Burning the Divine Mountain

The north wind swept across the ruins of the ice palace, and colorful tendrils surged like the sea beneath the sky.

The Heavenly Listener Immortal Official's gilded mask reflected a cold light, his voice like an ice blade slicing through black iron.

"Stupid."

He lightly tapped the golden tortoise shell with his fingertips, and the patterns on the shell suddenly lit up, reflecting the vast frozen land of the Northern Ao Continent. Black tides seeped from the cracks in the ice field, and countless struggling figures were annihilated into ashes under the claws of evil spirits.

"The Immortal Ancestor never failed to save Bei Ao. In the Immortal Ancestor's eyes, Bei Ao was the root of the Snow Mulberry Flower, and the decaying branches and leaves had to be pruned."

With a wave of his wide sleeve, the tortoise shell illusion transformed again—revealing people crawling at the foot of the sacred mountain. The swirling snow made them shiver and teeter on the verge of collapse, and the roadside was littered with the bones of those who had frozen to death, yet they still did not stop their upward climb.

"Five thousand years ago, the Immortal Ancestor Kong Yuan established the Immortal Path on the sacred mountain. Those who sought the Dao traversed a long and arduous journey to obtain the Immortal Scriptures. Along this path, many failed to reach the end. But those who survived made the Beiao Immortal Path flourish, and no one dared to be unafraid of the cultivators who emerged from this snowy plain."

The Ganlong Venerable's skirt, embroidered with dragon patterns, billowed in the wind. She smiled contemptuously, "Is the Celestial Official trying to say that these people who can survive suffering are the seeds of the new Bei'ao you speak of?"

"The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, and the victor takes all—this is the fundamental Heavenly Dao of Northern Ao." The Heavenly Listener Immortal Official gazed at her indifferently, his eyes gleaming with golden light. "Ganlong Venerable is a wise man; you should understand the Celestial Ancestor."

"It's a pity I'm not smart..." Ganlong Venerable shook his head with a wry smile, but glanced at the boy out of the corner of his eye, as if he remembered the time when the boy pointed at his nose and called him a stupid woman.

She looked up at the radiant golden celestial official again. "The 'Master' they speak of, is it you, or the Celestial Ancestor?"

Yes, who else but the Immortal Ancestor could be so certain that he could drive away all the Evil Demon of Bei'ao?

"There is no difference."

The woman seemed to have expected this, and suddenly asked again, "May I ask, Immortal Ancestor, back then a group of refugees stuffed the last half bag of millet into my palm, saying, ' Fairy, eat more so you'll have the strength to slay evil.' But later they starved to death on the night the city walls were rebuilt, and their bones were embedded in the bricks—by the standards of the Immortal Ancestor, do these people deserve even an inch of land in Xinbei'ao?"

The Heavenly Listener Immortal Official's gaze, hidden behind his mask, suddenly turned icy. "Womanly compassion! Without the courage of a hero cutting off his own arm, how can you talk about saving the world! You only have pity for these frail people who freeze to death in the wind and snow, but have you ever thought that in the future, even such frail people will no longer exist in Bei'ao!"

"The Immortal Ancestor is indeed high above, seeing things from a higher perspective than I do... Has He become so disappointed in us, His people five thousand years in the future?"

"Utterly disappointed."

"If that's the case, why not just settle accounts directly instead of using me as a pawn?"

"The idea of replacing permafrost with Black Soil is groundbreaking, and the Immortal Ancestor Kong Yuan acknowledges your talent. This is an honor that no one in Bei'ao has enjoyed in five thousand years, Ganlong Venerable-- "

The Heavenly Listener Immortal Official a deep breath before saying softly, "Please select someone to ascend the peak."

At this moment, even Wangshu understood Immortal Ancestor Kong Yuan's plan—He agreed with Ganlong Venerable's idea of exchanging Black Soil for frozen soil to transform Bei Ao, but from His God-like perspective, He believed that Bei Ao needed to exchange not only soil, but also people.

Evil spirits are a natural selection mechanism. Only those who survive this calamity, like those who survived on the cold road five thousand years ago, are qualified to live in the fertile land of New Bei'ao, and are capable of governing the prosperous New Bei'ao.

Everyone turned to look at the woman chosen by the Immortal Ancestor.

"Does the Immortal Ancestor approve of me?"

Ganlong Venerable asked herself, she rarely smiled, but she had been smiling all day. You Su felt that this bitter smile added a touch of sorrow to her.

She suddenly stopped smiling, and when she looked up, the shattered ice in her eyes had solidified into a raging fire.

"But I... don't acknowledge the Immortal Ancestor!"

She pointed her sword at the colorful monster, her voice chilled like millennia-old ice, "Bei Ao Muqiang, the strong should protect the weak! Not treat the blood of the weak as sweet rain!"

The golden tortoise shell shattered with a deafening roar, Heavenly Listener Immortal Official's robes billowed like raging waves. "Stubborn fool! You could have been the best wielder of the sword..."

"I'd rather die by the sword!" She cut off his words, her Mystic Ice Chi Armor gradually reappearing on her body. Ice crystals spread from the ends of her hair, turning her long black hair into frost and snow. "Bei Ao is cold enough; people's hearts cannot grow colder. Please, Celestial Official, convey to the Celestial Ancestor—I do not want the new Bei Ao he speaks of!"

At that moment, iridescent tentacles erupted, and the gigantic maw of the Star Abyss swallowed half of the dome.

The surging aura of the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official suddenly dissipated; he was still radiant with golden light, but no longer appeared so aggressive.

This wasn't because he had toned down his aura; rather, it was because someone standing before him was someone who could rival him or even have a more imposing presence.

"Ganlong Venerable, you have disappointed the Immortal Ancestor once again." The Heavenly Listening Official put away the Golden Tortoise Armor, his tone seemingly mournful, "Go and perish with your old Bei'ao. The Immortal Ancestor Temple —will not intervene."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around gracefully and disappeared into the depths of the crimson, dim night like a setting sun.

After he left, the north wind swept across the sacred mountain, carrying with it a colorful phosphorescent powder. The icy palace twisted into a hideous vortex in the viscous rainbow light. Black blood-like mist seeped from the mountain's fissures, turning the millennia-old frost and snow into a dark purple like rotting flesh.

This snow-capped mountain, which has remained frozen for millennia, now appears to be melting.

Bai Ze ran his fingertips across the collapsed pillars, and as the ice shards fell, they were tinged with a sweet, metallic scent of blood. The rocks gnawed by evil spirits were turning into pus, flowing down the ravines to form a winding, dark river. The afterimages of the cultivators fleeing in panic were reflected in the river of blood, as if they were struggling in their final moments before drowning.

The desolate figure of Ganlong Venerable was undeniable. She turned around. "This Venerable..."

Her usually haughty voice was tinged with a sob for the first time. She gazed at You Su's profile, which was bathed in iridescent light, as if trying to etch the boy's tall and handsome features into her eyes. "It is I who caused you to fall into such a predicament, and yet I abandoned the path to survival that you should have had."

"A path to survival?" The Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace suddenly sneered, "A path that survives by stepping on the corpses of one's own people, does it deserve to be called a path to survival?"

You Su etched the indifferent expression of the Heavenly Listening Official into his mind, and he frowned.

"I don't need anyone to give me a way out, and you weren't the one who put us in danger. But you're right about one thing: Bei Ao doesn't need an Immortal Ancestor. What Bei Ao needs is you."

For a moment, Ganlong Venerable was lost in thought. One of these two people was herself, and the other was the Daoist she had been searching for but could not find.

The affirmation from these two people came from within and without, and although there were only two of them, the woman had never felt the significance of her existence as she did at this moment.

"Bei'ao needs not only me, but also you, and every one of you! Even without the intervention of the Immortal Ancestor Temple, we can still kill Him!" The woman's eyes sharpened, and she radiated a powerful aura.

"Did you record everything?" You Su suddenly asked the girl next to her.

The Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace glanced at him, then nodded emphatically.

"Let Bai Ze turn back."

Without hesitation, the girl transformed in an instant into a magnificent divine Divine Beast with a tiger's head and a deer's body. She roared to the sky, shattering the phosphorescent dust that filled the air.

Under the questioning gaze of Ganlong Venerable, You Su leaped onto his horse, stroked the smooth, glossy fur on Bai Ze's back, and chuckled:

"According to the legend of Bei'ao, Bai Ze was born alongside a sage, and I narcissistically thought that the sage was me. Only today do I realize that the sage is another version of yourself that is accompanied by you."

One body, two souls; the other soul became Bai Ze. The legend came true; everything seemed to be predestined.

"What are you trying to do?" Ganlong Venerable solemnly blocked the path between the man and the beast.

"Senior sister, please hold off the Evil God for a moment for the Sovereign Lord. I'll be right back!"

The boy ignored the woman's questioning, instead raising the corners of his lips and gently patting the beast's back.

This was the first time Wangshu had seen such a wild and unrestrained expression on her junior brother's face. She nodded obediently, secretly memorizing the image of the young man riding Divine Beast, dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse.

Even the Ganlong Venerable was stunned by the certainty in the young man's expression. She forgot to stop them and forgot to ask what they had recorded. She only watched as the pure white and handsome Divine Beast bypassed her and soared into the sky in a streak of light.

The golden beast's eyes reflected the hideous cracks in the sky, and the boy's ink-black robes billowed wildly in the gale. Bai Ze was like a pure white lightning bolt tearing through the night, sweeping past those who were fighting with evil spirits or wailing, emitting a thunderous roar that could drown out the evil spirits themselves.

People were taken aback, but even more astonished at who could possibly ride on Bai Ze's back.

These days, everyone in Kong Yuan Divine Mountain knows that the legendary Bai Ze has appeared. This Divine Beast has now rushed to the highest point of the divine mountain, like a bright moon embedded in the mountain.

Everyone stared at the moon, stunned, a faint hope rising in their hearts, hoping that Bai Ze and the person on his back could bring hope as the legends had said.

At this moment, You Su was looking down at the sacred mountain, which had been polluted by colorful patterns, and felt that its previous simple and plain appearance was much more beautiful.

The art of "illusionary beauty" is not only possessed by Ganlong Venerable; the Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace is more Technique Method, performs it far better than her.

You Su had her record was the confrontation between Ganlong Venerable and the Heavenly Listening Official!

At this moment, a massive screen of light appeared in the sky above the sacred mountain, with the dark red sky serving as its backdrop.

"I'd rather die by the sword!"

"I don't want the Xin Bei'ao he's talking about!"

"Bei'ao needs not only me, but also you, and every single person in Bei'ao!"

The resolute cry of the woman in the white dress echoed among the mountains. A tear, hanging in the corner of her eye, was quickly frozen into ice by the cold.

The old cultivator, who was coughing violently, suddenly froze. His cloudy pupils reflected the fluttering dragon-patterned skirt in the light and shadow. It was the Sovereign Lord always stood in front of them, the Northern Ao people, not the Immortal Ancestor whom they had believed in for thousands of years, yet who was 'utterly disappointed' in them and ruthlessly abandoned them.

The middle-aged cultivator's broken sword suddenly hummed, its blade reflecting his bloodshot eyes. He staggered to his feet, fiercely wiping his cheek with his blood-stained sleeve.

"Did you hear that! The Sovereign Lord said that Bei Ao's soul cannot grow cold!"

"But the Immortal Ancestor..."

"To hell with the Immortal Ancestor!" A young man kicked over the shrine where the Immortal Ancestor's statue was enshrined, the wooden carving and golden body shattering into pieces in the snow. "We, the people of Bei'ao, believe in the Immortal Ancestor the most, yet we're the worst off! From now on, I'll only believe in the Sovereign Lord!"

You Su's voice ripped through the chaos at that very moment, as the Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace amplified his voice for him:

"You all live in this land of ice and snow, yet you've forgotten even how to start a fire!"

"Immortal Ancestor Kong Yuan doesn't care about your lives! But we can take care of ourselves! So what if Evil God crawls out! We can still kill it!"

"The elderly, weak, women, and children of Qilian City can build a fortified city with their own flesh and blood! The mortals of Fei City dare to tear up the sacred mountain's official documents and draw talismans to ward off the cold!"

The boy rode Bai Ze through every corner of despair, the blood-stained banners forming a long crimson dragon behind him.

"And you—the cultivators of Kong Yuan Divine Mountain, the sharpest blades of the Northern Ao Continent —are you going to hide behind her skirts and wait to die when your Sovereign Lord needs you, when Bei Ao needs you!"

Suddenly, the Ice Silkworm Venerable crushed the snow silkworm he had raised for a hundred years, and its crystalline silk threads wrapped around his frail body as he soared into the sky. This usually effeminate Void Realm cultivator let out a beast-like roar for the first time:

"Everyone in the Silkworm Palace, bring out your most treasured possessions! If we die today, they'll all become relics for future generations!"

The Venerable Xuanji's hunched back suddenly straightened like a pine tree. His withered fingers traced the bronze beast head at his waist, and twelve puppets burst forth from the sky. The old man's deeply lined face reflected the rainbow light, and his hoarse voice was filled with the rust and Blood Qi of iron:

"I've lived to this day, waiting for this very moment—to tear this filthy thing apart!"

More and more people responded to You Su's call. Many of them initially chose to protect themselves, huddling together in their own territory for warmth or even planning to escape, believing that evil spirits could not affect them.

But after realizing he had been abandoned, he learned that there was still a woman who hadn't abandoned him, a woman who could have survived on her own. Even the most indifferent person couldn't bear to watch that woman face the Evil God alone.

The fear of evil spirits seemed to have been completely burned away by the fire lit by You Su.

The Archimedes Venerable stared blankly at the flowing white light, his fingertips unconsciously fiddling with the broken abacus beads.

He recalled the words his teacher had said to the boy before taking him away, "This task will surely succeed." In reality, he had no idea who would solve the Northern Ao calamity; he simply watched as the boy unconsciously chose to believe him.

But perhaps the drunken words spoken by his teacher, whose beliefs contradicted his own, were not wrong—the most profound Arithmancy is simply guessing.

Ganlong Venerable stared blankly at the boiling mountains after being ignited by You Su. Those faces that had been corrupted by lust for power were now reflected in the dragon patterns dancing on her skirt.

Nine Mysterious Ice Chi Dragons soared into the sky behind her, and amidst their roars, the usually aloof female cultivator suddenly shed tears.

"I swear on my very soul—" She conjured an ice blade at her fingertips, slicing it across her brow, "If I win this battle, I will ensure that no one on this frozen land will ever again need to worship the gods!"

Meanwhile, in Changshan City, thousands of miles away, in the abandoned temple where the siblings A Jiu A Ying had once hidden, the Fairy statue that had collapsed on the ground suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light.