Chapter Sixteen: Bai Zhaoju

“You’re actually still alive?”

The voice was filled with astonishment.

It was the white serpent!

Xu Zhong’s heart shuddered.

He saw the woman, transformed from the white serpent, walk into the palace. Upon her body flowed a glimmer of spiritual light, purest of all, containing and evolving everything.

That was Qi—the One born from the Dao.

Before the world emerged from chaos, this spiritual light was everywhere; after the world began, Qi transformed into the primordial and acquired breaths. The primordial breath rose, the acquired breath sank.

Thus, living beings were divided into primordial and acquired natures. But whether primordial or acquired, only by refining the breath within into Qi could one be said to have attained the Dao.

Xu Zhong saw Qi—or rather, Qi saw him and revealed itself.

He felt lost and bewildered.

Then, he saw behind the white serpent a vast shadow swaying—a towering, boundless, unfathomable figure, behind her head a halo nested within halo, circles upon circles extending into infinity, limitless yet wholly contained within the eye. A single glance seemed to drain all essence, energy, and spirit.

“That is the manifestation of her Dao—the resonance of her past self,” Ying Xiantian dared not look, fearing her gaze would sense him.

Xu Zhong described it to him.

“So, someone changed your destiny,” the white serpent observed the shift in Xu Zhong’s fate. Though she wasn’t skilled in physiognomy, she could deduce a thing or two. “A method of shifting stars and constellations, a Hunyuan Five Elements spell—no wonder its power is so formidable.”

“The one who altered your fate must be highly accomplished.”

The white serpent extended a finger.

Ying Xiantian, as if mourning, saw a gateway to another world appear behind him. Facing that finger, all he felt was terror.

Had it not been for the earlier change in fate, which altered his fortune, he would have perished at the white serpent’s hand.

Now, as she struck again, he could only summon an external scene in Xu Zhong’s mind, borrowing its power for a desperate stand.

But at that moment, he realized the finger was not aimed at him.

Something within Xu Zhong was stirred.

It was the imprint in his mind.

The avatar of Situ Nan appeared, locking eyes with the white serpent across countless layers of space.

“A... Cave Heaven!” the white serpent murmured in surprise.

Even more surprised was Xu Zhong. He was certain he hadn’t spaced out; his mind was taut, catching every word the white serpent uttered, except for the phrase between “A...” and “Cave Heaven.”

It seemed those words had been erased by some rule.

Ying Xiantian, within Xu Zhong’s mind, experienced the same. What he could perceive depended on Xu Zhong; if Xu Zhong couldn’t hear it, neither could he.

Situ Nan submitted, and the white serpent gazed at Xu Zhong with deep meaning. “How interesting…”

Xu Zhong was utterly confused.

“I originally came to fetch this little one, but since you’re still alive, I’ll take you along as well.”

The white serpent drew out a snake scale, gently exhaled upon it, and it became a cloud, carrying Xu Zhong and You Sujue, following in her wake.

She walked outward.

The heart trembled before the white serpent, the myriad faces upon it twisted in terror.

“I don’t have time to play with you,” the white serpent pressed her hand upon it, pushing it back into the earth.

Suddenly, several bands of interlaced black and white light crashed into the world like rainbows piercing the sun.

---

Within the external scene, three figures appeared.

“So, it’s the Three Wanderers of Tianxu. Three thousand years have passed, you’ve improved after all,” the white serpent spoke coldly.

Within Xu Zhong’s mind, Ying Xiantian’s heart skipped.

“They are the three grand elders of the Netherworld Demon Sovereign. The death of their master has shaken them, so they’ve come to investigate. Judging by their tone, they seem to know this woman—who exactly is she?”

“Bai Zhaoju, you’ve actually returned from the dead?” The Three Wanderers of Tianxu felt a chill. “And you’ve recovered your past self!”

“Thanks to the Netherworld Emperor, sealed for three thousand years,” Bai Zhaoju sneered, then pointed.

The Three Wanderers trembled.

Three thousand years ago, countless lives fell to that finger.

From their sleeves flew undying spiritual light, transforming into banners, one for each, occupying three directions.

They waved their banners.

Instantly, the essence of sun, moon, and stars surged forth, interweaving and filling the sky.

The world became a vast white expanse; clusters of spiritual light fell, forming rings—vast enough to contain the entire scene, small enough to bind even an ant.

The halo grew massive, aiming to enclose Bai Zhaoju’s past self.

Sun, moon, stars: the Three Talents. Heaven, earth, man: also Three Talents.

The three banners corresponded to a person’s past, present, and future.

To be ensnared, erased, annihilated by the halo meant to have no past, present, or future—one would return to nothingness.

Bai Zhaoju cut off her threefold self to escape, but erasing it meant oblivion.

Her body began to collapse rapidly.

The spiritual light from her finger was quickly extinguished.

“How foolish of us; you’ve just broken free from the seal, found your past self, your power far from what it once was, while we have cultivated for three thousand years. Even if we can’t match your former strength, we are now far superior…”

The eldest of the Three Wanderers cackled. “Kill you, and the Netherworld Emperor will surely reward us.”

Bai Zhaoju sneered. “You think you can?”

“With the banners in our hands!” The eldest spun his banner.

Instantly, the essence of the sun transformed into raging fire, the halos into rings of flame, burning the sky, shattering the external world.

The sky visibly fractured, the earth cracked; earthfire mixed with magma surged back into the ground, stars fell from the sky, streaking with fire across ten thousand miles, painting everything crimson.

The primordial breath within the scene began to collapse, merging with the acquired breath outside, turning back into acquired breath, polluted.

“Why can’t this scene repair itself?” Xu Zhong thought.

“Look up,” Ying Xiantian advised.

Xu Zhong looked up.

The canopy above the palace cluster was gone.

Without its protection, the external scene could not repair itself.

“The undying spiritual light that sustained the scene has been taken, so it naturally becomes fragile,” Ying Xiantian, peering through Xu Zhong’s eyes, took it all in.

“Undying spiritual light?” Xu Zhong asked.

“The purest Dao is guarded only by spirit; keep it and do not lose it, become one with spirit. After the Five Luminaries comes the Unity. The Unity is the spirit, born from chaos, undying light. Only by grasping and guarding this undying light can you protect your mind, discard the false for the true, and reach communion with spirit.”

“The external scene is evolved upon the foundation of undying spiritual light.”

If the scene were a person, losing undying light was like losing their soul—a hollow shell. If it were a house, losing the light was like losing its foundation—an airy castle.

“Undying spiritual light isn’t produced only by cultivators, monsters, or spirits; they can generate it, and the world itself holds it. Cultivators seek, harvest, and use it for medicine or to forge magical artifacts.”

The banners wielded by the Three Wanderers were special artifacts refined from undying spiritual light.

Xu Zhong reflected, and Ying Xiantian’s words illuminated the path to Unity’s cultivation.

As he pondered, a shadow suddenly filled his vision.

A staff fell from the spot where the canopy once stood.

It struck the void with a heavy blow.

---

Heaven and earth twisted under the staff’s impact, and beneath it, the Three Wanderers of Tianxu were caught unawares, obliterated—spirits dispersed, the undying light coalescing their souls.

Yet, the next moment, the staff spun in the air, turning into a gourd, drawing their souls within.

Realizing danger, the Three Wanderers immediately burned their souls.

Green light surged, vitality vanished.

The gourd, now without a target, settled down.

At last, it transformed gently into a flat heaven crown, with hanging beads, radiant within, storing treasure energy.

The crown was neatly placed atop the head of Chen County’s City God.

Instantly, the City God’s appearance changed.

Outside his clay and gold body, he donned imperial robes, held a jade tablet, a sword and ribbon at his waist, red sandals on his feet—a monarch’s attire.

“I am the King of Ancient Yue! Bai Zhaoju, why do you not bow before me?”

The monarch’s rage changed the world’s color.

Within the restored external scene, the sun, moon, and stars twisted, earth shook and sank.

“You are unworthy,” Bai Zhaoju replied coldly. “This outer world was crafted by my hand—I am one of its creators. Do you think you can act with impunity here?”

Bai Zhaoju subdued the undying spiritual light.

“Just jesting,” the monarch laughed. “How could I disrespect one of the Four Great Emperors of Ancient Yue?”

“But I can leave you the external scene; the artifact manifested by undying light, though, is mine.”

Both had come for the undying spiritual light.

“After all, I am the last of the Ancient Yue people.”

“The last? Who acknowledges you?” Bai Zhaoju’s brows arched, mocking. “Those within this scene are the real Ancient Yue people—my friends of three thousand years ago, true descendants. You are but a ghost god!”

The City God of Chen County was enraged, but could not defeat Bai Zhaoju.

He fled before she grew angry.

He tried to escape, Bai Zhaoju intervened.

The undying light spun, countless artifacts unleashed their power.

Most were suppressed by Bai Zhaoju; her finger pressed down, and artifacts fell.

Unable to retrieve them, the City God fled with the canopy out of the scene.

“Coward,” Bai Zhaoju collected the artifacts.

After some thought, she offered Xu Zhong a gourd. “This gourd grows from an unnamed green vine, rich in Geng Metal Qi, perfect for nurturing your sword.”

She gave You Sujue a green lotus. “This has some connection to you; how to use it, I don’t know—you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

After bestowing the treasures, Bai Zhaoju stepped out of the external scene. “Lead the way for me; consider those two treasures as thanks.”

She wiped away the spell seeds from You Sujue, gathered the entire scene, and tucked it into the Five Luminaries.

“The roads of the world are long—perhaps we’ll meet again, if fate allows,” Bai Zhaoju stepped forward, shrinking a thousand miles to an inch, crossing ten thousand miles in a breath.

“Will we meet again?” Xu Zhong wondered.

“Better not,” Ying Xiantian’s soul dared leave Xu Zhong’s mind only after Bai Zhaoju departed.

“Thank you both for your aid; Ying Xiantian bows in gratitude.”

“But as I have nothing to offer in return, I owe you for now.”

Ying Xiantian left as well.

Xu Zhong and You Sujue paid no heed to his promise.

Instead, they amused themselves with their new treasures.

Just then, Bai Zhaoju suddenly returned.