see one for himself.

He turned his head and looked at the Wall beside him.

Just a Wall away.

Yan Jiu could sense a powerful Extraordinary Being on the other side, staring at this place.

He knew who it was.

"Apologies for the presumptuous visit," Yan Jiu said, then vanished on the spot.

Only then did the Ghosts inside the tombstone breathe a sigh of relief.

They looked at each other, then began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Is there really something wrong with his head?"

"Definitely. He’s totally unreasonable."

"A Sand Walker... Just what kind of Race is that? Good thing he’s the only lunatic like that in our world. Otherwise, we’d be in real trouble."

"One day, a God will definitely strike this lunatic dead."

"No, wait, everyone."

One Ghost’s face suddenly lit up with joy. "The Lord Apostle is here! I can feel it! It’s Lord Blo! The Sand Walker got scared and ran!"

The Apostle’s appearance meant that a God was also displeased with this Sand Walker and was about to inflict divine punishment upon him.

This lunatic who barges into tombstones has reached the end of the road!

The Ghosts grew cheerful one by one.

...

By a rocky hill, Yan Jiu looked at the figure before him.

"Have you considered my offer?" the figure asked.

The speaker was a human with a normal-looking face.

He was about the same height as Yan Jiu and appeared to be around thirty years old. His eyes were pale white with just a hint of green pupils, and his skin had a corpse-like, ashen-gray pallor. His entire being emanated a somber Death Qi.

"I am very grateful for the God’s appreciation."

Yan Jiu said politely, "However, please allow me to refuse. I cannot become an Apostle of the great Ghost God. I have my own God to follow, and I will not betray my Faith."

"You’d best be clear about one thing. The great Ghost God could crush you with a single finger," the ashen-skinned man said.

"I know, Mr. Blo."

Yan Jiu was very calm. "The might of a God is not to be challenged by a mortal."

"Since you know that, you should also understand that the Lord God has already shown you enough tolerance and Patience. Otherwise, you would have been a corpse long ago."

Blo sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "If you didn’t have some skill, I wouldn’t be wasting my time talking to you so much."

Yan Jiu knew this full well.

To survive in this Otherworld, one had to display their strength and value.

This was easier said than done, and extremely dangerous in practice.

He had to demonstrate his abilities without angering or offending the local God. That was why he had always held back when challenging the Black Tombstones, never harming the Ghosts or even killing a single Ghoul.

He appeared as a Cultivator, challenging all strong opponents, and later even initiated a sparring match with Apostle Blo.

The two were evenly matched.

Yan Jiu, however, didn’t believe he had reached the level of an Apostle.

He knew in his heart that Blo’s specialty wasn’t combat. Blo was a member of the Funeral Race. The Funeral Race was the most important population group in this world, but also the smallest in number.

Rotting corpses and skeletons would undergo a strange reaction in this world. Nurtured over time, most would become Ghouls. But a very small portion would evolve into the Funeral Race.

The Funeral Race and the Ghouls were the two branches of the Dead’s return in this world.

They retained clear self-awareness, developed Wisdom, and possessed the ability to create Black Tombstones.

Blo’s expertise was in mobilizing and constructing Black Tombstones.

"The God you follow has no intention of even turning you into an Apostle."

Blo tried to persuade him, "The great Ghost God, on the other hand, values talented individuals highly, which is why he’s setting aside the dispute of Faith to recruit you. The difference between the Gods is clear, isn’t it?"

"No, you’ve misunderstood."

Yan Jiu said calmly, "I haven’t become a Divine Apostle because I’m not yet worthy. Any single Apostle under my Lord God’s command is far superior to me. I am still a long, long way from the Lord Apostles."

Blo didn’t believe him at all.

In any of the Gods’ Divine Country, this Sand Walker before him—whether in terms of Tier, practical combat ability, or intellect—would be considered upper-mid-level among the Apostles. Otherwise, the great Ghost God wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to recruit him.

Blo continued with his carrot-and-stick approach. "Yan Jiu, you should be aware that the God will not tolerate you forever."

"I understand."

Yan Jiu simply said, "All I can do is continue to cultivate."

"Do you think you can change your fate just by reaching a high enough Tier?"

"Cultivation is a way of survival."

The Sand Walker smiled. "In this limited life, I want to see how far I can go. To go a little farther, to see a little more of the scenery."

Blo was annoyed.

’This guy is really... so admirable and yet so detestable.’

Suddenly, Blo’s entire body trembled.

He closed his eyes, his expression becoming incredibly grave.

After opening his eyes, Blo stared sharply at Yan Jiu. "The Divine Kingdom you belong to, is it the Bamboo Reed Kingdom?"

"No. As I’ve said, I am an ordinary Cultivator of the Yao Race," Yan Jiu corrected him.

Blo had already figured as much, but he asked again just to be safe.

Yan Jiu realized, "Did something happen?"

"..."

Blo was silent for a moment. "A war is about to begin. A Divine Kingdom is overlapping with the Ghost Realm. I have to go. You should lie low for a while."

Yan Jiu was a personal witness to a Divine War.

He had received a great deal of tolerance and care in this world.

Yan Jiu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you need help?"

"This is our war. We don’t need outsiders getting involved."

Blo turned and left.