Chapter 666: Borrowing Strength from the Mortal World

At the Rising Clouds Palace in Great Luo Heaven...

Amidst the celestial mist and clouds, a commanding voice rang out. “How is the battle progressing?”

“Emperor, it seems that the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord and the current master of Hidden Dragon Temple have reached a stalemate.”

“A stalemate? How could there be a stalemate? Wasn’t it said that the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord’s Death Bell is most effective against living beings and human cultivators, and that the Four Seasons Bell specifically counters the Four Seasons Rotation Method? How could he be locked in a stalemate with the current Hidden Dragon Temple disciple?”

“I’m uncertain as well.” The old god replied respectfully, “To better suppress the current Hidden Dragon Temple disciple’s Four Seasons Rotation Method, the Emperor Lord quickly used the Four Seasons Bell to isolate the heavens and earth shortly after their clash began. Now, with that stone mountain as the center, an area spanning a hundred li has been cut off.

“The divine officials and heavenly generals cannot enter or see inside. Both sides have yet to determine a victor. Judging from the occasional residual fluctuations of heaven and earth, and the profound spiritual resonance that escapes, it is inferred that they have reached a stalemate.”

“A stone mountain?”

“The Borrowed Mountain in the He Plains.”

“He Plains? Isn’t He Plains a flat expanse? Where does a stone mountain come from?” The Celestial Emperor paused. “Could it be the mountain left behind when the former Hidden Dragon Temple generation suppressed the Snowy Plains Demon King?”

“...” The old god’s voice also faltered.

After a moment, he spoke again.

“It is indeed that very mountain,” the old god respectfully replied. “The commotion caused by the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord has been tremendous. In the past few hundred years, he almost never manifested, yet in the last few months he has appeared frequently in and around Guangzhou. It’s very likely that Hidden Dragon Temple guessed he would descend to the mortal realm and oppose them, so they prepared in advance.”

The old god paused for a moment.

“Logically speaking, even if the current generation of Hidden Dragon Temple can contend with the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord, it shouldn’t be this easy. I suspect the mystery may be related to events from the past.”

“Events from the past?”

“That I do not know. Only Duke of Thunder Zhou witnessed firsthand how the current Hidden Dragon Temple suppressed the Snowy Plains Demon King. I can only speculate,” the old god added somewhat nervously, “with no intention of shifting blame onto Duke of Thunder Zhou.”

“...”

“...”

“I have a question for you.”

“Please speak, Emperor.”

“Why did the current Hidden Dragon Temple know in advance that the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord planned to duel in Hezhou?”

“Are you doubting me, Emperor?”

“I’m just asking. Answer honestly.”

“Well... how would I know? Besides, how can the Emperor be sure that they knew about the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord’s intention to fight in Hezhou? If the current Hidden Dragon Temple had prepared in Hezhou, naturally they would have chosen it as the battleground. Also, that they had prepared there is just my guess.”

“Then since you knew the current Hidden Dragon Temple had suppressed the Demon King in He Plains, why didn’t you warn the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord?”

“The gods in the hall, including the Emperor, never considered it. How could I have thought of it?”

“...”

The Celestial Emperor fell silent, and the atmosphere in the hall grew somewhat heavy.

After a long pause, a voice finally spoke again. “And what happens next?”

“Emperor, both sides have reached a stalemate, indicating their abilities are comparable. However, humans live for a hundred years while gods live for thousands, so human strength will eventually falter against divine power. Hezhou remains the closest place to the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord’s Daoist ground in Guangzhou. From what I have seen, the advantage still lies with the Emperor Lord.”

“Go then. I want to see for myself.”

“I’ll take my leave.”

“...” The hall’s doors opened wide as the old god rode the clouds and departed.

***

In the blink of an eye, it was late autumn.

The autumn scenery of Mount Wu in Guangzhou was well known.

Because the mountain was planted with maple trees, hemlocks, sugar maples, persimmon trees, and other red-leaf varieties, every late autumn the entire mountain would turn vibrant red. Different tree species reddened at different times and in varying hues—some showing a bright blood red, some a fiery scarlet, others a yellow tinged with red—giving the whole mountain a rich, layered palette.

Draped in the common morning mist of Mount Wu, the scene of the red leaves spread across the mountain looked hazy yet extraordinarily beautiful. Moreover, since this was the sacred place of swordsmanship in the

jianghu

and the base for sects of Guangwu Mountain, the splendor of the red leaves carried an extra touch of

jianghu

atmosphere.

Shu Yifan had just woken and pushed open the window to see this breathtaking mist-shrouded red-leaf mountain view.

Though it seemed he had been at Guangzhou’s Mount Wu for over a decade, and thus should have seen this scene many times, in the earlier years he was often busy going down the mountain to exorcise demons for the people.

The best viewing period for the mountain’s red leaves only lasted seven or eight days, and he often missed it. Even if not missed, it didn’t last long each year, and the scenery always changed yearly, so there was never any sense of boredom.

Standing by the window, he was lost in thought.

Such rare leisure.

Last night felt like he had a dream, a dream of Mr. Song. As one grew older, one dreamt more.

Dreaming of Mr. Song was not rare, but still uncommon. That journey long ago had been very special even in his life. Over the years, he often dreamt of the past and old acquaintances, quite frequently in fact.

Sometimes he dreamt of those early years. The scenes from then, himself and Mr. Song, plus Lady Calico, a jujube-red horse... All the conversations and actions were slightly different.

Sometimes he dreamt of recent times.

After waking from a nap, or while occupied with something in the mountains, a disciple would suddenly rush over to report that a young Daoist had arrived, accompanied by a calico cat and a jujube-red horse, claiming his surname was Song, given name You, and that he was an old acquaintance of the sect leader, here to pay a visit. In response, he would hastily put on his clothes and shoes, or set aside whatever he was doing, and go to meet him.

Or sometimes while traveling somewhere on a mountain path, or attending the Great Liujiang Gathering, he would unexpectedly hear horse bells and turn to see a familiar figure.

Sometimes he dreamt of the future.

In the tenth year of Da’an, during the transition from summer to autumn, he traveled to Yizhou. On an imagined high mountain, inside a Daoist temple, he saw a Daoist feeding chickens and Lady Calico playing nearby, while the jujube-red horse quietly grazed beside them.

But dreams were always vague, and became even more so upon waking. Even in dreams of those early years, he mostly only saw one Daoist figure clearly, knowing it was Mr. Song, though rarely seeing Mr. Song’s face clearly.

Last night’s dream was unusual.

Everything was so clear... Mr. Song’s face, Mr. Song’s words... Even now, they had not faded.

What had Mr. Song said again...?

“...!” Shu Yifan’s eyes sharpened and he suddenly grew serious.

That was not a dream!

“

Swish

!”

The peerless swordsman immediately turned, quickly threw on his clothes in two or three moves, grabbed his sword, and went out.

That very evening...

“Dong dong dong...”

The bell of the Thunderstrike Sword Sect rang out.

This bell did not mark the time. Normally it only rang at morning, noon, and dusk. One toll signified morning, noon, or evening training; two tolls meant breakfast, lunch, or dinner; three tolls summoned the sect elders to discuss matters; four tolls called in the managers as well; five or more tolls meant a grand assembly, requiring all inner disciples to attend.

The more tolls, the more urgent the matter.

“Dong dong dong...”

The bell kept ringing without pause.

The sect elders, managers, and trusted inner disciples were all in a frenzy and arrived on the spot within moments.

Shu Yifan even asked the elders and managers to check thoroughly; if there were any locals from Guangzhou, they were sent back.

Then the Thunderstrike Swordmaster lifted his sword, his expression grave.

“Now the world is unstable, many gods lack virtue. Immoral gods descend to the mortal realm to sow chaos and harm the people. By order of the Immortal Master, I summon you all to help eradicate these unworthy gods!

“I hold a list just obtained from the prefecture office, detailing all the Daoist temples and shrines throughout Guangzhou. Inner disciples must hurry night and day to reach them all as quickly as possible, and check whether any have statues of the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord. If so, remain there; if not, return to the sect and await further orders.

“The Daoist temples around neighboring prefectures must also be visited. Elders and managers, please take care with this.

“...”

The elders, managers, and disciples below looked confused.

“Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord?”

“Which Immortal Master is this?”

“What exactly do we do once we get there?”

“...”

The Thunderstrike Swordmaster glanced around, and the crowd quieted again.

“It’s the Immortal Master from Hezhou and the northern lands. Don’t ask more. Our task is to find every temple in Guangzhou and its surroundings that worship the Heavenly Bell Emperor Lord, and on the night of the winter solstice, right after midnight, all disciples will act together to shatter the statues without error.

“Afterwards, we must stay to guard the locations and forbid anyone from rebuilding or worshipping again. Until then, keep this secret and do not spread it.”

Shattering the statues?

Everyone was shocked.

Yet their expressions grew solemn as they grasped their swords and responded in agreement.

Their voices rang out with conviction, echoing through Mount Wu.

“When breaking the statues, if anyone questions or tries to stop you, do not hide it, simply state that you are from the Thunderstrike Sword Sect of Guangzhou and explain the situation truthfully.”

A simple sentence, but it reflected absolute confidence in the current strength and reputation of the Thunderstrike Sword Sect among the people of Guangzhou.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

“Yes!”

Before long, one by one, swordsmen mounted their horses with long swords in hand, taking orders and descending the mountain. At the foot of Mount Wu, they dispersed swiftly into the

jianghu

.

Martial men had lofty ambitions, especially those of the Thunderstrike Sword Sect who had hunted demons for years.

But this time was different. This time, they were to slay a deity!

***

At the Prime Minister’s mansion in Changjing...

After enduring many storms and ups and downs, Yu Jianbai was no longer the youthful, unruffled Prefect Yu he once was in Yidu City.

Eighteen years of wear and tear, as well as the burdens of governance, had turned him into an old man with a full head of white hair, his health deteriorating daily, his face aging visibly.

He himself did not know how much longer he could hold on, yet he forced himself to persevere. Now that the emperor favored the State Preceptor Miaohuazi, whose actions starkly differed from his own master’s in the past, Prime Minister Yu was the only one in court capable of resisting this demonic Daoist. If he fell, no one else could check this heretic.

This great palace rested on his shoulders. Those aware in court did not want to see him collapse.

“

Sigh...

”

Yu Jianbai sighed deeply.

He only wished for a wise ruler, peace across the land, and a life of safety for the people.

Before long, someone came to report.

“Minister Liu is here to visit.”

Liu Changfeng, once the county magistrate of Yidu, later the governor of Pu Commandery, was now an official in the capital, serving as Minister of Rites.

Upon meeting, Liu Changfeng bowed respectfully.

Prime Minister Yu invited him to sit, poured tea, and spoke warmly, “Changfeng, have you been sleeping well lately?”

“Prime Minister Yu, are you having dreams too?”

“...”

They exchanged a glance, both fully understanding. There was no need for further small talk.

“Since Mr. Song began traveling the world, he has been slaying demons and eradicating evil countless times, always acting for the people’s benefit. Now that he has entrusted us with this dream, and it involves this ancient god, there must be something special and difficult about it. I unconditionally trust Mr. Song,” Yu Jianbai said, pausing briefly.

“Changfeng, please use your official capacity to immediately issue orders to the government offices in Guangzhou, Yuezhou, Hezhou, Hanzhou, Luzhou, and Luozhou to remove the statues from their temples and forbid further worship. I will draft a memorial petitioning His Majesty to depose the deity. If the emperor agrees, that is best.

“If not... well, I’m already near my end, and it’s better to act first and report later than to disobey and show disrespect. His Majesty won’t make things difficult for me over such a matter. In any case, this will not implicate you, Changfeng.”

Changfeng said, “Prime Minister Yu, you overstate yourself. I am an old acquaintance of Mr. Song and have personally heard of his deeds exorcising demons in Hezhou. I have witnessed firsthand his service to the people. How could I not trust Mr. Song? Especially compared to some unknown deity.”

“No need for more words. You should go at once.

Cough cough cough

”

“Please take care of your health, Prime Minister.”

“I understand.”

“I take my leave.”

The Minister bowed and exited.

The old Prime Minister waited a moment before mounting his donkey and entering the palace.