“This is outrageous! When has our Dao Sheng Tian ever suffered such humiliation?”
“Our grand plan was so close to fruition! How dare this upstart…!”
“In my opinion, Xuanzai should have ended him on the spot to uphold our Dao Sheng Tian’s laws!”
In the ruins of Xuankong Mountain, Dao Sheng Tian elders from Zizhou and other regions rushed back from their secluded cultivation, awakened by the commotion. Upon learning the details, their anger was overshadowed by a vague sense of terror.
“What’s crucial now is that if we don’t seize the Nine Hells and establish Fengdu soon, our lifespans will end, and our souls will return to nature. Even if we invest great effort to find new bodies for reincarnation, we can’t retain our current cultivation levels. This…”
Dao Sheng Tian had too many elderly cultivators, some of whom were already renowned during the era of the Six World-Cleaving Sovereigns. They had pledged allegiance because Dao Sheng Tian promised to seek immortality for them. If they couldn’t fulfill the Dao Ancestor’s promise now, the authority of both Dao Sheng Tian and the entire cultivation world might collapse.
“Six Harmonies, you witnessed everything. Even if Xuanzai was occupied, why didn’t you eliminate this brat?”
Master Six Harmonies, having just recovered, took a deep breath and said, “You weren’t there, so you don’t understand. In the Nine Hells, these Nether Rivers can devour each other. At that time, he had already summoned three Nether Rivers pressing down on Dao Sheng Tian. If we had killed him without being able to absorb and control the three Nether Rivers he brought, they would have gone out of control and flooded the world. All of Zizhou would have instantly become a ghost realm.”
Others angrily retorted, “Are you saying we can’t deal with him?!”
Master Six Harmonies paused briefly, then said, “It’s not that we can’t kill him. It’s just that this youth is Xuanzai’s first disciple. His thoughts and schemes are so deep that perhaps only Xuanzai truly understands them. I wonder what Xuanzai has to say?”
All eyes turned to Ying Ze Wei, who had remained silent throughout this upheaval. He was still kneeling before the statue of the Dao Ancestor in Mingquan Hall, offering three sticks of incense without a word.
Someone spoke with dissatisfaction, “At this point, is Xuanzai still considering his ties to his disciple?”
Ying Ze Wei sat up, speaking softly, “You all know me. Those who shouldn’t be killed, I won’t kill needlessly. Those who should be killed, I’ve never hesitated, regardless of who they are.”
Master Six Harmonies said, “Good. Now that Xuanzai has spoken, we should decide on our next moves. First, execute the traitor Qi Shaocang and seize the opportunity to reclaim the three rivers: Huangquan, Youquan, and Fengquan. Second, with Xuankong Mountain’s collapse, the demon-sealing array’s power is unstable. Because that monster is in cahoots with ghosts that specifically counter our Dao Ancestor’s techniques, we can’t act directly. We need to have the Hall of Righteous Law dispatch law enforcers not of our lineage to handle this. Lastly… we can turn this misfortune into an opportunity. It’s time to bring the Buddha Bone Zen Heart into Dao Sheng Tian’s fold.”
The Six Harmonies Dao Heart, the Vermilion Emperor’s Demon Heart, and the Buddha Bone Zen Heart – combining these three paths into one could break through the realm’s barriers and achieve ascension. The moment he obtained these three hearts would be when he became invincible in this realm, able to rewrite the cycle of life and death with the Nine Hells at his command.
The Dao Sheng Tian members below the dais showed excitement in their eyes, discussing Nan Yan.
“…Back then, when the ancient Buddha Qielan passed his position to Zen Master Jiming, who attained the Buddha Bone Zen Heart through ascetic practices, even the Dao Ancestor couldn’t do anything about it. Who would have thought it would appear in Nan Fangzhu’s daughter? If Zen Master Jiming hadn’t strayed from his cultivation path, how could he have gifted such a treasure?”
“Tsk, tsk, what a scandal. By eliminating this threat, we’re preserving their reputations.”
“But Xuanzai ordered us not to harm Nan Fangzhu’s descendants due to the circumstances. Can we assign people from other regions to capture her?”
Seeing no response from Ying Ze Wei, the questioner repeated, “Xuanzai?”
“Shh…” Ying Ze Wei made a silencing gesture as if listening to something. After a while, an absurd smile appeared on his usually impassive face.
“This child… such courage.”
The others were confused, but then a bell tolled across the heavens and earth. In the sky outside Mingquan Hall, eight ancient, golden characters appeared:
— Heaven’s Law of Justice, One State’s Punishment.
Then, Nan Yan’s determined voice resonated from those golden characters: “I, Nan Yan, daughter of Nan Fangzhu, wish to prove three crimes of the Dao Sheng Tian Sect Master!
First, for family vengeance: he killed my mother, Nan Rao, plotted against my uncle Nan Yi, and brought harm to three generations of my Nan family!
Second, for deceiving the world and stealing fame: Before the Dao Ancestor’s Suihan Disciple’s lifespan ended, to prevent losing control over the various regions, he lured the masters of each region to the void realm’s barrier under the pretense of ascension and killed them all. He then slandered Zen Master Jiming of Maozhou as having fallen into demonic ways, sealing him in the ghost realm for hundreds of years!
Third, for the greatest injustice against the world: Disregarding the lives of all beings for the sake of his sect’s longevity, he first assassinated the former crown prince of Chenzhou, framing Sizhou and intentionally inciting a war between the two regions to build a soul-nurturing pool with the souls of the war dead. Later, he attacked Weizhou, plundering the Lower Spring Ghost Abyss and sealing the ruler of Weizhou. For these and other crimes, I request judgment from the Righteous Law Stele. If I have spoken even half a false word in slander, may heaven destroy my three hun souls, earth devour my six po souls, and may I never achieve rebirth!”
After a moment of blank shock, the Dao Sheng Tian members erupted in fury.
“How dare she! Such insolence! What is the Hall of Righteous Law doing? Who allowed this girl to intrude before the Righteous Law Stele without the Council of Elders activating its restrictions?!”
They soon had their answer as Mu Zhanting’s voice came from the eight golden characters:
“I, Mu Zhanting, in the name of the Emperor of the Hall of Righteous Law, exercise my ninth-rank independent authority to permit her trial.”
They had forgotten – the Hall of Righteous Law now had a master.
…
“Once the Righteous Law Stele is activated, all major sects in every region will witness it. Now the whole world knows.”
The entire plaza before the Hall of Righteous Law was packed with law enforcers. The angriest among them were the hastily arrived Council of Elders cultivators, who immediately accused:
“The ninth-rank independent authority can only be used once in ten years. Emperor, have you thought this through? If you use it now, even if we impeach you and force you to abdicate, you’ll have no right to object!”
“Enough talk! Someone drag this girl away! Don’t let her slander the pillars of the cultivation world before the Righteous Law Stele!”
The law enforcers, receiving the order, flashed with spiritual light, their killing intent palpable.
“Emperor, please step aside. Don’t make this difficult for us!”
Their response came in the form of a fiery long axe slamming into the jade steps with a resounding crash. Mu Zhanting glanced back at the nearly fully activated Righteous Law Stele, then grabbed a jar of strong liquor. He poured half over the axe and the rest over his head. As the burning sensation of the alcohol intensified, he tilted his head back, his anger rising.
“Even the worst writing couldn’t fully capture the absurdity of this world. Come and fight!”
As the liquor jar shattered and battle cries arose, a humming sound enveloped Nan Yan. Lightning patterns densely covered the Righteous Law Stele and her, isolating them. In an instant, Nan Yan found herself transported to a floating altar. Surrounded by a vast starry sky, she heard an ancient voice emanate from the Righteous Law Stele before her.
“… Are you prepared for the three trials of the Heart-Questioning Lightning?”
Nan Yan replied, “My heart is fearless. Proceed!”
As her words fell, a white lightning bolt descended from the heavens. She withstood it for less than a breath before collapsing. After a few moments, her vision returned.
Pain!!
Gasping, Nan Yan thought, “No wonder people tremble at the mention of the Heart-Questioning Lightning.” Even that brief strike felt like millions of salt-dipped needles piercing her organs, making her blood feel thorny.
Strangely, though the pain was unbearable, her meridians seemed much stronger than an average person’s. After about ten breaths, a warm current began to flow, and her lightning-struck meridians started self-repairing.
… It was the Chongming beast’s blood.
Beasts naturally have stronger constitutions than humans. The Chongming bird, sharing lineage with the ancestral phoenix, might not be impervious to life and death like the phoenix, but it had innate bloodline talents. Its healing abilities rivaled any beast race.
Nan Yan struggled to her feet. Before the second Heart-Questioning Lightning could form, she pressed her palm, glowing with the Reverse Samsara Mirror’s pattern, against the Righteous Law Stele.
“Mother, if you were ever here, show me the truth…”
As if responding to her request, Nan Yan’s vision darkened, and fragments of the past appeared before her…
…
Over thirty years ago.
“My brother Nan Yi, though gentle, has committed evil deeds not of his true heart. I beseech the Righteous Law Stele for leniency. I am willing to endure the Heart-Questioning Lightning and shoulder the grudge of Chenzhou alone.”
The jade stone beneath her knees had been worn into two depressions, yet the red-robed woman before the stele maintained a straight spine. Even as the second purple Heart-Questioning Lightning struck, scorching her red robe, it didn’t dim her resolve.
At dawn, she suddenly felt the lightning’s pressure halve. Turning her head, she noticed someone kneeling beside her.
“… Didn’t you just pass through the Fourth Decline? Isn’t it too presumptuous to join me in enduring heaven’s wrath before fully recovering?” Nan Rao asked.
“Yigu was also my close friend,” Ying Ze Wei replied, looking as if he had just emerged from deep mountains, his clothes still damp with dew, his complexion extremely pale. “The one being presumptuous should be you. The third Heart-Questioning Lightning is the Crimson Crow’s Lightning. Even with a phoenix’s immortal heart, one couldn’t emerge unscathed.”
Nan Rao tugged at her scorched sleeve. “Your Dao Sheng Tian values rules above all. As the sect master, how could you educate disciples if you return looking like a plucked chicken?”
Ying Ze Wei said, “I’m not going back.”
Nan Rao’s lips twitched. “Don’t scare me. I just had a falling out with Ao Guanghan; I’m not ready to find a new home.”
“Still joking? Seems the lightning wasn’t painful enough,” Ying Ze Wei said, eyes closed. “I knew about Yigu and that mermaid. I bear some responsibility for her untimely death.”
Nan Rao looked slightly surprised. “It’s related to you?”
Ying Ze Wei explained, “I… warned that mermaid not to entangle with Yigu. I didn’t expect her to leave the North Sea on her own to find him, only to be captured by greedy cultivators along the way, leading Yigu to witness everything.”
“In that case, I should indeed punish you,” Nan Rao said, brushing aside her fallen hair. “The young master of my Yinzhou can marry whoever he wants. What’s wrong with marrying outside our kind? Even if you, the law-maker personally came to object, the Vermilion Emperor’s Jade Palace could handle it. But surely your atonement isn’t just enduring this lightning with me?”
As she spoke, the third blood-colored lightning struck. This lightning scorched her bloodline, burning away half of her true blood and severely damaging her primordial spirit. She barely survived this trial.
“… Rao Niang.” Though equally battered, Ying Ze Wei at least remained standing. He collected himself and looked at Nan Rao, who had simply lain down. “The Linglong Capital incident can’t be undone. What’s your next move?”
Nan Rao breathed heavily for a while before answering, “Ao Guanghan tried to mediate several times, but I refused. The only way to avoid affecting his position now is to break off the engagement. I’ve already had the Vermilion Emperor’s Jade Palace fully compensate Linglong Capital. That matter is settled… But Yigu, I didn’t realize that mermaid sister-in-law meant so much to him that his primordial spirit is on the verge of collapse.”
“… A cultivator’s dao heart fears imprints the most. Yigu values emotions deeply, so this is natural.”
Nan Rao squinted at the breaking dawn. “You’re the most learned among us. I won’t trouble you with the root cause, but I want to treat the symptoms as best I can. You must know how to gather my mermaid sister-in-law’s soul for reincarnation, right?”
“…”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
His grip on his sleeve tightened almost to a tearing point. On the Righteous Law Stele before him, those ancient characters seemed to reveal the Dao Ancestor’s eyes, looking at him expectantly.
Ying Ze Wei lowered his head and said, “You should remember how the Demon Empress gathered souls for rebirth when you were young, right?”
Nan Rao sat up weakly, as if about to say someone’s name, but then looked confused. “… Yes, I remember. It was a Zen Master named Jiming from Maozhou, invited by my father. But didn’t he ascend with the Dao Ancestor? How can we find him?”
Her bewildered expression seemed to Ying Ze Wei like an omen related to death.
“Jiming didn’t ascend. He… during ascension, his heart was disturbed by heavenly demons, and he fell back to the mortal realm. The elders of Dao Sheng Tian, fearing he might bring calamity to the world, they…” He spoke each word with difficulty, “They temporarily detained him in the Filthy Valley of Fanzhou.”
“Thanks.” Nan Rao, not suspecting anything, tried to leave despite her injuries, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Nan Rao frowned. “I’m just going to try. Success or failure, I’ll accept it. Is there a problem?”
Ying Ze Wei released her hand, hiding his right hand behind his back. “Nothing. I’ll accompany you on this journey.”