Better to Let It Rot Further

Xue Min traveled through the Great Void towards the Nanzhao Royal City, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

He has just completely merged with the Mountain God of Cang Mountain's talisman, which is formed from the Golden Nature of the Sacrificial Earth. Given time, he will be able to wield power and achieve the realm of the Divine Core Perfected One.

Although far from being as supreme as True Lord, the Divine Dao is now in decline, and for a long time no one has been able to attain the rank of Divine Lord through the Divine Dao. Therefore, his status as Divine Core Perfected One can barely be called a "Divine Lord." His promising future was ruined by all sorts of troubles brought about by the Proclaiming Earth matter. How could he not be angry?

But after traveling tens of thousands of miles, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Unbeknownst to me, the surroundings had become stagnant, devoid of the normal flow of the Great Void.

He suddenly stopped and cautiously looked around.

The Great Void emptiness was devoid of anything, and even the afterglow of the fiery light seemed to be blocked by something.

After scanning the area for a moment, he snorted coldly and took out a mountain god's scepter.

The scepter was made entirely of jade, with intricate patterns of Sacrificial Earth engraved on its shaft. As soon as it was taken out, a crimson divine light shone from within the scepter, like a crimson jade sun rising, illuminating his entire body.

"Come out!"

He shouted in a cold voice, which caused a buzzing sound all around.

After a long while, no one answered.

Xue Min frowned, said no more, and suddenly swung the scepter forward!

The folk songs echoed through the sky, Sacrificial Earth God transformed into a circle of crimson ripples, spreading out in all directions. Wherever the ripples passed, the Great Void felt as if it were being caressed by a pair of invisible hands, and the stagnant spiritual energy loosened.

Just then, an aged voice echoed softly:

Why should the mountain god be angry?

Before the words were finished, a hunched figure slowly appeared a hundred feet in front of Xue Min.

He was an old man, his clothes tattered and disheveled, his hair like withered straw, his face sallow, his robe so torn it barely covered his body, a gray straw rope tied around his waist, his bare feet dangling in the air. He looked no different from the most destitute beggar in the world.

If he weren't currently suspended in the Great Void, and hadn't managed to reappear unscathed after Xue Min's folk song, no one would have considered him a cultivator.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Xue Min's expression did not soften; instead, it grew even colder. She gripped her scepter tightly and said in a chilling voice:

"Fellow Mo Yan, what is the meaning of this?"

Upon hearing this, the old man known as Mo Yan grinned, revealing a set of uneven, yellow teeth. He didn't rush to reply, but instead fixed his gaze on the scepter in Xue Min's hand, a faint hint of mockery, and perhaps a touch of envy, flickering deep within his eyes.

"I was merely taking a nap nearby; how could I have disturbed the mountain god? I am truly guilty."

He paused, then continued:

"However, that scepter in the mountain god's hand is truly a treasure; the position of the Cang Mountain deity is indeed extraordinary."

Xue Min kept a cold face and didn't reply.

Mo Yan seemed completely oblivious and continued:

"The authority of the Sacrificial Earth deities is fundamentally rooted in the mountain and land gods. Apart from the principal deities of the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks, how can those other wild and licentious shrines compare to the divine position of Cang Mountain? After all, the positions held by the protectors of the Nanzhao throughout the ages were personally crafted by the Orthodox God of that time; they are truly remarkable, truly remarkable."

By the end, it was impossible to tell whether his tone was one of admiration or sarcasm.

Xue Min suppressed her anger and said in a deep voice:

"Mo Yan, we're practically neighbors, sharing the same land and water. I don't care how crazy you are on ordinary days, but today a fiery blaze has descended near the capital, and the True Person of the Radiant Fire Path have begun seeking gold. This is a matter of great importance concerning the fate of the nation and the people's livelihood. Why are you interfering at this crucial moment? Can't you see how urgent things are?!"

"Urgent? Heh..." Mo Yan shook his head and laughed a few times, his laughter dry and strangely tinged with sarcasm. "So what if it's urgent? Since it's already rotten, might as well get even rotten."

Xue Min's expression changed drastically:

"What did you say?!"

"Didn't the Mountain God hear me? Then I'll say it again." Mo Yan slowly raised his withered, chicken-claw-like left hand, pointing towards the direction of the Nanzhao Royal City, his voice suddenly turning cold, "Since it's already rotten, might as well rot even more!"

"How dare you!" Xue Min trembled with rage, the crimson light emanating from her scepter blazing brightly, illuminating the surrounding Great Void in a crimson hue. "Mo Yan! You are a citizen of Nanzhao, the king has bestowed upon you laws many times and even lent you a helping hand on numerous occasions, how dare you utter such treasonous words!"

Faced with Xue Min's angry rebuke, Mo Yan simply chuckled:

"Treasonous? What a fine label! Then I'd like to ask the Mountain God: Your Majesty is True Lord, backed by the Heavenly Sovereign Feng Household. In this world, how many dare to be presumptuous before you? And what about Him?"

He suddenly raised his hand, pointing to the Nanzhao Royal City, then to the north of Wumeng Mountain, his voice like thunder:

"When the imperial court came, he didn't stop them; when the Mysterious Gate sect) came, he didn't stop them; when the Confucian School reached into his territory, he still didn't stop them! For every gold seeker who came, one died; for every one who died, two more came. The land veins of Nanzhao were stirred up into chaos, the spiritual energy was ravaged and riddled with holes. As the ruler, what did He do? As the True Lord, did He ever utter a single word of 'no'?!"

Mo Yan became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his thin chest heaving violently, and a hint of bloodshot appearing in his old eyes:

"Since he's doing nothing, let them be! Whether they seek gold or perish, let them tear a hole in the sky, turn the earth upside down, and wipe everyone out! Don't they all want to use Nanzhao as a chessboard? Fine, come on! Let's see who breathes their last first!"

Xue Min's face was ashen, and he almost crushed the scepter in his hand, but he still took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his anger.

He looked directly at Mo Yan, his tone deep and serious:

"Mo Yan, I know you harbor resentment, but the more resentful you are, the less you should undermine your own cause. After all, the king has his own difficulties. At this time, we are both cultivators of Nanzhao, sharing the same land and water. In this time of crisis, we should support each other and overcome the difficulties together. If you really do not wish to participate, you may return to the mountain and stay indoors. I will not force you. But do not do anything foolish that will hurt your loved ones and please your enemies!"

"Supporting each other and overcoming difficulties together?"

Mo Yan threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the Great Void.

He laughed for a long time before gradually stopping, looking down at Xue Min, his mania slowly settling into a deep indifference.

"Xue Min, you make it sound so nice, but let me ask you this: where were you when Mo Chen asked for the gold? Did you try to stop him?"

"When Qixia Temple opened its branch, it took in several promising talents from Nanzhao. Zichuan was clearly a good candidate for cultivating the Human Dao path, but after joining the Pear Garden, he chose to cultivate the path of the Great Yang. I saw him at the gate of Langqiong Zhao City and went to find you specifically to take him under my wing, but you said that both the Yuanfu and the Mysterious Gate had their eyes on him and wouldn't let me take him!"

Xue Min paused for a moment.

"You didn't! Not only did you not do it, you even helped the abbot of Qixia Temple kill four officials from the imperial court and strip the magistrate of Langqiong County of his official position! Do you think the waters aren't murky enough, or that Nanzhao isn't in enough trouble?"

Mo Yan spoke each word slowly and deliberately, as if wielding a knife or a dagger.

"Now look Radiant Fire has arrived, and Geng Metal has arrived too. You're panicking, you're scared, and you've remembered me, your 'half-neighbor,' but don't you understand? The king doesn't care, the royal family doesn't ask, so what's the use of you, a mountain god, being anxious?"

He slowly shook his head, his voice suddenly lowering:

"This world is no longer worth it, and Nanzhao is no longer worth it either."

Xue Min looked at him, her anger still lingering, but now tinged with a complex pity.

"So, you want me to be like you, standing idly by, or even fueling the flames?"

"It's not about fueling the fire."

Mo Yan laughed, revealing a set of yellow teeth, his smile carrying a chilling sincerity:

"It's like going with the flow. Since they've already ruined this game themselves, why not overturn the chessboard? Don't they all want to use Nanzhao as their chessboard? Then let them come. One by one, they'll die. Once everyone who should and shouldn't die is dead, this farce will naturally come to an end."

"Nonsense!"

Xue Min finally couldn't hold back any longer. She suddenly stopped her scepter, and a beam of crimson light shot up from the bottom of the scepter, illuminating even Mo Yan's tattered figure.

"Mo Yan, I respect you for your past contributions to Nanzhao and call you a fellow Daoist, but if you don't step aside today, don't blame me for disregarding our past friendship!"

Mo Yan gazed at the soaring crimson light, his turbid eyes reflecting a crimson hue. Far from being afraid, he slowly raised his hands, his fingers slightly spread, and a wisp of dusty yellow energy appeared at his fingertips.

"Old feelings? Xue Min, what old feelings have ever existed between us?"

He grinned, his smile icy, "Make your move. Let this old man see just how much the Mountain God of Cang Mountain of Divine Core Perfected One, really is."

Xue Min's eyes narrowed slightly, and a murderous intent arose instantly.

"Very well, what a Mo Yan! Since that's the case, let me see if your ' Aspects of the Fleeting Body ' is as hard as your mouth!"

Before the words were finished, a crimson light suddenly shone brightly, like a crimson sun rising from the Great Void!

Mo Yan sneered, and with a sudden push of his palms, the smoke from countless homes and the shadows of billions of people appeared around him, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and the myriad phenomena of the mortal world.

The supernatural power of the Human Dao Body Divine Ability, "Aspects of Fleeting Life"!