Chapter Ninety-Eight: Sacrifice to the Gods

The moon hung high in the sky, bright as day.
Luoling Mountain lay shrouded in moonlight, its radiance seeming heavier here than elsewhere, as if all the moonlight in the heavens were drawn to this place, gathering upon it. Beiling, clad in white, her long hair drifting in the wind, stood before Luoling Cave, gazing at the jade-plate moon overhead. Her expression, bathed in that moonlight, had taken on a hint of serenity.

In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed, and Nanluo still showed no sign of waking... She had witnessed such frost-laden skies many times before. At first she had found them strange, thinking they might be omens of Nanluo's successful refinement and imminent awakening. But as such occasions came and went without change, she ceased to hold any particular expectation.

As for the mountain's spirits—those yet unable to take form, or those who had only just awakened their awareness—they would, at times like this, greedily devour the power of the moonlight in great gulps. Every year, many flowers, grasses, insects, and beasts of sufficient age would gain sentience thereby, fortunate enough to become spirits and demons.

Suddenly, Beiling heard a sigh. The sound seemed to come from the mountain itself, and yet also to spill forth from all of empty space... But she distinctly recognized it as Nanluo's voice. She turned leisurely, her black hair and white skirt drifting through the air, and in an instant she had vanished beneath the moonlight.

She stood before the jade bed in Luoling Cave, her brows slightly furrowed. Before her, Nanluo sat motionless, his expression peaceful, his features unchanged, his robes and body untouched by even a speck of dust.

His posture was exactly as it had been ten years ago, unchanged in every particular, save that the Qingyan Sword lay across his knees, seemingly having become a part of his body...

"Nanluo... is that you...?" Beiling spoke with a certain coldness, her voice rough and stiff, as if she had not spoken in many years.

"It is I..." The voice emerged from the void, yet not from the seated body before her.

"What happened?" Beiling stood still, asking quickly.

"Heh, nothing much... it's just... perhaps... I can no longer get out..."

Beiling's brows knit again. "What do you mean? What do you mean you can't get out? Are you still trapped within the Taiyin Spirit Vein?"

"Yes... trapped by the Taiyin Spirit Vein and the Taiyin Stele, unable to escape any longer. Heh, the *Taiyin Star-Sacrifice Divine Art*—it turns out it sacrifices one's own spirit. From now on, I truly am to become the mountain god, never to leave for all eternity, enduring alongside the mountains and rivers." Nanluo's voice was tinged with bitterness, and Beiling pressed him for the full account.

Nanluo explained: after he had fled into the Taiyin Spirit Vein beneath the mountain that day, before he could even begin to fuse the Taiyin Stele and the Taiyin Spirit Vein according to the technique, the two had already begun merging on their own... That merging might have been tolerable, but it had also drawn in Nanluo's primordial spirit. The Taiyin Stele, like a bottomless abyss, devoured the Taiyin Spirit Vein, and Nanluo immediately sensed something amiss. He tried to flee, but his strength had already failed him.

His perception of everything in the mountain outside remained intact, but it was no longer under his control. He exhausted every means, tried every method, yet still could not break free. Only then did he understand—in refining the Taiyin Stele, he had himself become bound by its prohibition...

The Taiyin Stele had merged with the Taiyin Spirit Vein, and on that snow-white stone, at some unknown time, a human silhouette had appeared. At first it was indistinct, but as time passed, it grew ever clearer. Had anyone been able to see it, they would have discovered that the figure's face was identical to Nanluo's.

After Beiling heard the full account, she was silent for a long while. Then she said fiercely: "You were foolish, and whom can you blame for that? To have been schemed against so thoroughly without detecting a single sign beforehand—you are nothing short of stupid... Hmph. Since you are awake, and can never leave again, there is no point in my staying here any longer. However, we have known each other for many years; before I go, I can help you once more. Do you have any friends of great divine power who might be able to free you? I can deliver a message on your behalf."

Nanluo was silent for a moment, then said: "Dijun's schemes run this deep; how could escape come easily? If I am not mistaken, the others must be in the same situation as I am now. Thank you for all these years... We first met in adversity. Back then, had you not endured the pain of the Zhaomian prohibition's compulsion at the final moment, buying me that breath of time, how could I have slain him? You were always restless by nature, unable to remain in one place for long—yet you have guarded my body here for over a decade. I have no way to repay you. You have always wished to travel the Primordial Wilderness, but I can no longer accompany you. However, if you encounter trouble out there, you may return to this mountain. I believe I can still protect you."

Beiling fell silent, as if lost in memory. Suddenly she came to herself and turned to leave. But after only a few steps, she turned back and spoke to Nanluo's body: "Dijun has planned so deeply, ensnared so many, and laid so vast a scheme—it must be meant for some critical moment in the future. You are already caught in it, with no control over your fate. If anything happens, you will surely be annihilated along with this mountain. You had best think of a way to escape as soon as you can..."

Nanluo was silent.

Beiling had been about to leave, but she spoke again: "Among you humans, very few are born with innate divine powers. But your powers are unique—where did they come from?... Surely someone must have taught you. If you have no way out, perhaps they might have the means to free you."

Beiling's words sent Nanluo into deep thought. Who might possibly save him? Kong Xuan? He had no idea where he was now, and moreover, he had himself cultivated Kong Xuan's innate Five Phases Great Way. Even if Kong Xuan had mastered it more deeply, he doubted it would help.

Then he thought of the Tongxuan Heavenly Master, that face seemingly unchanged since ancient times. He remembered how he had knelt in the wind and snow for three days without ever receiving a response, and the words that had risen to his lips died before they could be spoken.

"Is there anyone, or not?" Beiling suddenly demanded loudly.

"I have a master, known as Tongxuan Heavenly Master, who dwells in the Taiyi Palace on Mount Kunlun. It is only that..."

Before Nanluo could finish, Beiling had already vanished.

The void fell silent. From that day on, the demons of Luoling Mountain never again saw that king who killed at the slightest offense, who loved to stand alone beneath the moonlight, and who loved to bathe in the mountain lake under the moon.

For cultivators, ten years is but the snap of a finger. Thus the great trends of the world had not changed much—what was before remained as it was. Only the authority of the Heavenly Court had grown ever more deeply ingrained in the hearts of all.

As for the Wu tribe, after that great battle, their Ancestral Witches had not again sought out the Eastern Sovereign. Whether cowed by Taiyi's might or biding their time, none could say.

This emboldened many who bore grudges against the Wu tribe to believe they had found a patron upon entering the Heavenly Court. They would gather companions and go seeking trouble with the Wu. Thus, though no great wars broke out, small skirmishes were unending. The great shamans of the Wu repeatedly struck out, slaying countless foes—yet during this time, great shamans also fell. The enmity between the Wu tribe and the Heavenly Court deepened further still.