Chapter 690: How Should So Many Debts Be Repaid

On the rooftop of a restaurant in Southern Art County...

The cat sat upright and proper, gazing up at the swallow flying back from the distance. As the swallow descended, her head lowered gradually until their eyes met. “Did you see anything?”

“Lady Calico,” the swallow replied, “the fighting over there is too fierce. Heaven and earth are dimmed, and clouds, mist, and dust obscure the view. I didn’t see much. Also, with the divine powers on both sides being so overwhelming, I dared not watch for long. I only caught sight of the two Buddhas from the Western Paradises almost being burned to death by the fire clouds coming from the west, and of Sir defeating the Northern Combat Saint, one of the Four Saints of the Four Directions, using some unknown divine thunder art. Then I came back.”

“...”

The cat stared fixedly at him, face solemn.

After a brief pause, the swallow spoke again. “Although the ancient gods of the Heavenly Palace have many people, he has no shortage of helpers either. I would guess that the current situation is much better than he had initially predicted. Judging from the last glimpse I caught, the advantage should already be tipping toward his side.”

“...!” The cat’s expression grew even more serious, and she finally asked, “Who are these helpers?”

“For example, the Snake Immortal of Mount Beiqin, the Mountain God in the south, my family’s Old Ancestor, two great white rhinoceros demons from overseas, and other demons and spirits, mostly old friends of the grandmaster of Hidden Dragon Temple,” the swallow explained, then paused. “The great demon of the fox clan from Yuezhou also came. She even used the Fox Ancestor’s severed tail to transform into the nine-tailed celestial fox. Because of her arrival, his burden has been greatly lessened.”

“Does that mean we’re going to win,

meow

?”

“I’ll go check again.”

The swallow took a deep breath, spread his wings, and was about to take off from the rooftop toward that direction when he suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.

Another swallow was flying toward them from afar. The cat tilted her head back, staring at it without blinking.

Flap flap flap...

The new swallow landed on the roof as well.

“Greetings, Old Ancestor,” came the voice of the younger swallow beside her.

“...!” The cat’s expression instantly stiffened, and in addition to her seriousness, there was now a trace of formality in her tone. “Greetings, Old Swallow Immortal.”

“The victory in the south is largely decided now,” the old swallow’s aged voice said. His feathers were somewhat disheveled, with scorch marks from fire. “The two Buddhas have been reduced to ashes, the Northern Combat Saint has perished, and only the Mountain God of Pingzhou and the nine-tailed celestial fox remain, jointly besieging the Western Origin Saint. The other great demon allies have already withdrawn. As long as Mr. Song encounters no mishap, this battle will be over soon. I’ve come to tell you not to panic. Stay here quietly and wait for Mr. Song’s return. Do not wander about.”

“Where did the Daoist priest go?”

“The Eastern Sun Saint and Southern Gold Saint, judging themselves outmatched, each used great divine arts to flee west. He went after them.”

There was a note of concern in the old swallow’s voice, and it was clear he believed that once they left the wild mountains of Pingzhou, without the Mountain God there to suppress the ancient saints and aid the Daoist Master, the two ancient saints would fight much more freely, making things far harder for the Daoist. Chasing rashly was not the wisest choice.

“Westward!”

“What of the two saints’ injuries?” The two demons had different concerns.

“Both sides are wounded. Both are utterly weary, with their divine power and magic close to depletion. But since Mr. Song You dared to go, he must have confidence in himself,” the old swallow said slowly. “You two needn’t trouble yourselves with these matters. Stay here and wait, don’t run about.”

“I understand.”

“I shall take my leave.”

As soon as the old swallow finished speaking, there was a faint

poof

, and he dissolved into a wisp of gray smoke, vanishing into the space between heaven and earth.

“He’s gone!” the cat muttered out of habit.

Then she resumed her crouching on the roof ridge. Her tail curled from the left around her small paws, and she turned her head to glance down at the city below. After looking, she raised her gaze toward the west, remaining completely still like a decorative figure fixed atop the restaurant roof.

From time to time, she also glanced southward. The west was calm, with light winds and thin clouds; there was no movement at all.

From the mountains in the south, however, came unceasing commotion. Sometimes she heard the sound of mountains collapsing and the earth splitting, sometimes she saw divine light shooting into the heavens. The swallow would occasionally take to the air to spy on the battle there, then return to report that the Western Origin Saint was still entangled with the nine-tailed celestial fox and the Mountain God. Though at a disadvantage, she had not yet been defeated.

The Mountain God was formidable indeed; the mountains were him, and he was the mountains. But the battlefield earlier had been in those very mountains, and they had been shattered in the fight, striking at his very foundation and leaving him gravely wounded.

The nine-tailed celestial fox, though powerful and one of the rare fox demons adept at combat, had forcibly restored a tail using the Fox Ancestor’s severed tail to gain the power of an ancient mighty being. In her earlier duel with the Southern Gold Saint, however, she too had been injured, and her strength was gradually waning.

The Western Origin Saint, as an ancient god, was not skilled in escape arts, but he excelled in defense and had accumulated thousands of years of reserves. Even besieged by the two, he was somehow able to hold his ground.

Every time Lady Calico heard that even such mighty beings as the Mountain God had been seriously injured, and that the fox was badly hurt as well, she couldn’t help but imagine those injuries befalling her own Daoist, and her expression would remain grave and furrowed for most of the day.

It was about three days later when the disturbance in the south finally subsided.

Before the swallow could go to investigate, a woman appeared in the distant sky.

She was still dressed in snow-white garments, stained only with blood, untouched by dust. Her exquisite features, together with the calm expression and boat-shaped lips, gave her a certain remoteness from ordinary folk. Though she walked through the air in broad daylight, the townsfolk below seemed entirely unable to see her; they only bustled about in their own panic, never once glancing upward.

“Where has your Daoist priest gone?” The moment she arrived, the woman addressed the cat.

“He said...” The cat immediately stood up, raising one paw to point westward. “He chased after two immortals that way!”

“...”

The woman’s gaze dropped slightly. From the cat’s face, she shifted her eyes to the small cord around its neck. It was no ordinary string, but one that held a finely carved wooden plaque.

On its front were three words:

Hidden Dragon Temple.

“Come here.” She beckoned with her hand, and the cat flew over to her.

***

Some unknown distance west of Pingzhou, high in the skies above the mountains, gods and immortals clashed in battle. At every move they stirred rolling heavenly thunder, and even the stray overflow of divine light carried a force of utter destruction.

An invisible great bell enclosed a hundred li in all directions. Inside that bell was the battlefield of the divine, sealing off heaven and earth so that no matter how great the abilities of the two ancient saints, there was no way to flee.

Dong...

From time to time, the sound of the bell would ring out.

Yet the Daoist could not wield this ancient treasure the way the Ancient God of Heavenly Bell once had, he could neither use it to hasten the four seasons and age gods, nor draw on the power of the seasons to strengthen himself. All he could do was use it to seal off this domain, preventing the ancient saints from escaping or seizing mortals in nearby towns, and keeping the battlefield far from the lands and waters below.

Each chime was the result of a blow from within, and resonance from their divine struck against the bell’s inner walls. Apart from sending the mountain demons, spirits, birds, and beasts in the forests fleeing in terror, it served no other purpose.

By now, both sides were utterly exhausted, covered in wounds, yet still unleashing divine powers without restraint inside the bell’s enclosed world.

The Southern Gold Saint’s treasured mirror had been shattered. The Eastern Sun Saint could no longer lift his arms.

Though it was night outside, within the bell’s domain it was still daylight, for behind the Eastern Sun Saint blazed a giant sun. Its light was even harsher than noon, overturning yin and yang, twisting heaven and earth. Under his command, the scorching orb sent out countless rays of flame, dazzling beyond compare, yet already the last brilliance before tomorrow’s dusk.

Then the Daoist raised a hand and pressed down upon the empty air. The distance between them stretched in an instant, and though the countless beams of flame did not cease, they slowed in midair, their brilliance moving sluggishly.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

He stepped forward again. The gap between them snapped shut.

In that instant, the myriad beams of flame passed him by, illuminating his face to near translucence and searing him with agony, yet it lasted but a heartbeat.

A heartbeat later, he stood before the Eastern Sun Saint. “Before” still meant several dozen zhang away.

Heaven and earth, lend me your methods!

Song You struck out a palm toward the Eastern Sun Saint. On the other side, before the Southern Gold Saint could even react, he caught sight of a blinding silver-white bolt of lightning.

BOOM!

For a moment, the lightning’s radiance outshone even the sun blazing behind the Eastern Sun Saint, washing the world in silver-white. The destructive force of heaven and earth it carried was reminiscent of the divine light from the Southern Gold Saint’s shattered mirror, yet far more tyrannical.

Two days ago, the Southern Gold Saint had seen this very lightning in the mountains of Pingzhou.

At that time, the Northern Battle Saint had been nearly slain.

The Northern Battle Saint’s forte was close combat, and his physical might was the greatest among the Four Saints, yet even he had fallen then. How could the Eastern Sun Saint possibly withstand it?

The Southern Gold Saint’s eyes widened.

The silver-white lightning flashed and vanished.

With it vanished the blazing sun in the sky. Darkness fell swiftly; the heat ebbed away. And of the Eastern Sun Saint, there was no trace.

That lightning! He could unleash it a second time?

Terror gripped the Southern Gold Saint.

The Daoist’s face grew more haggard, but his gaze was as calm as ever. Turning slightly, he strode toward the Southern Gold Saint.

Half an hour later, the Daoist sealed the Southern Gold Saint’s crippled divine body with the power of winter, then struck him down with heavenly thunder.

At last, heaven and earth fell silent.

Dong...

The Four Seasons Bell let out its final hum, reverberating through heaven and earth, as though proclaiming to all directions the fall of the Four Saints and the changes soon to come upon the world. In the next instant, the phantom of the ancient bell that had shrouded a hundred li vanished, and the Daoist in the sky, spent of all strength, began to fall.

Fortunately, the clear wind of heaven and earth was at his side, bearing him gently down until he settled slowly among the mountains and forests below.

The night air was cold, and all was still.

The Daoist leaned back against an ancient tree, sitting cross-legged. His body felt chilled, yet his lips were parched. The moment he relaxed his focus, the full weight of his injuries began to show, and the exhaustion within him surged, leaving him almost unable to move.

Even so, a breath of relief escaped him.

In his own reckoning, this battle was bound to be grueling. Facing the Four Saints of the Four Directions along with any allies they might summon, his goal had been merely to stand his ground, to remain undefeated. If, by the time both sides were too spent to fight on, he could kill one or two of the Saints, that would be the best outcome. Once the Four Saints lost a member or two, there would be no way to replace them.

He himself, though wounded, could still recover, and with heaven and earth lending him their aid, his reserves clearly outstripped theirs. What might look like “mutual destruction” would in truth be his victory.

He had not expected things to turn out even better.

Since that was so, it was only right to seize the momentum and press the attack, eliminating these two ancient Saints in one stroke. That would not only save him a great deal of future trouble, but also prevent those old beings from drawing on hidden reserves and making a comeback after returning to the Heavenly Palace.

The Daoist masked his presence and closed his eyes. This battle had left him owing many debts of gratitude. He did not know how he could ever repay them.