“A-Xiang!” Xi Ping was the only one not in the least bit shaken. His scalp went numb. He immediately passed a message to Wei Chengxiang, far away in the South Sea. “Who’s leading this? Have they gone crazy?” 

Inside the Territory Map, even the consciousness of a master could easily be mauled. It was only that cultivators tempered their minds daily and their consciousnesses could move freely; if they really couldn’t stand it, they could always withdraw back into their bodies in time to catch a breath. Mortals, however, were nowhere near so nimble. 

Mortals hadn’t opened their spiritual eyes. Their spirits were in chaos, and their consciousnesses couldn’t leave their bodies voluntarily, unless they “consigned” themselves using a special medium like reincarnation wood. Once they were consigned, they couldn’t voluntarily withdraw. These consciousnesses with no control over themselves were like snails that had lost their shells. Even a slightly keen spiritual wind could destroy them utterly. 

Xi Ping was furious. “Control them! I can’t even look after myself! How could I protect so many people?” 

Wei Chengxiang, hearing his indistinct irascible voice, for some reason suddenly remembered the scene of her first contact with this person. He’d been angry enough to swear when she called him “Tai Sui” and, stamping his feet, had drawn a clear line between himself and his “believer.” 

Never mind that he spent all his time putting up the steady and competent front of “Tai Sui”—thinking back on it, he really had been unreliable back then. Even ignoring his bellyful of lousy ideas, he hadn’t known a single proper thing. Relying solely on good luck, he had only been able to trick a child in her teens. 

“Uncle,” Wei Chengxiang said, using this former form of address half-mockingly, “in the human world, the Turmoilers aren’t even good enough to make up the numbers. When they die by the road, it’s no different from rats dying. What do you care? If they’re any use, make do and use them.” 

Xi Ping thought something was wrong with his ears. “What the hell are you saying? What’s wrong with…” 

Wei Chengxiang sank her consciousness into the reincarnation wood. She was closer than anyone in the world to the master of the reincarnation wood—after all, she had once pawned her “life while living and corpse after death” to this tiny amulet…though they had later been returned. 

Inside the reincarnation wood, her consciousness led the Turmoilers, like an expert guide who could distinguish directions with a look at the sky. 

“Unless you view them as people.” While she could still speak, Wei Chengxiang used the last of her strength to interrupt him. “How could a person control another person? Can anyone control you? I don’t think so. So how am I supposed to control them?” 

After Liang Chen had learned the truth about the Impassable Sea, he had been unable to get past it. In the Land of Turmoil, which had no one to govern it, he had established a small village to take in Turmoilers. Pang Jian had discovered it, but he had been unable to bring himself to disturb those people; he had let them be. Later, they had fallen into the hands of the Indignant Cicadas’ fake holy woman Wei Chengxiang. 

The holy woman was fake; “Wei-laoban” was real. 

She was unaccomplished as a cultivator. She had spent her time fleeing left and right, looking for food to scrounge while thinking up ways to get money and materials to use to support these abandoned people. She had turned the small village into a town with the flame of civilization in the Land of Turmoil. 

Still later, Tai Sui had personally gone to the Land of Turmoil, bringing with him the powerful network of connections and resources of the Luwu at his back, turning her small town into countless sparks scattered across the wilderness of the Land of Turmoil. Many people like Li Manlong were scattered everywhere. They were once again picking up the old customs of Southern He, educating and bringing enlightenment to He’s descendants… Now, in the depths of the sea, they even had their own home and were moving there group by group. 

Xi Ping was doing all he could to withstand the Territory Map’s attacks. He couldn’t prevent the constant stream of mortal consciousnesses coming in. “What does trouble in Southern Wan have to do with them? Doesn’t Li Queru teach history? Hasn’t he told them why Southern He was destroyed, how they ended up like this?” 

Wei Chengxiang could no longer speak. She thought, It wasn’t because of you, anyway. 

At this point, Xi Ping had already “sewn up” dozens of cracks in the veins of the earth with reincarnation wood, spreading practically across all nine provinces, but the patches were very evenly distributed. 

He only needed to take advantage of the elders holding down the Territory Map, follow the veins of the earth, and drive in another dozen or so “nails” of reincarnation wood at some critical junctures in the veins of the earth according to what he had already done. Then he would be able to hammer out a complete Territory Map rubbing with reincarnation wood. 

With that rubbing, the people on the surface would be able to touch the Territory Map itself. The three elders would no longer be closely restricted to the area of Jinping, and the masters outside would no longer have to risk their lives holding down all the veins of the earth. 

They only needed to use a drop of blood, and they would be able to lead their consciousnesses into the reincarnation wood, alleviate both the symptoms and the root of the problem, beat the troublemaking Territory Map right back into the earth. 

Xuanyin had three high elders, a passel of ascended spirit masters, and countless hardworking established foundations on the thirty-six peaks… Everyone said that Xuanyin’s established foundations were stronger than Sanyue’s ascended spirits surnamed Xiang. Was it possible that if they pooled the strength of the whole sect, they wouldn’t be able to suppress one Territory Map? 

But that turned out to have been wishful thinking on his part. 

After rushing around, asking people abroad to send seeds and chop down trees, nearly draining dry all the silk dragon hearts on Rosy Cloud Peak and the black market—having done all he was capable of doing—the only thing he hadn’t thought of…was that the masters on the outside wouldn’t do it. 

The immortal mountains were orthodoxy. They wouldn’t entrust their consciousnesses to a conceited “evil tree.” 

He ought to have been disheartened, but instead a crowd of fools who didn’t even look human had come ready to die for him indiscriminately. 

This was simply the most absurd thing in the world. Xi Ping didn’t know whether he ought to laugh or cry, and he didn’t know for whose sake he was pouring out his utmost effort. 

He would have loved to give it all up on the spot, do his best to send these Turmoilers away and be done with it. Let the mountains fall, let the country die. At worst he’d spend the rest of his life underground with the Territory Map, treat it as being imprisoned in another Impassable Sea. 

But Jinping still had the Marquis Manor. The spiritual mountains were still holding his shizun. San-ge was still going farther and farther along a path of no return… He was bound by many cares like a spiderweb, making life intolerable but death impossible. 

The Tai Sui Qin was moved by his heart. Unplucked, it played the Soul-Calling Melody on its own. 

Just then, a leaf suddenly floated out from the qin, breaking off its music. 

“Shiyong.” Zhi Xiu’s voice spoke into his ear. “If today the spiritual mountains topple because of the Territory Map, the condemnation of the ages will fall on me and the Xuanyin Mountains, not on you.” 

“Shifu…” 

“Do your best,” Zhi Xiu said, his voice as steady as the backbone of a snow-capped mountain, “and leave the rest to me…and fate. Of the thirty-six peaks, at least Flying Jade Peak is still here.” 

As he finished speaking, a beam of clearest sword energy flew out from the snow-capped mountain and tore Flying Jade Peak’s mountain seal—the inner and outer layer both. 

Thunderclouds curdled above the snow-capped mountain. 

But these thunderclouds were overhasty. One of the thirty-six peaks had just collapsed. The Territory Map at the spiritual mountains’ feet had bitten their “tail.” They couldn’t even look after themselves; they had no strength left to suppress the traitorous sword cultivator on the snow-capped mountain. 

Flying Jade Peak, which had always been sealed because of its master’s laziness, shook off the frost and snow, revealing its true appearance. All the auspicious omens on the mountain felt something and scattered in a panic. Several of the surrounding mountain peaks began to shake as well. The Bell of Tribulation gave a loud dong, but when it struck the decade and more’s accumulation of sword cuts covering the slope, it revealed that its strength was only a cloak over weakness. 

When Sanyue’s Xiang Rong had become a full moon sage, the tumult had been large enough to nearly flatten the whole Sanyue Mountain Range. But the shed skin on Flying Jade Peak was almost silent. 

The snow melted. The new snow-white trees grew instantly into a forest, spreading outward from the sword platform, stabilizing the tottering north slope, trapping the spiritual energy that was leaking out. 

The fleeing figures of the frightened auspicious animals calmed bit by bit, and the wild wind also came to a sudden halt. The sharply rising “snow shuffler” precisely caught a blue luan nest that had been blown down by the wind. 

There was only a single beam of sword energy pointing towards the firmament, its keenness undisguised. 

“Move.” 

That sword energy met the thunder and lightning. It pierced through the thunderclouds as easily as crushing dry weeds. Where Zhaoting’s light passed, the thunderclouds were torn to shreds by this sword that had begun life as mundane iron.  

What clouds of tribulation are qualified to pass judgment upon me? 

The spiritual mountains had blotted out of the sky and rewritten the heavenly commandments. This was the first cicada to crawl out onto the surface. 

The snow shuffler leaf on the Tai Sui Qin disappeared, carrying away a reincarnation wood seed, and was instantly taken by its master to the place in the Territory Map corresponding to the Xuanyin Mountains. 

At the same time, Lin Chi appeared riding a sword and tossed a handful of reincarnation wood seeds towards collapsing Resonant Stone Peak. 

The reincarnation wood narrowly managed to nail down the black dragon’s tail in the spiritual mountains. 

But a collapse among the spiritual mountains was beyond Xi Ping's ability to repair. As soon as the reincarnation wood grew, the Territory Map tried to uproot it. 

Following the branches of the reincarnation wood connecting the inside and outside of the Territory Map, the southern continent’s sole shed skin sword cultivator sent his consciousness to split open the Territory Map. 

The snow shufflers swiftly followed where the sword energy passed, filling the trench left by Resonant Stone Peak’s collapse. The trunks of these trees were upright as spears, like ranks of soldiers utterly loyal to their duty. The leaf inside the Territory Map, on its master’s urging, turned into a beam of sword energy. Zhaoting’s light lit up the pitch black Territory Map. 

Wen Fei caught his breath and let out a long sigh as though in relief—Zhi Jingzhai had chosen his path in the end. 

Everyone’s consciousnesses were connected by reincarnation wood. Pang Jian intellectually understood what had happened, but he was instantly struck dumb: General Zhi a shed skin… An accompanying plant… Not the kind of accompanying plant that came of wandering by mistake onto the wrong road, by a series of coincidences inheriting some demonic god’s way; this was the first one in history to break through the earth on its own among the spiritual mountains. 

But…wasn’t it said that only one who betrayed the three thousand paths of the Great Way would cause an accompanying plant to be born? 

Betrayed…

“Shiyong, don’t get distracted!” 

The snow shuffler had blocked the opening through which the Territory Map was absorbing the spiritual mountains’ spiritual energy. The shed skin’s consciousness all at once undertook the majority of the Territory Map’s pressure. The few remaining silk dragon hearts seeped into the root system of the reincarnation wood. Following the veins of the earth, throughout Great Wan’s nine provinces, countless reincarnation wood trees grew inside and outside of the Territory Map. 

Then Xi Ping gritted his teeth and turned back to Jinping—at the most intense point of Jinping’s battlefield, there were still a scant few reincarnation wood trees left over from the seeds Xi Yue had tossed out. 

Shielded by the sword energy, under the weight of the shed skin battle, he forced the reincarnation wood to grow. A layer of sword light plated the trunks of the reincarnation wood trees, bouncing back the spiritual wind around them. 

Xi Ping had nearly fallen unconscious. In his spirit, only the light of the shard of Zhaoting was illuminating a bit of awareness for him. The reincarnation wood’s branches moved bit by bit, forming a thread linking inside and outside, making a tiny knot over the original hole in the Dragon Vein. 

In an instant, Xi Ping’s consciousness covered the whole of Great Wan. He could feel it as a complete Territory Map rubbing, crystal clear, landed on his spirit! 

The spiritual mountains, the veins of the earth, the mountains and rivers were all visible at a glance. 

Xuanyin’s elders were all masters; they were extremely acute. The moment the new Territory Map rubbing formed, Duanrui, Zhang Jue, and Lin Zongyi all felt it. 

Duanrui relaxed slightly: at last there was a turn for the better. 

But in the eyes of Zhang Jue and Lin Zongyi, murder flashed. 

The same thought arose in the minds of both great shed skins: The Territory Map always wants to strike back at the spiritual mountains. Zhao Yin is dead, and the only complete rubbing that can touch the Territory Map has now fallen into the hands of an outsider. 

Xuanyin had only just managed to control this wild and ungovernable successor to a demonic god…

Zhou Ying watched the battle from the west bank of the Lingyang River—Guangyun Palace had been trampled, and Dangui Lane had been unable to remain intact; half the street had collapsed as well. Even the Marquis Manor’s main gate was gone. Xi Yue and a group of Kaiming Cultivators had escorted the mortals in Dangui Lane to Cui Ji’s compound. 

The demon eyes pierced through the obfuscation. Zhou Ying saw Zhang Jue and Lin Zongyi become more than halfway “grey,” hardly looking human anymore. 

He picked his time precisely, calmly sending a message to Duanrui: “Your Highness, look out.” 

Then a fierce struggle flashed over Zhang Jue’s face. His expression momentarily looked unexpectedly savage. Then it was once again forced to flatten out by the “grey energy.” He aimed a blow at the frail reincarnation wood knot. 

Princess Duanrui’s whip dropped Lin Zongyi and swept over. 

She held up Zhang Jue himself for a moment, but the force of his blow had already flown out. At the same time, Lin Zongyi’s figure flashed over. His eyes, as ice-cold as the Yuntian Palace Discipline Hall, were fixed on the reincarnation wood on the ground. 

Duanrui, one person half a step short of the boundary, couldn’t stop two shed skins no matter what—

Xi Ping had in fact not anticipated that under these circumstances, Zhang Jue would drop the Territory Map and strike at him. But for some reason, when he considered it, he thought that this was the way it ought to be. He actually laughed. 

The shard of Zhaoting in his spirit fractured into countless points of light, enveloping his whole body, pulling his consciousness from the reincarnation wood, ready to meet the Dignitary of Fate’s attack. 

Zhou Ying lightly tossed the heart demon seed in his palm as though it were a die and caught it on the back of his hand. He thought, The true shed skin who has torn open a thread of heaven is matched against the spiritual mountains’ two puppets. Who will be superior? 

But in a flash, Lin Zongyi, staring fixedly at the reincarnation wood, contrary to everyone’s expectations, pierced through the “grey energy” tightly binding him and blocked the force of Zhang Jue’s blow. 

The reincarnation wood trees’ leaves shook gently in the remnants of the blow. Lin Zongyi didn’t pause. Taking advantage of his momentary freedom, he cut open his finger and spilled a drop of blood onto the reincarnation wood. Through Xi Ping, the new rubbing, his consciousness sank into the Territory Map. 

Maybe sometimes, until the final juncture, people themselves do not know what choice they will make. 

Even Xi Ping was stunned. 

Xuanyin’s most cold-blooded and unfeeling Dignitary of Rule Elder had chosen to stand with the reincarnation wood, doing what no other inner sect master had dared to do. His consciousness reached into the Territory Map and caught the black dragon around the neck. The pressure on Zhi Xiu instantly decreased by half. 

At the same time, Lin Zongyi’s voice was sent throughout Great Wan by the reincarnation wood. He ordered: “Seal the Territory Map!” 

The irresolute inner sect elites followed suit one after another. Inside the Territory Map, tears of joy brimmed in eyes of the walkers in the mortal world who were sprawled on the backs of the karma beasts—the Xuanyin Mountains, which had been in constant internal strife ever since the time of the Southern Sage, could for once join forces and act with one mind. 

Zhou Ying alone finally frowned—this deviated from what he…what the “him” from before entering the way of clarity had anticipated. 

Reaching out for the small box he carried with him, Zhou Ying put the lid on the box of notes. 

“This is bad,” he said inwardly to the box. “Lin Zongyi has created a new problem.” 

“Uncle,” Zhou Ying said, “take my aunt into a room protected by arrays. Don’t watch.” 

At the same time, he sent a message to Duanrui: Lin Zongyi’s consciousness must not enter the Territory Map! 

Duanrui, just about to follow, froze: Why? 

At precisely that moment, there was a sudden change. Inside the Territory Map, an ominous tolling sounded… It was very similar to the sound of the Bell of Tribulation. Only Lin Zongyi could hear it. 

The ancient shed skin froze in place. 

The cultivation of the ascended spirits wasn’t strong enough, not qualifying them to touch the true origins of the Territory Map, and Zhi Xiu had removed the stamp of the spiritual mountains from himself when his accompanying plant had been born. There was only Lin Zongyi—the person closest to the Southern Sage—who, the instant he touched the heart of the Territory Map, without warning, saw clearly the truth that the Southern Sage had once understood through the demon host. 

Slowly, Lin Zongyi’s consciousness turned its gaze onto the surface. He saw his own puppet-like body, as well as the grey spiritual energy inside him. 

At the final juncture, the humanity he had narrowly won through a momentary slip had pushed him towards a dead end. 

Xi Ping, connected to his consciousness, quaked with terror as he heard a crack—the Dignitary of Rule’s Way of the Heart had shattered. 

The Territory Map, which they had forced into an impasse, was ready to burst into applause. Boundless darkness swept over, ready to swallow the shed skin who had come especially to offer himself up. 

Lin Zongyi came to his senses and used the last of his strength to break free of the Territory Map. The grey energy that had covered him like armor dispersed, revealing the person beneath. Two trails of blood flowed from the corners of his eyes. “Zhou Xueru!” 

With the passing of a shed skin, Jinping…nearly half the country would collapse. 

Duanrui didn’t stop to think. She caught Lin Zongyi with her whip and dashed towards the East Sea like a meteor. 

The Dignitary of Rule’s crushed Way of the Heart had raised a spiritual wind. Lin Zongyi no longer had the strength to cover up what he had touched inside the Territory Map. It threw itself at Princess Duanrui along with the overflowing spiritual energy. 

Duanrui, who had spent eight hundred years bitterly seeking a way out, saw the end of the way of clarity—a dead end where all came to nothing. 

But after a pause, she quickly averted her gaze. She only very firmly turned her head to take a glance at her native land. 

In Great Wan, late summer was blending into early autumn. There was a riot of color. 

She saw countless people…mortals, workers, farmers….following the lead of people holding up toilet bulletins and flying goose letters, surging towards the reincarnation wood trees beside the veins of the earth. When a person loudly read something out, one after another, the people cut open their fingers and grabbed hold of the reincarnation wood growing through the cracks. 

Men and women, young and old, all in great numbers. 

The perennially frozen corners of Duanrui’s—of Zhou Xueru’s—lips suddenly moved. She smiled. Then, with the crumbling Lin Zongyi, she jumped into the Resurrection Vortex. 

There lay the place where her ancestors had been buried. 

To the end of her days, she never cast off her plain clothes.