Chapter 905: The Path

Boom!

A pillar of golden light shot into the sky as Treasured Pagoda Peak shattered into pieces. A mushroom cloud, glowing with divine golden light, surged upward and lit up the heavens.

“The Demon God?!”

Inside the Boundless Palace, the higher-ups of the Mount Shu Sect were deep in discussion when the explosion struck. In an instant, everyone leapt to their feet and sprang into action.

Ever since Tuntun arrived at Mount Shu, they had drawn up contingency plans. No disciples were stationed near Treasured Pagoda Peak to ensure that no accidents would put innocent lives in danger. However, this outburst came too suddenly and without any warning.

When Chu Liang arrived with the others, he saw a small black silhouette swaying unsteadily within the pillar of golden light. Each time the black silhouette pointed in a direction, a beam of golden light burst forth.

Venerable Wen Yuan immediately waved his sleeve to contain the blasts. The power of the Great Dao of Primordial Chaos surged forth, and each time a golden beam erupted, he redirected it elsewhere. However, carrying the spiritual energy of the Demon God was no easy task. After deflecting several blasts of golden light, he started feeling exhausted.

“We have to stop her quickly!” Daoist Yan shouted, about to summon the Vessel of God when Caiyi stopped her.

“Something’s wrong with her state of mind,” Caiyi said. “Let me check. Cover me!”

Caiyi soared upward, risking her life as she pushed through the chaotic light. She tried to get close to Tuntun, but just as she reached the edge of the golden glow, Tuntun suddenly turned and wobbled. The golden radiance surged and rippled outward, forcing Caiyi back immediately.

Boooooooooooooom!

A divine beam grazed past her and nearly pierced through. Fortunately, she had stepped back just in time to avoid it.

“What on earth is going on?” Baize frowned as she spoke. “If the Demon God is going on a rampage, we’ll have no choice but to summon the sects of the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten to suppress her!”

An outbreak from the Demon God had also been considered in Mount Shu Sect’s contingency plans. However, Tuntun's behavior was strange. She appeared to be attacking, but without a clear target. It looked more like...

As a streak of fire shot into the sky, a shout rang out from below. “You all are finally here!”

It was Di Nufeng, covered in dust and soot.

“Heavens above, this little girl’s no joke,” she said, coughing as she flew up. “She’s going berserk from being drunk!”

“Drunk?” Everyone was stunned. “You gave her alcohol?!”

“I only... let her have a sip. How was I supposed to know she’d gulp down half a pool’s worth?” Di Nufeng stammered. She paused halfway through, suddenly realizing she might be at fault. Then she puffed up her chest and declared, “Yes! I gave her the drink! So what? How was I supposed to know she couldn’t handle her liquor?”

She might not have had the logic, but she certainly had the volume.

To be fair, she truly didn’t know who Tuntun was. What happened could only be blamed on a brief lapse in supervision. Who would have thought that stepping away for just a moment would give Di Nufeng the chance to get close to Tuntun?

And what’s more terrifying than a Demon God?

A drunk Demon God, of course.

Venerable Wen Yuan was drenched in sweat as he spoke grimly. “It looks like we’ll have to evacuate the disciples and summon the sects of the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten to suppress her together. If we let her continue like this, Mount Shu will be reduced to rubble.”

“No. Let me try,” Chu Liang said through clenched teeth. “Tuntun’s just not in her right mind. If we fight her now and someone gets hurt, it will only deepen the rift between our two races.”

“She’s extremely dangerous right now. Don’t be reckless,” Baize warned.

“I’ll be fine,” Chu Liang said as he locked eyes with Tuntun. He soared into the sky, dodging divine beams along the way, until he reached the outer edge of the golden glow where Caiyi had stood earlier.

When seen up close, Tuntun resembled a massive glowing orb. She swayed gently, releasing bursts of dazzling divine light in every direction.

She was in such a dangerous state that Chu Liang couldn’t get any closer. All he could do was slowly raise a wax paper parcel and open it in midair.

Inside was a bowl of deep-fried stinky tofu soaked in broth. The smell was so pungent it was practically eye-watering.

Up in the sky, Tuntun’s nose twitched. She froze. Then she went completely still.

“It’s working?” someone in the crowd below asked. Everyone below became filled with joy.

Sure enough, in the next instant, Tuntun descended in a flash. Her eyes were closed as she pounced in front of Chu Liang, snatched the bowl, and slurped down the tofu in greedy gulps.

“Roast chicken to summon the god and stinky tofu to send her away,” Caiyi muttered as she made a mental note. “The Great High Priest might need to update his ceremonial rituals.”

Moments later, Tuntun had calmed down and fallen into a deep sleep. Chu Liang handed her over to Daoist Yan to take her back, then wiped the sweat from his brow and said with a smile, “Tuntun’s actually very well-behaved. Just don’t give her alcohol again. We’re teaching kids here, and hitting them as the first response isn’t the right approach.”

Everyone turned and directed their wrathful glares at Di Nufeng.

Her eyes darted left and right with guilt, but she quickly straightened up and said, “Oh, right, did you know she ate all your berries too? There’s nothing left but leaves now.”

“What?!” Chu Liang’s eyes widened in outrage. He spun around and shouted, “Looks like I really do need to teach her a lesson! Three days without a spanking, and this kid is already tearing off the roof!”

...

The commotion settled down, and the day ended with the Hall of Construction completing yet another profitable venture.

That same night, Chu Liang rushed to the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals to request the use of the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams from Immortal Jiuyi. If Caiyi had made the request herself, the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals would have surely refused. However, since it was only to assist in constructing an illusion, they did not mind at all.

As for the massive amount of spiritual energy required, that was the easy part. Chu Liang brought out an enchanted formation he had used before, along with a vast collection of Spiritual Qi Jade Talismans, fully displaying the extent of his wealth.

Even Venerable Wen Yuan was taken aback.

He had always known that Chu Liang was wealthy, but not to this extent. As for how many spirit-stone coins Chu Liang actually possessed, perhaps only Senior Brother Yuan, who had managed the finances of Red Cotton Peak for years, truly knew the answer.

As for places where Yan Renjie had once lived, none could be found on Mount Shu. Over the years, even the mountain peaks had been rebuilt several times, so there was no way any of his old dwellings had survived.

However, Chu Liang happened to know of one location. It was a small house that Yan Renjie had built with his own hands. Over the centuries, it had remained mostly unchanged. The missing journal was still left in that small hut.

When they arrived, Caiyi stepped forward and picked up the journal. She flipped through a few pages of the journal, and her gaze began to tremble slightly. No one could say for certain what memories stirred within her in that moment.

Five hundred years might span several generations for humans, but for a greater demon, it was only a brief chapter in a long life. Perhaps, in her heart, those days hadn’t passed so long ago.

After composing herself, Caiyi took a deep breath and said, “Let’s begin.”

She began forming hand seals and tried to connect with the fox hair she had left on Yan Renjie. However, the connection was faint and difficult to grasp. She activated the Great Dao of the Myriad Forms at full strength, attempting to trace the path through the strand’s lingering spiritual energy.

Scenes beyond Mount Shu began to take shape. Clouds and mist swirled through the air, revealing a long road that stretched for thousands of miles before reaching a desolate, untamed land.

“The Divine Ruins!” someone cried out. Everyone instantly recognized that violent, storm-ridden terrain. But before they could study it further, the illusion began to blur.

“Help me!” Caiyi shouted.

Immortal Jiuyi immediately activated the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams. A flash of golden light surged from the mirror, and the illusion stabilized once more, extending all the way to a hidden region deep within the Divine Ruins.

Spiritual energy poured out like a broken dam, rushing forth in overwhelming torrents. Even someone at the eighth realm couldn’t endure such rapid consumption. Jade talismans shattered by the batch, and even Chu Liang began to feel a sting in his heart. At this rate, he might actually run out of jade talismans!

Just as the energy supply reached a critical low, the image within the Divine Mirror suddenly froze and then came to a complete stop.

What appeared was a vast, seemingly endless valley. Countless pavilions and towers rose across the landscape. The area was shrouded in light immortal mist and looked very much like the Heavenly Palace. Among the clouds, spirit birds soared, qilin moved between the peaks, and ethereal music floated gently through the air. It didn't seem like the world of the mortals.

“What is this place?” Immortal Jiuyi asked, puzzled. “Is it the Celestial Court?”

Baize hesitated for a moment. Then her eyes lit up as if something had clicked, and she exclaimed, “This is the Thousand Pavilion Valley in the Divine Ruins!”