Endangering mortals was naturally directed at Xuanyin Mountain’s inner sect. The shed skin elders and ascended spirit peak masters with their Ways of the Heart couldn’t stand by and watch the unjust deaths of millions of mortals. The Zhao family’s forces covered the whole country; the Bell of Tribulation, which would cause a three-year drought if it rang once, absolutely couldn’t sound from Hongyin to Guzhou. 

Mid-level cultivators and walkers in the mortal world were Xuanyin Mountain’s foundation, and the Zhao family had occupied half of that “foundation”. They believed that as long as they could keep things under control, they would be able to grapple with the inner sect based on the accumulated wisdom of a thousand years. 

As for the Kaiming Cultivators… No one had considered the Kaiming Cultivators. 

Could the “Kaiming Cultivators” count as cultivators? Could they count as human? 

These country bumpkins had started out as laborers and farmers. The women were coarse and the men were vulgar. The weapons they used were each more absurd than the next, and they couldn’t speak official language properly. They were like idiots. In the Kaiming Department’s classes, the first thing they taught wasn’t talismans or meridians, it was the Thousand Character Classic, a primer for small children! Really, it was disgracing yourself to give them an extra look. 

Hearing that Pang Jian had requested help from the Kaiming Department, many people laughed their heads off, thinking that Jinping’s mad dog had come to a dead end and was even willing to eat shit. 

He dared to call them, and the Kaiming Department really did dare to come. 

When the Kaiming Department joined the battle, both sides of walkers in the mortal world couldn’t quite keep their countenance. It was as if two noble scholars had been matching each other’s strength playing weiqi when, all of a sudden, a filthy peasant came in driving a steam-powered bulldozer and flattened everything in a billow of smoke. 

Because communications had been cut off out of nowhere, everyone thought that it was only an isolated incident for them. Hearing that Kaiming Cultivators had somehow found their way into the spiritual stone warehouse, Hongyin’s Zhao Xi was so disgusted he broke out in gooseflesh, as if he’d heard that the rice granary was infested with rats and thought that all the rice was dirty now. 

Then he flew into a rage: the spiritual stone warehouse wasn’t tangible storage like a granary or a reservoir. It was like an invisible, untouchable “hidden realm”; only using specific means and carrying a special “key”—usually a magic tool or an inscription—could you open it and enter. The Zhao family’s spiritual stone warehouse needed at least three layers of keys and the inside was packed with traps; you couldn’t put a step out of place. How had they gotten in? 

“Investigate thoroughly! Each family’s maids, pages, coachmen, crones, if their behavior is unusual, seize one and all and perform a soul-searching!” 

“Commander, those spiritual stones…” 

“You don’t have private stores?” Zhao Xi twisted his head and coldly glared at the person who had been asking him. Red light flashed through his eyes, an indication that he might lose his mind. “Use your own, you’ll be paid back later. When we’ve killed off these rats, have them spit out the spiritual stones…” 

Hardly had he spoken than he saw the eyes of the “Zhao family member” speaking to him flash strangely. Zhao Xi suddenly found that when this person cupped his fist in a salute, the thickness of his hands didn’t match his slender physique, and the joints of his middle fingers were so crowded with calluses that they were nearly deformed…

Zhao Xi’s reaction was extremely fast. He gave a shout, his spiritual sword already out of its sheath. The imposter Zhao calmly took out a big, round iron saw. The saw blades began to spin with a hum. Before the blades hit, the fierce wind had already reached Zhao Xi. This thing had previously been used to fell timber. It was very loud, making a racket as it knocked his spiritual sword aside. 

The “Zhao family member” wiped his face and removed a skin as thin as a cicada’s wings, revealing an honest, dark square face. Smiling, he said, “Commander, we can’t spit out those spiritual stones. The Kaiming Department has kindly accepted them on behalf of the spiritual mountains. Thank you for looking after them.” 

Hardly had he spoken than his shadow on the ground suddenly began to move. Countless figures hidden in it appeared, surrounding Zhao Xi. 

In Jinping City, “Zhao Yu” crushed the battle report he had finished reading with a twist of his fingers. He turned and said to Pang Jian, “An ‘immortal clan’ still needs to perform the basic functions of life. They still need people to plant crops, drive carriages, clean up after them and wait on them. There’s nothing mysterious about it. The cultivators of each Kaiming Department station are born and bred locals, excellent at seeing an opportunity and taking it. Set your mind at ease, Commander Pang, they won’t let the cannons pointed at their own fellow countrymen go off.” 

But Pang Jian’s expression was grave. Shaking his head, he said, “Don’t get careless. While it’s true that the Kaiming Department can get in by every opening, the thousand years of accumulated wisdom of a great family of Xuanyin is nothing to fool around with. Otherwise, would the Zhou family have been incapable of raising their heads for eight hundred years?” 

On Xuanyin Mountain, Xi Ping was just bringing up all kinds of unreasonable requests to Lin Chi, making Peak Master Lin, who hadn’t personally created tools in centuries, look miserable as he listened. Suddenly, a warning from his spiritual sense interrupted Xi Ping’s voice. 

Lin Chi and Wen Fei, the latter in the middle of a unilateral argument with the snow-capped mountain in the distance, simultaneously flew up. 

Their eyes met across the distance in surprise and confusion. Accumulated snow was rolling down the sealed Flying Jade Peak. The localized avalanche precisely hit the valley where the two of them had just been standing. 

Wen Fei was shocked: Hey now, Zhi Jingzhai, you’ve developed a temper after five years in seclusion!

Xi Ping was astonished: “My shifu finally couldn’t resist smacking that chatterbox mute?” 

Lin Chi cocked an ear and listened for a moment. “No…no, it’s not Flying Jade Peak. I think the thirty-six peaks are quaking.” 

In Hongyin Province, Zhao Xi, surrounded by Kaiming Cultivators, glanced around at the visible and concealed figures. Heaven’s Design Pavilion’s karma beasts no longer listened to his orders. They were mixed in among the Kaiming Cultivators, their big eyes glaring at him with hatred, as if glaring at an evil cultivator. 

“Commander Zhao,” said the middle-aged-looking head Kaiming Cultivator, “the spiritual mountains protect the populace. As one of the four great families of Xuanyin, the Zhao clan’s collateral branches in the mortal world ought to take their part in defending it, yet you unworthy descendants have brought calamity upon the country and the people to this degree. It does make one sneer.” 

“What the hell are you?” Zhao Xi said almost inaudibly. “Are you worthy of scolding me?” 

A young and aggressive Kaiming Cultivators couldn’t resist shooting off at the mouth: “The stray dog barks in such a bombastic tone.” 

Zhao Xi quietly began to laugh grimly, the red in his eyes strengthening. “Stray dog…” 

Then, on the fair skin that came from a life of comfort, each and every vein popped up. The veins that ought to have been purple appeared to be a strange bright red, crawling all over his body as though they had come to life, thicker and thicker, as if trying to break through his thin skin. 

A karma beast howled and jumped onto a Kaiming Cultivator’s clothes. Fur bristling, it arched its back. A Kaiming Cultivator who had been a boatman at the docks suddenly thought that the forms of those veins looked very familiar. His eyes opened wide, and he suddenly burst out, “That…that looks like the course of the Hong River around here!” 

Zhao Xi’s expression was as hideous as a living ghost’s. With a pop, a vein really did burst out of his flesh. The blood spurted several zhang away. At the same time, in the place on the Hong River that corresponded to his burst vein, the water suddenly rose and burst its banks in both directions!

Lin Chi abruptly raised his head. “The Territory Map!” 

Xi Ping said, “What?” 

“Great Wan has many watercourses. Tradition says that when the spiritual mountains took shape and divided the national borders, their spiritual veins flowed through the whole country, reflecting the courses of all the rivers and streams. This was called the Territory Map. The Southern Sage saw that it was created by reflecting the spiritual veins and the veins of the earth, feared that it would give rise to turbulence in the land, and wished to seal it…” 

Xi Ping said, “I get it, Zhao Yin stole it.” 

“No,” said Lin Chi, “the Territory Map was born from the watercourses and was by nature unwilling to be confined to a single place. It resisted fiercely and pulled a disciple who was passing by into the map. The Southern Sage had no alternative but to destroy it. He watched over it for many days, helping that disciple to comprehend its mysteries, escape it, and succeed in reaching an ascended spirit. That disciple was Zhao…Elder Zhao. The Zhao family has actually acquired a portion of the Territory Map’s authority!” 

Hardly had he spoken than the blue luan trembled, and even in the reincarnation wood, Xi Ping felt that the spiritual energy around them was in chaos. It wasn’t only Xuanyin’s mountain seal that was in turmoil, even Flying Jade Peak’s seal of voluntary seclusion was in imminent danger. 

The nine Zhao peak masters working together had shaken Xuanyin’s mountain seal. The disordered spiritual energy made it hard for the other peak masters to approach. 

Flying Jade Peak’s fragile north slope was in imminent danger once more; the shaking of the snow-capped mountain made Xi Ping burn with anger. Afraid that Zhi Xiu would force himself to act once more, Xi Ping quickly asked, “Peak Master Lin, where is the true Bell of Tribulation? How do you ring it?” 

Lin Chi said, “The Bell of Tribulation can only be used when encountering demons. These nine shixiongs haven’t lost their minds to the point of becoming demons…and anyway, the person who rings the bell must have strong enough cultivation! Do you think just anyone could use the Bell of Tribulation to break up the remaining power of a shed skin?” 

Xi Ping said angrily, “Is this insanity not enough to count as becoming demons?! Do what I say!” 

Lin Chi was stupefied by his nominal shizhi’s lousy idea. “…huh?” 

Just then, there was a huge sound. The nine Zhao peak masters had broken through Xuanyin’s mountain seal and were about to run towards the human world. 

At the same time, all of Great Wan was swaying. This had previously been a year of rare favorable weather, with moderate rain. The rivers and lakes had calmly nourished all living things as the harvest approached, but now they began to roar like infuriated beasts. 

The world’s rudest shizhi once again addressed a senior by name: “Lin Chi, stop dawdling!” 

Lin Chi took an immortal tool like a dandelion out of his mustard seed. It scattered in the wind. The fight of the ascended spirit peak masters who had turn open the mountain seal was just sending astral winds in all directions. The fragmented “seeds” of the immortal tool were quickly blown all over the place. 

Through his spirit, Lin Chi said to Xi Ping, I never saw the Southern Sage. 

Xi Ping said, Well, who has? The two who have seen him aren’t home! 

Lin Chi said, This…this is such disgraceful behavior!

Xi Ping said, Then you can sit here and watch them destroy the country! 

Lin Chi sucked in a breath. The next moment, a statue of the Southern Sage a full hundred zhang high fell out of nowhere like a mountain. The “seeds” of the “dandelion” immortal tool that had scattered in all directions spoke at the same time: “Zhao Yin lost his mind and became a demon. Heaven and earth cannot abide his Way of the Heart.” 

The clamor coming from all sides merged together, vibrating among the thirty-six peaks, as if ten thousand bells were ringing simultaneously. For a time it was like a heavenly oracle descending, frightening your soul out of your body. 

The Zhao ascended spirit peak masters came back to themselves. When they understood what the “oracle” was saying, their faces turned deathly pale: if heaven and earth could not abide Zhao Yin’s Way of the Heart, then wouldn’t all the disciples who had inherited his Way of the Heart become demons? 

Next, a deafening tolling began to resound, identical to when the Bell of Tribulation had rung before. It was completely convincing! 

Naturally an ascended spirit grade immortal tool could shake ascended spirits into dizziness. The nine peak masters’s Ways of the Heart were seriously shaken. 

Only Princess Duanrui, hurrying back from the Latent Cultivation Temple, having cultivated the way of clarity to merely a step away from its highest degree and being unmoved by external objects, turned a deaf ear and delivered a lash of the Remorseless Whip. 

Xi Ping said, “Ah, at least Duanrui-shishu is reliable.” 

Unlike you good-for-nothings. 

Lin Chi was simply speechless. 

At the ringing of the false Bell of Tribulation, Flying Jade Peak’s north slope at last had yet another avalanche, as if shizun were dropping his jaw in shock at his rebellious disciple. 

Just then, a wind blew past. 

This wind was no stronger than the breeze on the Lingyang River at the start of spring, but somehow, all the cultivators present felt their hearts skip a beat. 

Instantly, all the ascended spirits flying hither and thither could no longer keep steady on their swords. One after another, they fell out of the sky. The wind blew past the Xuanyin Mountains and spread outwards. All inscriptions dimmed, all spiritual stones suddenly escaped the arrays they were placed in. 

The irregular immortal tools made of hammers, chisels, axes, and saws became true hammers, chisels, axes, and saws. The Zhao family descendants, who had never done a day’s physical labor in their lives, suddenly lost their cultivation. One person was hit over the head with a hammer, and it actually bashed his brains out on the spot. 

The one who had been bashed was astonished; breathing his last, he still didn’t understand what had happened to his head. 

The one who had done the bashing was also astonished. 

The Barrier Dispeller Bow in Pang Jian’s hands disappeared, and “Zhao Yu,” controlled by the paperman, froze in place, turning into a puppet. 

In that instant, all the territory within Great Wan’s borders turned entirely into the mortal world. Cultivators became mortals, immortal tools became ordinary metal, and the spiritual energy departed! 

Only the Riverward inside the Resurrection Vortex ignored all this, continuing to protect its master. 

His communication tools lost power, and Zhou Ying abruptly lost contact with Bai Ling, but he didn’t panic in the least. He only changed his sitting posture—what was the rush? When the two shed skins left the mountains, their consciousnesses could cover all of Great Wan. The two old fellows had yet to reach the East Sea, so presumably they had something to attend to. 

The Zhao family had profound secrets, but what shed skin hadn’t come up from the period of the Great War of Gods and Demons? They all knew each other. 

It was unsuitable for shed skin sages to meddle in a fight between the ants in the mortal world, but when the ants were about to chew through the roots, could they still fail to act? 

Just then, inside the Resurrection Vortex, the previously very wide Riverward suddenly contracted, its thin smoke almost clinging to Zhou Ying. The smoke quivered slightly with unease. 

Zhou Ying had a thought—the shed skins were here in person. 

Lin Zongyi and Zhang Jue appeared in the East Sea practically one after the other. The two of them had left the Xuanyin Mountains together, but now they had come separately, one from the north and one from the south. 

Zhang Jue said, “The spiritual veins have been severed. It will require ten days to repair them completely. Let them finish their mortal world business in the mortal world.” 

Lin Zongyi nodded and pointed to the East Sea. 

Then the two shed skins no longer discussed the world-shaking revolt. They quickly inspected the demon seal at the bottom of the Impassable Sea. 

“There is nothing out of the ordinary. The Dignitary of Rites did indeed lose his mind.” Zhang Jue sighed and said, “Lin-shixiong, you’ve felt it, too, haven’t you?” 

Lin Zongyi removed his mouth seal. “There are signs that this was brought about deliberately, but I searched through the four northern provinces without tracking down the one behind it.” 

Right now, Zhou Ying, the one behind it, just happened to be in the whirlpool at Lin Zongyi’s feet. This desperate criminal seemed by nature not to know what guilt was. He lay calmly inside the Riverward, listening to the two shed skin elders discussing how to capture him. 

“It is the same in the south,” Zhang Jue said. “The Zhao family has been truly disgraceful this time. How fortunate that we have the assistance of the Kaiming Department.” 

Lin Zongyi was silent—he couldn’t respond to this statement; whether he spoke in approval or in opposition, as soon as the words left his mouth, they would become a judgment. He had to be extremely cautious. 

After a while, he asked, “Where is Zhou Ying?” 

Hearing this, the Dignitary of Fate High Elder began to divine on his fingers. 

When the consciousness of the master of the Sea of Stars began to move, the Riverward’s thin smoke immediately seeped anxiously into Zhou Ying. He took on a half-transparent quality. The legendary demonic tool that was outside the laws silently resisted Xuanyin Mountain’s observation. 

Zhou Ying was like an ant hidden in the fur of a huge beast, listening to the heavy breathing that could instantly blow him away. His spine tensed unconsciously, but his eyes glowed. 

He was like a gambling addict. The more critical the situation was, the more excited he would become. 

He waited for the Dignitary of Fate’s verdict as if waiting for the lid of a dice cup to be removed. 

After a moment, he heard Zhang Jue say, “He is in Jingzhou—on the way back to Jinping from Yuzhou.” 

“Very good,” said Lin Zongyi. “His relationship to the Impassable Sea is profound. I have always feared that there was something wrong with him.” 

“The Kaiming and the Luwu do in fact have considerable ambitions. Fortunately this person is only a half-immortal. He can still be controlled.” 

Zhou Ying tsked, as if half-regretful. Shaking his head, he began to laugh. 

With the spiritual energy dissipated, the human world calmed down. The world-shaking battle of cultivators changed into all the local garrisons apprehending the renegades. 

The evil-expelling bells on the Azure Dragon Towers, which had trembled for several days, stopped moving. 

Xi Yue, looking after the Heart Tower, at last breathed a sigh of relief. 

Just then, he heard the voice of the Marquis Manor’s page Hao Zhong. 

“Young Master Yue! Young Master Yue!” 

His call made the roots of Xi Yue’s ears go numb. For some reason, he had a bad feeling. 

Hao Zhong didn’t dare to approach the Azure Dragon Tower. He only shifted around like an ant on a hot pan. 

Xi Yue raised a hand to make a hand seal, but he couldn’t direct spiritual energy. Only then did he remember that all his arrays had turned into decorative designs. He had to walk to the window and reach out to open it. 

Jinping City on the Lingyang River was half of the weak spot on Zhou Ying’s underbelly. Normally this was hidden very deep, so no one could see—mostly it was demonstrated by the fact that even if he wanted to throw the whole world into chaos, he would still unconsciously protect the bright pearl of Jinping. 

This time, apart from some quiet skulduggery in the inner courtyard of the imperial palace, everything in Jinping had been as usual. Outside, shed skins were dying, thugs were fighting for their lives, and mantises were wrestling with orioles; but in the Marquis Manor, everything was going as usual. 

But while human strength could shake the fierce winds and make the veins of the earth tremble, it couldn’t return a single quietly fallen flower to the branch. 

On her birthday, old Madam Xi had insisted on listening to opera all night. The next day, she didn’t get up. 

At first the family thought the old lady was tired. They called a few times without getting an answer and went inside to look. That was when they found that she was delirious from fever. Elderly people fell ill easily. Everyone quickly turned up the pills His Highness Prince Zhuang had sent back over several years. 

But the elixirs that could restore a person to perfect health overnight, like the prohibited weapons and spiritual energy, had lost effect. 

In the end, mortals had their mortal fates.