Chapter 685: Power Borrowed from All Directions

In Southern Art County...

Lighting rumbled constantly in the skies. By rights, there should be no lightning in winter, much less on a clear day, yet the peals rolled on day and night without pause, unsettling the hearts of the people, who all feared some great calamity was about to occur.

Yan An had thought that after returning from the mountains, he would likely make another one or two trips there.

By his reasoning, since the Pingzhou Mountain God already knew his teacher’s intentions and had even invited him as a guest, that in itself showed a willingness. Still, the matter was a weighty one. Even if the Mountain God’s naturally hot-headed and combative nature, along with his resentment toward and fear of the Heavenly Palace, was enough for him to agree without hesitation to help Mr. Song, other matters, such as Mr. Song’s exact plans, the strategy of battle, how victory would be secured, and what benefits the Mountain God might gain afterward, would still require discussion.

Yet Mr. Song never asked him to go.

Yan An did not know whether it was because the gods in the heavens were urging and watching ever more closely, and his teacher, thinking his own cultivation too shallow, did not wish for him to take the risk; or whether Mr. Song and the Mountain God had already spoken in dreams; or perhaps they shared such a tacit understanding that no discussion was needed; or even that the Mountain God, in his fury, cared nothing for the rest and simply wished to cross swords with the Heavenly Palace.

Yan An could not figure it out.

At midday, he stood on the roof of the inn, the sunlight making him drowsy. The moment he let his eyes close, the ancestral spirit came to him in a dream. It was a god, his ancestor.

Old Swallow Immortal, a thousand-year-old great demon, was not skilled in battle, but in many other areas his mastery ran deep. Dreamcraft was among his studies, and now, in Yan An’s dream, he recreated the familiar sights of the old home with clarity.

Deep in the mountains was an elegant manor. The old man wore black-and-white robes; his face was unchanged, but his bearing was even more upright than before.

At the sight of him, Yan An bowed deeply. “Greetings, Ancestor.”

“How have you been of late?”

“Ancestor, all is well.”

“The Four Saints of the Four Directions, along with their disciples, have already descended. The Celestial Emperor has summoned every god-officer and celestial general he can command, and even invited two Buddhas from the Western Paradise. All have descended together, and already heaven and earth show signs of upheaval.” The old man spoke plainly to the youth. “Your cultivation has improved greatly, but in such a great war, you can do little. To avoid being caught in the crossfire, keep your distance.”

The youth, hearing this, immediately countered, “And what about you, Ancestor?”

“Me?”

The old man gave a helpless look, shaking his head. “Back then, thanks to Mr. Song’s favor and guidance, I was able to become a god, I owe him a debt. Later in Changjing, I also promised him I would lend my aid. Hah... at the time, I had a bad feeling, but I never thought that after more than ten years, such a matter would be what awaited me.”

He paused for a moment. “If I had known...”

But he did not finish the thought.

Old Swallow Immortal merely recalled that, at the time, his allotted lifespan had nearly run out. If he had failed in his bid for the path of a true god, he would either be dead now, his dao extinguished, or perhaps Anqing would simply have gained one more feeble, elderly earth god.

Even if he had known, he could not say what choice he might have made.

“Ancestor, are you going to help Mr. Song?” Yan An pressed him again.

“You wretched brat! I, your ancestor, became a god in Anqing by my good reputation, would I be the sort to break my word?” The old man seemed to grow angry, his eyes wide with fury. “These past years you’ve grown bolder, but have you forgotten your manners?”

“In that case, I will also wait outside for Mr. Song and Ancestor to return victorious.”

“You’re that certain he’ll win?”

“I don't know,” the youth answered truthfully, his voice calm.

“Then you’ve got some nerve!”

“I only know that this year, I passed by a lake called Mirror Island Lake. The lake’s deity is a spirit of integrity and chivalry, with shallow cultivation and meager divine power. Yet after merely speaking with Mr. Song once, she was willing to lend her weak body to aid him, caring neither for success or failure, nor for whether she would be dragged down with him.” The youth continued, “A deity who barely knows Mr. Song can do so, so having followed Mr. Song for many years, what reason would I have not to trust him?”

The youth lifted his head to look at the old man. “So it’s not that I’m bold, this is simply how it ought to be.”

“Good! Good...” The old man was more than satisfied, stroking his beard with a smile.

The swallow family of Anqing began with him, but in all the years since, none of his descendants had matched his ability, not because they lacked talent. In fact, every few generations, there would be one with exceptional gifts.

But the path of cultivation was never simple: either they fell short here or there, or were delayed by one thing or misled by another. In more than eight hundred years, not a single descendant had reached his own level of cultivation, let alone surpassed it.

Now, it seemed, there finally was one.

“You must tell Mr. Song that though I am not skilled in battle, there are still times when I can be of help.”

Flutter, flutter, flutter...

Countless swallows flew out from the manor in the mountains, and out from the swallow’s dream as well.

***

In the frigid northern province of Hanzhou, deep in the mountains, there was also a ghost market.

The ruler of this place was a Ghost King. It was said that this Ghost King had stepped beyond the bounds of heaven and earth, no longer within the Five Elements. Even now, though the mortal underworld had a proper nether realm, they could not find him.

No one knew he was here.

The Ghost King was a tolerant sort. Since opening this mountain ghost market, any kind of demon or spirit could come to trade; there were no restrictions. But no mortal had ever reached this place, nor did any god know of it. In the past ten years, the number of demons and ghosts in the human world had greatly increased, and the ghost market had grown more prosperous than ever. The Ghost King was now a veritable local overlord.

But he also had an odd temper, and he especially loved flattery.

Every day, his demons and ghosts had to praise him for two hours straight, in fresh and varied ways. Whoever pleased him most could gain a position; if someone failed to come up with something new one day, their post would be stripped. Weaker or newly-formed demons and spirits in the mountains, if they wanted the Ghost King’s guidance in cultivation, often got their wish simply by offering him a few well-chosen compliments. This small vanity common to many became, in his case, an excessive quirk or a peculiar affliction.

“Last year there was that bell strike known throughout heaven and earth. And now there’s thunder again, loud and far-reaching. But if you ask me, making a noise that travels far is nothing special. To be like the Great King here, unknown to anyone in all of heaven and earth, that’s a real skill!”

“Yes, yes...”

“Exactly right!”

“How could that Heavenly Bell Emperor compare to our Great King? Even this time... eh, what were the names of those ancient gods and Great Beings Your Majesty mentioned just now? Anyway, how could they possibly match our Great King?”

“They can’t, they can’t!”

“If Your Majesty took action, wouldn’t mere ancient gods and Great Beings be reduced to dust with just a flick of his fingers?”

“It won’t take that long! Won’t take that long!”

“...”

The old ghost upon the black stone throne burst out laughing, partly from the flattery, which pleased him, and partly because he found the praise from these low-cultivation, recently-formed, illiterate demons childish and amusing. With the faint, distant rumble of thunder drifting in from afar, his heart was naturally in high spirits.

Then, with a

swish,

he stood up.

“...”

The cave instantly fell silent. All the demons and ghosts turned to look at him.

“You all stay here. Don’t go wandering outside. I have a small errand to run, but if I don’t return, you mustn’t leave this place lightly. If you leave, you won’t be able to come back.”

“Where is Your Majesty going?”

“To meet those ancient gods and Great Beings you were just talking about.”

“...”

The crowd of demons and ghosts froze on the spot.

But the Ghost King had already turned into a gust of black wind and vanished in an instant.

He had never met, nor did he know, the current head of Hidden Dragon Temple. But that man was the grand-disciple of Daoist Tiansuan, and a disciple of girl Duoxing, both of whom the Ghost King

had

met.

***

In the mountains of Yunzhou, two elderly men were playing a game of chess. From afar came the sound of a woodcutter chopping wood. As the two placed their stones, they spoke in low voices.

A faint rumble of thunder drifted through the heavens and reached this place, but it was inaudible to ordinary humans by now.

“It’s starting again, it’s starting again...”

“Yes...”

“These descendants of Hidden Dragon Temple... If you meet a peaceful one, fine, but if you meet a restless one, the things they stir up get bigger and bigger.”

“How many ancient gods are involved this time?”

“Quite a few, I’d say.”

“Shall we go take a look?”

“Let’s go see.”

“With our old bones, I doubt we can be of any help before ancient gods.”

“Seeing is good enough.”

Crack!

The woodcutter in the mountains pushed through the trees and stepped into their clearing.

He seemed to hear voices ahead, and when he drew closer, he vaguely saw two elderly men playing chess. Yet in the blink of an eye, both had vanished completely, as if it had been nothing but a trick of his eyes, and only the chess table remained in front of him, pieces still resting upon the board.

This mountain was indeed a place of many immortal legends, going back who knew how many years.

“...”

The woodcutter’s curiosity was piqued; he glanced a few more times toward the front, but then, recalling a few of those old tales, he dared not linger another moment. Turning around, he promptly headed back.

***

By the riverbank at Yaozhou, a small thatched boat drifted downstream. Aboard were two women, seemingly mistress and maid, and at the stern, an all-purpose frog acting as boatman.

“Where are we headed now?”

“It seems the Yin River connects with the Liujiang River. I’ve heard that by the Liujiang River lies a place called Anqing, a picturesque land of rare beauty and fine spirit. It produced the remarkable Anqing Swallow Immortal, and every five years during the Great Liujiang Gathering, countless people from the

jianghu

assemble there in great festivity. Why not go take a look?”

“Master, the Anqing Swallow Immortal has already become a god and ascended to the heavens. And the next Great Liujiang Gathering won’t be until early the year after next, and it’s still more than a year away.”

“Then let’s just go to Anqing.”

“...Understood.” The maid’s reply carried a hint of reluctance.

Rumble... rumble...

A faint yet unending thunder rolled across the heavens. It had been going on for a whole day.

Both the mistress and maid knew exactly what it meant, yet they acted as if they hadn’t heard it. With a calm look, they continued their journey.

The boatman was an emotionless rowing puppet.

But before long, he felt something odd. The rolling thunder seemed to change, no longer coming from overhead, but from further downstream.

Both women turned their gazes toward the distance.

There, the river’s tide surged backward, waters churning wildly. Beneath the surface, in a dark, shadowy line, a great demon was passing through.

The breathtakingly beautiful woman looked down into the waters with an expression of perfect calm without a trace of emotional fluctuation, a sign of alarm or intent to evade, allowing the tide to push their boat gently toward the shore.

Sure enough, there was a great demon below. As it passed beneath the boat, its speed clearly slowed, its movements gentler. Then, it locked eyes with her.

Rumble... rumble...

The surging river tide ahead came to a halt, and the waters slowly returned to calm.

Upon the broad expanse of the river, two figures suddenly appeared.

“It’s you!” The two great demons fixed their gazes on the woman.

“An old friend,” the woman said, bowing with composure as her eyes swept over them. “It has been many years. Why do I sense the scent of incense upon you now? Could it be that the two sea gods rumored to dwell overseas are in fact you?”

“Becoming sea gods has changed you indeed,” the maid said with a grin. “You even travel beneath the water now.”

“What are you doing here?” asked one of the great demons, a white rhinoceros.

“My affairs are settled, and I cannot return to Yuezhou,” the woman replied without hostility. “Naturally, I wander through the mountains and rivers to enjoy my freedom, while also seeking another fine place to leave behind the heritage of my clan.”

“And the two of you? Why have you left your godhood overseas to return to Shenzhou?” the maid asked.

“To go to Pingzhou, of course.”

“What business do you have in Pingzhou?”

“Why act dumb?” one of the demons said with a frown.

“The Immortal Master once showed us great kindness,” the other white rhinoceros demon answered. “Now he stands ahead, facing off against the Heavenly Palace. Their power shakes the world, and news of it reached even the distant seas. The Immortal Master faces them alone, so naturally we must go to aid him.”

“...” A ripple stirred in the eyes of both mistress and maid.

“Though you are mighty demons, this is a battle between ancient powers. The Heavenly Palace’s Four Saints alone are four Great Beings. Even if you go, how much help can you truly offer?” the maid said.

“Perhaps so, yet the Immortal Master’s grace to us cannot be left unanswered, we must go!”

“No matter how small, it is still aid!”

“I’ve never fought a being of such power before.”

“Well said!”

The woman’s face remained calm, and she stayed silent. The maid, too, said nothing more.

“And where are you two headed?” one white rhinoceros demon asked.

“Are you also bound for Pingzhou to aid the Immortal Master?” the other frowned.

“No...”

“We and Daoist Song have already settled our accounts, and there’s nothing owed on either side. Besides, the fox clan’s heritage in Yuezhou is of far greater importance to us. Naturally, we will not involve ourselves in such matters,” the maid said. “We will not delay you any further. If you survive this tribulation, we shall come as old friends to pay our respects.”

“Farewell!”

“We go as well!”

Two splashes sounded.

Plunk, plunk

. The two great demons slipped back into the water, gliding beneath the surface like dragons.

The covered boat had reached the shore.

The boatman pressed his oar against the bank, pushing the vessel back toward midstream, then fell silent and continued rowing onward.

The two women on board exchanged a glance.

“That Daoist, even now, he refuses to ask for our help. Truly infuriating!” the maid said, shaking her head as though speaking to herself. “It’s a pity it’s too late. We haven’t even left behind our clan’s legacy yet, so even if he came in person to beg, there’s no way we’d take such a risk for it now.”

“...”

“Let’s go to Anqing instead,” the maid went on. “Anqing is lovely. It has picturesque scenery, and it’s brimming with spiritual energy, home to the old Swallow Immortal of Anqing, and full of wandering martial folk.”

“...”

“To Anqing!”

The boatman steered the vessel toward Anqing. The woman stood at the bow the entire time, her face expressionless.

The surface of the river gradually returned to calm.

***

Three days had passed, and the lightning overhead grew ever more urgent.

“Don’t rush... I’m coming...”

The Daoist leaned out the window, gazing up at the sky.

Then he drew back his head and upper body, shut the window securely, and, without hurry, he began to pack his things. He placed the cat inside, then slowly descended the stairs, settled his bill with the innkeeper, and made ready to go to battle.