Chapter 79: The Celestial Court’s First Star Lord

Nan Luo turned his head and glanced over, sensing that Fu Xi was about to refuse again. His heart tightened, and he blurted out, “Heavenly Emperor, Fu Xi is the leader of our human race—how could he become someone else’s disciple? If Heaven’s Court lacks someone to serve, let me stay instead.”

Di Jun seemed rather surprised, turning back to look at Nan Luo, as if only now noticing his presence. Starlight flickered in his eyes.

Nan Luo met Di Jun’s gaze without flinching, standing upright, showing not a trace of fear.

Suddenly, Di Jun smiled. “I seem to have overlooked you. Only now do I realize, you are not simple either. Even I cannot see through your past. It seems there is someone behind you who has reversed yin and yang for your sake. Since that’s the case, tell me—what skills do you possess? Why should I let you stay?”

At this moment, Nan Luo seemed to throw all caution to the wind. There was no sign of deference on his face, as though he had suddenly returned to those tranquil days among the Yangping tribe, sitting and reciting the Huang Ting, teaching the young children.

He glanced around, pondered briefly, and smiled. “I possess a mirror that can reflect all under heaven, observe the world and the cosmos, and nowhere is beyond its sight. This, I believe, could be of use to Heaven’s Court.”

Di Jun paid no heed to whether Nan Luo could truly fulfill such a claim and simply laughed. “Very well, you shall stay. From this day forth, you are the First Immortal Lord of Heaven’s Court, responsible for overseeing heaven and earth…”

Nan Luo had not expected such an outcome, but he kept his composure, merely offering his thanks to the Heavenly Emperor before departing with Fu Xi.

The four of them seemed, at least on the surface, to take this outcome in stride. Di Jun still wore his faint smile, as if behind it lay endless meaning, while Fu Xi remained as calm as ever.

Nan Luo could hardly believe that his impulsive words had led to such an end, leaving him with a sense of unreality—just like that, he had become the first Immortal Lord of Heaven’s Court.

Taiyi watched as Nan Luo escorted Fu Xi away, then turned to Di Jun with a hint of puzzlement.

Di Jun remarked, “All that Fu Xi knows, I know as well; what I know, he does not. There is no need to keep him by my side. But that Nan Luo is rather interesting.” His eyes were as dark as the night sky, deep and inscrutable.

Nan Luo only escorted Fu Xi down the mountain. He was now considered an Immortal Lord of Heaven’s Court, entrusted with the duty of overseeing all that exists. Though he felt his earlier words had been nothing but idle talk, since he had already accepted, he would fulfill the role.

Fu Xi glanced at Buzhou Mountain, smiling. “My arts of the Eight Trigrams have become innate, second to none in the arts of divination.”

Nan Luo was somewhat perplexed, unsure of Fu Xi’s intent. As he was about to ask, Fu Xi spoke again: “I will look after the Yangping tribe for you. Take care of yourself…” With that, he smiled and simply walked away.

Nan Luo wanted to call out, but suddenly realized he had nothing to say. He could only stand there in a daze, watching Fu Xi’s silhouette fade into the wind.

Thus, he became the Immortal Lord overseeing heaven and earth in Heaven’s Court. At this moment, Nan Luo felt as if swept along by fate, bewildered and at a loss.

He stood in place, closed his eyes, and recalled his past. Even he had lost track of time…

When he opened his eyes again, the confusion and astonishment were gone, replaced by a resolute determination.

No one knew what he was thinking during this time, nor what revelations he might have had.

He returned decisively to Heaven’s Court to assume his duty as the First Immortal Lord, to fulfill his responsibility of overseeing all things.

Upon a certain mountain peak, a man and a woman stood side by side, watching Nan Luo ride a billowing yellow cloud towards Heaven’s Court.

The man was tall and heroic, his gaze profound; the woman, clad in azure robes, seemed detached from the mortal world.

…

The founding of Heaven’s Court atop Buzhou Mountain was a momentous event that naturally drew the attention of countless powerful beings, especially since Taiyi had, with his own strength, subdued all creation—a gesture the mighty interpreted as a show of force.

So, on this day, though few appeared openly at Buzhou Mountain, many lingered in concealment nearby.

The sound of a bell rang out—clang… clang…

Its toll reverberated through the universe, spreading an overwhelming majesty that made all living beings bow in awe.

Nan Luo stood behind Taiyi, watching as he gently plucked the surface of a great, ancient, earth-toned bell, each light touch sounding a peal that shook heaven and earth. It was an astonishing sight—such effortless flicks, yet the bell’s voice swept across the world.

Buzhou Mountain was the highest peak in existence. Thus, Nan Luo and Taiyi, standing atop its summit, were observed clearly by countless eyes employing secret arts. No one paid any heed to Nan Luo standing behind Taiyi, and Nan Luo himself could never have imagined he would one day stand in such a conspicuous place, watched by all beings.

The bell’s toll surged like waves, rolling and crashing through the world.

Suddenly, a radiant beam of multi-colored light appeared in the sky. What began as a mere thread, under the bell’s vibrations, seemed to shatter, scattering into resplendent clouds that drifted down toward Taiyi.

Taiyi appeared oblivious, continuing to pluck at the bell unhurriedly. The five-colored clouds floated in the sky like tiny boats upon turbulent seas, descending ever so slowly, yet inexorably, towards Taiyi.

Suddenly, Taiyi struck the bell with his palm, and instantly, the rainbow light exploded into fragments like a burst of fireworks. No longer neatly gathered, it scattered chaotically.

Yet, rather than dissipate, the fragmented light became even more formidable, surging down from all directions.

Clang…

The bell’s tone changed, and in that instant, the previous aura of awe gave way to a murderous intent as fierce as stormy seas. At the sound, all creation fell deathly still, as if time itself had frozen; the surging rainbow light recoiled like waves crashing against a cliff.

At that moment, a young woman in red descended from the sky, striding upon the void. Each step landed on the bell’s rippling sound waves, allowing her to approach Taiyi unimpeded. With a sweep of her hand, she threw a punch.

Her slender fist was wreathed in flames, and wherever it passed, space itself seemed to collapse.

The rainbow light had arrived suddenly, and the woman’s appearance was equally mysterious.

In a flash, the five-colored light swept down again, drifting as though entering another dimension, untouched by the bell’s power.

This woman in red was not merely attacking a person; her formidable presence enveloped Taiyi and the Chaos Bell together, as if to annihilate this entire space.

Suddenly, Taiyi vanished, leaving only the ancient Chaos Bell quivering in the void. Its sound grew ever fainter, while the woman’s fist slowed, as if weighed down by a billion layers of gravity.

Silently, the void shattered; as it splintered, the fragments flowed like water upon the Chaos Bell. At each tremor, the bell smoothed the chaos back into stillness.

A streak of five-colored light swept down, enveloping the Chaos Bell. Like a tide, the rainbow radiance submerged the bell, at first in a thin layer, then thickening, until the entire sky blazed with brilliant colors. The Chaos Bell was soon lost from sight; even its soul-shaking sound vanished.

Abruptly, the radiance in the void disappeared, and the Chaos Bell was gone. All was silent.

The woman in red laughed mischievously. “So this is all? And you claim to rule heaven and earth?” No sooner had she finished speaking—

Clang!

A thunderous peal exploded close at hand.

A mass of multicolored mist burst in the void, dissolving into five-colored smoke that was swallowed up by the bell’s sound.

The Chaos Bell now reappeared directly above the woman in red, sending out rippling waves that descended upon her.

Her face turned cold as she tried to flee, but the layers of ripples seemed to bind her, as though she were trapped by invisible chains.

Her delicate fist was now enveloped in fierce flames, and in a flash, the fire consumed her entire form.

In the sky, the rainbow light massed into a cloud above the Chaos Bell, but could not descend—each peal of the bell sent it rolling back again.

Under the bell, the woman’s fire surged, and she transformed into a giant that could hold up the heavens, her murderous aura soaring.

The ancient Chaos Bell, swallowed by her flames, expanded to match her, ever enclosing her, as if intent on her utter destruction.

At that moment, the Chaos Bell seemed to be the only thing in existence, trembling in the sky miles high, crowned by a canopy of rainbow light, while below, a giant raged, each punch shaking the very fabric of space.

“Haha! The Ancestor of the Wu tribe is no more impressive than this! What can the innate Five Elements do to me?” Taiyi’s domineering voice rang out from the void.

The bell’s tolls grew ever denser, sounding like war drums, with murderous force striking at the soul.

Suddenly, a shout burst from the rainbow clouds above, so powerful it drowned out the bell, and five-colored radiance poured down like sunlight, dazzling and blinding.

Below, the woman-giant in red seemed to answer the colorful rays above, stepping with mysterious footwork straight toward the Chaos Bell, each step as if upon an invisible celestial stair. In an instant, she was upon the bell, her enormous fist, burning with destructive force, smashing down.

Just then, a sword-light soared from the peak of Buzhou Mountain, seeming as faint as a firefly beneath the Chaos Bell’s majesty, yet it shot fearlessly at the bell, filled with resolute, ruthless intent.

Nan Luo seemed to act on instinct alone, all other thoughts gone. He could tell—the arrival of Kong Xuan. Only Kong Xuan could command such five-colored brilliance. Once, Kong Xuan had seemed invincible in Nan Luo’s eyes, able to quell the world with a wave. Yet now, from the shining light above, Nan Luo sensed futility and fatigue.

The woman in red beneath the bell—Nan Luo had suspected upon her appearance that she was Zhu Rong, the one who had given him half a drop of essence blood, and when her divine powers manifested, he was certain.

So he drew his sword, without hesitation, regardless of whether he might be destroyed by the bell’s waves before even approaching, regardless of his new status as Heaven’s Court’s First Immortal Lord.

He had not expected that, the moment his hand touched the hilt, his heart would surge with elation. As the sword left its sheath, all the frustrations and repression of recent days burst forth in that single stroke.

He felt as though with one sword he could cut through all things—a blade of absolute resolve.

As the Chaos Bell became the center, the void surged like the sea. Nan Luo’s figure seemed a swimmer battling the waves. Each swell threatened to engulf him, but he would leap forth again, his sword’s light dazzling—sometimes weighty as a mountain, sometimes cold and sharp as a blade of grass.

He was like a fish in the waves, darting at the immense Chaos Bell.

On a distant peak hundreds of miles away, four Daoists stood observing. Two stood at the front, two behind, their eyes shining as they watched the battle on Buzhou Mountain through secret arts. One of them was the Daoist Tongtian.

Suddenly, Tongtian smiled. The might of the Five Elements was impressive, but still not enough to match Taiyi. Even with the Ancestor of the Wu tribe added, little would change.

“But that young swordsman is remarkable. I wonder who he is.”

“He is Senior Brother Tongxuan’s disciple. On the day I opened my school to accept disciples, he received Tongxuan’s guidance at my Jade Void Palace,” said the Daoist Yuanshi, the very one who had not taken Nan Luo as a disciple.

“With such talent, you did not accept him? What a pity. Or did you simply not see his worth? I find him superior to your current disciples,” Tongtian replied with a laugh, paying no heed to the darkening face of Guangchengzi behind him.

Yuanshi smiled. “Since even Senior Brother Tongxuan did not take him, why should I? Besides, he did not show such talent when he came to me. However, his aptitude for the sword is even greater. He may inherit your Four Killing Swords, after all.”

Tongtian laughed heartily and said no more.

At this moment, Nan Luo’s heart was clear as a mirror, free of distracting thoughts. Before his eyes was a river of five-colored light, and he was a fish swimming within it, unaware that the sky’s radiance had merged with his own body.

Clang…

It was as though the world had collapsed. Nan Luo’s mind went blank, his body tossed aside.

At that instant, the rainbow light shattered under the bell’s vibrations, and Zhu Rong beneath the bell suffered grievous injury, instantly shrinking back to her delicate form, a trace of blood at her lips.

“Haha! Today you shall serve as sacrifice to Heaven’s Court’s imperial banner!” Taiyi’s voice resounded across the land.

Just then, a terrifying murderous aura shot into the sky, chilling every heart. A beam of white light appeared, so swift that it struck the Chaos Bell before anyone could react.

The ancient bell trembled, yet no tremendous power burst forth. But the bell, which had just imprisoned Zhu Rong, now froze in the void.

A flash of red swept down, and Zhu Rong vanished.

Only now did the sky begin to churn, the world’s energies thrown into chaos. The clouds that had shrouded Buzhou Mountain were gone without a trace.

Taiyi reappeared, his gaze cold as he looked toward the source of the sword-light. He was about to pursue, but halted, casting an unwilling glance before returning to the Celestial Palace.

When Nan Luo regained consciousness, four Daoists stood before him, one of whom looked just like Sixteen, whom he had met before the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate.

Realizing he must have been saved by them, Nan Luo quickly rose to offer thanks.

One Daoist, dignified and severe, merely nodded. Another, free-spirited and cheerful, exclaimed, “Excellent, truly excellent! Especially your swordplay. Let me show you something—open your eyes wide, and whatever you comprehend will be your fortune.”

Before Nan Luo could reply, four swords appeared before him. The moment they reflected in his eyes, he was drawn in—nothing else seemed to exist but these four swords, their murderous aura soaring to the heavens.

Four different murderous intents flooded Nan Luo’s mind…

He did not know how long had passed before he suddenly awoke, to find only the white-robed youth who resembled Sixteen.

Nan Luo smiled, about to speak, but the youth spoke first. “I am Zhao Gongming. I was saved by our master. I hope that next time I see you, you will still be alive.” With that, he turned to leave, but suddenly stopped, looked back, and said, “Seventeen has entered the Jade Void Palace.”

With those parting words, he vanished into the void. Nan Luo called after him, “Eighteen is in Heaven’s Palace atop Buzhou Mountain!”

No reply came, only his own voice echoing through the valley.

He suddenly realized he did not know who the other two Daoists were. Staring into the empty air, he felt a vague sense of loss. His thoughts drifted, as if he thought of nothing, yet as if he had recalled all that he had experienced.

He did not know how long had passed since the great battle, nor whether he should return to Heaven’s Court.

“Should I go back to my tribe?” Nan Luo wondered. “After all, Di Jun and Taiyi probably won’t bother with me anymore. If they think I’m dead, all the better.”

At this thought, he felt a rush of joy and was about to set off when a mighty voice rang out from the sky: “Star Lord Nan Luo, Overseer of Heaven—return to your post!”

“Star Lord Nan Luo, Overseer of Heaven—return to your post!”

“Star Lord Nan Luo, Overseer of Heaven—return to your post!”

The voice was no less powerful than the toll of the Chaos Bell, echoing through all creation in an instant.

Whether gods or mortals, all could hear it clearly.

Everyone looked up, and saw a young man in blue robes, sword at his waist, riding a cloud swiftly into the sky. Though the cloud was primarily yellow, it shimmered with streaks of blue, black, red, and white, showing hints of five-colored light.

At this moment, the name of Star Lord Nan Luo, Overseer of Heaven, was known to all under heaven.