Chapter 654: Chapter 654
On Mount Tian, snow blanketed the peaks in endless white.
Cold winds stirred the mist, and the sea of clouds lay far beneath one's feet.
Though spring had come at last, the snowpack on the mountains had noticeably thinned. Upon a patch of exposed gray-black stone, a Daoist sat cross-legged with eyes closed. Frost and snow had accumulated on his shoulders and legs.
Suddenly, a flash of fire lit up the world. A loud boom resounded.
From the blue sky above, a figure appeared abruptly.
The newcomer had long, unbound hair and a flowing beard. Clad in red robes, he bore a striking resemblance to Flame Mountain’s Flaming Sun True Lord. His expression was solemn, exuding an aura of authority that needed no anger to intimidate.
The divine being lowered his gaze to look at the Daoist below, and the Daoist finally opened his eyes.
“I am the Fiery Sun True Lord!” declared the newcomer.
“Fiery Sun True Lord” was his ancient title from the distant past, and the name by which the common people still knew him. However, with the evolution of the Daoist heavenly bureaucracy, his formal title had long since become Emperor Lord.
“I come at the summons of the Celestial Emperor to subdue you!”
“I’ve long admired your name, Divine Lord,” the Daoist rose to his feet and cupped his hands respectfully toward the sky. “I have awaited your arrival for quite some time.”
“You do have a bit of courage!” the god remarked.
“As do you, Divine Lord,” the Daoist replied. “I had thought that this place, being far from your shrine and temple grounds, might not see your arrival.”
“The Celestial Emperor wished for me to wait a little longer until you returned to Shenzhou via Mount Tianjin before we fought again. But I’ve never had much patience. I simply couldn’t wait. And I no longer wish to.” Fiery Sun True Lord bore the unshakable dignity of an ancient divine being, but at this point he couldn’t help raising an eyebrow slightly. “But it seems… you already knew it would be me who came?”
“Flaming Sun True Lord recently offered me his aid. If you did not step forward now, it truly would be difficult to justify,” the Daoist replied calmly.
“Hmph. Quite the schemer, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t dare claim such a thing...”
“Heh… So that old fool’s bones haven’t entirely rotted away yet.” Fiery Sun True Lord gave a short laugh, then turned to look the Daoist over again. He shook his head and said, “Still, Gold Spirit Official descended alone to battle you, and in doing so upheld the title of Heaven’s Strongest Battle Warrior. And yet you killed him by ganging up on him. Such action is neither the divine way nor the right way.”
“I am a junior,” the Daoist replied evenly, “and a mere mortal. I do not have the strength to stand alone against the entire Heavenly Palace. I had no choice but to take such a desperate path.
“Besides, Gold Spirit Official was hardly truly alone. Behind him stood the Star Officers of the Dipper Division and many heavenly generals, and they did not hide themselves particularly well. They merely feared Flaming Sun True Lord’s divine fire and dared not descend with him. If I had truly faced Gold Spirit Official alone, even had I won, I would’ve been left a spent arrow by the end.”
He paused briefly, then continued, “This is no longer the ancient era. The people of this age no longer have the same unyielding spirit. In such a moment, would the Heavenly Palace still uphold the divine and kingly ways as you do, Divine Lord?”
“To accomplish great things, one must indeed be cautious,” the god acknowledged.
“I thought the saying was ‘those who follow the Dao gain much support, those who oppose it have little,'” Fiery Sun True Lord replied with a smile, his tone calm but calculating. He seemed even more shrewd than Flaming Sun True Lord. He then followed up, “Your ambitions go beyond merely restoring the path to heaven, don’t they?”
“I must also cleanse the unvirtuous gods.”
“What an arrogant claim!”
At those words, Fiery Sun True Lord’s face darkened with anger.
“I simply don’t wish to deceive the Divine Lord,” the Daoist replied, his expression as serene as ever. “The incense-based Divine Dao should work this way.”
“Then let me ask you this! Of the ancient gods, how many became deities through virtue and merit, rather than cultivation and spiritual attainment?”
“What was done in ancient times followed the currents of that era. What I do now, follows the Heavenly Dao.”
“If it is indeed according to the times, then why act in this way?”
“If the gods of antiquity have already ascended,” Song You replied with downcast eyes, “I do not challenge whether their apotheosis was earned through merit or cultivation. I only judge them by the good deeds and contributions they have made over the thousands of years since becoming gods.”
These words showed a degree of deference and leniency toward the ancient deities, and also, a measure of compromise.
After all, since time immemorial, even in mortal dynasties, the victors who claimed the land from south to north never exterminated every remnant of the previous regime.
“Then in your eyes, how many good deeds and merits does this seat possess?”
“Fire gods dwell in the heavens and remain hidden behind the veil, and thus Your Grace has personally done little in the way of good works,” Song You replied truthfully. “However, many Daoist temples and priests on earth practice fire-based arts and honor the fire god. When they cast spells, they borrow divine flame from Your Grace to subdue demons and evil. This, too, may be counted as merit.”
“Hahahaha...” Fiery Sun True Lord burst into laughter and narrowed his eyes. “I’ve cultivated for thousands of years, only to be judged by a junior for my virtue and merit? How utterly ridiculous.”
“Praise and blame often fall to later generations. Such is the way of the world.”
“Stop spouting nonsense!” Fiery Sun True Lord’s expression suddenly turned grave. “Today, I bring with me the legitimate gods of Heaven’s Fire Division to subdue you. How do you plan to respond?”
Song You lifted his gaze skyward.
Though they were already above the clouds, the sky overhead was an expanse of pure blue. At some point, a new cloud had drifted in; within it glimmered faint flames, and indistinct figures moved.
“Fire God, must we drag the other legitimate gods into our battle as well?”
Fiery Sun True Lord’s tone turned solemn. “I am an ancient god, born in the same age as your patriarch. If I need others to assist me in dealing with a mere junior, it would be a disgrace. Let me see just how much strength you truly possess, and whether you can carry out this so-called grand cause you speak of.”
This was the true purpose of their earlier exchange.
In ancient times, people were more mindful of etiquette and propriety. They valued integrity and uprightness. That much was true. Ancient gods, too, upheld certain principles. That was also true.
However, the greatest of those ancient paragons, who truly held fast to virtue, had long since faded into the dust of history.
Fiery Sun True Lord did care about propriety, perhaps even more so than Gold Spirit Official or the Celestial Emperor, but he was still not as principled as Flaming Sun True Lord.
These ancient gods were shrewd. They knew that the Daoist followed the Heavenly Dao and the will of the people. They did not wish to defy Heaven too overtly or push matters too far. But even so, they still had to weigh their own survival and interests first.
Why, then, did he bring the legitimate gods of the Fire Division down to the mortal realm, if he didn’t intend to use their aid?
If, in their earlier exchange, Fiery Sun True Lord had truly believed this battle would determine his survival, then those legitimate gods hovering above would not merely be spectators.
“Fire, come!” With a single gesture from Fiery Sun True Lord.
In an instant, flames engulfed the sky, flooding heaven and earth.
The snow covering Mount Tian melted in a flash, and even the billowing clouds beneath their feet quickly dispersed.
Heavenly fire raged across the firmament, incinerating all.
The Daoist stood at the heart of the inferno, surrounded by divine light that shielded him, yet within the blink of an eye, most of that light was burned away. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if he had traded places with Gold Spirit Official from two days ago in the desert.
“How does my Ninefold Celestial Fire compare to that Earthly Divine Fire?”
“If that’s the case, then why don’t you dodge or defend yourself?” Fiery Sun True Lord widened his eyes at him, as if sensing contempt or perhaps disappointment.
“Divine Lord, do you know why I chose to await you here?”
“Naturally, it’s because you intended to travel to Mount Tianjin.”
“Not so.” Suddenly, Song You dispersed all the divine light around him.
The spiritual resonance of heavenly fire surged inward, like invisible hands of searing heat poised to melt and crush everything within their grasp, yet the Daoist remained entirely unharmed.
Then Song You extended his hand. Floating in his palm was a wisp of ethereal and shifting white mist.
“This is the icy spiritual resonance and spiritual energy accumulated over countless eons atop the sacred mountain, a crystallization of heaven and earth’s power. I have come here specifically to claim it. Now tell me, Divine Lord, how does this compare to your heavenly fire?”
The Daoist gazed calmly across the burning skies toward Fiery Sun True Lord.
Flames surged around him, roaring with world-ending power. It would have been effortless to incinerate an entire city or kingdom, yet they could not come within a single foot of the Daoist. In fact, they stayed even farther away than when his protective spiritual light had still been active.
Fiery Sun True Lord’s expression had already changed.
Among the Ninefold Celestial Fire and the sacred mountain’s icy spiritual resonance, it was hard to say which was superior. But it was clear that one countered the other.
“Water and fire may merge[1], but it all comes down to who has more lasting strength.” ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NovєlFіre.net
With an angry snort, Fiery Sun True Lord waved his hand again. Torrents of heavenly fire surged forward, unending.
Even the gods watching from afar, who were the legitimate gods of the Fire Division, were forced to retreat again and again, not daring to approach.
“Indeed.” the Daoist nodded calmly in agreement, his expression unchanged.
The icy spiritual resonance in his hand was rapidly diminishing, but he simply formed a hand seal. Instantly, the snow-covered mountain lit up with spiritual light. As the seal broke, a torrent of icy spiritual energy burst forth.
In the mountains behind him, an endless wellspring of icy spiritual resonance lay waiting.
Even the raging flames sputtered and died.
The watching gods in the distance were struck with awe. As gods of the Fire Division, none understood the ways of fire better than they. Yet they had no idea how this mortal had unearthed such an extraordinary source of heaven-and-earth icy spiritual resonance, one that just so happened to be the perfect nemesis of all fire-based techniques.
For ancient divine beings who had devoted millennia to mastering a single element, if their strongest technique was neutralized, what did they have left?
“Reporting to the Celestial Emperor! Fiery Sun Emperor Lord has been defeated!”
In Great Luo Heaven, within the Rising Clouds Palace, a voice filled with shock echoed through the clouds and immortal mist, sending ripples through the hearts of the assembled deities.
“The Emperor Lord was defeated?!”
“But wasn’t his Ninefold Celestial Fire nourished over thousands of years, said to be unstoppable? How could he lose? Has the current master of Hidden Dragon Temple truly grown that powerful?”
“Not quite,” came the voice of an elder god. “It wasn’t that he was overpowered, he was careless. The master of Hidden Dragon Temple lured him into a trap!”
“He used no other tricks, he only discovered a sacred mountain deep in the Western Regions, in the heart of the Mount Tian range. No one knew that mountain harbored an icy spiritual resonance cultivated over hundreds of millions of years! The Emperor Lord, confident in his cultivation and years, grew arrogant. He ventured in recklessly and fell into the trap!”
“This was not a matter of the Emperor Lord being inferior in power, but rather one of the natural order. All things in heaven and earth, all divine powers and techniques, have their counterforces,” the old god sighed.
“When the Emperor Lord unleashed his Ninefold Celestial Fire, its might could burn the heavens and scour the earth. Who could have foreseen that the current master of Hidden Dragon Temple would draw forth an icy spiritual resonance capable of completely extinguishing the heavenly fire in mere moments?”
“The Emperor Lord had been full of confidence. He likely never expected such an outcome himself.”
“What is the Emperor Lord's condition now? Is he still alive?”
“Celestial Emperor, the Emperor Lord sustained severe injuries and has returned to the Thirty-Fourth Heaven.” The old god paused, then continued, “He says he will enter seclusion for healing. As an ancient deity, having been defeated by a mortal of the current age, he finds it too shameful to face the gods and cultivators of heaven and earth. He has sealed the palace, refuses all visitors, and has withdrawn entirely from managing the affairs of the Fire Division.”
“Seclusion?” The Celestial Emperor had just felt relief knowing Fiery Sun True Lord had survived, but upon hearing of his retreat into reclusion, he sank back into his seat.
Heaven was indeed full of ancient gods. But every one of them was proud, aloof, and disdainful of mortals. Cunning and self-serving, their only true concern was their own immortality. To ask anything of them was already difficult. Fiery Sun True Lord had been a rare exception, as he was hot-tempered and more easily stirred to action. But now, after descending recklessly and suffering a crushing defeat, he too had withdrawn into silence. His seclusion struck like a bolt from the blue.
“If we were to send down the entire triad of the War, Thunder, and Fire Divisions' legitimate gods, would that suffice to win a battle?”
“Your Majesty,” replied the old god, “Though the War Division boasts many stellar officers and Battle Warriors, aside from Gold Spirit Official, none are capable of contending with such ancient powers, and certainly none are as skilled in battle as Gold Spirit Official.
“As for the Fire Division, they are fierce and domineering, but even Fiery Sun True Lord has been defeated. Even the chief of the Fire Division would likely be no match. What's more, the gods of the Fire Division witnessed today's battle from nearby. Their will to fight has surely already withered.”
The old god's analysis was highly sound:
“As for the Thunder Division, there is Duke of Thunder Zhou. He enjoys strong incense offerings among the people, and is known for his righteous and valiant nature. His heavenly thunder is unrelentingly fierce and excels at destruction, and he could perhaps be compared to Gold Spirit Official. However, given what happened to Gold Spirit Official, the Celestial Emperor must tread carefully. Without absolute certainty, Duke of Thunder Zhou must not be lightly dispatched.”
Every word was beyond reproach.
In the Rising Clouds Palace, both the Celestial Emperor above and the many elder gods below could only nod in agreement.
“You speak wisely...”
“Moreover, the current master of Hidden Dragon Temple is blessed and approved by the Heavenly Dao itself. Even if Duke of Thunder Zhou were summoned, given his upright nature, he might well refuse to fight.”
“Under no circumstances can we repeat the past mistake.”
“We must be fully prepared...”
And yet, despite all this, the problem had only grown more difficult.
1. The Chinese phrase “水火相融” (shuǐ huǒ xiāng róng) usually refers to a situation where two opposing elements cannot coexist and are mutually exclusive. It is a metaphor describing two things with fundamentally different natures that cannot exist together, just like water and fire. It can also be understood as synonymous with “水火不相容” (shuǐ huǒ bù xiāng róng), meaning “as incompatible as water and fire.” ☜